* * *
Juliet stared unblinkingly at the being in front of her.
Crunch.
The creature, resembling Dolores, had its neck twisted at a grotesque angle.
(Finally it’s just the two of us.)
The white of its eyes turned black and it took a step toward Juliet.
Juliet took a step back, never taking her eyes off the creature.
– Don’t trust anyone.
Was this what Lennox warned about? The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“Waaaaah!”
From the circular stadium behind, an even louder roar erupted.
(How the hell did she survive every time?)
“Who are you?”
As she asked, Juliet intuitively felt something.
This is a snake.
She wasn’t sure why she felt this way, but she was certain.
A story of a strange snake that devours people and impersonates them.
Dolores was consumed by this entity.
“What did you do to Dolores?”
As she asked the obvious, Juliet felt it. Dolores had been consumed.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
(There’s nothing to be afraid of.)
The being with Dolores’s face smirked as it approached.
(I’m just trying to finish something I couldn’t finish a long time ago.)
‘A long time ago?’
“…Do you know me?”
(How could I not, child? In the past, and in this life, I have always been waiting for you.)
Despite its menacing demeanor, its voice sounded almost tender.
Juliet, gradually stepping back, found her back pressed against a wooden wall.
Right behind her, inside the crudely built illegal stadium, there must be countless people.
But her calls for help would surely be drowned out by the deafening roar. Even if someone did come to help, it’s questionable whether they could repel the mysterious creature in front of her.
(What to do now? No one is coming to help you this time, princess.)
The snake wearing Dolores’s skin sneered at her.
Its tone sounded oddly familiar.
With nowhere else to go, Juliet strangely felt calm.
In her foggy mind, fragmented images suddenly pieced together.
‘The story of the yellow snake told by the wandering mercenary.’
This snake acted as if it knew Juliet from the past. If so, the snake’s purpose was…
“You purposely chose this time, didn’t you?”
(What?)
It wasn’t just a strategy to buy time. Juliet was certain.
“Because Lennox went South and isn’t here, right?”
(…)
The snake, with a stoic face, stared at Juliet and then chuckled.
(Quite clever, you. So, you know this will be your grave, right?)
Frozen, like a mouse facing a predator, another roar erupted from the stadium.
‘A roar, you say?’
Juliet suddenly realized something and looked back. It wasn’t a roar.
“Pl-please save me!”
It was a desperate scream.
Juliet couldn’t immediately understand what was happening.
(Even if you pull some tricks, no one is coming to help. Your luck ends here.)
“Aaaah!”
“Please… save me…”
Through the gaps of the temporary wooden walls, she glimpsed the chaotic scene inside the arena.
Thick smoke blanketed the area, and for some unknown reason, frenzied animals chained up were charging towards the audience.
It was absolute chaos.
People were frantically escaping as the animals stampeded over the stands.
Juliet, leaning against the wall, could feel the vibrations from the rickety stadium.
(Who would care if a single human woman disappeared in this situation?)
The snake, wearing Dolores’s skin, approached with a sneer.
Sadly, it was right. Juliet glanced down.
There was nowhere to run, no one to call for help.
All she could see were some ropes and wooden planks left over from building the temporary stadium.
‘What do I do..’
Then suddenly.
With a fluttering sound, butterflies charged towards the snake.
“!”
Juliet was taken aback.
Before she could summon them, a swarm of butterflies attacked the entity wearing Dolores’s face.
But the enigmatic creature, wearing Dolores’s skin, chuckled as if it was trivial.
(Tsk, pointless resistance.)
The snake swung its arm like a whip.
(You cannot defy me. Just watch and don’t interfere!)
Then, the butterflies in the vicinity burst into a powdery light and disintegrated.
Although Juliet didn’t know the butterflies’ intentions, she didn’t miss the opportunity they provided.
She forcefully bumped into the thin wooden wall leading to the stadium.
Nothing happened, except for a lamp that was hanging a little higher, which fell down with a clunk.
(You’re trying to break the wall and escape? Do you think the wall is that weak?)
The snake scoffed openly and reached out to her.
Just then.
With a sizzling sound, something strange happened again. Its hand was blocked by something.
Hissss!
Sparks flew out of thin air.
(You… what did you do?)
Missing Juliet by a whisker, it growled menacingly.
Juliet didn’t know what had happened either. But she decided not to miss out on her incredible luck.
Without hesitation, Juliet suddenly kicked the lamp that had fallen at her feet.
Clink!
At the same time, the fire spread through the rope lying on the floor. The oil-soaked rope caught fire in an instant.
(Kieeeeee~!)
