Elena looked at the incredibly handsome man standing in front of her, as sweet as a puppy, and felt satisfied. Just like she'd imagined.
In the second "Future Seen," when the Fear Lord touched her, he turned human—which shocked him into feeling grateful. That's why he had tried so desperately to save her after taking her life away.
At first, she didn't get it. She thought if she could give him a physical shape, he'd become her protector.
That's why she summoned him so boldly.
But after checking his [Description], everything clicked into place.
The Fear Lord's [Abilities] and [Weakness] were one and the same: Curse of Agony. He was stuck in endless pain because of his own power.
And funny enough, right after coming to this world, the system gave her a passive skill:
[Queen's Aura]: Breaks curses within a 1-meter radius.
So when the Fear Lord stepped into that space, his curse vanished—freeing him from that dark mist and giving him solid form again.
And he loved it!
"I... have taken on this miserable human form..."
Elena rolled her eyes. "Correction: He doesn't love how he looks—he just wants to be pain-free."
"Eyes... limbs... Seriously, Princess! Shouldn't I be way cooler with ten eyes and a hundred tentacles?" the guy complained.
"I just lifted your curse, showing who you really are," Elena replied. "If you're not cute, that's on you."
"Nope! It IS your fault!" He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I am fear itself—formless! YOU made me this way. This body is YOUR idea of perfection!"
A smirk crept onto his face. "Admit it, Princess. Don't I fit the prince from your dreams?"
Elena paused and took him in.
Wow.
Every little thing about him—his face, height, build, even what he was wearing—checked all her boxes.
Total swoon.
But thinking she somehow created this perfect guy out of thin air felt ridiculous.
So she reached out—
And grabbed him.
Wait… what?!
He feels real?!
Could happiness hit that fast?!
The Fear Lord's eyes went wide in shock as he gasped. "I... feel pain? What is this feeling called?"
Elena quickly let go of him. "Uh… 'ball ache'?"
"You know agony so well?" He looked oddly impressed.
"Nope!" She shook her head like crazy. Some pains were beyond understanding for her.
"Princess, you amaze me," he said softly. "Just an ordinary girl yet you've freed me from endless suffering. How did you do that?"
Endless suffering? Interesting thought!
Elena smirked; maybe her useless system had some upsides after all!
Finally!
She felt powerful!
Unfair advantage!
This was exactly the protagonist vibe she deserved! (Ahem—[Queen's Aura].)
"Have you... gotten 'Authority'?" the Fear Lord asked breathlessly.
Elena tensed up at that word: "Authority"?
It wasn't the first time she'd heard it either; Mary had mentioned it too:
"Your mom's strength wasn't just bloodline—it was Authority."
"No," she answered carefully. "I'm just stronger than you'd think." Better to play dumb than risk revealing too much.
The Fear Lord studied her with awe in his eyes. "No… not yet. But you're 's daughter After all—even without Authority, you'll surpass her one day and become the prophesied 'Awakening.'"
Awakening?
Another new term popped up but Elena brushed it off for now.
"Enough. Why are you trying to kill me?"
The Fear Lord shifted uncomfortably. "You're coming into your own today. Authority will be after you—just like it was with your mom."
"I'm the strongest one around," he went on, "but if you get Authority? You'd overshadow me. How could I let that happen?"
"So you just go around killing potential threats?" Elena shot back.
"What else am I supposed to do?"
"How about working on yourself?!" she retorted.
"That's impossible!" He laughed dismissively. "At my level, power is set in stone. Lesser beings can never reach this kind of strength."
"And what level is that exactly?"
"Primordial." He puffed up proudly. "A bit stronger than your dad."
Elena narrowed her eyes. So he was above Monarch-class.
"And with Authority?"
The Fear Lord sulked a bit. "Chaos—the source of all primordials. Only Authority can compete with it. Without it, I'm the top dog."
Chaos...
Elena felt her heart race.
If I get Authority like Mom did—
Who would dare mess with me then?!
