The highly captivating, deeply profound historical tale that Tobias Linden had shared in the warm comfort of the farmhouse living room had completely, entirely captured the brilliant minds of the young couple.

  The ancient, bloody legend of the Pfad der Schwur, the legendary Path of the Oath, was absolutely not just a simple story of mountain kings uniting a fractured land. It was a massive, highly complex historical puzzle.

  Erwin and Aoi completely understood that the ancient monarchs did not merely carve those massive stone monuments simply to mark a geographical territory. Those towering, rough-hewn steles were highly deliberate, deeply intentional messages entirely left behind for the future generations of the Hohenreich empire.

  The ancient kings were profoundly, intimately aware that absolute human power and mortal life were entirely fleeting. They completely knew that they would not live forever to personally guide their descendants. Therefore, they meticulously carved their massive, highly agonizing political mistakes, their bloody betrayals, and their ultimate, hard-won wisdom directly into the unyielding mountain stone, desperately hoping that the future leaders of the nation would completely learn from the dark sins of the past.

  By the time the warm, golden afternoon sun reached its absolute peak in the crisp spring sky, Erwin and Aoi were already entirely completely immersed in the dense, highly secluded wilderness of the eastern mountain slopes.

  They had completely changed out of their elegant city clothes, currently wearing highly practical, deeply comfortable traveler outfits perfectly suited for the rugged terrain. They wore durable, heavy-duty hiking boots and carried small, highly efficient adventurer backpacks completely filled with fresh mountain water and emergency supplies provided by Martha.

  The narrow, highly winding dirt path of the ancient forest was entirely completely covered by a massive, deeply suffocating canopy of towering, incredibly ancient green pine trees. The thick branches almost completely blocked out the bright afternoon sun, casting the historic trail in a highly mysterious, deeply chilling, and entirely atmospheric twilight.

  As they walked slowly up the highly steep, incredibly treacherous, and heavily rooted dirt incline, the massive physical toll of the entire morning began to completely, undeniably show on Erwin's body.

  He was still highly, deeply unaccustomed to the incredibly thin, entirely freezing high-altitude oxygen of the mountain region. His broad chest was completely heaving with deep, highly labored breaths, and a fresh, highly visible sheen of exhausted sweat completely coated his handsome, aristocratic forehead.

  However, his highly fierce, deeply ingrained masculine pride absolutely refused to let him completely surrender to the mountain. He desperately, highly stubbornly tried to entirely mask his profound physical exhaustion, completely forcing a highly calm, completely fake smile onto his face so that Aoi would not worry about him.

  But Aoi was a highly brilliant, deeply observant, and entirely gifted student of clinical psychology. She completely, flawlessly saw right through his highly rigid, entirely constructed facade of physical strength.

  She walked closely beside him, her small, highly warm hand completely entirely wrapped around his long, elegant fingers. She offered him a deeply affectionate, highly knowing, and completely comforting smile.

  "Erwin," Aoi called out softly, gently entirely squeezing his hand to completely force him to stop walking up the steep, agonizing incline.

  Erwin paused immediately, leaning slightly against the rough, highly weathered trunk of a massive pine tree. He desperately tried to completely control his heavy, highly labored breathing, looking down at her with a highly apologetic, deeply exhausted expression.

  "I am completely fine, Aoi," Erwin lied smoothly, his deep voice carrying a highly forced, entirely unconvincing lightness. "We absolutely need to keep moving if we want to reach the historical monuments before the sun completely sets."

  Aoi completely shook her head, her dark eyes shining with absolute, undeniable, and highly profound empathy.

  "You absolutely do not need to constantly pretend to be completely invincible when it is just the two of us, my love," Aoi reasoned gently, entirely stepping directly into his personal space to gently wipe a bead of sweat from his temple.

  She looked deeply into his dark, highly exhausted eyes, her musical voice completely saturated with a highly grounding, deeply comforting domestic authority.

  "We are absolutely not in a terrifying rush to be anywhere," Aoi reminded him softly. "I am entirely, completely not going anywhere, and the ancient stones have absolutely sat on this mountain for a thousand years. They can wait another ten minutes for you to catch your breath."

  She gently rested her small hands directly flat against his broad, heaving chest.

  "The absolute, undeniable primary purpose of our journey to Altkanz was simply to take a peaceful holiday and entirely seek out a fun, beautiful new adventure," Aoi continued warmly, her thumb gently stroking his collarbone. "You absolutely do not need to constantly push yourself to the point of complete physical collapse for me."

  Erwin stared down at her beautiful, highly compassionate face. The massive, highly suffocating wall of his aristocratic pride completely, instantly crumbled into dust under her profound, undeniable love.

  He let out a long, highly exhausted, and deeply defeated sigh, completely entirely surrendering to her gentle wisdom.

  "You are completely right, as always," Erwin admitted softly, his deep voice heavily laced with genuine, highly sincere apology. "I am incredibly sorry, Aoi. I simply did not want to entirely slow you down or completely ruin our afternoon hike with my physical weakness."

  He completely leaned his heavy, highly exhausted shoulders back against the solid trunk of the pine tree, looking entirely up into the dark, heavily shadowed canopy of the ancient forest.

  "But I must be completely, absolutely honest with you," Erwin confessed quietly, his voice suddenly dropping into a highly intimate, deeply serious, and incredibly vulnerable register. "My intense, highly driven desire to completely reach the end of this specific path is absolutely not just about admiring ancient tourist attractions."

  Aoi immediately gave him her absolute, undivided, and highly focused attention. She could completely hear the deep, highly unresolved childhood trauma entirely lingering in the shadows of his smooth baritone voice.

