Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: The Princess Escapes the Demon King's Castle to Save the Hero (4)
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Julia snatched a chess piece from Fritz.
Theresia parried a single strike from Vangelis.
Thanks to those two, the 49th Cohort could now head toward the Demon King's Castle.
Among them, the four who had set out a bit later hurried to catch up with the others ahead.
How far had they traveled after passing the Body Gate?
Voices drifted in from beyond the forest path.
Thinking they had finally caught up with those who left first, the four quickened their pace even more.
Just as they rounded a bend in the path, they spotted a crowd gathered in a small clearing.
"What are they doing over there?"
"No idea?"
There were ten people clustered in the small clearing.
As the four approached, they realized the atmosphere in the clearing was off.
"Vicky!"
"Get a grip!"
"Yeah, don't you guys have any conscience?"
"Don't you think we're way past the point of talking about conscience? We've been trying to stab each other in the back every single day."
"Even so, this time we have to stick to what we agreed on from the start! Julia and Theresia went out of their way to send us up here!"
"We didn't ask them to do it. They just did it because they wanted to."
The ten had split into two factions—six against four—and were raising their voices at each other.
Dumbfounded by the unexpected scene, the newcomers drew closer.
"What's going on?"
"Why are you fighting?"
Only then did the arguing group notice the four newcomers and flinch.
A sharp voice came from the group of four.
"All right, you choose too."
"Choose what?"
In response to the sudden demand, the speaker pointed to a fork in the road.
More precisely, to the signposts stuck outside the fork.
The left path's sign read: [Demon King's Castle Entrance].
No issue there.
The problem was the sign on the right path.
[Path of Dishonor]
Below the red letters were a few more lines.
[To recognize your recklessness and retreat is also courage. Heroes who abandon the princess, take this path. The Demon King shall grant 1,000,000 points to those brave enough to tarnish their own honor.]
The newcomers' eyes widened at the sign's text.
To confirm they weren't seeing things, they stepped forward as if entranced.
Realizing it was real, their jaws dropped.
"……?!"
"O-One million?"
They instantly understood why the first group had been arguing so heatedly.
'Rescuing the princess gets you 500,000, and even beating the Demon King only gives 750,000...'
'Just for giving up on the princess and turning back, they give 1,000,000 points?'
Gulp.
It was an offer that made their mouths water involuntarily.
As the four newcomers started rolling their eyes, one from the six-person group bellowed.
"You conscienceless bastards, snap out of it!"
That shout made the four realize the standoff in the clearing.
The four in the center were the ones choosing the Path of Dishonor.
The six blocking the path were insisting on heading to the Demon King's Castle.
The two factions faced off tensely.
Caught in the middle, the four wavered.
'What do we do?'
'Damn it...'
By the original plan, they should head to the Demon King's Castle.
Considering what Julia and Theresia had done to send them up, they ought to keep their promise.
For their family's honor and personal integrity, that was the right thing.
But...
'Is it really necessary?'
Trust, faith, credit, promises, cooperation?
Since entering the Cradle, their lives had been far removed from such things.
In the Cradle, you did everything possible to win the competition.
Keeping faith now? That felt more awkward.
It was surprising that six out of these ten had chosen to uphold it.
The four newcomers' minds grew complicated.
'Is it right to stick to the plan and take down the Demon King?'
'Even if we beat him, it's only 750,000 points, and auctioning off the Power Crystal might give us each an extra 250,000 at best...'
'Maybe it's better to just give up now and take the 1,000,000 points...'
'But this is the first quest where the 49th Cohort tried to cooperate... Is it okay to betray it like this?'
As their dilemma deepened, one from the group pushing for the Path of Dishonor shouted.
"You idiots, think about it! You think no one from our cohort passed this point before us?"
"...Huh?"
"A good number have already taken that path by now, and no matter how many, that means the plan to team up and beat the Demon King is already dead!"
"……?!"
It was true.
Julia's calculated odds of defeating the Demon King assumed the entire 49th Cohort.
If deserters had already appeared ahead, those odds had plummeted.
That made it easy for the four to decide.
Step.
They joined the four in the clearing.
That is, the side taking the Path of Dishonor.
All four newcomers, without exception.
Now with eight on the defector side, they grew bold.
"Step aside while we're asking nicely."
