Does the Assassin Girl Dream of the Mana Doll? - Chapter 41

The prince’s unit, which decimated the ambushing force, suffered surprisingly few losses considering the scale of the clash

….considering the scale, that is.

There were still many who had perished in battle.

Ideally, they should have been given a proper burial, but time was of essence. So, they simply laid them against the wall, closed their eyes, and offered a brief prayer before moving on.

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll return to give you a proper burial…”

The prince muttered apologetically and moved forward. The knights of the Third Cavalry, though speaking less, showed no emotion on their faces. The only one who remained unchanged was Egret.

From there on, there was almost no resistance. It seemed that the troops they had encountered earlier were the main force.

After running for a while, they finally reached the throne room. Inside, there were only two presences.

“… Egret, do you know what’s happening with the magic supply?”

“Just a moment… ‘Magic detection’… ?
… What is this…?”

Unfortunately, the magic supply had not stopped. However, the way it was being supplied was strange.

After observing for a while, the source of the unease became clear. The supply of magic was highly unstable.

“… So, that means Ellie has already started working?”
“I think so. … But there’s still something strange about it…”

As they were talking, the amount of magic supply gradually began to decrease. When Egret reported this, the prince nodded.

“Alright, then, as planned… from here on, Egret and I, along with ten others, will go inside. The rest of you stay here and ensure no reinforcements come from outside.”

Having witnessed Egret’s earlier display of power, no one objected. The squad quickly reorganised, forming up for the assault.

“… Let’s go, it’s finally time.”

They were about to storm the throne room. Though they planned to try persuasion, it would likely be in vain.

If so, then…

The prince clenched his fist and took a deep breath.

Looking ahead, he pushed open the door.

On the other side of the door, he saw the queen sitting on the throne, looking down at him with a cold expression, and the chancellor beside her with a faint smile.

“Oh, I thought it was noisy. So, it’s you, Riohart. What is this filthy appearance?”

“Mother. I, Riohart, have come to say just one thing. Step down from the throne and relinquish the ‘Orb’ to me at once.”

Although he spoke in a deliberately subdued voice, the queen simply scoffed.

“What a foolish thing to say. Why would I do such a thing?”

“Mother, do you realise what you’re doing?
You’re tormenting the people, wasting your soldiers, and creating friction with other countries just to expand your territory.
Where do you think you’re taking this country?”

The queen looked at Prince Riohart curiously, as if wondering why he would say such a thing.

“Where, you ask? That’s obvious. If it’s a country, it’s natural to expand and dominate.
The people? The soldiers? And other countries? Why should I care about them?
More importantly, Riohart, don’t you notice something?”

The queen alternated showing the prince both sides of her face, as if trying to display something.

…Something felt off, no… it felt very strange…

“I don’t understand. I have no idea what you’re trying to say.”

“What an insolent son!! Look at this youthful skin, like a maiden’s!!”

“…What?”

Seeing his mother shout in anger, Riohart felt a ridiculous, almost comical response escape him. Her reply were simply too comical.

“… Mother? What are you talking about?”

“I told you, look at this skin! This youthful, vibrant skin! It was worth every sacrifice…”

Sighing blissfully, she stared at her hands. At last, Riohart understood, and his body trembled with anger.

This woman…

This woman…

“What are you thinking?! Do you even understand what you’re saying?! You sacrificed the people and soldiers for something so trivial?!”

“Trivial?! You don’t understand the value of this skin?!”

“I don’t understand, not at all!!! Do you realise how many lives were lost because of this?!”

“You’re just a man, of course you wouldn’t understand!! How about you, woman? Surely you understand the value of this skin?”

Egret, who had been struggling to keep up with the situation, was startled by the sudden question. She stared at the queen’s skin and tilted her head.

“I’m sorry, but… I don’t really understand…”

““Hah, that’s what I’d expect from a mere girl! It doesn’t matter anymore, as long as I have this…”

The queen gazed at the ‘Orb’ in her hand with utter delight.

What was this strange feeling…?

“Chancellor, you’ve done something, haven’t you?”

The prince turned his suspicious gaze to the chancellor, who had been watching the exchange with a smirk.

It was just an intuition, but it seemed to be correct.

“Oh no, I’ve done nothing. I merely assisted Her Majesty in following her will. All I did was give her a little push.”

The chancellor’s repulsive grin filled Riohart with certainty—this man was the cause of everything. However, the chancellor wasn’t likely to confess easily. Riohart reached for his sword, but then…

“I have a question for you too… who exactly are you? You’re not human, are you?”

“Well, well! I see now! So, you were also a key factor in their progress, weren’t you?”

The chancellor’s, or rather the being that disguised as him, laughed, confirming Egret’s suspicion. The prince, realising the truth, grimaced.

“What? … The chancellor was definitely human… So, you…”

“Ha ha ha! Exactly! I am no mere human! Now that you know there’s no need for further discussion. You shall all perish here!”

As the chancellor began transforming into something inhuman, Egret vanished and appeared before him, her short sword silently plunging into his left side.

“How did you know—how did you target my magic core?!”

“…Your speech was too long…”

While the prince and the chancellor were exchanging words, Egret, who had guessed from their conversation that the chancellor was a demon, had used her ‘magic detection’ to locate the chancellor’s magic core—the heart of a demon, the source of his demonic power.

She struck his left side, a spot one wouldn’t typically target on a human.

With a sharp crack, something shattered.

“No… I was so close… but I won’t go down alone…”

“… Farewell.”

She pushed the blade in further.

With one final push, Egret shattered the magic core completely. The chancellor’s magic dispersed and vanished. Only three people in the room could sense its disappearance: Egret, the prince, and one more….

Hearing a thud, the queen looked up.

“Chancellor? Chancellor?! Riohart, where has the chancellor gone?”

“… Mother, what are you talking about? He’s right there, collapsed.
You should prepare yourself for what comes next.”

The queen, finally looking away from the Orb, gazed around in confusion as if she hadn’t seen any of the earlier commotion. The prince answered her with pity in his eyes.Suddenly.

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!! CHANCELLOR!!! CHANCELLOR!!!!”

The queen shrieked, pulling at her hair and thrashing about in a fit of madness. The prince and his knights recoiled in shock.

Then…

Clink.

“That barrier’s still up…”

Egret’s short sword, which she had instinctively swung to attack, was deflected.

So she had to take a step back.

“AAAAHH!!! CHANCELLOR!!! BRING BACK MY CHANCELLOR!!!”

Her scream, distorted into a shrill, grating sound, caused even Egret to shudder. As everyone stood frozen, the Orb in the queen’s hand began to pulse, emitting a sinister light.
It was undeniably light, but it was also dark and murky.

The magic surrounded the queen, entwining and consuming her.

“POWER!!! GIVE ME POWER!!! MORE POWER!!! GIVE ME ALL YOUR MAGIC!!! GIVE ME ALL YOUR POWER!!!”

The queen’s voice, once loud and clear, now distorted into a roar of incomprehensible noise.

After the magical light and the roar ceased…

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!”

It was still in human form, but it was no longer human.

It was an abomination.

An unspeakable monster…

Next: The River Runs Red with Blood