Chapter 4 : Prison Meeting (Part 4)

Getting out of the underground prison, we crossed three halls, each filled with battles raging throughout the palace. Taking a few more turns, we finally arrived at the central courtyard, where a large fountain stood—its water now dyed red with blood. Sliced-up bodies of assassins lay scattered across the ground, along with fallen soldiers.

My eyes quickly landed on Emilia, engaged in a fierce battle against three assassins at once. She thrust her lance with precision, but the assassins dodged her attacks with ease.

"Is that all the great Emilia has to offer?" one of the assassins sneered.

Another chuckled. "Her power is grossly exaggerated."

"It must be!" the third one added, and suddenly, their daggers began to glow with a sinister energy.

At the same time, Emilia's lance crackled with lightning, its power surging around her.

"Let's help her out," Hilbert said, cracking his knuckles.

I sighed. I really didn't want to get involved, but in this kind of chaotic situation, if anyone—soldiers or rebels—saw me trying to run away, they might attack me. It was safer to stick with him for now.

Then suddenly, one of the assassins turned his gaze toward me.

"Look, it's the stranger with the strange clothing..."

Another assassin smirked. "So nice of him to come here. Let's quickly kill him like we planned and get going."

"Yes, it'll be easy," the third one agreed.

My eyes widened in surprise. So they were after me, not Hilbert.

That was a mistake.

Since all three of them were now focused on me, they failed to notice Emilia's movements. She took the opportunity and, with a swift, electrified slash of her lance, cut them down before they could even react.

"What are you two doing here?"

Emilia wiped the blood from her lance, her sharp eyes fixed on us.

"Well, there was a prison attack—" I started, but then I quickly raised my gun and fired.

The bullet whizzed past Emilia, and behind her, a rebel archer collapsed to the ground, a clean hole in his skull.

"No time to talk," I said, lowering my gun. "That guy would have killed you. Hilbert, there's another coming!"

Without hesitation, Hilbert clenched his fists, then grabbed the edge of the fountain. With sheer brute force, he ripped out a massive chunk of stone.

With a single swing, he hurled it at the approaching rebel.

The impact was instant—the rebel's head exploded like a crushed melon, blood splattering across the courtyard.

"Nice throw," I muttered, glancing at Hilbert.

"Thanks," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Now, let's clean up the rest."

"I guess questioning can wait," Emilia said, pointing her lance forward.

A surge of lightning erupted from its tip, instantly incinerating the rebels. Their charred bodies collapsed before they could even scream.

"You two, come with me," she ordered, turning back to us. "The queen needs our assistance—especially you." She looked directly at me. "This entire surprise attack was launched to kill you specifically."

I frowned. "You sure I can be of any help? I'm no warrior."

"Perhaps not, but that mysterious weapon in your hand certainly is," Emilia said, nodding at my gun.

"Here, take this," Hilbert added, tossing me a sword he had taken from a fallen soldier. He grabbed one for himself as well.

I caught the hilt, feeling the unfamiliar weight in my grip. "Well… this can work."

"Hurry!" Emilia shouted, and we all broke into a sprint toward the queen's chamber.

As we entered the halls leading to her room, the sight before us was gruesome—bodies littered the floor. Most belonged to soldiers and the queen's personal guards, with only a handful of rebel corpses among them.

Pushing through the heavy chamber doors, we were met with an even more shocking scene.

The queen stood in the center of the room, drenched in blood. Around her lay the remains of her would-be assassins—some sliced apart, others frozen solid.

She turned to us, unfazed, licking the blood from her hand with a smirk.

"Huh? You guys sure took your time," the queen—Lynda Highgreen—said.

"Forgive me, my queen," Emilia bowed, with Hilbert following suit.

Lynda's sharp blue eyes lingered on Hilbert for a moment before shifting to me. "Ah, Hilbert, it seems your loyalty remains intact. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here." Then, her gaze settled on me. "And you… You must be the stranger in strange clothing. One of the assassins I just tortured to death mentioned you."

