Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Bribing the Reaper Baby
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Peep, peep, peep...
A baby scurried right past them. Lianus plastered himself against the corner, straining to catch every sound around him.
From upstairs came the jingle of bells, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs, and down below, Miss Kara's whines drifted up.
"Kara's being wronged!"
"Nyahaha~ I'll take our pretty little miss away, meow~"
It seemed Miss Kara had ended up in a standoff with Sir Bella but ultimately got dragged off again.
Lianus couldn't use spirit arts or anything like that, so he moved with extra caution. Nihil had said any means were fair game, but there was no way they could win with brute force alone.
"Noah, we need to find that hooded knight from earlier."
Lianus recalled the knight who moved with unusual regularity, the one they'd lost track of when Riven got caught by Sir Evan.
"Pardon? We're not escaping—we're looking for him?"
"Yeah. There has to be a clue with that knight."
Nihil's games were always tough, but never impossible. There had to be some loophole this time too.
The knights, with their sharpened senses, couldn't possibly fail to catch mere children—yet the game dragged on, which meant there must be restrictions on their actions. Even the terrifying Sir Evan, who had chased them relentlessly, had stopped in his tracks when his candle went out, relighting it right there on the spot. That gave Lianus and the others just enough time to hide again.
Once they figured out that snuffing the candle made them halt, Riven had stepped up to try extinguishing it... only to get nabbed.
Still, Lianus suspected there was some reason behind that knight's methodical movements, so he quietly slipped off his shoes.
When their fourth escape attempt failed, Nihil had tied himself to a chair and offered some practical advice.
'You kids can never outrun adults anyway. Bolting off blindly without knowing the exits just leaves you winded and gives away your position.'
Peep, peep, peep...
'And the kidnappers know the layout and all the entrances cold.'
Peep, peep, peep...
Lianus stared at the baby's retreating back as it moved farther away, then directed Noah on their path and took the first step.
Thud, slip.
"...!"
But he hadn't gone more than a few steps when Noah, following behind, tripped over his own feet and tumbled down.
Peep. The baby halted and turned its head.
Noah froze in his sprawled position, peeking at the baby before slowly, carefully getting back up. Fortunately, the baby just stood there without advancing.
Maybe it was too dark to see properly. The baby held a lantern, while their side was pitch black.
Peep.
"...!"
Just as Lianus started to relax, the baby whipped fully around.
Lianus swallowed his pounding heart and grabbed Noah's hand as the boy reflexively bolted in fright, pulling him along gently. They needed to slip away quietly.
Peep..., peep..., peep...
The baby, now facing their way, began approaching slowly. Lianus matched his steps to the sound.
Then came a squeak-, and the footsteps stopped.
'...Did it trip?'
For some reason, he felt worried for the baby and nearly turned to check—
Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep!
"!!!"
"Gyaaah!"
The footsteps closed in at a terrifying speed. Lianus and Noah bolted instinctively. There was no time to muffle their own steps.
Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-!
Eek, eeeek, eeeeeek! Lianus screamed internally. Could a baby really run this fast?
'Nil, what the heck did you pick up!'
Tears pricked his eyes from sheer terror. The pitch-black corridor only made it worse. No way was he glancing back—doing so would probably put the baby right in his face.
This wouldn't do; they'd get caught for sure. Lianus yanked Noah's hand and dashed into the nearest room, slamming the lock shut behind them.
Bang! Click.
"Hah..., hah..."
His heart thundered. His breaths came ragged, but they couldn't stay put.
The baby kidnapper would pick the lock in no time. It had done so before. They had to hide quick...
...Before?
"Gasp!"
Only then did Lianus remember where he'd seen the baby before, sucking in a sharp breath.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?"
"It's the Reaper!"
"...Pardon?"
"Nil picked up the Reaper!"
He hadn't seen its face thanks to the bandages, and its hair was shorter now, but the build and unnatural aura matched perfectly!
Lianus felt a surge of inexplicable anger. They'd barely fended it off before, so how could it just get scooped up like that?!
His best friend wasn't a baby snatcher. He'd just fallen into the Reaper's trap.
'Does that mean... if this game ends, the Reaper will take my best friend away?'
Peep, peep, peep.
The once-cute footsteps halted right outside the door. The Reaper was far too strong to beat. But he couldn't abandon his best friend.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through Lianus's mind. If the Reaper stayed at his palace, his baby-loving best friend would be thrilled, and he wouldn't have to part with Nihil either.
"...What would the Reaper like?"
"Pardon?"
Noah stared in bewilderment, but Lianus pondered seriously how to tie the Reaper down.
"Your Highness, what on earth are you...?"
At that moment, the doorknob rattled—click-click.
"Your Highness, hide quickly! I'll hold the door!"
Noah shoved against the door with all his might, determined to protect him this time. But soon the lock gave way with a click.
"Ah, no!"
Noah's efforts were for naught; the door slid open smoothly, as if unhindered. Noah, pushed back, grabbed the baby in panic but only got dragged along for the ride, unable to stop its advance.
"Whoa, Your Highness, run!"
"Eh? B-but..."
