Darian rushed forward and caught the princess in his arms. At that moment, her other soldiers came running too, just as shocked. Considering how powerful Tetoya was, how could she possibly faint from anger?

Darian checked her condition with his senses and frowned. "Her mind and soul are severely worn out. She's almost out of mental energy. What the hell really happened during her solitary confinement?"

He asked, turning toward that same woman soldier from before, who quickly answered:

"The punishment is extreme torture. In the royal castle, there's this sinister Supreme Artifact. It's kept inside a dark room, and anyone who steps in there feels completely cut off from the outside world. No light, no sound — it's like time itself stops. In that darkness, everything becomes nothing — almost like dying. On top of that, negative emotions spiral out of control. They say that for common beasts, even a single day in there feels like a thousand. It's like a monster inside you breaks free and devours your soul. There's no way to describe the feeling of isolation, terror, and helplessness. Only members of the royal family can survive in there for a while."

"In ancient times, that artifact was used to torture and execute criminals, but now it's reserved for the royal family… who use it on their own members. Since the Princess was locked there for three days, the fact that her mind is still clear after that just shows how unbelievably strong she is."

Darian nodded slightly. That artifact was basically brutal mental and spiritual training for beasts — exactly their weakest point. The royal family had gotten something to compensate for it, but it was so difficult that only they could handle it.

Darian then took out a pill from the Heavenly World and slipped it down Tetoya's throat. A moment later, energy flowed through her, nourishing and stabilizing her mind and soul.

"She just got a little too emotional. Nothing serious…" Darian stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the soldiers' eyes shaking as they backed away.

When he looked down, he saw Tetoya's eyelids flicker — she was waking up way too fast. This woman was tough, that's for sure.

Darian grinned mischievously and waved his hand. Nearby, there was a muddy patch of dirt. He dug a hole, tossed her in, and stepped back.

The soldiers froze in shock. In that instant, Tetoya woke up with a start. When she realized she was half-buried and covered in mud, she scrambled out desperately.

When she looked around, the soldiers were backing off even more, terrified. All her beauty and pride were ruined — she even had mud coming out of her nose. It was pure humiliation.

Her gaze locked on Darian, and in an instant, fury exploded in her blue eyes.

"Take it easy. Your heart's pretty fragile," he said with a weird smile, but then his expression turned to mock indignation.

"What? You're mad at me?! I gave you an insanely expensive medicinal pill! One of my life-savers, gone, just to bring you back from the edge of collapse! Otherwise, you could've suffered permanent damage!"

She swallowed hard and felt an absurdly pure and powerful natural force inside her body. But when she saw the dirt all over her, all she felt was rage.

"Were you planning to plant me here, damn it?! Or just bury me and walk away?!" she yelled, pointing at the hole in the ground.

Darian muttered, "Oh? Your beast race's called Earth Qilin, right? You're from the Earth, and Earth beasts like mud… so you must like mud! I did it to make you feel comfortable — at home, you know?"

"YOU BASTARD! YOU THINK WE'RE PIGS?!" she roared, and mud splattered everywhere as it flew off her body.

Darian snorted. "Was I wrong? Whatever. I did my best to help and save you, right? You can't be that ungrateful!"

Tetoya felt her mind spinning again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm this time.

When she opened them again, she glared at the soldiers — her face still smeared with mud. The fury in her blue eyes was terrifying.

"All of you, get lost!"

The soldiers ran off at once, but their terrified expressions soon turned to relief as they got farther away. Now the Princess's wrath would be aimed at only one person.

As soon as they were gone, Tetoya drew her sword and pointed it at Darian.

"I've had enough of you! If this keeps up, I'll die from anger because of you! Let's fight — and if I win, everything you have is mine, including you. If I lose, everything I have is yours, including me. Do you accept or not?!"

Darian looked at her blankly. "Why are you acting like this? Just because you lost some stuff? If you want, I can pay you back for it. Don't get so worked up."

