Chapter 212

Chapter 212

The Heroine of the 1st Playthrough Remembers My Training.

Episode 213: Liana Rumenhark (3)

“Heheheh♪ Yujin is always so amusing.”

Liana Rumenhark hummed a little tune.

In her hands, she held a black-haired doll that resembled someone.

Of course, she had fully expected Yujin to retaliate.

It would be stranger if he didn’t counterattack after openly announcing the time and place of his speech.

However, she had thoroughly prepared enough to completely suppress whatever speech Yujin might bring.

“I wondered what you were going to do… but to think you’d actually break the board itself♪”

However, Yujin’s response went beyond Liana’s expectations.

To destroy the stage itself when he couldn’t win on it…

Yujin was indeed a man who knew how to entertain her.

Liana would never have thought of such a crude and rough method of response.

Since she could win against anyone head-on, there was no need to use such a method.

…That’s why Liana couldn’t defeat someone stronger than herself.

The reason Liana had never been defeated until now was simply because there was no one stronger than her.

But Yujin was different.

Even while acknowledging his own weakness, he struggled to the very end without giving up, and in the end, he snatched victory from her.

“Yujina~ What shall we play next? Heheh♪”

Liana, who had been smiling while poking the doll’s cheek, suddenly hardened her expression.

“…Ah, it was a good mood. It always comes at times like this.”

Liana, who had risen from her seat, stood in front of the mirror and said,

“Come out.”

At Liana’s words, the mirror rippled, and the bandaged ‘Warped Desire’ revealed itself.

[…Your Highness the Princess.]

Hearing ‘Warped Desire’s’ address, Liana’s hardened expression softened, and she chuckled.

“After being scolded once, you now address me properly. Should I have scolded you to make you understand?”

At Liana’s provocation, ‘Warped Desire’ gritted its teeth.

[…Don’t provoke me too much. I’m barely holding back as it is.]

“Oh my, I wonder what would happen if you didn’t hold back? Why don’t you try?”

With those words, Liana and ‘Warped Desire’ glared at each other, but in the end, it was ‘Warped Desire’ who first averted its gaze.

[…I have no intention of arguing. More importantly, how long are you going to keep playing around? Everything on this side is ready.]

‘Warped Desire’s’ eyes gleamed through the bandages.

In fact, the riot at Carnea wouldn’t have much impact on the Empire itself.

This was because the balance was off from the start.

Commoners among Carnea’s students accounted for less than 30%.

The problem wasn’t just the numbers.

With a few exceptions, most of the commoner students were concentrated in Class 4 and Class 5.

In the end, both in numbers and power, they were far inferior to the noble faction.

‘…At most, it will be completely suppressed within a day.’

Even knowing that, the reason ‘Warped Desire’ was urging the riot at Carnea was simple.

They needed a single day where Carnea’s defense systems were not functioning properly.

[If a riot doesn’t break out in Carnea, I cannot come to pick you up.]

‘Warped Desire’s’ ability, as its name suggested, warped space.

It was a considerably useful ability in combat, but its true value lay in the disappearance of distance limitations.

If it used its power properly, it could travel from one end of the Empire to the other in an instant.

However, there were limits to ‘Warped Desire’s’ ability.

While it could transfer ordinary humans with a mere flick of a finger, transferring a human with immense power like Liana required considerable concentration and time.

If ‘Warped Desire’ were to try to transfer Liana from within the Carnea grounds.

Carnea would definitely notice and come to interfere.

‘…If that happens, I, in my state of concentration, would be defenseless.’

In the end, for ‘Warped Desire’ to take Liana away.

It needed to create a situation where even if the intrusion was detected, Carnea would be unable to respond.

This was the real reason for instigating the riot at Carnea.

“Impatient men aren’t popular, you know~. Well, just looking at you wrapped in bandages, it’s clear you’re not popular.”

Liana wiggled her index finger from side to side.

‘Warped Desire’s’ voice cracked lowly.

[…The reason I address you as Your Highness the Princess is out of respect for you. Shouldn’t you also show at least some respect?]

