Chapter Index

    Late in the evening, a dagger protruding from my dress sparkled in the light streaming from the star palace.

    It goes without saying that I had no intention of facing him with just a dagger. After all, there was no benefit for me to confront him alone in the current situation.

    Threatening him enough to prevent him from easily approaching was sufficient. Since I had already sent a signal, time was on my side.

    “What’s this, a dagger? Planning to stab my hand again and run away like last time?”

    “I do plan to stab. But this time, it won’t be your hand, it’ll be your throat.”

    “Are you sure? The crime of harming a royal is a serious offense. If all I get is the death penalty when committing it, it might be better. Why not just come in as my fiancée instead?”

    “You talk nonsense. That woman you discarded after toying with her like trash is nothing, but if I have to choose between entering your legs and just killing you and committing suicide, I’d rather kill you.”

    “Legs…? What dialect is that? Anyway, it’s quite amazing that you know even that information. Just like how you were cautious and responsive to my power last time, how do you know all this?”

    “….”

    “As expected, an interesting woman. Maybe this time, I can play with you for a long time.”

    Magic began to emanate around Maekhart. Seeing that he hadn’t released his magic yet, it seemed he was still conscious of his position as the star palace.

    As that thought briefly crossed my mind, his body flew towards me.

    -Clang!

    “Haha!”

    Maekhart closed the distance in an instant with magic and reached out towards me. It seemed like he was trying to grab my arm and take me to his imaginary world again.

    As he blatantly exposed his defenseless arm and throat to me, a line of vulnerability seemed to be drawn between his chin and shoulder.

    -Swish!

    Suppressing the desire to kill him instantly, I used Lily’s innate body movements to lift myself into the air.

    As he tried to push my dagger into him, he seemed intent on dragging me to his imaginary world. Captivated by the desire to end it all, I couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

    -Clang!

    -Swish!

    -Clang!

    -Thud!

    For about a dozen seconds, Maekhart and I repeated the chase and pursuit in the backyard of the star palace without a word.

    Maekhart used magic to accelerate his body, while I relied solely on the basic physical abilities I had trained so far.

    If only Sey’s wind magic were available in this situation, it would have been helpful, but unfortunately, the two spirits were waiting for me outside the star palace.

    After the incident of the attack on the royal palace, due to the magic detection devices installed in both the royal palace and the star palace, it was inevitable. Since living beings themselves were magic, the two spirits couldn’t be brought into the detection devices.

    In the current battle, I was only evading with my physical abilities without using any magic. Unlike Maekhart, who was using magic and targeting me.

    The reason why only Maekhart could use magic in the same star palace was simple. His royal magic was registered to avoid detection by the magic detection devices.

    Although it was unfair that I had to roll on the floor to avoid his approach in the current situation, if it felt unfair, I should have been born as a royal.

    “Just a moment ago, you were talking about stabbing me with a sword, but now that we’re face to face, you keep running away. Are you scared now that the words ‘royal crime’ have come up?”

    “You keep staring at that face as if you’re going to vomit, yet it’s strange that you’re not running away. Humans naturally have a keen sense of danger imprinted in their genes to instinctively avoid ugly-looking people.”

    “Hmm, as expected, I like this lady. Women should have a strong taste. Since I’ve been living with this face, no one even thinks about rebelling, so it’s not fun. But to say that I have a face that makes you want to throw up, that’s just nonsense…”

    “I’m talking about the real core hidden under the fake facade, not the smelly leather shell, you idiot.”

    “….”

    “Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t have called you that. That was harsh.”

    “…I don’t know who told you, but I have to find a way to capture you.”

    -Splurt, ptoo!

    I spat out saliva with the meaning of ‘do it if you can’ in the direction the guy was coming from, and the sight of him hesitating for a moment and stopping his pursuit towards me was amusing.

    “You coward. Look at you barely spitting and running away.”

    “…I just dodged the dirty thing flying towards me, what’s the problem? Even your taunts have no credibility anymore.”

    “You were talking about your fiancée with your mouth, but now you find her spit dirty? And isn’t your original fiancée, that girl, much dirtier with her dirty mouth? I heard rumors of her giving blowjobs in the bathroom all the way to the banquet hall.”

