TIRS 36

CHAPTER 36.

 Of Course I’m Angry

Once hailed as the top contender for the imperial throne, Second Prince Orent had lost everything in an instant and fallen into ruin.

The Emperor showed no mercy, even to his direct bloodline.

Ultimately, it was only because Duke Hamilton claimed full responsibility for their crimes that Orent was able to keep his life.

But the only thing he managed to preserve was that life.

He lost everything else—his father, his royal status, even his hair, possibly due to the declining health he suffered in prison. He also lost Cedric.

The hair loss, in truth, had occurred when Ancelot sneakily visited him in his sleep, but unaware of this, Orent assumed it was hereditary.

Even more devastating than losing his hair was losing Cedric.

Cedric, his aide, had been his most valuable asset.

It was Cedric who had informed both Orent and Duke Hamilton about how to obtain the demon horn whistle.

But as soon as the Emperor’s soldiers captured them, Cedric vanished without a trace.

It was obvious. Unable to escape punishment, Cedric must’ve fled the Empire alone to save himself.

“That idiot girl, Luibel, if only she hadn’t shown up with her mother and talked about the horn!”

Unable to face his own wrongdoings, Orent blamed all his misfortunes on Luibel.

He’d heard that girl had made it to the finals of the martial arts tournament.

While he’d lost everything, she was thriving—and just the thought of it drove him mad.

“I can’t be the only one to fall like this.”

Determined not to go down alone, Orent evaded his guards, snuck into the arena, and stirred up chaos.

“I’ll kill them all! You too! And this damn Empire!”

He pulled something out of his pocket.

The knights rushing to seize him gasped when they saw what was in his hand.

“That’s…!”

“A demon suppression seal orb! Everyone, be on guard!”

“Damn it! Seize the fallen prince!”

Orent hurled the object toward the arena.

But in his panic, he missed the mark—and instead of the arena, the black magic orb flew into the spectator stands.

“Screeeeaaam!”

As the crowd cried out in terror, Luibel dashed toward the stands like a bolt of light.

Klaus, who had been fixated on Luibel, quickly grasped the situation and chased after her.

“Your Highness, Luibel…!”

And then—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion turned the surroundings pitch-black.

A few days before the finals of the martial arts tournament…

On the day Luibel had handed Klaus a proposal ring and boldly asked him, “Become my knight!”—only to flee right after—she had spotted a familiar name on her mini-map.

It was .

Stripped of his royal title, the surname “Ajester” was no longer attached to his name.

‘He’s supposed to be sent to a monastery in two weeks. What’s he doing here?’

Curious, she followed him discreetly.

Orent stopped by the Dark Guild Merchant.

‘He’s broke. It’s not like he can buy anything in there…’

Then she remembered something: the merchant had once offered a special bonus for trading high-ranked Old Horn Whistles.

“It’s a marketing gimmick! If you rank first, you’ll get a demon suppression orb as a bonus reward!”

“Demon suppression orb? That’s just something you can buy at a normal weapons shop.”

“Ours are different! Ours are S-grade—permanent suppression unless the orb is destroyed!”

These orbs were used to handle multiple demons at once. They swallowed demons and trapped them in another dimension for a time—but using them on humans was strictly illegal.

Since the reward didn’t interest her, she’d forgotten about it.

‘Is he here to claim that? But why would he need it?’

Orent had experience using them at the borders, but now he was just a disgraced prince.

‘Knowing him, he wouldn’t leave the palace quietly…’

Maybe he was sharpening a blade, biding his time.

And being the coward he was, he wouldn’t dare attack their powerful mother—he’d target the weaker Luibel instead.

So in a fit of rage, he might use that suppression orb…

“No way. He wouldn’t go that far… right?”

She spoke aloud, almost trying to convince herself.

But silence was the only response.

“……”

Whether Duke Hamilton really acted alone was never revealed, but Orent had already committed unforgivable acts on the border.

A man who ignored injuries and deaths to boost his own fame—what would he do now, with nothing left to lose?

That unsettling thought made her keep a close eye on his movements from that day on.

“If Orent tries to use the orb against me—don’t try to save me.”

She’d explained everything to Ancelot and asked for a favor.