It was engulfed in flames and screamed and writhed in panic.
Juliet flinched and immediately leaned closer to the wall.
Boom!
And that moment. Unidentified smoke seeping through a gap in the half-collapsed wooden wall caught fire and caused an explosion.
Juliet lost her senses momentarily due to the shock.
* * *
“Big trouble!”
At the same time.
The palace gate burst open, and a servant came running. He was the servant of the second prince Cloff.
“Your Highness! There are magical beasts in the square right now…!”
The servant hastily explained the situation.
“The arena building has collapsed, and the magical beasts that were inside are attacking the citizens!”
“Is that true?”
The second prince Cloff sprang to his feet and headed toward the terrace that offered a panoramic view of the capital.
Just as the servant had said.
Unusual smoke was billowing from the square. The faint scent of something burning and faint screams could be heard as well.
“It seems the magical beasts have gone wild due to unknown smoke bombs.”
“As planned.”
“Excuse me?”
The servant looked puzzled.
Instead of looking flustered or regretful, Cloff was smirking ominously.
Cloff’s aide quickly pushed the servant away.
“Ahem, you may go now!”
“Ah, yes…”
As soon as the servant was driven out, Cloff openly rubbed his hands together in greed.
“Now all that’s left is to frame Duke Carlyle for all this…!”
Confident Cloff picked up a small metal sphere that he had hidden neatly in a drawer.
It was the smoke bomb given by that woman.
It contained a special herb that increased the aggressiveness of magical beasts.
“Isn’t it too blatant?”
Cloff’s aide seemed uneasy.
“Who would leave their family crest at the crime scene?”
The smoke bomb had the emblem of the Duke clearly engraved on it.
“Ignorance. People only see what they want to see.”
Cloff was confident.
The woman’s plan was simple and fatal. The rampaging magical beasts would create chaos in the capital.
The citizens would get angry.
Voices calling for the culprit would rise, and then, discreetly, he could present this evidence.
“This time, it will be the end for that fool, Duke Carlyle.”
Cloff grinned maliciously.
* * *
“Aaah!”
Awakened by a sudden scream from outside, Juliet quickly snapped back to her senses.
Staggering to her feet, Juliet surveyed the chaos outside. Magical beasts that had broken free from their chains were running around, and people were fleeing in panic.
She had been lying in a half-collapsed arena building.
‘I was lucky.’
Juliet wiped her forehead and assessed the situation.
The magical beasts must have gone wild due to the unidentified smoke that filled the arena.
And that thing earlier…
‘What was that?’
Juliet took a deep breath.
‘Where did the snake go?’
Luckily, it seemed to have been affected by the fire. It had escaped, which was fortunate.
Juliet hid in the half-collapsed arena building and caught her breath.
“…What’s happening?”
As she watched the demonic beasts being released and running around all over the square, she suddenly became concerned about the butterflies that had been so quiet from earlier.
(…)
“Are you okay?”
Juliet asked the butterflies that hadn’t been unsummoned yet. A few weakly fluttered their wings near her.
(We’re fine.)
Juliet looked at the butterflies.
Their powers had had no effect on that mysterious monster.
‘I’ve never seen something like that before.’
She bit her lip, but couldn’t stop her body from trembling slightly.
“What was that thing?”
(We can’t say.)
(We made a promise.)
(That’s how it is.)
The butterflies replied faintly.
“Don’t you have anything you can explain to me?”
Juliet grumbled, but she knew deep inside that it was the limit of what the butterflies could do for her.
Checking her belongings, she found a clean handkerchief.
Blocking her mouth and nose with the handkerchief, Juliet observed the still-smoky inside of the arena. Small, palm-sized metal spheres were rolling on the floor.
‘Smoke bombs?’
Juliet frowned slightly.
She had seen such smoke bombs used in magical beast hunting in the North.
Apparently, the gray smoke emanating from those spheres was the cause of the magical beasts’ rampage.
People who had inhaled the smoke didn’t collapse, but the situation was bad nonetheless.
Many people had been injured while fleeing from the agitated magical beasts.
Thinking that she might get swept up if she carelessly went out, Juliet stood dazed, clutching a tent.
‘Think, think.’
What can I do now?
(Contractor.)
(Contractor.)
At that moment, faint voices as if about to disappear called out to her.
“What is it?”
Two butterflies weakly flapped their wings, illuminating the surroundings.
(Sorry.)
“…For what?”
(Bad. Snake. Still there.)
(We’re sleepy.)
(We have to go now.)
“Where are you going?”
The butterflies fluttered their wings weakly as if they were about to disappear any moment.