TIRS 57

CHAPTER 57……

 The Woman Who Can Kill with a Glance

“No, no!”

I shouted, shaking my head violently.

“No?”

“That’s right, no.”

“……”

Illei still looked as though she didn’t understand.

‘Can I even explain what a crime is to Illei, who’s only just come into the human world…?’

I swallowed hard as I looked down at her.

“Lulu, do you not want me to get rid of Ancelot?”

“Yes, I don’t!”

“……?”

“Not just Ancelot—anyone! Absolutely not!”

“Mhm. Lulu doesn’t like it.”

Illei nodded, murmuring in a way that was somewhere between convinced and still unsure.

“If Lulu doesn’t like it, then Illei doesn’t like it either.”

“……”

“So Illei won’t get rid of anyone.”

Only when Illei finally arrived at the right conclusion did I breathe a deep sigh of relief.

Well, I’d managed to keep the peace somehow.

Both Ancelot and Illei were incredibly skilled.

If they clashed, it was obvious that one of them would be seriously injured.

No, not just them—the collateral damage would probably be the people nearby.

Like poor Louisbel Azester, for example…

“Your Highness.”

A polite knock sounded.

When I opened the door, Klaus came in.

“Sir Klaus? What is it?”

“If Prince Ancelot causes Your Highness any discomfort, please command me.”

Klaus spoke to me with a very serious expression.

His tone was so resolute that I couldn’t help but blurt out,

“You can’t get rid of Ancelot! Murder is a crime!”

“…Pardon?”

Klaus looked confused.

“I meant I would remove him so that he wouldn’t be able to come near Your Highness.”

“Oh… I see.”

Because of my earlier conversation with Illei, I’d completely misunderstood.

Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched my cheek.

“Thank you, Sir Klaus.”

Part of me wondered if my annoyance toward Ancelot had been that obvious.

It bothered me to think others were worrying about it because of me, so I really should get rid of these feelings quickly…

‘Just for today. I’m allowed to act however I feel for one day, right?’

Only after justifying it to myself like that was I able to let go of the discomfort in my chest.

“This is bad.”

Meanwhile, left alone in the dining room, Ancelot looked at the empty seat where Louisbel had been and gave a bitter smile.

“Our princess seems… upset.”

Thinking about Louisbel’s forced smile from yesterday dampened his mood as well.

‘You know, Ancelot… When this journey is over—’

‘After we defeat Helheim and complete the scenario… will you still stay by my side then?’

The reason he hesitated instead of answering right away yesterday…

…was because, at that moment, he’d found himself considering it.

Even though he knew better than anyone that he could never stay by her side once the journey was over.

‘Why couldn’t I just answer right away?’

Ancelot didn’t understand himself.

He could have just said no—so why had he hesitated?

And why, in that moment…

…had he been more concerned about the fact that he’d hurt her?

The image of Louisbel’s wounded-looking face stuck in his heart like a thorn.

A thorn that pricked and itched, impossible to ignore, yet impossible to pull out.

After a short rest, I called for the attendants to help me get ready.

But the hands combing my hair were trembling.

‘Do they have a tremor or something?’

I was genuinely starting to worry about it when—

“Ah!”

Their trembling seemed excessive, and then finally—an accident.

“I—I’ve committed a mortal sin!”

“Well, no, it’s not that serious…”

The “mistake” was simply dropping the comb.

It was nothing more than picking it up and using it again—or bringing out a new one if it really bothered them.

‘The Luenhart palace must be really strict. If it were Seira, she wouldn’t be so startled and tearful over something like this…’

After finishing my preparations, I set out to explore the palace.

It was meant to be a little mood-lifting walk.

I left Piya, Illei, and Klaus behind, insisting on going alone.

As expected of the Kingdom of Love and Passion, the interior of the palace was dazzling and elegant.

It had a completely different feel from the grand, solemn Azester palace.

‘This might actually be more my style.’

I was enjoying my stroll when I felt a strange sense of unease.

“That’s odd…”

I murmured under my breath and glanced around.

Whenever I made eye contact with someone, they flinched and quickly averted their gaze.

After it happened more than five times, I was sure it wasn’t a coincidence.

“What is this about?”

I crossed my arms, thinking, then opened my inventory—and there it was.

