Chapter 114

“…!”

As if just now remembering where I stood, Igrid flinched.

But that was only for a moment. He let out a vile laugh.

“How dare you threaten a member of the imperial family? That’s an act of high treason!”

His confidence restored, he raised his voice.

“Clean up the mess you’ve made with these ridiculous rumors! Fix this situation, then step down from the Guardian! If you take responsibility like that, I will forgive you!”

I wasn’t the one who spread the audio clip, nor were they rumors, so what exactly was I supposed to take responsibility for?

“Don’t you remember? You said you loved the dress, didn’t you? You barged into my dressing room and started touching it without permission. You said you wanted to try it on so badly you couldn’t help yourself, right?”

“Th-that… What are you talking about! I never did that! This is all a setup! Th-that’s right! You conspired with a dark mage to fabricate the audio!”

The mages from Bluebird squeezed their eyes shut.

It seemed they couldn’t bear to watch their leader spew such ignorant nonsense.

“Why don’t you turn around? See the look on your companions’ faces.”

Igrid whipped his head around, but no one would meet his gaze.

“You may not know this, but while you can splice audio, you can’t create it from nothing. We’re not gods, you know.”

“…”

“So, you should’ve spent less time tormenting your brother and more time studying. You ignorant prince who doesn’t even know the basics.”

“You… You bitch!”

Igrid raised his hand again, aiming to strike my face. I snatched his wrist before his palm could connect with my cheek.

“Not twice.”

“Agh! Let go! I said, let go! You’re going to break my wrist!”

“Your Highness, the First Prince, you need to grasp the situation. You’re assaulting a Hunter who has been dispatched to clear a gate.”

“We don’t need the likes of the Guardian! Bluebird is more than capable of handling this!”

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“Of course! You’re more dangerous than any monster! I’d rather be eaten by monsters than borrow your power!”

“I doubt others would agree. They need the Guardian.”

“Stupid, ignorant pigs and dogs! They rely on someone like you because their heads are empty! The moment I become emperor, I’ll get rid of them all! And you along with them!”

[Quest: Clear the gate after a set period.]

[Success: Obtain Memory Fragment (5/7), Shop Coupon.]

[Failure: Face the revenge of Igrid Orton Taikan.]

[Time until raid participation: 12:00:00]

‘A shop coupon!’

It was a quest telling me to clear the gate after twelve hours.

Success would grant me a shop coupon and a Memory Fragment, while failure meant I’d have to deal with Igrid’s revenge.

‘The balance on this is terrible. I couldn’t fail even if I wanted to.’

[Mission: Kill that bastard and go to heaven (1,000,000 Points)]

[Accept] / [Decline]

[Mission: If that’s too hard, just chop off his wrist. (1,000,000 Points)]

[Accept] / [Decline]

[Mission: Anything, just give us some catharsis T.T (1,000,000 Points)]

[Accept] / [Decline]

Missions popped up one after another.

The chat window was also exploding, flooded with curses aimed at Igrid.

It was the first time I’d ever been slapped by anyone, so they seemed to be in a frenzy.

‘So they do favor their own.’

The Constellations were beings with emotions. After spending so much time together, it was inevitable they’d grow attached, even to a human they treated like a toy.

I accepted all the missions.

‘How could I pass up missions worth a million points each? I’m bound to complete at least one of them.’

In the meantime, Yulia, having finished setting up the barrier, approached me.

She shot Igrid a look that could kill before whispering quietly to me.

“It’s stable.”

Meaning she had finished the installation and confirmed it was working properly. I nodded.

“Excellent. Then we’ll concede this gate to you.”

“Tucking your tail between your legs? Admit it! No matter how much you boast about your strength, this is all you amount to!”

Ignoring the still-pompous Igrid, I addressed the members of Bluebird.

“I’ve set up a barrier, so the boss won’t be able to leave this area. That should make it easy enough to handle, right?”

“Who are you talking to? I am the leader of Bluebird!”

“It’s the Hunters who clear the gates.”

Igrid faltered, shutting his mouth.

“It’s a creature that grows by devouring anything. If it gets too big, the barrier will be useless, so deal with it before that happens.”

I didn’t want to spell it all out for them, but I had no choice if I wanted to succeed in my quest.

They needed to hold out for twelve hours so I wouldn’t have to intervene.

“Enough nagging! Don’t waste any more time. You’d be better off going home to spend time with your family.”

