His Majesty's anger was like a long-suppressed volcano finally reaching its moment of eruption.

"Enough!"


A roar of fury echoed throughout the entire arena, leaving everyone stunned into silence by this sudden thunderous rage. Even the most arrogant nobles who were usually indomitable now lowered their heads, not daring to make eye contact with their furious monarch.

His Majesty the King rose from his seat in the VIP area, his normally gentle face now covered with frost. His gaze pierced like a sharp sword toward the trembling Prince Theo, with anger burning in his eyes fierce enough to incinerate everything.

"Theo! Stand up before your king!"


Prince Theo's body shook violently, but he still managed to support himself, falling to his knees before his father. His face was as pale as paper, his lips trembling incessantly, yet he couldn't utter a single complete word.

"You unfilial son!" The king's voice echoed throughout the arena. "How has your royal father taught you daily? As crown prince, you should discern right from wrong and carefully choose those around you! But what have you done? What have you done?"


He pointed toward Lina, who was still unconscious, his fury growing threefold.

"You actually allowed a woman by your side to use forbidden artifacts! Do you realize that if Lady Ethelgard hadn't defused the situation in time, everyone present would have lost their lives here! Including your royal father! Including your mother the queen! Including all royal family members and senior officials!"

Hearing these words, all the nobles present couldn't help but gasp. Only then did they truly realize just how terrifying the danger they had just faced was.

"Father King, I... I..." Prince Theo wanted to defend himself, but the words wouldn't come out when they reached his lips.

Because he couldn't deny that he had indeed secretly provided Lina with that forbidden artifact.

"You what?" The King sneered, "Do you think We don't know the source of that forbidden artifact? We are perfectly clear about the entry and exit records of the royal treasury!"

Prince Theo's face instantly turned even paler. He knew everything was over.

"Poor judgment of character, abuse of power, unauthorized taking of forbidden items, nearly causing a disaster..." The King enumerated Prince Theo's crimes one by one, and with each count, the latter trembled more violently, "With all these offenses, are you still worthy of being the crown prince?"

The entire hall was deathly silent. Everyone held their breath, waiting for His Majesty the King's verdict.

"I hereby announce," the king's voice was as cold as winter ice and snow, "that Prince Theo is stripped of his priority right to the throne succession! From today onward, he shall be confined to the Eastern Palace, facing the wall to reflect on his actions, and without my permission, he shall not step outside the palace gates even half a step!"

This punishment struck everyone present like a bolt from the blue. Being stripped of priority succession rights meant that Prince Theo had essentially lost any possibility of ascending to the throne.

"No... please no... Father, I beg you to give me one more chance..." Prince Theo finally broke down, crying and kowtowing to his father for mercy, "I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong..."

"It's too late." The king coldly looked at his son, "I have given you countless chances, yet time and again you have disappointed me. This time, you nearly caused everyone's death. I will no longer tolerate you!"

He turned away, unwilling to look at Prince Theo's utterly wretched state any longer.

"Someone come, take the prince back to the Eastern Palace and keep him under strict surveillance."

Soon, palace guards stepped forward, supported the completely limp Prince Theo, and dragged him away from the arena.

Watching the once-mighty crown prince now being dragged away like a stray dog, a satisfying sense of revenge welled up in my heart.

In my previous life, it was this man who personally sent me to the guillotine.

And now, he had finally received his deserved retribution.

But this wasn't enough. There was still one more person who needed to face judgment.

The king's gaze turned to Lina, who lay unconscious on the ground. He waved his hand, and soon Court Magisters came forward to cast healing magic, awakening her.

Lina opened her eyes groggily, seeing a circle of people around her, not yet understanding the current situation.

"Your Majesty?" she looked bewilderedly at the furious king, "I am..."

"Lina Erlande," the king's voice came like a judgment from hell, "do you acknowledge your crime?"

"Know... know what crime?" Lina still maintained a bewildered appearance, seemingly unaware that she had nearly caused a disaster moments ago. "Your Majesty, I was just participating in the competition..."

"Participating in the competition?" The king sneered, "You call using a forbidden artifact participating in the competition? You call almost killing everyone participating in the competition?"

Hearing these words, Lina finally realized the gravity of the situation. Her face instantly turned deathly pale as she hurriedly tried to defend herself:

"No! Your Majesty, you misunderstand! I didn't know it was a forbidden artifact! It was... it was..."

She wanted to shift the blame to Prince Theo, but the words caught in her throat. Because she knew that if she did so, it would mean completely burning all her bridges in this world.

"It was what?" the king asked coldly. "Continue."

"I... I..." Lina stammered for a long time, unable to provide a complete explanation.

