Chapter 148: The Story of the Princess Escaping the Demon King’s Castle to Save the Hero (4)
Yulia captured a chess piece from Fritz.
Theresia received a move from Vangelis.
Thanks to their help, the 49th batch could head toward the Demon King’s castle.
Among them, four people who had departed slightly later rushed to catch up with those who had left earlier.
How far had they gone after passing through the Gate of Body?
Voices of people could be heard from beyond the forest path.
Thinking they had finally caught up with those who had gone ahead, the four quickened their pace.
Just as they turned the corner of the forest path, they found a group of people gathered in a small clearing.
“What are they doing over there?”
“Who knows?”
Ten people were gathered in the small clearing.
As the four approached them, they realized that something was off about the atmosphere.
“Get out of the way!”
“Get a grip!”
“Really, don’t you have any conscience?!”
“At this point, isn’t it too late to talk about conscience? We’ve been trying to stab each other daily!”
“Even so, we should stick to the original agreement this time! Do you know what Yulia and Theresia did to get us this far?”
“It’s not like we asked them to do it. They just did it because they wanted to.”
The ten were split into two groups of six and four, shouting at each other.
The newcomers, surprised by the unexpected situation, drew closer with bewildered expressions.
“What’s going on?”
“Why are you arguing?”
The fighting groups noticed the newcomers and flinched.
Then, a sharp voice came from the group of four.
“Now, you need to make a choice.”
“What?”
At that question, the person urging them to choose pointed at a signpost at the fork in the road.
More precisely, they pointed to the sign outside the fork.
The sign on the left path read [Path to the Demon King’s Castle].
That wasn’t particularly problematic.
The issue was the sign on the right path.
〈The Path of Shame〉
Below the red letters were a few more lines.
[Realizing one’s folly and withdrawing is also a form of courage. Any hero willing to abandon the princess, take this path. The Demon King will grant 1 million points to those who have the courage to stain their honor.]
The newcomers’ eyes widened at the sign’s message.
As if mesmerized, they walked forward to confirm what they saw.
Realizing they hadn’t misread, their mouths fell open.
“…?!”
“One, one million?”
They soon understood why those who had arrived earlier were shouting at each other.
‘Saving the princess gives 500,000, and capturing the Demon King gives 750,000…’
‘But simply abandoning the princess and turning back offers a million points?’
Gulp—
It was an irresistibly tempting offer.
As the newcomers began to exchange glances, one of the six raised his voice.
“You heartless fools, snap out of it!”
Thanks to his shout, the four newcomers clearly understood the alignment of the sides in the clearing.
The four at the center of the clearing were the ones who had chosen the Path of Shame.
Meanwhile, the six blocking the entrance to the Path of Shame insisted on heading to the Demon King’s castle.
The two groups stood in a tense standoff.
The four newcomers found themselves caught in between and hesitated.
‘What should we do?’
‘Damn it…’
According to their original agreement, heading to the Demon King’s castle was the right choice.
Considering the efforts Yulia and Theresia made to get them there, they should keep their promise.
For the sake of family honor and personal integrity, it was the right thing to do.
However…
‘Is there really a need to?’
Trust, belief, credibility, promises, cooperation?
Since entering the Cradle, they had lived far from such ideals.
To win in this competition, one must do whatever it takes.
Was it now the time to honor promises?
It felt almost unnatural.
Surprisingly, it was remarkable that six of the ten had chosen to honor their promises.
This realization made the four newcomers’ thoughts increasingly complicated.
‘Is it right to capture the Demon King as agreed?’
‘Even if we capture the Demon King, that’s 750,000 points. And if we auction off the Power Crystal, will we even get an additional 250,000 points?’
‘Maybe it would be better to give up and just take the million points…’
‘But this was the first quest where the 49th batch had tried to cooperate… Can we really betray that now?’
Seeing their deep contemplation, one of the four who intended to take the Path of Shame shouted.
“You idiots, think carefully! Do you really think none of the others before us took this path?”
“…What?”
“Several of them probably already went down that path. Regardless of the numbers, the moment they betrayed us, any talk of joining forces to capture the Demon King was over!”
“…?!”
It made sense.
Yulia had calculated the probability of capturing the Demon King assuming full participation of the 49th batch.
If there had already been traitors ahead, that probability would have dropped significantly.
This allowed the four newcomers to reach a swift conclusion.
Step—
They joined the group of four at the clearing.
In other words, they sided with those intending to take the Path of Shame.
All four of the newcomers joined, without exception.
With eight people now on the traitor’s side, their confidence swelled.
“Move aside while we’re being nice.”
“We’ve come this far together, so as long as you clear the way, we won’t touch you. After all, you’re about to face the Demon King.”
“That’s right. Let’s not waste our energy here and just part ways peacefully.”
At the traitors’ threat, the six who kept their promises bit their lips.
