Ch.118 I’ve Found His Identity. The Rival…
-Toc toc.
At the knock, my eyes t Leah’s.
She gave a sly smile and walked toward the wardrobe.
Wait… hold on—there’s soone in the wardrobe?!
—Are you asleep?
Scarlet’s voice ca through the door.
Should I pretend to sleep?
—But I definitely heard soone inside…
Just then—
—Shhhk.
A soft sound…
“Huh?!”
Leah opened the door, her face frozen in shock.
—Wasn’t there a noise in there? Hans?
Scarlet’s urgent voice rang out—
—Click.
The mont the door opened, Leah darted into the wardrobe.
So… Cecilia and Leah were both hiding in there.
My head spun at the absurdity.
“What? You’re not asleep—why didn’t you answer?”
“Ah… I was… changing clothes.”
My brain ached from this nightmare.
“I see… Hmm…”
Scarlet scanned my room.
I turned to the gray-haired beauty.
“What brings you here?”
“Oh… You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”
“Y-yeah?”
Scarlet gave a strange look.
“I wanted to talk. It’s been so long.”
She sat on the sofa.
“Well… it is late, and rumors might spread…”
“It’s fine. I know you’re not a womanizer, no matter what others say.”
“R-really?”
Scarlet believed I wasn’t a womanizer.
Normally, I’d feel touched—but not now.
Not when the wardrobe could explode any second.
“Yeah.”
Silence fell between us.
I tensely waited—would the wardrobe blow up?
How much ti passed?
“Um…”
“Yeah?”
Scarlet asked, looking slightly hurt.
“Do I… make you uncomfortable?”
Seeing her take an assassination stance, I shook my head vigorously.
“No! Not at all.”
Her delicate brows furrowed.
“Then why are you so fidgety?”
“Well…”
‘I’d like to ask—would you be calm in this situation?’
But I couldn’t say that.
“Do you… dislike ?”
As she locked in her killing intent, I shook my head again.
“No… it’s not that…”
—Thud!
She slamd the tea table.
“Then what is it?!”
If I didn’t act now, I’d be assassinated. I made a desperate choice.
“It’s just… I’ve never been alone with a woman this late at night before…”
Never? Please.
I’d spent countless late nights alone with Leah while raising her, and with Selena on that Arctic trip.
“Oh…”
But it worked—Scarlet’s cheeks flushed faintly.
“I’ve never done this either…”
“Right? Exactly! It’s improper for a man and woman to be alone so late.”
“Ugh…!”
Maybe because she’s a country girl, she’s shy about this—I thought it’d work.
But—
—Boom…!
“I… I have sothing to say.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you… have soone you like?”
Scarlet’s face was crimson as she spoke.
“No? Not right now.”
“Th-then… after this is over…?”
Unless I was an idiot, I knew what she ant.
No! Don’t do it! If she confesses now, the beasts will go wild!
Just as despair hit —
“What about ?!”
Scarlet blurted out what shouldn’t be said—loudly, with courage.
I was dood.
They must’ve heard.
But no matter how long I waited, the wardrobe stayed silent.
No reaction at all.
Why?
Given their personalities—
Cecilia might stay quiet, but Leah? Never.
After a long silence, suspicion grew.
“Hans?”
Scarlet’s face was deeply red.
“Y-your answer…?”
Were they waiting for my reply too?
My mind raced.
Should I speak my true feelings?
Or not?
I knew how Scarlet fell apart in the original story—how she t her tragic end.
She’s livelier now, but after she self-hard when I ‘died’ last ti…
What if rejection broke her again?
She’s unstable—what if she assassinates
and then kills herself?
But if I accept her…
The two in the wardrobe won’t let
live.
‘Sigh… I’ve already asked Icira to prepare a new life for …’
Is there any way out?
One second felt like an hour as my brain scrambled—
Ah! What if I deflect like this?
“Scarlet…”
At my breaking silence, her eyes widened.
“Yes?”
“This is a critical ti—not just for us, but for everyone. It’s a fight for survival.”
She listened quietly. I continued calmly.
“Thinking about who I’ll be with in the future… it’s too heavy. I’m not even sure I’ll survive.”
I could even drop Cecilia’s prophecy—that I might die—to make this lie sound sincere.
…Am I a genius at lying or what?
