Chapter 31
“Huff, huff… seriously. This is exhausting.”
Rafaella steadied her ragged breathing and spoke to the elderly man who seemed to be their leader.
“Hey, old man. I’ll tell you something interesting.”
“Oh my. No need for that. Watching Her Highness shake like that is entertaining enough for me.”
“I still gave you a full minute back then. Don’t you remember?”
“Heh heh. Always good with your mouth, aren’t you.”
Only then did the old man let out a vile laugh and bang his cane against the ground. At once, the men who had been about to attack Rafaella lowered their weapons.
“I’ll give you exactly one minute as well. Go on, then. Let’s hear it. Start.”
Rafaella curled her lips into her trademark mischievous grin.
Her entire body was drenched in sweat. Blood trickled from her shoulder and thigh. Her dress was slashed and torn, little more than rags. Her stamina was at its limit—her knees trembled.
And yet, she was smiling.
As though she were the one who had already won.
That was why, despite clearly having the upper hand, the old man felt an inexplicable unease and frowned deeply.
Then Rafaella spoke calmly.
“Have you eaten?”
The old man ground his teeth and shouted.
“What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden? I’ll cut your throat right now!”
“It’s not nonsense. It’s actually pretty funny. Ever since you got that prison, you haven’t been able to eat properly, have you?”
“!”
“Not just you—your subordinates too. Anyone who’s been near that prison. No appetite, indigestion even when you force yourself to eat, strange dreams that keep you from sleeping.”
“Hmph. That’s never happened!”
But at Rafaella’s words, it wasn’t the old man who reacted the most—it was the masked men around him. They glanced at one another, exchanging looks. One of them even gasped in shock.
Rafaella continued, still smiling playfully.
“Did the guy who gave you that prison also give you the antidote?”
“!”
The old man’s face twisted grotesquely.
“What antidote? Don’t try any cheap tricks!”
“Tsk, tsk. See? You didn’t even know what it was, yet you grabbed it without thinking.”
“A special prison that spirits can’t approach—sounds like you’re pretty scared, judging by how much you’re bluffing.”
“Good grief. They say there’s no cure for stupidity.”
“What did you say…?!”
Rafaella lowered her brows and looked at the old man with exaggerated pity. His pride took another hit, and he yelled even louder.
“You little bitch—just because you’re a princess, you think you can—!”
“You’re going to die. Not by my hand, but because of that prison.”
“What nonsense have you been spouting? Your minute is up! What are you waiting for? Lock her up already!”
“Sigh. I’ll explain it simply, so listen.”
“I can’t stand women who are all talk. I’ll beat you to death before you die.”
Bang—!
The old man struck the ground with his cane again. But unlike before, the men hesitated instead of attacking Rafaella.
Then the man closest to her suddenly asked,
“What do you mean… we’re going to die?”
The old man’s face contorted as he slammed his cane down repeatedly.
“What are you idiots doing?!”
Rafaella snorted at the sight, ignored the old man, and kindly answered the masked man.
“What do you think it means when spirits—the rulers of nature—can’t approach something? It means it’s made of a substance that opposes them.”
“Stop talking in circles. Say it plainly.”
Rafaella pointed her thumb toward the prison behind her.
“That thing is made of magic stone.”
“Magic stone?”
“You don’t know what magic stone is? Has spiritology really been forgotten that badly?”
“So what if it is?”
“It’s poisonous. It slowly drains the life force of nearby humans and draws them toward death. Some of you probably dreamed of dying just last night.”
“!”
The masked men gasped and began murmuring among themselves before shouting at the old man.
“Boss, did you know about this?”
“W-What are you talking about? Of course not! That’s nonsense!”
“But ever since we moved that prison, none of us have slept properly. You’re saying that’s just a coincidence?”
“You idiots! I carried it with you, didn’t I? Why would I lie?”
“He’s probably not lying. He likely didn’t know at all.”
Rafaella cut in.
