Chapter 742: Chaos

“It happens sometimes.”

The underground below the center of the Capital.

In that place shrouded in the silence of death, Puppet opened his mouth, as if lost in thought.

“People are often mistaken, thinking that having a handsome face, extraordinary talent, or being born into a good family means that they must be the center of the world, loved by God… but you see.”

Puppet paused, stood up, and slowly walked toward Edward, who was slumped on the blood-covered ground.

For context, Edward had collapsed there, too afraid to support his legs.

Puppet knelt on one knee, bringing himself to eye level with the frightened prince.

“That’s not proof that you’re special, nor is it proof that you’re loved by God. Wealth, power, fame, a good appearance—it’s nothing from God’s perspective. They’re like sugar cubes.”

Puppet smiled slightly, as if a suitable metaphor had occurred to him. It was more a hollow smile than one of joy.

“To ants, such things are treasures of immeasurable value, but to humans? Not really. These are things you wouldn’t even care if they were tucked away in some corner of a tea cabinet… I suppose it’s quite cruel to say this, but you’ve been living in that delusion alone, thinking you’re the protagonist of this world.”

“All bodies have been cleared.”

Lilith approached Puppet and reported.

She had moved the bodies of those killed by Unbent Knee to one side.

Puppet stood up and responded.

“Thank you, Lilith… Anyway, Prince, this is my point. You’re not the center of the world, nor are you loved by God, and you’re certainly not the protagonist. You’re more like a secondary character, just a shallow tool for the narrative. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The prince, still too frightened to respond, remained silent.

“What I’m saying is that it’s time for you to play your role and begin the royal succession. That’s the purpose of your birth and existence.”

Puppet commanded as he looked down at Edward X.

The heir to the greatest kingdom in the world.

Fortunately or unfortunately, that heir still had a shred of pride, as his hands trembled violently, yet he gathered the courage to resist.

“I won’t… succumb to such threats…”

Of course, there was a thin layer of calculation beneath that courage.

Even in this situation, he believed that Puppet wouldn’t harm him because he thought his help was necessary for Puppet’s apocalyptic ambitions. Therefore, he assumed Puppet wouldn’t dare to kill him.

However, there was one problem.

It was the same problem that Edward encountered earlier with his rebellion.

The calculation was entirely based on Edward’s perception. The opponent, on the other hand, was Puppet.

“Of course you’d be terrified. You’re a coward.”

Puppet locked eyes with the prince, who remained silent.

“You know, don’t you? Just how much of a coward you truly are?”

Puppet moved closer to the prince. Once again, the prince was silent.

“You love the glory of being a prince but hate the responsibilities. You crave the affection of others but are unwilling to put in the effort. That’s why you accepted my help so easily.”

Puppet drew close to the prince, almost touching him. Yet, the prince remained silent.

“And that’s why, despite all the many blessings you’ve received, this is how you ended up. So, do you think you can stand against me just to protect some worthless pride?”

Puppet squatted down and placed his hand on the prince’s shoulder. The prince stayed mute.

“Well, I’ll cheer for you. Though in doing so, you’ll meet a brutal end, torn to pieces by your enraged people… However, I can assure you that such a thing will never happen. Do you know why?”

Finally, the silent prince shook his head slowly.

“Because you’re far too much of a coward. You’re too scared to even make such a desperate choice… Lilith.”

“Yes?”

“Sorry, but can you escort the prince to prepare the royal succession ceremony? All the collaborators are here, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“There are still many who aren’t collaborators though.”

“Kill a few, and the rest will cooperate. Try to be as efficient as possible.”

Even though it was a one-sided request, Lilith merely sighed a little and followed Puppet’s instructions, supporting Edward X as they headed out.

After all, the palace was essentially under their control by now, so as Puppet had said, it was only a matter of careful handling.

“Ugh, what a hassle… Fine.”

“I’m always grateful.”

With that brief exchange, Lilith left with the Crown Prince.

And so, only the silent corpses and Unbent Knee remained in the underground.

In the deafening silence, Puppet glanced at Unbent Knee and asked.

“So, have you made up your mind? About what to do with your younger brother?”

As soon as the word ‘brother’ was uttered, the atmosphere of the dark underground shifted, brushing against Puppet’s face.

