A lord threatens to raze House Rowland's castle by dawn unless they prove their loyalty. Within the house, a man named Garric tries to seize a young woman, prompting another woman to fiercely protect her daughter. The mother is violently dragged to an ice dungeon as punishment. Her daughter, Astrid, swears bloody revenge against Garric, but is warned that he is a powerful disciple and told to stay alive for hope. Later, a duke verbally abuses a different woman as a 'useless breeding tool.' Fueled by these cruelties, Astrid vows to slaughter them all as the duke's army departs.