"Hurry! I'll hold on!"
"O-okay!"
Lianus hesitated, then caught Noah's resolute gaze and steeled himself to escape. If he made it out, Noah would too—they both had to succeed.
His earlier yelp had drawn the kidnappers' footsteps from all directions. Lianus focused on the sounds, calculating his breakthrough.
'Noah, I'll definitely come save you!'
"...Hic."
Kidnapper Number Three gazed down at the hiccuping cutest, most lovable creature in the world standing before him.
It must have fled from the other kidnappers' footsteps straight to where he'd been standing still. King Sedes debated whether to enjoy the moment or pity the child, but another hiccup drew a chuckle from him.
'Should I pretend not to see?'
This little foul was forgivable. If his son questioned it, he could just claim the prince's cuteness had bribed him.
"I-I know your secret..."
"......"
Correction: not bribery—blackmail.
Sedes hadn't expected the delicate prince to resort to threats, let alone about his secrets. Had his identity been exposed?
Peep, peep...
Footsteps approached from afar—Kidnapper Number Two, recapturing young Lord Allie.
The prince flinched, curly head trembling, then grabbed Sedes's hand and tugged him into a dim room. The warmth from that small, soft hand tugged a smile from Sedes's lips.
Click. The door shut with utmost care. The prince, still clutching his hand tightly, looked up earnestly and spoke.
"Sir, if you pretend not to see me right now..."
"......"
"Um, um..., I mean..."
The prince trailed off, pondering again.
"......?"
As the silence stretched and Sedes tilted his head curiously, Lianus spoke up.
"Ah, if I escape safely, I'll give you my share of the gift from my best friend!"
"......"
Sedes barely suppressed a sigh. Whatever happened to the 'I know your secret' blackmail? And it didn't seem like the prince knew his true identity either.
'Then... what secret did the prince uncover?'
As he pondered silently, the prince misunderstood and elaborated.
"Ahem, this doesn't break the rules. My best friend said any means are fine, and couldn't a kidnapper get greedy for loot and betray his comrades?"
"......"
Was there such realistic historical precedent?
"Mm, yeah, that could totally happen."
Lianus nodded proudly, clearly pleased with his own clever idea.
Kidnapper Number Three couldn't resist the adorable hostage gazing up with sparkling eyes, so he decided to take the bribe.
A quiet nod, and smiles bloomed on the prince's face.
"Smart choice! I'll take good care of you so you're never bored!"
Lianus buried himself in Sedes's arms, face beet red.
"...Your Majesty is a liar..."
He'd strutted triumphantly toward the exit after bribing the kidnapper, but Karus's single remark shattered his confidence.
'No, Your Majesty, isn't this cheating?!'
'......!?'
Your Majesty!
Too embarrassed and wronged, Lianus pounded on the chest before him. A low chuckle rumbled from above.
His best friend must have known all along. How could he not tell him?!
"Kara managed to escape!"
"Give me a break! It was a really tiny sound!"
"Is it over? I'm exhausted..."
"Where's His Highness?"
Just then, the voices of the failed escapees sounded from outside the door. The hostages emerged, strung up like smoked sausages hanging in a larder.
Noah, spotting Lianus while bound in ropes, hopped over.
"Your Highness! You escaped safely!"
"Yeah! Thanks to you all!"
"What? His Highness succeeded? Then our side wins!"
Riven laughed uproariously, teasing his brother.
"I beat you, bro~!"
"...Shut it, Riven."
"Hahaha! You lost even though you're the big bro~ You're dumb, stupid... Ow!"
"Don't tease your brother!"
Clap-clap!
As the already sulky Kara heroically smacked Riven, Lianus untied Noah's ropes and timidly approached the baby.
"Um, baby..."
Thankfully, the baby stared back without ignoring him.
"It's bedtime for babies, aren't you sleepy...?"
The baby's brows furrowed slightly at the question, but Lianus pressed on with his mission to keep the Reaper at his palace.
"Hey..., if you're sleepy, you can use my bed. It's big and super fluffy. Oh, I can lend you my Poofu too."
"......"
But despite Lianus's earnest plea, the baby turned away toward Nihil, who scooped it up with a low chuckle.
"Dia, won't you stay the night?"
Shake-shake.
"Leaving now?"
Nod.
What? It's leaving?
"Nooo!"
Lianus lunged, hugging the baby—and Nihil by extension. He couldn't let it go like this.
"Waaah, baby, wait for me."
"Rian?"
"Don't gooo-!"
"Rian, what's wrong?"
Nihil was baffled by Lianus's behavior. Did the little one catch his fancy? His own little one was cute. And two cuties together doubled the charm.
Nihil helped position the baby for Lianus to hold. He liked this. Seemed Lianus wanted to befriend his little one, so he'd lend a hand.
"Dia, the night's not over yet."
"......"
"Meaning you can't leave just yet anyway."
The baby's brows furrowed. Ah, fun.
"...Sniff, you won't go, right?"
"......"
Lianus gazed at the child in his arms, then declared with grave resolve.
"I-I'll take care of you and tuck you in!"