  "When I was a very small, highly isolated child growing up in the massive, suffocating glass towers of the capital city," Erwin began to narrate slowly, entirely opening the darkest, most highly guarded vaults of his painful past to her. "My highly expensive, deeply strict private history tutor constantly, heavily indoctrinated me with a very specific, highly absolute corporate narrative."

  Erwin looked directly into Aoi's dark eyes, his own eyes burning with a highly intense, deeply complex mixture of anger and confusion.

  "He explicitly, constantly taught me that the Stahlberg bloodline was absolutely, undeniably one of the supreme, foundational pillars of the entire Hohenreich nation," Erwin explained softly. "He taught me that we were practically royalty in our own right."

  Aoi listened completely in absolute silence, her heart breaking slightly for the lonely, highly manipulated little boy he used to be.

  "One evening, when I was perhaps eight years old," Erwin continued, a dark, highly terrifying shadow entirely crossing his handsome face. "I highly innocently walked into my father's private study. I completely respectfully asked Klaus to tell me more about our glorious, highly ancient founding ancestors."

  Erwin's jaw instantly clenched into a tight, highly rigid, and completely terrifying line of pure, unadulterated tension.

  "My father absolutely exploded in a highly violent, completely terrifying fit of absolute, unmitigated rage," Erwin stated coldly, the memory completely haunting him. "He violently hurled his expensive crystal whiskey glass directly across the room, completely shattering it against the stone wall mere inches from my head. He viciously screamed at me, absolutely forbidding me from ever, entirely questioning or researching the ancient origins of our family name ever again."

  Erwin completely entirely focused his dark, highly calculating eyes directly down the long, winding, and deeply shadowed forest path stretching out before them.

  "I have spent my entire, highly complicated life completely wondering exactly what dark, highly terrifying secret my father was so desperately trying to hide," Erwin confessed softly, completely placing his entire, highly vulnerable soul into her hands. "That is the absolute, undeniable reason why I am so incredibly, desperately determined to reach the Path of the Oath today."

  Aoi felt a massive, highly overwhelming surge of fierce, absolutely protective devotion entirely wash over her empathetic heart. She completely understood the massive, highly agonizing psychological weight he had been silently carrying his entire life.

  She completely, instantly shifted her entire mental perspective. This was absolutely no longer just a simple, highly relaxing spring holiday.

  "If that is the absolute truth, Erwin," Aoi stated firmly, her highly musical voice completely filled with an absolute, undeniable, and deeply fierce determination. "Then this has entirely completely changed from a simple mountain holiday directly into a highly important, deeply personal adventure to completely uncover the hidden secrets of your family."

  She reached out, entirely completely wrapping both of her small hands highly securely around his long fingers.

  "And whatever highly terrifying, deeply dark secrets we absolutely find at the end of this forest path," Aoi promised him flawlessly, her dark eyes shining with absolute, unbreakable loyalty. "We will completely, entirely face them together."

  Erwin looked down at her, entirely struck by the profound, incredibly beautiful, and completely overwhelming power of her absolute devotion. He felt incredibly, profoundly grateful to possess such an amazing, highly fearless partner.

  Without a single word, Erwin gently leaned entirely forward. He pressed a deep, highly lingering, and incredibly tender kiss directly against her warm forehead, silently conveying all of the massive, highly profound gratitude he completely held in his exhausted soul.

  With their absolute, undeniable resolve completely renewed, they slowly continued their highly strenuous journey up the steep mountain incline.

  Exactly one entire, highly exhausting hour later, the dense, deeply shadowed pine trees finally, completely began to thin out. The winding dirt path abruptly entirely ended, opening directly up into a massive, breathtakingly expansive, and highly secluded mountain plateau.

  Erwin and Aoi completely stopped walking, both of them entirely, utterly paralyzed in absolute, highly profound awe at the massive, incredibly imposing historical sight completely standing before them.

  The Pfad der Schwur was not just a single stone. It was an absolutely massive, incredibly sprawling, and highly majestic ancient site.

  Standing entirely in a highly perfect, deeply deliberate semicircle at the absolute edge of the cliffside were massive, incredibly towering monolithic stone steles. The gigantic, rough-hewn rocks were entirely covered in highly ancient, deeply faded carvings and heavy patches of dark green mountain moss.

  The towering monuments stretched sequentially across the clearing, representing the highly absolute, entirely unbroken lineage of the ancient monarchs, starting directly from the legendary King Albrecht the First all the way down to the highly celebrated K?nig Friedrich the Sixth von Eisenwald.

  "This is absolutely, entirely unbelievable," Aoi whispered softly, her musical voice completely trembling with heavy, highly profound historical reverence as they slowly walked directly into the center of the silent, monumental clearing.

  They completely realized that this was absolutely not just a highly preserved cultural tourist site. The incredibly heavy, deeply overwhelming energy radiating from the massive stones completely proved that this was a highly sacred, silent witness to the massive, highly agonizing struggles and the bloody sacrifices of the kings and their people.

  "If these ancient, silent stones could actually completely speak to us," Erwin murmured softly, his dark, highly observant eyes completely scanning the towering monoliths. "I cannot even begin to mathematically calculate exactly how many massive, highly terrifying, and deeply tragic tales they would entirely tell. It would absolutely take an entire, highly exhausting lifetime just to completely hear them all."

  Aoi walked slowly directly up to the absolute very first, incredibly massive stone monument belonging to King Albrecht.

  She looked closely at the deep, highly weathered carvings entirely etched into the rough stone surface. The highly complex, deeply angular letters belonged to a completely ancient, highly obsolete iteration of their national language that was currently almost entirely extinct in the modern world.

