The Bitter Price of Victory

A cheerful notification chime rang out.

Like a signal flare, the taut string of tension snapped with a twang.

"Ha, haha…"

An empty laugh burst out.

I really did it.

I'd blown away a mid-game monster in one shot.

I whipped around and yelled,

"Did you see it? Did you SEE?!"

"…"

Leoness stared blankly at the hole ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blasted through the wall, dazed.

Then color flooded her face.

She rushed over and threw her arms around my shoulders in a fierce hug.

"We did it! You and I—we did it!"

"Ack! Ow! Take it easy!"

"Hahahahaha! Did you see? That massive beast reduced to a handful of dust!"

Leoness bounced around like a kid.

Her red eyes sparkled with the ecstasy of victory.

"This is our power, isn't it?"

"Damn right! Your contribution was immense!

If I rebuild my kingdom, I'll make you chief court magician—no, I'll grant you a grand duchy!"

"Skip the title. Just give me a pension. My dream's to be a rich bum."

"A bum? What's that? Whatever—you'll live in luxury by my side forever!"

We faced each other, squealing like idiots.

Relief at surviving.

The thrill of turning the impossible possible.

In that moment, we could forget we were prisoners, fugitives.

-Ding

Then a red system window popped up before my eyes.

'Oh?'

A mid-game monster, after all.

Decent experience points.

Normal level-ups boosted stats and such.

I wondered how generous the black magician rewards would be, buzzing with anticipation for the next message.

But.

'…Huh?'

I hadn't even finished reading.

-Hummm

The familiar scale appeared before me.

But unlike before, it was blackened, discolored.

"Wait, why's it activating on its own…"

A weight labeled 'Lv.2' dropped onto the left pan with a thunk.

The scale tipped wildly in an instant.

"Cough!"

Suddenly, with a cough, something hot and metallic surged up my throat.

I clapped my hand over my mouth in a panic.

Leaking between my fingers wasn't red blood.

It was sticky, black, viscous sludge.

"Gack! Cough, cough!"

My legs gave out.

I crumpled to the floor.

Black wastewater poured endlessly from my mouth.

The scale vanished into smoke, satisfied with the deal.

'So this is what they meant by a different system from normal jobs?'

I recalled the developer's message.

Give a heads-up next time, damn it.

"You!"

Leoness's panicked voice rang out.

"Are you all right? That magic you just used…"

I stared blankly at the black puddle pooling on the floor.

Tar-like sludge.

And no pain at all.

Suddenly, the puzzle pieces clicked in my head.

The scale had taken life force.

'So this black liquid gushing out of me now is…?'

The answer was simple.

Ashes left from burned wood.

The scale ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠snatched the essence, expelling the impurities from my body.

So this wasn't blood—it was just forcibly collected life force residue.

'Not a big deal, then.'

Just aggressively purging bodily waste.

"Wh-what is this… Why is the blood black?!"

But Leoness, knowing nothing, was deathly pale.

She tried wiping the black blood from my mouth with her soft hand.

But the more she wiped, the more it kept oozing out.

"Urgh…"

I wanted to explain, but my voice wouldn't come.

Endless residue from my mouth.

Then, in the corner of my blurry vision, another system window appeared.

'Blank… edicts…'

Right. That was the goal.

With those, even if we got caught and thrown in prison, we could walk out proud.

And the hidden 'Shadow Husk' item was solid insurance.

I tried to smile in relief.

Then urgent footsteps and shouts.

"Over here! Heard the explosion!"

"Underground auditorium!"

The guards.

Leoness scanned around, cradling me.

"You, get up quick. We have to flee."

"Haa… haa…"

"I'll carry you. Just…"

Leoness tried to lift me, but my body hung limp, unresponsive.

Paralyzed from head to toe.

'Gotta tell her.'

I desperately opened my mouth.

No need to flee.

I have the blank edicts, so just surrender meekly.

Don't worry.

"Leoness…"

"Don't talk! More blood's coming out!"

"Flee…"

No need to flee.

That was what I meant to say.

The words wouldn't come.

Black sludge refluxed up my throat.

Having barely spat "flee,"

my consciousness snapped off.

///

"You…?! Come to your senses! You!!!"

Leoness shook the Elise de Bellaph in her arms.

But no response came.

Her final word echoed in her ears.

'Flee…'

Flee, she said.

Since she couldn't move, at least you survive.

Abandon her, save yourself.

"What a foolish woman you are…"

She bit her lip hard enough to taste metallic blood.

Elise's limp finger caught her eye.

The index finger already blackened to one joint.

She'd brushed it off as grease before, but now she knew.

The price of black magic.

She must have known her body was breaking down.

Yet she'd never shown it,

even smiling to reassure her.

Looking at Elise's face in her arms, her chest tightened.

How many times today had she saved her life?

'For… a wretch like me.'

She couldn't understand.

Just a chance meeting in prison.

No reason to risk life for each other.

'But the same for me.'

Before the guards burst in, now was the time to flee.

Burst through the opposite door, and alone, she might survive.

But her feet wouldn't budge.

She didn't want them to.

Only then did certainty dawn.

Leoness von Austria

could not lose Elise de Bellaph.

No matter what.

"You saved me."

Leoness gripped Elise's cold hand tight.

"Now I will save you."

-Bang!

The firmly shut door to the underground auditorium shattered.

"There they are!"

"Surround them! Don't let a single one escape!"

Dozens of guards swarmed in an instant,

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

and from among them stepped familiar faces.

The blond man in splendid uniform, Crown Prince Adrian.

Esilla, already drawing her sword.

And between them, a pink-haired girl with a tearful face—Lilliana.

"Bellaph… and Leoness…!"

Adrian glared at us, grinding his teeth.

"Not content with breaking out of prison? You turned the academy into a warzone too?"

"Milady…!"

Lilliana tried to rush forward, but Adrian blocked her.

"Stay back, Lilliana. They're no longer nobles or academy students. Just murderers and escapees."

Dozens of swords, spears, arrows, and spells aimed at us.

Already surrounded, nowhere to run.

Elise couldn't fight in her state.

If caught like this?

Elise would be saddled with black magic use, jailbreak, murder, and cult ties.

Execution.

Best case, rot in prison.

'I can't let that happen.'

Leoness steeled herself.

She wrapped one arm firmly around Elise's waist, hoisting her up.

The limp body felt fragile, like it might shatter any second.

'Forgive me.'

Chanting it inwardly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a thousand times, Leoness seized Elise's slender neck roughly with her free hand.

"Halt."

Her voice carried commanding authority.

"Take one more step, and I'll snap this useless wench's neck on the spot."