Chapter 28

“Huh? The Mad Princess?”

“…”

“Gasp! N-no, I mean, Princess Astell…”

Yulia hastily covered her mouth, but it was too late. Everyone who needed to hear had already heard.

The hunters in the standoff turned their heads.

The atmosphere grew even sharper.

No one looked kindly upon my late arrival.

“It’s the Mad Princess!”

“She really is the Mad Princess, isn’t she?”

“The Mad Princess was a hunter?”

“Why did she only show up now?”

“Who can understand the thoughts of a madwoman?”

The whispers flying back and forth were enough to make my ears itch.

I picked at my ear before asking Yulia a question.

“Can you summon just one of the flying kind?”

“…I can, but what are you planning to do?”

“Ride it.”

“That’s impossible. They were born for battle. They’re so vicious they sometimes ignore even my commands. There’s no way they’d let someone else ride on their back.”

“Just summon it.”

“…If you get hurt, I won’t be held responsible.”

Before Yulia could even gather her mana, another hunter stepped forward.

It was Elaine Roma, a hunter from the house of Count Roma.

“Wait a minute. The Mad… ahem, Princess Astell, are you a hunter too?”

“Can’t you tell by the fact that I’m here?”

“Where were you hiding that you’re only showing up now?”

“They don’t even have cores. What’s the point of killing them?”

“…Are you a demon? How can you say that when so many people have died? Were you perhaps hiding, waiting to crawl out only after we’d taken care of everything?”

Before I could answer, Alex strode forward.

“Who are you calling a demon? Watch your mouth! Astell isn’t like that!”

I stared at Alex, dumbfounded. He seemed genuinely furious on my behalf, which made it all the more absurd.

*…His acting is incredible.*

Alex pushed me behind him as if to protect me.

“Is that how they teach manners in a count’s family? Astell is a princess! You are in no position to question her!”

“Do you really think a duke’s status means anything in the world of hunters? A hunter’s rank is determined by strength! Even a duke, not just a princess, deserves to be ignored if they’re weak!”

“What did you say?”

“Besides, she said she only came out because they don’t have cores! Do you believe that? She was hiding out of fear and only came out now!”

“Did you see it with your own two eyes?”

“W-well, no, but… do you have to see it to know?”

“Don’t make baseless accusations. Astell isn’t like that.”

I nodded from behind Alex, who spoke as if he were about to bite her head off.

Everything Elaine said was right, after all. If a hunter has no power, they should be ignored, even if they’re the emperor.

I pushed Alex’s broad back aside.

“Then I guess I’ll have to show you.”

“Show us… what?”

“The hierarchy.”

“What?”

I ignored Elaine’s question and addressed the hunters.

“Listen only if you want to. The queen lays her eggs according to the available prey.”

Alex whispered back.

“Astell, what does that mean?”

“Look, it stopped giving birth because all the prey was gone. Now, the queen will wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“For the moment the barrier comes down, of course. Then it will lay its eggs.”

“…Then…”

“It means that laying thirty or fifty eggs like it did before was just child’s play. From now on, it could lay hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of eggs.”

“Tens of thousands…”

“It would be enough to annihilate the capital.”

“Damn it!”

Alex cursed.

The hunters’ faces grew grim. Except for Dante and me, of course.

Dante remained a step back, merely observing the situation. At some point while listening to me, the corner of his mouth had lifted into a slight smirk.

I spoke to Johan.

“Johan, take down the barrier.”

“What? But…”

“When the barrier falls, the queen will lay her eggs. That will be our only chance to attack. I’ll eliminate the queen.”

“Can you break through its defensive shield?”

“No, I’ll have to use another method.”

Elaine, who had been chewing on her lip, abruptly interjected.

“Wait a minute! Shouldn’t you share that method with us, then? Are you really going to entrust the queen to the Mad Princess?”

“Even if I told you, could you do it?”

Elaine fell silent at my question.

Everyone knew that taking down the mother would be advantageous for their level assessment.

