I looked at Sellen and asked, “How did you know?”
“By his breathing and presence. He was the one who broke the wall, and he wasn’t being attacked or chased. There was nothing beyond the cloud of dust.”
As Sellen finished speaking, the dust settled, revealing she was correct. There was no one beyond the broken wall.
In turn, Sellen asked me, “And you?”
“I know Sir Kayan's muscles well. He has his own particular physique, which he can’t hide, even in a suit.” I nudged the fallen puppet with my foot. “This thing’s pectoral muscles were pathetic.”
“...”
Of course, I had also noticed the concrete debris on Kayan’s gloves and that the blood on his head wasn't from a wound.
But more than any of that, I’d been certain that someone like Kayan, the Collector of Blood and Iron, would never be flustered by a situation like this.
In short, this puppet had been clumsy in more ways than one.
I guess that’s natural. I’ve heard it takes a lot to make even a single puppet.There probably hadn’t been enough time to replicate Kayan’s personality fully.
That said...
Like the Kayan puppet, the traps in this mansion had most likely been hastily made.
I didn’t know yet whether that was good or bad.
“There's a staircase over there,” Evan said.
Beyond the wall the Kayan puppet had smashed through was a staircase that seemed to go up.
I was a little dumbfounded by the unexpected turn of events, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I said, “Let's head up.”
I took the lead.
As I climbed the unusually narrow stairs two at a time, I asked, “How many floors does this building have?”
Charon, right behind me, replied, “From the outside, it looked to be four stories.”
“Then the princess must be on the fourth floor or the rooftop.”
“Is there any particular reason?”
“Just ’cause.”
Charon paused for a moment, so I kindly explained further.
“The kind of person who goes to all the trouble of setting these traps isn’t going to welcome us on the second floor. She’s probably watching us climb this mansion like the creep she is, just like the headmaster did during the Tower of Trials.”
As I said that, the stairs came to an end, opening into a spacious room...
At the far end of which sat the princess.
“Hello there,” she said.
...I maintained a straight face.
The room I was in was oddly structured—more like a lounge than a room.
“...”
At the end of the long room was a desk and a chair, and behind it was an unusually large window, through which the crimson night sky and the blood-lit moon were visible.
And there, at the end of the long room, sat the princess, bathed in crimson light, enjoying tea while holding the doll called Blackberry... or Deathberry... whatever.
If this was staged, she was quite the director.
But if she was serious, she was just a crazy bitch.
I hardened my expression and said, “I’m definitely not in the mood for useless greetings, Your Highness. Or actually... you’re no princess anymore, are you? Let me think, what was your name again?”
Behind me, I heard Sellen sigh and say, “Ferith Scarlet.”
I nodded and continued, “All right, Ferith, I'm curious: What were you thinking, causing all this mess? Do you have a grudge against the imperial family? Or perhaps there’s a reason you had no choice but to join hands with the Cult?”
The princess smiled lightly and lifted her teacup. “Ah. Then should I begin with that?”
Something about that sight got on my nerves, so I surrounded my finger with ki and flicked.
A fireball formed on the tip of my fingertip and shot toward the princess... but it passed right through her.
Fwoosh.
“Uh...”
Mir was dazed, but I’d expected this turn of events.
For some reason, I had always suspected that the princess we saw was some sort of illusion.
Her real body was probably on the fourth floor, the rooftop, or some other location, projecting her image here for us to see.
The princess took a small sip of her tea, unfazed, and smiled gracefully. “That's not very gentlemanly behavior, Luan Bednicker.”
“In House Bednicker, that’s considered very gentlemanly conduct.”
Shooting fireballs at a cultist without warning?
If the Lord of Blood and Iron saw this, he’d give me a thumbs-up for sure.
Mmm.
But if he found out that I was actually a high priest... he’d definitely reverse that thumbs-up and flip out.
While I was lost in pointless thoughts, the princess sipped her tea elegantly and answered, “You ask why I’m doing all this? My favorite words are ‘what if.’ ”
“What?”
“I love the possibilities contained in those two words.”
What nonsense was this lunatic spouting now?
“How about this, for example: What if Hyde Woodjack, the continent’s greatest ranger, isn’t actually human.”
