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“No.”

An unequivocal rejection accompanied the proposal.

The speed at which it was said was surprisingly meaningful.

The princess’s face flushed red with anger at the response given without a second thought.

“W-Why!?”

“Isn’t the reason something you, Your Highness, would know best?”

Without needing grand justifications, the princess’s lips were sealed with just those words.

“W-Well, I suppose. Because I have no power….”

Becoming someone’s pawn is like grasping at an unstable thread. If it’s a strong and sturdy thread, you can climb all the way to the sky, but if it’s old and rotten, it’s likely to snap and lead to a fall.

Although Princess Arin is a member of the royal family, she is merely a newly formed thread with no backing or support from any faction.

From the beginning of this life, I vowed to live for myself, so there was not even a speck of thought of becoming someone’s pawn.

She only shook her head and remained silent.

If she truly wanted me, she should have at least considered a proposal that matched that desire, instead of simply making a request without any thought.

I may have told her to become an empress with my words, but honestly, without possessing anything, her ascent to the throne would be impossible until the day the four siblings above her suddenly drop dead.

This is why I didn’t want to get involved…

I could sense her anger as she clenched her fists tightly.

But that didn’t mean I would completely disregard her from my sight.

At least her image is in that devil’s eyes…

“Then, could you give me some time?”

“Time?”

“Your Highness currently lacks everything. You have no strength to protect yourself, no faction to support you, nothing. That is the biggest reason why I cannot become Your Highness’s pawn. Being someone’s pawn in a state of nothingness is undoubtedly a huge risk, isn’t it?”

“W-Well, that’s true… You make a valid point.”

The princess nodded as if fully acknowledging it.

“But one of the things that should never be underestimated in this world is the potential of a human being. Your Highness, even in one year, three years, or ten years, who knows how much you might change. Since I am not currently considering who to serve, at least I can watch Your Highness grow for a long time.”

“You’ll watch over me?”

“Yes. Even though it’s an uncertain time, if someday I feel the desire to truly serve you as my lord, then I will reach out and hold your hand. So, if it’s acceptable to you, could you give me some time?”

Outwardly, it seemed like I was demanding time, but in reality, I was giving her time.

In other words, if she wants to win me over, it means she needs to show enough capability to grow.

It didn’t take her long to understand my words.

“So, I need to develop enough to earn your approval?”

I answered with silence.

“I understand what you mean. I don’t know if I can truly satisfy you, but I’ll try. If I ever qualify to be an emperor, I’ll tell you again! Please be mine!”

She said it softly, but it’s all up to her.

Even if she truly earns the title of emperor, whether I’ll be by her side is still uncertain to me.

However, Princess Arin’s face showed more determination than ever before.

Seeming the matter was settled, she rose from her seat.

“So, I’ll see you in a year at the Royal Academy? Until then, stay well. Knowing you and the stubbornness of yours, I doubt you’ll die easily, even without your maid to coddle you!”

“…I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Gone was the dejected look, replaced with a newfound composure.

As she was about to leave towards the door, the princess turned back to look at me again.

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“Please do.”

With a slight hesitation, she asked, wearing a faint smile.

“What do you want to live for?”

I couldn’t answer such a timely question immediately.

“I’ve felt it since our first meeting. You seem to have a clear goal you want to pursue, just like me. If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me?”

There’s no trouble at all.

After all, the current me isn’t living for anyone else.

From facing my first death to gaining a second life, there’s only one thing I’ve wanted to pursue.

“I want to live for myself.”

***

Ten months have passed since the Emperor’s visit.

The withered seasons have gone by, and now the chilly winter with its dancing snowflakes has arrived.

While the rugged ravines may look picturesque with blankets of snow, appearances can be deceiving.

Beneath those pristine white blankets lie horrific shrouds of blood…

*Gasping*

Somewhere on the outskirts of the rear camp.

A man clad in a white cloak hastily running towards somewhere.

Moments later, he arrived in the midst of an uninhabited forest.

Confirming the absence of anyone around, he sat down on the ground and took something out of his pocket.

It was a transparent, cuboid-shaped box the size of his palm with a smooth surface.

– Ping!

As he concentrated a small amount of mana on his finger and touched the box, a small dimensional door opened with a brief flash of light.

“There’s not much time left…!”

The man looking inside wore a very satisfied expression.

Then, as he was about to reach into the box to retrieve its contents,

“Stop moving.”

A cold voice, as if to freeze his nerves, brushed against his ears.

At the same time, all sensation in his body ceased abruptly.

“W-What’s this?”

– Crunch, crunch.

Soon, the sound of heavy footsteps trampling on thickly piled snow washeard.

Exactly five steps behind him.

Accompanied by an inexplicable energy and a strange presence.

Although he wanted to confirm their identity, the man couldn’t turn his stiffened head.

“A miniature dimension box… An artifact rarely seen? Ah, perhaps it hasn’t been mass-produced yet at this time?”

“……!”

“An advanced artifact that can contain dimensional space filled with magic, allowing infinite storage. It was a masterpiece crafted by the Garam Kingdom’s Magic Society, right?”

With the voice, the footsteps drew nearer.

Until the subject was right behind him, the man couldn’t do anything.

