Everything Is in the Devil’s Palm
"Did Tie really send you?"
Grid was not in his room that day. Usually, he locked the door whenever he left, but for some reason, he had stepped out without securing it. Sua had found it strange, yet her feet had inexplicably led her outside. She didn't know why herself; all she knew was that she felt a compulsion to do so.
Assuming it was only natural, Sua stepped out of Grid’s room and—
"Yes, the elite warriors have arrived here to kill Grid."
—she happened to run into the captain of the Beastman Union’s assassination squad, who had infiltrated the ship.
"What happened to the Beastman Union? Are you still fighting? Don't tell me... you haven't been wiped out, have you?"
Having been locked in Grid’s room, Sua was completely ignorant of the outside world. She hoped to extract information from the captain.
"We are currently in a stalemate," the captain replied.
"After their advance was halted, we attempted a counterattack to reclaim the lost islands. It went smoothly at first, but ever since Grid regained his senses, we haven't been able to pick up the pace."
"I see. I thought you were finished."
"Since it is certain we will be destroyed if things continue this way, Tie-nim has devised a plan. She is convinced that if we take down Grid, we will surely win this war."
"That’s not wrong."
Sua had managed to grasp the internal affairs of the pirate fleet, The Queens, to some extent. One thing she knew was that the fleet operated entirely around Grid. The executives were all people who had succumbed to him, and they fought actively, desperate to survive because one mistake meant death at his hands.
What would happen if Grid died here?
Would the executives continue to fight once the object of their terror vanished?
Absolutely not.
Every single one of them wanted Grid gone; they all craved their freedom. If the Beastman Union’s plan succeeded, the pirate fleet would crumble.
Sua wanted to be part of that plan.
"Can't you let me join your fight?"
This was her second chance. A second chance to kill Grid. This was the final opportunity to send him to hell. How could she let this pass?
Sua held out her hand as a sign of her intent to join.
"You aren't lying, are you?" the captain asked.
"Many beastmen have succumbed to Grid. The other leaders have all collapsed and been reduced to his slaves. Have you not collapsed yet, Sua-nim?"
"I haven't. I'm still vivid. So vivid that I want to kill him right now."
Though her heart had been severely ravaged by constant rape and torture, her desire for revenge had not vanished. If it had, she wouldn't have come out voluntarily or reached out to cooperate. If she had a blade in her hand, she would have plunged it into Grid’s heart this very instant.
To prove her sincerity, Sua pleaded.
"My kin died by his hands. The rest are being used as his cum-dumpsters. I had to watch it all. I couldn't do anything."
"..."
"There's no way I'd be on his side, is there?"
"..."
"I'll help you. Let me help you kill Grid. Revenge is all I have left. There is nothing else for me. So, please, let me do it."
"Hmm..."
After much deliberation, the captain finally replied, "Understood." She had decided to accept Sua’s proposal.
"The operation is tomorrow. Before then, make sure Grid doesn't step a single foot out of his room, alright?"
"I understand."
Thus, an alliance was forged between the Beastman Union assassins and Sua.
And—
'Just as expected.'
Kang-rim had been watching the scene in secret.
"Are you just going to watch?" asked Artria, the female secretary standing beside Kang-rim.
The two were currently cloaked by an invisibility mantle developed by Talia. They even possessed a crystal ball that erased all sound. It was impossible for the two beastmen, no matter how sensitive their hearing, to know that enemies were nearby. Having overheard the conversation between Sua and the captain, Artria asked in a tone of protest.
"Shouldn't we capture those two right now? Wouldn't it be enough to torture them and find the rest of the assassins?"
"They won't open their mouths even if we torture them," Kang-rim stated firmly.
"That woman, the captain—she’s an extra, but she’s surprisingly tight-lipped. She wouldn't even break if she were pregnant."
In the original story, Sua joined forces with the assassination squad sent by the Beastman Union. They teamed up to catch Grid, but in the end, they failed to assassinate him. Sua was captured, but the other assassins, save for the captain, managed to escape. To find the whereabouts of those who fled and to learn the plans of the Tiger tribe leader, Tie, Grid had raped and tortured the captain incessantly.
