The silence in the corridor shattered in an instant.
Without warning, Emilie's body shot forward like an arrow released from its bow.
The moonlight highlighting her sword blade created a deadly silver flash as she swung it, aiming for the fatal points on Philippe and Armand's necks.
CLANG!
The deafening clang of steel echoed as Armand, with extraordinarily quick reflexes, managed to cross his sword to block the attack.
Philippe, a fraction of a second slower, felt a tremendous vibration course through his arm as he joined in parrying the sword swing. An icy jolt ran down his spine.
If it weren't for Armand, his head would surely be rolling on the floor!
The power behind Emilie's attack was extraordinary. Even with their combined strength, they were thrown back several steps, their boots screeching on the slippery floor.
At that moment, the runes on Armand's armband glowed with a pale blue light. His body felt lighter, and with a war cry, he leaped forward, counterattacking.
Philippe immediately exploited the opening, thrusting his sword toward Emilie's exposed side. However, the girl moved with a terrifying calmness.
She pushed Armand's sword away forcefully, then twisted her body in an impossible motion, her blade now clashing with Philippe's.
Her cold face was only inches away, her eyes staring blankly without emotion.
With one powerful shove, Emilie threw Philippe off balance. In that awkward position, Philippe saw Emilie's sword tip shooting forward again, this time straight toward his heart.
Time seemed to slow down.
However, before the thrust could reach its target, Armand came back in, his sword swinging from above.
Emilie, with a barely audible annoyed sigh, was forced to cancel her lethal attack to parry Armand's strike.
Philippe's heart pounded so hard in his chest, it felt like it would explode. He quickly composed himself and attacked again.
Clearly, that had saved him!
This time, Emilie kicked Armand's chest hard. Armand was hurled backward, crashing into the wall with a dull thud.
Blood seeped from the corner of his lips, but he quickly got up, the blue light on his arm glowing brighter.
After momentarily disabling Armand, Emilie's cold gaze focused entirely on Philippe. She attacked relentlessly, each slash precise and deadly.
Philippe could only defend, continuously stepping back while Emilie advanced, their swords clanging in a deadly dance of steel. How ironic—the one who should be defending had become the aggressor.
With the help of the Featherlight Band, Armand became like a ghost. Every time he was thrown back, he rose again with unnatural speed and agility, constantly disrupting Emilie's attacks.
Without this item, he might have already let his friend die!
With one spinning motion, Emilie parried Armand's attack once more. Armand used the momentum, performing a backflip in the air, and landing perfectly right beside Philippe.
In front of them, Emilie stood calmly under the moonlight. She swung her sword gracefully, cleaning off the remaining blood that dripped toward the window, creating a frightening silhouette.
Her gaze was condescending, as if they were mere insects bothering her.
"This is tough, even with both of us against her," Armand hissed, his breath ragged.
"I know," Philippe replied. "But this proves something. If she's blocking us here, it means we're on the right path."
Armand nodded, then assumed a sturdier stance. He was no longer fighting to subdue.
Clearly, it was impossible for him to defeat Emilie. Let alone subdue her—that was out of the question.
That's why he would fight with the intent to kill her!
He would go all out!
"Go quickly!" Armand shouted, his eyes fixed on Emilie.
Philippe looked at him for a moment. "Sorry. And thank you."
He withdrew his sword back into his inventory, then without hesitation, he ran toward where Emilie had first appeared.
Emilie turned her head, her cold eyes immediately locking onto Philippe. She lunged, her sword once again aiming for his neck.
However, Armand shot forward, the Featherlight Band on his arm shining brightly as he blocked the attack with all his might.
A smile spread across Armand's bloodied lips.
"Don't die, buddy!"
"Of course not!" Philippe shouted, his voice echoing along the silent corridor.
***
Philippe finally arrived in a vast and magnificent room.
At the end of the room, on a golden throne, sat a woman. Her face was so young and beautiful, as if at the peak of her prime.
In her lap, she held an old man so thin he looked like a skeleton wrapped in skin. His thin white hair clung to his bald head, but atop it perched a gleaming golden crown.
So that's the King...
Despite his condition, the king appeared still alive. However, Philippe doubted he could utter a single word. His lips were moving, as if saying something, but no sound came out.
Seeing Philippe's arrival, the young and beautiful woman smiled.
Her smile blossomed. "Oh, you've finally come. As I expected."
"Have you changed your appearance?" Philippe asked, trying to sound calm, even though his heart was still pounding hard.
Madeleine chuckled softly. "So you'd rather make small talk?" Her hand gently stroked the helpless king's chin. "Yes, don't I look much more beautiful now? Are you tempted?"
"If Your Majesty pleases," Philippe replied, bowing in the manner of a knight.
She giggled cutely. "Too bad, I'm not interested."
Philippe returned the smile. "That's the worst news I've ever heard."