I crossed my arms. "I figured as much. Though I didn't expect one of the soldiers who came with Captain Emilia to be a rebel in disguise."

"I suspected it as well," Lynda said, stepping closer. Then, she stopped in front of me, her expression unreadable. "Tell me—what do you think of me?"

I raised an eyebrow. "About you?"

"Yes, me..." She turned slightly, flicking her fingers at Emilia and Hilbert. "You two—raise your heads."

As they straightened, she turned her attention back to me, waiting for my answer.

"Well," I started, meeting her gaze without hesitation. "You're a beautiful woman in your late twenties, with striking blue hair and sapphire-like eyes. Your skin is flawless, and honestly, you're both sexy and intimidating. But…" I paused, watching her smirk slightly. "You also have a cruel heart, not because you're naturally evil, but because it lacks love. And when you get bored, you entertain yourself by torturing and killing your own citizens. Sometimes for power, sometimes just for fun."

Lynda chuckled, seemingly amused. "Well, I do enjoy hearing about my beauty. And yes, I do what I want in my spare time. But what I truly want to know is—what do you think of me personally?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why does that matter?"

She stepped closer, tilting her head as if studying me. "I believe you already know the answer. But I'll say it anyway." Her voice dropped into something almost seductive, but with an unmistakable edge of danger. "You seem to know everything about me. And I know many people despise me. I've made parents lose their children, turned children into orphans, created widows overnight…" She let out a soft laugh, as if reminiscing. "Any woman whose beauty dares to rival mine? I make sure they are defiled beyond recognition."

She reached out and touched my face with a cold, almost tender hand. "And as we speak, more suffering is happening under my rule."

Her smile widened. "So tell me, stranger—what do you truly think of me?"

"Nothing..."

Lynda's eyes narrowed. "Huh… nothing? You're not repulsed by the things I do?"

"Why would I be? What you do with the people of your kingdom is your right as queen. It's just their misfortune that they were born here. Plus, you haven't done anything to me, so why should I be repulsed by you?"

As I spoke, I noticed something—one of the assassins, barely alive, was about to lunge at Lynda from behind.

Without thinking, I threw my sword and grabbed Lynda, pulling her close to my chest. Holding her tight, I pulled the trigger of my gun. The shot echoed through the chamber as the bullet tore through the assassin's head, dropping him instantly.

"You should be more careful," I said, looking down at her. "It would be a shame if someone like you died so easily."

For a moment, Lynda just stared at me, her face unreadable. Then, she smirked. "This is the first time someone has dared to do something like this to me." Her fingers brushed against my chest before she pulled away. "Though… you are rather good-looking, and you did save my life, so I suppose I'll excuse it this once."

Then, without warning, she turned to Hilbert and Emilia and slapped them both across the face. The force sent them stumbling back, nearly falling to the ground.

"How could you two fail to protect me?" Lynda's voice was sharp, filled with irritation. "What use are you if an outsider is the one saving my life?"

"Forgive us, your majesty!"

Both Hilbert and Emilia immediately dropped to their knees, sweat dripping from their foreheads.

Lynda sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah… Get up. It would be a waste to kill you two since there aren't many loyal people left to me."

The two hesitated for a moment before rising to their feet.

"And Hilbert," she continued, "you are the general once again."

Hilbert blinked in surprise but quickly bowed. "Understood, your majesty."

Then, Lynda turned her attention to me, her piercing blue eyes locking onto mine.

"Now, about you… Tell me, would you like to serve me?"

"Serve you? Nah," I said casually. "You'd probably kill me the moment I stopped being useful. So instead, how about you treat me as a guest, and in return, I'll provide you with whatever information I know?"

Lynda raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference? I'd still kill you in the end."

"I know," I admitted with a shrug. "But at least this way, I get to enjoy my time before that happens."

I had already accepted that there was no easy way out of this situation. If I was going to die, I might as well make the most of whatever time I had left.

Lynda smirked. "Accepted… Since, in both cases, I'll get what I want, and you'll be dead eventually."