“...”
Charon’s eyebrows twitched.
The princess did not care and continued, “Sellen Goodspring is actually a man. Mir Giant is not a giant. Evan Helvin is a traitor.”
The princess’s crimson eyes turned to me.
It was my subjective opinion, but they seemed somehow darker than Glenn's.
“And... Luan Bednicker is actually a member of the Church...” She smirked. “Hmm. Did I go too far? A Bednicker, a member of the Church? How absurd.”
“...”
As the princess cackled, seemingly having fun with herself, I looked at her and asked, “What is your point?”
The princess placed her hand over her heart and said, “I’ll tell you what. I am a genius.”
I let out a dumbfounded scoff. “Ha.” Well, aren’t we full of ourselves.
“On top of that, I’m beautiful and of noble birth. You understand, right? Looks, intellect, status. Having just one is enough to get most things in life, and I happen to possess all three.”
“...”
Look at her talk.
Mir stared blankly at the princess.
Looking at her, she clearly didn’t understand what the princess was saying.
Actually, it wasn't just Mir—I didn’t get it either, which wasn’t surprising.
If I could understand her thoughts, I wouldn't have called her a lunatic.
“Most things one can predict are boring. That’s just how the human brain works. Big or small, it always craves something new...”
“There are some who don't like change.”
“That's just old people. Unfortunately, I’m still far too young,” the princess muttered, looking bored. “My life has never had a single twist... so this is my first act of rebellion.”
“You call this ‘rebellion’? If becoming a cultist is simply ‘rebelling’ for you, I can’t even imagine what you’ll do when you hit full-blown puberty.”
What would she do then? Launch a coup, probably?
“I don’t expect you to understand. Sharing my story is just a small bit of entertainment. I was curious how the future heroes would react to a princess who plotted the summoning of a demon lord.”
“I see, so to summarize, you’re telling us you went cuckoo out of boredom?” I said, and the princess shrugged.
“That's the conclusion you’d reach with a commoner’s mindset.”
“I really wasn’t expecting to come all the way here just to listen to you explain how you went insane, Ferith. That was all you had to say?”
“That was part of it. I’m also here to tell you the victory conditions. Kill me and then defeat the demon lord to win? That’s wrong.”
“Wrong, you say?”
“All you have to do is kill me. Then it’s your win.”
“...”
Did that mean we didn’t have to deal with the Demon Lord of the Blood-lit Moon?
I certainly hadn't figured out how to fight a moon in the sky, but...
In a situation like this, it was a good idea to be suspicious of anything and everything that sounded too good to be true.
Then, with his typical attitude, Charon said, “And after that?”
“After what?”
“After we win. Will every single one of us be able to return to reality?”
The princess showed a disinterested expression. “Well... probably? Unfortunately, I’ve never really thought about what happens to this world after I lose.”
“...”
The princess really didn't seem like the type to think about what would happen after her death.
That kind of reaction was one I was familiar with. After all, I was an ex-mercenary.
It was a common trait among those who failed to form meaningful connections in the world...
Those without families, lovers, or friends spent what they’d earned on food, drink, and having fun, scoffing at those who saved for the future with their day's pay.
I found it fascinating and oddly meaningful how a member of the imperial family had the same attitude as a second-rate mercenary.
“Anyway, that's all I have to say. I'll be waiting for you on the fourth floor. I’m looking forward to seeing how many of you can make it up here. Bye.”
After sipping her tea once more, her figure instantly vanished.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Crack!
Immediately, the floor trembled with a sound like a giant tree crashing down.
I looked back, wondering what the heck was going on, only to see a giant puppet’s head popping through the floor.
“Th-that's...!”
“That's what we were talking about.”
I immediately understood.
The puppet that had been chasing the young heroes on the first floor had appeared.
The moment I saw it in person, I understood why they’d had trouble describing its appearance.
Crunch, crack...
Its body, gradually rising like an ominous full moon, was massive and thick enough to completely fill the spacious lounge.
It was the size of about four trolls from the Gem Mountains mashed together like clay.
As described, the puppet consisted of only a head and torso...
They were separated only by its neck, which was slightly indented and thinner than other parts of its body.