    “…Shut up. What do you know about Evelyn? She’s not someone you can insult.”

    Just like in the original, I triggered his rage switch and MacHart rushed towards me. The ragged bastards were really going at it.

    However, I had to be careful not to provoke him too much, as my life could be in danger before my other colleagues arrived. So, I just kept the tension around his fiancée at a reasonable level.

    “By the way, when are these guys coming…?”

    It had been about a minute since MacHart and I started playing tag. Even if it took Ethan a little longer to escape, the other three should have been able to make excuses and escape by now.

    Especially Agnes and Cerista, who could handle concealment magic, should have arrived by now after confirming the signal. Why are they so late?

    As a sense of unknown anxiety slowly crept up on me, MacHart looked at me as if he could read my expression and gave me a sly smile.

    “You’ve been staring at the banquet hall corridor for a while now. Like you’re waiting for someone.”

    “…Stop making things up. Stop your delusions.”

    “I know roughly why you’re wasting time waiting for someone, but maybe it’s better to give up?”

    “…What?”

    “You don’t think I came to pick you up without any preparation, do you? You haven’t even thought about such a dreamlike scenario, have you?”

    …It must be a lie. I never thought that MacHart would come up with the idea that I was setting a trap and waiting for him.

    Even if he did think of that, there was no reason for him to deliberately fall into my trap. If he did, it would only benefit him, and even if he gathered forces to fight on his side, facing a hero, a high-ranking clergyman, a magic tank, and a sword expert was an unreasonable story.

    “…Stop making things up. It’s just…ridiculous.”

    “You’re so desperate to run away, but you’re not even using magic. It’s obvious. If you run away using magic, the palace guards will come running, and you don’t want that, do you?”

    “…Oh. If the palace guards come, they won’t spare your limbs.”

    “That guy has been running away the whole time. And not even really trying to escape from this place. I found it amusing to see you desperately running around, but judging by your stamina, it seems like you’re reaching your limit.”

    “….”

    “By now, the banquet hall must be in full swing. If you’re trying to call forth the heroes and saintesses in the banquet hall by releasing your magic, it’s already too late.”

    “I… don’t really understand what you’re trying to say.”

    Damn. Could it be that he really figured it out? Is this a trap to lure me out?

    Did he know from the beginning about this plan that I orchestrated by setting up a magical duel with Agnes and a pointless fight with Ethan at the banquet hall earlier?

    I couldn’t hide my confusion at his words, and as I rolled my eyes in disbelief, MacHart mentioned an unexpected person with a smirk on his face.

    “You’ve gathered quite an interesting lady among the members you’ve assembled to trap me.”

    “….”

    “Agnes, was it? That rough-looking girl.”

    “If this bastard… laid a finger on Agnes…!”

    “Calm down, calm down. Well, she’s quite pretty, but I’m not really into minors. I’m engaged to Evelin, so why would I be interested in a little brat like her?”

    “….”

    “But my brother doesn’t seem to share the same sentiment. I wonder what’s so appealing about that rough little brat that he’s making such a fuss.”

    Unfortunately, at that moment, I failed to grasp MacHart’s words immediately.

    I couldn’t even begin to imagine what ‘variables’ MacHart had concocted in his mind and what he was up to at the banquet hall.

    ⁎ ⁎ ⁎

    While Rilis and MacHart were facing off in the backyard, inside the banquet hall.

    The hero, Gyeotmyeojoshegikwat, who received a magical signal from Rilis, couldn’t even confirm if Rilis had sent the signal as his feet were bound in the center of the banquet hall.

    In fact, even if he had managed to confirm it in time, the outcome wouldn’t have been much different.

    In a place where everyone’s attention was focused on the noble social gathering, there was no way for Gyeotmyeojoshegikwat to discreetly slip away.

    “Draw your sword, Gyeotmyeojoshegikwat Volt.”

    “No, Your Highness. You see, that’s a misunderstanding…”

    “Today, as your partner in this social gathering, I will personally retrieve my fiancée, Fiansay, with this sword.”

    Antonio Robert Valtoria, the 5th Prince of the Argentia Empire.

    It was an unexpected turn of events for both Rilis and Gyeotmyeojoshegikwat.

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