Chapter 82 – Infiltration

I followed the thread tied to the princess into a dark underground passage, pushed a loose wall out of the way, went down the stairs, fell into a hole, ran around a pillar five times, climbed the stairs that came out once I did that, and then moved through a side hole that went through a waterway.

It is certainly quite the complicated path, I would definitely be lost without the thread. Yuu says that complicated maps are good game design though, so I suppose it’s a nice thing that the path is this confusing.

… It probably won’t be long before Yuu arrives at the castle. That’s not important though.

I rolled up the curtain ahead of me and gently pushed the mirror behind it.

Behind the mirror was a luxurious room that probably belonged to a member of the royal family. The secret entrance was disguised as a shelf, which should be good enough to fool most people.

In any case, the princess had yet to arrive at the target room, so I needed to waste some time. I decided to explore the current room while I waited. I started by picking up some books from the shelves since they could contain some useful knowledge, which would definitely make Yuu happy. I wonder if giving it out would be a friendly interaction like what he has with Maria, though then I might need to threaten him like she does? Let’s threaten him then.

I also stole some jewelry and an accessory that had some pretty good stats.

… It did feel like I had fallen to the level of a common thief, though I suppose it didn’t matter much when considering how much slaughter I cause. Rather than being a murderer or a thief, I’m just ‘playing’ and having fun, so it’s no big deal.

… Oh! The princess reached her destination, let’s get moving.

As I left the room, I noticed there was a pair of nearby guards. The path ahead was a long corridor that was hard to hide in, so it seemed like I didn’t have much choice, but to… Help them die.

I strangled one of them with my Darkness Thread, then pierced the heart of the other. I wouldn’t want them to disappear just yet as it could cause suspicion, so I used my thread to make them stand in place and look like they were doing their job. Anyone that got close would realize that they were dead, but this should buy enough time.

… Their posture made me remember the strange poses that Yuu sometimes did. He’s an interesting person who always makes exaggerated movements and reactions… Let’s leave that thought at that and get back to the mission.

After a small walk, I reached the door to the king’s office. There were guards on the way, and they seemed to be stronger than the last ones, but that’s still not an issue. The princess is behind this door and the king should be too, so it should be alright to make a ruckus.

I threw an explosive at the door. The guards tried to protect themselves with their shields, but the explosion was big enough to blow up the room’s entrance and create a huge cloud of smoke. While they were blinded by it, I decapitated both and entered the room… Though I coughed a bit from the smoke, I should be more careful with the size of the explosives I use indoors.

“Y-you are-!?” The princess started saying.

“Hey, princess. It’s been a while.” I replied to her.

She opened her mouth agape and showed me an astonished expression, but made no reply… And near her, there was an aged man.

“Are you this country’s king?” I asked him.

“What if I am?” He asked back. He was a bit snarky considering his current circumstances.

“W-what did you do with Annabella!?” The princess asked, interrupting our conversation.

“I killed her, of course.” I replied.

“I-it can’t be…” She seemed in disbelief, though she should be aware of this possibility already, otherwise she wouldn’t have fled. Either way, she started crying.

“Well, for now, let me secure you.” I pulled the princess closer with my thread and tied her up… I wondered if she was crying because of the maid’s death, or due to the current situation she was in.

“It truly seems like there is no humanity within you. You are definitely a messenger of chaos, for no agent of the empire would be this heartless.” The king said.

“… I don’t want to hear that from you.” I told him.

“I believe I have the right to insult monsters.” He replied… To think he is willing to curse even in his current situation.

“Are you sure about that? Your life might last less if you maintain this behavior.” I told him.

“I must warn you that the soldiers will soon be here.” He said.

“So…?” I asked back.

“Take my life if you wish, but don’t expect to easily escape this place.” He clarified.

“Aren’t you afraid to die?” I asked him. “Aren’t you worried about the chaos that will follow after your death?”

“It can’t be helped at this point.” He simply replied.

“… Quite detached, aren’t you?” I said in response.

“Well, if you think like that, then let me add one condition.” He said.

“What is it?” I asked. I wondered if he was leading me towards this on purpose.

“Could you leave my daughter unharmed?” He made his request.

“… Is she important to you?” I asked.

“But of course, there are no parents who dislike their children.” He said. I stayed silent.

He really thought that there were no parents who disliked their children…? So even though they were royalty, they were still a ‘normal family’…?

I really hated this.

“Your statement aside, I have no intentions of harming the princess.” I told him.

“That’s enough. My daughter’s happiness is my happiness as her father-“ He was saying, but I didn’t want to hear the rest, so I cut his head off.

“Let’s go, princess.” I told her, though she couldn’t really reply.

Taking the princess with me, I picked the king’s head, then made a quick stop at the crown prince’s room to get his royal jeweled ring, and after that I started making a run to escape the castle.