Chapter 221: Within Reason, But No

“The Resistance?”

At Arianne’s curious words, Eve let out a soft, troubled smile.

It was clear she wasn’t entirely convinced about allowing these individuals to join them but felt she had little choice in the matter and brought them with her.

First of all, they weren’t really in need of extra hands.

With Crow already handling the preparations, their plan was straightforward: storm the palace, take the heads they needed, and vanish long before the chaos could even spread.

Eve had her reasons for considering their involvement, though.

“Apparently, they know of a secret passage leading directly to the throne room,” she clarified, glancing at Michael for confirmation.

Noticing her cue, he smiled and nodded. “Yes, that’s true,” he affirmed.

“We in the Resistance have studied the castle’s structure for a long time. As a result, we’ve discovered hidden passages that have been lost over time. If you allow us to assist in the uprising, we can lead you to one such passage right now.”

After he spoke, the girls turned to Tiffany and Sophia. Both were princesses of the Empire and lived in the castle. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were familiar with one or two such passages themselves.

As if anticipating their thoughts, Tiffany responded first.

“Yes, it’s true that the castle has many secret passages, most of which have been lost due to their complexity and the passage of time,” she said, nodding. “However, even without those, the passages we already know of are more than sufficient for our needs. We don’t require extra hands, or tongues, for that matter.”

“True. I know about ten such passages myself,” Sophia chimed in. “In fact, we wouldn’t gain any advantage by allowing you to join us. You’ll only complicate things further.”

The two princesses dismissed Michael’s offer without hesitation. Yet, the man’s smile remained unwavering. “I anticipated you might think that, so I brought some additional information to the table,” he said.

“All the passages you know of have monitoring tools set by the Emperor himself. Anyone who passes through would trigger an alarm,” he declared confidently. “However, we are aware of secret passages that the Emperor isn’t even aware of or monitoring at all!”

Hearing his words, the two princesses frowned.

Knowing their father, the Emperor, it was entirely possible that such monitoring tools existed. In fact, it would be strange if they didn’t.

As the two remained silent, the rest of the group began to see value in these “Resistance” people. However…

“If that’s all you have, then you can go,” Arianne said flatly, shrugging her shoulders. “Detection? We don’t care; he’s dying anyway, detected or not. Traps? Bring them on. I’d even commend him if he managed to delay us for a few seconds. Guards? Hah, I’d be disappointed if that’s all he could muster.”

Arianne glared at Michael, whose smile faltered, and delivered the finishing blow.

“Sorry, but if that’s all you can offer, you might as well pack up. We don’t need your services.”

Michael fell silent, unable to respond. He could only scoff, offering a wry smile and shaking his head. Then, he snapped his fingers.

It was a signal.

Not for him, but for his four companions.

They moved quickly, each targeting their own opponent, their daggers striking without hesitation.

One went for Eve, another for Sophia and Tiffany, one targeted Arianne, and the last aimed at Nina and Ria. They were beastmen, their speed so quick that others might not even perceive their movements… usually, at least.

Michael closed his eyes, grinning in victory.

Of course, he wasn’t planning to assassinate everyone present. He simply wanted his men to showcase their strength and prove their worth.

Several thuds echoed, lifting Michael’s spirits.

’I knew it,’ he thought. ’Women are all talk; they can’t do anything against true, raw power.’

Michael turned around, still keeping his eyes closed, and settled back into the chair he had been sitting in. He crossed his legs, resting his arms on the backrest, exuding an air of relaxation as if he owned the place.

“So, as I was saying…”

But as he began to speak and opened his eyes, he noticed something was amiss.

Eve, Sophia, Tiffany, Arianne, Nina, and Ria—all of them remained standing or sitting where they were. This was not what he had expected; he thought they should have been pinned to the ground by now, overwhelmed by the powerful beastmen he had summoned to his side!

“Saying… what?” Eve smiled.

Yet her smile did not reach her eyes at all.

To the girls, the presence or absence of bloodlust was irrelevant. They would feel nothing but a breeze, unable to distinguish between the two. What they understood was that Michael was attempting to have his men “attack” them.

And that knowledge, whether successful or thwarted, was all they needed.

“Eh?”

Michael looked around, a chill running down his spine.

He scanned left and right, up and down, and discovered that his men were either lying unconscious on the ground or had become grotesque decorations on the walls around them. One of them even had his head embedded in the ceiling, his arms and legs dangling down.

His men, each capable of taking on five of the empire’s best soldiers at once, had been incapacitated in the blink of an eye.