How could she dare say that the forbidden artifact was given to her by Prince Theo? How could she dare admit that she knew all along it was a forbidden item? How could she dare say that she was willing to use such a dangerous thing just to win?

But her silence had already revealed everything.

"Very well," the King nodded, "since you have nothing to say, I shall now read your charges."

He cleared his throat, his voice reaching every corner of the arena.

"First, deceiving the throne. You knowingly used a forbidden artifact in an official royal competition despite being aware of its dangers. This is a challenge to royal authority and disrespect toward me."

"Second, endangering the kingdom's security. Your reckless actions nearly caused an irreversible disaster. Had someone not intervened in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Third, violating the Mage's Code. As a mage, your duty should be to protect, not to create catastrophe."

With each crime announced, Lina's face grew paler. By the end, she had completely collapsed on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"Lina Erlande," the king finally pronounced, "in light of your crimes, I hereby strip you of all magical powers and permanently banish you from the kingdom. From this day forward, you shall not set foot on our territory again!"

Removal of magic! Permanent exile!

This was truly the cruelest punishment for a magician! A magician without magic powers was essentially useless. And being permanently banished meant she would lose all means of survival in this world.

"No! Please no!" Lina finally broke down, kowtowing to the king while sobbing, "Your Majesty, I beg for your mercy! I cannot live without my magic! I cannot leave this place! Please!"

But the king no longer paid heed to her crying. He waved his hand, and immediately a Court Magister stepped forward to begin executing the spell to strip away her magic power.

Accompanied by Lina's heart-wrenching screams, the magic power in her body was extracted bit by bit, eventually dissipating completely into the air.

The once prodigious girl was now nothing more than an ordinary, utterly common mortal.

Her dream of a "perfect ending in another world" had thus been completely shattered.

Watching Lina's desperate expression as she was dragged away, a surge of satisfying vengeance welled up in my heart.

In my previous life, she had stolen my fiancé, caused me to be labeled as a "villainess," and ultimately led me to ruin.

But now, she had finally tasted the despair of losing everything.

This was the price for betraying and hurting me.

※　※　※

One week later, in the royal palace's most magnificent Helm's Hall.

Today is the investiture ceremony for my official appointment as the kingdom's Chief Mage.

The enormous hall is decorated with magnificent gold and splendor, with hundreds of nobles gathered to witness this historic moment. The youngest, and first female Chief Mage in the kingdom's history is about to be born.

I walk elegantly down the red carpet leading to the throne, dressed in pure white formal ceremonial attire. On both sides stand the kingdom's most authoritative archmages, looking at me with reverence and approval, no one daring to question my qualifications anymore.

After all, I once single-handedly saved everyone in the entire arena. This achievement and strength are enough to make all doubts vanish without a trace.

As I approach the throne, His Majesty the King personally rises from his seat. In his hands, he holds the Archmage's Robe, representing the kingdom's highest magical honor—a magnificent robe woven from starlight silk, embroidered with ancient and sacred magical runes.

"Eliana von Ethelgard," the king solemnly announced, "with your unparalleled prowess and noble character, you have proven yourself worthy of this honor."

He gently draped the wizard's robe over my shoulders. In that moment, I felt an unprecedented sense of power—not magical power, but the weight of authority.

"From this day forward," the king continued, "you shall be the Chief Mage of this kingdom, with the right to directly advise the royal court and participate in the formulation of major kingdom policies."

Then, he took the Chief's Scepter from a courtier beside him—an exquisite staff adorned with countless gems, representing the highest status among wizards.

"This scepter is the symbol of the Chief Mage throughout generations. Today, We solemnly place it in your hands."

The moment I received the scepter with both hands, the entire hall erupted in thunderous applause.

「Furthermore,」the king's voice sounded again,「in recognition of Duke Ethelgard's loyal contributions to the kingdom all these years, as well as his daughter's outstanding performance today, I hereby formally declare the restoration of all honors to the Ethelgard family!」

I turned around to look at my father in the audience.

The man who had been disgraced in my previous life because of my "evil deeds" was now covering his face with trembling hands, tears flowing through his fingers. He was proud of me and too overwhelmed with emotion at the family's restored honor to contain himself.

At this moment, the little girl deep inside me who longed to "be seen" was finally satisfied.

Father had seen my true worth.

The kingdom had seen my true abilities.

Everyone had seen that I, Eliana von Ethelgard, was never a villainess, but rather an indispensable pillar of this kingdom!

"Everyone," I turned to face all the guests, raising the staff in my hand, "I swear, with this power I will protect the kingdom, uphold justice, and defend all those worthy of protection!"

Prolonged applause and cheers once again echoed throughout the hall.

This marks the achievement of my first major goal since my rebirth—not only proving myself but also gaining power and status sufficient for self-protection.

From now on, no one will dare to trample on my dignity at will.