"We came this far together, so if you just get out of the way, we won't touch you. You've got a tough fight with the Demon King ahead."
"Yeah, no need to waste energy here. Let's part on good terms."
The six who kept their honor bit their lips at the defectors' threats.
It was frustrating and stifling, but as the others said, they couldn't afford to expend energy before facing the Demon King.
Plus, they were now outnumbered.
If the defectors forced through, they couldn't stop them.
In the end, the six sighed and cleared the path.
Step, step.
Watching the defectors saunter off, the remaining group moved on with heavy hearts.
Toward the path to the Demon King's Castle.
* * *
Tap, tap—tap!
The white king retreated from the black bishop's check.
As if anticipating it, the black queen immediately pursued.
The white king was exposed to the queen's threat again.
Check.
"Testing hearts, huh... So, what does my little sister predict? How many of your cohort do you think will pass this trial of the heart?"
Julia smirked at Fritz's question.
"What do you think?"
So far, their conversation had felt like volleying questions, but Fritz had always been the one posing them.
Julia's role was to answer.
But now, for the first time, the dynamic flipped.
Fritz answered his sister's counterquestion without hesitation.
"39.705%."
"27 people?"
"Hmm... Too high? Even so, with our two-year gap, I believe some purity remains. I factored that in with a slight bump."
Fritz showed confidence in his calculation.
Seeing it, Julia picked up the white knight.
She moved it to threaten the black queen.
Nullifying the queen's check.
The white knight now sat squarely threatening both the opponent's king and queen.
Julia smiled as she set down the knight and replied.
"Wrong."
"Wrong? My calculation?"
"0%."
"You trust your cohort less than I do?"
"Listen to the end."
"……?"
"The 0% is for those who fail the trial."
"All of them pass? That's excessive faith in your cohort."
"No, it's not the cohort I trust. It's one person."
"One person?"
Surprise flickered on Fritz's face for the first time.
Julia tapped the white knight with her fingertip, smiling with her eyes as if savoring it.
"There's this quick-witted knight, you see."
* * *
Six people walked down the forest path.
They had let their defecting cohort members go and headed for the Demon King's Castle.
They knew their choice was right.
Yet their faces were dark, knowing their current situation wasn't easy.
After about 30 meters?
"Hm?"
The leader suddenly stopped.
"What?"
"What's wrong?"
The followers halted and spotted a group ahead.
The group ahead welcomed the six warmly.
"Six? That's a decent number this time."
"To think so many with conscience remain in this harsh Cradle. Touching."
While the six blinked in confusion at the cheers,
A boy stepped forward from the group.
The six tilted their heads, recognizing him.
"...Jerry?"
"Didn't you go up first?"
"Why are you still here?"
Jerry waved lightly at the questions directed at him.
"Hey, come on in."
"...What the hell is going on?"
"Why is everyone gathered here?"
"Ah, well, you see..."
Amid the barrage of questions, Jerry grinned slyly and explained the situation.
About three minutes later.
The six newcomers' eyes widened at Jerry's full explanation.
"You swapped the signs?!"
"So that path actually leads to the Demon King's Castle?"
"Y-You can just swap them like that?!"
Jerry's explanation was simple.
He had arrived first at the Virtue Gate and swapped the two signposts.
No one else had imagined altering the quest rules themselves.
They thought the choice was just picking a path at the fork.
But Jerry had flipped the choices entirely.
He did it because of a whisper from Julia before leaving.
[Listen up. There won't be just one gate like this. As you go on, there'll definitely be gates that induce competition or betrayal.]
She left handling such situations to him.
Asking him to follow her intent as best he could.
With one addendum.
[If you betray me, that thing you hid under your pillow... I'll expose it all.]
Hearing the threat, Jerry freaked out.
'H-How does she know about that?!'
The secret only he knew was out.
He had no choice but to grudgingly follow her demand.
The result was this.
Swapping the signs to send the betrayers to the Demon King's Castle.
Someone asked after hearing Jerry's tale.
"But... if you were gonna do that, why not just leave the Demon King's Castle sign? Then we wouldn't have fought among ourselves. No conflict needed."
It was a valid point.
Jerry replied seriously.
"It's infuriating."
"Huh?"
"You think I didn't want to betray? I did! And after all that, with what feelings did I choose this tough path? How much did I swallow my tears to pick it?"