A sharp pain ran across Puppet’s cheek where the air had passed, and he smiled.

Even though he had blocked his sense of pain, he still felt pain. It seemed he had succeeded, just barely, in mimicking the Prince of Hell.

Puppet asked again, this time more directly.

“Can you personally kill your brother? To avenge your clan?”

The dark air swirled fiercely, seemingly threatening Puppet, but soon it calmed down.

Once the air settled, Unbent Knee slowly nodded his head.

He had chosen revenge.

***

The sudden revelation of the relationship between the Crown Prince and Puppet plunged the entire capital into chaos.

As proof of this, the palace became the stage where Puppet and Edward X formed their new bond, while outside, the streets were filled with the noise of fires and orphan hunts.

And that commotion extended even to the hiding place where Edith, Philip, Terence, Prince Albert, and the pink-haired woman were staying.

It may have been quieter than the other two places, but the quiet was only on the surface. Beneath it, everyone was dealing with a headache.

“The outside is practically a slaughterhouse. People are panicking, arming themselves with shotguns, hoes, and clubs, and executing orphans left and right. They’re even clashing with the army.”

Terence, having gone out to survey the situation, frowned as he reported back.

“Executing orphans?”

Prince Albert, stunned by such irrational news, questioned in disbelief.

Terence, sticking to his military manners, clarified for the prince.

“That’s right, Your Highness. The panicking citizens are gathering in groups and executing orphans accused of starting the fires.”

Honestly, it was closer to ‘slaughter’ than ‘execution,’ but Terence refrained from saying so for the sake of the prince’s mental health.

It wasn’t unwarranted either, as the prince’s face had already turned a pale shade of white.

For the one who once took so much pride in the Kingdom, such barbarity must have been shocking.

Philip Roar, seeing the prince faltering, supported him and gently sat him down to rest while whispering to Terence.

“So, can we escape on foot?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure.”

Terence frowned and shook his head.

“I’m actually against leaving. The outside is in utter chaos, and like how a military mage can die from a stray bullet, that’s what it’s like out there. However…”

“…But we can’t just stay put. The capital itself has become too dangerous.”

Philip interrupted Terence, completing his line of thought. Terence nodded, as if that had been his own point.

After all, according to the radio, the entire capital was going to be sacrificed, so staying here was tantamount to waiting for death like pigs in a slaughterhouse.

So, there was only one conclusion: they had to move. However, the problem was how to do so.

As Terence had reported, the situation outside was pure chaos.

If it were just themselves, that would be one thing, but moving while protecting the Crown Prince was dangerous in many ways.

Not to mention if the Crown Prince’s identity became known during their movement—it was a scenario they didn’t even want to imagine.

It was a situation where leaving and returning were both impossible.

Even so, a decision had to be made, and as the head of an esteemed military mage family, Philip was well aware of this.

He had to choose, even in this wretched situation. Fortunately, he had the courage and skill to make that choice.

However, in situations like this, it’s always best to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Before making his decision, Philip sought the opinions of others.

For instance, the insane fat man who had bluntly approached him with news of Edward X’s plot and had urged them to escape.

“Edith. What’s your…”

Philip trailed off, glancing around.

Edith was nowhere to be seen. With that massive body, hiding must’ve been difficult.

For a moment, the idea that he had fled crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

As crazy as Edith was, he wasn’t a coward, nor a fool who would choose to flee alone in the midst of chaos.

“He went over there, Sir.”

The exhausted Prince Albert pointed in one direction.

“He went that way.”

The place Albert pointed at was the hidden escape tunnel in the corner of the safe house.

“A woman with pink hair… that young lady named Jane summoned him. Looked like she had something to discuss.”

***

“What are you scheming, Edith?”

In the hidden escape tunnel at one side of the safe house.

There, Jane questioned the fat man, who looked like three or four pigs merged into one.

“You crazy girl… Throwing your father’s name around like that? You’re a fool with not even an ounce of common sense… I wonder how you survived without any parents.”

Edith spouted out blasphemous comments as naturally as breathing.

But Jane didn’t seem to mind and casually replied.

“As you said, I don’t have parents. So it’s not like you can expect me to act like a good daughter. Or is that what you want from me?”

“Crazy girl.”

