Chapter 149: The Story of the Princess Escaping the Demon King’s Castle to Save the Hero (5)
Thud-.
Thump-.
The sight of a person rolling down like a potato and sprawling flat on the ground was enough to capture the attention of many onlookers.
Moreover, the place where that ‘potato’ had fallen was inside the red line that the Black Sword Corps had strictly warned not to cross.
As a result, surprised voices erupted from all directions.
“Oh? He crossed the line!”
“Who is it?”
“…Goetz Röthen?”
“Isn’t that Goetz Röthen?”
Upon seeing the purple back of the head sprawled out in the Demon King’s domain like a frog hit by a rock, many clicked their tongues.
However, their clicks of the tongue didn’t signify surprise.
“Tsk, that crazy guy finally did something again.”
“He’s doing something weird again.”
“Well…”
The clicking of tongues was more about how everyone expected Goetz Röthen to act like this, that it was just like him to do something like this.
It was an utterly unfair situation for Goetz.
‘It wasn’t me who did this!’
Normally, he wouldn’t have felt particularly wronged by such reactions from those around him.
The bewildered gazes cast his way were simply a natural consequence of his usual actions.
So, he could brush off those looks as nothing significant.
But this time, it was different.
Receiving these kinds of looks for something he hadn’t done made Goetz feel incredibly wronged.
It was a sense of indignation he was experiencing for the first time in his life.
Thus, he began to search with his eyes for the real culprit behind this situation.
To confront them about this matter.
But then, what was this?
“G-Gone?!”
Yuri, who had been crouching close to the line just moments ago, had suddenly vanished without a trace.
Goetz urgently scanned his surroundings.
But his frantic searching didn’t last long.
Swish-.
In front of Goetz.
The Demon King, who had been sitting indifferently, stood up quietly upon noticing someone had intruded into his domain without permission.
The audience’s eyes sparkled at the sight.
‘What happens when you cross the line you’re not supposed to cross?’
‘Honestly, I was curious.’
They all watched with interest, eager to see what would occur if one crossed the red line.
Contrary to the curious gazes from the surroundings, Goetz’s face showed clear discomfort.
‘Damn it…’
This wasn’t the kind of attention he wanted.
He had planned to move quietly and discreetly in a way that would eventually benefit his lover.
But now, that plan had become impossible.
Unintentionally and without preparation, he had stepped into the Demon King’s domain, and even he had no idea what would happen next.
Maybe he’d be detained somewhere else.
Or perhaps his actions would somehow lead to a disadvantage for his lover.
Thus, Goetz pondered.
‘What should I do now?’
All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.
Step, step-.
As he saw the Demon King gradually approaching, Goetz finally made a decision.
‘Well, now that it’s come to this…’
It might be better to confront the Demon King himself rather than risk any harm coming to his lover.
Having reached that conclusion, Goetz reached into his pocket.
To retrieve the key to his handcuffs and shackles.
However—
Thunk-.
“…Huh?”
It wasn’t there.
Thunk, thunk-.
“Wha—?”
The key, which had been in his pocket just a moment ago—
Thunk, thunk, thunk-.
“…?!”
The key his lover had told him to keep safe was gone from his pocket.
No matter how much he moved his hand around, all he felt was empty space.
A flustered Goetz looked around.
Maybe he had dropped it somewhere while rolling earlier.
However, no matter where he looked, the key was nowhere to be found.
Only one thought filled his mind.
‘…I’m screwed.’
He wasn’t just screwed; he was thoroughly, perfectly screwed.
Goetz slumped to the ground like a pitiful princess.
Moments later.
Thump-.
A large foot appeared in front of him.
Goetz lifted his head with a trembling expression.
The moment he did, his eyes met those of the Demon King, who was looking down at him with a chilling gaze.
“Please… Do not tell the Hero of my death,” Goetz mumbled, speaking incomprehensible words while making a pitiful expression.
In response, the Demon King stared at him with an even colder look.
As the tension between the Demon King and Goetz escalated, the entire audience couldn’t take their eyes off them.
With everyone’s attention focused on Goetz and the Demon King, just then—
Sniff, sniff-.
Someone sniffed.
When the acrid smell of burning entered their nose, they turned their head.
“…?!”
Startled by the white smoke that was creeping in from behind, someone shouted.
“F-Fire! It’s a fire!”
The shout startled those who were watching Goetz and the Demon King, prompting them to turn around as well.
Seeing the gray smoke billowing in, people panicked and scrambled in confusion.
“F-Fire!”
“It’s a fire!”
As the gray smoke advanced from behind, people began to step back.
Directly toward the red line.
“D-Don’t push! We’re going to cross the line like this!”
“To hell with the line, do you really think we can stop now? There’s a fire behind us!”
“Oh, just move forward! If we stay like this, we’ll all burn to death!”
The once calm interior was thrown into chaos.
Goetz, along with the Demon King, looked toward the people who were being pushed past the red line in surprise.
As the dense smoke pressed forward, people inched closer and closer to the line.
And eventually, they crossed it.
Seeing this, Goetz’s eyes sparkled.
‘Oh? If things go like this…’
He wasn’t the only one to have crossed into the Demon King’s domain; this situation would surely become a game-changer.
For Goetz, it was a glimmer of hope.
Then, the white smoke completely filled the room.
Cough, cough-.
Coughs erupted from various spots.
“Hey, can someone go open the window!”
“Isn’t there anyone near the window?”
Did someone hear that voice?
Clang-.
Clang-.
The sound of glass shattering echoed repeatedly.
And soon after.
The smoke that had filled the room began to quickly escape through the open windows, clearing the view.