Only his right hand holding the artifact trembled like a bamboo in the wind.

“I’ve been watching for a year. Once secured, how to store it, and how to transport it out of the frontlines. There’s only one conclusion no matter how much I think about it.”

The mysterious figure finally raised the artifact held in the man’s hand as if to show it.

“What if it’s hidden in a dimension only one knows and if someone capable of possessing such a space is within this frontline area?”

A strange black mist enveloped the rigid face of the man.

Within the mist, a vast amount of vitality could be felt.

Before long, the enigmatic presence shrouded in the mist revealed itself in front of him.

“You must be the only one. Renald Crimson, the 7th rank magic knight from the Garam Kingdom….”

“And you are?”

As if seeing something absurd, Renald chuckled.

The one who appeared was so out of place.

With a stature so small and frail that it barely matched his own height.

Certainly not the physique of a knight guarding the frontline.

In this harsh and remote land, there was only one human who could have such a physique.

“Cyan Vert?”

The son of Duke Vert, the guardian of the continent, and the only child living on the frontline as if it were his own home.

Having returned alive from the demonic dragon and gained the attention of the emperor, why was he here now?

Cyan was casually inspecting the contents of the dimension box with a nonchalant expression.

-Swoosh

Turning the box upside down, the contents spilled out like a waterfall.

Fingers, wrists, tendons, skin, mostly severed body parts of animals, small enough to be hidden in pockets.

“They’re fresh, aren’t they? They seem lively enough to believe they were just cut. Is this truly the absolute dimension that even stops the flow of time?”

Cyan suddenly squeezed out a severed body part, extracted blood from it, and put it directly into his mouth.

“……!”

“This is barely edible.”

Even the act of casually throwing away the shriveled body parts seemed so natural, as if he had always been doing that way.

“You were planning to collect blood from these corpses and send them to the supply carts that enter and exit every branch? Some of the supply workers are colluding…”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“No need to play dumb. Do you know? The blood of these demons you’ve been collecting so diligently has been secretly traded in the empire’s black market? Probably some of the supply workers have been pilfering, huh?”

“T-That’s absurd! Who in the world…!”

Realizing his mistake, Renald bit his lip in anger.

But now was not the time to dwell on mistakes.

Whether he knew why he had appeared here or not, the circumstances no longer mattered.

Even if he was an extraordinary child, he was still just a greenhorn without any real combat experience.

After dealing with this quickly, he could leave this place.

-Whoosh

As the stiffened fingers began to move, strength gradually returned to the body.

Cyan seemed preoccupied with rummaging through the corpses that had fallen from the dimension box.

Carefully placing one hand on the ground, mana began to condense at the point of contact.

“May the flames of hell consume all!”

-Whoosh

With the incantation, flames of intense heat surged forth as he extended his hand forward.

7th-rank fire attribute magic, ‘Inferno Flame.’

The soaring flames transformed into the shape of a giant-mouthed monster, swiftly engulfing the unsuspecting Cyan.

The blazing fire, so intense that it made the icy plains seem pale in comparison.

It would be impossible for a human to withstand flames that even burned the corpses of high-grade monsters.

Renald breathed a sigh of relief.

-Gasp

“….!”

A mysterious sound was heard at that moment.

Renald’s trembling eyes shifted towards his left hand.

Through the haze caused by agony, he couldn’t see what should have been there, instead, he felt a strange pain as drops of red liquid fell.

Slowly lowering his gaze, he could see it.

His left wrist, now severed and spurting blood miserably.

“Aaargh!”

Even as he writhed in agony, from within the burning flames, not smoke but black mist rose.

-Swirl

The faint mist quickly swelled to the extent that it could engulf the flames of hell.

“B-Black mist?”

For a moment, Renald wanted to believe.

That the mist shimmering before his eyes was not what he thought.

This was not a phenomenon created by nature, nor was it a product of human magic.

This was the vile power of those who followed a god who was not a God.

“W-Why here? In this place…?”

As the flames he conjured had long since died down,

Gradually dissipating within the receding mist, Cyan’s unscathed body was revealed.

In one hand, he held a dagger gleaming with a purple light, while beneath it, drops of dark red blood dripped steadily.

“These naive fools won’t burn easily anyway. If necessary, we’ll have to root out the traitors among the supply corps.”

Currently, there were only Cyan and Renald around.

Cyan muttered to himself, his gaze fixed somewhere undefined.

“Y-You… are that mist?”

“No. Not yet.”

It was a cryptic response, but it didn’t matter anymore.

Though his mind commanded him to flee with all his might, his fear-ridden body refused to comply.

He felt that the moment of death was upon him now.

With resolve, Renald opened his mouth wide to bite his tongue.

“Snap!”

But even that was quickly thwarted.

From his delicate hand, barely half as strong, he could feel an overwhelming force.

“See this? This is why people like you are so naive. Willing to protect false gods even at the cost of your own lives…”

Cyan’s tone turned heavy as if irritated.

“From now on, it’s up to you. If you want to feel even a little less pain, stop being stubborn and just burn.”

As he slowly raised his sword, there was no trace of the young human left in his face.

There remained only an assassin, willing to employ any means necessary to achieve his goals.