“Why is that?”

“Because once this gate is cleared, you’ll be arrested for treason and assault on a member of the imperial family! Not even Duke Ruthius will be able to save you this time!”

Does he truly believe he can throw me in prison?

I scoffed. Our First Prince is more naive than I thought.

“Go ahead and try. If you can.”

“Shut up and get lost!”

I turned to leave, then stopped. I approached Igrid and whispered in his ear.

“Do you think I took that hit earlier because I couldn’t dodge it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“This is what it means to create a justification, you stupid bastard.”

“…Y-You bitch!”

Unable to contain his fury, Igrid raised his hand again.

‘This guy really doesn’t learn…’

If he can’t understand even after a warning, then there’s no other way. He has to be taught a lesson.

‘Retaliating against a third attack counts as self-defense, right?’

Just as I curled my fist into a grin, Johan thrust his face in front of mine.

*Smack!*

A large handprint bloomed on Johan’s fair cheek. A drop of blood fell slowly from his split lip.

I don’t know why he did it. But seeing that blood, a scene suddenly flashed through my mind.

A combat knife lunging toward me, Shinwoo pushing me aside, Shinwoo collapsing, the rapidly spreading crimson blood.

Shinwoo, Shinwoo, Shinwoo. Blood, blood, blood.

“Shinwoo! You…”

“…Noona… are you hurt?”

“You’re the one who’s hurt! You idiot!”

“I’m… fine. As long as… Noona… isn’t hurt…”

When is this memory from?

My thoughts wouldn’t connect. My vision turned red, and my ears were ringing, making it hard to hear.

Without a word, I drew Arondight.

*Shing.*

“Uwaah! Get that thing away from me! Wh-what are you doing! Someone stop that madwoman!”

I hadn’t even attacked, yet chaos erupted.

Igrid collapsed onto the muddy ground, scrambling backward as Bluebird members rushed to protect him.

“Gasp! L-Lady Astell! Calm down and put your sword away!”

“Princess! Princess Astell! Get a hold of yourself!”

Kaiel and Johan clung to my arms, but they couldn’t stop me.

As I dragged both men forward, still advancing on Igrid, Johan must have decided it was hopeless and pulled me into a sudden embrace.

“Lady Astell, please!”

“…”

“I’m fine. As long as you’re not hurt.”

“I’m… fine. As long as… Noona… isn’t hurt…”

*Whoosh—.*

The sounds, which had been muffled as if heard through cotton, suddenly became sharp and clear.

“Hah!”

I let out a sharp breath.

Had I been holding my breath? My heart was pounding like crazy.

It felt like I’d been dreaming while standing up. Even what I had just been about to do was a blur.

The only thing that was clear was the surge of killing intent, so strong that even I could barely handle it.

‘Over a single drop of Johan’s blood…’

“Here, look at my face. I’m perfectly fine, see?”

“…You’re bleeding.”

Johan hurriedly covered his mouth.

“Oh, uh, this will heal in no time.”

“You’re bleeding.”

“It’s fine, it’ll heal in no time.”

“It won’t.”

Thinking about it, it was a perfectly ordinary thing to say.

So why did it sound so different coming from Johan? Is the power of good looks really this potent?

‘Who are you? Who are you that you keep making me think of Shinwoo?’

Suppressing the urge to grab Johan and demand answers, I glared at Igrid.

“If you need help, feel free to request it from the Guardian at any time.”

People stared at me with bewildered eyes. They must have expected the Mad Princess to curse him out, not offer help. It must have seemed strange.

“Hah, don’t be ridiculous! Do you think I’d ever believe that?”

“I’m serious. The safety of the citizens comes first, doesn’t it?”

“What do I care if those damn pigs and dogs live or die? We don’t need your help, so get lost! I said, get lost!”

Igrid screamed, almost as if having a seizure.

It was a little surprising. Normally, no matter how angry he got, he would have maintained some semblance of composure, but now he was showing his true colors.

‘He’s lost all reason.’

Or maybe his image is already ruined because of the audio clip, so he’s decided to just let loose.

The members of Bluebird also looked displeased.

Not because of Igrid’s words, but because they disapproved of their leader’s undignified behavior.

‘He’s digging his own grave.’

“Well then, I’ll be counting on you.”

I stretched my lips into a wide smile. The moment I turned away, the smile vanished.

“Let’s go back.”