Chaos Erupts
"Y-You're... going to make me empress...?"
Clana asked with a flustered expression, and Frey nodded impassively.
"Yeah. I'm going to make you empress."
"Why? Why me?"
As Clana tilted her head in confusion, Frey curled the corner of his mouth and replied.
"Think about it. Why do you suppose I'm trying to put you on the throne?"
"Uh..."
Clana pondered his words for a moment, then glanced at him cautiously before answering.
"I... I don't know. Why would you...?"
"Because I'm going to use you, obviously."
At that, Clana's face went blank.
"You know all about that anomaly in your body, right? Wonder why it suddenly appeared in you?"
"Th-That was..."
"Obviously because I cast a curse on you. And you couldn't even confirm that much? You're utterly incompetent."
Clana bowed her head silently under Frey's icy rebuke. Watching her, Frey propped his feet on the desk and continued.
"From now on, without me, your mind will slowly crumble. Eventually, you'll go completely insane—end up shaving your head and holing up in a convent, never mind the throne."
"Eek..."
"So, you'll have no choice but to obey me completely. Got it?"
As Frey leaned in close to Clana, she nodded in terror.
"Hah... If you'd just acted this submissive from the start, things would've been easier. Always acting so superior, so noble. No wonder no one likes you."
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Quiet. Don't cry in front of me."
Clana forced back her tears at his words, and Frey spoke again with an annoyed look.
"You can never defy me now. So just stay quiet and serve as my tool to hold onto power..."
"Why did you turn down my sister's offer?"
"What?"
Frey paused mid-step as he rose to leave the room. Clana reached out desperately, grasping at her last straw.
"I saw it by chance earlier. You getting a marriage proposal from my sister."
"Impossible. No one was there..."
Frey started to retort calmly, then stopped, remembering the canary he'd carefully shielded with his hand moments ago.
"My sister... promised you the prime minister position."
Clana's face lit up with hope as she pressed on.
"So why reject that and try to make me empress?"
She clenched her fists and stared at Frey, who gazed back blankly for a moment before sighing.
"Simple. You're safer."
"Safer...?"
"Yeah. Easier to use someone who can't survive without me than a venomous snake full of poison."
Frey shattered Clana's final hope, gripping her shoulder as she stared in daze.
"Better to crown you—my puppet—than the first princess, who might kill me anytime."
"Stop!!"
Clana cut off Frey's final nail in the coffin, grabbing his hand.
"Let's reconcile. Please, let's make up."
"I said no. That was your last chance earlier."
"I don't want that either. Let's reconcile."
Clana's eyes burned with chaotic madness as she pushed relentlessly.
"Cl-Clana?"
"Won't you make up with me, Frey?"
Frey eyed her warily, a hint of panic crossing his face. Then Clana began emanating golden mana from her entire body, and he backed away slowly, muttering.
"...What the hell is this now?"
Something was happening.
.
.
.
.
.
"Frey... let's make up. Frey..."
"Calm down! Clana!"
Clana had lost it. At first, I blamed myself, thinking I'd pushed her too hard, but peeking at her status window revealed otherwise.
Her mental strength dropping from 8.1 to 3 made sense. If she'd recalled the trial memories as I'd guessed, that explained the drain. But losing Solar God's Blessing and Dominance Aura, gaining 'Emotional Rampage' and 'Madness' instead? That was no ordinary shift.
Status peculiarities only recorded supernatural or magical changes—not normal emotions. Meaning Clana was being artificially driven berserk.
- Zzzzt!!
"Heehee... heehehehe..."
As I thought that, Clana began conjuring golden spears around her.
"This is insane... for real."
No day ever went smoothly. I hurriedly drew my sword from my waist, bracing for the spears—but then.
"N-No!!"
Clana screamed suddenly, dismissing the spears and slamming her arm against the floor repeatedly.
"Not this time! Not again! No!"
"Clana..."
"Ughhhh!!!"
Even as her arm kept lunging toward me, Clana summoned a dagger from thin air and...
"Stay still!!!"
"Stop!!"
...slammed it into her own arm with full force.
- Thunk!!
