episode_0009

Princess Tricky Green?

Come to think of it, there were a lot of strange things.

The viscount and Blair didn’t resemble us.

Wasn’t their hair color different?

Blair also treated me strangely difficultly…

But why is the princess in a foreign country with a false identity?

The knife that was aimed at me was put away, and everyone was paying attention to the boy walking from the end of the corridor. Thanks to that, I had time to grasp the situation for a moment.

I also saw a black-haired boy.

A sinister aura gathered around Theo.

It looked suspicious at first glance.

Sizzle-

The men who were burning in agony suddenly turned into dust. They left behind a pungent smoke and the smell of burning. I had seen too many surreal deaths today, so I could have become numb, but my heart still felt uneasy. Even though they were enemies, people dying is a terrible thing.

The other intruders who saw their comrades turn to ash must have been terrified, but they were calmly guarding Theo.

Black tendrils gathered above Theo’s hands. It was a collection of dark, undulating, smoky, and strange waves. Soon, I realized that it was a cluster of magic, or mana, commonly encountered in the game.

But in this novel, shouldn’t mana be something other than black…?

“It’s truly dreadful mana… I never wanted to face it again!”

“Captain, do we have a plan?”

“Of course. For now, it’s best to finish it without any means.”

“Give the order.”

“Kill him. He’s probably not used to combat yet. At best, he’s only entrusted himself to mana!”

The man who had thrust his sword at me under the command of the captain was the first to leap forward. He, who was closest to me, quickly ran to the end of the corridor, far away from me.

“He’s fast!”

Even Blair and the characters in this novel possessed physical abilities that transcended those of the humans I knew. It’s natural for a novel, but seeing it in reality gives me a strange feeling again.

“Theo! Watch out!!”

I was lethargic and could do nothing but scream. It felt like Theo’s throat would burst at any moment.

In an instant, Theo’s eyes shone even brighter. His previously blue irises had turned into a deep emerald green.

The man who had rushed forward stopped in front of the black-clad Theo, as if an invisible barrier blocked his way. He hastily sheathed his sword and stepped back. Tension suddenly gripped him.

“You almost died. Is it possible for magic to defend and attack simultaneously while unconscious?”

“It’s a more challenging situation than I thought. Jimmy, draw attention as the vanguard. The rest target the flanks!”

At the chief’s command, the men moved swiftly and decisively.

The man called Jimmy once again brandished his sword at the forefront.

A shockwave, known as “sword energy” in novels, emerged.

“These guys are strong!”

It was a devastating sword energy, even by visual estimation.

The level of sword energy, as per the novel’s setting, was uncommonly high.

This time, Theo raised his hand and threw magic.

When the magic and sword energy collided, a massive explosion occurred.

After the fleeting light and tremors from the impact, Theo was barely visible again.

He closed the distance and reached out towards the man trying to thrust his sword again.

More magic spewed forth.

Jimmy both deflected and dodged them with his sword. The magic he dodged struck another intruder behind him.

Crackle—

“Aaagh!!”

The magic burst into flames in an instant. Like his colleague turned to ash before, he burned and died.

The intruders swallowed hard at the unexpected turn of events.

I, too, never took my eyes off them for a moment.

Then, I heard a whispering voice of a woman.

“Lady Beatrice.”

It was Yulia.

While all the intruders were focused on Theo, Yulia, who had secretly approached from the opposite side, gestured to me. Now was the time. Hurry, she said, and avoid them.

Stealthily, I moved closer to Yulia, avoiding the intruders.

Approaching Yulia felt like threading through a maze.

Finally arriving by Yulia’s side, I grasped a pillar as if collapsing and gasped for breath.

“Huff-”

“Are you okay!?” Yulia asked with concern, supporting me.

“I’m fine… but what’s going on? Who are they?”

“They’re from the Imperial Heresy Investigation Bureau. Blair went to clean up their hideout, but it seems the key members had already escaped.”

“The Heresy Investigation Bureau?”

“Yes… it was a decoy operation. Blair took advantage of their absence!”

I didn’t understand why the Heresy Investigation Bureau had come after us, but Yulia seemed to assume I had some background knowledge as she spoke. All I could comprehend was that this situation without Blair was very bad.

“Am I… a princess?”

In the urgency of the situation, forgetting my duty to portray Beatrice, I tried to resolve my curiosity. Yulia hesitated for a moment.

“You seemed quite confused recently because of the nightmares.”

“Ugh! Yeah… my memories were all jumbled up, actually.”

