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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 115 - Kingdom (2)
Affection or admiration.
Complicated emotions, tangled and messy, burning with an intensity that made her chest feel warm.
Irene thought back to that bowl of warm stew.
A simple kindness from someone else—like a miracle—offered during the lowest point of her life.
Now, that memory felt strangely distant.
—Take your time eating. There’s plenty more where that came from.
A table where starving little foxes could finally eat their fill.
Back then, she’d been suspicious, convinced there had to be some hidden agenda.
But now, looking back, she realized that was when everything had started.
The moment miracles quietly crept into her life.
That person had become an irreplaceable part of her world—someone she could rely on completely.
And someday, she wanted to be just as strong.
She wanted to be someone he could rely on, just as much as she relied on him—to become someone he needed.
Not because she feared being abandoned.
Not just to be loved.
But because she wanted to be worthy of standing by his side.
"…I’m thinking too much again."
Irene shook her head, brushing off the creeping thoughts.
Her lips curled into a faint, bitter smile.
After much hesitation, her hands finally settled on the simplest choice.
Beef stew.
‘Yeah… this will be fine.’
Better this than attempting something too complicated and burning everything to a crisp.
A modest, decent dish would be better than a disaster disguised as ambition.
And if it was him, he’d probably compliment her and say it was delicious, even if it was horribly made.
That thought alone made her smile.
With lighter steps, Irene continued her shopping—completely unaware of the shadow trailing her, like a ripple of heat in the air.
* * *
At the same time—
In an alleyway, far from the bustling crowd.
A stranger watched, her golden eyes fixed on the retreating figure of the little fox.
Mana crackled faintly in the air, shimmering like static around her.
Her alluring lips curled into a smile.
"Hmm~ So that’s our target this time?"
Her voice oozed with a casual, almost lazy charm.
A dark robe hid her features, masking her identity—but no cloak could conceal the overwhelming aura of power she carried.
Tension thickened the air, sharp enough to cut.
The woman chuckled softly to herself.
"She’s pretty cute, though. Just my type."
Her name was Injustice, the one who stood for the absence of fairness.
One of the Five Negatives, the fourth blade that served directly under the Sovereign.
Normally, her role was to act as part of the royal guard, staying close to her master.
But today, she’d been sent on a special mission—
infiltrating the academy.
Her orders were simple:
Bring the “Serpent” to the Kingdom.
Injustice clicked her tongue, annoyed.
‘Tch… It’s too risky to go after the Serpent directly. He’s not the type to follow politely just because we ask.’
She knew exactly how dangerous he was.
She’d been there—during the war in the Empire’s underworld.
The coup.
The bloody battle for the throne.
She’d witnessed firsthand what the Serpent was capable of.
His cruelty had carved itself into her nightmares.
Even now, when sleep slipped too deep, she’d see him waiting in the dark.
He wasn’t just a man.
He was a myth.
A monster who’d crushed every criminal syndicate lurking in the underworld, one by one—and in the end, even turned the Sovereign’s entire “Kingdom” into ashes.
The Sovereign, the unrivaled ruler of the shadows, had lost an arm to survive that day.
It wasn’t a battle.
It was an execution.
A one-sided massacre.
Injustice wiped the cold sweat from her brow.
‘I never wanted to see that bastard again…’
The memory made her shiver.
She still had nightmares about those eyes.
Eyes colder than death itself, inhuman and empty.
If she had to face them again, she was pretty sure she’d piss herself without hesitation.
That’s how deeply her fear was carved into her soul.
But fear didn’t excuse her from orders.
Defying the Sovereign was never an option.
So—she’d come up with a little workaround.
‘It’ll be easier to target someone close to him.’
Her gaze shifted to her current target—a fox demi-human who’d recently been seen living with the Serpent.
Fox ears twitched atop the girl’s head, a fluffy tail swaying behind her.
According to unreliable intel from a certain shady informant, she’d been bought from a slave auction run by that scummy merchant.
But Injustice wasn’t here to fact-check.
Her fingers idly twirled the whip hanging from her belt.
The plan was simple.
The Sovereign’s orders were clear:
Bring the Serpent to the Kingdom—quickly.
No specific method was mentioned.
No rules.
No restrictions.
That meant she had room to play.
Even if things got a little… messy.
Besides, she had a failsafe.
The Serpent cared about the people around him.
If she kidnapped someone important and disappeared, he’d have no choice but to come after her.
Even if it meant walking straight into the Sovereign’s territory.
