—Cold Prison Island.
Cold Prison Island—the largest penal facility in the Holy Amelia Kingdom, situated at the northernmost edge of the Norther Block.
It was the absolute worst kind of hell, where only heinous criminals condemned to life imprisonment or worse were confined.
The massive iron gates, which opened only to admit incoming prisoners, slowly creaked ajar, and a tall, bearded man with long red hair stepped out.
"Nnnngh!"
He stretched his tall frame out with a deep breath.
"Ah, the air of the mortal world after so long... It really is quite nostalgic."
He muttered to himself, turning his gaze toward a man and woman waiting before the gates, each standing at attention with their right hand over their chest.
"I trust you are well, Your Highness."
A muscular, sharp-eyed man with short hair stepped forward, draping a crimson robe over the bearded man's shoulders.
"Your Highness, please take this."
A bespectacled, black-haired maid respectfully offered him a black knife.
"Thanks for your trouble."
Taking the knife from the maid, the red-haired man set to work shaving his overgrown beard.
With every pass of the blade, the handsome features of a young man emerged.
"Knut."
A masked figure clad in a black robe materialized without warning behind the red-haired youth.
"Ah, Charybdis."
Knut glanced over at the masked entity with a faint smile.
"It took you quite some time to come out."
"Well, yes. This is the largest prison in the Holy Amelia Kingdom, after all."
"Look who's talking—a monster whose power far surpasses my own. You could have pulverized a miniature garden built by mere mortals in the blink of an eye."
"Well, I won't deny that."
Taking a longsword from the muscular, sharp-eyed man, Knut rested his hand on the hilt and turned back toward the prison of Cold Prison Island.
He drew the blade from its sheath. Then, with a single, casual swing, he turned his back on the fortress.
An instant later, the colossal stronghold cleaved cleanly in two with a heavy grinding sound, then crumbled into countless pieces.
"What a monster! Has your existence strength increased by an order of magnitude compared to when I was first summoned...?"
Hearing the masked Charybdis's somewhat bitter remark, Knut simply replied:
"Now then, shall I go pay my elder brother a visit?"
Sheathing his sword, Knut set off toward the island's only harbor.
"Hey, was it really fine to destroy this facility?"
"There are only dregs guilty of heinous crimes and pigs lining their own pockets here. They have no place in the world I intend to govern."
"Then why did you quietly remain imprisoned until this very moment?"
Charybdis gave a half-exasperated shrug, to which Knut raised both hands and shrugged in return.
"The barrier arts Johannes placed on me were remarkably potent. Even I couldn't break them that easily."
"Ha! What utter nonsense. I will admit his arts were extraordinary. Even if you could not break them outright, however, you should have at least been able to escape."
"You overestimate me."
"No, it is an entirely sound judgment. In all likelihood, the true reason lies in that power you possess now, does it not?
A Gift that feeds and grows on negative emotions, was it? To be sure, you would never lack for negative emotions in a place like this. But you already surpassed even me from the moment I was summoned, didn't you? What do you intend to do by becoming even stronger?"
"My reason for seeking strength? Charybdis, isn't that obvious?"
Seeing Knut's carefree smile, Charybdis shook his head.
"Good grief. You are more wicked than any evil god. I feel true sympathy from the bottom of my heart for the King of Amelia, having a monster like you as his younger brother."
Shaking his head, Charybdis fell into step behind him. Knut's two retainers followed suit, and the Throne Succession War entered a new phase.