NOVEL NEXT Chapter 177
177. The Captive Princess [Side – Golem]
Beyond the door was a dimly lit, small room. A shabby bed and the light of a tiny candle. That was all, a tiny world.
It was the same. Not long ago, I had been thrown into a cell, knowing nothing but this small space and the execution grounds.
As I stood frozen, looking at the room that was almost identical to the one I had once lived in, I heard a rustling sound from the back of the room.
“What the hell are you guys doing?! I told you to knock before coming in!”
With a high-pitched voice, a girl jumped up from the corner of the room and pointed at us.
Her light flaxen hair was long and almost touched the floor. Her clothes were dirty, as if she had rolled in the dirt, making her look unkempt overall.
She looked like a puppy abandoned in the rain, soaked to the bone, but her blue eyes glared at us like a wild dog, filled with hostility.
“…I don’t recognize you. You’re not Wakame, nor a servant, are you? Who are you?”
“I… should I just say Golem? This is Vitt.”
“Hmm,” she murmured, then stared at us as though judging us.
While the girl seemed suspicious of us, I was struggling to react.
Not long ago, I was not even allowed to speak and rarely had conversations, so I was unable to talk properly.
But this girl in front of me spoke rather fluently.
“So, what do you want? Are you the new servants or something?”
“No. We’re here to get you out of here. You’re the special child being researched, right?”
“…Incorrect.”
“Huh?”
She muttered softly, then leaped onto the bed.
“I’m a princess locked up in this castle. So, only a prince on a white horse can save me. You two don’t seem like princes.”
“…Are you a princess from some country?”
“Noo! I told you, I don’t want your help!”
What is this? I can’t understand her at all.
Does she not want to leave this room? And I have no idea what she’s talking about.
As I was confused, Vitt whispered to me from the side.
“…I think she’s just being selfish.”
“Selfish? What do you mean?”
“She probably has this dream of being saved by a prince, and until that happens, she won’t leave this room.”
“So, should we just leave her here?”
“No, that’s not it… Just be a little humble, and speak in a prince-like way to coax her out.”
I don’t get it. Why do I have to indulge in her nonsensical requests?
“This is ridiculous. If you don’t want to leave, then fine. I’ll leave you here just as you wish.”
“Ah! Wait…!”
As I turned my back to leave, the girl suddenly called out to me in a weak voice.
“What now?”
“Didn’t you come to rescue me?! You better help me properly!”
First she says she wants out, and now she says to save her.
I’m more confused than ever. What does she want?
I had hoped to find some clues about myself when meeting another ‘special child,’ but after just a few minutes, I’m already tired of this.
The thought that she’s like me makes me angry. So, I decided to ignore Vitt’s advice.
“Listen. I came to help you, but I’m not here to take care of you. If you want to follow, then follow. That’s all.”
“What… What kind of tone is that?!”
I left the room and started retracing my steps, with the girl angrily following me.
So, she wanted to leave after all. If she’d just said that from the start, we wouldn’t have had to deal with all this nonsense.
“What’s your name?”
“Hmph! I won’t tell you! I don’t like you!”
“Quit fighting, you two…”
Vitt tried to mediate, but my frustration had already peaked.
I thought meeting a special child would give me some clue about my abilities, but now it felt like a wasted trip.
Once we’re out of this building, I’ll leave her behind. And then I’ll make Vitt treat me to a meal. I can search for clues about myself later.
“Hey, Vitt. Let’s get out of here—”
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
It happened in that instant. A man’s shrill scream pierced my ears, and I saw a glowing liquid streak across my peripheral vision.
I immediately turned toward the voice, and what I saw made me doubt my eyes.
The voice came from Wakame Man. He had his fist extended, frozen in a motion as though he’d just thrown a punch.
And what he had punched was unmistakable. It was Vitt.
“AAAAHHHHH!!”
The girl’s scream rang out, and I regained my composure. Vitt’s body limply rolled on the ground, while only the girl’s voice echoed through the hallway.
“Ahaahahahaha!! You’re really stupid!! Why did you let me off earlier? You must’ve known this would happen!!”
Blood was flowing from Vitt’s head.
Blood, blood, flowing, flowing, flowing—it wouldn’t stop. After a while, Vitt’s head had submerged into a pool of red.
“You couldn’t kill me, could you? You just didn’t try! And now you’re getting your feet swept out from under you!”
“Don’t you have a policy of not killing people? Some kind of aesthetic? Or maybe pride?”
“It doesn’t matter, does it? You lost something important because of that soft, foolish mindset! It’s too late for him now!!”
“And so, you’ll spend the rest of your life, your whole life, your whole life, your WHOLE LIFE—forever! Never being able to forget that you lost to me, you baaaka—”
Before I knew it, I had punched Wakame Man right in the face.
There was no reason left, just pure rage filled with murderous intent.
I hit him again and again. I screamed. I didn’t understand why. I had only met Vitt recently.