Chapter 230: Chapter 230

“I gave you my loyalty… and you told me I wasn’t even your right hand or your left! After everything I’ve done for you—after everything—I’ll never forgive you!”

With a fierce look in his eyes, Nathan charged at Ian. Galon, startled, tried to intervene.

Using his skill Swift, Nathan darted past him and pointed his sword directly at Ian, fully intent on striking. Galon shouted in alarm.

“My lord! Please dodge!”

But Ian didn’t move. No—more accurately, he couldn’t move.

His hands and legs shook violently. It was the cost of unleashing the full power of two of the Seven Sins—Jealousy and Fury. He had even used Faith and the Seven Virtues to defend himself. His body was completely spent. The helmet screamed at him:

[Move! Now! That man’s under the influence of Lust! Even for you, this is dangerous!]

But he simply couldn’t move. All he could do was lift his sword. With trembling hands, he gripped the royal sword.

Naturally, in this state, there was no way he could fend off an enraged Nathan. But Ian didn’t look afraid.

“Sir Nathan. You truly…”

He sighed as he raised the royal sword. In truth, he didn’t even need it.

“You’re right. You’re neither my right hand nor my left.”

“You’re my future brother-in-law.”

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Nathan’s grip loosened. He tripped over his own feet and went sprawling.

After rolling for a while, a stunned Nathan stammered, “Future brother-in-law? That makes no sense!”

“It’s true. You’re engaged to my sister, aren’t you?”

Nathan’s eyes widened, trembling with disbelief. And then—

A reddish aura slipped from Nathan’s body. It was clearly the power of Lust, one of the Seven Sins. The helmet spoke in disbelief.

[Wait, what? Just one line got rid of Lust?!]

It made no sense. Lust draws out buried desires, and once stirred, they’re not easily calmed. But now, Nathan’s eyes had cleared. The power of Lust had completely vanished, driven off by Ian’s simple words. The helmet asked:

[Does that idiot really hate the First Princess that much?]

‘No way. If he did, he wouldn’t have agreed to the engagement.’

‘He probably just hates the idea of marriage. He always says he’s a free spirit.’

Ian wasn’t joking. Nathan might’ve enjoyed his flings so far, but once he got married, that freedom would be over. And the First Princess? She wasn’t someone who’d tolerate that.

‘Sure, she might let things slide while they’re just engaged. But if she catches him cheating after marriage… she might cut off something important.’

[Wait… by something important, do you mean—?]

Ian silently nodded. For a man, there was only one thing that truly mattered.

The helmet still seemed skeptical.

[Would she really go that far?]

‘If it’s my sister? Without question.’

In his previous life, Ian had heard rumors. Women Nathan had flirted with mysteriously vanished afterward.

‘Not that she killed them or anything. They just… never saw Sir Nathan again.’

Maybe they were paid off. Maybe they were… persuaded in ways they couldn’t refuse.

The First Princess likely made sure those women stayed far away. Though Nathan always denied it, the rumors spoke for themselves. But that wasn’t what mattered now.

‘So? Is there any trace of the Sin’s power left?’

[Nope. It’s gone. Must’ve been one hell of a shock.]

It was fear—greater even than desire—that had broken Lust’s grip. For Nathan, it wasn’t lust that triggered the Sin, but his deep yearning for Ian’s approval. That much was clear. But Ian turned his attention back to the situation. Nathan wasn’t the priority anymore. Galon spoke sharply.

“My lord, he can’t have gone far. I’ll track him down.”

Galon approached Ian, sword at the ready, clearly prepared to give chase the moment he was ordered. But Ian shook his head.

“Pardon? But… he’s alone. If we miss this chance—”

Ian’s body swayed and collapsed. Galon and Nathan rushed to his side in panic.

“This… is more exhausting than I thought. I need to rest a bit.”

It was inevitable. He was using both Jealousy and Fury at once.

On top of that, he had to draw upon Faith and the Seven Virtues just to survive. He had acted tough in front of Leon, but in truth, he was already at his limit. As he lay there, Ian whispered to Galon:

“Good thing he was fooled. If we kept fighting… I would’ve lost.”

“But, my lord, didn’t you say the Second Prince set up explosives outside? Weren’t you planning to trap him in here?”

“Not at all. That greedy prince would never blow this place up.”

“It was just a bluff.”

Right now, Ian couldn’t use the Seven Virtues—or the Seven Sins—anymore. Naturally, if he found himself buried underground, it would mean he couldn’t use Fury, and he would be buried alongside it. Besides, the Second Prince had no intention of destroying the lab. From a distance, Ian could already hear voices—the prince and his knights.

“I found the documents.”

“All essential materials have been secured…”

“With this, we can… no, I can gain the same power as him.”

As Ian had anticipated, the Second Prince was rummaging through the area. It seemed he was trying to gather the research documents created by Leon, along with the remaining experimental subjects. Even while lying there weakly, Ian spoke with cold resolve.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Nathan, feeling guilty, quickly responded, his eyes filled with concern, wondering if Ian was about to reference their earlier conversation about being future brothers-in-law. However, Ian had something else in mind.

“Destroy all of those documents. Don’t let them take a single one.”

“Pardon? Are you sure?”

Nathan looked genuinely taken aback.

“Regardless of the circumstances, those are Leon’s research materials. If we analyze them, we might find a way to defeat him—”

“No. We don’t need them.”

