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Chapter 22.2: First Princess Assassination Attempt (1) Part 2

“…Originally, Raiden would have been among them.”

A murmur escaped my lips involuntarily.

Raiden.

Perhaps it was because I knew his pain.

The loneliness and sense of loss he felt seemed to be transmitted to me as well.

This was pity for him.

Or perhaps empathy.

Cheap sympathy for two lonely souls standing side by side.

Or maybe something I didn’t understand.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter now…’

I shook off my thoughts and came to my senses.

It was already 8:57 PM.

Almost 9:00.

-Tick-tock

The sound of the second hand ticking echoed in my ears.

I took a deep, controlled breath and sharpened my senses.

Timing was crucial.

I only had one chance.

-Tick

Three seconds until the attack.

-Tick

Two seconds.

-Tick

One second.

-Tick, Dong!

Now.

“Blink × 6.”

I chanted the spell the moment the clock struck 9:00 PM.

My vision flickered with the sound of electric sparks.

-Crackle!

The next moment, Lucy’s startled face appeared before me.

Before she could react, I extended my leg and kicked her slender body.

“Oof…?!”

With a gasp, the blonde girl collapsed to the floor.

I didn’t stop there.

My fingertips glowed with blue mana. I chanted again, swinging my arm.

“Reflect × 4!!”

-Crackle…!! Thud! Thunk!!

The magic I unleashed instantly deflected the arrows flying towards Lucy.

I couldn’t pinpoint the attackers’ location in that short time,

so I just altered the arrows’ trajectory towards the ground.

But that was enough.

Lucy, the target I needed to protect, was safe and unharmed.

However, there was a slight problem…

-Kyaaaak!! Where did those arrows come from?!

-Someone’s been hit!!

“Cough…”

I wasn’t unscathed by the barrage of arrows.

A burning pain shot through my lower abdomen.

I coughed dryly and looked down to see four arrows piercing my stomach.

It seemed my proficiency with Reflect wasn’t enough to completely deflect them.

As expected… mastering a unique magic in three days was too much to ask.

I stared at my white shirt, rapidly staining crimson, with a sense of detachment.

-Ding!

[Special effect ‘Pain Oblivion’ activated.]

[All physical pain will be reduced by 99% for the next 30 minutes.]

‘Good thing I bought this in advance.’

A special effect I purchased from the status window shop for a hefty 500 points.

With this, I could fight much more effectively.

Not feeling pain in battle was a huge advantage.

-Crack, pull!!

I roughly pulled out the arrows embedded in my stomach one by one.

I heard screams around me, but I paid them no mind.

This was an urgent situation.

Now that their first ranged attack had failed, they would appear in person soon.

-Pull, crunch!! Crack!

-Kyaaaak!!

-H-He’s crazy…! Why is he doing that?!

G-Guards! Someone go get the guards!!

Give it up.

Just stay back and conserve your energy.

This hall is currently isolated by a top-tier barrier.

No matter how much you bang on the door, it won’t open.

The professors could resolve the situation if they intervened…

but it would take at least 14 minutes, considering the time it would take them to arrive and disable the barrier.

‘I have to assume there will be no outside help.’

I muttered as I pulled out the last arrow.

Crimson pieces of my intestines clung to the barbed arrowhead.

As expected of a weapon designed for assassination, it was quite gruesome.

My stomach was torn open, and things that shouldn’t be spilling out were spilling out.

“Cough, ugh… *Spit*.”

It was a bit too grotesque.

No wonder everyone was screaming.

I didn’t feel the pain thanks to Pain Oblivion. It just felt like a slight tingling.

I spat out the blood rising up my throat and rummaged through my pocket.

I took out the two little finger-sized vials, popped them open without hesitation, and threw them into my mouth.

-Crunch…!!

The vials shattered, filling my throat with thick liquids.

As I swallowed them, a familiar mechanical sound rang in my ears.

-Ding!

[‘High-Grade Regeneration Potion’ consumed.]

[Restores all body parts with a damage rate of 80% or less.]

[‘High-Grade Mana Potion’ consumed.]

[Fully restores depleted mana.]