  "I cannot even completely recognize a single, microscopic letter of this highly complex alphabet," Aoi noted softly, highly confused as her dark eyes traced the mysterious, deeply ancient symbols. "I wonder what these words actually completely mean."

  Erwin smoothly, highly confidently stepped directly up right beside her. He gently entirely raised his large, elegant hand, completely placing his palm directly flat against the cold, highly rough surface of the ancient stone. He slowly, highly reverently traced the deep carvings with his fingers.

  His brilliant, highly terrifying, and incredibly academic legal mind completely possessed an absolute, flawless mastery of ancient federal linguistics.

  "I have spent hundreds of highly exhausting hours completely studying this highly archaic, entirely dead language in the deepest, most highly restricted legal archives of the university," Erwin explained smoothly, his deep voice carrying a highly educated, deeply authoritative tone.

  He stared directly at the first line of massive, highly faded text, his brain completely flawlessly translating the ancient words into modern syntax.

  "The absolute first, highly foundational inscription explicitly reads," Erwin translated softly, his voice echoing perfectly in the silent clearing. "Hier schworen die Fürsten des Nordens Treue zum Reich."

  He looked down at Aoi, completely offering her the profound, historical meaning.

  "In this exact place, the lords of the North completely swore absolute loyalty to the empire," Erwin explained deeply. "This specific monument perfectly commemorates the highly violent, entirely bloody oaths the massive, warring clan leaders of the northern territories took to finally completely stop their highly destructive civil wars and absolutely unite for their mutual survival."

  They slowly, highly reverently moved completely down the line, entirely stepping in front of the massive, highly imposing second stone monument.

  Erwin stared highly intensely at the deeply carved message entirely etched into the center of the massive rock.

  "Blut verbindet und Verrat zerst?rt," Erwin read the second inscription out loud, his deep voice suddenly taking on a much darker, highly ominous, and deeply chilling resonance.

  "Blood unites, and betrayal completely destroys," Erwin translated flawlessly for Aoi.

  Aoi felt a highly sudden, deeply uncomfortable shiver entirely crawl straight down her spine. The highly absolute, entirely undeniable implication of the ancient words was incredibly dark.

  "That sounds absolutely exactly like a highly specific, deeply terrifying warning," Aoi whispered softly, looking up at the towering stone. "It is almost as if they were entirely, completely documenting that there was a highly destructive, deeply lethal traitor hidden secretly among their own allied ranks who completely caused a massive, highly catastrophic defeat for the kingdom."

  "I completely entirely agree with your highly accurate psychological assessment," Erwin noted softly, his dark, calculating eyes completely narrowing in deep suspicion. "I wonder exactly who that traitor was."

  They slowly continued their walk, finally completely stopping in front of the highly massive, deeply secluded third stone monument.

  This specific stele was incredibly degraded. It was almost entirely completely covered in a highly thick, deeply suffocating layer of dark green mountain moss, and the ancient stone itself was highly weathered and heavily rotting from centuries of absolute exposure to the harsh elements.

  Erwin and Aoi gently reached out their hands, completely working together to highly carefully, deeply respectfully brush away the thick layers of moss and dead autumn leaves completely obscuring the center of the monument.

  As the highly ancient, deeply hidden carvings finally completely revealed themselves to the spring sunlight, Erwin's highly observant eyes rapidly scanned the text.

  "Nicht alle H?nde, die Blut gaben, waren treu," Erwin translated slowly, his deep voice completely dropping into an incredibly low, highly terrifying, and deeply heavily burdened whisper.

  "Not all hands that completely gave blood were absolutely loyal," Erwin revealed the highly agonizing, completely historical truth to Aoi.

  Aoi gasped softly, her dark eyes completely widening. Their highly intelligent, deeply perceptive deduction had been absolutely, entirely correct. There had absolutely been a highly massive, deeply catastrophic betrayal completely orchestrated from deep within the highest, most elite ranks of the ancient kingdom. However, the specific identity of the highly treacherous traitor was still completely, entirely unknown to them.

  Erwin slowly stepped entirely back from the massive stone monument. A highly sudden, incredibly deep, and completely terrifying sense of absolute dread entirely, violently washed over his brilliant mind.

  "Aoi," Erwin murmured softly, his highly aristocratic face turning completely, undeniably pale as a dark, highly suffocating realization entirely took root in his chest. "I possess a highly terrible, completely undeniable feeling that absolutely something is incredibly, deeply wrong here."

  Aoi instantly completely stepped closer to him, highly worried by the sudden, deeply profound fear completely evident in his normally highly unshakable, deeply terrifying demeanor. "What exactly makes you entirely feel that way, Erwin?"

  "My father's highly violent, completely terrifying reaction to my childhood questions," Erwin reasoned rapidly, his highly flawless legal mind entirely completely connecting the dark, historical dots. "The incredibly dark, highly toxic nature of my family's current corporate empire. I completely, entirely feel that this ancient betrayal is absolutely, directly connected to my own bloodline."

  Aoi reached out, entirely wrapping her warm hands highly securely around his tense arm, desperately trying to completely comfort his highly escalating anxiety.

  "You are highly likely just completely overthinking this, Erwin," Aoi reassured him gently, her musical voice completely saturated with deeply logical, highly calming psychology. "I absolutely know that your current father is an incredibly dark, highly ruthless corporate villain. But that absolutely does not completely mean that your ancient founding ancestors were highly treacherous traitors as well. It might just be your own highly justified paranoia completely talking to you."

  As Aoi spoke her highly comforting words, her dark eyes casually entirely wandered directly down toward the absolute bottom base of the massive, highly degraded stone monument.

