The Hunt Begins

[Kuzan POV]

'Everything's going well so far...'

As I made my way through the towering bookshelves, their wooden canopies adorned with royal insignias, I couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. Every step echoed my progress—hard-earned knowledge, bitter struggles, and the accumulation of experiences that defined my journey so far.

'Ever since I came to this world, it's felt like I've been in a race—a race to achieve greater and greater levels of power.'

It hadn't dawned on me until recently, not until my most intricate plans had nearly collapsed from my own reckless haste. I had been so engrossed in the pursuit of strength that I hadn't stopped to weigh the risks properly. It wasn't naivety that had driven me, but something far deeper.

The feeling of hopeless desperation loomed over me—a telltale sign of what was to come.

'The prelude of pain…'

Pushing forward without caution, going straight for the Queen? The dangers were obvious. But I couldn't help myself. Power and influence were just too tempting. Despite my limited understanding of this world, I knew enough to recognize I was in over my head, especially when dealing with magic or creatures that could kill me with a whisper. Yet I disregarded every warning, tossed aside the safer paths.

I could have become an adventurer, slowly building up experience, wealth, and knowledge. I could have tied myself to a lesser noble, subtly steering their house from the shadows. Or even infiltrated the criminal underworld, rising as an invisible kingpin.

All these possibilities had crossed my mind at some point, but they didn't satisfy the primal hunger gnawing at me. Every cell, every fiber of my being, urged me to get stronger—now.

'Could it be the dragon's blood?' I wondered, halting just before pulling another book from the shelf. The thought seemed plausible, but I quickly dismissed it. 'No, my mastery of Ultra Instinct is keeping it in check… for now, at least.'

That was a temporary solution. The dragon's blood simmered beneath the surface, threatening to break free if I didn't master it fully. But for now, I was in control, my thoughts still clear. Though who could say what influence it would have in the long run? Even a madman believes he's sane, after all. Still, the system's constant reassurances calmed my paranoia, reinforcing my belief that I wasn't losing control.

My hand hovered over the spines of several ancient tomes, feeling the rich history and knowledge they contained. With a flicker of intent, I activated one of my latest abilities, the one allowing me to absorb written knowledge instantly. It wasn't like reading a person's memories, where it felt like watching a film of their life. No, with books, it was different.

The information didn't flood into my mind like a deluge but rather settled like a vast library, stored away for later access. It wasn't constantly active or at the forefront of my thoughts. If I encountered an unfamiliar plant, I wouldn't instantly know its properties. I would have to retrieve that specific piece of knowledge, as if recalling the file from a database.

It was like carrying a library within me, a vast mental archive I could consult at will.

'[Extract Knowledge].'

To anyone watching, it appeared effortless—like flipping through a book—but the strain on my mind was enormous. No normal human brain could withstand the mental onslaught of absorbing an entire volume in seconds. Without the enhancements I'd gained in this world, my mind would've crumbled long ago.

But my most recent acquisition—the dragon's blood—had eliminated any concerns about my mental capacity. With my mind and body bolstered to superhuman levels, I could absorb knowledge at a pace that would've killed my past self.

Still, I wasn't just relying on this world's magic. Another thought crept in, unbidden.

'Another reason to go back to Earth…' I couldn't ignore the vast ocean of knowledge I had left behind on my home world. The sciences, the strategies, the details of the human body, health, warfare, and all the ways history had taught us to kill and survive.

'Blending magic and science...' The thought made me shiver with anticipation. The possibilities were endless, the techniques I could invent—the power I could harness. But that, too, would have to wait. I needed to exhaust this world's potential before even thinking about going back.

My mind raced with the sheer number of avenues for growth. I stopped, placing a hand on the shelf to steady myself. The migraine was already settling in as I processed the sheer weight of information I'd gathered.

I had reached the end of the bookshelf—a row of volumes that contained knowledge about plants, animals, politics, kingdoms, potions, history, and customs. Everything necessary for survival in this strange world was now locked in my mind.

How could I resist?

Some old master might scoff, claiming, 'Reading a thousand books isn't as valuable as walking a thousand miles.'

To which I would reply, 'Go fuck yourself. Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be?!'

As someone completely alien to this world, venturing out without fully understanding the threats, the politics, the enemies—I'd be dead within a week. The only reason I'd risked meeting the Queen, stepping out of the forest, was because I'd learned enough from the young prince to minimize the danger. His knowledge had allowed me to craft a rough strategy, one that would bring me power faster than any conventional method.

Of course, navigating the complexities of dealing with the Queen—someone I now knew intimately from her detailed biography—was far different from understanding this chaotic world. And that was why I needed more time.

Telling the Queen I required a negotiator was a simple excuse to buy myself that time. Time to devour more of this world's knowledge, to craft a flawless plan.

I sighed, the weight of it all pressing down on me.

'Keeping up this mysterious, all-powerful King act is such a hassle…'

But I had no other choice. I didn't want to waste my time with quests, guild points, or whatever the Adventurer's Guild required. I hadn't even read that section yet, but I already knew it wasn't for me. I didn't want to get bogged down in affiliations with the various guilds—merchants, mages, adventurers. I had no interest in tedious side activities like potion-brewing or rudimentary crafting.

All I wanted was to hole up somewhere and train.

In simple terms, I needed the Queen to build me a 'gym'—a place where I could hone every skill. But what I needed went far beyond that. I required a facility with every weapon imaginable, every spell tome, practice fields for my magic, training grounds for my senses, places where I could break boulders without being interrupted.

I needed an entire land, dedicated solely to my growth, equipped with every resource imaginable. Potions, materials, tools—it should all be at my feet, allowing me to focus on one thing: power.

'Exploring new lands, meeting different races, battling legendary creatures? All that can wait. I'll crush them under my fist when I'm ready.'

