When James and Thea returned to the entrance hall on the first floor of Forladtt Land, they froze in shock.

Lady Herodias stood in the center, her hand gripping a long sword glowing with blue light, its blade pressed against Xainte’s neck. Her expression was furious.

Beside her, Yegor only shook his head, looking helpless.

“Xainte, what do you think you’re doing?” Lady Herodias demanded, her voice trembling with rage. “You refuse to let us go, twisting the agreement we made into an excuse. This is no time for jokes!

You’ve never lost a child—you couldn’t possibly understand a mother’s pain. But you were once the student of the two Saints of Heaven and Earth! Don’t you at least have the decency to show your teachers some respect?”

Her eyes reddened as her voice grew sharper. “We saw it happen with our own eyes—Skynet destroyed, the two Saints of Heaven and Earth falling in battle! We stood there powerless, watching it unfold. Do you have any idea how that feels?”

Xainte lowered her head, guilt shadowing her face under Lady Herodias’s furious outburst.