It was a sight he struggled to comprehend or even imagine!

All eyes turned to him, silently demanding an explanation, and Michael felt a wave of panic wash over him. The faint friendliness in the air from before had vanished.

He felt like he was on a chopping board, waiting for the knife to descend and sever his neck.

“Ah… Eh… Uhm… I am…”

He stuttered, sweating bullets, unable to find the right words to begin.

“Now you’re even imitating Rico?” Sophia scoffed, arms crossed and glaring ahead. “Are you not satisfied yet after humiliating Eve, who brought you here, by betraying her trust?”

Michael’s face went pale.

He knew that whatever he said next would ultimately be pointless.

In the end, he, too, was incapacitated. All five of them, who had been prospective allies before, were carelessly thrown into a random alley, left to whatever fate awaited them.

Back in their base of operations, in a different room from before, Eve let out a deep sigh.

“I really shouldn’t have been hasty in bringing them…”

After removing the foreign matter, the girls began speaking with each other as usual. The atmosphere felt completely like a gathering of friends, drinking tea and eating snacks… It didn’t seem like they were planning a coup that would overturn the empire in just a few hours.

“Well, most resistance movements in any country often don’t work for the people but rather for their own agendas.” Arianne patted Eve’s head, trying to soothe her as she sulked.

“Anyway, we listened to their side, and it turned out they’re not as proper as you initially thought. Just learn from this experience and move on, Princess Eve.”

“That’s right!” Ria nodded.

“And you’re not one to talk either,” Arianne shot back. “Don’t forget how you dragged all 30 thousand—”

“Thirty-five,” Nina corrected, sipping her tea.

“…35 thousand people from the slums out with you,” Arianne continued. “Frankly speaking, that’s worse than what Eve did, on a grand scale!”

“Wait, you took all the people from the slums, Princess Ria?!” Sophia gasped, shocked.

“E-Ehehe…” Ria scratched her head, shy about her achievements. “It just happened. Although it wasn’t my intention at first, but…”

“As expected of a goddess…!”

“Ah, the people of the slums call me that too. Gosh, am I exuding a goddess aura or something? Hehe.”

“Don’t brush it off with a ’hehe,’ Ria! It’s not a laughing matter! As your sister, maybe I should…”

“Ah, ah! I already apologized about that, didn’t I?!”

“And you’re not showing remorse at all!”

Their bickering lasted for a while before Eve stepped in, smiling. She seemed to have moved on from her mistake and was trying to look forward to the future.

“Still, to think the Empire houses this many races…” she whispered. “Back in our kingdom, we only had a few elves and beastmen, with 99% of the population being human.”

Arianne chimed in, chomping down on a castella. “Well, most of them are from the prison, though.”

“Somehow… Sorry about that,” Sophia said, feeling guilty as a member of the Empire. “It’s just that the Empire honestly tried to conquer the continent when the apocalypse began, so almost all races on this continent had been gathered here.”

“All because of Father’s lust for control and power,” Tiffany added in support.

Eve and Arianne lowered their gazes, recalling their fallen kingdom. It had also been brought down by that petty plan of the Emperor.

The atmosphere grew awkward, chilled, and melancholic.

“Well, it would end today, anyway~!”

But when Ria’s carefree voice echoed, everyone felt a sudden lightness.

“That’s true…” Eve nodded.

“Today, we shall take revenge for the past, embrace the present, and prepare for the future.”

“That’s the right attitude, Princess Eve!” Arianne smiled, trying to ride the wave of optimism. “And please keep in mind, it’ll be your birthday tomorrow. That means…”

“Yes…!”

Eve nodded, even more resolutely.

Her lips curved wider, and her cheeks flushed lightly as she gazed at her reflection in the tea she was drinking.

Though she looked the same, one could say that she had “grown.”

She was no longer a child who needed constant protection.

Now, she was a powerhouse.

A princess of worth.

“I… Tomorrow…”

“Alright, stop~!” Ria interjected. “Don’t go any further. I’ve heard this before,” she said. “That’s a death flag!”

“Pffft!”

Laughter filled the room in an instant.

It would be remarkable if anyone could even hurt Eve, much less kill her, in her current state.

Unless they brought a god into the equation…

“No way I’d die here,” Eve smiled genuinely this time. “Not today, not tomorrow, nor ever. Not until I get Sir Axel to embrace me!”

“Well, I guess that’s true,” Nina shrugged, smiling herself. “A woman with vision is unstoppable.”

In that positive atmosphere, only Sophia pondered quietly.

’That’s also a death flag, isn’t it?’

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