I justified strange behavior using the nightmares as an excuse, hoping Yulia would understand.

“Perhaps it’s a signal that the succession is imminent!”

“Succession?”

“Our master, our savior, the true ruler of the empire.”

Empire, empire, wherever I go, it’s the empire. This darn novel.

“Tricksey Green, my lord.”

I could only widen my eyes.

In the novel, all the royals were either destined to die early due to illness or were missing.

However, the Beatrice de Daria I possessed was the last princess of the empire. Her real name was ‘Tricksey Green’. She was the descendant of the Green Emperor.

Why would the Empire’s Heresy Investigation Bureau target the royal family?

“Your Highness, the situation is not good. We need to help the prince quickly!”

-Haah, haah…

Looking back, Theo was still facing the intruders. A few more had lost their lives in the meantime. But Theo also seemed to be getting tired.

Seeing the life-and-death situation, I started breathing heavily again.

What can I do?

Can I use magic like Theo?

No, there was no sign of that at all. I was just an ordinary woman’s body. There’s no such thing as magic!

“Your Highness?”

I looked at Yulia with a perplexed expression as she called me desperately. Yulia seemed to understand what that meant. Her face turned pale.

“Surely you haven’t forgotten about magic?!”

“….”

I slowly nodded my head.

Yulia decisively took my hand with a determined look on her face.

“Run away.”

“What?”

“Leave the mansion and hide. Blair will be back before dawn. Just hide until then.”

“But what about Theo?”

“I will save Lord Theo! Even if it costs me my life. So please, run away. In the worst case, even if it’s the Princess-”

-Kaboom!

Then, there was an explosion along with a loud noise.

Numerous attendants were thrown and slammed into the wall.

But Theo also seemed exhausted by now.

“It hasn’t been long since the succession began, and Theo is reaching his limit.”

Yulia lifted the dagger she had tucked into her thigh.

“Wait, Yulia!”

As I called out to her, she had already left her place.

She wielded the dagger in reverse, aiming for the back of the Inquisition soldier who was fighting with Theo.

-Swish

“Ugh!”

The soldier whose heart was pierced from behind made a gasping sound and collapsed.

The intruders were thrown off by Yulia’s sudden attack. It was already difficult enough to deal with Theo, and now an unidentified maid appeared.

“Jimmy! Mark the Prince, I’ll take care of that maid!”

The commander deflected Yulia’s dagger as she rushed towards another soldier.

-Clang!

With swift movements, Yulia closed the gap in weapon length and struck at the vital point. The commander calmly parried only the fatal blow with his sword, responding to her movements.

“You’re not a guardian knight! Who are you?”

“I won’t tell my name to traitors who don’t recognize their master.”

“Master? Are you serving those demons? Our master is the one and only God of Light!”

Eventually, their sword fight continued.

I stumbled while looking at every scene.

Running away cowardly is not my style!

It’s a cliché to hesitate and become a hostage in times like this. I didn’t want to become that burden.

I was about to turn around and run with all my might.

“The princess is running away!”

“Get her!!”

Some intruders spotted me and shouted. They caught up with me at an astonishing speed. I’m going to be caught at this rate!

“Don’t you dare touch my sister!!”

An unbelievably loud voice of a young child echoed. When I turned around, Theo reached out his hand. The soldier who tried to grab me was pulled towards the wall like a magnet and crashed into it.

-Boom!

Blood splattered everywhere.

The ominous magic enveloped Theo again. It seemed to be growing stronger.

-Groooan.

As the magic gathered, I felt a wave of power that even someone like me, a criminal, could sense. Perhaps Theo couldn’t control that power.

“The power has grown stronger, Captain!”

“Good, it’s time.”

The man referred to as the captain took advantage of a gap in Yulia’s defense and delivered a kick. Yulia blocked with her arm, but was thrown far by the impact.

“Ahh!”

Yulia, who had fallen, immediately got up and prepared for defense, but the next attack came from other subordinates, not the captain. The captain, who had escaped from Yulia, took out a scroll from his bosom.

“Be grateful for the grace of the Order, you scoundrels. It’s the only relic assigned to our unit.”

And in his other hand, he held the necklace he had taken from me.

“Hehehe, even a treasure tainted with the vile aura of the nobles has its uses.”

“!!!”

No… I had a bad feeling. I could do nothing but stand and watch.

When the captain wrapped the necklace with the scroll, light appeared. It was a dazzling light, almost blinding.