“Those are the materials he abandoned. We cannot allow the completed data to be leaked.”

It would be especially dangerous if it fell into the hands of someone like the Second Prince. With someone like him, another research facility would certainly rise.

“Whether it’s Cantum or Kaistein—it doesn’t matter. We can’t allow another lab to exist.”

“Understood. I will carry out your command.”

At Ian’s grave tone, Nathan bowed his head.

“I’ll take care of it right away.”

“Sir Galon, you should go with him.”

But unlike Nathan, who immediately moved to obey, Galon shook his head. He had no intention of leaving Ian’s side.

“I will remain to protect my lord.”

His gaze was fixed on Ian, filled with concern. Ian’s hands and legs were still trembling, even at rest.

“There’s a real chance someone might target Your Highness. I must stay and defend you.”

Ian wanted to argue, but he lacked the strength. And truthfully, Galon wasn’t wrong.

‘That’s true. If the Second Prince were to have other intentions, I would be in trouble.’

There was also the chance Leon had pulled some trick before fleeing. If Ian had been in Leon’s position, he might’ve blown the place up on his way out. So Ian spoke with a composed expression.

“I understand. In that case… could you bring that man over here first?”

Galon followed Ian’s gaze. On the ground lay a body—

No, not a corpse. A severely injured man, one of Leon’s subordinates who had barely survived his attack. This was the man Ian had implanted with a fragment of Jealousy earlier. As Ian gestured, the fragment within the man stirred.

“I’ll use him to track down Leon.”

After facing Leon once, Ian had gained insight into how to confront him. He understood both the power he wielded and his weaknesses. Thus, Ian spoke with determination.

“Next time we meet… I’ll win.”

A black oval appeared some distance away from the secret base. Leon stepped out from within. As soon as he surveyed the area, he dropped to one knee without hesitation.

Blood gushed from Leon’s mouth. The oval soon transformed into the shape of a person who rushed toward him.

“Lord Leon! Are you alright?”

But Leon waved her off.

“I’m fine. I just feel a bit dizzy from using too much power all at once.”

“Do you doubt my words, Yung?”

Leon’s sharp gaze pressured the woman named Yung. She quickly backed away.

“N-not at all. Lord Leon’s words are absolute. I would never question them.”

“Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”

Once stabilized, Leon carefully began inspecting his own body.

‘I drained more of Lust and Greed than I expected… I need to replenish them.’

Up until encountering Ian, he had been fully charged with the power of the Seven Sins. But the consecutive battles had depleted his reserves faster than anticipated. Still, Leon showed no signs of panic.

“Inform the Emperor and the Chief Eunuch. I need a new battlefield—and fresh blood.”

“The First Royal Princess is still at the Imperial Palace.”

“Is that so? Even better. If I kill everyone except her… the amount I need will be fulfilled.”

He could see from Ian’s situation.

‘He is filling the Seven Sins solely with his own power. But I am different.’

Unlike Ian, who relied entirely on himself, Leon acquired negative emotions through large-scale battles. Even if the quality might be lower, the quantity would undoubtedly surpass Ian’s recovery. After all, in negative emotions, quality mattered less.

‘The Seven Sins are a power that grows stronger on its own. Given enough time, I can refine even the crudest energy.’

Time was on his side. All he needed to do was recover faster than Ian—and strike first.

‘Once I do, he won’t stand a chance.’

Just then, Yung hesitantly asked,

“Um… Lord Leon. Is it really okay to leave the Seventh Prince like that?”

She was referring to how Ian had been left behind. Though she had faithfully followed Leon’s orders, leaving Ian unchecked felt dangerous. But Leon simply smirked.

“Didn’t you see the parting gift I left?”

“But… the Seventh Prince stood up to you. I doubt a single knight can stop him.”

“You clearly don’t understand Lust.”

Leon gave her a knowing smile.

“People become stronger when they harbor desires rather than anger. Besides, a man who can’t bring himself to kill his own knight… will always be a prisoner of his own conscience.”

There had been a simple reason Leon chose to cast Lust on Nathan. Unlike the stoic Galon, Nathan seemed somewhat closer to Ian. Given Ian’s kind nature, he would surely struggle to raise his sword against Nathan. Even if he did, it would still work in Leon’s favor.

“People like him are always a problem. The guilt of having killed his own knight will surely torment him.”

Time was all Leon needed. A knight’s death would buy him just that. But just as Leon steadied himself to move—

He spat blood violently, and his legs trembled heavily.

Yung rushed to his side in alarm. This time, Leon couldn’t push her away—because what he felt truly shook him.

“Is… is Lust already broken?”

The Lust he had cast on Nathan was breaking, causing a backlash effect. The poison he had prepared for Ian was now turning against him. Leon anxiously glanced in the direction where Ian could be found.

“What on earth did he do?”

If Nathan had died, that would’ve been the end of it. This kind of backlash shouldn’t have happened unless something had gone wrong. Clearly, Ian had done something—something unexpected.

“We don’t have time to waste. Head for the Imperial Palace. Now.”

Leon’s eyes burned with anger.

“The next time we meet… I will be the one who wins.”

But even with that resolve, caution was vital. As Leon turned to leave, he issued a command to Yung.

“Blow up the research facility.”

At his order, Yung pressed the detonation switch.

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