"You think I care about money?! You pissed me off!" she shouted.

"Then I've got no solution for that. Hmm… how about you just swallow it?" Darian said helplessly.

"You're telling me to choke on my anger?! You want me dead?!" she snapped, trembling all over.

"That's not what I meant. In life, not everything goes the way we want. If we're lucky, things are maybe fifty percent satisfying. Sometimes we just gotta learn to be happy with what we've got." Darian smiled.

"Your smile is disgusting!" she said coldly, still aiming her weapon at him.

"Yours is much prettier, no doubt. Too bad it still can't compare to Niara's. Anyway, don't be so impulsive — let's just calm down, yeah?" he said slowly.

Her blue eyes were sharp like blades as she glared at him. "You really refuse to fight me?"

"Give it up. Girl, to be honest, you're just a kid in front of me. The pill hasn't even fully taken effect yet, and in your current state, you wouldn't be able to take even one hit. Even at your best, you wouldn't last three moves. Don't be stubborn. I don't want to hit my wife's sister," Darian said gently.

He could tell Tetoya wasn't exactly kind, but she wasn't evil either. When she heard he "wasn't well" earlier, she actually worried. And even after he pissed her off to the limit, she didn't attack him outright and clearly had no intent to kill him.

The truth was, she wasn't even thirty yet — still really young and childish compared to him.

"Without a proper fight, how can you say who's stronger or weaker? You're my Instructor, so it's your duty to face me in battle. I refuse to believe I can't beat you!" she said sharply, still in disbelief.

"Since you refuse, I'll think of something to torment you until you accept! You don't need to guard this place anymore. Go take care of my fish," she ordered coldly.

Darian laughed to himself. She really wasn't a bad person — even when mad, she didn't hurt those who didn't want to fight or do anything truly cruel.

...

Darian was transferred from the forest area to the royal family's fishing grounds — right at the central stretch of the river that ran through the capital.

After dropping him off there, Tetoya returned to her residence. She refused to believe that Darian wouldn't submit.

Once she began recovering, with the pill taking full effect, she started thinking deeply about his intentions — and how she would repay him for that pill. Until...

A woman soldier came running in panic, practically crying.

"Princess, it's bad! Something terrible happened! Darian, he... he cooked the Six-Ringed Demonic Spiritual Fish! The one the Matriarch had been raising and preparing for centuries!"

"WHAT?!" Tetoya's soul nearly escaped her body from sheer terror.

By the river.

Darian and Zelkov were sitting beside a campfire.

A one-meter-long black spiritual fish was roasting over the flames, its fragrant smell making Zelkov drool.

"Mr. Darian really knows how to live! When I heard the Princess had sent you here to raise fish, I thought you'd be depressed. So I came to cheer you up — and also apologize for my mistake."

Zelkov had originally come to discuss a plan that might help Darian. He couldn't think of anything, but he was sure Darian could come up with a way to use his status as a Prince. Even if it cost a fortune, he was willing to help.

Unexpectedly, Darian was calm — just grilling a nice fish. That was the finest fishing spot in the entire capital, under the royal family's exclusive control. Only the rarest kinds of spiritual fish were raised there, and the royal castle only ate fish from that place.

"This is a beautiful spot, and I've got no reason to be upset. Let's eat and talk a bit," Darian said calmly, a strange smile on his face.

The two started eating slowly.

"Damn, what kind of fish is this? It's incredible! I've never tasted anything like it!" Zelkov said, eyes gleaming. That fish was better than any he'd ever had.

"Just some big nasty one I found. It was controlling the whole river and bullying the other fish. Anyway, that's not really important," Darian replied, eating peacefully.

As they drank and ate, Zelkov started opening up. It was like he'd finally found someone he could talk to. His real mother was from the royal family — strict as hell. Counting the Matriarch, he basically had two mothers, and both constantly scolded and punished him for not advancing fast enough.