A smile crept onto my face as I thought about the future. Not just battles against men or monsters, but against the very forces that shaped this world. I could feel it—the shadow of a distant, final confrontation with beings far greater than anything I had encountered so far.

Beings who shaped the heavens and the earth.

But that was still far away. For now, I would focus on the task at hand.

'But first...' I steeled my resolve,

'...let's read some books.'

[Unknown POV]

In the grandiose halls of the Palace of Peace, hidden within its walls, three figures stood alone, each ensnared in their own plights. At the center of the vast hall, atop a throne built to inspire awe and fear, sat the Queen of Alkavia, her form poised with the lazy grace of someone completely in control, her head resting on her hand as if she were merely daydreaming.

Before her, kneeling in perfect submission, was a girl no older than the Queen herself, the Lady of House Windslow.

"The Lady of House Windslow greets her royal majesty."

Lady Fiana Windslow, heir to the illustrious Windslow Dukedom, the very pinnacle of noble birth and power, represented everything that defined the highest echelons of society. The lady whose very name was spoken as the epitome of grace and perfection, often used as an example in discussions of what it meant to be nobility, knelt now in front of her Queen, presenting the height of etiquette.

Though she knelt, her mind was far from calm. She had been summoned abruptly, with no time for preparation and with none of the respect due to her station. Yet, despite the insult, Fiana gave no heed to her rising frustration. Her irritation, tinged with the subtle fear that always accompanied standing in the Queen's presence, was overtaken by a far greater sensation—curiosity.

[Lady Fiana POV]

'Why are you so happy right now, Azulth?'

As I knelt, my gaze stayed respectfully low, yet through the corners of my eyes, I could see her—her excitement. Azulth's emotions were so obvious, so poorly concealed, that even a fool could see them. That wide, feral grin, the slight trembling of her eyes—everything about her posture spoke of an excitement that barely restrained itself.

'Like a bride before her wedding, the sheer joy too much to contain', I thought.

It was an expression I would never have even dreamed of seeing on her face.

'It can't be just because I'm kneeling before her.'

The Azulth I knew, my rival, my friend, would never take joy in ending our long-standing game in such a mundane manner.

I had been so close to reaching a new height.

A victory.

Becoming a Duchess would have placed me just a step closer to matching her—a step that would have made her burn with frustration.

A perfect move in our game.

Yet, something had changed between us. I couldn't understand her anymore, not as I used to anyway.

She had surprised me once before, long ago, when she accepted the crown. I had been so certain of her refusal. I had known Azulth from our time together at the Magic Academy in Aetherfall, and the war-hungry, battle-loving woman I had once known was not the type to accept such a tedious profession as ruling a kingdom.

'Her father won't chose her,' I had thought. Her younger sister Serena was the logical choice—Serena, who shared her father's vision and had the perfect skill set for governance.

"Why train a lion to run a country when you have a hawk perfectly suited for the task?" I had said to myself.

But I had been wrong. My father, in his quiet certainty, had placed his bets on Azulth, and I had lost.

I still remembered the humiliation of that day, having to sign over the deed to Castle Norbough as part of our wager. I could still see my father's sly grin as he watched me realize my mistake. I had been too sure of myself, too convinced that I understood the game better than anyone else.

And now, kneeling before the Queen, I felt that same confusion.

'Why would she ruin our game so suddenly? Why would she send her brute of an uncle to interfere with my plans? She would never waste good fun like that…'

My mind raced, desperate to understand her motives. But Azulth sat there, her smile as wide as ever, her thoughts hidden behind that mask of excitement.

'It doesn't make sense,' I thought, 'unless…'

I dared to glance up at her directly, disregarding the breach of etiquette in my need for answers. My gaze was met with hers, her eyes gleaming with a new kind of thrill.

Suddenly, the pieces clicked into place.

'No… it couldn't be…'

Without a word, I questioned her, and she, in turn, answered with a shift in her expression. Her smile remained, but it had changed, from the eager grin of a bride to the cruel smirk of a butcher.

"That's right, Fiana," the Queen's voice echoed in the hall, each word heavy with significance.

"I've found us a new toy to play with."

[Narrator POV]

The Queen's words sliced through the silence, striking Lady Fiana's heart like a well-placed blade. In that moment, the young lady understood. Her confusion dissolved, replaced by something much more dangerous—shared excitement.

Lady Fiana rose slowly, trembling with the same joy that had overtaken the Queen. No words were needed. The madness in Azulth's eyes was all the confirmation Fiana needed.

Had Kuzan been present to witness the exchange, he would have felt a chill run through his spine, a reminder of the first meeting between Diana and Xiao Li—two forces that, once united, would only bring ruin.

It was a gaze that would convince any sane man to flee the kingdom, to seek refuge far away from the two women who now stood united in their madness.

For even in the wildest of jungles, a lion trembles before the hunt led by its lionesses.

The Queen stood and descended from her throne, her movements deliberate, her steps slow as she came to stand face-to-face with the only woman in the kingdom who could truly understand her in all.

Lady Fiana met her gaze, unflinching, her own smile now a mirror of the Queen's.

On one side stood Azulth, the Queen of Alkavia, with the rivers of blood she had spilled trailing behind her like a shadow. On the other, Lady Fiana, the future Duchess of Windslow, with violet roses blooming in her wake.

Two women, the Queen and the Duchess, stood side by side—one representing the power of the crown and the state, the other, the might of the nobility and the elite.

Together, standing in unity that would have made the previous Emperor salivate, they exchanged a simple handshake to commerce their play.

[Lady Fiana's POV]

What kind of lady would I be if I denied the Queen her joy?

There was only one thing left to say when your opponent invited you to join in a new, exciting game. My smile widened as I looked her in the eye, matching her thrill with my own.

"Game on."