“If he had known, do you think he’d be here? He would’ve stayed as far away as possible, trying to save himself—leaving the hard work to you. Just like now.”
All eyes turned to the old man at once. He waved his hands frantically.
“Don’t be fooled by that woman’s slippery tongue!”
The masked man who had first spoken to Rafaella asked again,
“Your Highness. If we’ve been poisoned by that thing… is there a way to fix it?”
Got you.
Rafaella’s eyes gleamed.
There were no lies in her explanation of magic stone—only exaggeration.
It was true that magic stone emitted dark energy that tormented people. But it wasn’t deadly in the short term. For it to kill someone, they would need to live with it for at least a year—and even then, it would be through exhaustion caused by chronic insomnia.
Just as she’d expected, they didn’t know such details.
With the smooth smile of a traveling quack, Rafaella spoke calmly.
“There’s no poison in the world without an antidote. Magic stone is no exception.”
“Then you’d better help us.”
In an instant, the masked man pressed a sword to Rafaella’s throat. A thin red line formed on her pale neck, and a drop of blood slid down.
“Tell us everything you know. Hand over the antidote, and we might spare your life.”
Even with the blade grazing her skin, Rafaella replied casually.
“With that attitude, even someone willing to help would change their mind. Honestly, even if I’m locked up, I have time. Because once all of you—who were exposed to the magic stone before me—start coughing up blood and dying, I can just escape then.”
“……”
“Think carefully. Die pointlessly following your leader, or listen to me and live.”
The men surrounding Rafaella exchanged glances and whispered among themselves. Then Rafaella added one more thing.
“And whoever gave you that thing clearly intended to use you and discard you. There’s no cleaner cleanup than death. You’re assassins—you know that better than anyone, right?”
The moment she finished speaking, the atmosphere turned icy. All eyes fixed on the old man.
“Boss. Explain yourself.”
“A-Alright, fine! Just lock her up first! I’ll find the antidote somehow—!”
“You didn’t even know it was poisonous. How are you supposed to find an antidote?”
“Why are you all like this? Calm down! Once this job is done, we’ll get land in Sester and a huge ransom for her body! What’s an antidote compared to that? If I just ask him, we’ll even get top-tier temple treatment!”
“Believing divine power would work—that’s the limit of your judgment. How foolish. Tsk.”
Once again, Rafaella cut him off cleanly—just as he had done to her earlier.
“Sure. If you think it’ll work, go ahead and try. I don’t care if a few of you die while waiting in line for a healer.”
“Your Highness… you truly know the antidote?”
“Of course. I’m a spirit caller. The fact that you prepared a prison like that just to capture me, and that I recognized magic stone at a glance—doesn’t that make my information the most reliable here?”
“Then prove it!”
“Hah. Use your head. I’ve already explained everything. What more proof do you want? You’ve lived your life just following orders—that’s why you ended up like this. At least decide for yourselves whose hands you’re placing your lives in.”
“……”
“I have plenty of time. So go ahead—argue among yourselves, or start fighting. Do whatever you want.”
With a look of complete indifference, Rafaella plopped down on top of a stack of crates.
While the men argued noisily, she quickly surveyed the situation.
No sounds of anyone approaching the hideout yet. Rosalie looked better than before, but she just stood there awkwardly, holding a bow nearly as tall as herself with her small hands.
Rafaella had managed to buy time, but if Rosalie stayed like that, they wouldn’t last long.
After some thought, Rafaella cautiously spoke to her.
“Hey, little miss. How are you feeling?”
“I—I think I’m a little less dizzy than before.”
“This isn’t the best place for this, but there’s something you need to know.”
Thanks to the antidote, Rosalie’s vision was steadily clearing as she cautiously stepped out of the prison. At Rafaella’s words, she rolled her eyes nervously.
“About why your mother died.”
“?”
“It was those people.”
“…What? What did you just say?”
Rosalie staggered and turned around sharply. Her clear eyes shook violently.