Item: Mind Translator
A strange device that lets you hear someone’s inner thoughts. Can only be used on targets of a lower level than the user.

It was something I’d bought earlier from the Brillanta Dark Guild merchant.

SYSTEMSYSTEM Using .
SYSTEMSYSTEM You will now hear the thoughts of all targets lower in level than you. (Remaining time: 1 hour)

I selected “all people” as the targets.

Instantly, I began to hear the thoughts of those nearby.

‘So that’s Salto’s lover.’

‘Better not get too close—might anger Salto and get erased.’

‘If she’s Salto’s lover, she must have a nasty temper too.’

What the…

So that’s why people had been avoiding me—they were influenced by disturbing rumors about Salto!

‘I heard Salto killed someone just yesterday…’

‘They say a bloodbath broke out at the prince’s palace as soon as he arrived.’

‘One of the palace servants was found dead.’

‘When will he leave? Peace will only return once Salto’s gone.’

‘That’s not true! Ancelot’s not some psycho who kills randomly! That dead servant was actually an assassin sent by the king’s children!’

I bristled with anger.

‘It was the king’s children who tried to kill an innocent person—why is Ancelot the one being slandered?’

Sharp and perceptive as he was, Ancelot must already be well aware of how much people feared him.

‘It’s not worth wasting strength over.’

‘The king’s on his children’s side anyway, no one will believe him.’

And it seemed he was deliberately letting it go…

‘Ancelot seems used to this kind of situation.’

The thought that he might be so accustomed to being misunderstood and hated that he’d grown resigned to it made it impossible for me to stay still.

“Hey, you.”

I deliberately used a lazy, cocky tone—something Ancelot himself might use—and called out the person whose inner thoughts had been the harshest.

“Eek! M-me?”

It was a Luenhart palace servant named Ventas.

From the surrounding whispers, I could hear thoughts like ‘Poor guy…’ and ‘He’s doomed…’.

SYSTEMSYSTEM has entered Fear status.

I glared at him menacingly.

SYSTEMSYSTEM has entered Extreme Fear status.

“Do you not know why I called you?”

I lowered my eyes ominously and asked in a chilling voice.

SYSTEMSYSTEM cannot withstand Extreme Fear and faints.

“Hhhhkkk!”

At the same time, the nearby attendants gaped at me.

‘As expected… Salto’s lover…’
‘She knocked Ventas out with just her gaze…’
‘Avoid her at all costs.’

Their faces went pale.

SYSTEMSYSTEM Luenhart palace servant has entered Fear status.
SYSTEMSYSTEM Luenhart palace maid has entered Fear status.
SYSTEMSYSTEM Luenhart palace soldier has entered Fear status.

“Hmph.”

Watching people fall into fear one after another, I snorted.

SYSTEMSYSTEM Your reputation has decreased by 50.
SYSTEMSYSTEM Your notoriety has increased by 50.

Apparently my infamy had gone up again.

Not that I cared—I turned my back on the noisy system messages.

“That’s her. They say she killed someone with just her gaze.”

Everywhere I went, I could hear the whispers.

This palace’s rumor mill was absurdly fast—the story of me knocking out Ventas had already spread far and wide.

Already feeling down earlier, I happily spent my time picking out the worst Ancelot-bashers and scaring them for my own amusement.

“Wow, I think I understand why Ancelot turned out so bad-tempered.”

By the time I was done, I was in a much better mood.

When the Mind Translator’s time ran out, I wrapped up my morning stroll and returned to the prince’s palace.

In front of the building, I found Illei sitting at an outdoor table, Klaus training nearby, and Piya nibbling on desserts from a plate.

Everyone’s faces looked bright and refreshed.

“Where did all these desserts come from?”

I asked Illei, who was sipping warm milk.

Since Illei didn’t usually like sweets, I wondered if someone had given them to her just because she looked like a child.

“The bird ordered them.”

Illei pointed at Piya.

“Piya?”

Pyu-rrr! Pyu-rrrrrr!

—People kept bringing Piya food! They’re smart enough to recognize my greatness!

Piya was in the best mood, flapping around.

Pyu-rrrrrr!

—I still can’t believe that a brute like Ancelot is from the same country as such wonderful people!

Piya laughed, patting his round belly with his wings.

Up close, his stomach was extremely plump.

‘Good grief—is that a bird or a pig?’