The masked man under the Third Prince has appeared before Christina. They were staring at each other, but Christina seemed to be looking down on her since she was a noble while the other party was just a servant.
"Who is brave enough to trespass on my mansion?" Christina was still sitting as if she didn't feel any pressure coming from the person before her.
However, both of them knew that their strength was similar. They were Spirit Masters.
"I bring a message from the Third Prince."
"…" Christina didn't seem to be surprised as if she was already aware that the Third Prince would be coming. Still, she asked, "So, what's the Third Prince want from a lesser noble like me?"
Count was the second lowest position in the nobility rank after Baron. So, it was understandable that people often called them lesser nobles.
Despite calling herself a lesser noble, her influence and strength was enough to fight against an Earl. And with the Third Prince losing his position as the successor of the throne, she might have to be courteous to him, but not his subordinate.
"The Third Prince would like to ask for the Rune Book from you, Countess Christina. In exchange, he'll help you destroy Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford."
Christina frowned. "The Third Prince should know how important this book is, right?"
He couldn't answer it. After all, he shouldn't give out too much information even if the other party had already confirmed it.
Christina paused for a moment, creating suspense. "I have received the words from Noel Ardagan about the Third Prince. He would like to dedicate this book to him, but he asked me to confirm the knowledge first. After all, he didn't want the Third Prince to think that he gave you the wrong knowledge. That's why I can't give it to you now."
"We understand. It takes time to confirm everything. However, if—"
Before he finished his words, Christina interjected. "Also, the knowledge in this book is too complicated. Even if I try to use all my abilities, I won't be able to figure it out in a short period of time.
"Hence, to speed up the progress, I'm planning to send this book to the Tower Association. With my connection, I can create a research team to confirm the authenticity of this book…"
"That's…" The Third Prince's subordinate was in a bind. On the one hand, he couldn't deny that the wrong knowledge might harm the Third Prince. On the other hand, the Third Prince had ordered him to take the book back.
After some contemplation, "I'm afraid that we don't have that much time, Countess Christina. You should know that the time and the team will cause a lot of problems."
"Are you questioning my connection? Do you think my team will release the information?"
"That's not…"
The two suddenly stopped. Countess Christina was judging his action since he dared question her ability. The other party was annoyed because Countess Christina looked down on the Third Prince. Even though their influence was weaker compared to the past, it was still strong enough to crush her.
But before he could say anything, the burnt smell entered his nose.
"Hmm? Something is burning?" The guy widened his eyes and tried to jump back to gain some distance from Christina.
Unfortunately for him, this was Christina's mansion. There was no way her mansion had no traps, especially with Christina's strength.
In that instant, a bright red flame rose from the ground. It was so hot that it felt like it was burning and melting everything around it.
The flame gradually formed a humanoid body. It was only the upper body, but the body was muscular and the head looked like a human but with spiky hair and an angry expression. Since it formed from flame, it didn't look human.
"!!!" The guy recognized this ability and gasped, inhaling the heat. He tried to escape, but he was a bit too late. The figure had grasped him.
The heat was transmitted to the point the guy felt like he was being burned alive.
"Kh…" He used his Spiritual Energy to resist the flame. Although he wanted to use his power, he had to convince Christina to give him the book. So, it was better to look powerless and resist the flame for a while.
He knew this ability after all.
'I should be able to withstand this ability.' He thought while glancing at the figure. 'This must be the famous Fire Devil. It's an avatar created by Count Christina. It's said that this ability can burn everything it grasps, so if I'm not careful, I might die. It seems I only have three minutes to convince her.'
He gritted his teeth and said, "If you kill me, the Third Prince will send the next person. But at that time, you might not be able to make a choice right now. Count Christina, this is your time to make a choice.
"If you give that book to us, you can show Noel Ardagan's loyalty as well as crush your enemies. If you don't give us that book, you might lose everything!"
"Is that a threat?" Christina narrowed her eyes. She started emitting killing intent as if she didn't like the threat.
However, the guy shook his head and stated with a genuine tone. "No. That's a fact."
"…" Christina fell silent for a moment. The guy looked like he had a hard time enduring her fire, but he still didn't use his ability to show that he didn't mean any harm.
After some contemplation, she let him go.
"!!!" The guy was surprised that the Fire Devil had let him go and gradually vanished into thin air. And what shocked him the most was the fact that the intense heat actually burned nothing. Yes, not even a single strand of his clothes was burned. It showed the overwhelming control Christina had.
Christina waved her hand. "I have made an appointment with my teacher about this. So, I still have to send it to him. However, the case will be different if it gets stolen on the way…"
"!!!" The guy obviously understood her intention. She still had to fulfill her promise, but she was telling them to get it so that she didn't break the promise while they still got the book.
This seemed to be the best case scenario. So, he nodded his head. "I understand. I shall relay your message to the Third Prince."