But with her abilities, which were barely enough to handle the hatchlings, it was impossible, no matter how much she coveted the kill.

Johan stepped between us as if to mediate.

“I’ll take down the barrier. What should we do about the eggs?”

“That’s for all of you to handle.”

After I spoke, I glanced over, and Yulia closed her eyes, her lips moving.

A moment later, *Screeeech!* With a monstrous cry, a six-winged chimera descended from the sky.

The chimera shrieked, its beak-like mouth wide open. Yulia gave it several commands, but it couldn’t calm its excitement.

So it was vicious, just as she’d said. It looked ready to attack the hunters at any moment.

I approached the chimera.

The chimera, which had been stomping its chicken-like feet in a temper, flinched upon seeing me, then glared.

*Grrrrrrr.*

A low growl rumbled from its throat as if sizing me up.

“Lower your head.”

*Grrrrr.*

“Listen to me before you get a beating.”

*Grr…*

After a long staring contest with me, the chimera swayed its massive body hesitantly.

It shook its head violently, as if it didn’t understand why it was acting this way.

But at some point, it could no longer meet my gaze.

Its black, now-submissive eyes slowly averted.

A moment later, the chimera bent its long neck on its own and lowered its head to the ground.

It had created a foothold for me to climb on.

A shocked cry escaped Yulia’s lips.

“What is this! This is impossible!”

I walked over to the chimera and stroked its neck in praise.

In response, it let out a soft, affectionate purr.

“Good boy.”

I smiled faintly, then turned my head.

The hunters who had been watching me subdue the chimera with a mere glance flinched and took a step back.

“Let me give you one piece of advice. If you just stand around foolishly watching the eggs until they hatch like you did before, everyone will die.”

It was a taunt aimed at the hunters who had stood by watching, whether out of panic or fear.

The faces of several hunters flushed red.

If their gazes had previously held a mix of interest and contempt, now they were mostly filled with hostility.

Whatever.

I shrugged and was about to mount the chimera when Alex grabbed my leg.

“Wait! Are you trying to go alone? No way! I’m going with you.”

I couldn’t hide my irritation and furrowed my brow.

“What are you doing?”

“You expect me to just stand by and watch my little sister go into the jaws of death? I can’t do that!”

“Since when did you ever care about me? Stop saying such creepy things and get out of my way.”

“No! Either I go with you, or you don’t go at all!”

Is he a kindergartener? Why is he whining like this?

I looked down pitifully at Alex, who was clinging to my leg.

“Sigh… This is why they say you shouldn’t deal with attention seekers.”

“Attention seeker? What’s that?”

“Someone who acts out to get more viewers, like you.”

“…I-I told you, it’s not like that!”

The sight of him stammering with a beet-red face was truly something else.

Is this his way of making up for his lack of performance so far?

*How pathetic.*

In any case, if I eliminate the mother, there’s no way Alex will die.

Of course, he might fall off the chimera and end up half-paralyzed, or lose an arm or a leg.

*But that’s none of my business.*

I gave a slight nod.

“Fine. But don’t get in my way.”

“Of course!”

“Let’s go!”

I patted the chimera’s long neck, and it let out a rough cry as it soared into the air.

In the center of the sprawling web hung the mother, its body wrapped in white threads.

The grotesque figure grew closer and closer.

“Alex, don’t do anything stupid. Just wait.”

“I know, I know.”

“I’m telling you again, don’t do anything dangerous. I won’t save you.”

“What do you take your brother for! Don’t worry. I’ll behave. So, what’s the plan now?”

“We wait for the queen to lay her eggs.”

I looked down and made eye contact with Johan. With a tense expression, he retracted the barrier of light.

The moment he did, the bottom of the cocoon began to squirm and undulate.

It was a sign that the mother was preparing to lay its eggs.

Without any warning, I leaped off the chimera. The color drained from Alex’s face.

“Gasp! Hey! You didn’t say anything about jumping off from here!”