Ancelot had raised one eyebrow, clearly demanding an explanation.

“If I’m trapped in the orb, someone needs to stay outside to break it.”

Touching the orb carelessly would trap anyone else inside too. So if Orent used it on her, the best solution wasn’t to help her immediately—it was to wait until the orb swallowed her and dimmed, then destroy it.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to take him out before he causes trouble?”

Ancelot grumbled, making it obvious that “taking him out” referred to Orent.

“No. We can’t do that.”

“Because he’s your family?”

She didn’t consider Orent family. He didn’t think of her as a sister, either.

Still, to their mother, he was her son.

And she didn’t want to make her mother cry by hurting Orent without undeniable proof.

So she wanted to believe.

That Orent, however twisted, wouldn’t harm innocent people.

That the border incident really had been Duke Hamilton’s doing.

She didn’t believe in Orent, but in their mother’s happiness.

“But if he really proves to be a monster… then I’ll be the one to end him.”

If he betrayed her trust again—if he made their mother cry again—then she would bring him to justice herself.

“Fine.”

Ancelot nodded slowly.

“But if that bastard so much as scratches you…”

His eyes swept over her.

“I’m going to be really, really pissed.”

He added this calmly, with a soft smile.

“Ancelot…?”

“If that happens, no matter what I do, don’t stop me.”

His smiling eyes held a chilling intensity.

“Why would you be angry if I get hurt?”

She asked, flustered.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Why is that obvious?”

“Because you’re the one destined to fulfill my long-held wish.”

…Ah, right.

She nodded, accepting it.

‘I absolutely cannot let myself get hurt.’

And today.

The day of the martial arts finals.

While waiting for her match, she spotted Orent’s name on the mini-map again.

He’d snuck in, hidden among the crowd.

He shouted her name and cursed her out in front of everyone.

And with that, the last shred of belief she had in him shattered.

“That human trash bastard.”

The words slipped out.

She felt no betrayal.

Maybe deep down, she’d known this was coming.

Thanks to her prior planning with Ancelot, she wasn’t shocked or shaken.

She calmly grabbed her sword, waiting for Orent to strike.

But then—an unexpected twist.

Orent missed his target, and the orb flew toward the spectators instead.

“Move! Ruth’s Footsteps!”

Fweeep!

― Lady Lulu, be careful!

[SYSTEM] Skill <Ruth’s Footsteps> activated.
[SYSTEM] Your movement speed increases by 500%.

She lunged toward the stands.

Instinct moved before thought.

At that moment, her eyes met Ancelot’s.

He flinched reflexively, starting toward her.

But then—silently cursing—he stopped himself.

‘I can’t let anyone else get caught.’

Just before the orb hit the stands, she leapt into the air and slashed at it with her sword.

The black orb shimmered and began swallowing the blade.

As the black mass consumed her sword, she made up her mind:

Only she should be trapped.

It couldn’t be destroyed anyway. The only option was to provoke it to consume her and shut down.

She struck it with a blast of sword energy.

The orb flared with dark light and engulfed her.

“Princess Luibel…!”

And then—suddenly—a man blocked her path.

‘Huh? Klaus?’

His platinum hair fluttered before her eyes.

That was the last thing she saw.

She had been swallowed into the dark dimension—along with Klaus.

As they were sucked in, all sound and light from the outside disappeared.

[SYSTEM] You are trapped in a subspace. You cannot use skills or inventory here.

The system flashed a cold warning.

‘Huh? Piya’s gone?’

Normally, her spirit companion Piya would be panicking, squealing, or flashing messages—but now, it was silent.

It seemed the connection had been severed upon entry.

Still, she felt calm.

Ancelot would find the orb and break it soon enough.

‘He looked furious…’

She had clearly seen it—

Ancelot’s lips silently mouthing profanity, his face twisted in rage.

Even though Orent wasn’t much of a threat, she’d worried—what if he defied the plan and dove in after her?

Outside of her and Orent, only Ancelot knew the orb’s true nature—that it could only be broken to release someone.

‘Anyway…’

She glanced at Klaus, who had been pulled in with her.

‘Getting trapped with him wasn’t part of the plan.’

How had he ended up in here, too?