--------- The same night Sato and his party returned from the dungeon -----------
'It's been a few days now,' Rina thought as she sat in her room, leaning on her elbow.
'Since I've been last called by Magus.'
She blinked.
'I expected to get assaulted at least once… I wonder if it's Makoto's Light Novels making me think that. We DID transmigrate to a fantasy world.' She chuckled to herself.
She looked out the window.
'Transported, they said.' She thought, looking at the moon. 'Not dead. You were transported to a dungeon.'
She frowned.
"Status Window, open." She called, looking at the blue glow before her eyes.
'So far, this world's been following those novels' rules to a certain point.'
[Status: Normal]
'I did my due diligence. When I was hit with a poisonous arrow in a dungeon, just before I healed it… I could see that the status showed me I'm poisoned, until I was cured.'
She exhaled.
'That means if Prince Magus really did do something to me with that slave mark… I'd have seen it here.'
Her eye twitched as she clenched her fist.
'But that fucking bastard… He said that it's untraceable on my body. Maybe it's something that doesn't show up in those status windows, as well?'
She then gripped her thigh.
'What if I'm calm now because it's making me think everything's okay…?!'
She clenched her teeth as she looked to the floor. Clutching her thigh until it hurt.
'I… Can't really do anything!!'
She took a shaky breath.
'Makoto.'
'...'
'It's thanks to your stupid novels… No, it's thanks to you that I'm still somewhat sane in my body.'
She looked outside again.
"I really hope you're okay. That… You somehow became an… 'OP Main Character,' like you wanted and are now surrounded with girls that love you.'
She looked down, a forced chuckle let out.
'Though I'd probably tell you to be careful, since they'll really exhaust you. A harem historically has always been exhausting. It only seems glamorous from the outside.'
She tapped the windowsill, cold nightly breeze hitting her skin. Blinking slowly.
"I'll kill you all, you were about to say that day." She sighed, shaking her head slowly.
'I wondered why you hated everyone and me. Why did you choose to say that as your final words, instead of a simple goodbye or a heartfelt speech?' She stood up, walking towards the mirror in her room as she fixed her hair.
'At first, I thought it's because you wanted to look cool… 'At first,' I'm saying. I still do.'
She looked into her eyes in the mirror.
'But this is me saying that to the version of you that I knew personally… But a bit before I started dating Kazuya, we stopped talking entirely, didn't we? Kazuya told me you didn't want to be with me anymore… So I felt insulted.'
'I thought you just liked being alone. And being left alone.'
She then walked to the bed, patting the soft silk as she sat down on it.
'If you were here, you could've just told me what was wrong. And I'd have been there for you. Kazuya is nice and a sweetheart, but I really liked what we had. You just… Letting me take care of you like a child was… Oddly cute.'
She sighed, laying sprawled on the bed.
"I guess…"
She bit her lip, harder as her eyes grew damper.
"I just miss you so much."
A knock on her door.
'I have… No one to save me.'
Rina's sniffles were cut short. She wiped her face frantically with her sleeve, smearing tears across her cheeks.
"Y-yes?" Her voice cracked.
The door opened without waiting for permission. A guard stood in the frame—older, weathered, with a scar running from his temple to his jaw. His eyes found hers, and something flickered in them. Something she couldn't read.
"Miss... Toriyama." His voice was flat, professional. "You've been summoned."
Rina looked down with a sigh.
"Alright... Thank you."
He cleared his throat.
"His Highness Prince Magus requests your presence for a hunting excursion tomorrow morning. You are to prepare appropriate attire. A maid will arrive within the hour to assist you."
"Sure… Thank you."
The guard's expression didn't change. But he didn't answer immediately either as he looked at the dampness Rina failed to clear from her eyes.
"..."
He glanced once over his shoulder—a quick, careful motion—then stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
Rina flinched backward on instinct.
"Miss Toriyama." His voice dropped lower as he bent on his knee, lowering his gaze to the ground. "I will only say this once."
She stared at him, gulping.
"A-are you alright?" She asked.
"Don't worry." His jaw tightened, "Otherworlders are human to us too."
"W-what...?"
"The House will Rise again and vanquish the rot within."
He turned and left before she could respond, the door clicking shut behind him.
Rina scratched her head, blinking.
'What... what did that mean?'
'The House will Rise again...?'
She shook her head.
