[◆ Kill Siegfried.]
The single selection window appeared, surrounded by gilded carvings, gleaming with a gloomy and eerie gleam.
“…….”
Presibe stood staring out that window, her features completely confused.
(What the hell...?)
If there were multiple options like before, she might have been able to choose something better. But that there is only one option... and the option is murder?!
It was true that Siegfried made her angry, and sometimes she actually wished him dead.
And if she remembers the torment she went through because of him in the end, she feels her hatred for him even more.
Even now, just remembering Siegfried's ending makes her remember the pain he caused her when he forced her to take poison.
But, despite everything...this wasn't what she wanted.
To die alone? maybe.
But to be the one to kill him with her own hands? no.
[Notice: If an option is not selected within ??? seconds, ??? will be imposed. Unknown punishment.]
However, a new notification full of question marks appeared, as if the game was no longer working normally.
Just like the day of the Founding Festival, when malfunctions began to crash into the system.
Perhaps due to these crashes, the game no longer fully resets itself when choices are ignored.
Does this mean that she can ignore this option and not kill Siegfried with her own hand?
(I don't want to commit murder... It's not up to me...)
She almost cried in despair, but her body wasn't responding.
“Pressippe... Mrs. Presippie...”
[Notice: If a decision is not made within 3 seconds, the game will be reset.]
From behind the notification window, she could see Siegfried staring at her with a tense expression, not understanding anything.
(No... I have no choice...)
Perhaps the system is already collapsing, but there is no definitive evidence.
Even if a collapse occurs, no one knows what will happen next.
Presibe, looking frozen, approached Siegfried step by step, her eyes still expressionless.
Then...she chose the sparkling gold cucumber.
Without hesitation, Presibe's foot stepped on Siegfried's hand clinging to the edge of the cliff.
“Aaaaaaah…….”
A short cry came out of Siegfried, and he looked at her with eyes filled with dozens of indescribable emotions.
But…
“Knight Commander!”
Several knights entered the scene, with tired faces, looking like they had been constantly attacked while escaping.
“Huh...”
Finally, Prisippi regained control of her body, and collapsed to the ground, panting.
Some of the knights began fighting the monsters, while others approached to rescue Siegfried, who almost fell off the cliff.
“I-I'm sorry… Commander…”
Presippi said in a trembling voice, her fists clenched tight, her tone cracking.
“I wanted to help you, but... I think I froze in fear and confusion...”
Improvised excuse. Will they believe him?
Still, she felt a little contempt for herself.
Everything Siegfried did to her was enough to make him deserve death, but…
(This was all part of his character settings, wasn't it?…)
She thought everyone was just characters in a game, not real human beings.
But they don't seem like that anymore.
They started feeling, acting, and hurting…just like her.
What she had just done looked to her like a real murder attempt.
Since she chose the adult option, it seems that she is now able to talk to Siegfried of her own free will...
"Mrs. Presby! What are you doing here?!"
Fenric appeared, panting and running towards her, looking shocked to see her in the Forbidden Forest.
As soon as he approached her, he suddenly hugged her tightly to his chest.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?!"
Had she ever seen this man so terrified?
Absolutely not.
He always seemed arrogant, self-confident, able to manipulate even Emperor Dietrich.
But the strange thing is that as soon as Prisippi found herself in his embrace, her trembling subsided.
As if her body realized that she was safe.
“Kevin! Kill the monsters with the knights! We don’t need to eliminate them all, just open an escape route for us!”
Fenric shouted a firm command towards Kevin, realizing that the situation no longer allowed achieving his original goals.
Those knights who appeared seemed to be coming from the northeastern side, as expected.
Their number was strange, not suitable for eliminating them all at once.
Now that Presibe is with them, a way must be found to return to the village safely no matter what the cost.
“Yes. Sir Duke, protect Lady Prisippi, and I will take care of the monsters with them.”
Kevin nodded briefly, then joined the few remaining knights to make their way through the crowd of monsters.
“……”
While Siegfried was panting with intermittent sighs, after having narrowly succeeded in climbing from the edge of the cliff with the help of the knights, he was staring calmly at Presibe.
With eyes full of doubt.
—
Prisippi, Fenric, Siegfried, Kevin, and the few surviving knights finally made it out of the Forbidden Forest.
As Siegfried noted, Fenrik also noticed something unexpected along their way out:
The monsters never attacked Presibe.
It was true that he had fought with all his might to protect her, but with the sheer number of monsters they faced, it was impossible to prevent any harm from her if she was a target.
However, all those monsters… didn't touch her.
They just looked at her with cold eyes, then looked away.
Siegfried must have realized that too.
Indeed, Fenric heard clearly what two knights said as they supported each other and left the forest, full of wounds:
[That girl… tried to kill Commander Siegfried. She did not help him, but rather trampled his hand!]
[She said she was terrified and stiffened with fear, but who believes that nonsense?]
Fenric could no longer predict the consequences of what happened today.
After all, Siegfried is one of Dietrich's men, and this news is sure to reach his ears.
Once they finally emerged from the forest, they received another bad news waiting for them at the entrance:
Fenric's squad was not the only one being attacked by monsters.
Rather, the death toll exceeded half of the forces.
Everyone agreed on one thing:
Recently, the frequency of monster appearances has decreased a lot... so what had suddenly changed?
No one could answer.
And of course, the investigation into the Forbidden Forest was declared halted.
Siegfried, badly wounded, returns to his tent with the surviving knights.
As for Fenric, he took Presibe and took her back to the village.
—
“…….”
In a dark room with the lights off, Precipe sat on the bed, hugging herself, her face pale and dry.
(I shouldn't have listened to that motherfucker.)
She should have gone straight back to the village from the beginning.
So what did she get from going to the so-called “monster’s umbilical cord”?
She couldn't find the slightest clue about the location of the Demon King.
She even confronted Siegfried, aroused his suspicions, and put Fenrik in danger.
In fact, Siegfried almost died because of it.
The effects of the deaths of Atari Hannan and Noah Dovere did not affect her much, because she did not kill them with her own hand.
But when the killing is in her hands...it's completely different.
Even Siegfried, despite what he did to her, fought like crazy to protect her.
(If he hadn't been forced to fight for me, he would have come out better...)
They said that monsters had attacked before they arrived, but that did not alleviate her guilt.
Shame was overwhelming her like an endless wave.
(Fenric must have noticed too. The monsters never attacked me.)
It is true that he asked her kindly if she was looking for her father;
But he must have doubted her when he saw her in the middle of the darkest areas of the Forbidden Forest, and the monsters did not approach her.
What was going through his mind when he saw her standing there so quietly?
(What if he started looking at me like they look at monsters?)
Prisippi closed her eyes tightly, trembling silently.
Then, the sound of a door opening was heard quietly.
She slowly raised her head, still covering her face with her hands.
When she pulled them away, her eyes met those of Fenric, who was standing there... staring at her silently.