KFBRV Ch 28
- Jan 19
- 6 min read
[Viktor] "They should have run faster. This isn't fun at all."
He clicked his tongue. If they didn't put up a chase, what was the point?
To pass the time, he grabbed two of the corpses and tossed them back into the wrecked carriage. Only then did he realize he was still holding the woman.
She’s just hanging there like a corpse herself. I completely forgot she was even in my arms.
It was unexpected. Usually, people were far more annoying when they were terrified.
He had recognized her the moment they touched. Odette von Albrecht. He couldn't ignore the scent she radiated—the distinct, heavy aura that only a Transcendent could detect from a Purifier.
The priests who wrote the scriptures must have been obsessed with exaggerating.
The holy texts claimed that meeting a Purifier would make one’s heart race and ring with the "bells of heaven." To him, it was all nonsense. They said the scent alone would make even the most noble beast crawl and beg for submission.
But as he looked at her, all he smelled was an artificial, overpowering scent of roses. It was so intense that it gave him a headache.
Why is it so fake? It’s almost revolting.
He didn't feel sorry for a villainess like her, but seeing her drenched in blood without making a single sound was... unsettling. She was pale, her eyes fixed on nothingness as if her soul had drifted far away from her body.
[Viktor] "Hey, pretty lady. Are you still with me?"
He shook her slight frame, but there was no response. She was ice-cold.
[Viktor] "Your body is freezing, sweetheart."
That word—sweetheart—acted like a spark. Life rushed back into her teal eyes.
[Viktor] "What’s this?"
Fear, resentment, apology, and regret. Her eyes were suddenly a whirlwind of emotions that he couldn't define. For a split second, he felt a strange, impossible sensation.
Have I been deeply entangled with this woman before?
But he dismissed the thought immediately. This was the first time they had ever met face-to-face.
He knew that for a fact because Odette had spent years refusing to see him. In her eyes, he was nothing but a low-born thug from the gutters.
He remembered the letter his messenger had brought back when he had once requested a purification.
I have no intention of associating with a lowly creature who is less than an insect. How dare a filthy, vulgar thief even dream of meeting me?
Every sentence in that letter had been dripping with arrogance and disdain. Remembering it made him feel like a fool for worrying about her pale face for even a second.
[Viktor] "Fine. Not like I enjoy being near you either. This perfume is killing me."
He kicked off the roof of the carriage and leaped toward a high stone building nearby. He landed on the rooftop and set her down with as much grace as someone discarding a piece of trash.
[Viktor] "Stay here and rest. I’m going to go punish those robbers for bothering our darling."
He dived off the roof like a bird of prey. His posture was barbaric as he unsheathed his sword, licking his lips in anticipation of the hunt. The only reason he didn't look like a complete monster was his undeniably handsome face.
In a matter of seconds, he caught up with the fleeing drivers. He tore through them like they were made of paper, turning the street into a bloodbath.
As a final show of his Transcendent power, he kicked one of the severed heads so hard it flew hundreds of meters, landing perfectly through the window of the distant carriage.
[Viktor] "And for the finale!"
He snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
A massive pillar of fire erupted from the carriage, sending a mushroom cloud of black smoke into the city sky.
He ran a hand through his blood-spattered hair, looking refreshed.
[Viktor] "Nothing fixes a bad habit like a quick death."
Pyrokinesis—the power to control fire. S-Class Transcendents were technically forbidden from using their powers against humans, but it didn't matter. No one in this city would dare to report him.
The entire slaughter had taken exactly three minutes.
Sweetheart.
The moment she heard that word in his voice, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. Her mind, which had been drowning in the shadows of her past life, finally snapped back to reality.
I can't let myself get lost in old memories now.
She clenched her fists so hard her nails drew blood, forcing her trembling hands to steady.
In a way, she was lucky he had left her alone for a few minutes. It gave her time to breathe and prepare for his return.
In the world of The Savior of the Empire, Viktor was the male lead with the most broken personality. He was a psychopath who lived for chaos.
The game's manual described him as:
The arsonist who sets ladies' hearts on fire! If you want a passionate, obsessive man who is especially sadistic in the bedroom, we recommend the 'no-brakes' lunatic, Viktor! ♡
Looking at the pillar of fire in the distance, she found that description disgusting.
He’s not setting hearts on fire. He’s actually committing arson.
She stared up at the smoke, her mind racing.
Even though this was their first conversation in this life, she knew his Loathing level for her would already be high. Her father, Ulrich, had spent years writing insulting letters to him while pretending to be her.
How do I stop this lunatic's Loathing from rising? How did the 'Viktor Route' work in the game?
She racked her brain for memories of her past playthroughs.
He hates anything predictable. If you choose an obvious answer, his favorability drops instantly.
To even enter his route, one had to be completely unexpected.
So, I have to do the one thing the 'old' Odette would never do.
Just as she reached that conclusion, Viktor returned to the rooftop.
[Viktor] "Did you wait long, sweetheart?"
He wore a lazy, dangerous smile.
Viktor had been abandoned at birth and raised by a gang of street thieves. With a larger build and more strength than any child his age, he had quickly risen through the ranks of the underworld.
By thirteen, there was a massive bounty on his head. But after he awakened as a Transcendent, even the Metropolitan Police began to treat him like the King of the Slums.
He had learned the value of violence early on.
[Viktor] "See? Fists create order much better than laws do."
He noticed how the drunken festival crowds were now scurrying home with their eyes downcast after seeing him kill the drivers.
[Viktor] "The best way to reform a criminal is with a bigger crime. A dead criminal can't commit a second offense, after all."
He turned his gaze away from the now-silent streets of Red Glovočnik and looked at the beauty sitting on the roof.
[Viktor] "You agree, don't you?"
She sat there, still smelling of that stifling rose perfume.
[Viktor] "You're surprisingly bold. I knew you liked trouble, but I didn't think you'd wander into a place like this."
He walked toward her, his long strides eating up the distance. He reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
[Viktor] "Such a pretty face, and yet so reckless. Even the lowest scum avoid this alley."
He studied her delicate features. She was aesthetically perfect, but he felt nothing but irritation.
Zion and the Crown Prince were exaggerating. They said her scent was so revolting it could kill a man. It’s not that bad.
Despite the headache the rose scent gave him, he didn't let go. It felt good to have this arrogant woman looking up at him from below.
[Viktor] "I’m curious, sweetheart. How does it feel to be saved by a man who is 'less than an insect'?"
The woman who had humiliated him when he was at his most desperate was now in his grasp.
She’ll probably slap my hand away and scream in disgust. The arrogant Lady Albrecht.
He had heard rumors that she burned her gloves after reading his letters. She supposedly threw away any letter opener that had touched his mail, claiming it was contaminated.
He grinned, his green eyes narrowing. He was excited to see how she would struggle in this "unpleasant" situation.
[Viktor] "Don't save those noble lips for later. Answer me."
He pressed his thumb firmly against her lips, applying just enough pressure to be insulting.
I already know exactly how you're going to react.
He was sure of it.
He had a particularly bad compatibility with his own Transcendent power, causing him immense pain even when his "Contamination" level was low.
On the nights he had writhed in agony, wishing someone would just kill him, he had read her insulting letters thousands of times. He had clung to them like a lifeline, desperate for any trace of a Purifier’s presence, even if it was just a drop of venom.
He knew her personality inside and out. She was a bloodline-obsessed elitist who loathed commoners. To her, touching a man born in the slums was like touching a maggot.
He stroked her cheek with his palm, waiting for the look of horror to cross her face. He waited for the scream.
But then, it happened.
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