Lysandra and Niko were secretly observing Mirel. They were using a few magical artifacts provided by Vans. The artifacts could record images and later transmit them to another artifact. The two stayed in a room next to Victor's office, working in different shifts.
They were able to know everything Mirel was doing, or almost everything. The bedroom and bathrooms were restricted zones, but all public spaces were under surveillance, even the dungeon. This gave them a clear view of how she behaved day to day, and it only made them hate Mirel even more. They already knew how strict and arrogant Mirel was, but through the surveillance they saw something far worse. Mirel shouted, gave senseless orders, and constantly abused her authority. She was the worst general the Demon Lord had. Worse than Lotus, who was incompetent at his job, but at least he was kind.
Niko wanted to kill Mirel with her own hands, and she did not hide that at all in the reports she wrote. Lysandra was more cautious, but she also made it clear that she wanted to end Mirel's life, even if she turned out to be innocent, since that would be the best way to maintain morale and order in the Tower.
Besides Mirel, the two could also spy on all the other generals, but they avoided doing so since there was no reason. Still, from time to time they watched parts of their routines, simply because it caught their attention.
Vans was hidden and protected in the forest. He set up a second barrier to protect himself from the other monsters that lived there. He also built a camp near the crystal, and he was able to handle the mana in the environment without difficulty. He was making great progress with animal cloning, which was extremely helpful considering the shortage of milk and other meats in the Tower. He felt blessed by Mirel's betrayal, since it allowed him to test many of the hypotheses he had about cloning, as well as experiment with other artifacts he owned. It was a terrible thought, but he could not feel any other way.
Once again, Mirel attacked the barrier. She continued launching several attacks, and none of them had any effect. Lysandra was watching and taking notes in the report. Mirel was acting more and more strangely. She seemed worried about the barrier, but she did not report it to anyone.
That fact was proof that she was a traitor. But one question still remained, how did the crystal end up in the forest?
Lysandra and Niko continued the surveillance, but at no point were they able to discover how Mirel did it, or whether she had any accomplice. Victor already wanted to put an end to everything. Lysandra wanted to kill Mirel with her own hands, but it would be risky. The plan was to summon Mirel to the royal hall, question her about what had happened, and then have all the generals attack her together. All of them except Lotus, since he knew nothing and it was better to keep it that way. Not because he was a traitor, but because he would certainly ruin the plan.
Vans would also stay out of the attack. He was a good alchemist and knew how to use magic for combat, but he would only get in the way. He was not very strong and had only become a general because of his intelligence, as well as his large scale production of consumables such as potions and scrolls.
Mirel was kneeling before Victor. Lysandra, Niko, and Pallas stood on the right side. Vesta, Eris, and Vans stood on the left side of the hall. They were positioned like nobles in a royal court.
"To what do I owe the honor of this summons?" Mirel asked, and she looked tense.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, I am feeling very well, and you?"
"To be honest, I am disappointed."
Cold sweat ran down Mirel's face. She almost gave up on asking why, but she asked anyway.
"You never once reported the barrier in the forest. Is there any reason for that?"
"No, I have no excuse. I simply did not consider it concerning."
Vans activated the recording of her trying to break the barrier so everyone in the hall could see it.
"But you tried to break the barrier a few times, many times in fact."
"Yes, I wanted to break it so the forest could return to normal."
"I see, that explains some things. But why did you tell Pallas to ignore the danger he sensed in the forest? Or why did you want to go there yourself?"
"I did not think there could be any danger. The dungeon was releasing a lot of energy from the monsters we were killing, and I assumed it was that. I went to the forest to kill more monsters so we could have a larger reserve of food and crystals."
"But you had no reason to go. I understand that the forest is an open area and anyone can enter, but there was no reason to go at that moment. Unless you are behind the mana crystal, are you?"
"Crystal?"
"Do not pretend you do not understand," Victor said angrily, his expression changing instantly.
She stood up and removed her eyepatch. In place of her eye there was a red crystal, glowing intensely. She drew her sword and imbued it with blue fire, then rushed straight toward Victor. Lysandra reacted instantly and was struck in his place.
Niko cast wind magic, but it only caused a few scratches. Vesta drew both swords and began to duel Mirel, but Mirel moved much faster. Pallas joined in, and he and Vesta were fighting Mirel evenly, which should not have been possible. Mirel was incredibly stronger.
Vans only watched from a distance. Victor could not see any opening to attack with magic. Niko could not attack without risking injuring Vesta and Pallas.
Lysandra was on the ground, bleeding heavily. Niko approached and used healing magic, but the magic seemed to take longer than usual to work. The wound only healed when Niko increased the amount of mana used.
Eris shouted for Vesta and Pallas to move away from Mirel. Eris grabbed Mirel and began absorbing all her mana, which seemed endless. Eris grew stronger, and little by little Mirel was no longer able to move. Lysandra stood up and thrust her hand into Mirel's abdomen. Mirel was laughing as she died.
Her body wore a smile. She seemed happy with her death.
Victor did nothing and felt useless. He approached the body and looked at the crystal, which was no longer glowing but still drew his attention. Vans approached the body and examined the crystal.
"This is very strange, extremely strange. She had both eyes and only used the eyepatch as an accessory, or something like that."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I have known her for much longer than everyone here."
Vans grew curious and asked for permission to study her body. Victor granted it, but asked that the crystal be removed as soon as possible, since he had a bad feeling about it.
Eris vomited and looked very unwell.
"What happened?"
She began using magic, but did not seem to improve. She only felt better after releasing all the mana she had absorbed. Niko felt uneasy. That mana felt denser than the mana from the crystal.
"The mana Eris had was not normal. The sensation it gave me was the worst I have ever felt in my entire life."
Victor and Vans became even more curious about what Mirel had been hiding.