It seemed that I wasn’t the only one dazzled. Theo closed his eyes and staggered. And the magic that had been hovering around Theo gradually dispersed.

“Now’s the time! Jimmy!!”

Jimmy, a knight of the Inquisition, unleashed his reserved power at the command of the chief and sent his sword energy flying.

“No!!! Teo!!!!”

The flying sword energy split the air and reached right in front of Teo’s nose. Teo barely moved his hand and stared at the sword energy. He tried to emit magic again to block it, but it was too late.

Boom!

Dust filled the corridor for a moment. A shockwave, unlike when magic and sword energy clashed initially, surged. When the dust cleared, I couldn’t help but scream.

“Cough-!”

Teo coughed up blood and slumped forward.

It felt like my breath stopped along with his.

It’s because of me.

All of this is because of me.

Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo!!!

Aaargh!!!!

I crossed my arms and grabbed my shoulders. Indescribable despair, anger, and agony boiled within me. The most prominent was self-loathing. I couldn’t forgive myself.

Crack-

I forcefully bit my lip and clawed at my own flesh with the nails of the hand holding my shoulder. It didn’t hurt at all. Compared to the pain Teo must have endured, it was nothing.

Overwhelming rage drove me to madness.

I found myself approaching the fallen Teo.

Please, no…

Just stay alive, Teo… Please…

Rather take me instead.

*

It’s an entirely ashen world.

Within me.

My consciousness had entered the subconscious world, not reality.

Palace of memories? Imagination? Call it what you will. What’s certain is that this place is better than the dreadful reality. At least here, I can gather and behold only the happy memories.

“Will it really be so?”

A woman with jet-black hair approached, emitting a perfect aura like a crafted statue.

She was Beatrice de Dalia.

No, Princess Trixie Green.

No! It was me.

“Can you find peace here?”

“All I can do is reminisce about the past.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I’m weak… I’m not you, Beatrice. I can’t wield a sword like you in the novel, nor can I handle magic like a true Hwangjok. I’m sorry for being a useless human who ended up possessing you.”

“…”

She looked at me with a bitter expression. Thanks to Teo’s shining emerald green eyes, there were even corners that looked mysteriously different from my reflection in the mirror.

“Is it because it’s you?”

“Yeah. What if it was you instead of me? What if I had brought some possession advantage? What if I had known our identities sooner? Countless possibilities keep coming to mind.”

“It’s not because it’s you that I lost Teo.”

“What?”

She hesitated for a moment and then continued speaking.

“That’s our fate, an eternal, unchangeable destiny.”

“!!!”

“I understand your sorrow well too. The reason is—”

“Because you went through the same thing?”

“Yeah…”

She took another step closer.

Our foreheads touched.

“So, what did you do? How did you overcome this agony?”

“I didn’t overcome it. I just—”

“Just?”

“I did what I could.”

“What was that?”

“Revenge.”

Her eyes shone even brighter.

“There’s no salvation. Don’t hope for any light to save us.”

I just listened to her words absentmindedly.

“Bury weakness along with the light. Defy fate, accept our nightmares.”

“Do we have to live with this nightmare for the rest of our lives?”

“Yeah, but in return, we can turn their reality into a nightmare. One they can never wake up from.”

“That’s fine.”

Alright. I’ll accept this fate. You lived for revenge in the novel? Then I will do the same. I will bring inevitable suffering to everyone who persecuted us and took Teo’s life!

“Let’s go then.”

“Yeah, to reclaim our names!”

An inevitable nightmare will come for you.

The curse of the Hwangjok will surely be fulfilled.

At any cost!

*

Jimi approached the fallen prince.

To prepare for any potential danger, I cautiously probed the prince’s pulse. He was dead. The demon-like monster had finally fallen. It was the power of the holy relic and his accumulated strength that ultimately subdued the royal family.

Now, if I can just get rid of that filthy wench, the holy war will end.

“Captain, the maid who was so cute earlier, could you possibly reward her as a favor?”

With a heavy heart, I playfully tossed a joke at the captain, just like I always did. It was a sincere request, but said in jest.

“…,”

There was no response.

Feeling something amiss, Jimmy turned towards the captain and his colleagues.

“Draw your swords again, Jimmy.”

The captain and his colleagues were all looking in one direction. They were now even breaking out in cold sweat.

“Damn it.”

When they turned around, Princess Trixie Green was approaching, emitting an intense aura, far beyond that of the prince…

It seems the holy war is far from over.