TIRS 91

CHAPTER 91……………………………..

 What If He’s a Bad Person

Kkuwaeeeeeek!

The once-quiet valley rang endlessly with the screams of monsters.

[SYSTEM] You have defeated <Lv.57 Stone Eagle of the Screaming Valley>!

[SYSTEM] You gained 1740(x3) EXP.

I glanced at my rapidly filling EXP bar thanks to the , then swung my sword again.

[SYSTEM] You have defeated <Lv.56 Stone Moth of the Screaming Valley>!

[SYSTEM] You gained 1590(x3) EXP.

[SYSTEM] Total monsters defeated: 500,000!

[SYSTEM] You have obtained the title 【Slayer of Monsters】.

[SYSTEM] Title effect: Monster respawn rate increased by +140%.

[SYSTEM] Title effect: Fame increased by +200. (Fame: 999)

I took a short breath and looked around.

Klaus, Maria, and Elay were each slaying monsters beside me.

‘As expected, grinding is the best way to level up.’

I glanced up at the name window floating above my head with a smirk.

【Slayer of Monsters】 Lv.57 Luibel Azester

§Blessed State§

The window above my head shone with plain blue, not shimmering gold.

That was because I had swapped out my usual title to maximize grinding efficiency.

Thanks to that, I had slaughtered hundreds of thousands of monsters, progressing from
【Hunter of Monsters】
to
【Slayer of Monsters】.

Only after changing titles did I realize that my old one had actually helped me wield sword aura more precisely.

I decided that once I left this grinding field, the very first thing I would do was switch my title back. Meanwhile, I healed my health with a potion.

We were in the Screaming Valley, located between the Luenhart Kingdom and our next destination.

It had already been two days since I started grinding here.

Before leaving Luenhart, I went shopping with Piya and swept every potion from the stores.

The only regret was failing to obtain a Horn Flute—if I’d had one, I could have leveled up even faster.

Still, after two days and nights of nonstop monster slaying, my level had risen considerably.

I was smiling with satisfaction, watching monsters shriek and collapse, when—

“Your Highness.”

A cool hand brushed the sweat from my forehead, along with a pleasant baritone voice.

It was Ancelot, idly hanging around with Piya while the others fought hard.

Well, technically, this grind was only for my level-up, so Ancelot, who wasn’t even registered as an aid, didn’t really need to participate.

But to outsiders, his idleness probably looked quite shameless.

Not that Ancelot cared. He wasn’t the type to mind others’ opinions. He simply lazed about and occasionally came over to chat with me like this.

“Ancelot, at least pretend to help fight.”

“Why bother? If I joined in, I’d only get in Your Highness’s way.”

He wasn’t wrong. If he helped, there’d be fewer monsters left for me to kill.

“You always know how to talk your way out.”

“It’s true, though.”

He brushed aside strands of hair stuck to my damp forehead, then chuckled softly.

“Your Highness doesn’t know, but… I was a little hurt when you were lying unconscious.”

“Huh?”

“Everyone else could help you, but I couldn’t. Because I wasn’t your ‘supporter’ or whatever.”

He let out a sigh with a pitiful frown.

“If I stepped forward too much, I’d end up stealing your quest instead of helping it.”

“Oh…”

For a moment, I hesitated at the genuine sadness in his voice.

“If only it ended with being hurt. But I also got… jealous.”

I blinked at his added words.

“J-Jealous…?”

“Yes. Jealous.”

His eyes curved gently as his voice turned honeyed.

“I’m actually a very jealous man. To be honest, even right now, I’m jealous.”

“…Jealous of what?”

“I wish I were the only one sharing the same air with you. I want everyone else dead. Or maybe I should just kill them.”

“W-Wait! You can’t hurt people for that kind of reason—!”

“It’s a joke.”

His tone didn’t sound like a joke at all.

“I’m a good guy who values life.”

“…”

Who… values what now…?

I firmly vowed not to provoke Ancelot’s jealousy any further.

“By the way, that kid has black hair.”

He pointed toward Elay, who was busy slaying monsters.

“That man also had black hair, didn’t he…?”

At his random remark, I stared in disbelief.

“You’re not suspecting Elay, are you?”

“Not just the kid. I’m suspecting everyone. The knight. The saintess too.”

“What?”

“That woman described the man’s build. Klaus’s build is similar, isn’t it? Not many men are that tall. And the saintess, being from Luenhart, would’ve had an easy time sneaking into the prison.”

His reasoning was absurdly flimsy.

“Hold on, Ancelot. They’re our companions—”

“Doubtful.”

He cut me off sharply.

“I trust no one but you, Your Highness.”

I nearly commented that Klaus would be hurt hearing that, but then Ancelot’s tone grew serious.

“Every being born on this land is bound to the System. Unless they’re like you and me—existences outside the System.”

“Ancelot…?”

“So don’t trust too easily.”

“…”

“Suspect them. Suspect everyone you can, without exception. Even me.”

The weight of his words silenced me briefly.