Immediately after those messages appeared before my eyes,

the bleeding from my abdomen stopped, and it began to regenerate to its original state.

-Crackle, crack!

With strange noises, the holes closed up, and my mangled insides returned to normal.

The effect was even better than I expected.

It was worth the effort and the exorbitant price I paid.

I wiped my blood-soaked, sticky hands and turned around.

“…Hic.”

My gaze fell upon the blonde girl, trembling helplessly.

She was sitting on the floor, tears welling up in her eyes.

She seemed quite shaken.

Feeling sorry for her fragile appearance, I gently reached out and wiped her tears.

“Sob…!”

Ah, I didn’t mean to smear blood on her.

I had unintentionally left a red handprint on her pale cheek.

I thought about wiping it off, but it would probably just smudge with my dirty hands, so I stopped.

I patted her shoulder lightly and said,

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. Your knight is here.”

I offered an awkward smile.

Lucy’s face flushed with confusion at my words,

but my lips were already moving.

“Blink × 10.”

-Crackle

With a small noise, the girl’s figure vanished.

Lucy reappeared next to her followers.

This should be enough.

There were knights guarding her.

They all seemed alert, so they should be able to handle it even if I missed one or two attackers.

Of course, it would be best if I took care of them all myself.

“Sigh…”

I turned around with a long exhale.

In the center of the banquet hall, figures clad in jet-black robes stood.

The purple butterfly emblem embroidered on their chests revealed their identity.

‘The Seekers.’

There were seven of them.

Roughly the same number mentioned in the original story.

There would be a few more where Neria and the Saintess were,

but our protagonist would be there, so they should be fine.

As I organized my thoughts and looked around, the figure at the forefront of the robed group stepped forward.

“Step aside. If you don’t want to die.”

“Like hell I will.”

I reached into my subspace and grasped Sorrow.

With the chilling coldness I felt in my fingertips, I uttered the activation words.

“Sorrow, awaken.”

-Kiiiiiiiik!!!

A strange cry resonated as the special skill, Extrasensory, activated.

Feeling my senses heighten throughout my body, I extended my other hand into the air.

“Status window, purchase ‘Ordinary Iron Sword’ from the shop.”

-Ding!

[Purchasing item ‘Ordinary Iron Sword’.]

[30 points deducted.]

A weighty grip filled my palm.

A sharply honed sword now rested in my hand.

I pointed the sword at the robed figures and slowly took a stance.

“Ha.”

“This is unexpected.”

“How absurd.”

Perhaps they found it amusing that a mere Academy student was blocking their path.

Some of the robed figures chuckled.

Despite their mockery, I kept my eyes fixed on them, unwavering.

“Seekers.”

A sudden silence fell.

My words seemed to momentarily freeze their reactions.

Then, they glared at me, the atmosphere turning cold.

One of the robes, who appeared to be the leader, stepped forward, sword in hand.

“You recognize us by the emblem on our robes alone? You’re no ordinary student, are you?”

“Ha, of course I do. It’s an emblem that’s hard to miss.”

“You seem to know us quite well?”

Know you well?

At that short question, the rage buried deep within my memories seemed to explode.

I embraced the crimson emotions of Raiden flooding my mind and glared at them fiercely.

Yes.

I know you very well, too well.

It’s only natural. How could I ever forget you?

Every night, I’ve been plagued by nightmares of my mother’s death, nurturing my hatred.

Every time I carved another line on my wrist, driven by unstoppable self-loathing, I cursed you.

How could I not recognize you?

Don’t worry.

Since that day,

you’ve been my entire world.

“…Don’t you recognize me too?”

“Hmm?”

Was Raiden’s rage too intense?

The line separating Kim Naru and Raiden blurred, and I felt myself becoming more and more like him.

My trembling hand tightened its grip on the sword hilt.

“My name is Raiden Lishite.”

The eldest son of the Lishite Dukedom.

The second Executor of the Blue Talent, protector of the Empire.

And…

a vengeful spirit, grown by devouring the despair you sowed.

“In the name of Philippa Lishite, the flower of the Empire and my mother,”

To avenge her death,

“I will punish your sins.”

I’ll tear you apart until you beg for mercy,

no, until you beg for death to escape my wrath.

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