"Things have always been rough, but I can never make them happy…" Zelkov sighed.

Darian comforted him gently. "Don't bother trying to please them. You can't live your life to make others happy. You'll only ever be happy when you're pleasing yourself — when you find something that really fulfills you inside."

Zelkov focused on Darian. Those words hit him like lightning. He had never thought about living for himself — he just spent his life trying to meet the expectations of his two mothers.

"Unfortunately," Darian went on with a faint grin, locking eyes with him, "sometimes you just gotta be rough and tell yourself: 'Fuck what others think.' If your two mothers really love you, they'll eventually understand… but don't count too much on that."

Zelkov nodded, swallowing hard.

Right then, he felt a presence approaching and turned around.

Both of them saw Tetoya appear. A cold, murderous aura radiated from her, and her gaze toward Darian was the kind of look that could eat someone alive.

Tetoya had hundreds of soldiers with her, many that Darian had never seen before at the princess's mansion. They were all powerful, seven-ringed, and some of their auras weren't even weaker than Tetoya's own. They were clearly members of the royal family.

"Sorry, Princess, but I only cooked one fish. Not enough for everyone," Darian said flatly.

"You can eat alone. After all, this might be your last meal. Make sure you eat plenty, so you don't feel cheated," Tetoya shot back coldly.

Zelkov's eyes widened. "Princess, what are you saying? It's just a fish! You're not really gonna kill us over that, right?"

"I'm not going to kill you — but someone else will. You two idiots got me involved too! Darian, you damn bringer of misfortune, are you trying to get me killed?!" Tetoya exploded.

Zelkov's expression froze — a terrible feeling washed over him. When he looked at the grilled fish, his heart skipped. In a trembling voice, he asked:

"Mr. Darian… that fish… was it black with six ring-shaped marks on its body?"

"No. It was black, but only had five ring marks," Darian said, shaking his head.

"Oh, thank God. I almost pissed myself. As long as it's not six, we're good." Zelkov sighed in relief.

"Are you stupid?" Tetoya snorted and then remembered something. "Did you notice the ring on its horn?"

Darian rubbed his chin, thinking. "I wasn't really paying attention. Now that you mention it… hmm, I think there was something like a ring on the horn."

"!"

Darian turned and saw Zelkov collapse to the ground, face pale as death.

"Mr. Darian… holy hell… we're dead. We're definitely dead! You cooked the Matriarch's most beloved fish!" Zelkov had tears in his eyes.

"No wonder it was so delicious! It really was divine-level good," Darian muttered, nodding approvingly.

"You have no idea. That fish was being raised as a treasure! It had evil tendencies, but it was supposed to be perfectly nurtured until the end of its life. When it died of old age, its flesh and blood would've been used to make a top-tier pill — one meant to help the Matriarch with her condition!"

Tetoya genuinely wanted to kill him right there. How could he not realize how serious this was?!

"It's just a stupid fish," Darian said indifferently.

When he first arrived, he'd sensed some strange black karma coming from the lake. After focusing on the fish, he realized it was coming from it. The creature was a natural beast of that planet, but without any real intelligence. It could never become a Spiritual Guardian. It was just a more powerful, scarier animal.

Karma existed in all living things. But that fish… it was obviously being fed with living people. Most likely, criminals and condemned people were thrown in as food by the royal family. This fish had the ability to kill and refine its victims in a very macabre and torturous way; some of these people did not deserve it, so dense karma arose in it.

When Darian realized that, he was disgusted — and decided to kill it.

Of course, he'd noticed the fish looked special — and that only made him want to cook it even more.

Tetoya trembled, speechless from rage. "You… you…" She grabbed Darian by the collar, practically spitting in his face, forgetting all royal etiquette.

"The Matriarch is here!"

At that moment, everyone felt a blazing aura approaching — pure fury radiating from an Immortal.

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