‘It’s foolproof.’
She hummed softly, amusement dancing in her golden eyes.
"Guess I’ll have a little fun with my hostage while I wait~"
Injustice wasn’t weak.
While her abilities weren’t as offensively overwhelming as the other Negatives, she was still strong enough to snap a student’s neck with a flick of her finger.
After all, she was one of the Sovereign’s elite guards— a handpicked weapon.
Taking down some naive little fox would be child’s play.
She continued trailing Irene, her steps slow and casual.
‘I’ll grab her once she enters the dorm. No need to cause a scene.’
Like a predator waiting for prey to walk into the trap, she followed the girl until Irene finally entered the dormitory building.
Then, without hesitation—
Injustice tore through space itself, appearing in front of Irene like she’d blinked into existence.
CRACK—!
"Peek-a-boo!"
She flashed a playful grin, her whip slicing through the air with lethal precision.
Irene’s eyes widened in shock.
"…!"
She barely had time to react.
But it didn’t matter.
Injustice was already within striking distance.
The whip lashed out—fast as a bullet.
THWACK—!
A sharp, deafening sound filled the corridor, followed by the dull thud of a body hitting the ground.
Irene collapsed, knees buckling beneath her.
It was over in an instant.
* * *
Returning to the academy after wrapping up my work,
I pushed open the door to my dormitory, only to be hit with an immediate sense of wrongness.
Something was off.
Deeply off.
The air was too still.
Too quiet.
Darkness filled the room, unbroken by even a single flicker of light.
"…"
The sun had long since set, but no lamps had been lit inside.
That alone was strange.
I moved silently, lowering my presence.
Normally, Irene would’ve greeted me by now—her voice quick to fill the silence.
But there was nothing.
Not even the faintest whisper of movement.
That’s when I knew something was wrong.
Rustle—
A grocery bag lay abandoned in the entryway, its contents—meat and vegetables—scattered across the floor.
As I bent down to pick them up, a faint noise brushed past my ear—the softest of sounds, just barely there.
Coming from the room at the far end of the hall.
—Ugh… hic…
A weak, stifled sob.
I sprinted toward it without hesitation.
"Irene!"
BANG—!
I kicked the door open, splinters flying in every direction.
There was no time to think.
No room for doubt.
But the sight that greeted me made me stop in my tracks.
"HUEEEEEEH!! I’M SORRY! I WAS WRONG!!"
A shrieking voice filled the room.
In the corner, a little girl with messy yellow hair was kneeling—her arms raised as if being punished, tears and snot streaming down her face.
Her clothes were covered in soot, as if she’d been playing with fire… and lost.
"…?"
I blinked.
My brain momentarily froze.
What… was I looking at?
Before I could process, another voice greeted me casually—completely unfazed by the chaos.
Flames flickered lazily around her.
"Welcome back. You’re a bit late today."
"Miss Irene?"
At the center of the room stood the fox herself.
Her orange hair now burned a vivid red, mana flaring around her like a living flame.
The intensity of her presence dominated the room, heat radiating off her in waves.
In her hand was a sword wreathed in fire, its tip pointed directly at the trembling little girl.
Still trying to make sense of the scene, I asked,
"…What happened here?"
"I got ambushed."
"And?"
"I won."
"…?"
My confusion only deepened.
Irene shrugged, offering a half-hearted explanation.
"She was following me from the market. I thought it was weird, so when she attacked, I just… beat her up."
BONK—!
She casually smacked the girl on the head with the flat of her sword.
The girl yelped in terror.
"EEK—! I’M SORRY! I WON’T DO IT AGAIN!!"
She pressed her palms together, bowing desperately.
She couldn’t have been more than ten years old.
I slowly turned to look at Irene.
She averted her gaze, mumbling under her breath like a kid caught doing something wrong.
Her voice was barely audible.
"…Maybe I hit her too hard."
As if to confirm her guilt, the girl burst into fresh sobs, tears streaming down her face.
"HUHUHU… I PROMISE I’LL BE GOOD! PLEASE STOP WITH THE HOT STUFF…!"
"…"
"…"
We stared at each other in silence.
"Miss Irene."
"…"
"Have you ever heard of child abuse?"
"She was an adult at first… Then she started shrinking during the fight. Now she’s just… like this."
"…And excessive force?"
"…"
Irene said nothing.
The awkward silence stretched on, punctuated only by the girl’s wailing.
We stood there—waiting for the crying to stop.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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