‘Can’t I just give him a little massage with this sword?’
—Won’t it hurt? (´O｀)
‘Do I look like I care if that son of a bitch gets hurt?’
—Uh, won’t the extreme disconnect between his body and mind from the pain cause his soul to be on the verge of leaving his body? (´O｀)
‘He won’t die, right?’
—(´O｀)… If you’re really going to do it, wouldn’t it be better to bring a priest? If you, the Contractor, end up in a human prison for… attempted murder… that would be a little… awkward… for me…
‘It’s fine, I’m the Imperial Princess.’
—…Of course, you could only form a contract because you’re a direct imperial family member… (´O｀)…
“Count Flux.”
“Yes?”
I held the sword and stared into the air for a long time, then slammed it down on the floor again, stomped on it, and made a huge ruckus. I picked it up again, thought for a moment, and then looked up at Flux. He flinched when he met my intense gaze.
“Painful enough to die is still better than actually dying, right?”
“…Pardon?”
“You won’t bleed if you get hit with the scabbard on.”
“Pardon?”
“Vivi.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“First, contact the House Castrain and report on the current status of the southern barrier. Ask them if it’s okay to proceed with the Devotion Ceremony, and see if they can get us a substitute for the fake sacred artifact—that special attribute thing. Even if we just prepare tomorrow and hold the main ceremony after that, we don’t have much time.”
“Yes, that’s not a problem… but… what are you going to do?”
Vivi asked, looking between me, who was warming up my wrists, and Flux, who was slowly pulling his butt back behind his chair as if sensing something ominous.
“A holy clubbing to purify the demonic energy.”
With a series of cracks, I continued to loosen my wrists. I lifted the emoticon-faced sword, which I had adjusted to its minimum weight.
“It’s fine, it’s all so we can live. He… of course, the villain who placed the weird and dangerous object underground is the worst. And he got caught up in it and created problems everywhere just to solve his own, and now he can’t even solve it himself, so he kidnaps an innocent person like me and acts all self-righteous. And even though the count recklessly created this mess where everyone else’s lives would be ruined because his own life was in danger, I’m fine!”
Vivi spoke to me as I vented my frustration. Uncharacteristically, her eyes were trembling uncontrollably.
“Umm, Your Imperial Highness. You say you’re fine, but you don’t look fine at all!”
“And that’s why, standing before this trash who kidnapped me without a word in the middle of the night while I was sleeping, a man I don’t know, I’m raising my hands to save this guy!”
“Your Imperial Highness, I would appreciate a situational explanation. What do you mean ‘painful enough to die is still better than dying’…?”
A faint horror appeared in Flux’s eyes. Even after causing all this trouble, his instincts were still sharp. Well, anyone would be unnerved if someone came at them with a sheathed sword in their hand, grinning.
“You’ve heard the rumors about the Imperial Family, right? It’s a chance to experience them for yourself! I, myself, will heal Count Flux with this holy sword…!”
Instinctively, Flux shook his head and said, “I-I’m terribly sorry, but in what… way, exactly?”
“In this way!”
WHACK!
A dull striking sound echoed in the room all night, turning the black sky a pale white.
It was a long, hard, and miserable night for some.
Flux thought, exhausted.
What kind of person is the Imperial Princess, anyway?
In truth, meeting the Imperial Princess had been entirely Flux’s decision. His father, the current Count Cortez, was still running around, trying to find a way to help. He had even been told to be careful and not to act rashly, as his condition might worsen.
But the moment he saw the determined look in Count Cortez’s eyes, Flux knew.
My father is determined to save me, no matter the sacrifice.
Count Cortez had always maintained a position of neutrality. As a representative of the merchants, it was difficult to lean toward any one side. While the Empress Consort had shown favor to Count Cortez and had him handle the purchase of various luxuries and rare items, they were not fully aligned. They had been in a tug-of-war, leaving a hint of a possibility for the future.
