Even the Undead Ignore Rabbits

Even the undead on the top floor paid little mind to a mere rabbit.

'There it is.'

The place where the King was imprisoned was immediately recognizable. A magnificent, glittering entrance stood at the very end of the hallway! From this point onward, it didn't look like a prison at all, but rather a lavishly decorated palace.

In the center of the palace, Goraki sat perfectly still, looking as if he were dead.

'Is he dead?'

As a long-lived undead, he didn't move unless he was actively fulfilling his oath. Aside from designated times, he clearly spent all his time sitting right there.

'Thanks to that, I can pass by easily.'

"Father!"

"!"

Tae-hyun flinched at the voice echoing from inside the room. It was unmistakably the First Prince.

'What? Is he threatening the King?'

Tae-hyun scurried forward and stopped in front of the room. Inside the vast chamber, a familiar old man lay in bed. It was definitely the King of Erangs. And sitting before him was the First Prince...

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

"!"

Tae-hyun gasped. A pitch-black shadow was painted over the First Prince's face, shimmering and undulating.

'What the...? Where did his face go?'

'How terrifying.'

Now he understood why the First Prince was hiding in here instead of going outside. If he walked around in the open like that, everyone would immediately notice something was wrong, so he had no choice but to stay hidden.

'Does he cover it with a mask or blessing magic when he goes out?'

"Hand over the kingdom's crown and sword already! Where did you hide them?!"

"Ugh... Uuuugh... You pathetic fool... You are even more pathetic than Cain..."

"You damn old fossil!"

'Cain?'

'Whew, that startled me.'

Still, telling your own child they're worse than Cain would have been way too harsh!

'So he hid the crown and the sword? As expected of the King. Well played.'

Tae-hyun was highly satisfied with the King's actions. You should never hand over an inheritance to your children too early. If you do, those ungrateful brats will run wild like this because they have nothing left to lose. Having received a building from his father, Kim Tae-san, Tae-hyun knew this truth all too well from personal experience.

The crown and sword were artifacts famous enough for even Carbanog to know about them. According to rumors, they could unlock the kingdom's treasuries, grant the authority to command nobles and knights, and unleash hidden magic and power... Inheriting the kingdom without them would mean inheriting only a half-measure. It made sense why the First Prince was threatening the King instead of just killing him. He had to extract them by any means necessary!

"I told you, if you hand over the crown and sword, I'll make things easy for you!"

"Stop... your nonsense... You have no right to them..."

"Let's see how long you can keep up that stubbornness. Until you open your mouth, you won't get a single piece of bread or a drop of water!"

'What a despicable bastard.'

Even for high treason, you weren't supposed to starve someone. Tae-hyun and Carbanog were both infuriated by the wicked First Prince's actions. He really went off the deep end after contracting with that Hungry Chaos bastard!

*Slam!*

"!"

Tae-hyun and Carbanog gasped in shock as the First Prince suddenly stormed out. Fortunately, the prince didn't seem to notice Tae-hyun.

'...Is this my chance?'

Tae-hyun slipped inside quickly. First, he needed to speak with the King.

*Flash!*

As Tae-hyun reverted from a rabbit back to his human form, the King gasped, looking as if he might faint from shock.

"W-What...?"

"It's me, Your Majesty."

"The Pope of Archisus!"

"I have come to rescue you."

"Heavens... What a miracle...!"

"I... because my sons are so utterly worthless, I was actually considering adopting you, a true hero, and passing the kingdom to you..."

"Pardon?"

Tae-hyun was stunned. Wait, when did he think of that? He should have told me sooner!

"Those bastards... how dare they... imprison their own father...!"

"They are absolute scum deserving of death. Do not worry, Your Majesty. Once we get out of here and reveal the truth, we can chop off all those princes' heads, and then you can just hand the kingdom over to me."

However, the King of Erangs shook his head.

"?"

'What? Did he change his mind about giving it to me?'

"I am... finished. I have no strength left to move."

"No, do not worry. I have various tonics..."

"No... it is because of the curse my sons placed upon me..."

They had used the power of the Hungry Chaos on the King when they kidnapped him.

"It can be broken."

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠am already past saving. I leave... the future in your hands. Please, those princes..."

"If you are asking me to make them see reason, that might be a bit difficult..."

"...kill them..."

"Ah. If that's the case, gladly."

The King was remarkably decisive in this regard. Killing his royal guard, cursing him, and depriving him of food and water had already completely severed any remaining father-son bond.

