Chapter 386: Flowers
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 386: Flowers
Squelch.
The dagger sank into the body.
Bright red blood splattered outward, reflecting dozens of equally bewildered faces.
Whether it was the Saintess candidates and their knights, the geniuses and elites participating in the trial, or the supporters crowded around Freya—everyone froze at the sight.
Within their wide, staring eyes was a look of profound confusion.
Some immediately suspected they were trapped in an illusion and whipped their heads toward Ellag, who was following not far behind Muen.
Ellag waved her hands frantically, looking completely innocent.
It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it, don’t talk nonsense.
"What are you doing?"
Muen, who had always remained wary of Freya, felt his brain stall for a few seconds.
He never could have imagined that when Freya finally made her move, the first thing she would do... was drive a blade into her own knight’s body.
What was the play here?
Sacrificing a teammate as an opening move?
"Brian, my dear Brian, does it hurt?"
Freya ignored Muen’s questioning for the moment. She abruptly yanked the dagger out of Brian’s body, causing even more blood to pour out as if it were worthless. Even though she was committing a horrific act, the smile on her face remained incredibly gentle.
"Don't worry. Soon, it won't hurt anymore."
"Cough, cough..."
Brian clutched his wound, sinking weakly to one knee before Freya.
He looked up, his face deathly pale, his expression a complex swirl of emotions.
Shock, horror, confusion... and then, a sense of resignation. Yet within that resignation, there was an unspeakable agony.
"Lady Freya... did you still choose this path?" Brian’s voice trembled.
"I had no choice, Brian. This is the only way."
"It shouldn't be like this... it shouldn't... I..."
Brian seemed to want to say something, but his bloodless lips suddenly pressed into a tight line, his eyes filled with helplessness.
Finally, with a soft sigh, he let go of his wound, allowing the blood to drip freely.
Freya’s palm brushed against Brian’s cheek with tender affection. She looked up, scanning the crowd, until her gentle gaze finally settled on Muen.
"Can't you tell what I'm doing yet?"
She spoke softly:
"To put it in terms you can understand... I’ve turned traitor."
Clang—
In the next instant, thunder rumbled.
A sudden gale kicked up the thin blood mist in the area.
While everyone was still reeling from the incomprehensible scene, a sharp flash of a blade crossed the short distance, arriving at... Freya’s neck.
Freya’s supporters hadn't even reacted. A simple sweep of that blade would have sent the head of the candidate said to be closest to the Saintess rolling, ending her life then and there.
However, the blade stopped just before her slender neck. It left only a shallow red mark on her fair skin before refusing to move an inch further.
An identical red mark appeared on Muen’s neck. His expression turned grim.
"The Death Contract Document!"
"Yes, the Death Contract Document."
Freya tilted her head back slightly, making the curve of her swan-like neck even more elegant.
"If Mr. Muen kills me, your own head will fall immediately. Of course, given the speed of teleportation magic and the Church's technology, they might be able to sew it back on within a few seconds."
"But once you're disqualified, you won't be able to do anything—including protecting your precious little Saintess."
She offered no resistance, merely smiling at Muen. But that flawless smile was utterly nauseating in Muen’s eyes.
Muen whipped his head around to look at Margarita.
She was the one who had brought out the Death Contract Document in the first place...
But Margarita only shook her head with a strange expression. "It has nothing to do with me."
Muen didn't move the blade from Freya’s neck. He continued to press her:
"But you signed the Death Contract Document too! Why are you unharmed?"
The Death Contract Document was something Margarita had produced because she didn't trust Freya, the candidate with the most supporters. Freya’s signature had been verified multiple times; there was no way she could have played tricks with the document itself.
Muen’s own reaction just now confirmed the contract was active.
And yet, Freya had clearly stabbed her own knight, but nothing had happened to her.
"Of course I'm fine, because I would never hurt anyone."
Freya looked down. "Right, my Brian?"
"Of course."
Brian, growing weaker by the second and unable to even stand, flashed a smile of fanatical devotion.
"How could Lady Freya ever hurt me? This... this is her love for me."
"..."
Dammit!
That actually works?
What kind of simp superpower is this?
Muen’s eye twitched. He looked back at Margarita again.
Margarita gave a bitter smile.
"The contract was designed to prevent accidental injury."
"..."
Muen froze, then realized what she meant.
If the curse of the Death Contract Document triggered every time someone was accidentally nicked, then Ellag—who had just performed that amateurish display and hit several people—would have been sent out long ago.