  She noticed that the very bottom edge of the stone was entirely completely covered by a highly dense, deeply thick cluster of dead pine branches and heavy, dark brown autumn leaves.

  Entirely driven by her own highly innocent, deeply profound curiosity, Aoi knelt completely down on the soft dirt. She gently used her small hands to entirely completely sweep the massive pile of dead branches and rotting leaves directly away from the base of the ancient stele.

  As the dark debris was entirely cleared away, a highly specific, deeply hidden list of ancient, carved names was finally completely exposed to the bright afternoon sunlight.

  Aoi looked completely down at the highly complex, ancient lettering. She could not entirely read the complete sentences of the archaic language, but human names transcended thousands of years of linguistic evolution.

  Her dark eyes completely widened in absolute, highly terrifying, and completely unadulterated shock.

  Carved deeply into the absolute very bottom of the traitor's monument, completely entirely listed in a highly sequential, deeply damning chronological order, were the exact following names:

  Heinrich von Stahlberg.

  Dietrich von Stahlberg.

  Ulrich von Stahlberg.

  Sigmund von Stahlberg.

  Leopold von Stahlberg.

  Otto von Stahlberg.

  And Konrad von Stahlberg.

  "Erwin," Aoi completely breathed out, her voice entirely completely shattering with absolute, highly profound disbelief.

  Erwin instantly completely dropped down to his knees directly beside her. His dark, highly calculating eyes instantly locked entirely onto the massive, deeply carved list of ancient names.

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  The entire, highly brilliant, and deeply terrifying world of Erwin von Stahlberg completely, absolutely stopped spinning.

  His heart violently entirely ceased beating in his broad chest. His highly flawless, deeply aristocratic breathing completely hitched in his dry throat. He stared entirely in absolute, highly paralyzing, and completely utterly devastating horror at the ancient stone.

  "These are absolutely, undeniably the highly specific, deeply historical names of my own direct, founding great-grandfathers," Erwin whispered entirely softly, his deep voice completely hollow, highly broken, and entirely stripped of all its usual terrifying authority.

  He reached out a highly trembling, entirely shaking hand, his long fingers gently entirely tracing the deeply carved name of Heinrich von Stahlberg.

  "But why exactly are my family's absolute founding names entirely completely carved directly into the absolute bottom of a highly sacred monument explicitly dedicated to traitors?" Erwin asked the silent forest, his brilliant mind entirely completely spiraling into a highly dark, deeply agonizing void of pure, unadulterated confusion.

  Before Aoi could completely formulate a highly comforting, deeply logical psychological response to his massive, highly devastating question, the profound, deeply peaceful silence of the ancient mountain clearing was entirely, absolutely violently shattered.

  A highly sudden, incredibly loud, and completely deeply terrifying sound entirely echoed directly from the dark, highly suffocating shadows of the dense pine forest completely surrounding the clearing.

  It was a highly raspy, incredibly harsh, and completely maniacal cackle of pure, highly unhinged laughter.

  Erwin instantly completely snapped out of his highly paralyzed shock. His highly lethal, deeply terrifying, and entirely absolute protective instincts violently completely exploded to life. He instantly entirely grabbed Aoi's arm, forcefully but highly smoothly entirely pulling her directly behind his broad, highly muscular back, completely physically shielding her from the unknown threat.

  They both entirely spun around, staring deeply into the highly dark, entirely shadowed edge of the tree line.

  Slowly, entirely highly deliberately stepping entirely out from the highly dense shadows of the ancient pine trees, was a highly terrifying, completely unsettling figure.

  It was a highly ancient, incredibly frail, and completely withered old woman. She possessed highly chaotic, entirely completely tangled and unkempt white hair that completely framed her deeply wrinkled, highly sun-beaten face. She was entirely wearing a highly degraded, deeply ragged, and completely ancient dark wool coat that looked entirely like it had survived a hundred freezing mountain winters.

  The old woman heavily entirely leaned her frail, highly shaking weight completely onto a highly thick, deeply gnarled wooden walking cane.

  However, despite her highly frail, completely withered physical appearance, her dark, deeply sunken eyes absolutely burned with a highly intense, incredibly terrifying, and completely wild, unhinged fire.

  The old woman slowly, entirely heavily dragged her boots entirely across the soft dirt, highly menacingly completely approaching the young couple standing entirely before the massive stone monuments.

  "You completely, entirely ask exactly why those highly cursed, deeply rotten names are completely carved directly into the absolute stone of treason?" the old woman rasped highly loudly, her harsh, deeply broken voice entirely echoing with highly terrifying, completely mad clarity across the silent clearing.

  She let out another highly harsh, completely chilling cackle, completely pointing a highly frail, incredibly bony, and entirely shaking finger directly at the massive list of Stahlberg names.

  "Because those are absolutely, undeniably the highly specific, completely factual names of the absolute greatest, most highly treacherous traitors to ever completely serve the ancient kings!" the old woman screamed highly aggressively, her wild eyes completely widening with absolute, deeply unhinged fury.

  "They are the highly exact, deeply cursed names of the men who entirely completely caused the massive, highly agonizing suffering and the absolute bloody destruction of thousands of highly innocent people, entirely completely driven by their own highly disgusting, deeply toxic, and completely unquenchable greed!"

  Erwin stood completely entirely rigid, his highly broad, deeply muscular shoulders entirely tensed, completely ready to absolutely, violently defend Aoi against any highly physical attack. His dark, highly calculating eyes completely entirely locked onto the unhinged old woman.

