I Reincarnated as a Mob Villain Prince Who Dies Before the Game Starts ~ In Order to Be Happy with My Favorite Heroine's Younger Sister, I Overcame My Weakest Magic [Dark Blade] with Excessive Effort, and It Became the Strongest Broken Power ~ - Chapter 15: The Mob Prince Rescues Gain’s Daughter, Rena

Chapter 15: The Mob Prince Rescues Gain’s Daughter, Rena

“Hehehe… P-Prince Luke. I’ll guide you to the girl right away with my personal wyvern.”

The tamer bowed and flattered me.

When he whistled, a wyvern equipped with a saddle flew toward us.

I was a little surprised. Not only griffons, but he had even tamed a wyvern, one of the best means of transportation.

His speech and behavior seemed petty, but this man was clearly quite skilled.

“With this, we’ll get there in no time.”

“Yes! Of course! This is my prized wyvern, after all!”

As I showed interest in the wyvern, the man, who introduced himself as Jack, eagerly rubbed his hands together and approached me.

“We’ve locked Gain’s daughter in an abandoned fortress in this forest! After we finished the job, we planned to lure Gain there, trap them both, and get rid of them.”

“…You really had it all planned out.”

Gain clicked his tongue as Jack, desperate to save himself, spilled the entire plan.

I had suspected as much, and of course, I was right.

“How many enemies are there?”

“There’s only one… a creepy woman dressed as a maid named Zyrus.”

“Her!? But if they’re setting a trap for me… just one person?”

“They’re probably trying to make you lower your guard, Master. For example, the moment you approach Rena, they could set off an explosion, blowing you both to pieces. They’ve likely set up some kind of magical trap.”

It was like those magic mines set up in dungeons in games.

“That’s troublesome…”

Gain groaned.

“It’s fine. If we take down the one who set up the magic trap, it won’t activate. Let’s make Zyrus think she successfully assassinated me and turn the trap back on her.”

“What? How exactly?”

“I’ll get into a body bag and pretend to be dead. Then, I’ll launch a surprise attack on her.”

Gain’s eyes widened in shock.

“…Luke, you never stop surprising me. Honestly, I don’t know who the master is anymore. That wit and courage— even veteran adventurers would be jealous.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Because of my magic running wild, I had been close to death since infancy, so at the very least, I had developed some guts.

“Master Gain, carry me in the body bag and enter the fortress with Jack leading the way. That should be enough to fool Zyrus.”

“I see… Alright. I truly regret making you take such a dangerous role. Thank you.”

Gain lowered his head sincerely.

“Jack, take this High Potion. Heal your leg injury. I assume you understand, but if you try anything suspicious inside the fortress, you won’t leave alive.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you, Your Highness! I swear I won’t betray you!”

As I handed him the High Potion, Jack bowed deeply in gratitude.

But I didn’t trust him in the slightest.

People like him, who betrayed their allies, would turn on us the moment the situation changed. I had experienced such things in my past life.

That’s why I planned to keep him in front, and if he showed the slightest sign of betrayal, I would cut him down from behind immediately.

Jack seemed to understand this, as his face twisted in fear.

As we traveled on the wyvern, I got more details from Jack.

The abandoned fortress was actually a research facility used by Zyrus.

“…Zyrus is a total scumbag. She’s researching some spell called Thanatos, the Underworld Drop, and she turned an entire village into a test site. That’s how Rena got caught up in this!”

Gain spoke with pure rage.

“That’s an extremely dangerous spell. It puts people into a coma. Don’t let your guard down, Luke.”

“Thanatos, the Underworld Drop? Wait… isn’t that a spell that instantly kills people?”

“What!?”

“Huh? Y-Your Highness, how do you know that!?”

Gain and Jack were speechless.

I fell into deep thought.

“…Then, it must take some time to cast. If you stay close to me, even if she tries to use Thanatos, the Underworld Drop, I can counter it with Dispel Sword.”

Zyrus was clearly researching the same spell that the Demon Lord’s army had used in the game.

It had a long casting time and only worked within the range of the chant, but if it hit, it caused instant death, making it a real pain to deal with.

I had read through countless magic books in this world, but none mentioned Thanatos, the Underworld Drop.

That meant… it didn’t exist yet in this era.

If that’s the case, then the best course of action is to crush it here before it causes future tragedies.

“You’re really reliable… Did you investigate Empress Camilla on your own?”

“…Well, something like that.”

I couldn’t exactly say it was because of my game knowledge, so I dodged the question.

Still, if failure results in a coma, then Thanatos, the Underworld Drop might be derived from Hypnos, the Sleep Spell.

As I pondered this, the fortress came into view.

The exterior was eerie, covered in vines.

I climbed into the body bag, and Jack landed the wyvern in front of the gate.

The moment we arrived, I felt an unpleasant sensation pricking my skin.

A barrier that amplifies the user’s magic surrounded the fortress.

This was no place to let my guard down.

“Zyrus, I’ve returned after completing the job!”