No wonder he wanted her gone.
It also made sense why his mental attacks kicked in when she dodged the frog curse; he'd been lurking around the castle, waiting for her to slip up. When she fell for the frog spell, he thought she'd meet her end there—but avoiding it? That called for him to step in personally.
And his tactics?
Let prey drown in fear.
Enjoy their breakdowns.
Any feelings she had for him vanished instantly.
"You said Authority would show up today," she pressed on. "When's that happening? Did it take a wrong turn or something?"
Fear Lord: (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)
"Ahem... What even is Authority?"
"It's power," he replied simply. "Beyond words and sight—nobody can really pin it down."
"So how will I know when it's here?"
"You'll see it," he said seriously, "only you."
"What does it look like?"
"It's unnameable!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "It can take any shape at all! If you notice things others can't—that's what Authority is."
Elena froze.
A realization crawled down her spine.
The other version of herself at the seventh table—
Only visible to her.
It—
Was Authority.
Elena looked at the handsome man before her, who was as obedient as a little puppy, and smiled contentedly. Everything was just as she had predicted. In the second "Future Visible," the Lord of Fear appeared in human form after approaching her, which shocked and satisfied him. That's why he couldn't wait to revive her, whom he had killed. At first, Elena couldn't understand this matter. She simply judged that if the other party found out that she had the ability to make him appear in human form, he would definitely become her steadfast protector. That's why she didn't hesitate to call him out. But after reading the Lord of Fear's profile, she finally saw through the essence of the matter.
The Lord of Fear's "Possession" and "Weakness" were both curses of pain. This meant that he was suffering from the pain of the curse every minute and every second. However, just after Elena arrived in this world, the system rewarded her with a passive skill: "Queen's Aura."
"Queen's Aura": Can dispel curse effects within a certain range. Range: One meter around the body.
Obviously, when the Lord of Fear approached within one meter of her, the curse of pain on him disappeared. Thus, he emerged from the black fog and formed a solid form. And he was very satisfied with his current appearance. "I... have actually turned into the ugly form of a human..."
Elena pursed her lips and corrected herself in her heart: He wasn't satisfied with his appearance, but rather with the fact that he was free from the curse of pain. "Two eyes... four limbs... Damn it! Princess Elena, shouldn't you think that I would be more charming with ten eyes and a hundred tentacles?" The handsome man complained.
"I just removed the curse from you and restored you to your original form. How you looked before has nothing to do with me," Elena said, puzzled. "No! Of course it has something to do with you! I am the embodiment of fear, an intangible entity! You removed my eternal curse and turned me into a solid form. So my current appearance is the manifestation of your perfect image in your heart!" The Lord of Fear said in a deep voice. "Tell me the truth, Princess Elena, my current appearance must be the image of your dream prince, right?"
Elena paused and looked closely at the handsome man in front of her. Indeed, his appearance, height, figure, and style of dress hit every one of her "spots"! Oh my! I'm in love! However, turning a formless black fog directly into a real handsome man, Elena still felt it was like a far-fetched story. So, she couldn't help but reach out and touch. Oh? Organic food? Can happiness come so suddenly? The eyes of the Lord of Fear showed shock and pain. "I really can't believe that you could make me feel pain," he said in disbelief. "This pain is so wonderful. What's it called?"
Elena realized she might have been a bit too forceful and quickly let go. "Probably... it's called 'testicular pain'?" "I never thought you would understand 'pain' so well?" the Lord of Fear said, somewhat obsessed. Elena shook her head quickly! She didn't understand that kind of pain. She never would. "Princess Elena, I really can't believe you. Why, as just an ordinary human girl, can you understand pain so well? And even lift my eternal curse and pull me out of the abyss of pain?" There seemed to be a hint of admiration in the Lord of Fear's eyes.
Eternal curse... Elena pursed her lips. It seemed that the system, which had been useless all along, finally showed its true strength! That's right! Powerful! And unreasonable! Sure enough, only by being tough can one be loved! This is the protagonist aura that a time traveler should have! Oh no, it's the [Queen's Aura].