Still, it gave off a strong impression of being big and fat.
Sellen muttered, “That's...”
Did she recognize the doll?
But I didn’t even have time to ask.
Without getting a chance to ask, the fully risen doll jumped slightly and started closing the distance toward us.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sight of its oversized body stomping as it chased us with its angry-looking face was, to be honest, nightmare material.
“Run!” Evan and Charon shouted at the same time, a rare occurrence.
I quickly did so, kicking open the door on the left and starting to sprint.
As we ran down the new hallway, which was only slightly narrower than the one on the first floor, I asked, “Why do we have to run? Can't we just fight it?”
“It’s freakishly tough! Even when we teamed up to attack it, we couldn’t leave a scratch!”
Really?
It was the advice of those who had fought it before, so it made sense to follow it... but I was the kind of guy who believed the proof was in the pudding—so if I was unsure whether something was shit or chocolate, I needed to see for myself.
I slowly came to a stop from my sprint.
“Eh?”
“Big Bro?”
Ignoring the panicked heroes, I raised my inner energy.
It was hard to tell how durable it was from just its strange appearance.
Well, I had only one way to find out.
Squeeze.
The puppet was still hopping toward us.
Seeing the timing, I tightened my thigh muscles and infused my ki to the flat of my feet.
As it came closer and closer, I thrust my fist, wrapped in fire ki, straight at it.
BOOOOOM!
“...!”
With a deafening bang, the puppet wobbled and froze in its tracks.
Craaack...
Hearing the sound of something cracking, the still-running young heroes also looked back and came to a stop.
“Did you get it?”
“...”
The moment Evan spoke those words, I had a gut feeling that my attack hadn't fully worked.
Though it was just a baseless hunch.
I watched the crack in the puppet's abdomen spread across its body like broken ice, and shards of porcelain pieces broken off in all directions.
And beneath that layer, a new one emerged.
“...Matryoshka,” Sellen muttered. She snapped to attention and shouted, “Run!”
We’d started running before she’d even yelled.
“It’s faster than before!”
“Because one of the layers broke, making it a little smaller! Of course it’s faster!”
“Then why don't we just keep smashing them?!”
“Easier said than done!” I shouted, and my exclamation drew attention. “When I punched it earlier, I realized there are at least a hundred figures inside that thing.”
“...You're kidding, right?”
I wished I was, but...
I’d used my ki to probe through it with my strike, so I was almost certain.
There were at the very least a hundred layers.
The exact number? We’d have to smash all the way through to figure that out.
What is this, a freaking croissant?
Was this thing going to chase us all the way to the third floor?
As I continued to sprint down the wide hallway, I looked around.
Unlike on the first floor, there were a few doors scattered along the way, but of course there was no time to leisurely open doors and explore.
If the room was a dead end, we’d be stuck with that big puppet and I'd have no choice but to settle things with that freaky matryoshka puppet right then and there.
I continued to run down the hallway... until I came upon a collapsed floor.
“Wait, that’s...”
“That's right.”
It was where the puppet had first emerged.
“We're back where we started. The hallway must be circular.”
“So what now?”
“...”
It was possible to take down the doll.
However, this was only the second floor. We didn’t know what we would encounter on the other floors, so we needed to save as much of our energy as possible.
It had a ridiculously hard body, so I didn’t know how much energy was needed to kill it completely.
I had no choice but to look at Sellen. “Sellen, do you think you can freeze it?”
“I'll give it a shot.” Sellen stretched out her palm backward as she ran.
A chill started at her forearm and soon engulfed her entire arm before a storm erupted from her hand.
KWAANNG!
This was the strongest ice power I’d ever seen from her.
Her growth struck me with surprise. Even though I was clearly out of its range, a shiver ran down my spine.
The icy blast shot forth like a raging blizzard, covering the entire matryoshka puppet.
CRRK-CRRAAACK!
A layer of frost formed over its massive body, and it gradually froze in place.
“Did it work?” someone asked.
It was, again, Evan.
At this moment, the ice shattered with a crack, and the puppet resumed its thunderous stomping.
I glared at Evan and said, “You’d better keep your mouth shut next time.”
“...Sorry.”
____