Recently, there had been a huge incident at the Imperial Palace. A story like a lie: a horde of monsters attacked the palace, the Imperial Prince was chased, and the previously unloved Imperial Princess saved everyone. Even with rumors that the Empress Consort was practically confined to her palace and that the Empress’s palace was filled with laughter, the high-ranking nobles paid attention to something else.
The House Castrain sided with the Empress and Princess Titania, and Empress Consort Cleo and Imperial Prince Brian were defeated.
The curses, monsters, evidence, and swords used were all secondary issues. Even though rumors spread that the princess had obtained a strange sword and defeated the monsters, everyone took it in stride. The princess had saved the youngest daughter of the House Castrain, so who knew if the sword was related to the Castrain family?
However, even if the Empress Consort was lying low for now, it was only temporary. Eventually, she would reveal herself and clash with the others. The schemes of the highborn sometimes surpassed imagination. Making a direct connection with the Empress Consort might offer a way to save Flux.
He had excluded the House Castrain from his plans because they were merciless when it came to demonic energy. They would cut down anyone without hesitation, even high-ranking nobles. Count Cortez had worried that the Duke of Castrain would try to kill his son rather than save him. After all, they were also guilty of knowing about the black market and the secret auctions and doing nothing.
But Flux hesitated.
In the end, wasn’t this all because of me?
Even if Count Cortez was nearing middle age, he was not too old to have another child. If he gave up on him and had another child, he could protect and continue the territory and this city.
But his father couldn’t give up on him.
The sacred artifact of the southern barrier had a minor effect before it shattered. So then, what about the central sacred artifact, that of the northern barrier?
A shiver went down Flux’s spine.
Perhaps to save me, my father’s greed could even reach the sacred artifact in the North.
The artifact managed by the House Castrain wouldn’t be as easy to steal as the southern one. So perhaps, Count Cortez might even align with Empress Consort Cleo to bring down the House Castrain…
A sense of impending doom tightened in his throat.
Because of me? Because of me, truly, would this House Cortez… would my father… would this beautiful city that my father and I have built, would everything come crashing down so horribly?
He wanted to stop him. But he couldn’t bear to stop his father, who looked as if he was about to cry as he said, “I will do anything for you.”
After his body was ruined, he couldn’t even go out properly. Even after hearing the news that the princess, who was backed by the House Castrain, was coming to the temple for the Devotion Ceremony, he had hesitated until the very end.
Secretly asking his escort knights to kidnap the princess was half a gamble.
She might try to kill him on the spot for his audacity in kidnapping her.
If the rumors were true and she was foolish, she might just ruin the sacred artifact for him and demand an expensive dress or jewelry as payment.
But then.
“The black aura is all gone from your feet, too.”
A strange warmth spread from his toes, which had been so painful that they now felt numb. It was the touch of a small, delicate finger. Flux unconsciously flinched. The tips of his ears felt hot.
“They’re moving well.”
As if it were nothing, the person stood up and gently touched his knees. His knees, which had turned black with bruises, then yellow, and then white again.
When Titania had called it a “holy clubbing” and had hit him repeatedly with the sheathed sword, he had truly screamed. It hurt as if it was being branded with a hot iron every time the sword touched him. When Vivi had asked, “What if he bites his tongue?” Titania had paused, ripped a piece of the bedsheet with her sword, and stuffed it into his mouth.
And then she started hitting him again.
For a moment, Flux had genuinely wanted to kill her. Of course, the feeling didn’t last long.
When did the pain, which felt like nerves being branded, slowly begin to fade? Titania hit him without rest. Sometimes she would check on him as if to confirm something. In his constant agony, he’d unconsciously clench his teeth whenever her soft touch reached him. If she hadn’t stuffed a cloth in his mouth, his teeth would not have survived.
He didn’t know how much time had passed. Titania now looked at him with sharp eyes, as if she were assessing something. Occasionally, she would mumble something under her breath, like “Are we all done now? Hmm, almost done?” as if confirming something with someone else.
“Look at your eyes.”
Flux looked at the mirror held up in front of him. His face was sweaty, pale, and haggard.
But his eyes were clear white, and his pupils were brown…
The Flux in the mirror’s eyes widened.