Thanks to that, people realized that the situation wasn’t a fire.
“What… was it just smoke?”
“What the heck was burning to cause this much smoke?”
At this, people turned their gazes towards the entrance of the room.
There lay the charred remains of something.
A cadet wearing a green epaulet picked it up.
“What is this, a piece of metal?”
It was a small chunk of mineral.
While people were still bewildered and clueless about its identity…
Thud-.
The Demon King, who had appeared without notice, snatched the metal piece from the cadet’s hand.
The Demon King carefully examined it and muttered softly.
“…It’s Hexacle.”
Though not perfectly refined, it was unmistakably Hexacle.
Hexacle.
It was a common mineral, but its properties changed when it encountered specific elements.
Namely, it would emit an immense amount of smoke.
Exploiting this property, Hexacle was often used to create signal smoke grenades.
Of course, even knowing this, ordinary people couldn’t easily manufacture it.
Only professionally trained soldiers…
Or seasoned mercenaries with vast experience would know the recipe.
And the fact that this was used meant that such an individual had entered this compartment.
‘What could such a person be after?’
As the thought crossed his mind, the Demon King’s face hardened.
Turning his head urgently, the Demon King’s lips parted slightly.
“What, what is this?!”
The Demon King was filled with panic.
And for good reason.
‘It’s gone!’
The power crystal that had been hung over his chair had vanished without a trace.
The Demon King urgently scanned the surroundings.
He saw the shattered glass windows on either side of the compartment.
Approaching one of the windows, the Demon King peered outside.
Then, he spotted something lying far below the Demon King’s castle.
It was none other than shackles.
“……?!”
Startled, the Demon King went to check the opposite window.
What had fallen there was none other than handcuffs.
And a scene naturally formed in the Demon King’s mind.
Someone had burned Hexacle at the back of the room to create a large amount of smoke and cause confusion.
While many people were tangled in chaos, this person moved through the smoke to steal the power crystal.
After releasing the shackles and handcuffs, they shattered the windows to clear the smoke.
‘If they deliberately let the smoke out, it means they had no intention of harming others, and using the shackles and handcuffs suggests… it was one of the acquaintances playing the role of the princess.’
This meant that the perpetrator was one of the cadets from the Cradle.
The details of how the cadet made the smoke grenade using Hexacle…
And how they freed themselves from the handcuffs would be investigated later.
What was important now was that the power crystal had been stolen.
A sharp light glimmered in the Demon King’s eyes.
‘No matter what, there’s only one place they can go after leaving this castle.’
The only path out of the terrain of the Demon King’s castle was the suspension bridge.
The Demon King quickly moved to another window and flung it open.
It was a window from which the suspension bridge of the Demon King’s castle was visible.
And, sure enough.
‘There they are.’
In the distance.
Someone with black hair was running furiously.
Clutching the power crystal in their arms.
‘To think they’ve already made it that far.’
Wearing a chilling smile, the Demon King swiftly grabbed his sword.
And then.
Thud-.
He leapt out of the window.
“What, what the?!”
“Why is he doing that?”
Many were bewildered, unable to grasp the situation, as they looked on in confusion at the Demon King’s sudden action.
However, there was one person who surprisingly understood the situation correctly.
It was none other than Goetz.
‘The power crystal was stolen?’
Just moments ago, when the Demon King grabbed his sword and rushed out, the lamp containing the power crystal was nowhere in sight.
That meant, in other words, that the power crystal was already gone.
Goetz’s mind raced.
And the more he connected the dots, the more everything aligned perfectly.
Pushing himself into the Demon King’s domain to lift the Demon King from his throne.
Then, directing the crowd’s attention onto himself and the Demon King.
Using the smoke to create chaos, then stealing the power crystal and slipping away.
There was only one person who fit all these conditions and was reckless enough to attempt such a crazy stunt.
“…Owl?”
In that moment, Goetz realized.
Yuri’s quiet, mouse-like behavior was merely…
The calm before pulling off a grand scheme, saving up his strength.
‘Thank you, sir!’
Yuri offered his gratitude to him, wherever he might be in the world.
This entire operation was thanks to him.
If the mercenary hadn’t taught Yuri how to pick locks…
And if he hadn’t shown him how to make a signal smoke grenade using Hexacle…
This plan wouldn’t have even been attempted.
Or, even if it had been attempted, the chances of success wouldn’t have been high.
If Johan was the one who taught him the secret body technique…
Then the mercenary was the one who imparted all sorts of useful tricks for life.
And thanks to his teacher’s lessons, Yuri had obtained what he wanted.
“Heh…”
He was engulfed in a strong sense of accomplishment.
The thrilling feeling that comes when you achieve your goal!
The sensation was so delightful that a silly grin spread across his red lips.
“Hehe… Hehehe.”
Of course, it wasn’t just a laugh of simple satisfaction.
It was also a laugh filled with pleasure that came from a sense of material fulfillment.
Yuri looked lovingly at the lamp held in his arms.
‘Hehe, you’re mine!’
As if he had fallen in love.
His gaze was filled with a possessive intensity, as if he would never let it go.
And if anyone tried to come between them, his eyes hinted that he would not let it slide.
But only for a moment.
Yuri quickly regained his composure.
‘Now, I’m halfway there.’
Escaping from the shackles and cuffs.
Stealing the power crystal and getting out of the Demon King’s castle.
All those steps amounted to only about half of the journey to obtaining the power crystal.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
To fully make the power crystal his, he had to find Theresia.
With a firm expression, he sprinted forward.
The direction he was headed in was towards the sole bridge leading out of the Demon King’s castle.
And finally, Yuri reached the vicinity of the suspension bridge.