The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason

The Struggle for the Throne (5)

If we were to speak of a sea adjacent to the empire, there was only the southernmost edge.

Everything else was bordered by other countries.

The only silver lining in this misfortune was that, even within the empire, the sea was quite far away.

It would take at least 18 hours to reach by carriage. If I took breaks in between, it might take even longer.

Although there was quite a significant time difference between the others and me, I could still catch up.

I sincerely hoped that those ruffians would be negligent in their duties.

Then how would I catch up with their carriage?

The answer lay in my sturdy two legs. I would wrap mana around my legs and run with all my might.

Unfortunately, lacking any skills related to mobility, this was the best method available to me. Still, with a level of 85, I should be much faster than mere words.

“I will set off first.”

“I will follow behind.”

Thus, I left Adele behind and began to dash straight south. With time being of the essence, I had no luxury to travel with anyone.

Of course, feeling anxious while running was inevitable. No matter how quickly I went, there was still a 12-hour gap.

If I were even a little late, the princess could be discovered as a corpse.

It seemed I was not the only one aware of my impatience, as suddenly, the transformation began.

The creature that had been quietly resting in the form of a bandage on my arm started to change on its own.

It elongated its body and transformed into a rope-like shape. Then, it threw itself against a tree, contracting while still attached to me.

Whoosh!

As if being dragged along, my body flew forward. I let out a short exclamation of admiration.

“Ah.”

It felt like I had become a character from a movie. You know, the one that shoots webs all over the place.

No, since I’m climbing trees instead of buildings, I guess I’m closer to Tarzan than Spider-Man.

As expected, being able to morph my body at will made me useful in various ways.

I willingly accepted the creature’s help and headed towards the princess.

*

Although the Third Princess, Deila, faced numerous checks from the First Prince.

That doesn’t mean she was foolish.

At the very least, she could reflect on the reasons for her kidnapping.

And in her opinion, there were many strange points about her abduction, no matter how she thought about it.

First of all, why was she kidnapped now? Especially at this point, just before the Second Prince’s rescue day?

The answer was painfully obvious. Someone among the resistance had betrayed them. Someone had informed the First Prince, leading to her capture.

How did the intruder enter her chamber?

Even if she was a princess without her own forces, there should have been some level of protection around her.

It was ambiguous to call them her allies; they were more like civil servants who received salaries from the state.

Though few in number, they were still present.

At that time, her escort knight was asleep, so the guards should have been on duty instead, and if that wasn’t the case, a servant should have been keeping watch at night.

Yet, how did the intruder enter her chamber without any commotion?

Did they perhaps kill the night watch? The thought crossed her mind, but the intruder’s blade was far too clean for that.

In other words, the only time they had blood on their hands was when they killed her escort knight, Railey.

The answer to that was also obvious. Even her servants had betrayed her. Whether it was for money or something else.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that everyone around her had betrayed her.

No matter how much she felt there was no one trustworthy in the palace and that she was weak, it was still surprising to this extent.

Thanks to that, her sense of depression only grew.

The extreme anxiety of being kidnapped, the exhausting journey that lasted more than half a day, Railey’s death, and the thought that those around her had betrayed her—all of these combined shook Deila’s mind.

Now, there truly was no one left to support her.

“…Huh, it’s so damn far.”

How many more hours had passed like that? The painfully long carriage ride finally reached its destination.

“I don’t know how many times the horses were exhausted and had to rest. If we hadn’t changed horses at a nearby stable, I might have counted the days twice.”

“Yeah… that’s true.”

Strangers who had disembarked from the carriage stretched and chatted idly.

The place she arrived at was a dock located to the south. The salty scent of the sea welcomed her.

Though it was her first time seeing the ocean, she could only feel fear rather than excitement.

This was because she could easily predict how they would handle her.

The sea had always been a great place to quietly dispose of people.

No matter how impressive a person might be, they could never surpass the vastness of the sea.

Once thrown into the water, there was a 99% chance that not even a body would be recovered.

They planned to sink her without a trace.

“Alright, let’s get this done quickly.”

“Yes, understood.”

With that, the strangers secured an inn and began their preparations.

From their spatial pockets, barrels and plaster powder began to emerge one after another. Deila trembled in fear at the sight.

“Hmm… just a moment.”

