458,

Alexander hesitated for a moment. In the end, he voiced his answer.

"Assassination."

The response received a round of applause from the leader.

"Not bad~ But..."

"But?"

"You cannot do it."

"Why?!"

The leader's unexpected answer made Alexander turn back to look at him.

With a calm expression, the leader smiled mysteriously at Alexander.

"It is indeed the most effective approach, but I do not need you to do it."

"Don't need me? This is no longer just your personal matter. If something like five years ago were to happen again... No! She is definitely more powerful now. With the current amount of people sacrificed to the Great Dragon, any of her large-scale magic spells can take the lives of tens of thousands."

"This time, little sister Marcina will behave."

Alexander took a step towards the leader.

"First of all, she is no longer 'little sister.' She is now eighteen, and..."

Taking another step forward, Alexander closed the distance to the leader to make sure he heard his words clearly.

"After five years of imprisonment in Gulag Prison, her heart must be full of hatred. Don't forget, you were the one who sent her to prison!"

"Hahaha~"

Facing Alexander's harsh words, the leader burst into laughter.

"That's right~ That's right~ I was the one who sent her to prison, but have you ever thought about how I did it?"

The leader continued to laugh.

For Alexander, and even for the entire continent, Marcina's surrender was a strange occurrence. At only thirteen, the young girl, with her unique magic, toyed with all the warriors on the continent.

It wasn't that they couldn't defeat her, but they couldn't catch her. Thirteen-year-old Marcina had no purpose, didn't listen to anyone's advice, went where she pleased, and played how she pleased.

With unpredictable tactical maneuvers, Marcina wreaked havoc with an almost invincible posture.

It was the first time Alexander felt troubled. Facing her head-on was already too difficult, but this little girl was a magic maniac who wouldn't even engage in direct combat.

Not fond of fighting, not belligerent, just indulging in her 'unique magic' everywhere.

However, after over a month of chase, at the seventeenth hour at the battlefield, both the leader and Marcina disappeared into a tornado.

According to the records at the time, the reinforcements only found the two at battlefield twenty-four almost a day later.

And it was at that moment she surrendered.

The condition for surrender was that the leader had to personally handle it and send her to Gulag Prison.

Alexander looked at the boy in front of him, the monster who had made Marcina surrender.

"She has returned. Are you going to keep it a secret? What did you do back then to make her surrender willingly?"

"Hehehe~ It was a memorable night~"

Several veins popped on Alexander's face, forming a complete cross.

"You old pervert, you wouldn't spare even a thirteen-year-old girl?!"

"Hey! Do you see me as such a perverted gentleman?"

"..."

Alexander squinted his eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk!! And you are still my ally~ I've said it so many times, I! Only have an interest in women with large breasts!!"

In an instant, Alexander had arrived by the side of the Lord, and he used his large hand to grab the Lord's head from top to bottom.

"What exactly did you do, hm!"

The Lord blushed, and replied casually.

"Just had a little chat~"

"What?!"

This answer, perhaps no one who had ever been toyed with by Marcina would believe.

"Hmph~ You're thinking too much. Magicians, especially scholars who focus on studying magic, are just a bunch of crazy and calm monsters."

"Why do you make such a conclusion?"

"This is experience, the experience I've lived through."

Alexander released his hand and looked at the boy in front of him with some suspicion.

"Listen to me, don't lay a hand on Marcina. Assassinating her is equivalent to suicide. Before she truly breathes her last, she can cast one last spell."

"..."

"As long as you leave her be, she won't make a move in Kakarl."

"No."

Alexander directly rejected the Lord's suggestion.

"I need concrete evidence. This matter is of great importance. I don't want to gamble the people of Kakarl on your confidence."

"You're really..."

Alexander had his own persistence. Faced with such a wide-reaching event, he needed a foolproof plan.

"Alright, alright~"

In the end, this persistence made the Lord give up on his promise.

"Don't let her find out, okay! Otherwise, she really will come looking for me..."

The Lord shook his head, showing helplessness.

"She won't make a move, because there's someone in this Kakarl who can restrain Marcina now."

"Who exactly is this person you're talking about...?"

In response to Alexander's question, the Lord smirked once again.