  "Who exactly are you?" Erwin demanded highly coldly, his deep voice completely entirely saturated with his highly terrifying, deeply lethal federal courtroom authority. "And exactly what highly specific business do you entirely have with us on this mountain?"

  The old woman entirely completely stopped walking, standing entirely just a few highly tense yards entirely away from them.

  A highly slow, deeply unsettling, and completely terrifyingly twisted smile entirely slowly completely curved her heavily wrinkled, highly weathered lips.

  "I am completely entirely known as Greta Falkenrut," the old woman answered highly proudly, her raspy voice completely dripping with absolute, deeply ancient fanaticism. "I am the highly sworn, deeply absolute, and entirely sacred guardian of this highly holy historical site. I am the completely unbroken watcher of the stones that have not yet entirely completely been entirely poisoned by the dark, highly suffocating rot of your bloodline."

  Greta Falkenrut entirely completely leaned highly heavily forward on her wooden cane. Her wild, highly intense eyes entirely completely locked directly onto Erwin's highly aristocratic, deeply pale face.

  "I completely entirely recognize exactly who you are, Erwin von Stahlberg," Greta hissed highly maliciously, entirely completely revealing the highly absolute, deeply terrifying fact that she entirely knew exactly who he was.

  "You are absolutely, undeniably the direct, highly cursed descendant of absolute murderers, highly treacherous cheats, deeply toxic manipulators, and highly completely greedy, entirely cowardly traitors!" Greta screamed entirely directly at him, completely shattering the highly peaceful spring afternoon with her highly terrifying, deeply absolute curse.

  Erwin and Aoi completely stood entirely entirely frozen in absolute, highly profound, and completely unadulterated horror. The highly terrifying, deeply chilling words completely entirely echoed across the massive stones.

  How could this highly insane, entirely isolated, and deeply unhinged mountain guardian possibly, entirely completely know that the highly wealthy, completely heavily guarded young federal advocate standing entirely before her was absolutely a Stahlberg? The dark, highly terrifying, and completely deadly shadow of his family's highly toxic legacy had completely, entirely found him at the absolute highest, most deeply sacred peak of the ancient world.

  The chilling, unhinged laughter of Greta Falkenrut slowly faded into the dense canopy of the ancient pine forest, leaving behind a suffocating, heavy silence that felt entirely completely suffocating.

  Erwin and Aoi stood perfectly still in the mountain clearing, the cold afternoon wind suddenly feeling like a sharp knife against their skin. The initial, terrifying shock of the old woman's sudden appearance was entirely overshadowed by the massive, devastating weight of the ancient names carved directly into the traitor's stone.

  Aoi turned her head slowly, looking up at her boyfriend. She had seen Erwin face down corrupt billionaires, ruthless politicians, and terrifying corporate spies without blinking a single eye. But right now, his handsome face was entirely drained of color. His dark eyes were wide, staring blankly at the rough-hewn stone as if it were a physical monster ready to completely devour him.

  Aoi gently squeezed his hand, her musical voice completely filled with a deep, worried empathy.

  "Erwin," Aoi whispered softly, stepping a little closer to his side. "You look like you just saw a ghost. I know it is incredibly shocking to see your family name here, but please talk to me. What exactly is going through your mind right now?"

  Erwin slowly blinked, tearing his gaze away from the ancient stone to look down at her. He swallowed hard, his throat incredibly dry. The flawless, terrifying mask of the untouchable federal advocate had completely shattered, leaving behind a deeply vulnerable young man who had just realized his entire existence was built on a massive lie.

  "I always knew my father was a monster," Erwin began, his voice barely rising above a broken whisper. "I knew exactly how deeply toxic and completely corrupt the modern Stahlberg empire was. But Aoi... I honestly thought it was just him. I thought Klaus was the one who poisoned the well."

  He slowly turned his head back to the massive monument, his dark eyes tracing the faded letters of his ancestors.

  "I never, ever imagined that the absolute, undeniable rot of my bloodline stretched this far back into the past," Erwin confessed, a profound, agonizing realization completely washing over his features. "A thousand years, Aoi. An entire millennium of unbroken corruption. It all makes terrifying sense now. The aggressive indoctrination I went through as a child. The way my father violently punished me whenever I tried to ask about our origins. Klaus completely knew."

  Erwin let out a shaky, entirely defeated breath. "He knew exactly how filthy our legacy was, and he desperately wanted to keep me entirely blind to the fact that we have always been the villains of this nation."

  Greta Falkenrut let out another harsh, grating scoff. The frail old woman leaned heavily on her gnarled wooden cane, slowly dragging her boots across the soft dirt as she moved closer to the young couple. Her wild, untamed white hair blew chaotically in the mountain wind.

  "Oh, you are much more than just simple villains, boy," Greta rasped, her voice dripping with absolute, ancient venom. "You are the very last, highly cursed descendant of the most magnificent thieves and the greatest liars this continent has ever suffered. That is exactly what the other noble families whisper when they say the name Stahlberg."

  The old woman raised her shaking, bony finger, pointing it directly at Erwin's pale face.

  Erwin simply stood there in the quiet clearing. His brilliant, highly strategic legal mind completely flatlined. He had absolutely no idea how to respond. He couldn't deploy his terrifying courtroom tactics, and he couldn't use his flawless logic to argue with her, because deep down in his soul, he knew that every single highly offensive word coming out of the old woman's mouth was completely, undeniably true.

  But Aoi absolutely refused to let him stand there and take the abuse.

  A massive surge of fierce, protective fire entirely exploded in Aoi's chest. She completely let go of Erwin's hand and highly deliberately stepped directly in front of him, using her small frame to physically shield her boyfriend from the old guardian's venomous gaze.

