Blackthorne didn’t waste any time and quickly dived towards the now opened room, not caring with finishing off the boss. Deciding that the boss can wait first he must secure the loot. In his case the princess and whatever artifacts are hiding in the deepest section of dungeon. With this one move, he was being cautions and greedy at the same time. ‘Just what could go wrong.’
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After recovering from health potion, Elara wanted to regroup with Roland. However, Albert explained to her the situation with Roland, and they weren’t even able to communicate using communication crystals. Both then agreed to find the Princess and went aid her.
As they approached the Giant door of the boss room, they noticed countless dungeon’s mechanical guards entering the room. They decided to wait since even they knew they wouldn’t be a match to that many. Their new plan was to stealthily reach princess and then get out while the commotion lasted.
Unfortunately, as soon as they entered, Blackthorne had unleashed a grand tier spell on the mob as well as the Boss. The shockwave threw the duo outside the boss room, having them crash against the corridor wall and lose their consciousness.
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The small room attached to the boss room seemed to hold a grim history of its own. Inside, Seraphina could see the skeletons of guards, adorned in armors that were like those of the mechanical guards, but with more intricate details, indicating their higher ranks. Perhaps these people were the living beings and the ones they witnessed before were some types of advanced golems? She pondered.
The room had a somber atmosphere, as if it were a forgotten memorial to those who once guarded this place.
A broken round table with chairs surrounded the skeletons, suggesting that it was once a place for discussion or planning.
The state of one of the chairs, smashed into the wall, hinted at the intensity of past conflicts or disagreements that had taken place within these walls.
At the far end of the room, an iron maiden stood, a menacing and ancient torture device. Or at least that’s what it looked like. However, what caught Seraphina’s attention was the network of tubes attached to it, leading outside the room through the adjacent wall. It seemed as though this sinister contraption was once used for a purpose far beyond its usual sinister intent.
On the table, there was a diary as she reached out to touch it, it crumbled to dust beneath her fingertips.
However, as a former royal magician, she wasn’t out of options. She cast her restoration spell on the dust and soon the diary recovered its former glory.
By the grace of Goddess Galadria, I call upon her divine power to restore the lost wisdom held within the sacred diary. With reverence and devotion, I beseech her to mend the pages and revive the knowledge they once held.
Oh, Goddess Galadria, guardian of ancient wisdom, let your light shine upon this cherished tome. Let the words that were once written in ink now return to grace these pages once more.
Her excitement of possibly finding valuable information in the diary was cut short as Blackthorne grabbed her by the neck and slammed her to the ground.
"What is your relationship with this dungeon?" Blackthorne yelled at the princess, his displeasure evident after losing his comrades to the treacherous dungeon, while the princess remained unharmed. The fact that the dungeon beings actively ignored her didn't sit well with him, feeling like an insult to injury.
“I-I don’t know what you are talking about? I hid well” Seraphina responded out of fear.
“Liar, I even saw the damn boss avoiding his rampage towards where you stood”
“I don’t know what you are talking about… leave me alone!”
“Shut up bitch, Now die” as Blackthorne declared Seraphina’s shock was visible on her face. All her nightmares coming to reality. Once she dies, the goddess will recognize the new king as a monarch attested by divinity.
She had to survive, even if it meant signing a contract with the devil.
Blackthorne initially understood the reason why the new king wanted her demise. But he was not a simple man. The only reason Blackthorne became his hound was because he was the king and the king have money. However, he had found out about Goddess blessings which is a knowledge kept from the commoners. He found a very good opportunity of making even more money out of it.
Blackthorne realized that capturing the princess alive was an impossible task. If he were to escape alone, the dungeon beings would support her, and she could not only save her kingdom but also pursue him relentlessly for revenge.
At first, he would sell the princess in slave market for a very high price. Then he would bargain for more money if he really wanted the princess dead. Since he would also move to Gaul empire, the new king would have his hands tied. The Gaul empire loved to mock other Kingdoms by enslaving former royalties for this reason too. If rightful heir lives, any new king is unrecognized by temple.
This meant no temple priests, no holy water, no healing, and the list goes on. Overtime, even crops die leading to famine and the suffering of the people in these lands.
