TFLA 02

Chapter : 2 “I’ll Kill Them All”

“Good day to you. I am Vioria Nico Fortesia. As you can see, I have been splendidly imprisoned.”

Well, I really did it this time. I had assumed that a noble—especially a former fiancée of a prince—would never be thrown into an ordinary cell… but here I am, dumped into a proper underground dungeon.

There are indeed special “guest cells” meant for nobles who committed crimes or enemy commanders captured as prisoners of war. It seems they truly feared me quite a bit.

Even the soldiers bringing my meals look terrified. Apparently, they think that simply interacting with me will curse them. How rude. If I could curse people, I would have already cursed every last one of them.

Honestly, it’s infuriating. Do they seriously think I would assassinate a royal using such an absurd method?! How insulting can they possibly be!

No, really… are those idiots even thinking? What possible benefit would there be to killing Prince Daktar at this timing? None whatsoever. If anything, if I were going to do something like that, it would make more sense after the marriage.

Even for a farce, I would have preferred a more intelligent accusation! As expected of a king so spoiled by peace—his thinking is just as rotten as his country!

…However, this was unexpected.

I had heard the royal finances were in trouble, but I never imagined they would go so far as to dismantle House Fortesia just to seize its assets immediately.

And… Daktar-sama may have simply been forced to go along with it, but still. Seeing him accept it so easily makes me strangely sad.

Even if it was a political marriage, I had worked hard to be a noblewoman worthy of being the prince’s fiancée. I was always top of the academy. I mastered multiple forms of magic, and in martial tournaments I always won by a landslide. I did everything expected of someone marrying into the royal family… but it seems those feelings never reached Daktar-sama.

And even if it was a marriage without love, I never imagined he would so easily discard it. Did that fool even understand what political marriage means?

…

Now then. What should I do next?

I would love nothing more than to curse and kill every last one of those fools who were in the throne room, but…

My house is gone. I have no status. With these charges, I am now a fallen noble. With so many nobles conspiring together, House Fortesia will never see the light of day again.

I know the names of those rotten nobles who set me up.

First, the “witnesses” in that room: House Clarino, House Fruitie, and House Hornbone. All of them were once high-class nobles now in decline, completely outcompeted by House Fortesia in trade. Watching “prestigious bloodlines” and “long histories” slowly rot away is quite the entertaining spectacle.

So yes, all three had plenty of motive to burn down my estate and frame me. Without Fortesia, they probably think they can scrape by with their pitiful little businesses again. Or maybe they just wanted petty revenge. Either way—I will not forgive them.

And then there is House Orkesta… the royal family I was supposed to marry into. Those financial idiots.

They accepted the engagement purely for money, which is already laughable enough—but to destroy House Fortesia right before the marriage and steal everything? What an impressive level of stupidity!

As a noble, I am well aware that the world is full of scheming. I never expected fairness.

But who could have imagined they would crush House Fortesia outright and steal its wealth with no honor at all?

Unforgivable.

If we were talking about market competition, I could accept defeat. But this… this is too much.

This is not a contest of ability or strategy—it is naked violence using power and numbers. Such a disgraceful downfall cannot be allowed!

But there is no way to judge them.

Naturally, the corrupt judiciary will side with the royal family. Other nobles will do the same. And as for divine judgment… I never expected anything from gods to begin with. If gods truly existed, this country would already be in ruins.

And what can I do alone as a human?

Espionage? Market control? A battle of capital?

All impossible. I have no money to hire spies, no funds to control markets, no backing at all. Just one fallen girl with nothing.

But in reality, it’s much simpler than that.

They are human.

Which means—they can be killed.

…

So I have decided.

If I cannot resist injustice, then I will become injustice itself. If power is oppression, then I will answer with violence. Poison must be countered with poison.

“Every last one of them… I will kill them alll!”

I cannot die in a place like this without avenging my honor, my house, and everything that was taken from me!

I have nothing left to lose!

So with this body alone, I will slaughter every single one of those who stole House Fortesia from me!

…

Ah. That felt refreshing. My mind is clear now. Time to make future plans.

First, if I walk out of here normally, I will still be a criminal.

I cannot simply go out and start killing my enemies immediately. Even a “frail young lady” like me would be easily handled by guards.

Even though I won martial tournaments every time, my strength works best against a single living opponent, preferably with a surprise attack. If I am surrounded, things become difficult.

In other words, fighting large numbers of soldiers head-on is disadvantageous. This castle is not a suitable battlefield for me.

And I need weapons. Bare hands are fine, but tools are better.