  "You do not know absolutely anything about him," Aoi snapped, her dark eyes flashing with a highly intense, deeply passionate anger that completely surprised both Erwin and the old woman.

  "He is entirely different from the rest of his family," Aoi argued fiercely, her voice echoing clearly across the silent stone monuments. "He is completely aware of the dark, unforgivable sins of his father, and he has spent his entire adult life fighting to completely break that toxic chain. He chose to walk his own path, completely far away from the greedy ambitions of the Stahlberg empire."

  Greta stared at the fiery young psychology student for a long, quiet moment before she threw her head back and let out a highly cynical, mocking laugh.

  "Oh, look at the brave, entirely foolish little bird trying to protect the snake," Greta sneered sarcastically, leaning entirely on her wooden cane. "Do you honestly believe you are special, girl? You will absolutely never be anything more than just another broken female slave to the Stahlberg machine."

  Greta spat the words out with a deep, historical bitterness.

  "Just like all the other miserable, forgotten Stahlberg wives throughout the centuries," the old woman continued ruthlessly. "They all thought their love could completely change the greedy men they married. And every single one of them had their beautiful dreams entirely stripped away, their lives completely devoured to fuel the endless, ravenous ambition of that cursed bloodline."

  "You are completely wrong!" Aoi yelled back, absolutely refusing to back down. She knew the deep, agonizing truth of Erwin's current life, and she was not going to let an old hermit insult his painful sacrifices.

  "You have absolutely no idea what he has already endured to protect the people he loves," Aoi told Greta, her voice trembling with highly genuine, overwhelming emotion. "His own father beat him mercilessly. His own family threw him into a freezing, completely terrifying federal prison cell based on a disgusting network of lies. He was physically and mentally tortured by the very people you claim he is exactly like."

  Aoi reached her hand back, blindly entirely searching for Erwin until her fingers found his warm arm. She gripped his sleeve tightly.

  "But he absolutely never broke," Aoi declared proudly, staring directly into Greta's wild eyes. "He stood firm. He absolutely refused to compromise his own moral compass. He is completely, undeniably a good man, and I will not let you judge him for the crimes of ghosts who died a thousand years ago."

  Greta listened to the passionate defense, her deeply wrinkled face twisting into a mask of pure, unadulterated disgust. She highly aggressively turned her head and spat a thick wad of saliva directly onto the dirt at Aoi's feet.

  "The Stahlberg men have always, entirely been absolute masters of playing the tragic, innocent victim," Greta grumbled, her raspy voice vibrating with deep resentment. "From the outside, they always look so incredibly noble. They always look like they are carrying the weight of the world. But on the inside, they are constantly, meticulously plotting exactly how to steal whatever they want, using absolutely any violent, immoral means necessary."

  The old woman suddenly stepped forward with surprising speed. She reached out her frail, shaking hand and poked her bony finger directly into Aoi's shoulder.

  "You are entirely drowning in their highly intoxicating, manipulative illusions, little bird," Greta warned darkly, completely trying to shatter Aoi's faith. "You think you know exactly how cruel they can be? Let me completely educate you. The Stahlberg family is entirely, undeniably more ruthless and significantly more dangerous than the absolute worst enemies the Hohenreich kingdom ever faced on the battlefield."

  Before the old woman could poke Aoi a second time, Erwin finally moved.

  He smoothly and highly gently stepped around Aoi, his tall, imposing frame completely blocking Greta's path. He entirely reached out, carefully but highly firmly entirely swatting the old woman's bony hand completely away from his girlfriend.

  "Do not touch her," Erwin warned softly, his deep voice carrying a cold, undeniable authority.

  He looked down at the withered guardian, the deep, agonizing shame of his family entirely evident in his dark eyes.

  "I am completely, incredibly sorry for whatever massive, unforgivable pain my ancestors entirely caused this nation, and whatever deep suffering they completely brought to your own ancestors," Erwin offered sincerely, completely swallowing his immense aristocratic pride to apologize to the old stranger.

  But Greta Falkenrut was absolutely not a normal woman who could be easily entirely placated by a polite apology. She had spent decades entirely alone in the freezing forest, completely memorizing the dark history of the stones.

  "You do not believe me, boy?" Greta asked, completely ignoring his apology. A dark, highly wicked smile entirely stretched across her face. "You honestly think your family's sins are just simple political mistakes?"

  Greta slowly turned around, highly heavily dragging her cane across the dirt as she walked directly back to the massive, moss-covered traitor's monument. She raised her shaking hand and pointed her crooked finger directly at the very first name carved at the bottom of the list.

  "Look closely at the name Heinrich von Stahlberg," Greta instructed, her raspy voice taking on the captivating, deeply haunting rhythm of an ancient storyteller.

  "The year was roughly one thousand and forty-seven," Greta narrated, her wild eyes entirely focused on the faded carving. "He was one of the very first, highly privileged nobles to completely attend the sacred oath of King Albrecht the First. He stood right here in this forest, entirely swearing to bleed for the new kingdom."

  Greta let out a harsh, mocking sound in the back of her throat.

  "But entirely behind the king's back, Heinrich was quietly, highly secretly buying the absolute loyalty of several smaller mountain clans with heavy chests of stolen gold," Greta revealed, completely exposing the ancient corruption. "He was meticulously planning to completely monopolize and entirely control the massive iron and silver trades of the region. The ancient legends clearly say that Heinrich loudly swore his loyalty with a deeply bloody hand at noon, but that very same night, he was quietly entirely counting his gold in the shadows."

  Aoi listened to the story, her dark eyes completely entirely focused on the old woman. She gently squeezed Erwin's hand, entirely trying to mitigate the damage.