"...I entrust the kingdom to you."

"It's fine. If you can just hold on a little longer..."

"......"

Tae-hyun froze. Wait, seriously?

He actually died! The death was so sudden that Tae-hyun's brain completely short-circuited.

'What do I do now?'

*Thud, thud, thud—*

Right on cue, the First Prince was returning. Tae-hyun quickly dove under the bedsheets.

'There's nowhere else to hide!'

"...Father. I believe my words were a bit too harsh earlier."

The First Prince had returned, seemingly trying to offer a carrot this time instead of the whip.

"I may have slaughtered your entire royal guard and hanged your personal knights, but they were merely insignificant pests anyway. Please, do not harbor any hard feelings."

"......"

"......"

Tae-hyun and Carbanog were simultaneously struck with awe. Look at this absolute son of a bitch!

"Father?"

"...I cannot forgive you!"

Carbanog screamed silently. What are you doing when you should be hiding?!

Tae-hyun, mimicking the King's voice, bellowed:

"I can never forgive the atrocities you have committed!"

A unique, one-of-a-kind title that no one else in Pandemonium Online could replicate! The only player to successfully impersonate a king! That was Tae-hyun.

"But didn't I tell you it was unavoidable?!"

"Unavoidable? In that case, I shall give you a single task."

"What is it?"

"Attack and crush the Second and Third Princes!"

"Why should I do that?"

"Do you not wish to possess the crown and the sword?"

"......"

"If you want the crown and the sword, prove that you are the strongest! Only then shall I forgive you and pass down the two treasures."

"...Do you truly promise?"

"I swear it upon the name of the gods."

Swearing upon the name of the gods seemed to convince the First Prince. Of course, the one making the oath was an entirely different person...

"...Very well! Crushing those fools is merely a matter of time anyway."

"Now begone! I wish to be left alone."

"Shall I have some drinks sent in—"

"I said I do not need anything!"

As the "King" flared up in anger, the First Prince spat on the floor and walked out. Only then could Tae-hyun let out a sigh of relief.

'...Phew. I thought I was a goner.'

'Indeed.'

In his haste, telling the First Prince to fight the Second and Third Princes had seemed like a good idea, but...

'Now that I've done it, I'm starting to regret it a bit.'

'Hey, let's get our facts straight. The Auston Kingdom and that bastard Smith fighting isn't my fault. The Auston Kingdom and the Erangs Kingdom fighting... well, okay, maybe that's a tiny bit my fault, but...'

And now, the Erangs Kingdom was about to erupt into a civil war too!

'It can't be helped. They need to fight among themselves for things to get better.'

From what he could see, the First, Second, and Third Princes all shared one thing in common: they all hated Tae-hyun. Whichever one came out on top would undoubtedly attack Tae-hyun once the Auston Kingdom was dealt with! It was far better to make them tear each other apart.

'The problem is, if the First Prince finds out the King is dead, he might stop following orders.'

The prince was only doing this to get the crown and sword, so if the King was dead, the whole plan would go down the drain. If so?

'I have to make him believe the King is... well... still alive... and to do that...'

After pondering for a moment, Tae-hyun reached a conclusion.

...Escape this castle with the King's corpse and make a run for the Atali Kingdom! A classic strategic retreat!

'This is the only way.'

Lee Se-yeon wasn't particularly surprised. High-difficulty quests naturally had constantly shifting circumstances. Even if a lot of things happened in a short span of time, there was no reason to panic. Besides, Kim Tae-hyun was the epitome of unpredictability. Lee Se-yeon was confident she wouldn't be shocked by anything.

Tae-hyun briefly summarized what had happened. Lee Se-yeon listened blankly before suddenly choking on her own spit.

After explaining himself, Tae-hyun spoke again.

Lee Se-yeon pondered Tae-hyun's words. Baltaror Castle was a place that even top-tier rankers had never set foot in. If they opened up such a location?

In the past, she would have asked, 'Why don't you call them yourself?' But Lee Se-yeon knew better now. She understood exactly why he didn't call them directly! Out of gentle consideration, instead of asking, she began summoning the rankers.

The rankers currently in the Erangs Kingdom sprinted so fast their eyebrows practically flew off. Baltaror Castle was open! This was an incredibly unexpected jackpot.

'How did Lee Se-yeon open it?'

'She's truly amazing. She must be preparing for the World Cup too.'

'And at a time like this, when it's not even Kim Tae-hyun...'