episode_0445

A dark space where not even a single ray of light comes in.

Princess Mezlen, who had been asleep for a long time since last night, woke up somewhere in that dark space.

“Ugh, ugh… . Ugh… ?!”

A foreign body sensation inside the mouth when trying to speak, accompanied by fatigue.

The first thing Princess Mezlen felt when she woke up was the pressure of a thick gag covering her mouth and crushing her tongue.

“Uh, uh… . Ugh… .”

The feeling of nausea arising from the pressure of the gag pressing down on the back of your throat, rather than being able to vocalize no matter how hard you try.

Princess Mezlen, who also felt the sensation of something being firmly fixed on the back of her neck, carefully held her breath and assessed her situation.

‘… I guess I was kidnapped.’

A situation where you are tied up with your hands and feet while sitting on a chair, and in a dark room with a gag in your mouth so you can’t utter a word.

Even the fourth princess of the Argentia Empire, who was not very tactful, was fully aware that the current situation was real.

Even if she is low in the line of succession, a princess is still a princess.

Even though she had no chance of becoming emperor, her existence was valuable simply because she had the blood of an emperor, so Seraphine and Antonio had told her to always have guards around her and to never let down her guard.

That is why Mezlen also faithfully kept her maid Kate by her side for several months after arriving at the Academy, never leaving her to escort her and run all sorts of errands for her… .

‘I just wanted to be alone with you for a little while… I never thought it would end up like this… .’

It was Mezlen who had sent Kate on annoying errands to keep her away from Harold and the others, so that she could spend time without any distractions, and it was all her fault that she had been attacked by a strange man.

Mezlen, who was unable to resist the hand of the assailant who came from behind as soon as the escort maid moved away, as if he knew that she would drop Kate, the escort maid, herself.

From the beginning, she had less physical strength than an average girl, and the magic she thought she had diligently learned at the academy was of no help at all in close combat.

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Kate returning and rushing at the assailants to save him, but perhaps the fact that he was tied up like this meant that he could not save them in the end.

So, Princess Mezlen, who realized that she had been kidnapped without even knowing what was going on… .

‘Haa, anyway, being too pretty is also a problem… . I wonder who did this to me because they were attracted to my looks… .’

… I was still unable to let go of my usual personality and was just lost in thoughts without a sense of crisis.

Princess Mezlen had grown up like a greenhouse flower her entire life, so even if she was suddenly kidnapped, she had faith that she would be safe.

They ask for gold or wealth because of their royal status, or they lust after women because of their beauty.

If it was the latter, there would be a problem since she had someone in her heart, but at least Princess Mezlen did not think that either of them would put her life in danger.

…until he felt something fall from one of his arms, which was spread open as if he were tied to a cross.

-Thump, thump… .

“… … town?”

-Thump, thump, thump… .

“… … Ugh, Ugh?! Ugh?!”

A metal tube stuck in his left elbow, with liquid leaking out drop by drop from the hole.

At first, she couldn’t make out what was happening because it was pitch-black, but in the somewhat faded shadows, Princess Mezlen was able to confirm that it was the sight of her own blood being drained.

His own blood, flowing drop by drop, filled the glass vial placed under the metal tube.

It was a disturbing sight that made her feel like she was going to lose her mind just by looking at it, but she couldn’t fall.

Even if she was the most reckless princess, she could easily understand that this situation was not a simple kidnapping to collect her ransom, given the damage she had done to her own body.

“Ugh, ugh… !! Ugh… !!”

-Rumble, rumbling.

“Eeeeek, eep… !! eep… !!”

Princess Mezlen struggles to get out of the chair, terrified and panicked.

But her feeble resistance was stopped in less than ten seconds.

-Ugh.

“… Stay quiet.”

“Ugh, uhhh?!”

“… You’re struggling, so all your blood is spurting out. I was trying so hard to save it.”

“Ugh, uh?!”

Princess Mezlen’s body froze as she intuitively realized that the cold sensation that had struck the back of her neck was a threat.

