episode_0202

Creak- Clunk.

I opened the torture chamber door and stepped out.

“Ugh…”

Perhaps it was because I had stayed in the memory vision for too long. My head spun.

Had I returned to reality?

Even though I had done nothing, my entire body tingled. It felt as if my arms and legs had become incredibly thin. It was utterly awkward.

“Is it over?”

I raised my head. In front of me, a familiar man stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

Klaus, the rebel army’s chief of operations, I believe.

Yes. I… was with the rebel army to infiltrate the royal palace. I had captured Uncle Joseph and was in the process of extracting information about the secret passage’s existence.

As I realized what I had been doing, the things I had just seen finally began to recede into the past, and reality started to sink in.

“Yes. It’s finished.”

“Oh-ho.”

He gently placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me a meaningful glance. It meant to go somewhere quiet.

Maintaining silence, I followed behind him.

As we moved, I looked around and saw that most of the soldiers were asleep. We quietly passed them so as not to wake them, heading in a deserted direction.

At the end of the hallway was Klaus’s office.

He sat comfortably in his chair and asked.

“So, where did they say the secret passage was?”

Just as Uncle had told me, I said it was hidden in the royal castle’s basement.

Klaus, having heard the story, simply nodded.

“Hmm, so it was hidden there. As expected, I thought you, Ritsu, would easily find it out. No matter how tight-lipped Joseph was… he’s weak to sentiment, after all.”

“……”

I had expected it, but seeing the increasingly clear truth before my eyes, a bitter taste rose within me.

“If that’s the case, let me tell you specifically about the path to infiltrate the royal castle.”

Klaus was no longer curious about the secret passage.

Isn’t that strange?

Uncle Joseph might have lied. Or, I might have lied.

But he didn’t express any doubt or try to confirm it at all.

Was it because he believed everything I said?

No. It didn’t seem so.

Klaus’s expression and tone implied that such things didn’t matter at all.

There was a basis for such certainty.

I didn’t know what the inside of the royal castle was like.

I only knew that the secret passage was underground. I didn’t know how to get to that underground area, nor how to move safely without being detected.

If he was truly a ‘chief of operations,’ he should have definitely addressed that part. Klaus didn’t mention such basic questions at all.

It was as if… it would be enough if I just entered the royal castle, no matter what.

“First, I have good news. A neighboring country has sent gifts to celebrate the Queen’s ascension, and they are said to arrive at the harbor three days from now. Coincidentally, the warehouse manager we bribed will be in charge of transportation. If you, Ritsu, hide yourself in a box we prepared beforehand, it will be swapped during the ship’s unloading process.”

“……”

“Then you’ll head straight to the royal castle with a whoosh.”

Klaus smiled and made a sweeping gesture, as if a gust of wind was carrying something away.

“You’ll be moved to the royal palace’s storage. The banquet for opening the gifts will be held the next morning. In other words, you’ll have about half a day. If you don’t sense anyone around, tear open the lid and proceed with the operation as planned. We won’t screw it down tightly, so if you kick it hard with your foot, you’ll be able to get out by yourself.”

“……”

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

Uncle Joseph’s words were correct.

Klaus only talked about ‘what I should do.’ He didn’t say a single word about what the rebel army would be doing during that time.

They wouldn’t just sit idly by until I killed Fosao and returned, would they?

“Once I finish my task in the royal palace, how can I escape?”

“You can disguise yourself as a guard and return the way you came.”

What a convenient thing to say.

If it were as easy as it sounds, all the past kings of Deseo would have been assassinated.

“What happens if I’m caught by their guards?”

“Hmm, if we assume the worst-case scenario, it would certainly be difficult. I haven’t prepared for all such situations, but if such an event truly occurs, don’t worry about what happens next; just escape safely. If a commotion arises, Fosao will come out of the royal palace. At that time, our soldiers plan to deal with Fosao decisively.”

“……The Queen?”

“The Queen will come out with him too.”

“What will you do with the Queen?”

At my question, Klaus fell silent.

The corners of his mouth, which had been smiling all along, hardened, and his always gently smiling eyes were now open wide enough for his pupils to be clearly visible.

The air brushing against my skin turned cold.

As if my question had touched his reverse scale [a forbidden spot that provokes wrath].

Klaus folded his hands neatly and said quietly.

“Ritsu.”

“……”

“I’ve been patiently watching until now, you see. You’ve only ever said you would kill the Royal Consort Fosao, but not once have you said you would kill the Queen.”

“……”

“It’s strange. It’s as if the ‘Queen’ wasn’t on your kill list from the beginning.”

He stared at me intently.

“You and our army are in a cooperative relationship. The one who gave us trust in this cooperation was the Court Physician-nim. We helped with the plan so you could kill Fosao. So, isn’t it right that you also help us to kill the Queen?”