However, Brian’s level of "simp-soul" was clearly an outlier. Now that Freya had shown her true colors, the others, no matter how foolish, would be on their guard.
That included her supporters. They only backed her because they thought she had a high chance of becoming the next Saintess and wanted to place their bets early; they weren't actual fanatics.
Glancing around, Muen saw the supporters were clearly in a "wait-and-see" mode. Even that flamboyant, ugly macho man from before only had flickering eyes as he watched Muen hold a knife to Freya’s throat; he made no move to intervene.
However...
It was precisely because of this that the unease in Muen’s heart grew stronger.
Knowing she had no effective way to attack, Freya had still struck—even if the first victim was her own God-Attendant Knight.
It was this blatant abnormality...
"What exactly are you trying to do? What is your goal? And you said you 'turned'? Who are you representing? Or is it..."
Clink.
Golden chains suddenly erupted from beneath Freya’s feet, binding her tightly.
The others had acted. While they couldn't harm her directly, they could at least restrain her movements to stop her bizarre behavior.
But even though her body was bound in a rather suggestive manner by the cold chains, Freya’s smile didn't fade in the slightest.
"Oh dear, Mr. Muen, everyone... please don't look at me with such scary eyes."
"I told you, I won't hurt anyone."
"I just... need you all to cooperate a little..."
In an instant, Muen’s heart constricted.
That familiar premonition of death exploded in his mind. Almost before his conscious mind could process it, his body moved on instinct.
A blade aimed at his vitals grazed past him. He whipped around and saw... the flamboyant ugly man in the white formal suit.
"You..."
Are you a simp too?
Muen was about to demand an answer, but before he could speak, he saw that the flamboyant man looked just as incredulous as he did.
"I... no... I didn't... I didn't want to... but... I can't control myself!"
He looked at his trembling hands gripping his weapon, his eyes filled with utter horror.
But in the next moment, that horror turned into terror.
With a squelch, he looked down in a daze.
A blood-stained blade tip protruded from his chest.
"Cough, cough..."
The flamboyant man coughed up clots of blood and turned his head with difficulty.
He saw a familiar, yet equally bewildered face.
It was his companion.
A companion he had spent every day with, a deep bond between them.
"Wh... why? Didn't we agree... to go to the end together? To use the money we earned here to go traveling? Did you... choose Freya?"
"No... I don't know..."
The other macho man, his face equally rugged, let out tears of agony. "But I can't control myself!"
A red line appeared across the neck of the second man. His head fell to the ground.
Almost simultaneously, a pure white glimmer appeared, enveloping his entire body and head before they vanished from the spot.
The curse of the Death Contract Document had been triggered.
The teleportation scroll triggered at the same time.
But it wasn't over.
Squelch.
Squelch.
Squelch.
Squelch.
The sound of more blades piercing flesh rang out. People turned back in pain, only to see familiar faces behind them.
Senior Sister Fanny looked at Senior Sister Vicky behind her in a daze.
Ellag looked at Seviel behind her in terror.
Even Fei'er lost her usual laziness. She slowly lowered her head, staring blankly at the spear that had impaled her body.
"Cough... Little Thunder?"
Fei'er frowned, her face contorted in pain.
"If you think the salary I'm paying is too low, just say so... I can give you a raise. Why use such extreme measures?"
"No... it's not me."
The coldness in the eyes of the adventurer known as Thunder Spear faded, replaced by the helplessness of a child.
"I can't control myself. I can't..."
The veins on her forehead bulged, and the muscles in her arms spasmed violently as if she were fighting against something.
But the outcome was already decided.
A red thread appeared on her neck, and the pure white light lit up, enveloping her.
In that moment, Muen’s eyes widened.
Because the instant Thunder Spear disappeared, Muen saw something tucked into her hair—something that completely clashed with her usual cold temperament.
A bouquet of flowers.
Pale yellow flowers, now stained with flecks of blood, looking even more eerie. Though they were tucked into her hair, they seemed to be rooted in her very being, swaying, swaying in the breeze.
"Flowers?"
Muen’s thoughts suddenly clicked into place.
[Mr. Muen, would you like my flowers?]
Muen whipped his head around and shouted to the crowd, "Did all of you... take Freya’s flowers?!"
"Flowers?"
Most people looked confused.
But it was exactly as Muen expected. "Most people" referred to those who were still standing—less than half of the original group—after the sudden backstabbing by their companions.
As for the small minority...
Muen’s gaze fell on the flamboyant ugly man who had just ambushed him. The bouquet of flowers on his chest was fresh and dripping with life.