episode_0055

The pouring flames stopped.

The heat spreading around disappeared.

But Cheshire’s body was still hot.

“Next… What’s next..?”

Cheshire, who could not control his excitement, quickly wanted to see the next act that Zeke had prepared.

In the original Cheshire fairy tale, after opening the door to the warehouse, the curse on the sword and armor had to be broken.

So, how will the dramatized story of Zeke unfold?

Cheshire couldn’t help but be curious.

“Zeke, what’s next?”

Cheshire asked with a voice full of anticipation, but there was no answer.

“Zeek?”

Even though I looked around, I couldn’t see Zeke.

The remaining blue dragon flew into the sky without a word.

Could it be that he ran away?

“It can’t be.”

Cheshire knows that Zeke is not that kind of person.

If so, this may also be part of the production prepared by Zeke.

To steal the attention with the dragon’s breath and secretly prepare something.

“Kuhuhuh… . In that case, it would be polite to wait~?”

At that time, the closed door of the treasure room slowly opened with a rusty sound.

Light appeared inside the dark warehouse, and the figures inside slowly revealed themselves.

“Z..ke?”

A huge sword stuck in the ground.

And a person in full body armor standing behind him.

“How do you get that armor..?”

The armor is cursed.

It is not actually cursed, but it is a specially produced object for production purposes.

Armor that was not intended to be worn, but was intentionally made heavy to prevent it from being worn.

Wearing such armor meant that he had considerable power in and of itself.

Cheshire recalled.

The prince in the story Zeke adapted is braver than anyone else in the world.

“That exceeds the level of bravery… ?”

Cheshire’s mind became complicated again.

The Zeke she knew was a very outstanding person, but his physical strength was mediocre.

That’s why Cheshire often created a detour in Wonderland when he needed strength.

Is the person in front of me really Zeke?

Although his face was covered by a helmet, at first glance his physique looked similar to Zeke’s.

But Cheshire wasn’t sure.

“Zeek? Helmet–”

The moment I was about to ask him to take off his helmet and show me his face, the prince’s hand moved.

I felt an inexplicable feeling of stomach cancer, and I was speechless.

A huge sword stuck in the ground.

The prince held the handle of the sword tightly with both hands.

Is he really trying to pull out that sword?

Cheshire couldn’t take his eyes off his movements.

Like the armor, it is a cursed sword that cannot be lifted by humans.

Unlike armor, where the weight is distributed throughout the entire body, the sword must be lifted entirely with the strength of the arms, making it even more difficult.

The prince’s grip tightened.

He was applying so much force that the floor he was stepping on began to crack.

gulp-

Cheshire swallowed dry saliva.

The sword shook.

The ground trembled slightly.

The prince’s body also trembled slightly.

In an instant, all trembling stopped.

Jeok-!

A larger crack appeared under the prince’s feet,

The sword was pulled out, revealing its buried blade.

“Haa..!”

Cheshire let out the breath he had been holding without realizing it.

Suddenly, two problems that the guide had mentioned in Zeke’s story came to mind.

One is to receive recognition from the dragon.

The other is to choose a sword and armor.

But neither mattered to the prince.

I was recognized by the blue dragon and selected a sword and armor.

Cheshire knew.

The reason he was able to use swords and armor was simply because he was strong.

But I pushed those thoughts to a corner of my mind.

That wasn’t important in the current situation.

The prince raised his sword high in the sky.

Afterwards, he swung ‘lightly’ into the air.

A strong gust of wind blew, and small embers that had not yet been extinguished nearby died out.

Cheshire sat down on the floor.

The strength in my legs was gone.

My heart was pounding.

The heat that started from the most secret place made my body hot again.

“Ha… ha… Hmm… It’s thrilling… .”

Clap- Clap- Clap-

The prince approached Cheshire.

Every time I took a step, heavy footsteps sounded.

“Guide.”

The prince’s voice rang out because of the helmet.

However, it was a low, masculine voice.

“Lead me to the witch’s castle.”

The prince held out his hand.

Cheshire then remembered his role in the play.

Cheshire, who stood up while holding the prince’s hand, responded in an exaggerated theatrical tone.

“Kuhhh… . I will guide you to the witch’s castle. Prince.”

*

*

The monster rushed towards the prince.

It is a monster named Yearsley that has no eyes or nose but has developed ears.

The prince stopped Yearsley with one hand as he rushed towards him with his huge size.

Soon, Yearsley’s head exploded from the prince’s fist.

“It exploded with a pop. Kuhuhu~.”

The prince walked past Yearsley’s body without any reply.

‘As expected, it’s not Zeke.’

After cooling down and calmly examining the situation, I came to the conclusion that the prince wearing armor was not Zeke.