"Could it be... you already have 'Power'?" the handsome Lord of Fear asked in disbelief. Elena paused: "Power"? This term was not the first time Elena had heard it. She remembered that Aunt Mary had also mentioned it: Your mother's strength was not due to bloodline, but 'Power'. "No, I don't have it. I'm just stronger than you think," Elena said cautiously. After all, admitting it without understanding could easily lead to a slip-up.
The handsome Lord of Fear felt even more unable to understand the girl in front of him, but after being shocked for a long time, he finally nodded. "Yes, yes, you don't have 'Power' yet. But you truly are the daughter of *****. Even without 'Power', you are already so powerful. Yes, everything is as I expected. You will eventually surpass your mother and become a legendary 'Awakened' existence."
Awakened? Another new level of power term. But Elena didn't pay much attention to that. Instead, she began to question: "Alright, now it's time to explain. We have no grudges. Why do you want to kill me?" The handsome Lord of Fear paused, then said somewhat awkwardly: "Because you turned 18 today. 'Power' will definitely find you, just like it found your mother." "You should know, right? I'm the most powerful existence. But if you have 'Power', I won't be. So, how could I allow a ***** like you to live?" "Sure enough, a chaotic guy... You're afraid someone will be stronger than you, so you want to kill her?" Elena said. "Well, what else?"
Elena clenched her fists and trembled: "Can't you just work hard and try to surpass her?" "That's impossible. At my level of existence, it's not something that can be achieved through effort. Of course, for those ordinary life forms, no matter how hard they try, they will never reach my level." "Then may I ask what your level is..." "Root level," the handsome Lord of Fear said proudly, stretching out his arms. "Just a bit stronger than your father."
Elena's blood-red eyes narrowed. Above the King level is the Root level. "Then what if I obtain Power?" Elena asked curiously.
The Lord of Fear pouted: "It's Chaos. Chaos is the origin of everything. Besides 'Power', no one in the dark world can possess such power. So as long as 'Power' doesn't appear, Root level is the strongest."
Good stuff! If I could have 'Power' like my mother, who would dare to mess with me! I'll kill all of you!! No wonder the Lord of Fear wanted to kill her. At the same time, she understood why she didn't hear the frog's croak before the Lord of Fear's mental pollution was triggered. Because he had been lurking in the castle all along. When he realized he was under the frog's spell, he thought he was doomed, so he didn't have to act. But when she avoided the frog's spell, the Lord of Fear wouldn't hesitate to strike, determined to strangle her. Moreover, he was very perverted, enjoying making his prey lose their minds bit by bit in fear before being completely devoured by it, to satisfy his sick sadism.
In an instant, Elena had no good feelings towards him at all, no matter how much his current appearance appealed to her. "Today I turned 18, you said the 'Power' would come for me, but when will it come? Has it gotten lost?" Elena asked curiously and anxiously.
The Lord of Fear: (.•ˇ‸ˇ•.)
"Uh... " Elena said awkwardly, "So, what exactly is this 'Power' thing?"
The Lord of Fear thought for a moment: "Power... it's like an incredibly strong force! That's really the best way to explain it. After all, it doesn't have a name, and you can't see it directly. No one can clearly describe what it looks like."
Elena sighed: "Then how will I know if it shows up?" Without getting the 'Power', how could she possibly turn things around on him?
"No, Princess, you should understand," the Lord of Fear said seriously, "If it comes, you'll be the only one who can see it."
Elena paused: "Then what does it look like?"
"Nameless!" the Lord of Fear repeated. "To you, it could take any form. But when you see something that only you can see, and no one else can, then it's definitely the Power."
Elena thought for a moment, then suddenly froze, her hair standing on end! Because she suddenly remembered the person at the seventh table, the seventh seat... "the other me." Every time that version of herself appeared, it felt like only she could see her, while others couldn't... Could it be—was that person actually the Power?!