'I'll just go to sleep.'
The morning sun cut through the trees in golden shafts as the hunting party moved along the forest path.
Rina sat sidesaddle on a dappled mare, her body rigid, her fingers relaxed around the reins. The horse had been chosen for its gentleness, she'd been told.
Prince Magus rode beside her on a black stallion, his posture relaxed, almost lazy. His blond hair caught the light like spun gold. His smile hadn't left his face since they'd departed.
"You're quiet this morning, Rina." He looked ahead, "Did you sleep poorly?"
"I... slept fine, Your Highness." She answered blankly.
"Mm." He nodded lazily. "You know, I've been thinking about you."
"D-did you, now?" Rina answered.
"About our conversation a few months ago, I mean." He stretched in his saddle, rolling his shoulders.
"I hope I wasn't too... forward. Sometimes I forget that Otherworlders have different sensibilities."
'Fucker… Calling that forward.'
"I..." She swallowed. "I don't..."
"You don't remember?" He leaned closer, close enough that she could smell the lavender oil in his hair.
"I remember, Your Highness... About... That Shield Hero fellow?"
"Good, yes." He straightened, smiling slightly. "But I specifically meant how I branded you as my slave."
Rina flinched.
'Is this some SICK test..?! Is he checking if the mark—'
"You're doing it again." Magus's voice cut through her spiral.
"Doing what?"
"Thinking." He said, "I can always tell when you're thinking. Your face does this little... scrunch." He mimicked it, scrunching his nose. "It's endearing, really. Like watching a rabbit try to solve a puzzle."
She blinked, tilting her head while raising her eyebrow at him.
'We don't even know each other—'
"...That closely. Is what you're thinking, am I right?" Magus tried to finish her thought aloud.
She gulped.
"Do you think," he cut her off with a sigh, "that to know someone, I have to be intimate with them? Share fond memories? Grow up beside them? That maybe, I should've talked to you about your life to get to know you in the months we know each other?"
"I… I'm not uh…" She stuttered.
"No. I just have to watch." His gaze drifted somewhere past her. "And I did. Every day since you arrived in this world. Glued to that... Hero of yours—sorry—of our oh-so glorious kingdom."
'Kazuya?'
His eyes slid back to her.
"The way you go quiet the moment he raises his voice. The way you held onto his arm and watched while that boy got teleported to the Abyss—"
"Kazuya isn't—!" The words tore out of her before she could stop them. She caught herself, lowering her voice.
"Kazuya... isn't like that. He was protecting me. He was just… Your Highness, he was scared..."
"Mm." Magus tilted his head, a faint smile playing at his lips. "If that's what you need to believe."
He turned his attention back to the road ahead, as if the conversation had already bored him.
Rina's finger twitched.
"What are you saying, your highness? Kazuya loves me. I love Kazuya. He was defending me. He hated seeing Makoto suffer just as much as I did. He was just scared. People do terrible things when they're scared. That's all it was."
Magus let out a chuckle.
"Sure it was. Tell it to the corpse inside the Abyss Dungeon."
Rina sharply inhaled. The image of Makoto flashing in her mind.
'That's just… Uncalled for..!!' Rina tightened her teeth, visibly straining her face.
The guards around them said nothing. Showed nothing. Professional masks, all of them.
Behind Rina rode the scarred guard from yesterday. He rode near the rear of the formation, his gaze fixed ahead.
"Rina." Magus's voice sharpened. "You know what I find interesting about you Otherworlders?"
She looked at the prince again.
"You're all so... fragile. Your minds, I mean." He gestured vaguely at the forest around them. "You grew up in a world of... what did you call it... Psychological care?"
He laughed softly.
"It's fascinating. You're like flowers raised in a greenhouse. Beautiful, delicate... and utterly unprepared for anything."
Rina narrowed her eyes.
'He's... Unusually prodding today.'
"Your Highness," Rina managed, her voice steadier than she felt, "why did you invite me on this hunt?"
"Invite?" His eyebrows rose. "I didn't invite you, Rina. I summoned you. You just have to obey me, the prince. There's a difference."
'It's like he's... trying to be crueler than usual today. Almost like all his words are just… filler. Like we're both putting on a Villain x Heroine show like Makoto's Light Novels.'
"Uhm… then, why..?" Rina asked.
