episode_0042

Third Princess Deila couldn’t understand the situation at the moment.

My head is filled with questions and my mind is in a state of confusion.

She asked herself.

‘··· what?’

What on earth is going on?

Why are all the assassins who tried to kidnap me lying dead on the floor in such a miserable state?

Why is the warrior who was drunk at the banquet hall standing here in a sane state?

And what is that thing in the first place? What is its identity that makes it emit such an ominous aura?

Is the warrior right?

She couldn’t understand a single thing.

‘Dude, my heart was definitely pierced···.’

She had watched the final scene. The scene where Vice-Captain Kyle delivered a decisive blow with the tip of his sword. His sword had clearly pierced deep into the warrior’s lungs.

It was stabbed so deeply that if it had been just a little deeper, it would have pierced all the way to the other side.

But how can that guy be so normal?

“So now, it’s just the two of us left?”

“Huh?!”

Then the warrior opened his mouth.

Although the voice was clearly gentle, something about it made Deila feel creepy.

Kyle’s neck rolling behind him. The corpses lying limp with large and small stab wounds.

In the meantime, the warrior was smiling, which added to the strangeness. Looking at the situation, it seemed that he had saved the princess, but she could not feel at ease.

Damn it.

The warrior took a step closer.

For nothing other than conversation. But Dayla, who was affected by the curse, could only tremble.

But there was no one who could stop him. Now there were only two people left here.

At least, that’s what warrior Luke thought.

That is, if no one wakes up in the middle.

“Keu··· You can’t take a single step forward, Princess······.”

“Oh?”

Her escort knight.

A young man who has not even taken off his apprentice tag yet.

The level of the young man that Luke looked at was like this.

Only level 29.

A being far weaker than the lowest rank of the Slaughter Corps and one step below the weakest knight.

That person was the one who blocked Luke’s path.

This intrigued him.

Didn’t he see himself single-handedly annihilating the assassins?

No, you must have seen it.

The corpses piled up behind him are proof of Luke’s powerlessness.

And yet he raises his sword…

Luke took a moment to reflect on his past memories.

‘Come to think of it, there was this kid.’

The knight who always dies first before the princess gets her Bad Ending.

I don’t know the guy’s name. He wasn’t even mentioned much in the first place. He was just a guy who died first for the designed tragedy. He was nothing more or less than that.

But what does the guy look like in reality?

“You’re better than that vice-captain rolling around over there.”

It was impossible to be this brave.

The usual Luke might have sent praise and respect.

But unfortunately, today’s target wasn’t that guy.

“Get out of the way.”

“I can’t even touch the princess······.”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of doing anything stupid.”

“···Questions are useless!”

It meant to tell you not to talk nonsense.

The guy swung his sword as if he didn’t want to hear any more answers.

Well, if you absolutely can’t trust the other person, force is usually the answer.

Luke lightly wrapped his magic around his hand and blocked the sword.

There was no need to even take up a sword.

“It’s good to be brave, but be careful not to be reckless or you might end up in trouble.”

As he said that, Luke used one of his skills.

[Use ‘Pain Imprint’!]

Immediately afterwards, a sword made entirely of black was embedded in the guy’s body.

It is a non-material sword made entirely of black magic.

This is my first time using this skill.

Contrary to what was visible, it was a skill that did not cause direct damage.

However, as it is black magic, its effectiveness is extremely vicious.

It is a curse skill that inflicts phantom pain on the opponent. And this time, the pain he inflicted was a stab wound.

“Keuheukk···!”

At that moment, the guy let out a painful scream.

From his perspective right now, it must feel like his whole body is being cut by a knife. The level of ‘pain impression’ is still low, so he’ll only feel pain at the level of a biological machine…

It was enough of a sensation to intimidate a person.

“Stay where you are. Otherwise, you’ll feel even more terrible pain next time.”

Luke said that and tried to walk away again, thinking that the guy would have gotten scared on his own. But the guy’s mental strength was stronger than he thought.

