“Kurosawa, give a potion to—!”
Kurosawa Touma clenched his jaw as he blocked three swords with his bare hands. “It has been done.”
[Yappy Dog is barking at you]
[Do you wish to listen?]
The more we killed, the more appeared—from behind the columns, from within the bushes, from behind outside.
[The guests are screaming and cowering in fear!]
“Hal, stay with the Bride! Aída, protect the guests! And Kaduna—”
The woman met my gaze, the black and golden flames licking her arms.
“I will keep reading,” she replied in a calm voice, one hand holding the documents while the other strangled one of the mercenaries.
I thanked her with a nod as I blocked an attack, slicing through four enemies in one movement.
While me and Hal blocked and attacked the mercenaries with blades, Kurosawa and Aída fought bare-handed. Very occasionally, Aída would use her skill and use either fire or ice to attack in long rage.
All the time, I kept stealing glances toward the Bride and the Groom. Every now and then I could see the Groom’s fingers twitch, resting dangerously close to the scabbard on his waist. As if he was itching to fight himself.
The Bride, on the other hand, would barely move. As if everything was part of a show that was barely doing the minimum to amuse her.
“Park Eun-Woo, can you hear me?”
Kaduna’s voice echoed through my earpiece. I quickly searched for her in the crowd, watching as she dodged the mercenaries with grace.
Yet her expression made my heart race.
“What did you find?”
“She is supporting him for the Groom.”
I furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“The Groom has no wish to take the crown. He doesn’t want to rule.”
“And the 2nd prince? Does he want to rule?”
A few moments of silence.
“In all those letters, he never expressed that.”
It took me a few seconds to connect the dots. “So…they are working together so the Groom can get what he wants, without getting the Groom into trouble.”
“It appears to be the case, yes.”
As I glanced at Kaduna from across the hall, something in her eyes told me that wasn’t all she wanted to share. And that I would probably not like the rest.
“You have more to say.”
Her chuckle sent shivers down my spine, the sound hauntingly beautiful yet at the same time, oppressive.
“I don’t think the 2nd prince and the Bride are lovers.”
Below me, it was as if the ground was disappearing.
“Why do you think that?”
The moment I met her golden gaze, Kaduna could have said the most absurd things and I would’ve believed her.
There was that much certainty in her eyes.
“It’s what my instincts are telling me. They are seldom wrong.”
[Yappy Dog is barking at you]
A sword’s tip came hungrily at my face, the blade almost touching my nose as I leaned back. In the following second, I was cutting one of the creatures in half.
[Do you wish to listen?]
I swallowed back a curse.
If the prince and the Bride were not lovers, why had he said those things to the Groom?
[The 2nd Prince claims to be the only one who truly cares about the Bride.]
[He says his selfishness pales in comparison to his brother’s.]
[He states if anyone will bring their downfall, it’s the Groom.]
Why did things just keep getting more and more confusing?
This won’t do. Staying like this, it won’t do at all.
How could I make sure they were happy?
“The 2nd prince, however, knows what the Bride yearns for the most. And he was trying to help her.”
I furrowed, kicking one mercenary in the chest and sending him colliding with the other two behind.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Let me guess; they never mention what this thing is.”
Kaduna’s silence was all the reply I needed.
Dammit…it’s like we are running in fucking circles.
The mercenaries' wave lasted at least ten minutes. I could see people from the Royal and Patrol Squads fighting as well, and overall, they were doing well. If I were to compare the death count with the other Trials…
When Kurosawa killed the last one of them, there was this stillness that fell into the space—like a heavy veil that made the very air static and all sounds cease completely.
I looked over to Aída and Kaduna, then Hal and Kurosawa. Motionless. Afraid to blink and have everything start all over again. Then, I heard footsteps. Calm, measured, deliberate; steps that at first belong to one entity, and soon became many. The Groom’s brother, accompanied by many guards.
Although I hadn’t caught a good glance of the 2nd prince the first time I saw him, his current attire was not what I expected.
The 2nd prince was dressed like a military commander.
It shared the same assertiveness and authority I sensed from the Groom, yet more aggressive. From the way the prince walked into the Wedding Hall, he could be both a hero and a villain. A knight in shining armor or a demon offering sweet promises.
[The 2nd Prince asks that all guests, including the Bride and Groom, await in the garden.]
[He informs all wounded shall seek the Royal Squad for treatment while the Wedding Hall is cleaned.]
As the younger prince walked toward the Groom, I could not help but notice how his head turned to the side for a brief second. Toward the Bride.
If only I could see their faces…
The 2nd prince bowed to his brother, the guards around us helping to evacuate all guests to the garden.
[The 2nd Prince asks for forgiveness.]
[As the Head of Security, he is ashamed of everything that occurred.]
[The Groom is furious!]