I could tell it wasn’t Zeke just by freely handling the heavy sword and armor, but I thought there might have been a trick I hadn’t noticed.

However, there was no room for trickery in blocking Yearsley’s charge and killing him with one blow.

You can be sure.

That prince is not Zeke.

He is a fake prince who uses armor to hide himself and pretends to be Zeke.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter.’

Nothing changes.

I will continue to follow Zeke’s script.

Why?

Because there’s no way Zeke would be this sloppy.

If Zeke really wanted to trick me, he wouldn’t have been so shabby.

In other words, it can be said that Zeke ‘intended’ that I would not be deceived.

If we follow his intentions, we will have a shot at blowing away these questions.

So I don’t need to point it out.

Even if you have doubts, you do not check the truth.

There will definitely be a great twist waiting for me,

Because twists are most thrilling when you are ignorant.

“Kuhuhuhu~. I’m looking forward to it.”

As I followed the fake prince, I soon reached the end of the first crossroads.

In order to open the witch’s room, which is protected by a barrier, you must disarm the magic circle at the end of each of the four paths.

This setting itself appears to be maintained in Zeke’s adapted story, and the prince obediently clears the first crossroads.

The button in the center of the magic circle drawn in red ink.

When the prince pressed the button, the brightly shining lights of the magic circle went out.

“You have unlocked the first magic circle. There are now three left~ Prince. Kuhuhu~.”

Seeing that Yearsley was dealt with so easily, the outcome of the other three monsters was also obvious.

Those monsters were prepared for the weak Zeke.

No matter how smart you are, there are limits.

Therefore, the monsters used in Wonderland undergo strict selection.

The monsters that fall behind in the process are:

These are monsters that are too ferocious, highly intelligent, or have no clear weaknesses.

It is an ironic selection that intentionally selects only those with defects.

Normally, when Wonderland ended, the stragglers would be discarded by throwing them into the sea, but this time, there was a place to use them.

If you throw them into a cage full of monsters.

How long can this fake prince endure?

“Kuhuhu~.”

Zeke gave me a toy, so I should play with it happily.

Can you satisfy me too?

Fake prince.

*

*

“Director, this is Alessia from the Security Department.”

“Yes. You arrived on time.”

I saluted the director who was waiting on the shore of the island.

The director waved his hand lightly and accepted it.

“There are civilians over there, so we can rescue them and return to the inland. and… .”

This mission is to rescue civilians who have been kidnapped by a pixie named Cheshire.

It’s a simple mission, but since there’s a high-risk person named Cheshire, I’ve learned the details of the operation to the point of memorizing it in advance.

Of course, we don’t know what variables may arise at the scene, so we need to focus on what the director says.

‘and… ‘How can a person do this?’

It was my first time seeing the director’s face so closely, so I was completely entranced.

Handsome and pretty, cute and cool.

A collection of beauty that I cannot express with my limited vocabulary.

‘I understand why my seniors praised me so much… .’

Seniors say that it is worth risking one’s life, or that other men do not seem human.

Honestly, until now, I thought it was a playful way of expressing loyalty to the director.

But after seeing the real thing like this, I realized that my thoughts were wrong.

It was true that it was praise that came from the heart.

‘It’s worth seeing the seniors.’

Even I, who had never been interested in men my whole life, was completely entranced, but I wonder if those energetic seniors would be appalled.

It is literally a situation where it is possible to destroy a whole country if you put your mind to it.

“Alessia, are you listening?”

“Ah, yes! I’m listening.”

“…Really?”

Come to your senses.

No matter how simple it may be, this is an operation.

I need to focus on what the director said.

I consciously focused my gaze on the director’s lips.

Okay, this will help me focus on what I’m saying.

however…

I’m just saying… .

gulp-.

Why does it look so dirty?

Oh my.

I made too much noise.

‘Did you hear me?’

Fortunately, the director seemed completely oblivious.

You have to concentrate.

It’s in operation now.

You must never make a mistake.

‘That incident’ from the past should not be repeated.

We must not commit the same foolish acts as our predecessors.

I came to my senses when I thought of my seniors whose eyes had lost their taste.

“The details of the operation end here. There is no difference from what was delivered in advance. Did you understand it well?”

Wow, the explanation is already over.

However, if nothing has changed, there is no problem.

“Yes, I understood. The key goal of the operation is the rescue of civilians. Move quickly while the Commissioner’s pinch hitter catches Cheshire’s attention. The rescue point is a small cabin with one middle-aged man and one young girl. There are a total of two places in one church with seven middle-aged men. Again–”

“Enough is enough.”

The director smiled and nodded, as if satisfied.

Wow Mr.

Look at you smiling. oh my god.

…I can bear it, right?