"Th-That serious?"
"Anyway, I overcame that demon of the heart and chose this path. The others should feel it too!"
"......"
"Those betraying bastards... Heh, they're probably thrilled right now? Thinking they'll get free points for nothing?"
"Probably."
"When they realize they've been had while so smug, it'll really twist their guts, those infuriating jerks."
"Hmm... Yeah, betrayers should pay a price."
The group nodded in agreement at Jerry's anger.
* * *
Tap.
Julia defended against the queen's check and pressed the attack.
But why?
The more she attacked, the more her side fell into defense.
Despite having more pieces left.
'What? How did the board flip like this? I played the best move possible.'
Fritz smiled at Julia's hardened expression.
"Your endgame is still weak."
"......"
"Remember what I said before? In ten battles, even if you lose..."
"You win if you win the one that matters?"
It was Fritz's advice to keep the big picture in mind.
'Brother's always handled the grand flow well.'
That was why Julia had never beaten him, not once since childhood.
'Maybe every time I thought I had the edge was part of brother's plan.'
If this continued, she'd lose like always.
But...
"Why are you still on about that old story? I'm sick of hearing it."
"You're the one who hasn't changed."
"Who says? That I haven't changed?"
"......"
"It's annoying, but... you're right. You have to see the board big."
"Good that you get it now."
"So I prepared too."
"Prepared? For what?"
"The variable that flips the grand flow."
Julia's eyes gleamed brightly.
One member of the 49th Cohort watched the siblings chat casually over chess.
He couldn't fully grasp what they were saying.
"Ah..."
But somehow, the chessboard between them felt exactly like the stage of this quest.
And the black and white pieces moving under their hands felt just like them.
A strange sensation washed over him.
* * *
Goetz fiddled with the key in his pocket, recalling what his girlfriend had told him the day before.
[A bunch of handcuffs and shackles infused with paralysis effects were checked out recently. The number matches our 49th Cohort exactly. Probably for this quest.]
He marveled anew at how she knew the Cradle's supply checkout records.
But his marvel turned to shock at the rest.
[This is a master key that opens all those handcuffs and shackles. I got it with great difficulty, so keep it safe!]
His girlfriend had pleaded earnestly as she handed him the key.
[I want my love to... be a big help to me in this quest.]
Clutching the key she'd squeezed into his hand, Goetz entered the quest.
He crossed his arms, pondering.
"Hmm..."
His girlfriend had asked.
Don't be bound by the quest rules—help her.
In other words, cheat in this quest.
Of course, Goetz felt no qualms about that.
He just wondered when, where, and how to use this key to truly help her.
As he mulled it over, Yuri entered his view.
'Hm? When did he wake up?'
Yuri, who had been lying still until moments ago,
Was now crouched right next to the red line, awake.
Observing the red line on the ground intently, as if something was there.
'An ant crawling by?'
Curiosity piqued, Goetz quietly approached from behind.
"Owl boy, what're you looking at?"
"......"
Yuri stared blankly at the red line, ignoring the question.
Goetz tilted his head and crouched beside him, peering at the same spot.
'Hm... Nothing there?'
What was he seeing?
As the question swelled,
Yuri's low voice came.
"...Aren't you curious?"
"About what?"
"What happens if you cross the 'do not cross' line."
"Haha, sure I am. But staring at the line tell you?"
"So I waited."
"Waited? For what?"
"A curiosity-driven idiot interested in idiot stunts."
"......?"
Goetz didn't quite follow, but an inexplicable unease stirred.
Too late, though—way too late.
Thud.
Yuri shoved Goetz's back hard.
Caught off guard, Goetz tumbled forward.
As the ground rushed up, he instinctively forward-rolled.
Roll—
But Yuri's shove was so strong, Goetz rolled three or four times, sprawling flat.
"...Huh?"
Stunned by the suddenness, he lay dazed for about ten seconds.
Then he snapped to, looked back, and...
'N-No, wh-what the—?!'
About two meters back.
Beyond the red line, the lunatic who shoved him crouched, waving cheerfully with a bright smile.
"Curious rats always fall into traps first."
"……?!"
Goetz's face drained pale at Yuri's beaming smile.
Thus, in the topmost floor of the Demon King's Castle,
The variable Julia mentioned occurred.
...Though not the one she had in mind.