“I am respecting you, aren’t I? If I didn’t respect you, do you think someone as lowly as you would even be able to have a conversation with me?”

[Princess…!!]

At the same time as ‘Warped Desire’ shouted, cracks like spiderwebs appeared on the mirror, but Liana didn’t even blink, speaking in a cold voice.

“…There isn’t much time left, so wait.”

[What little is left is my patience. Tell me the exact date.]

“Haa… you keep pushing to the very end. You really are a man with no charm.”

[I will not listen to any more nonsense!! The exact date…]

“Two days from now. Noon. That’s when the riot will break out.”

Liana sighed.

She wanted to play with Yujin a little longer, but it seemed like it was time to end things.

“How unfortunate…”

Until now, Yujin had held onto her quite well.

More commoners than she had expected supported Yujin instead of her.

…However, two days from now, the riot breaking out was a certainty.

The level of support Yujin had taken away wouldn’t be enough to stop this riot.

“Make sure to come on time. I detest waiting.”

Liana’s words were close to an order, but ‘Warped Desire’ didn’t offer any particular reply, merely twisting the corner of its mouth hidden beneath the bandages.

‘…Two days.’

Two days was still within the range it could endure.

Currently, the rebel forces hidden throughout the Empire were gathered in one area through ‘Warped Desire’s’ ability.

However, they were only gathered for now, not yet united.

For them to begin their activities in earnest, they absolutely needed the bloodline of the Imperial Family, ‘Liana Rumenhark’.

It was contradictory that the rebels, who dreamed of the nobility’s destruction, desired Liana at the very top, but that was how special the Imperial blood was.

Just the fact that Liana was with the rebels was enough to assert their legitimacy.

Of course, it seemed they were planning to use Liana as a puppet to rule the Empire if the rebellion succeeded…

‘Foolish bastards… do they really think that thing can be controlled?’

‘Warped Desire’, who had met Liana’s gaze, barely suppressed its trembling body.

It couldn’t understand how a human could possess such power.

Liana Rumenhark’s power far exceeded the realm that could be explained by effort or talent.

Clearly, a leash of a pledge had been placed upon her, yet even now, just looking at her sent shivers down its spine.

‘It’s as if I’m seeing that being…’

At the thought that briefly flashed through its mind, ‘Warped Desire’ shook its head vehemently.

No matter how monstrous the Princess was, comparing her to that being was foolish.

If Liana was a calamity, its master was an existence that would devour even that calamity.

[…I will come to find you in two days.]

With those last words, ‘Warped Desire’ disappeared within the mirror.

“…Aah~, my good mood has completely vanished.”

Liana, who had flopped back onto the bed, grumbled while pulling on both cheeks of the doll.

“I wish you’d at least let me enjoy the last bit…”

For Liana, all these moments were like a last supper.

The end of the plan she had set was her own death.

Unlike the countless heroic tales, she wasn’t trying to make a noble sacrifice for someone else.

Liana had never once thought that someone else’s life was more precious than her own.

That had been the case until now, and it would continue to be so in the future.

Nevertheless, the reason Liana had chosen death was ultimately because it was a rational choice.

[Liana Rumenhark will die.]

It was not that she wanted to say that all humans died.

Although she didn’t know exactly when it would be, at most within a year, Liana will die.

Shewaisn’t suffering from any illness.

Liana’s perfect physique was so robust that she had never even caught a cold since birth.

The death Liana was talking about was a spiritual death.

—Throb

As if it had noticed that its story was being told, a pain like a red-hot knife stirring inside her head came.

‘It’s getting worse…’

Liana frowned.

If it were ordinary pain, Liana would have ignored it without a second thought, but this was like the dying scream left behind as Liana’s personality faded away.

It wasn’t normal.

Originally, Liana’s personality should have naturally extinguished without even feeling pain due to the constant urge to kill and boredom.

But something no one had expected had occurred.

Was it due to Liana’s excessively brilliant intellect and intuition?

Or was it because her spirit was resilient enough to withstand the urge to kill and boredom?

Whatever the reason, Liana had come to realize it.

…That her body was a vessel for someone else.