Madeleine fell silent for a few seconds, then smiled again, staring straight at him. "Isn't there something you want to ask? Or perhaps confirm... I'm sure you're not stupid. I sense the soul behind your body is that of an adult man... hmm, maybe a bit cowardly."
Philippe shrugged. "Your guess is spot on, Your Majesty." He added, "I have a few questions. And a little confirmation."
"Go ahead," Madeleine said, propping her chin on her palm.
Philippe took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Since when?"
Madeleine smiled meaningfully. "Since the first time we met."
The answer was both surprising and not surprising. Philippe understood. The "first time" meant when 'he' was 'him', not Philippe.
He was surprised because Madeleine knew he had no memories as Philippe. This made him wonder, could Madeleine be the same?
And what didn't surprise him was the time he first met Madeleine. Because that was the only time he had shown the system notification, which appeared suddenly, besides when he first woke up in Philippe's body.
He suspected Armand and Emilie, but ruled out Armand; Emilie didn't seem to be the culprit. If Emilie were the culprit, she would be an incredibly skilled actor.
So, Philippe assumed if it wasn't one of them, then there was only one person left.
Upon hearing the answer, Philippe nodded. Madeleine still smiled.
"Were you the one who sent that rifthound?"
Madeleine's eyes widened for a moment.
Her eyes bulged, then she smiled again. "So you even know about that. Did you devour its memories?" Philippe's face changed slightly, making Madeleine smile more, confident in her answer.
"I did control that rifthound and asked it to bring you to me. But it seems an accident occurred that even I don't know why." Madeleine nodded. "At that time, I had no intention of having it kill you."
"Then why didn't you kill me back then?" Philippe paused. "You could have done it without all this roundabout way. After all, as you can see." Philippe gestured to himself proudly. "I'm weak!"
Madeleine stroked the old man's head without answering Philippe's question. It was a signal that she didn't want to answer.
"If that's the case," Philippe continued, "are you also the one controlling Emilie?"
Madeleine closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes. I didn't want to kill Emilie. She's my friend... so I controlled her. Even though it makes her seem lifeless...." She continued, "Besides being my friend, she's strong. Very strong. I'm sure there's no one stronger than her in this world, as an ordinary human. Still, if I let her become my enemy, it would be very troublesome, even though in the face of a player like you and me... she's nothing."
"Why are only we made special?"
Philippe didn't respond. "Was that stalker your messenger?"
Madeleine nodded. Without saying anything.
"No," Philippe shook his head. "It wasn't your messenger, was it? I have a theory that it was a summoning skill. Whether it summons a figure that deliberately terrorizes and creates psychological disturbances, I don't know. But what's certain is that it has side effects related to its ability. For example... explosion."
Philippe paused, observing Madeleine's face, which was clearly shocked by his guess. He heard her say, "Continue."
"If I hadn't escaped using the rifthound's teleportation, which I devoured, I might have died in that explosion along with Emilie. By the way, I'm saying this outright because I'm sure you already know my ability, and you know I've devoured the rifthound."
Madeleine fell silent. Her silence could mean yes or no.
"The stalker self-destructed because I triggered it by opening its hood. Thus, it exploded. Of course, that has a very powerful effect. But it also has a very big side effect." Philippe paused and pointed to Madeleine's stomach, snapping his fingers. "For example, the contents of your stomach."
Madeleine's laughter erupted, loud and joyless, echoing throughout the throne room. "One hundred percent correct," she said after her laughter subsided. "Anything else?"
"Is all this... for a Quest?"
Once again, shock flashed across Madeleine's face, then she smiled. "Unfortunately, no."
"Then... what for?"
"Let me give you a hint," Madeleine said, her voice now cold. "Imagine you're trapped in a forest with a starving tiger. How can you be sure that in the next second it won't pounce on you? That's what I feel."
Philippe's eyes widened. You mean... you think I would kill you?
"But why?"
Madeleine looked at him with a strange expression, a mix of pity and disbelief. "You... really don't know?" She suddenly laughed again, a laugh that sounded insane. "It seems... I've misunderstood."
Her laughter stopped abruptly. Her gaze sharpened. "Forgive me."
At that moment, black veins protruded under her pale skin, her eyes glowing with a terrifying green light.
Madeleine's face suddenly turned horrifying!
A thick reddish-black aura emanated from her body, spreading like waves throughout the palace. Hissing sounds and desperate screams began to echo from afar.
A powerful supernatural wind pushed Philippe's body. He struggled to stay standing, his eyes fixed on Madeleine, who now smiled in pain.
"If you manage to kill me," her voice now echoed. "You'll find out the answer yourself."
The sounds of cracking bones and rotting flesh echoed faintly from the distance, growing clearer over time.
***
A/N: If you want to read the 7 advanced chapters with a faster update frequency than the webnovel, you can read it on my patreon whose link is below:
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