There is still darkness around, and the sun still has not risen yet. Elise and Winifred reached the tree on top of the small mountain. The mountaintop was open ground, with very few trees compared to the forest near the mountain. With only a few trees on top, a big tree could be seen easily. Elise and Winifred started walking towards the tree. Winifred was still following Elise from behind, still thinking about the pain she was going to feel.
Elise and Winifred reached the tree.
Seeing the tree in front of her, Winifred took a long breath—not thinking about how big the tree was, but thinking about how much pain she was going to feel. Suddenly, Winifred's eyes caught the broken branch at the top of the tree. There was nothing on the ground; the branch that the prince had broken was nowhere to be seen.
Looking at Winifred, Elise said, "Here, sit here," pointing for Winifred to sit in front of her. Hearing Elise, Winifred started walking towards her. It was a short distance, but as she walked towards Elise, Winifred's heart started beating faster, and she began to feel more fear. She tightened her grip, clenching her fingers, and walked towards Elise, controlling her fear.
"Don't worry, okay?" Elise said, looking at Winifred, knowing how scared she was and trying to hide her feelings from her.
"Yeah…" Winifred replied, not knowing what to say.
"See, the sun is close to rising," Elise said, pointing towards the west where the sun was very close to rising. Hearing Elise, Winifred looked at the sun. The sun still had not risen yet, but its rays could be seen on the mountains, indicating that the sun was very close to rising.
"Sit here on your knees," Elise said, pointing towards the sun and telling Winifred to sit on the ground. Hearing Elise, Winifred turned around, bent her legs, and sat on her knees on the grassy ground.
At the very top of the same tree, the same black crow was watching Elise and Winifred. Since the tree was very big, Winifred didn't see the black crow at the top of the tree when she looked at the tree.
"It will hurt a lot, like someone torturing you in real life. You will feel tremendous pain for at least half a minute. You will feel so much pain that blood will start coming from your mouth, nose, and ears," Elise said, telling Winifred how much it was going to hurt and how she would feel tremendous pain.
"What if I suddenly say stop after I start feeling the pain?" Winifred asked, wondering what would happen if she couldn't handle the pain and told Elise to stop the process.
Hearing Winifred, Elise paused for a moment, something she rarely did before responding. Understanding the slight change in Elise's demeanor, Winifred looked back at her."
"I'll stop, but after that, we'll have to do this slowly, in a way that could take four or five years." Elise replied, telling Winifred that if she stopped Elise in the middle of the process, she would lose this chance and then have to spend four to five years to unlock her mana circuit.
"Hahah…" Hearing Elise, Winifred laughed a bit. She realized that if she stopped Elise in the middle of the process after feeling too much pain, she would lose her only chance—something Winifred couldn't afford.
Turning her head back towards where the sun was rising, Winifred said, "Don't stop, even if I say stop it after feeling the pain, okay? I can't lose this chance!"
"Okay, if you say so, I will not stop…" Elise replied in a cold voice and with a cold expression.
"Even if I beg you to stop, please don't stop, okay?" Winifred said again with a sad voice, asking Elise not to stop, even if she begged.
"Are you sure?" Elise asked with a strong and serious voice, standing behind Winifred and raising her right hand towards Winifred's back.
"Yes…" Winifred replied with a sad voice, looking at the ground with a cold expression on her face.
"Ready?" Elise asked.
"Always," Winifred replied in a cold voice, looking straight at the rising sun with a cold expression on her face.
Hearing Winifred's reply, a small smile appeared on Elise's face.
"Here I go…" Elise said in a strong voice, pointing her hand at Winifred's back, who was sitting on her knees on the ground, looking straight at the rising sun with cold eyes.
Suddenly, a wave of air was created from Elise and Winifred beneath them, hitting the ground and scattering all around them.
"Ah… Ahhh…" "Ah… Ahhhhhhh…" "Aaaaaahhh… Aaaaaaaaaaa…" "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"
Winifred yelled with a loud voice. Every time she yelled, it got louder than before. The pain was visible on her face. Suddenly, blood spurted from Winifred's mouth, but she didn't move. Her hand was tightly gripping the ground, and the ground was helping her remain still.
" ahhhhhhh…" she yelled continuously, as blood started coming from her ears and nose.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"
Elise was still pointing her hand at Winifred's back, continuing the process with a cold face.
Suddenly, Elise said, "It's over!"
The moment Elise said it was over, Winifred's yelling stopped. Suddenly, everything went silent, as if nothing had happened.
The moment Elise said it was over, Winifred started falling to the ground in front of her. While Winifred started falling, Elise teleported in front of her. Winifred fell onto Elise's back, Elise looked back at Winifred. Elise's eyes widened, her eyebrows rose, and she was shocked to see blood coming from Winifred's eyes.
"Queen," Elise said with shock, looking at the blood coming from Winifred's eyes.
"Queen," the black crow said with shock, sitting at the top of the tree, looking at Winifred.
"Queen," the young man named Prince said, standing in the air, looking at Winifred.
Winifred's face was covered in blood. Blood was coming from her mouth, ears ,nose, and eyes too. While Elise was looking at Winifred, Winifred had already lost consciousness. The blood was coming from her open, cold eyes. Suddenly, an energy wave started coming from Winifred's body—an invisible energy wave that Elise could feel around Winifred. With a smile, Elise closed Winifred's eyes. Then Elise carried Winifred on her back and stood up. She slightly looked at Winifred with a smile and started walking back.
Suddenly, the same black crow landed in front of Elise, turning into a young man—the same man who had pierced the golem with his sword.
"Please allow me…" the crow said respectfully, bending down in front of Elise, placing one hand on his chest like a normal man would bend before a queen.
"No need… I can take her," Elise replied, saying she could carry Winifred, and started walking.
"As you wish…" the crow replied, hearing Elise.
Suddenly, Elise stopped and turned around towards the crow. The crow was looking at Elise, and when Elise saw him, he bent again, placing his hand on his chest.
"After healing that tree branch, bring the prince home with you, and you come too. We'll all celebrate today, okay?" Elise said with a smile and then started walking again, carrying Winifred on her back.
"I will…" the crow replied with a funny, guilty face.