  "That is obviously a terrible thing to do," Aoi reasoned softly, entirely trying to find a silver lining. "But that absolutely does not prove that Erwin is as rotten as a greedy merchant from a thousand years ago. I am completely sorry, Erwin, I do not mean to offend your family."

  "It is completely fine, Aoi," Erwin whispered back, his dark eyes entirely entirely glued to the ancient stone. "She is just entirely telling the historical truth."

  Greta let out a low, highly amused chuckle at Aoi's stubborn denial. She slowly moved her crooked finger entirely down to the second name carved into the rock.

  "Then let us completely move on to his wonderful grandson, Dietrich von Stahlberg," Greta announced, her voice dripping with absolute sarcasm.

  "The year was around eleven hundred and nine," Greta continued seamlessly. "Dietrich was widely known as the most highly cunning, deeply manipulative political advisor in the royal court of King Friedrich the Second. Do you want to know exactly what his magnificent contribution to the empire was?"

  Greta turned her head to glare directly at Erwin.

  "He deliberately, systematically entirely forged hundreds of massive royal tax documents," Greta spat the words out like highly toxic poison. "He completely stole heavily from the royal treasury and the common people simply to entirely enrich his own private family vaults. Tell me, boy, what exactly is that if not pure, unadulterated, filthy greed?"

  Erwin remained completely, utterly silent. He didn't have a single word of defense. He just stood there, entirely absorbing the highly painful, undeniable historical facts about his own blood. It was exactly like reading a highly detailed, incredibly damning federal indictment against his own soul.

  Aoi gripped his hand even tighter, entirely refusing to let him sink into the dark psychological abyss the old woman was trying to create.

  "That was Dietrich, not Erwin," Aoi stated firmly, her voice entirely steady.

  Greta looked at Aoi with a highly dramatic, deeply exaggerated expression of pure disgust. It absolutely sickened her to see a young woman so fiercely, completely loyal to a name she considered entirely cursed.

  "You want more proof?" Greta challenged, completely moving her finger to the third ancient carving. "Ulrich von Stahlberg. The year was roughly eleven eighty-two."

  The old woman tapped the stone with her dirty fingernail.

  "He was a highly famous, incredibly brave military commander for the kingdom," Greta explained, her tone completely turning incredibly dark and highly serious. "But he was also incredibly, dangerously ambitious. During a highly critical border conflict, Ulrich entirely completely tried to secretly sell highly classified, deeply sensitive military strategies directly to the enemy nation of Valemont."

  Aoi gasped softly, entirely realizing the massive severity of that specific crime.

  "His highly treacherous plan was completely uncovered before he could entirely destroy the army," Greta said, a dark satisfaction in her raspy voice. "The royal historical chronicles completely, explicitly state that Ulrich was always significantly more loyal to absolute power than he ever was to the Reich. He was a complete, undeniable traitor, entirely guilty of high treason that absolutely warranted a violent public execution."

  Greta entirely paused, completely making sure the highly terrifying weight of the military betrayal entirely settled on Erwin's shoulders. But she was absolutely not finished. She was determined to completely silence the young man.

  Her shaking finger entirely moved down the list to the next carved name.

  "Sigmund von Stahlberg. Somewhere around the year twelve sixty," Greta announced smoothly. "He was a highly privileged noble who entirely preferred the safety of the banking houses over the battlefield. While the rest of the country was bleeding and entirely dying during the massive Kazimirian wars, Sigmund was completely, quietly using the massive conflict to entirely enrich himself."

  Greta looked at Erwin, completely entirely disgusted by the historical parallel.

  "He was actively, highly secretly supplying illegal weapons to both sides of the bloody conflict," Greta revealed. "To a Stahlberg, a massive, highly tragic war was absolutely nothing more than a highly profitable market for any man brave enough and entirely lacking enough morals to sell the swords."

  Erwin stared entirely at the stone, his breath catching in his throat. He honestly could not completely believe that his family tree was so incredibly, vastly more cruel and deeply highly corrupt than he had ever possibly imagined. The sheer scope of the generational evil was entirely staggering.

  Greta completely ignored his visible shock, moving her finger entirely to the next carving.

  "Leopold von Stahlberg. Thirteen thirty-seven," Greta continued, entirely relentless in her historical assault. "He completely, highly arrogantly tried to entirely claim absolute, undeniable rights to the royal throne itself. He entirely manipulated highly sacred bloodline records and entirely heavily bribed dozens of highly influential noble families to support his fake claim. A completely immoral, highly disgusting creature."

  The old woman entirely dragged her finger down to the penultimate name on the ancient list.

  "Otto von Stahlberg," Greta spat, a highly personal, deeply ingrained hatred completely entirely coloring her raspy voice. "He is entirely widely documented as the absolute, most highly ravenous, entirely greedy noble in the entire written chronicles of Altkanz. He didn't just steal from the rich. He violently entirely extorted massive, highly illegal taxes directly from the poorest, most entirely vulnerable mountain villages. He completely starved the common people just to entirely line his own pockets. I completely despise him above all others."

  Finally, Greta's shaking finger completely landed on the very last name carved into the base of the massive traitor's monument.

  "And last, but absolutely not least," Greta whispered darkly. "Conrad von Stahlberg. A highly polished, incredibly eloquent royal diplomat. He entirely completely secretly established dark, highly illegal relations with the rival empire of Aurellia. He meticulously, completely tried to entirely weaken the political influence of the Hohenreich king from the inside out. His entire, highly treacherous plan only completely failed because some highly secret documents were entirely discovered hidden in his carriage."