Annoyed and frustrated as they were, they couldn’t afford to exhaust themselves before the upcoming battle with the Demon King.
Moreover, they were now outnumbered.
If the traitors decided to force their way through, they couldn’t be stopped.
In the end, the six sighed and stepped aside.
Step, step—
As they watched the traitors walk away leisurely, they turned their gaze back toward the path to the Demon King’s castle.
Tap, tap— tap!
The white King retreated to evade the check from the black Bishop.
As if anticipating this, the black Queen immediately followed.
The white King was once again exposed to the Queen’s threat.
Check.
“Testing one’s resolve, huh…? Then let’s hear my little sister’s prediction. How many of your peers do you think will pass that test of resolve?”
At Fritz’s question, Yulia smirked.
“How many do you think?”
Up until now, the two had engaged in what seemed like a back-and-forth of questions.
However, it was always Fritz who posed the questions.
Yulia’s role had been to answer.
But for the first time, that dynamic reversed.
Without hesitation, Fritz replied to his sister’s counter-question.
“39.705%.”
“Twenty-seven people?”
“Hmm… did I estimate too high? Still, they’re only in their second year, so I believe there’s some purity left. That’s why I factored in a slightly higher number.”
Confident in his calculations, Fritz watched as Yulia picked up the white Knight.
She moved it to a spot threatening the black Queen.
With this move, the Queen’s check was nullified.
The white Knight now positioned itself to simultaneously threaten both the opposing King and Queen.
Smiling, Yulia responded.
“You’re wrong.”
“Wrong? My calculations?”
“0%.”
“You trust your peers even less than I do?”
“Listen to the end.”
“…?”
“The 0% I mentioned refers to those who would fail the trial.”
“All of them will pass? You have too much faith in your peers.”
“No, it’s not the peers I trust, but one person.”
“One person?”
For the first time, Fritz looked surprised.
Enjoying his reaction, Yulia tapped the white Knight with her fingertip, smiling slyly.
“There’s a perceptive knight among them.”
Six people walked along the forest path.
They were the ones who had turned toward the Demon King’s castle after parting ways with their traitorous peers.
Although they knew their choice was right.
Still, they were also aware that their current situation wasn’t easy, and their expressions were grim.
Had they walked about 30 meters?
“Huh?”
The one leading the way suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s going on?”
Those following also came to a halt, and they soon noticed a group of people ahead.
Those gathered welcomed them warmly.
“Six people? That’s quite a number.”
“Ha, to think there are still people with a conscience left in this harsh Cradle. I’m moved.”
Amid their sudden cheers, the six felt bewildered.
A boy stepped forward from their group.
The six, recognizing him, tilted their heads in confusion.
“…Jerry?”
“You, weren’t you supposed to go up first?”
“Why are you still here?”
In response to the questions directed at him, Jerry waved his hand lightly.
“Hey there, welcome.”
“…What’s going on here?”
“Why is everyone gathered here?”
“Ah, well, you see…”
With a sly smile, Jerry explained the current situation to the newcomers who bombarded him with questions.
About three minutes later.
After hearing Jerry’s explanation, the eyes of the six new arrivals widened in shock.
“You swapped the signposts?!”
“So, that path is actually the one leading to the Demon King’s castle?”
“Was it really okay to just change it like that?”
Jerry’s explanation was straightforward.
When he was the first to arrive at the gate that tested virtue, he swapped the signposts at the fork in the road.
It was an action that essentially altered the rules of the quest, something no one else had even considered.
Everyone else had thought that their choice was simply to pick one of the two paths at the fork.
But Jerry had turned that choice on its head entirely.
And the reason he did this was due to something Yulia whispered to him before they departed.
[Listen carefully. There will likely be more gates like this one as you go along. Eventually, there’ll be gates that encourage competition or even betrayal.]
Yulia entrusted Jerry with handling the situation when it arose.
She asked him to follow her will to the best of his ability.
She also added one more thing.
[If you betray me, I’ll reveal everything you’ve hidden inside your pillow. Got it?]
Hearing that threat, Jerry couldn’t help but be startled.
‘H-how on earth does she know about that?!’
Realizing that his most secretive and private matter had been discovered, Jerry had no choice but to comply with her demands, albeit reluctantly.
And this was the result.
He had swapped the two signposts, sending the traitors up to the Demon King’s castle.
After Jerry’s explanation, one of the newcomers asked a question.
“But, couldn’t you have just left the signpost for the Demon King’s castle? Then we wouldn’t have had to fight among ourselves. There would’ve been no need for conflict.”
It was a very reasonable question.
Jerry replied with a serious expression.
“It would’ve been infuriating.”
“Huh?”
“Do you think I didn’t betray because I couldn’t? I wanted to betray too! Do you know how much it pained me to choose this arduous path? How I chose this difficult path with tears in my eyes?”
“It was really that bad?”