The Gaul empire, in such situations, chooses to negotiate with the weakened kingdoms. They demand exorbitant amounts of gold, territories, and sometimes even the wives and daughters of the kings. If an agreement cannot be reached, the Empire wages war against the already weakened kingdom and occupies it. Subsequently, they install the enslaved royal as a puppet king to maintain their control.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The princess was oblivious to such schemes, and she thought the Gaul empire always helped neighboring kingdoms. Definitely not knowing the enslavement part.
Blackthorne now had only one option. Kill the princess and settle with promised wage for the job. Move on to next assignment.
Taking out his dagger, he dived towards the princess.
But she cast protective barrier, her instant skill activated with a mere thought. Such feats would not be possible if she didn’t equip with royal grade artifacts.
With each projectile launched, Blackthorne's determination and fury fueled his actions. His eyes locked on the royal barrier; he calculated the force needed to weaken it without compromising his main weapon's integrity.
Stone after stone, piece after piece, he hurled them with precision and strength. The barrier showed signs of strain, cracks forming like spiderwebs upon its surface. Blackthorne's plan was clear – to exploit the barrier's limited capacity and force the princess to expend her energy in maintaining it.
As the barrage continued, the princess felt the strain of upholding the barrier.
The magical energies surrounding her flickered and wavered, making the barrier's integrity increasingly fragile.
Blackthorne's relentless assault finally took its toll. With one powerful throw, a large piece of wood struck the barrier's center, causing it to shudder and tremble. The princess gasped as cracks spread rapidly from the point of impact.
Seeing his chance, Blackthorne intensified his barrage, aiming with unwavering accuracy. The barrier's cracks deepened, and the strain on the princess grew unbearable.
"You can't hold it forever, princess!" Blackthorne taunted, his voice dripping with contempt.
The princess gritted her teeth, as she channeled her magic, attempting to mend the fractures and reinforce the barrier. But with each blow from Blackthorne's projectiles, her efforts seemed futile.
Then, with a resounding crash, the barrier shattered. The princess stumbled backward, drained of energy and gasping for breath. Blackthorne seized the opportunity, lunging forward with a renewed ferocity.
But just as he closed in, the air around the princess shimmered with a renewed energy. A faint, celestial light enveloped her, and her injuries began to mend. It was a divine blessing from Goddess Galadria herself.
Blackthorne's eyes widened in astonishment as he realized the princess was now revitalized. The power of the goddess was with her, and his attempts to weaken her had backfired. His chance to strike a decisive blow had slipped through his fingers.
"Cease your mindless assault, mortal, for before you stands the one who birthed you, raised you, and will claim your soul when your time is nigh."
A prompt materialized above the Princess's forehead, but it was directed towards Blackthorne. At the same time, the Princess repeated the same words, but in different languages simultaneously.
Blackthorne's eyes widened in shock at first, then he despaired, his expression turning into a frown. Slowly, his emotions shifted to anger.
It had been decades since he had shown emotions to anyone. He thought he had lost them as he always maintained his calm composure.
“Y-you… you’ve come to defend her Oh Goddess?” Blackthorne forced these words out as he tried his best not to go berserk from rage.
“…” The Goddess Galadria who was possessing The Princess stayed silent.
“You gods say that all humans are equal” he said as he breathed heavily with surge of emotions coming back to him after decades.
“You didn’t bother to show up when they killed my child” he finally yelled without any restraint.
“YET YOU SHOW UP TO SAVE A BLOODY ROYAL?” His eyes bulging out in anger as if he would swallow the world just to spite Galadria
“Y-you are a false god, I denounce you…… Fuck you.”
Galadria smiled, seeing it as nothing more than a child's rant, complaining to her about the unfairness of the world.
“Why do you blame me for the deed done by your own kind?” She asked
“Well then why don’t you fuck off and let this kind do the deed to his own kind”
“You are perhaps misunderstanding something; I am not here to protect this girl because she is a royal” Galadria clarified.
“I am here to avoid a certain someone from waking up from their slumber. It’s for your own good too.”