  Greta entirely completely let her frail hand drop to her side. She had entirely finished reciting the dark, highly cursed ledger of the Stahlberg family.

  She turned completely away from the massive stone monument, slowly highly dragging her boots across the dirt until she was standing entirely completely directly in front of Erwin again. She looked entirely up into his pale, handsome face, a highly terrifying, deeply chilling smile entirely completely stretching her wrinkled lips.

  "Dozens of highly honorable, completely loyal families stood entirely right here and swore their absolute loyalty on this massive stone," Greta stated softly, her raspy voice entirely echoing in the quiet mountain clearing. "But the Stahlberg family absolutely always swore their sacred oaths with one bloody hand, while completely, entirely quietly counting their stolen gold with the other."

  Erwin remained completely, utterly speechless.

  He just stared entirely down at the dirt, his mind completely entirely swimming in a highly dark, deeply agonizing sea of pure shock. The dark, highly documented history of his family had absolutely not just left behind a simple trail of political lies. It had entirely completely left behind a massive, highly destructive trail of absolute devastation, entirely crippling the Hohenreich nation from the inside out for a thousand years.

  Greta watched him entirely completely shut down, her wild eyes entirely gleaming with highly cynical, deeply satisfied victory.

  "Well?" Greta asked highly cynically, entirely completely tilting her head to the side. "Do you absolutely have anything at all you entirely want to say in your own defense, boy?"

  Erwin didn't say a single word. He entirely completely kept his dark eyes locked on the forest floor, completely crushed by the undeniable, highly agonizing weight of his own blood.

  But Aoi was absolutely not going to entirely let the old woman win. She completely entirely stepped forward again, her grip on Erwin's hand entirely completely tightening with absolute, undeniable resolve.

  "The dark, highly terrible history of his family is absolutely, undeniably not the history he is currently entirely writing today," Aoi declared fiercely, her beautiful voice completely entirely ringing out with absolute clarity against the ancient stones.

  Aoi entirely completely refused to back down, her dark eyes completely entirely burning with a highly fierce, deeply psychological conviction.

  "I absolutely do not entirely care what your dark, ancient history books actually completely say," Aoi told the old guardian smoothly. "Because the highly absolute, entirely undeniable truth is that absolutely no one in this entire world can completely change the past. But we can absolutely, entirely completely change the future. And that is exactly what Erwin is doing."

  Greta stared at the highly defiant, completely fearless young woman for a long, quiet moment. And then, the old woman entirely completely threw her head back and let out a highly massive, entirely crazy, and completely unhinged laugh that echoed terrifyingly through the pine trees.

  She slowly entirely completely turned her back on the young couple, entirely leaning heavily on her wooden cane as she began to entirely completely walk away toward the dark shadows of the forest edge.

  Erwin remained completely quiet, but his highly broad shoulders were completely tense, his brilliant mind entirely completely devastated by the dark story he had just absorbed.

  Just before Greta entirely completely disappeared into the highly dense, deeply shadowed tree line, she entirely completely stopped walking. She did not entirely turn around, but she completely entirely cast her raspy voice over her shoulder.

  "Old blood completely entirely never truly dies, little bird," Greta warned darkly, her words hanging completely heavily in the crisp mountain air like a highly terrifying, deeply absolute curse. "It merely completely entirely waits highly patiently in the shadows for the absolute next generation to entirely completely redeem it."

  She began to take another highly slow, entirely heavy step into the dark forest.

  But suddenly, the profound, highly agonizing silence of the clearing was entirely completely shattered by a highly deep, completely steady, and entirely highly defiant baritone voice.

  "What exactly happens if you are completely, absolutely entirely wrong about me?" Erwin asked loudly, his voice entirely entirely completely regaining its absolute, highly terrifying federal authority as he directly entirely challenged the old guardian.

  Greta completely entirely froze in her tracks.

  She stood entirely completely still for a few seconds, completely entirely processing the highly unexpected, entirely bold challenge from the young man she thought she had completely entirely broken.

  She slowly, entirely completely turned her head, looking entirely entirely back at Erwin over her hunched shoulder. Her dark, wild eyes completely entirely locked onto his, a highly cold, entirely deeply calculating expression completely entirely washing over her wrinkled face.

  "That is entirely, completely entirely up to you, boy," Greta replied smoothly, her voice entirely completely devoid of its previous crazy laughter, leaving only a highly cold, deeply serious warning. "You are the absolute, completely entirely last living descendant of the most highly greedy, completely entirely immoral, and deeply ravenous family to ever entirely completely walk this mountain. The choice is entirely yours."

  Without another single word, Greta Falkenrut completely entirely turned her head and entirely completely walked directly into the deep, highly dark shadows of the ancient pine forest, completely entirely disappearing from sight while her highly terrifying, completely unhinged laughter slowly echoed and entirely faded away.

  Aoi immediately completely entirely turned to Erwin. She entirely completely wrapped both of her small hands securely around his large hand, completely entirely anchoring him to the present moment.

  "You are absolutely, entirely completely not them, Erwin," Aoi reassured him softly, her musical voice completely entirely filled with absolute, deeply undeniable love and fierce loyalty. "You are not your ancestors. You are just you."

  Erwin looked completely down at her, the highly heavy, deeply dark shadow slowly entirely completely lifting from his handsome face as he absorbed her beautiful, absolute faith in him.

  They stood there completely entirely together in the silent mountain clearing. The ancient, highly towering stone monuments completely entirely surrounded them, entirely completely serving as the massive, silent witnesses to a dark, highly hidden history that had always been completely entirely written by the violent, greedy winners, but was now finally entirely completely being challenged by a young man who absolutely refused to carry the sins of the past.