“Anyway, I overcame that turmoil and chose this path. Others should feel the same!”
“….”
“Those traitors… Heh, they must be thrilled right now, thinking they’ll get points for nothing.”
“They probably are.”
“Just wait until they realize what’s coming for them. It’ll be quite satisfying to see them pay for their treachery.”
“Hmm… they do need to face the consequences of their betrayal.”
The group nodded in agreement, resonating with Jerry’s anger.
Tap.
Yulia, who had blocked the Queen’s check, continued her aggressive play.
But for some reason, the more she attacked, the more she found herself on the defensive.
She even had more pieces left on the board.
‘What’s going on? How did the game’s dynamics change so much? I’m sure I made the best possible moves.’
Seeing Yulia’s tense expression, Fritz laughed.
“Your finishing moves are still weak.”
“….”
“Remember what I used to say? Even if you lose ten battles…”
“Winning just one victory is enough, right?”
It was Fritz’s advice to adopt a broader perspective.
‘My brother has always been good at managing the bigger picture.’
This was also why Yulia had never beaten Fritz since she was a child.
‘Perhaps every time I thought I was winning, it was all part of my brother’s plan.’
If this continued, she would lose just like in the past.
However…
“Are you still talking about those old times? I’ve heard that so often I’m sick of it.”
“I say it because you haven’t changed.”
“Who says I haven’t changed?”
“….”
“As annoying as it is… you’re right. I should’ve seen the bigger picture.”
“At least you realize it now.”
“That’s why I prepared too.”
“Prepared? For what?”
“A variable that can overturn the larger flow.”
Yulia’s eyes sparkled brightly.
As the siblings chatted while playing chess, a member of the 49th batch watching them tried to make sense of their words.
“Ah…”
He couldn’t fully grasp what the siblings were talking about.
Yet, for some reason, the chessboard between them seemed to resemble the place where this quest was taking place.
The black and white chess pieces being moved by their hands felt as if they represented themselves.
It was a strange feeling.
Goetz fiddled with the key in his pocket, recalling what his lover had told him the day before.
[Recently, a large number of handcuffs and shackles imbued with the effects of paralysis have been distributed. And the quantity matches exactly the number of people in the 49th batch. I think they’ll be used in this quest.]
Goetz marveled at how his lover had discovered the distribution list for the Cradle’s supplies.
However, his astonishment turned to shock as she continued.
[This is the master key that can unlock all the distributed handcuffs and shackles. I obtained it with great difficulty, so take good care of it!]
Handing him the key, his lover pleaded earnestly.
[I hope you’ll be a big help to me in this quest.]
With the key his lover had given him tightly in hand, Goetz joined the quest.
He crossed his arms, deep in thought.
“Hm…”
His lover had made a request.
She asked him to disregard the quest’s set rules and assist her.
In other words, she was asking him to cheat during this quest.
Of course, Goetz wasn’t one to feel guilty about such things.
The only concern was figuring out when, where, and how to use the key to best help his lover.
While pondering this, Goetz noticed Yuri’s presence.
‘Huh? When did he get up?’
Until a moment ago, Yuri had been lying completely still.
Now he was squatting near the red line, studying the ground closely as if something was there.
‘Is he watching ants or something?’
Intrigued, Goetz quietly approached Yuri from behind.
“Owl guy, what are you looking at?”
“….”
Even when asked, Yuri continued to stare blankly at the red line on the ground.
Curious, Goetz crouched down beside Yuri, looking at the same spot.
‘Hmm… there’s nothing here.’
What on earth was Yuri staring at?
As Goetz’s curiosity grew, Yuri’s quiet voice broke the silence.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“About what?”
“What happens if you cross the line they said not to cross.”
“Haha, I’m curious. But staring at the line won’t tell you anything, will it?”
“That’s why I waited.”
“Waited? For what?”
“For some idiot curious enough to do something stupid.”
“…?”
Goetz didn’t fully grasp what Yuri was talking about, but an inexplicable sense of dread washed over him.
By the time he realized it, it was far too late.
Tap—
Yuri shoved Goetz hard in the back.
Caught off guard, Goetz stumbled forward.
As the ground rushed toward him, he instinctively rolled forward.
Roll, roll—
Yuri had pushed so hard that Goetz rolled several times before sprawling out.
“…Huh?”
Dazed by the unexpected situation, Goetz lay still for about ten seconds.
When he finally regained his senses and looked back…
‘W-what the…?!’
About two meters behind him.
There, beyond the red line, was the lunatic who had shoved him, still squatting with a cheerful smile, waving his hand.
“It’s always the curious mouse that gets caught in the trap first.”
“…?!”
Seeing Yuri’s bright smile, Goetz’s face turned pale.
And so, at the topmost floor of the Demon King’s castle, the variable Yulia had spoken of occurred.
…Though it wasn’t the variable she had expected.