"Princess, please do not resist! Everything will be alright as long as you follow King Maximus’s orders!" the men below shouted.

They were desperate to protect their princess. They had just witnessed the old emperor’s slaughter, and their hearts were still bleeding from it. Now, they could not allow Max to kill her as well if she resisted.

"Silence! How dare you all rebel!" Green winds raged through the hall, hissing at every intruder and whipping the torn banners along the walls into a frenzy.

Max stood there in silence, watching her. She was far too beautiful. Her body did not lose to Rosalia’s in the slightest. No, if anything, she was even more blessed in all the right places. Not only had he found a hostage against the Wind Emperor today, he had found his next bloodline target as well. And if it had to be someone from the Wind Dragon Clan, then he wanted her.

Max took a step forward and began walking up the stairs alone while the others watched.

He was not afraid of her. Though she looked powerful, he could tell at a glance that she stood around the level of Rosalia and Agnia, perhaps a little stronger, but that was still far too little to threaten him.

"Princess, may I know your name?" he asked, forcing as much charm into his voice as he could.

The young woman narrowed her eyes. She could feel the dangerous aura coming from the man walking toward her. She took a step back, one arm shifting behind her as if to shield the children from him.

Max tilted his head slightly, and only then did he notice something that truly surprised him. It was not just her who had remained conscious after his mana absorption earlier. The children behind her had not been affected either.

He understood immediately that their bloodline must be high.

He was not some mindless beast, but the moment he saw them, the first thought that crossed his mind was how many warriors each of them could cost the Wind Emperor.

"Get back! I’m warning you!" she growled, green wind gathering around her in a tightening circle. The currents swirled around her legs and shoulders, lifting strands of her golden hair into the air.

"I won’t hurt you." Max stopped about ten steps away from them. He slowly lifted his hands in surrender.

But instead of allowing him any closer, the young woman struck with all her power. Sharp winds roared toward him in a deadly rush, slashing through the air hard enough to scar the walls.

Max grinned. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Void burst from his hands and collided with her attack. Even in his exhausted state, he devoured the winds with ease, slightly restoring his strength through her mana. For some strange reason, it did not feel nearly as chaotic as the power he had absorbed from Thor or the late emperor Baldric.

"You—" Her eyes widened.

A chill ran down her spine. She was not worried for herself. She was terrified for the siblings behind her, who could not even defend themselves yet.

"Grandfather!" she shouted, her voice trembling.

For the first time, Max felt genuine sadness wash over him.

"Sorry... I killed him."

The way her eyes looked at him changed in an instant. At first she did not believe him. Her gaze searched his face, questioning whether he was serious. Then the truth settled into her, and with it came the realization that her grandfather, the old emperor, was not coming to save her.

Her legs nearly gave out.

"Sister, Gertrud... who is this scary man?" a young girl asked from behind, tugging at her sister’s clothes with trembling fingers.

"Get back!" Gertrud turned and shoved the children behind her with a sharp cry.

"As I said, I won’t hurt you... or them, as long as you do what I say and follow my orders. But if you do not..." Max let his expression darken.

He was bluffing.

Never in his life would he kill a child, someone still innocent, someone the world had not yet twisted into something broken. That was one part of him that still made him human. He knew that if he ever lost even that, then he would no longer be able to call himself a man.

Her eyes shimmered as tears welled up.

When Max resumed walking toward her, she could not summon any strength at all. She did not know why, but he felt like a devil climbing up from hell itself, ascending those stairs to claim her.

"Fine... fine..." she muttered weakly.

"What?" Max smiled faintly. "Speak up."

"I will submit... just please... do not hurt my siblings..."

"Go collect them and place them with the others. Treat the children carefully." Max signaled to the warriors, who had been watching all of this unfold with stunned expressions.

They did not waste a second. They rushed up the stairs at once. The children wept as they were carried away from their sister, their small hands reaching back for her until the distance swallowed them. Max tried not to look, but to carry out his plan, he had no other choice.

"Where do you keep the treasure in this place?" Max asked, glancing around.

Now only he and Gertrud remained. She still stared toward the main door, the sight of her siblings being taken away leaving her visibly shaken.

Max sighed and pushed past her, stepping into the room she had come from.

It was large and luxurious, filled with oversized beds, plush toys, and carved wooden figures. He immediately understood it was a children’s room. The soft colors, the tiny shoes scattered near the bed, even the faint sweet scent in the air made the room feel painfully out of place in a capital that had just fallen.

He reached back to close the door, but then something above the largest bed caught his attention.

A large gem was embedded in the wall.

It glowed with green light, pulsing like a living heart.

The system screen burst before his eyes without warning.

[New quest received: Retrieve the Tear of Dragon of the Wind...]