Chapter 18
Crack…
Marco, who was struck by the slash, fell into the pile of debris.
Seeing that she wasn’t moving, it seemed like she was momentarily knocked unconscious.
“…It’s over.”
Only then was I able to steady my trembling body.
The image of Ornica, which had been covering me, dispersed into radiant particles of light.
[The skill 「Soul Bond: Ornica Feron」 has ended.]
[You cannot use this skill for some time.]
As expected, 「Soul Bond」 is not a skill that can be used frequently due to its overwhelming power.
The longer the gap in strength between Ornica and me, the longer the cooldown period.
‘Judging by the sensation… I’d say about a week.’
Honestly, I thought it would be unusable for a few months.
This body really is a treasure in itself.
But, that aside—
“Huff… Ugh…!”
Right now, my entire body aches like hell.
I wonder if this is how it feels to be squeezed dry by a juicer.
If someone were to give me a slight push, I’d probably collapse right here.
‘Damn… it’s like I’m nothing but bones and skin.’
Although various enhancements were applied, it seems I’m still not developed enough to use this many sword styles in succession.
I definitely pushed myself a bit too hard.
‘But I’ve gained a lot from this fight.’
The biggest achievement is unlocking the 「Sword Style Combination」.
With this, I won’t have to struggle to acquire sword styles for a while.
‘And there’s… something else, but I’m not sure if I’d call it a gain.’
I quietly observed Marco’s collapsed figure.
Her upper body was buried under the debris, leaving only her long, smooth brown legs exposed.
Anyone who saw this might think it’s some sort of burial site.
‘Gaining Marco’s affection is a double-edged sword.’
Ideally, I wouldn’t want to get involved at all, but since we’re already tangled up, it’s best to make her fall for me like this.
Marco’s desire for material things is so strong that if she’s interested in you, it disrupts the game’s progression to the point of being unplayable.
But if you can earn her affection like this, she becomes more cautious with her actions.
-‘What do men typically like?’
-‘Go kidnap him like you usually do? Are you crazy?! What if he ends up hating you? That’s a death sentence!’
It doesn’t mean she’ll stop being annoying, though.
At least she won’t suddenly interfere and drag me off to her lair in the middle of a journey.
Marco’s preference is for a ‘weaker person who stands above her.’
It’s not about having the specs to overpower Marco.
If it were that simple, there would be no reason others couldn’t capture Marco.
‘A charisma that overwhelms a strong person while still appearing as the weaker party.’
In other words, you need to pull off a crazy feat of overpowering her while being weaker than her.
The reason I ended up capturing Marco was due to a ‘mistake.’
Back when I enjoyed playing Valdeon Saga, I had created a build that focused on killing enemies in a single hit, but could only attack once, called the 「One-Hit Kill」 build.
One time, I encountered Marco while using this build.
This build was purely for the thrill of killing the final boss in one hit, so I tried to pass by Marco as peacefully as possible….
-> [Attack]
-‘Oh shit!’
I accidentally pressed the attack button.
-‘Ugh! To think you had such strength hidden behind that feeble appearance! You’re a man worthy of possessing me!’
And that’s how it happened.
‘That doesn’t mean I’m stronger than Marco right now.’
Just now, she didn’t go all out because she didn’t want to break me, and I only won thanks to the cheat skill 「Soul Bond」.
If we had fought at full strength, the one buried in that pile of rubble would be me.
Well, if Marco’s already feeling affectionate toward me, we probably won’t be fighting at full strength again.
‘Should I be grateful for that?’
For now, I’m satisfied with just getting through this situation.
The key now is to get out of this village before Marco wakes up.
‘The Yan Family is targeting Angela.’
Which means other places might be looking for Angela for similar reasons.
Even the royal army, which seemed like the right answer, can’t be trusted now.
“There’s only one place left…”
I don’t know if enemies will be crawling all over that place as well, but—
At the very least, Angela won’t be in immediate danger there.
“Ugh…! Ow, ow….”
Dragging my creaking body with difficulty, I made my way back to the inn where Angela was waiting.
***
“Boss! Boss, wake up!”
A few minutes passed since the battle ended.
Marco’s eyes snapped open as she casually shoved off the debris piled on top of her.
“…Looks like everyone’s alright?”
“Yes, we’re fine, Boss!”
“Damn it… that bastard ambushed us out of nowhere…!”
Marco didn’t move from where she was sitting.
Thinking it was a sign of anger, her subordinates hesitantly glanced at each other and started to back away from her.
“B-Boss… please calm down….”
Surely, she wasn’t in her usual state.
But contrary to their expectations—
Thump, thump, thump…
Marco’s heart was pounding wildly in an irregular rhythm.