The deep stabbing sound that followed didn't come from her arm—but mine. Thank god.
"You...?"
"Damn it."
Blood poured from my arm, pierced by her golden dagger.
"Ah... uwaaa..."
Clana panicked, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
"Clana, retract the Solar Mana."
"I-I can't... my hands are shaking... if they shake, the Solar Mana..."
"I'll hold your hands. Breathe slowly."
"Hoo... huuu..."
I embraced her gently, grasping her hands to calm her, whispering inwardly.
'It's fine. I can still fix this. For now.'
What just happened? I could chalk it up to her confused mental state creating an illusion. She was still in 'Emotional Rampage' and 'Madness,' so it would fly. For now...
- Knock knock knock
"Who is it?"
I patted Clana's back as she slowly withdrew her Solar Mana when someone knocked.
"Wait a sec. I'll be out soon."
I couldn't let anyone see her rampaging, so I kept my voice steady—but the knocking persisted.
- Knock knock knockknockknockknock
"...Who the hell are you."
- Bang! Bang! Crack!
The knocks turned to violent crashes, and Clana tensed in fear in my arms.
- Boom!!
Holding her tight, I watched the door shatter as someone burst in.
"Ugh..."
"What the—?"
I thought some monster had invaded the ballroom, but it was a person—an imperial maid.
"What do you think you're—"
- Whoosh!!
As I tilted my head warily, sure enough, the maid drew a dagger from her skirt and charged me.
"This is ridiculous."
"Eek?"
In the absurd situation, I rolled aside with Clana in my arms and began gathering Star Mana in my finger.
- Zzztzzzt!
The Star Mana hit the charging maid's dagger dead-on. Her expression turned cold as she drew a hidden blade from her bosom.
'Combat maid, huh.'
Explains why maids fought so well—secretly embedded battle maid.
"Hyaah!!"
Prolonging a fight with her elite skills was bad news. The moment she dropped her dagger, I lunged, kicking her into the wall.
- Crash!!
The wall shook with the impact.
"Ughhh..."
Even with my full force, she only staggered.
"Wha? Uwaaa..."
"Clana, listen carefully."
I glared at the maid briefly, then gripped Clana's shoulders—still dazed and whimpering—and spoke gravely.
"This isn't reality."
"Huh?"
"It's your dream. This place."
Clana's face twisted in confusion.
"The curse on you trapped you in this nightmare. Understand?"
"Wh-What are you saying... Frey... I..."
"I'm not Frey. Just a guardian your subconscious created."
Grinding my teeth through the lies, her eyes began to waver.
"If this weren't a dream, Frey would never protect you. Snap out of it."
"Ah... you're right. Hehe..."
No time left—I shook her shoulders, and she giggled blankly. A story that wouldn't have worked without her rampage and madness. Lucky, in a way.
"Now, we have to escape this hell together. Or you'll be trapped here forever."
I shook the still-grinning Clana.
"So snap out of it... and get us out. Got it?"
"No."
"What?"
"I want to live here with you forever."
"Don't talk nonsense..."
As I scolded her, she started making strange noises.
"Now I remember... finally. But it's too late to turn back, so here at least, with you..."
"What are you even saying?"
"You... gave me star-gazing flowers... and sunrise flowers..."
She froze mid-sentence, then stared at me with trembling eyes.
"You... could it be... gasp."
I watched her, then struck her nape to knock her out just before she finished. Aiming my sword at the approaching combat maid, I muttered.
"...I'm going insane."
"Grahhh!!"
No need to hold back for Clana now. I struck with full power, knocking out the maid.
"Now what?"
I sighed, staring past the broken door.
"Ughhh........."
Imperial nobles roamed the ballroom with blank, fierce eyes, oozing malice as they slowly advanced.
The empire's nobles were coming to kill me.
.
.
.
Meanwhile.
"Hours ahead of schedule, and it's already started?"
The girl who'd handed off her purple aura to the man eyed the ballroom, tracing a finger through the air.
"Alright then..."
She pulled gleaming silver armaments from the rift, donning them carefully as she murmured.
"...Time to become the hero."
Her ruby eyes glared at Frey's panicked reflection in the window.