The silver sword silently draws a curve toward Luke.

Luke thrust another black sword into the hole.

“Ugh···!”

The pain given this time is a penetrating wound.

A pain that was engraved deep in the bones assailed the knight’s entire body.

It would feel like being pierced by dozens of thorns.

But the guy didn’t fall.

Even though he was suffering from excruciating pain, he did not move away from Luke.

Luke was very happy about that.

purple.

No matter how corrupt the world becomes, aren’t there people with such strong wills everywhere?

And it wasn’t just the escort knights.

“Stop it, stop it!”

After inserting a couple of pain stamps, Deila stepped forward.

He pulls his escort knights behind him and glares at Luke.

Those eyes were clearly filled with fear, but there was more to them than that.

Third Princess Deila.

A foolish princess who participated in the war for imperial power when the first prince already monopolized all power.

Luke chose her not just because she seemed easy to use.

“Princess, please run away···.”

“Shut up, Riley. What are you going to do by running away from this situation?”

First of all, she has no power.

There is no power.

I had no connections and no supporters.

She has long been shunned by the nobility, and all that remains are her opponents who want to eliminate her as soon as possible.

Still, there is a reason why he wants to bet money on her.

“··· So what do you want from me?”

She was popular.

He knew how to make people truly follow him, not through money or power. He knew how to win people’s favor through his upright character.

The nobles turned away from her not only because of her own shortcomings, but also because of the tyranny of the First Prince.

It is a talent that he does not have, as he has been cursed with numerous curses.

Luke decided to bet on that talent.

So how do you bet the stakes?

Of course, a simple relationship of trust would be impossible.

Because to Luke, who had a curse hanging over him, ‘trust’ was an impossible word.

But there aren’t only such relationships in the world.

“Let’s make a contract.”

There is also a relationship called business.

There is no need for trust. Faith is an illusion.

“I will help you become the emperor. If you need power, I will give it to you. If you need connections, I will help you from behind. If you want to get subordinates, I will get them from the back alleys.”

He wanted a relationship that was completely based on mutual benefit and that could not betray anyone.

“There’s only one thing I want.”

He held out his hand.

“No matter what happens, don’t betray me. Support me as much as I support you. Then you will get everything.”

How about it, isn’t that a pretty good deal?

He said with a grin.

Deila stared at him blankly for a while.

“······.”

It’s like hearing the devil’s whispers.

A whisper so sweet that it was impossible to refuse. In fact, there were no restrictions placed on her.

He simply gains the support of a warrior as powerful as a thousand horses. However, the only thing that bothers him is… the feeling of doubt that has taken hold in his heart.

What on earth does he want that makes him make such a suggestion?

It is completely impossible to predict the intention behind it.

Princess Deila felt a chill run down her spine for a moment.

‘What the hell is a loser···.’

I was completely fooled.

No, not just yourself, but everyone within the empire.

I was fooled by the acting of just one person.

The warrior who took off his mask and looked stupid looked like a devil whose mind was completely unreadable.

It’s so dark that I can’t even tell what kind of sword he’s holding in his heart.

The princess’s instincts sounded the alarm.

My emotions kept warning me that there must be some kind of trap. It felt like selling my soul to hold his hand.

The ominous feeling rose to the tip of my chin, but…

“··· Like.”

The princess eventually took the warrior’s hand.

After all, she had no other choice.

The path to becoming emperor already seemed nearly impossible.

What’s worse, the situation is that even the assassination squad is trying to harm him without hesitation. Now, he can’t even properly guarantee his life.

If it is destined to be destroyed by the First Prince, then there is nothing we can do.

“I have no reason to refuse···.”

I have no choice but to sell my soul.

Straight eyes look at the warrior.

The princess’s hands were trembling, but her eyes were filled with the warrior’s full presence.

Luke smiled and shook her hand.

“Please take care of me.”

In that back alley filled with corpses.

The fallen princess and the ruined warrior.

We made a secret agreement.