WSO 03

Now I bid farewell to the resentment of constantly having to gauge the moods of powerful nations, never knowing when I might be trampled underfoot.

“Hehehe.”

I kissed the head of the angel statue that I hadn’t let go of once since purchasing it.

“As expected, it’s the protection of an angel.”

Good thing I bought it.

I lightly moved my steps and opened the drawer.

The small glass bottles lined up with a rustle made a clinking sound. I grabbed one of them, and also picked up a dagger whose handle was stained with hand grease.

I didn’t forget to check that the blade was still lethally sharp.

“Alright, shall we go hunt for some ingredients?”

“Heheh.”

I looked down at the soundly sleeping Deyan and smiled.

Strictly speaking, this bastard is also an enemy I must someday eliminate.

A knight of the country that might have killed my mother, a massive barrier, and the sword that would stand on the front lines if war broke out.

To nitpick even minor faults, he was also an illegal immigrant.

‘So there’s no need to hesitate.’

Die, Deyan Boislav Nemanjić!

I pulled out the dagger and thrust it towards the sleeping man.

At that moment, his eyes flashed open and he swiftly threw his body to the side.

Crash!

The bed shook with a loud noise. He had overturned the bed to use it as a shield.

“Tch.”

‘He’s damn strong.’

He looks like a bear, and his strength is like a bear’s too.

“There’s a misunderstanding, Princess.”

Deyan’s voice came from behind the bed, standing upright like a wall.

“Oh my. You’re awake, Sir Nemanjić?”

I replied in my usual gentle voice. Because that’s how you make the other person let their guard down.

“Could you first untie these bindings?”

“No, I cannot.”

I refused his request flatly.

“Then let me ask you.”

Deyan remained calm.

“Why are you trying to stab me with a knife?”

“Is there any reason I should answer?”

Even though the bed was hiding his expression, I still smiled.

‘Just come out nicely and get stabbed by my knife.’

I slowly approached the demon-summoning sacrifice.

Due to the dull movement, Deyan finally realized he was bound. Thick ropes tightly secured his shoulders, torso, and his neatly folded wrists together.

He lifted his head and saw Idir’s reflection in the window glass.

A slender body and a flowing dress. A woman with her long hair braided up, adorned with various ornaments, holding a knife in her hand and smiling.

…Honestly, it was terrifying.

To come to a passed-out person dressed so prettily and try to stab them with a knife.

Even after being discovered, she still smiled broadly and didn’t take off her gentle mask.

Deyan unconsciously swallowed dry saliva.

He couldn’t believe this was the same fragile woman he had escorted at the banquet.

No, if she had been this kind of person from the start…

‘Just who did I escort?’

She probably didn’t even need an escort.

“Princess.”

Deyan first tried to open a channel of conversation with Idir.

He had heard that Princess Idir Hubert was of a gentle disposition and never lost her composure in any situation.

Naturally, Deyan had believed those rumors.

‘Until now, that is.’

The gentle disposition part seems like nonsense, but it seems true that she doesn’t lose her composure.

There probably aren’t many young ladies who can remain that calm while swinging a knife at someone.

“I apologize for crossing the border without permission. However, in the process of carrying out my mission under orders, it was unavoidable…”

“Sir Nemanjić. I don’t care about things like that right now.”

“…”

“I just need your blood, Sir.”

“…Blood?”

Deyan felt his heart beat faster.

‘Why my blood? Did she happen to find something out?’

Idir’s silhouette reflected in the window grew larger.

Softly, softly. She walked so lightly she made almost no sound.

‘Peaceful conversation is out of the question.’

He suddenly realized the pain in his abdomen was gone.

The wound had already healed. Nor did he feel the urge to destroy and kill something like crazy.

Deyan was sure he was in a state where he wouldn’t rampage.

‘First, I need to untie the bindings…’

Since he was sure, there was no need to hesitate. No, hesitating would be disastrous.

“So please, just get stabbed quietly!”