Yes. I need weapons, tools, preparation… and above all, a different place and opportunity. I need time.

The longer I stay here after escaping, the more people will come after me, so I will need a new identity and a place to live. Otherwise, I’ll be dragged right back into this dungeon.

For that, I need money—starting capital.

I can earn small amounts easily enough. As a daughter of House Fortesia, I have mastered magic and martial arts. I could hunt monsters, sell materials, take bounty requests, and survive in hiding for a while. No fixed address. Probably living in inns or the wilderness.

Now that I have a goal, I feel much better.

So there is only one thing to do.

Escape.

“Get me out of this damn dungeon already!”

“Meal delivery. …Hm?”

The soldier peered through the bars.

The cell was empty.

“What the—?!”

He immediately entered the cell.

And in that instant—

“Pardon me!”

From the ceiling, I dropped directly onto him, striking the back of his neck with everything I had, aiming to crush his spine.

The soldier collapsed instantly.

Good.

Before anyone notices he is missing, I must move quickly.

First, I strip him of his armor and clothes, take the keys, and search for valuables.

I obtain his uniform, armor, a set of keys, and several silver coins.

It has been a long time since I saw silver coins. Ever since House Fortesia rose to nobility, I rarely touched anything below gold.

Now then.

I change into the soldier’s uniform and armor. My dress… I decide to discard it. Selling it would risk tracing it back to me, and it is bulky anyway. It is just a normal academy travel dress—nothing valuable enough to justify the risk.

So I throw it out the window to mislead anyone tracking my escape route.

The soldier is left in his undergarments outside the cell.

“Now then, farewell.”

At this point, everything becomes quite easy.

Next, I unlock every cell I pass.

The deeper cells contain the most dangerous prisoners, so I prioritize those.

…By the way, I was held in the deepest cell. Meaning I was treated as the most dangerous prisoner in the entire dungeon.

How rude.

Of course, I only unlock the doors—I do not open them. Whether they leave or not is up to each prisoner.

However…

“…It’s open?”

A man stepped out.

He was large, well-built, sharp-eyed, and calm—despite being imprisoned. He looked far too composed for a prisoner.

Definitely a “dangerous one.”

“You… opened these?”

“Perhaps I did.”

“As in, you’re not a guard? Who are you?”

“I am Vioria. Just a fallen noblewoman falsely accused.”

“…Vioria, huh.”

He smiled—like a wolf.

“I’m Dran Parku. I’ll repay this debt someday.”

“I hope we never meet again.”

“Yeah… that’s likely.”

Still, he asked for a key, and I gave it to him.

If I’m going to escape anyway, speed is everything.

Soon, chaos spread. Prisoners flooded the corridors. Guards panicked. Fighting broke out. Screams echoed.

And in the confusion, I slipped through in a soldier’s uniform, unnoticed.

The dungeon became a battlefield of madness.

“IT’S A PRISON BREAK!”

“WHO STARTED THIS?!”

“ALL OF THEM!!”

Naturally, I escaped through the confusion, stole a horse from the stables, and left through the back gate.

No one stopped me.

The night city concealed me well.

The roads were quiet enough that I could ride freely.

Before long, I arrived at the Fortesia estate.

The fire had already died out.

Only the burned remains of the mansion stood.

Servants were searching through the ruins—some perhaps for remains, others for valuables.

“Nerina!”

I called out.

The maid looked up in shock.

“Lady Vioria!? You’re alive?! We heard you were imprisoned!”

“I escaped already!”

The servants cheered loudly.

“As expected of Lady Vioria!”

“We never believed she was truly captured!”

“We already insulted those soldiers earlier, don’t worry!”

Honestly… what a bold group of servants.

“Now then,” I said, “what will happen next?”

Nerina looked worried. Understandably so.

The estate was gone. My parents missing. I was a fugitive. Their lives were uncertain.

I clapped my hands.

“Your severance pay—you will find it yourselves. Search the ruins!”

The servants immediately became excited.

“However—do not leave a single valuable behind. Take everything. Burn what is useless. No one will care anymore.”

They snapped to attention.

“And if you want new jobs, find them yourselves. The Fortesia mines and farms will provide work, or you may serve other nobles.”

They nodded quietly.

They still loved House Fortesia, in their own way.

Soon, distant shouts came from the royal soldiers.

Time was up.

“I must go now.”

I mounted my horse and smiled.

“Where to, my lady?” Nerina asked.

I thought for a moment.

“…Well then.”

I kicked the horse forward.

“I suppose I’ll go hunt a dragon!”

And with that, I vanished into the night.