SILHN Chapter 83

Chapter 83

From the way the demonic beasts burst up from beneath the stage, it was clear we couldn’t escape underground. The passage we’d been guided to was already overflowing with people trying to flee—a total panic. There was no way we could get through that mess.

So, while Devi’s suggestion wasn’t entirely wrong… I hesitated and said,

“We’re underground. How are we supposed to blow the ceiling away?”

Lysianthus gritted her teeth.

“…I can do it. You know my power. If I burn everything, somehow it’ll work.”

“No. It’s too dangerous.”

“Dangerous? You think that’s what matters right now?”

Lysianthus snapped.

“Just because you handled the beasts in the imperial palace easily doesn’t mean these things are the same! And if your hunch is right—someone deliberately sent them here—!”

“Yeah. I figured it was about fifty-fifty.”

I forced myself to stay calm and think.

A trap.
Or bait.

I still didn’t know exactly who the “enemy” was, but every item I’d put up for auction was something that would surely catch their interest.

Even if Cronen took the holy relic, I was curious how they planned to get the sword.

Would they use some noble proxy to bid for it? Steal it afterward? Or—

Like when they attacked Viscount Flux, maybe they’d just raid the auction house itself.

I’d thought they might take a milder route. After all, at an auction, money could buy anything. They didn’t seem short on funds, so I assumed they’d try that first.

If not, they could always intercept the delivery later.

Either way, if they wanted the items intact, I expected them to act with restraint.

But this?

This meant either they didn’t care if things got destroyed in the chaos, or they were confident the goods couldn’t be harmed—or worse, they’d rather see them destroyed than let anyone else have them.

Every possibility was the worst one.

I had thought that since the lost sword of the princess suddenly appeared here in this underground auction, some people might suspect it was staged.

Still, because it involved the royal family, I expected our enemy to move carefully.

I’d planned to investigate afterward—to trace which nobles had bid today, who among them the “enemy” was connected to, how much influence they had in this city.

But instead, they’d attacked recklessly, as if it didn’t matter who lived or died.

Screeeech!

Lysianthus slashed down a charging beast and shouted frantically,

“Damn it, there’s no end to these things! If we stay here, we’re dead!”

“This way!”

Then—

—Contractor!!!

The urgent voice of the Emoticon Sword rang out in my head.

Now, right now, that—!

“Your Highness!”

“Titania!”

Lysianthus’s voice sounded far away. So did Devi’s panicked shout. So did Flux’s frozen one.

Time seemed to slow. My body lifted off the ground. My sword flew from my grasp.

Thud.

I hit the floor hard, gasping, then forced my eyes open.

A girl in a maid’s uniform was staring down at me.

Her skin was pale as wax, her expression blank. Her neatly cut hair and eyes were a vivid violet—like primroses.

She looked like a noble’s doll, delicate and small—about my age, maybe younger—but in her slender hand she held a long, bloodstained spear.

So she’s the one who attacked me.

My head spun.

Lysianthus charged at the girl, fury blazing, but the maid parried her blows with unsettling ease. She wasn’t human—more like a weapon.

Devi tried to rush toward me but was forced back by another wave of beasts. Flux, too.

“Damn it! They just keep coming—!”

“Run, Your Highness!”

“No.”

The maid’s lips moved slightly. The rest of her face stayed still, like a puppet.

“You. Must come. My master’s order. Primrose… must obey.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Lysianthus no longer cared if she exposed herself; she unleashed her flames. The beasts burned to ash, but there were too many—and the girl was too strong. Lysianthus could barely hold her off, disbelief on her face.

The beasts that had been chasing the other fleeing nobles now clearly focused on us—no, on me. Devi and Flux couldn’t even get close.

I staggered, reaching for the Emoticon Sword.

I remembered… last time, I’d managed to summon it without touching it directly. Maybe it was because I was wearing Gloriana’s Crest.

I’d let my guard down. With Lysianthus and Devi here, and my own sword’s firepower, I thought nothing could seriously threaten us. My magic resisted corruption, and I could heal others if they were tainted.

How foolish of me…

My head throbbed where it had struck the ground. I couldn’t think straight.

If they captured me—what then?
A hostage? An experiment? What did they even want from me?

I forced my body to move toward the sword. A spider-like beast lunged, its hooked leg slashing down.

Crunch.

Pain tore through me, my body convulsing.

“—!”

It hurt.

The pain jolted my thoughts awake.

No.

I can’t be a burden…

Flux—he can barely fight. I dragged him into this. What if he dies?

Devi?
Right… she was part of the deal. She’ll be fine… maybe.

Lysianthus—if she loses control, she might burn this whole place down.

And Vivi… she’d be heartbroken.

My mind blurred.

Am I… dying?
Like this?
After all that?

“Titania!”

For a moment, I thought it was a lie—those golden eyes wide with fear and shock, that trembling jaw.

It was strange—every time I truly thought it was the end, I’d see that same scene:
You reaching out to me.
Like a savior pulling me out of death itself.

My eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

[The death of Contractor “Titania” has been deleted.]
[The death of Contractor “Titania” has been deleted.]
[The death of Contractor “Titania” has been deleted.]

[Contractor “Titania” cannot die.]
[Contractor “Titania” must not die.]

A sword cleaved the air.

It carried fury.

Raymond’s eyes weren’t human—they were lightning. The gold-rimmed irises flashed with such ferocity that everything before him seemed destined to be torn apart.

The veins stood out on his clenched hand around the hilt. As he stepped through the hole he’d blasted in the wall, the black blade whipped a storm through the air. Every beast caught in it was shredded instantly.

He faced the maid—whom Lysianthus had been barely holding off—and overpowered her easily. Steel met steel with a shriek.

Kring! Kang! Bang!

The spear was forced back, and the girl stumbled several steps away. Raymond could have pressed the attack and cut her down—but instead, he stopped and sprinted past her.

To where Titania had fallen.

“Titania!”

His voice broke with anguish. Without hesitation, Raymond scooped her into his arms. Her disguise was ruined—the golden hair spilling out from beneath the wig, the smeared makeup—but she had been thoroughly disguised as someone else. No one could have recognized her at a glance.

But Raymond did. Instinctively, unerringly.

Reason whispered: Lysianthus can’t handle that opponent alone. You should put Titania down and rejoin the fight.

But his instincts asked: Could you really hand her over to someone else?

No. He couldn’t.

Raymond clenched his jaw. Titania’s body felt light—too light. Déjà vu struck him. He remembered the last time she’d collapsed, back in the palace, after desperately shielding Vivi.

Why?
Why was it always this girl… who ended up so hurt?

It was senseless.

A fierce, wordless desperation filled his mind.