RFNM 11

Chapter 11

“You don’t need to know that.”

I had gone through all kinds of hardships while changing the original story.

But after killing Knox Glaston, I had become completely used to a peaceful life again—so ending up in a situation like this was the worst possible outcome.

I moistened my dry lips with my tongue, and then he slowly stepped out from the shadows.

Under the dim light of the underground prison, Prince Leonard looked far more terrifying than any villain I had ever seen.

So he had been hiding his true nature all along—this damn bastard! I wanted to curse him properly, but I was a delicate princess with only one life.

And on top of that, someone who was already a terrible directionless miser suddenly radiating a completely changed, 180-degree atmosphere was even more frightening.

So I quickly switched to a submissive attitude.

“Y-Your Highness. Please calm down. If you keep me tied up like this, there will definitely be diplomatic issues. Shall we talk this out?”

“Talk.”

“Th-that is—”

Leonard Blake slowly approached me.

Step, step. His boots echoed ominously in the empty space.

Then he bent down, grabbed my chin, and lifted my face toward him.

“Princess, how did you break my code?”

“C-code?”

“What is written on that paper is encoded information. And yet you read it perfectly. Does Singkester possess some sacred relic that can decode any cipher?”

“That’s not it!”

“Then explain how you knew it.”

He tightened his grip on my chin and pulled me closer.

His strength was so strong that tears welled up in my eyes, but he did not look like the type of man who would care about that.

His cold eyes looked down at me as he reached for his waist.

Oh no. A dagger.

“If you refuse to speak, I have no choice. Your neck—”

“O-OKAY! I get it!! I’ll talk! I’ll talk, so stop!!”

For reference, I was someone who valued her life very much, and my mouth was lighter than a feather.

“Cipher? Of course I know it!”

“Of course you know it? How?”

“Well…”

I glanced at him and muttered in a shrinking voice.

“It’s not your cipher… It’s the great writing created by King Sejong!”

Hangul.

At my words, he froze for a moment, and I let out a long sigh.

“Should I have pretended I didn’t know after all?”

But it seemed he already knew I had decoded the message, so denying it would be pointless.

And I couldn’t claim it was a sacred relic either—I couldn’t use holy power, and even Sarah, a powerful mage, had struggled to break the defensive spell.

Being honest seemed like the safest option.

More than anything, I was extremely curious about this man.

“I answered you, so now it’s your turn. Leonard Blake, how can you use this language?”

“……”

Leonard said nothing for a long time. But his face under the faint light was clearly stiff.

Anyone who knew Hangul in this world was usually a “special existence,” even without being a possessor.

I waited tensely for his answer, and then—

“Sejong… King Sejong? I don’t know who that is. This is a code created by my subordinate.”

Something so absurd it would make scholars of the Hall of Worthies roll in their graves.

“I see. So your subordinate worked at the Hall of Worthies? And maybe even tried on the prince’s cloak while sleeping?”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Any Korean would know that! It’s a mandatory subject in high school history!”

Ten years since possession. I briefly flinched, wondering if the curriculum might have changed, but I focused on his reaction.

But he remained silent.

‘What? Is he really not related?’

But there was no sixth prince in the original story. And now someone who knew Hangul appeared.

And not only that—he didn’t use symbols or Morse code or anything simple. He created a new language system?

As far as I knew, language couldn’t be created in such a short time. And even if it could, it couldn’t be learned and used so quickly.

“You’re lying! Even if you’re a possessor, how can you claim you created someone else’s writing? King Sejong and the scholars would be crying blood in their graves—”

“Enough. Be quiet.”

My mouth was covered again.

Unlike before, it wasn’t harsh, so I tried to bite his hand.

Surprised by my ferocity, Leonard stepped back.

“Are you a dog? Calm down.”

“If I could calm down right now, I wouldn’t be human—I’d be a robot.”

“Where did I press your button? Saying my subordinate created Hangul? Or covering your mouth?”

“Both.”

In the end, he gave up and sighed. Straightening his body, he stepped back slightly.

“Fine. You’re right. I’m also a possessor.”

“……!”

Finally, the answer I had been waiting for came.

I should have felt relieved meeting someone from the same world, but after seeing the earlier message, I couldn’t feel happy.

And more importantly—I was still tied up.

I carefully raised my bound hands behind me.

“Um… could you untie me? We’re both possessors, after all.”

“There are three problems.”

Leonard held up three fingers slowly, showing no pity at all.

“First, I committed the crime of kidnapping you.”

“Good to know you’re aware.”

“Second, I truly need Saint Aurora.”

“Maybe you should give up on that.”

“Third, if I untie you, there’s a chance you’ll attack and kill me.”

I almost screamed.

I was absolutely a pacifist. My face alone looked like I couldn’t even kill an ant, and I was naturally lazy… no, gentle.

Of course I had eliminated villains for justice and peace in the original story, but I only gave commands—my subordinates did the work.

Well, the truth was I simply didn’t have the physical ability even if I wanted to act.

In any case, the conclusion was clear: I had neither the intention nor the ability to hit this man!

“I’m not violent! I don’t even have magic items right now…”

“…Didn’t you kill Knox Glaston?”

“!!”

How does he know that?!

My mouth snapped shut instantly.

“As you know, Knox Glaston influenced not only Singkester but the entire underground world of the Elysium continent. I investigated his earlier-than-expected death and found out you were the one who killed him.”

With every word he spoke, a chill ran down my spine.

That information was strictly classified.

Yet Leonard spoke of it as casually as listing discounted goods in a market.

“Therefore, due to these three factors, I cannot release you.”

“Th-then what are you going to do? You’re not going to kill me, right?”

Suppressing my growing anxiety, I asked.

Leonard crossed his arms and tilted his head.

“Why do you assume I cannot kill you?”

“Then… are you really going to kill me?”

A cold shiver ran down my spine, and I began pleading.

“Think about it. You said you want to become emperor, right?”

“……”

“If I die, my brother will find the culprit no matter what. To rule this continent, you need recognition from my brother, the Pope. If it’s revealed you killed me, you’ll never become emperor. And it could even trigger a war between Singkester and Blake!”

Leonard fell silent, finally appearing to think.

At this point, I was almost grateful that this man, as a possessor, had such an ambitious goal.

How does someone end up wanting to become emperor in a place like this? Was he a politician in his past life?

“Fine.”

He moved behind me and grabbed the handcuffs binding me.

A cracking sound echoed as the metal shattered, the broken pieces scraping against my wrists as they fell.

Honestly, it hurt—I was a little scared.

But I didn’t show it and stood up casually.

While I rubbed my sore wrists, his sharp voice followed like a blade.

“Still, don’t try to run. This prison is made of barrier stones that disable both magic and holy power. And if you try anything suspicious even for a moment…”

Leonard gripped the dagger at his waist once again.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll kill you. I’ve done this kind of thing many times before, so I’m confident I won’t be caught.”