"Ha... ha... ha..."
In a corridor of Roswaal Mansion, Frederica was running at full speed.
"Bang!"
Beside the corridor, a burning door collapsed, sending up a wave of heat. Frederica, who happened to be passing by, could not help coughing, but her footsteps did not slow in the slightest as she continued to run.
All around Frederica, everything had already been engulfed in flames.
Fire burned in every corner of the mansion, while thick smoke filled every direction, making the air increasingly thin.
Under these circumstances, Frederica felt as though her head was beginning to spin.
"Damn it...!"
That curse immediately received a response.
"Oh my, no matter what, a young maiden in the bloom of youth shouldn't use such rough language, you know?"
It was an exceedingly seductive voice.
Yet to Frederica, that seductive voice sounded like the whisper of the Grim Reaper, making every hair on her body stand on end.
Without a second thought, Frederica turned around.
On her hands, she wore a pair of metal Claw Gauntlets.
They were Frederica's personal weapons.
With Demi-human blood flowing through her veins, Frederica had no aptitude for magic whatsoever. Only close-quarters combat was her forte.
These Claw Gauntlets were vicious weapons custom-made for Frederica.
Yet at this moment, Frederica could only raise them in defense.
And she did not hold them before her face, but over her abdomen.
The next second, a flash of cold light sliced through the surrounding flames and struck heavily against the raised Claw Gauntlets.
"Clang—!"
With a crisp collision, the blade that had become a cold flash was knocked away.
But Frederica did not relax in the slightest and stared fixedly ahead.
There, a tall and graceful figure emerged from the flickering firelight like a shadow.
"To think you could predict that I was