Jack shouted as he stepped into the abandoned fortress.

“…Good work. Where is Prince Luke’s corpse? Did you make sure to damage it just enough so he’s still recognizable, as Lady Camilla requested?”

A young woman’s voice, presumably Zyrus, echoed through the space. I could hear footsteps approaching.

Her tone was like an old man’s, making her seem strange.

I had heard that Zyrus was the apprentice of Count Saint-Germain and that she might have been given the secret art of immortality.

That secret art never appeared in the game, so I had no idea about its details.

Could it be possible that she wouldn’t die even if I cut her down…?

“Of course. This is him right here, carried by Gain.”

“Then, let me confirm the corpse.”

“Before that, release Rena from your magic and hand her over. Otherwise, I’m not giving this up.”

Gain’s voice was deep and threatening.

We couldn’t fight Zyrus until we had secured—or at least confirmed—Rena’s safety.

At worst, Jack could be lying, and Rena might not even be here. If that happened, she’d be killed in retaliation.

“This body bag is soaked in oil. If you refuse, I’ll set it on fire right here. Even his own mother wouldn’t be able to recognize his face.”

Empress Camilla wanted to send my corpse to my mother and Diana to break their spirits.

She truly was garbage.

Because of that, she needed a corpse that was definitely mine. That was where I could exploit her plan.

“…Just an adventurer acting all high and mighty. Hmph, very well.”

Zyrus snapped her fingers, and I heard a deep rumbling sound, like something heavy moving.

I couldn’t see it from inside the body bag, but she had probably opened a hidden door leading to the room where Rena was locked up.

“Rena…!”

I heard Gain gasp.

“Now, open the body bag and show me. If I confirm it’s Prince Luke’s corpse, I will release the Thanatos, the Underworld Drop spell placed on this girl.”

“Fine. Take a good look.”

Gain placed the body bag—me—onto what seemed to be a table.

I heard footsteps approaching. Zyrus was coming to check.

“With this, Lady Camilla will be pleased. A mere lowly demon woman becoming His Majesty’s favorite concubine and daring to speak against Lady Camilla was outrageous. Next, we’ll deal with Princess Diana…”

“Dispel Sword!”

I drove my Dispel Sword straight into Zyrus.

No matter what kind of magic she used for protection, it was useless against this.

At the same time, I tore through the body bag and jumped out.

“Y-You…!?”

My Dispel Sword had pierced Zyrus right through the chest.

It was a fatal wound.

“What was that about Diana?”

“No… This sword…!”

With a heavy thud, Zyrus collapsed onto the floor.

She looked like a young girl with eerily pale skin.

“Ah… Aaaaaah! Z-Zyrus was taken down in one hit!?”

Jack shrieked, falling backward.

I kept my eyes on Zyrus’s body, but she didn’t move at all.

“…So the immortality secret was a lie?”

Or… did my Dispel Sword nullify even the secret art of immortality?

No, the secret art belonged to Saint-Germain, who had lived for over a thousand years and become a legendary figure. There was no way it was that weak…

“Rena!”

After confirming Zyrus was dead, Gain ran to the sleeping girl—Rena—and held her in his arms.

I sensed no sign of a magical trap activating. It seemed Zyrus was truly dead.

“Luke, please.”

“Leave it to me.”

I adjusted the power of my Dispel Sword, lowering its attack power to zero.

Then, I pressed it against Rena’s chest.

Her soft skin remained unscathed.

But the curse that had put her into an endless sleep was dispelled.

“…F-Father?”

Rena opened her eyes, looking confused.

“You made me worry…!”

Gain hugged her tightly.

Rena was apparently the same age as me—seven.

I was truly glad she hadn’t become a victim.

I felt a lump in my throat, but then—

“As expected of Prince Luke! Since I helped you, you’ll let me go, right?”

Jack interrupted with a foolish comment, ruining the moment.

“Well… I might let you go. But only if you testify against Empress Camilla as a criminal.”

“H-Huh…?”

“Empress Camilla didn’t just defy the Emperor’s orders by trying to kill me. She also had Zyrus conduct illegal magical experiments, which are strictly forbidden by imperial law. There should be records of it here in this fortress.”

Emperor Alvice hated the idea of certain nobles secretly amassing power, so he required all new magic experiments to be reported to the imperial government.

There was no way the government would ever approve of a dangerous experiment that sacrificed an entire village.

That meant Zyrus’s Thanatos, the Underworld Drop research was 100% illegal.

Once this came to light, Empress Camilla would be accused of treason and sentenced to severe punishment.

Her family, the House of Duke Ludwig, would also be dragged down with her.

“Y-Y-Y-You! If you do that, Lady Camilla will…! And I…!”

“Yes, you’ll be ruined.”

I stated coldly.

There was a high chance that Camilla and her faction were involved in my mother’s assassination a year from now.

That’s why—

“I will show no mercy. I will crush Empress Camilla and her entire faction completely, right here and now!”