But soon, I jutted my lips stubbornly.

“No. I’ll doubt the whole world if I must, but not you.”

Ancelot chuckled and teased me.

“What if I really am a bad person?”

“Then so be it. If I can’t recognize that the man I love is a bad person, that’s my failure.”

I glared at him playfully, then stepped closer.

“And what about you? You say you trust me. What if I’m the bad one?”

“I…”

He trailed off for a moment, then smiled gently.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if you were truly bad… even if you drove a sword through my heart.”

“What a cruel thing to say. I wouldn’t stab your heart. Just your forehead is enough.”

“…My forehead?”

He tilted his head.

“There’s such a thing.”

I chuckled.

“Anyway, doubting them is nonsense. If you think about it, you’re also from Luenhart, and your build is similar to Klaus’s. You’d actually be the prime suspect.”

“But you just said you’d never doubt me.”

He gave me a slightly wronged look.

“And suspecting Elay just because his hair is black? That’s laughable. The man was this tall—”

I froze.

Because I’d already once seen it: Elay growing into an adult man’s size.

‘No way…?’

Just then, Elay staggered under the gust of a monster’s wings and fell on his butt.

A monster tried to peck his head, but Klaus blocked with his shield in time.

‘Yeah, no way.’

I dismissed the thought. I must’ve been swept up by Ancelot’s weak suspicions.

If we went by black hair and tall height, half the world would be suspects.

‘Speaking of which… where’s Maria?’

Just as I looked around—

“Hyaaah!”

An attack suddenly came from behind Ancelot.

He dodged easily and smirked.

“See? I told you not to trust so easily.”

“Ugh… You dodged that?”

Maria stabbed her saintess staff into the ground in frustration.

“Maria? That was just now—”

“Oh my, was that Prince Ancelot? I thought it was some wicked monster harassing Lady Luibel. Hohoho.”

She waved her hand elegantly with a laugh.

‘She definitely just tried to attack him…’

I eyed the cracked ground where her staff landed. That staff was definitely more of a blunt weapon.

Meanwhile, Klaus approached.

“These monsters keep appearing endlessly. If anything, there seem to be even more.”

‘Well, that’s because my title boosts respawn rate…’

This valley was actually a designated grinding zone.

We’d even paid an entrance fee to the so-called [Hunting Grounds Keeper].

Elay, still going strong alone, took down a few more monsters.

[SYSTEM] You have defeated <Lv.57 Stone Eagle of the Screaming Valley>!

[SYSTEM] You gained 1740(x3) EXP.

[SYSTEM] Level Up! (Lv.58)

[SYSTEM] time has ended.

The moment the level-up notification came, the monsters vanished all at once.

Elay blinked at the now-empty surroundings, then turned toward me.

“Lulu!”

He cried my name and dashed into my arms.

“Elay killed all the monsters!”

“Oh my! Thanks to Elay, they must’ve all run away. Thank you, Elay.”

He beamed as I ruffled his hair.

With that, our business here was just about done.

I opened my skill window with a grin.

[SYSTEM] Activating skill .

[SYSTEM] You spread any rumor of your choice within a certain radius. Please input the rumor.

Time to make a grand announcement.

That Princess Luibel would soon arrive in the Kingdom of Lu.

The Kingdom of Lu, home of the Great Temple.

It was the one place we had to pass through to reach it.

And in the original story, it was where Hezen recruited his last companion, Targo.

“Are you Her Highness, Princess Luibel Azester the Third?”

As soon as we crossed the border, we were greeted by someone from Lu.

“His Majesty King Arnold of Lu has sent me. I am Tesius, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lu.”

“So it’s Lu.”

I glanced at the man’s name window.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lu

I expected someone to welcome us, but to send the foreign minister himself?

It seemed Luibel’s name had spread far and wide after all my quests. This was hospitality even Hezen in the original story never received.

“I hear you suffered hardships in Luenhart.”

‘Ah, so that’s why.’

Rumors of my ordeal in Luenhart must’ve spread, along with whispers that my mother pressured them afterward.

We rode the carriages they had prepared and entered the capital, Hanana.

Peering outside the window, I saw guards patrolling and stern faces everywhere.

The grim atmosphere described in the original story indeed lingered over the city.

When we passed through the palace gates and stepped down from the carriage, a massive statue greeted us.

Carved of stone, it depicted a woman wearing a long sword.

I froze.

An odd stirring filled my chest as I stared at her.

A strange familiarity, as if I had seen her before.

‘Where…?’

As I struggled to recall—

“Ah, I see you’re looking at Lady Sasenia’s statue.”

“…Sasenia?”

The name rang a bell, though faintly. The minister explained:

“She was an ancient hero of Lu. The first chosen one of the prophecy—she who was destined to seize the heart of the Light Dragon, Helheim.”

At that moment, I realized who she was.

Sasenia Lu.

A hero from a thousand years ago.

The one prophesied to seize the heart of the Light Dragon, Helheim.