"Because I was bored." He shrugged. "And watching you squirm is interesting. Most people bore me within minutes. But you..." He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're still surprising me with how dumb you are."
'Yeah..' Rina stopped herself from chuckling, 'he's actually really similar to those villains right now, Makoto. If you'd see how he spoke just now, you'll laugh at how flat it sounds.'
'But seriously… Something's wrong with him. It's like right now, he's doing it on purpose for some reason. Did something happen to him?'
'Not that I care. I hope it's horrible, whatever it is.'
"Your Highness." A guard rode up alongside them. "We're approaching the hunting grounds. Shall we release the hounds?"
Magus waved a dismissive hand, his attention still fixed on Rina's confused expression.
"Yes, yes. Handle it."
The guard hesitated. "...As you command."
Rina caught something in the guard's tone. A tension that hadn't been there before.
'What—'
An arrow hissed through the air.
It struck the guard beside Magus through the throat. Blood sprayed across the prince's white riding coat.
"AMBUSH!" Someone screamed.
'..!!!'
The forest exploded into chaos.
Figures emerged from the treeline—cloaked, masked, moving with coordinated precision. Magic circles flared to life in the shadows, casting the forest in sickly green and burning violet.
"PROTECT THE PRINCE!" A guard drew his sword, spurring his horse forward—
And then stopped.
Turned.
Drove his blade through the back of the guard beside him.
"FOR THE TRUE AURELIA!" He screamed. "TO THE DEATH OF THE ROT!"
More guards were turning. One in five. One in four. Blades that should have defended the prince now cut down their own.
"Traitors—" Magus's composed mask cracked. "You DARE—"
"SANCTUARY!"
Rina didn't think. Her hand shot out, instinct overwhelming terror, and a barrier of golden light erupted around herself and Magus—a dome of pure defensive magic that sent two attackers flying backward as it expanded.
'I can protect us. I can hold this. I just need to—'
A hand seized her wrist from behind.
"Sorry, miss."
The scarred guard from yesterday. His grip was iron, his expression apologetic.
"Can't let you do that."
His other hand pressed something against her back—a small stone that pulsed with dark energy—and Rina felt her magic drain away like water through a sieve.
The Sanctuary flickered.
Shattered.
"No—!" She tried to pull away, but her limbs had gone weak, her vision swimming. "What did you—"
"Nullification stone. Temporary." He lowered her gently to the ground as her legs gave out. "You won't be harmed. You have my word."
"...."
'They must be here for Magus...' She thought, lowering her head.
... Then no longer resisting the guard's firm grip.
'I'll just die if I do something unnecessary. But they'll kill him at this rate…'
She relaxed.
'... Good.'
The guard then gently let her go.
"This will all be over soon. You will be free, miss." He said gently, placing a palm on her shoulder.
The fight was already over.
Rina watched as the surviving loyalist guards were cut down or restrained. The forest floor was slick with blood. Horses screamed and fled. Magic crackled and faded.
'Blood... So... So much blood...' She thought, gulping.
Then gulping again.
And a third time.
Meanwhile, two cloaked figures dragged prince Magus from his fallen horse, forcing him to his knees in the dirt. His golden hair was matted with blood—not his own. His riding coat was torn.
"Unhand me." His voice cracked. "Do you know who I am? DO YOU KNOW WHAT MY FATHER WILL DO TO—"
A boot caught him in the stomach. He doubled over, retching.
"We know exactly who you are, princeling." A cold woman's voice.
She stepped into Rina's field of vision, removing her mask to reveal a face covered in ritual scarring.
"Son of the Rot King. Heir to a throne built on corpses. We've been waiting a long time for this."
"The House of the Risen Sun," Magus spat blood. "You think killing me will change anything? You're insects. My father will burn your entire—"
'He's still doing it. Theatrics…'
Another blow. This time to the face. Rina flinched as she looked away.
"We're not going to kill you." The woman smiled without warmth. "Not yet. First, you're going to answer for your crimes. Every. Single. One... Then, we'll decide a punishment befitting you."
She turned to look at Rina, who was gently held by her shoulder by the scarred guard.
"Bring her."
The scarred guard—Rina still didn't know his name—helped her stand. His grip was firm but not cruel.
"Can you walk?" He asked quietly.
"Why..." She shook her head, trying to clear the fog. "Why are you doing this? W-what do you want with me...?"