“But…”
“So let’s talk about this later.”
At my cold reply, Scarlet lowered her head.
“So… I’m not good enough?”
Her tone was ominous.
“No! It’s not that…”
“Is it because I’m not as cute as Leah or as beautiful as Mia?”
“No! It’s just… the timing! Think—how can we talk about love when the world’s ending?!”
“Then… will you accept my confession when it’s over?”
Her eyes held a predator’s gleam.
I swallowed hard.
That gaze—thick with killing intent—nearly made
draw ‘Equality.’
But if I killed Scarlet now, I’d be branded a Hero Party murderer.
“Sigh… When that ti cos, I’ll—”
—KABOOM!
The wardrobe door burst open.
“Scarlet…”
“Scarlet…”
Two furious won glared at a startled Scarlet.
“W-why are you here?!”
Scarlet shouted, flustered.
“Is that important right now?! Why are you eyeing my man?!”
“Leah? Since when is Priest Hans yours? He’s mine!”
“But Master already accepted my confession!”
“Our relationship is still valid, you know!”
As the chaos spiraled beyond control, I quietly tried to slip out—
“Stop! Hans, where are you going?”
Scarlet’s icy voice froze .
“Explain yourself!”
“U-uh… well…”
Ti for Plan B—I activated Goddess’s Wedding Ring, coating myself in holy magic—
—Fwip fwip fwip!
“Hey! Where are you going?!”
“He’s running!”
And so, a midnight ga of hide-and-seek began.
***
“Your Majesty, I’ve prepared these antidotes.”
Davinus handed over three small glass vials.
The King nodded, satisfied.
“These will definitely work, right?”
“I can’t be certain. Based on Your Majesty’s symptoms, I gathered antidotes for similar poisons. Once inside the cave, if toxic vapor appears, I’ll blast open the entrance for ventilation. Should symptoms arise, take these—they may help.”
The King studied the brown, purple, and orange liquids.
“You’re sure?”
Davinus was troubled—he hadn’t found the exact poison, so he couldn’t find a true antidote. He’d only gathered similar ones out of necessity.
“Well… I suppose that ans you’re not sure.”
The King pocketed the vials.
“Fine. Let’s go now.”
He pulled a crimson staff from his spatial bag.
“Teleport!”
Instantly, he stood before the Seal Stone cave.
He dashed inside—
—Kwoooom!
The cave collapsed behind him.
Without hesitation, he slashed the rubble-blocked wall with his sword.
—Boom!
The debris cleared.
But the sharp stench hit him—
‘Poison.’
He knew this toxin’s strength.
Though inhaled only briefly, his head already throbbed.
—Pfft!
He popped open a vial and gulped it down.
—Gulp.
After emptying all three, he waited…
‘Damn… it’s not working.’
—Cough!
‘Now that I know it’s incurable… ti to retreat.’
He drove his sword into his own neck.
***
Back at the mont Davinus offered the antidotes—
The King spoke coldly.
“Those antidotes.”
“Yes?”
“They don’t work.”
“You… already tried them?”
The King gave a small nod. “I went and returned. No effect.”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll search harder!”
—Thud!
Davinus knelt, bowing his head in sha.
The King frowned.
“Enough. Rise.”
“Forgive my incompetence—”
“Humans err—that’s why gods walk with us. Don’t despair. Focus on how to break the Seal Stone.”
Touched, Davinus lifted his head.
“I will. I’ll find a way.”
The King nodded.
“Good. And…”
Roy considered—antidotes were useless.
What if he used undead?
Undead weren’t living—so poison wouldn’t affect them.
If he diverted liches and death knights from the capital assault…
‘They might hold off the Guardians long enough.’
He teleported to his undead army.
***
The King of the Dead, Roy de More, marched toward the Seal Stone with liches and death knights.
“Inside! Destroy the golems and Guardians!”
He watched from outside as his undead entered—
—Kablam!
The cave collapsed.
Roy blasted the entrance open with sword energy to check on them—
“What’s this?”
The death knights’ plate armor turned red, and the liches’ bones crumbled yellow—
as if oxidized.
“Hah.”
The King smiled, realizing the truth.
“It wasn’t poison… it was acid.”
He chuckled—trying to cure acid corrosion with antidotes was absurd.
“I’ve found your identity, rival…”
He cut his own throat.
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