—"Go to hell! I will never surrender!"
The captain had kept her mouth shut until the very end, eventually biting her tongue and committing suicide, even though a command had been etched into her brain to prevent her from doing so. Kang-rim hadn't known that an unnamed extra would be such a tough bitch. Of course, that was just information from a setting post on the official website, not something that actually appeared in the game.
'Though I'd have to try it to be sure.'
It was questionable whether those settings would apply exactly as they were in this world. Unlike the settings, she might collapse easily. However—
'It’s better to play it safe.'
It would be troublesome if she didn't say anything, as per the settings. The escaped assassins would later become key allies to the protagonist, Seol-hwa. If that happened, it would deal a major blow to Kang-rim’s plan to achieve a happy ending through world conquest.
In that case, let’s throw out bait and gather them all. Then, wipe them out in one fell swoop. That way, no further worries would arise.
Kang-rim intended to be that bait himself.
"So, I’m going to call them all into my room. Even if it’s a trap, they’ll have no choice but to come. They know their opponent is a monster, after all."
"Even thinking about it again, that’s insane."
Artria remained worried at the news that her master would use himself as bait. If he failed, the fleet would face total annihilation. Even Artria, who had been building trust in Kang-rim as his plans proceeded smoothly, could not hide her anxiety.
"Everything happened just as you said, Master, but will it really be the same tomorrow?"
"I have to make it so," Kang-rim said.
"I let them make contact on purpose to ensure that."
In fact, the meeting between Sua and the assassination squad captain had not been natural.
—"Now, Sua. You must go out tonight. You absolutely must. Go out and meet someone who shares your will."
—"Yes, yeees..."
Having fed her his semen constantly and clouded her mind with the aphrodisiac scent emanating from it, Kang-rim had planted a single suggestion in Sua’s mind to go outside. It was a simple suggestion that wore off quickly, but thanks to it, Kang-rim was able to proceed with his plan as intended.
Now, only one thing remained.
To stay sharp tomorrow and capture every single one of them alive.
"If there’s nothing wrong with the device Talia made, I can do it. The verification is already done, so it will be fine."
"You don't know who might harm you; are you really going to do this?"
"That’s why I’m keeping you by my side," Kang-rim said as if it were obvious.
"If an emergency occurs, suppress my room along with the assassination squad. You can do it."
"I might be the one to harm you, Master."
"You can't."
Artria provoked him as if she might stage a rebellion, but Kang-rim could assert that such a thing could never happen.
"You’re my loyal subject, so how could you betray me? If you were going to, you would have killed me long ago."
"..."
"So don't make such pathetic jokes. It’s stupid to undermine your own credibility."
"I apologize; I spoke out of turn," Artria said immediately.
"I had no intention of betraying you, Master. I was merely worried about whether this plan would succeed until the end."
"Then, shall we make a bet?" Kang-rim suddenly proposed.
"If my plan succeeds, tell me everything you’re hiding."
"I’m not hiding anything."
"No, you are. You keep muttering to yourself—do you really think I wouldn't notice?"
"..."
Artria was left speechless. Seeing that, Kang-rim was certain.
'As expected, she is hiding something.'
Even while regarding him as her master, she strangely treated him like a stranger. And whenever she was with him, she would mutter as if things were always different. As if she had noticed that the current Grid was not the Grid the world had known.
So, let’s find out. Since he had no choice but to live in this world, it was better to know all the secrets.
"If I fail, I’ll follow only your words from now on."
"Understood. I accept." Artria nodded. "I had no intention of hiding it forever anyway. If you reveal it that way, there will be no burden."
"...?"
Does she mean it’s just burdensome to say it plainly? Why?
Kang-rim was incredibly curious, but he decided to find out later. What mattered right now was tomorrow.
As the assassination squad captain and Sua departed, Kang-rim and Artria also returned to their respective rooms.