Idir finally charged at him.

Still bound, Deyan barely managed to twist his upper body and grab hold of both her wrists.

“Princess, please, can we just talk for a moment…”

“Eek!”

Then Idir bit his forearm hard.

“Do not put any wounds on my body!”

Startled, Deyan shouted, but Idir didn’t even pretend to listen.

While struggling to escape his grip somehow, she persistently glared at Deyan with eyes full of moisture.

Her intensity was fierce.

‘If I have another fit, I might do something to the Princess.’

Deyan was cursed.

If he got wounded, it healed quickly. Even if his heart was pierced, his flesh was cut, or his bones were broken, he would recover in less than a day.

Instead, while the wounds healed, he lost his sanity, and every time, all sorts of cruel impulses arbitrarily took over his body.

Then Deyan would always rampage like a beast, grabbing and killing every living thing in sight.

Among those were his subordinates and colleagues. An inevitable result, as he couldn’t distinguish friend from foe.

After rolling around in blood and mud, a terrible searing pain would inevitably overcome him.

Getting hurt, killing, writhing…

He had roamed the battlefield like a resurrected corpse amidst the recurring pain.

His family had raised him for this, and existed for this. They needed neither reason nor intellect.

Until recently, that is.

“I’m sorry, Princess…!”

Deyan twisted Idir’s wrist, changing the blade’s direction. The blade caught on the thick ropes binding his body.

Even as he willfully applied force and moved his wrist, not a single muscle on Idir’s face twitched.

She just glared at Deyan as if he was her mortal enemy.

“I truly am sorry. First, could you let me untie this and talk with me for just 10 minutes… No, even 5 minutes?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Realizing the binding was loosening, Idir released the strength in her hand holding the knife. Then she immediately slammed her forehead into Deyan’s face.

Following that, she pressed her sharp heel firmly into Deyan’s abdomen – specifically, the location of the previous wound.

“Guh…!”

Where on earth did she learn this fantastic attack?

His vision momentarily swam, and his blood boiled fiercely.

“Get off!”

Crack.

Deyan tore off the bindings as he pushed Idir away.

“Damn it! I told you not to put any wounds on my body!”

Idir was sent flying mercilessly by his strength.

‘Not more blood…!’

Putting distance between himself and Idir, Deyan hurriedly wiped under his nose.

His body was heating up as if molten metal had been poured into his stomach.

‘I can endure this much.’

He’d had his intestines severed, his fingers cut off. This bit of a nosebleed couldn’t even be counted as an injury.

‘I just need to stay conscious.’

If he lost his reason and ended up injuring Idir, there was a high risk it would escalate into an international issue.

If that happened, his mission would fail spectacularly.

The heat in his body grew more intense. It felt like being thrown alive into a fire pit.

‘I can endure it. This much is…’

It was an excruciatingly familiar pain.

Deyan curled his body into a ball.

Rolling like a ball and hitting the wall with my back, I was completely disoriented.

“Ugh…!”

‘The sword…!’

I was worried that the sword I had let go of amidst the chaos might fall into Deyan’s grasp.

I hurriedly raised my body and checked his condition.

Deyan was curled up, his back heaving greatly as he breathed roughly.

I could see drops of blood falling steadily between the fingers covering his face.

Those few drops are enough.

If I just have that blood…!

“This much is fine. I can endure it, endure…”

The man was still curled up tight, rapidly muttering something unintelligible.

It looked as if he was possessed.

‘He’s full of openings.’

It was a shame I didn’t have a weapon in my hand right now.

It felt like I could immediately stab the enemy in the back, wound him, and achieve my goal, but at this critical moment, I had no weapon to stab with.

‘I wonder if there’s a way to collect even that nosebleed.’

Just as I was quietly repositioning the glass bottle under my dress, squirming slightly.

Deyan’s gaze, his face buried in his hands, met mine.

“……!”

I gasped for air.

‘His eyes…’

Deyan’s pupils were glowing a vivid red.