Instinctive fear. And because it was the moment when a quiet presence that had been there for so long revealed itself.

“Haa… . You spilled a few drops because you moved. And the angle was wrong… .”

“… … town.”

“It’s annoying, so should I just cut it here and take it all out at once? Would that be easier for you? Yeah?”

-Ugh.

“Eeeeek, eep… ! Eugeueek… !!”

-Twist, twitch. Twist, twitch.

Princess Mezlen desperately shook her head in denial as the blade was pushed even closer to her neck.

Although it may only extend life by a few hours, it is the instinct of all humans to want to postpone death for at least that time, so she expressed her will to live as much as possible.

“… Okay, then.”

-Ugh.

“Ugh, uh-uh… .”

“But, I have to pay for the blood you spilled on the floor. I worked hard to collect it, but it spilled because you moved around uselessly.”

“Huh, huff… ?!”

For a moment, he felt relief as he felt the blade being removed from the back of his neck.

This time, she felt something like a metal device catch on her right hand finger, and although it was a feeling she had never felt before, an inexplicable sense of fear ran down Princess Mezlen’s spine.

-Clang.

“If you stay quiet, I’ll finish you off in one go.”

“Ugh, ugh… .”

“If you bother me again, it’s ‘one more’.”

“Huh, huuup… ?”

Princess Mezlen, who didn’t understand what ‘one more’ meant, expressed her doubt for a moment, but the voice in the shadows didn’t give any specific explanation.

However, the doubts I had about the voice saying ‘one more’ were immediately resolved.

It was a moment when the sound of the metal device on his finger moving, and at the same time the excruciating pain he felt at his fingertips, filled Mezlen’s head.

-bang!

“… … … … … Shut up, suck!!!”

The first pain I ever felt in my fingertips, along with the sound of the metal device being pulled taut.

However, even though it was the first pain he had ever experienced since he was born, Mezlen was able to instinctively know what kind of pain it was.

The feeling of having a healthy fingernail forcibly pulled out is a kind of pain that you cannot help but know, even if it is your first time experiencing it.

“… … Hah! Shut… !! Geuheup… … !!!”

A painful sensation that is clearly tormenting one’s body, different from the fear felt at the thought of having one’s blood drawn or the terror felt at the thought of a knife being thrust into one’s neck.

There was no way that the reckless princess of the empire could bear the pain she felt at the tips of her fingers, so it was inevitable that her body would tremble.

“Keuheup…!! Ugh, keuhup…!!”

“… one more.”

-Clang.

“… … Huuup?!”

The pain of having my index fingernail pulled out hadn’t even subsided yet, but then I felt the sensation of the same device being inserted into my middle finger.

-Twist, twitch.

“Heuheupp, heuheupp, heuheupp… !! Heuheupp… !!”

Princess Mezlen desperately shook her head at the pain she never wanted to experience twice, but the shadow calmly fixed the metal blade on her claw and simply wound the spring mechanism to maximum tension.

“If you don’t be quiet, it’s ‘one more’ this time.”

“Hugh, huff…!! Hug, huff, huff…!!”

-bang!

“… … … … … !!!”

Princess Mezlen cried out in excruciating pain once again, feeling something being pulled out from the tip of her middle finger.

She was in a state of confusion due to the pain that was even stronger than before, but this time, she desperately managed to suppress her struggles.

The most frightening situation for Princess Mezlen right now was that the strange man whispering to her, ‘one more.’

“… … .”

“… … suck. … … turn off.”

“The third is….”

“… … ?!”

“… You don’t have to do it.”

“Heh, heh heh heup… . Heh hep… .”

Princess Mezlen felt relieved that the pain that could have continued for a long time was over, but hot tears flowed out of her eyes at the relief that had finally come.

The composure she had felt when she first realized she had been kidnapped had long since disappeared, so now only one thought remained in her mind.

‘Please… . Anyone, please save me… . I’ll never walk alone again, so please… .’

Anyone, please save me from this hellish space.