It was then that one of the strangers suddenly stopped moving. He began to gaze intently at Deila. His eyes were fixed on her negligee.

Her curvy figure was clearly outlined beneath the sheer white fabric. Seeing this, the man asked his superior.

“Um, brother.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Before we dunk her… can we not have a little fun first?”

“What?”

At those words, Deila’s eyes widened in shock. Regardless, the man continued speaking.

“Well, she’s going to disappear soon anyway, right? No one would know, so wouldn’t it be fine to enjoy her for a moment?”

“Don’t you realize we don’t have time?”

“Come on, isn’t it a waste to just bury her like this? When else are we going to get a chance to have the princess?”

“Hmm…”

The strangers’ eyes pierced through Deila. She felt a chill run down her spine under their sticky gaze.

“Fine, let’s do that.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, the superior nodded. Immediately, the rough hands of the strangers reached out toward her.

Filled with terror, she began to scream wildly.

No! I absolutely do not want this kind of end!!

Is this really how her story ends?

I have faced the prospect of death. I have also considered the possibility of losing and being defeated.

Even if I were to lose everything and end up on the street, I was confident I could accept it with humility.

But… but this is not right.

To be betrayed by those around me, to have the person I trusted die, and to meet my end in such a miserable way.

I can accept other things. But to disappear so lonely and without a trace, that is something I would hate more than death itself.

Finally, their greedy hands descended upon Deila. She struggled fiercely, but she could not overcome the strength of two trained adult men.

At that moment, with her eyes closed and tears flowing.

“Still, it’s a relief.”

A third voice was heard from somewhere. A voice that sounded familiar.

“To think there are such reckless trash like this.”

There was no time to turn her head. Before she could, the neck of the assailant in front of her flew off.

“Thanks to you, I can kill without hesitation.”

Pshh!

The blood of the scoundrel spurted into the air. The superior of the one who saw this reacted in shock.

“W-who are you!”

“Shut up.”

But before he could draw his sword, his blade was already swinging faster.

Slash!

Just like the junior, the superior’s head was severed and flew away.

It was a strike without hesitation or mercy.

That was the end.

The scoundrels who had driven her into fear met their demise far too easily.

With a dazed expression, she looked toward the direction where the sword had swung. There stood the hero, Luke, just as she had expected. Covered in the bright red blood of the scoundrels, his expression was slightly more subdued than usual.

He spoke.

“You have a tendency to get your hands dirty too. Well… not as much as our party members, though.”

Deila stared at him blankly.

Perhaps because her vision was blurred with tears, his current appearance overlapped with his past one.

It was similar to the scene when they were ambushed by the assassination squad on their way back from the banquet.

At that time, there were corpses he had killed around them, and he had looked at her with blood still on him. His expression now seemed even more ferocious than it had then.

‘…It’s terrifying.’

The feelings that emerged were not much different.

Whenever I saw him, an inexplicable sense of fear washed over me first. I still had no idea what he was thinking. The words “hero” and “trust” felt like distant concepts.

In truth, I still didn’t know whether he was a hero or a devil.

There were times I wondered if his support for me was merely a means to plunge the country into chaos when I eventually became the emperor. It felt as if I had made a pact with a demon.

‘But…’

One thing was certain: he was definitely on my side. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to save me like this.

The relationship between Deila and him was built on a contract, not trust.

In exchange for his support, she had agreed to stand by him no matter what happened.

It was indeed a bleak relationship, but for her, who had lost all others to lean on, that contract brought an overwhelming sense of relief.

“Sniff…”

Feeling that, Deila clung to Luke, her voice trembling. Luke, taken aback by her sudden embrace, showed his surprise.

“…You can use me if you want.”

Regardless, Deila didn’t let go and continued speaking.

“It doesn’t matter what you are. If you really are a devil and my soul is your goal… you can go later. So please, just…”

Deila’s hands trembled. The emotions that had surged within her showed no signs of stopping, bursting forth with fervor.

With a quivering voice, she continued.

“Please stay by my side. At least don’t turn your back on me…”

Having said what she needed to, she began to sob quietly.

Luke let out a self-deprecating laugh and said one thing.

“I think you’re better than my party members.”

Then, without a word, he quietly comforted her.

For a while, only her sobs echoed through the inn.