Losing to someone else would normally leave a bitter aftertaste.
But why was she feeling so lightheaded?
The final moment of the battle replayed in her mind over and over again.
That charming face smiling at her.
“…Haha!”
For some reason, laughter began to spill out of her.
“Is the boss finally losing her mind…?”
“This is no ordinary rage… let’s get out of here while we can!”
Their cheeky remarks were drowned out by the sound of her heart.
Marco suddenly spread her hands out in front of her.
‘Up until now, everything I’ve ever wanted, I’ve held in these hands.’
Abandoned by her parents and wandering through garbage dumps—
There was a time when she wanted to eat bread topped with sweet cream.
And so, she obtained it.
I once saw the spoiled rich kid who used to treat me like a street dog coming out of a bakery.
And I beat him to a pulp until he handed over the bread.
-“I-I’ll give it to you! Just take it!”
The soft sensation I felt when I finally grabbed the bread I wanted—
I could never forget that touch.
From that moment, I’ve been intoxicated by that thrill.
As I kept getting what I wanted, I eventually became the leader of the greatest underground organization.
I gained power, and I gained strength.
I rose to a position where no one could touch me recklessly.
And as my status grew, I could get what I wanted even more easily.
This time was no different.
I thought I could easily make a man like him mine.
Small stature, pretty face.
Men like that were usually easy to get.
A little bit of money, a few insincere ‘I love you’s,’ and they would fall for me, no exceptions.
To Marco, men were merely toys.
Never had she felt any sort of attraction.
After all, who would truly love a mere doll?
But… he was different.
-“You said you could endure without Qi Circulation Techniques, right? Then show me.”
He didn’t fall for it.
He didn’t easily give in to fear or submission, nor did he crumble under her forceful kiss.
Rather, it was she who had yielded.
“Pfft… A man who dares to defy me…”
No matter how much I think about it—
I can’t picture making him mine.
The image of holding him in my grasp doesn’t come to mind.
It’s almost infuriating to think of a man who had the audacity to gain the upper hand against me belonging to anyone.
“Boys.”
“Yes, ma’am! Boss!”
“It seems… it’s time for me to settle down.”
“…What? What?!”
Right now, I just—
I want to be acknowledged by him.
To show that we are both worthy of each other.
Nothing else matters anymore.
Every time I think of his face, my cheeks burn with heat, and my heart pounds so painfully—
All because of that damn man.
“Just wait a little longer, darling.”
Marco’s signature sharp smile crept onto her lips.
“I’ll come embrace you soon.”
***
Alben returned at dawn, before the sun even rose.
“Pr… Princess….”
“You!”
Hearing his strained voice calling her name—
Angela quickly ran to the door and opened it.
As the door swung open, Alben’s battered and disheveled appearance was the first thing she saw.
“Thank goodness. You’re safe….”
His clothes were tattered, and his body trembled weakly.
The faint smell of alcohol and his fatigued face made it clear he had been through something terrible.
But even in such a state, he smiled reassuringly to show he was okay.
“Ahh… ugh…!”
Just when she thought there was nothing left to break, the sight of her husband hiding his pain for her sake brought an indescribable wave of agony crashing down on her.
“There’s no time to stand around. Something happened there….”
“No… It’s fine. You don’t have to tell me….”
Angela stretched out her arms and quietly embraced him.
She knew it must have been a painful experience, and she didn’t want to force him to relive it by speaking about it.
“I… I’m really, really sorry….”
Seeing Angela, who buried her face in his shoulder and cried her heart out—
‘We don’t have time for this. What is she doing?’
Alben felt a slight irritation.
“Princess, that’s not it. We need to leave here immediately.”
After barely calming Angela down—
Alben quickly explained the crucial information.
Multiple organizations might be targeting Angela.
The royal family can no longer be trusted.
“…I see.”
Angela nodded calmly upon hearing those words.
He thought she would be shocked or horrified, but her reaction was surprisingly composed.
“I was prepared for this anyway.”
“Prepared? For what?”
“…I’ll tell you when the time comes.”
Angela had already resolved everything in her mind.
If she remained powerless, everything would be taken from her.
If she continued to stand still, her husband would keep being sacrificed.
She would have to live the rest of her life watching that pained smile of his.
That would be a future too cruel to bear.
‘So, I made up my mind.’
The one destined to stand by her side, to be her partner, to be her beloved—
Alben.
She would make him her consort.
“Princess, I have an idea.”
“An idea…?”
“There’s an organization that can protect us right now. A very trustworthy one.”
Alben spoke seriously.
“From now on, we’ll head to Polaris.”
The largest educational institution on the Central Continent—
Polaris Academia.
That place—
Was the perfect stage for the next chapter.
—
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