Edith smiled with an unmistakable lewdness.

“If you don’t want that, then let’s stop talking about these things. You’re the one who told me I don’t need to pretend anymore after all.”

“Showing some backbone, huh? Not bad. Your mother didn’t have that kind of talent and fell into ruin quickly. In that sense, you’re the better one. I’m satisfied.”

For Jane, who had seen her mother fall into disgrace, those words were not just insults.

While they didn’t cause physical harm, they were a form of violence nonetheless.

And not just to her mother, but to Jane as well. Yet Jane felt something just a bit more complicated than simple hatred and resentment. The reason was—

“—Are you afraid that your victory trophy will lose its value?”

Jane referred to herself as a ‘trophy.’

Using Edith’s own language, Edith often called Jane his trophy. A testament to his successful revenge, a sign of his victory.

And because of that, it was a word Jane hated.

It made her feel as though Edith didn’t even see her as a daughter, let alone a human being.

But the absurd thing was, Jane had once benefited greatly from that disgusting word.

Because she was his ‘trophy,’ when she was kidnapped by Fen, Edith had protected her against Ms. Miranda, who sought to take Jane’s wealth.

That’s why Jane, despite harboring deep hatred and anger for Edith, felt something else—something she couldn’t quite articulate.

Not that it lasted long, thanks to Edith’s behavior.

“It’s always better to have a more valuable trophy than a cheap one… although sometimes lowering its value for fun can be satisfying as well. Care to try fawning over me again? That fake smile always stuck with me.”

Jane gave a cold smile. One filled with contempt and disgust.

“Is this why you brought me here?”

“What if I said yes? Would you do it?”

“No. I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I never asked you for help, and I’m too rich to be doing such things now.”

“Hahaha! Well, I’m glad then. I thought you were going to refuse because of some ridiculous notion of love.”

“What?”

“Women are pathetic creatures, but they become even more pathetic when consumed by love. They keep their purity and devotion like fools, with no one asking them to. With nothing between their legs, they act like morons. I thought you were one of them, nothing more… While we’re on the subject.”

Edith paused for a moment before continuing.

“Where are your little bodyguards? Those kids who use dark magic.”

Edith was referring to Kirby and Slightly, who had followed Jane to the capital to protect her.

Those children had been playing roles in Neverland and were now acting as Jane’s guards, some of them even making it to the capital.

“You didn’t just abandon them, did you…? Ah, I get it. Things weren’t looking good, so you sent them to safety, didn’t you?”

Despite his clumsy appearance, Edith perceptively saw through the situation.

“Wow… I never thought you were such a kindhearted soul, taking in orphans and making sure they escape at the right time. Or do you just want to look good for someone, pretending to be a saint?”

“…I just sent them back because they wouldn’t be much help.”

“Then aren’t you just the same? Why did you come to the capital at all? Your life has no connection to this place. Ms. Miranda invited you here, but you could’ve just ignored her… Was it to help that person—”

“I have a question for you as well. May I ask?”

Before Edith could pry further into her heart, Jane cut him off with her own question.

“What is it?”

“Why did you bring me here, Edith? I never asked for your help. Do you have some ridiculous reason for this?”

Jane deliberately made her question sharp, driving back Edith’s intrusion into her thoughts.

Edith grinned broadly.

“Because it’s amusing.”

“What’s so amusing?”

“Helping someone who hates me so much, so someone like you can never repay me. And not just once, but twice.”

“…”

“That’s why I helped you. No matter what kind of tantrum you throw, you can never deny or forget what I did for you. Forever. Until you die… and that is what I find delightful.”

“What a perverse reason.”

“You’ve only just realized that? Didn’t your mother ever tell you what I did to her?”

Just as Jane was about to snap back, the door burst open.

Through the open door stepped Lieutenant General Philip, a hulking man nearly 2 meters tall. He briefly explained the situation and asked for their input on what to do next.

As a lieutenant general of the Royal Army, Philip certainly knew the best course of action without asking. It was likely just a formality.

But regardless, Edith, whose appearance was entirely opposite to Philip’s, shared the same opinion.

“Of course we have to run. Things are already messed up, but we need to get out of this godforsaken city before it gets worse. No matter how dangerous it is. We’ll all die anyway if we just sit here.”