While the Groom faced his brother with both fists clenched at his side, the Bride stood with hands on top of each other, a regal and composed aura emanating from her flames.
[The Groom states that as long as no one has been seriously hurt, all is well.]
[As long as the Wedding proceeds without any other interruptions.]
The 2nd prince nodded once, turning at the Bride one last time before walking away to give commands to the guards.
I was about to walk toward the younger brother when someone held my arm.
And that someone had a pretty nasty look in their eyes.
“Park Eun-Woo. I trust you won’t do anything stupid.”
I laughed, the sound dry and hollow, pulling back my arm.
“What could I possibly do now? Everything is over, apparently.”
My employer did not seem that satisfied with my response—what a pity.
Sooner than later, all bodies had been moved. It was hard to tell, among so many, which belonged to faceless mercenaries and which ones had once been a human being as they were thrown into trolleys and taken away.
The task of rearranging and cleaning the Wedding Hall fell on the Design Squad, while the Royal Squad tended to all the injured guests. Hal and the few remaining people from the Escort Squad were to stand by near the Groom and the Bride and make sure they would stay safe, while the Patrol Squad had to check the perimeters a few times to ensure all mercenaries had been dealt with.
[Third Trial – Till Death do Them Part]
[Contracted Self Park Eun-Woo: Patrol Squad]
[Mission: Protect the Bride and Groom’s joyful day]
[Time till the Wedding Reception: 00:11:22]
[00:11:21]
[00:11:20]
…the rules said how long we all had until the Wedding Reception. But it was not clear whether we had to finish everything by then, or after it.
The Trial itself didn’t have a time limit.
So what would determine the Trial’s completion? How the system would judge the completion of our mission? The moment the Broom and Groom shared their vows? After the reception was over?
“Park Eun-Woo, they will start bringing the guests.” Kaduna’s voice filled my ear, although the sound was a bit weak. “I will check the surroundings one last time, meanwhile you can make sure the Wedding Hall is safe.”
“On it.”
As I looked around the corners, searching for any symbols or hidden trapdoors, I kept waiting for that message to pop up. For the dog to start to bark, urging me to listen. Yet nothing happened.
Yet as I crouched near the tables, something caught my attention in the seats. It was in one of the first rows, in the chair at the very corner. There was something stuck underneath it.
Me and Hal checked all the chairs earlier…there was nothing there.
It went over to the chair, grabbing and pulling the thing from underneath the seat. It was a letter.
No weird symbols. No sender. No recipient.
I opened it, ready to call Kaduna over to do the reading herself. Yet this time, I could read it. At first, I thought it should be another unimportant document.
But as soon as I finished the contents, it didn’t seem to be the case.
What the…
Why was I able to read this? When everything else was in that other language? Perhaps because the information itself seemed incomplete.
I’m sorry there is nothing much I can do for you. Unfortunately, this situation is out of my hands.
I hope this small gesture will be enough to bring the closure needed, for us to carry on.
First, who wrote the letter? And whose seat was that? After the last attack, most chairs had been rearranged. Even if I saw the guest list and positioning, there was no way for me to know who was the original recipient.
Before I could get lost in my thoughts, the guests started to walk in, not wasting one second as they went straight to their seats. I cursed, backing away.
[00:04:16]
[00:04:15]
[00:04:14]
As the seconds stretched, everything got set for the wedding ceremony.
All guests were in their seats.
All Squads were present somewhere in the hall.
The guards were surrounding all exits.
The 2nd prince was standing near his brother.
The Broom and Groom were waiting for the priest to start.
Everything was proceeding as it should.
Yet the letter’s content kept burning inside my mind, the sentences swirling and screaming at me.
What am I missing?
Around me, everyone from the Squads appeared exhausted. Depleted. I glanced over at Kurosawa, a few meters ahead. Our eyes met for two seconds before he looked away, focusing on the ceremony.
On the other side of the hall, in front of me, Aída gave me a sorrowful smile. Kaduna, standing by my side, held her gaze toward the soon-to-be-married couple.
“I do not think this answer is wrong,” she spoke in a soft voice, so low it was almost a whisper. “Although it has not been precedent in the past Trials, it may be that victory can be achieved through multiple means.”
I didn’t reply. Whatever the victory we would achieve with this trial, it was bitter and unsavory.
In front of all of us, the Bride and Groom faced the priest like two rocks.
[The Groom feels happy the Bride is safe and sound.]
[The Bride feels happy no harm came upon the 2nd Prince.]
They were both happy.
[Till Death Do Them Part]
[Protect the Groom and Bride’s happiness]
Yet…
They weren’t.
They felt happy about how everything worked out, yet neither the Groom nor Bride was happy about getting married to each other.
That entire development, it felt wrong.
[Yappy Dog is barking at you]
Huh?
[Do you wish to listen?]