“……”

“If you think my words are wrong, could I know your reason for ‘having to keep the Queen alive’?”

Was I wrong?

Perhaps… joining the rebel army was a mistake from the very beginning.

To them, Fosao’s life wasn’t important.

Killing Tia, and bringing the old king back to this country. That was all they thought about.

…Kill Tia?

I cannot.

Never.

That, I will not allow.

“The Queen must live.”

“……Hmph.”

Did he intuitively realize that his accumulated suspicions had finally hit the mark?

The corners of Klaus’s mouth twitched upwards.

“Ritsu. I didn’t want to do this either, but.”

He lightly clenched his fist. And tapped the table three times.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

As the sound of hollow knocking echoed in the office, the door behind my back burst open.

Confused footsteps. And the clink of metal.

Two soldiers appeared on either side, and another positioned himself directly behind me.

“Your contributions have greatly helped our army. You captured Joseph and even discovered the secret passage to infiltrate the royal palace. However, as long as there is a clear difference in opinion between us—to be frank, you will only be a ‘hindrance’ now.”

“……”

“I apologize to the Court Physician-nim who introduced you, but if I say it was an unavoidable choice for the greater good, he will understand, right?”

“……”

“By the way, I don’t understand why you’re trying to protect the Queen so much. Are you saying the Queen is innocent? There are some who say that she was merely thrust onto the throne and has no political involvement. But looking at what she’s doing now, she’s certainly not doing nothing.”

His voice was as wicked as a snake’s.

“If it’s a sin, then sitting on that throne, claiming legitimacy, is a sin. And is that all? Defiling the honor of this country with that dirty, vulgar body can also be called a sin.”

Why was he doing this?

Why do people… seem so eager to die?

Couldn’t they just leave me alone?

If you want to help, help; if you don’t, then just don’t block my path.

“Everyone looked dejected after seeing the Queen’s ascension ceremony. They sighed at the fact that the monarch who would lead this country was merely a young girl, were shocked that the Queen was serving an ugly man as her husband, and despaired upon hearing that she was already pregnant. Isn’t it truly deplorable? The King of Deseo! That supreme being of a monarch—to be pinned down by that pig-like man every night and let out vulgar moans?!”

But then.

What on earth did he hope to gain by provoking me? Why was he saying such heart-wrenching words?

“And yet, Ritsu. You…”

Klaus sneered.

“Do you… love such a Queen?”

I didn’t know what expression I was making.

Only.

At that moment, my hand was already on Rose Shabelle.

Swish-!!

I only realized that in an instant, I had emitted a flash and cut down the soldier behind me.

“Aaaaargh-!!”

A thick, red stream of blood sprayed and splattered onto the wall.

The victim’s terrible scream echoed loudly through the office.

Klaus, who was always smiling, now had a face twisted in shock and terror.

Absurdly, laughter escaped me.

If they are human… everyone makes the same face before death.

Will Fosao show me such a face too?

“E-e-eek!”

A terrified soldier rushed in from the left.

Right then, I swung Rose Shabelle hard and struck back.

Clang-!

The soldier’s two hands holding his sword flew up, revealing his chest.

Not missing the chance, I drew the sword diagonally downwards.

Rose Shabelle’s sharp blade tore through the soldier’s thick sleeve and easily passed through his wrist.

“Aargh? Aaaaaargh-!!”

Blood spurted wildly from his completely severed wrist.

The gushing blood splattered on Klaus’s clothes and hair like balsam flower petals.

Next, the young soldier on the right also.

“Oh, don’t come!”

Thud!

Stumbling backward like a fool, his thigh ended up being pierced by Rose Shabelle’s blade tip.

That soldier, with his bone shattered, clutched his leg and howled in pain.

My own appearance was far from intact.

I was probably covered in blood from head to toe.

Wiping the blood dripping from the tip of my nose and eyebrows with my sleeve, I walked towards Klaus.

“Th-this insane…”

He had only made one mistake.

He didn’t know I was already no different from a monster.

After capturing Uncle Joseph and having brought all of his twenty years of accumulated swordsmanship through the memory vision, just three soldiers were nothing to me.

“Ri-Ritsu. Le-let’s talk… I just thought wrong… Ugh?!”

Grind. Crunch.

Such a grotesque sound came from my fingers gripping Rose Shabelle.

Piercing through bone, into the pounding heart… what would the feeling be like as a sharp and cold blade slowly approached?

“Uh… uh…”

Klaus, who could no longer speak, replied with eyes filled with terror.

“Do not insult Tia.”

Thud-!

I felt the sensation of a heart bursting.

Klaus flinched and trembled, then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Thwack!

I pulled out Rose Shabelle.

Saturated with blood, it shone redder than ever.