I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Earlier, in the basement of a nobleman's manor on the outskirts of the capital.

When Evan pushed open the iron door, Dean was bound to a cast-iron chair in the corner of the room, his body slightly leaning back, half of his face hidden in shadow.

Several thin chains engraved with sealing runes were wrapped around his wrists, the ends of which were fixed to a casting on the back of the chair. The runes were undoubtedly the work of Evan.

When Dean was first swallowed into this world by the door, he was so terrified by what he saw that he lost consciousness on the spot.

So Evan took the opportunity to tie him up to prevent him from escaping.

Hearing footsteps, Dean looked up: "You've come."

Evan sat down on the wooden crate opposite him, his fingertips interlaced on his knees:

"I've dissected several fairies and learned quite a bit, but I'm not here to chat with you."

"Are you here to persuade me to join you too?"

"That's right. Ian has already secured the position of Crown Prince, and it's the perfect time for him to be in need of help. We happen to need a trustworthy healer."

"Trustworthy?" Dean scoffed, his eyes sharp as he stared at him. "Isn't it because the people of this world can't use magic essence, and their understanding of healing is limited to bloodletting?"

Evan readily acknowledged Dean's words and extended the invitation again:

"Ian is ready to move on to the next phase of the plan, and I need you to be the team's healer. Are you willing?"

The stone chamber was quiet for a few breaths.

Dean lowered his eyes, as if weighing something.

Then he looked up at Evan:

"If you want me to join, then unlock the chains. You can't expect healers to be bound and gagged on their journey, can you?"

Evan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then gave a knowing smile, as if he had expected this answer.

He got up and walked behind Dean, lightly pressing his fingertip on the chain buckle. The thin chain slid off and hit the ground with a dull thud.

Dean flexed his wrists, slowly stood up, took two steps toward Evan, then stopped, took out a short blade from his soul-bound spatial ring, imbued it with magic, and swiftly attacked Evan.

The movement was so fast that Evan barely had time to see it clearly before the short blade sliced ​​through his robes and flesh, cutting diagonally across his left ribs and almost completely slicing through his waist and abdomen.

Blood gushed out, staining the ground red.

Fortunately, he often experimented on his own body, so his physical condition was far superior to that of ordinary people; otherwise, he probably would have died.

Evan looked down at the wound on his chest, his body swayed, and he almost fell over.

"A healing mage attempting assassination?... That's ruthless, Dean, but not enough to kill me."

After Dean landed a successful blow and was about to pursue, he suddenly felt his body stiffen, as if countless fine needles were piercing his spine from both sides, completely locking his limbs.

The Royal Capital Magic Academy's unique semi-forbidden spell—[Silence Domain]—was suddenly activated!

The magic circuit is disrupted, and the enchantment effect disappears.

With a "clink," the short blade slipped from his hand.

Evan steadied himself and took out a healing potion and bandages from his spatial ring. He skillfully wrapped the bandages around the wound, chanting a few hemostatic incantations as he did so.

The grayish-white magic solidified into a thin film on the surface of the wound, barely closing up the torn flesh.

He tightened the bandage around his waist, then raised his head to look at Dean, who was immobilized by the [Silent Domain], and slowly walked up to him.

"Dean, I'm curious, why would a healing mage like you try to assassinate me? And you almost succeeded?"

Dean was so tightly bound by the chains of the "Silent Realm" that he could barely breathe. His eyes were red-rimmed, veins bulged on his forehead, and his gaze was fixed on Evan as he hissed:

"It's a pity I couldn't kill you, you world-destroying demon!"

Evan looked down at the bandage on his chest, then habitually adjusted his glasses, and asked, puzzled:

"I'm just a Grand Magus, at most I've made some achievements in my research field. Destroy the world? You're giving me far too much credit."

He raised his head, his gaze falling on the face of the person before him, a face contorted with rage that seemed genuine, as if deep in thought.

As one of the few S-rank healing mages in the Adventurers' Guild, Dean is renowned in the guild and among the general public, and he often treats villagers infected with plagues in various places free of charge.

In short, he must be a good person, so I must be the bad person.

Assuming what he said is true, and he hasn't destroyed the world in the past, then he undoubtedly will destroy it in the future.

With the keen insight of a scholar, Alchemist Evan tentatively asked:

"Dean, what kind of future vision did you see? Did I become a destroyer because I researched some forbidden knowledge? Fairies? The human body structure of this world? Or... the World Tree?"

Under the influence of the [Silent Domain], Dean was unable to use magic to disguise his emotions, and Evan quickly guessed the answer by observing the changes in Dean's heartbeat.

"I see, the World Tree? An unexpected yet logical answer. This has reminded me, and I will focus my research in this direction from now on."

As he was saying this, Evan began to scrutinize Dean again. "As a return gift, I will freeze you and let you see the results of my research, for better or for worse."

……

Lilith crouched on the dragon's back, her hands supporting her cheeks, her purple eyes darting around a few times, before suddenly uttering:

"Second Senior Sister, do you think it's possible that they're fighting amongst themselves? And that the arrival of these troops is just a coincidence?"

Ophelia looked up at the words, but before she could respond, the little flower lying in front of her couldn't help but let out a soft hum.

"Internal strife? Impossible! Archmages are all glass cannons; under forbidden spells, all beings are equal. If two archmages were to fight, whoever strikes first would die."

"But what if they don't face off head-on?" Lilith countered. "For example, one of them might launch a sneak attack, or set up a trap beforehand—wouldn't that lead to a fight?"

Xiaohua opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to continue refuting, but couldn't find a suitable angle for a moment.

At this moment, Ji Tian spoke up:

"I think Lilith has a point."

Lilith was taken aback at first, then her eyes lit up instantly, and she became more energetic, even her tone became much lighter:

"Right, right! I knew it! Even though I'm not usually that smart, I can still occasionally come up with some key ideas!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but puff out her chest, her long, silvery-white hair fluttering slightly in the wind.

Jinlong flicked its tail, thinking that Ji Tian was just teasing a fool.

Mia sat on the dragon's neck, seemingly lost in thought, and said:

"If it really is internal strife... who attacked whom? They're teammates."

"It's not uncommon for teammates to turn against each other, as long as the conflict of interests is big enough, or someone is hiding their true purpose."

Lilith nodded repeatedly, her face clearly saying, "I'm so smart!"

"Actually, I think I adapted to this world quite quickly after coming here. It feels like... coming home!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Elena turned to look at her and smiled meaningfully:

"So next time you encounter a fairy, will you walk in front?"

Lilith's smile froze instantly, and she shrank back.

"Then forget it."