“Didn’t you give us a quest to clear the dungeon? Why are you stopping us now?”
“I did, thinking it would entertain me like it did in past. You don’t think this is the first time someone has entered here do you? I just didn’t think you would get this far” she finished her sentence mocking his effort like an entitled so called god she was.
Blackthorne stayed quiet
“Well here’s the thing, if you kill this princess, that Iron maiden will unseal; I am doing you a favor by warning you.”
“What do you mean for my own favor? Who is inside this contraption?”
“Someone you don’t want to know, even though I came here to stop you, I am unable to take direct actions in this world, so the choice is still yours to make. Do you want to kill the princess, unleash a monster on this world that could bring disaster, or will you just let her be and pass the apocalypse for next generations?” the goddess asked.
“It’s almost funny because many years ago I had to possess this girl’s great grandfather and say the same thing to his assailant, time flies but argh humans, they stay the same” she added with a disgust for mortals in her tone.
“Well, the previous one was intelligent and chose to pass that question to you, Blackthorne. My job here is done.”
The golden aura surrounding the princess vanished, and she returned to her senses. Her pupils became visible again, and all her wounds were miraculously healed. Her skin tone appeared a shade lighter than before.
Even her torn clothes were back to how they were when she wore for the first time.
Veins popped on Blackthorne's forehead as he struggled to contain his rage. He couldn't believe it. The goddess had first stopped him and then lectured him on something he had never heard of before, and now she had simply left without even pleading for the girl's life. To her, everything was just entertainment. All his struggles throughout his life, everything he had fought for, were just a form of amusement to her.
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While the goddess Galadria mocked the shabby assassin and acted cool, she was in-fact still observing the development and very worried.
“Are you sure this was a good idea? She asked to someone who wasn’t there, but she knew that being was listening.
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Deeply trying to decipher the Goddess's words, Blackthorne was unable to decide what to do.
Should he not kill her? If he doesn’t kill her, then she would become a monarch bless by this goddess. What did she mean she did the same with her great grandfather? "King Everard Everhart, founder of the Kingdom of Everhart"?
As he thought, he spoke this name loudly, attracting the princess’s attention who was dazed due to abruptly getting possessed by the goddess.
Going back to his thoughts, he continued to contemplate if he should kill her? If he does, and the being gets unsealed, it would be the last thing he ever does. But if that person truly has the power to destroy the world...
As he weighed the options, uncertainty gnawed at him. The fate of not just the princess, but the entire world rested on his decision. He grappled with the moral dilemma, his mind swirling with possibilities and consequences.
"Ah, if he destroys this world, wouldn't that really hurt that false god?" as realization struck him. Losing all his sanity, he started laughing hysterically. The weight of the situation and the absurdity of it all seemed to have pushed him over the edge.
“Do you see this goddess? I will fuck over your plans HAHAHAHA!” Losing his calm and composure he started his barrage of attacks towards the still mildly dazed princess.
Blackthorne watched as the princess writhed in agony, the effects of the poison taking a toll on her frail form. A mix of emotions washed over him—anger, frustration, and a hint of guilt. He knew that he was responsible for this, for letting his rage get the better of him.
For a moment, he hesitated. Should he end her suffering and put her out of her misery? Or should he let her suffer just to spite the goddess?
Blackthorne decided to put her out of misery, he needed to calm his senses and get the hell out of here as soon as he ends her life. He was anything but a sadist after all, or at least that is how he saw himself.
As he was going to stab the poor girl’s heart a handheld his wrist tightly.
In a swift and instinctive motion, he switched his dagger to the other hand and swung it upwards towards the newcomer's throat. However, their eyes met at that very moment, causing him to redirect the blade and accidentally cut the person's nose instead.
To his surprise, the nose didn’t bleed, to make things worse, there wasn’t even a scratch on this person’s face.
Before him sat a figure that resembled an undead being. With a skeletal appearance similar to a mummy from ancient pharaoh's tales, the creature lacked bandages, its silver hair and deep blue eyes adding to its eerie presence. His expressions unreadable and then he said…
> “アウチ・ワイー・ディッド・ユー・ヒット・ミー?”
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