Chapter 56
Karen Cross was no opponent who played by the rules of common sense. 'Damn it.' I felt chills creeping up my spine at the sight of the woman staring at me with her utterly blank expression.
Karen Cross. She was the prodigy poised to become the next master of the Magic Tower, the genius sorceress birthed by the Empire. Unlike Saintess Marian Delarossi, who had only been a nominal member of the hero party, it was true that Karen had provided significant aid in defeating the Demon King.
The problem was that even after spending so much time together, she was rigidly unreadable—almost devoid of emotion—and during our journey, she'd shown an eerie enthusiasm for collecting my severed body parts. Back then, it had just given me the creeps seeing her tuck away things like my chopped-off fingers like precious treasures. But now, I had a rough idea of why she'd done it.
'The Emperor must have promised funding for her research.'
Of course, Karen wasn't the type to faithfully obey the Emperor's orders. The only emotion she ever showed was curiosity, and it was obvious that her interest in my Immortal Body was the reason she'd teamed up with him in the first place.
"Hero, right? Why no answer?"
As I hesitated with a tense expression, Karen tilted her head slightly and spoke to me in that tone.
No point denying it—she wouldn't believe me anyway. I spun on my heel and bolted, immediately sensing a chill slicing toward my back.
'You crazy bitch!'
I twisted away just in time, catching a glimpse of a blade wreathed in icy energy grazing past me. It looked like simple magic, but it blended wind and ice elements in a way unique to her—no one else on the continent could wield spells like that, as far as I knew.
"Ah, so close. I could've cut you."
Her mechanical, flat mutter sent fresh goosebumps rippling over me. What made her so tricky to deal with was that common sense simply didn't apply to this genius of magic.
'No way... is this the goddess's idea of balance too?'
She was the type where one side was god-tier, and the other hopelessly lacking. Ignoring the unspoken rule about not using magic near the Imperial Palace, Karen began gathering mana again as if she had no clue.
I eyed her, debating a run for it, but shaking her off would be damn near impossible anyway.
"Ah, you fucking bitch. Fine, let's do this!"
"Hm? That 'fucking bitch'—is that directed at me?"
Karen cocked her head at my curse.
"Who the fuck else is here, you bitch?"
"Cursing on first meeting? How crude."
"You psycho bitch! You think you get to say that after slinging spells at a stranger?!"
"...Now that you mention it, you're right."
I yelled in frustration, and she clapped lightly, her face dawning with realization. Since she showed no sign of attacking, I eased up a bit and met her gaze.
"Pleased to meet you, Hero. I'm Karen Cross of the Magic Tower."
"...Yeah. Not exactly thrilled, but I'm the hero Allen anyway."
"So, as a memento of our meeting, how about just one arm? I need it for experiments. Please."
I scowled at her casual demand for my limb. I'd half-suspected it, but yep—she was batshit crazy, and not someone I could reason with.
"Oh? A unicorn behind you?"
"Unicorn? That horn's a material I've always wanted."
She muttered and glanced back, and I launched myself at her in the same instant. Closing in fast, I drove my fist straight into her gut without hesitation. Karen, experiencing real pain for the first time in her life, widened her eyes and stared at my face.
"You... tricked me..."
"Damn right, you creepy bitch!"
I laid the fading woman on the ground and scratched my head vigorously. She was inexperienced enough to fall for it this time, but with Karen on the scene, things were bound to get annoying from here on out.
Sure, if she got too pesky, chopping off a finger would keep her quiet with "research" for a while—but I wasn't about to hand over so much as a piece of myself to her out of spite.
I left the unconscious Karen on the ground and scratched my head some more. Killing her outright would solve the hassle, but she would be a big help against Baal.
"Emperor, you bastard! You'll pay for this!"
I bellowed at the palace walls and took off. I couldn't stop her from tracking me down again, but for now, I just wanted as much distance as possible.
“Back already?”
When I returned to the house near the church, Lina greeted me with a smile. My head was still spinning from Karen, but her grin lightened my mood a little.
But only for a moment. Something about Lina's smiling face started feeling off. Her mouth was curved up, but her eyes weren't smiling at all—and the chills came rushing back.
“...Something happen?”
I asked, and instead of answering, Lina held out an elegant envelope. It was addressed to "Dear Hero," and the sender was, predictably, Jena von Darius.
'Is this why?'
Lina seemed pissed because of Jena's letter, but I couldn't quite grasp why. Even if things were intimate between us, getting mad over a single letter didn't make sense.
"Did you... read it, by any chance?"
I naturally suspected she'd peeked. If it was Jena's writing, it might explain Lina's mood.
But she shook her head, keeping that eerie smile.
"Me? Read the Hero's mail? Perish the thought."
"...Then what's with the sour face?"
"Just... take a look over there?"
I followed her gesture, and there they were: dozens of letter envelopes neatly stacked.
'Holy shit...'
"So, what exactly is your relationship with this Jena woman?"
I just swallowed hard tensely at Lina's question. Then she burst out laughing.
"Kidding, kidding. But if this keeps up, I might actually get hurt, you know?"
She switched back to her normal face instantly, but I couldn't take her words at face value. No matter how much she idolized the hero or downplayed herself, she couldn't be totally fine with other women in the picture.
But I couldn't promise to swear off other women either, so I told her:
"Sorry. And thanks."
"...Go ahead and read in peace. I've got stuff to do."
She gave a slightly sad smile and headed upstairs to the second floor. Probably giving me space to read privately. I waited until she was out of sight, then tore open Jena's letter.
It had been a while since she'd left the capital, so I was curious if everything was okay.
Dearest Hero,
I, Jena von Darius, stand guard over the territory today as ever, thinking of you. The citizens rejoice at your appearance and live their days diligently.
Truth be told, I visited the stables today and gazed at the horses, reminiscing about our time together. Those days haunt me unbearably, yet I recall your final words and fulfill my duty.
'She's insane.'
I grimaced reading Jena's letter. Good thing Lina hadn't peeked—things might not have ended this amicably.
But that was just the start. The real shocks were still to come.
Hero, today I crafted custom tack for myself. A whip and bit from fine leather, awaiting the day you use them on me.
Hero, Jena again. The whip and bit left me wanting, so I made stirrups too.
That was beyond the pale—not for Lina's eyes, nor anyone else's. Even I, the subject, felt dizzy reading Jena's words.
I gathered all the letters, shoved them into the living room fireplace, and set them ablaze. The fancy paper caught fire beautifully, roaring up.
Just as Jena's every missive turned to ash, the front door opened—and in walked Karen.
"Hero, there you are."