KFBRV Ch 38

She ordered Karl to dig one large pit and three smaller ones. She needed graves to bury the corpses that had been spat out by the Calamity.

She considered the fact that he had only just received his sentence of slavery today. She had expected him to refuse her orders or feel a deep sense of humiliation, especially since he was once a Crown Prince. Yet, he followed her instructions with surprising compliance.

As she watched him labor with the shovel, she made a mental command.

Check Status Window.

[Loathing: Unable to verify (Conditions not met)]

[Detailed loathing levels for 'Karl' cannot be checked as the Status Window is 'Incomplete.']

She felt a surge of irritation as that familiar, frustrating window flickered before her eyes.

She could not understand why Karl was the only person whose loathing remained hidden. The necklace was an item designed to track every character within the world of The Only Savior, including the extras.

She racked her brain, but she had never encountered a "Status Window Incomplete" error in any of the game's many routes.

The lore mentioned that the necklace, crafted by the first Transcendent, possessed hidden and unknown functions, but she wondered why such a specific condition applied only to Karl.

Her entire plan for revenge relied on the assumption that she could monitor his hatred. Without that knowledge, using him was nearly impossible.

In the original story, Karl was a "loyal dog" type of protagonist. He was the easiest of the four male leads to win over, and once he offered his heart, his loyalty was eternal. His favorability, once raised, never dropped.

However, Karl had one glaring problem: his face and actions never betrayed his emotions. He was so consistently machine-like and stoic that it was impossible to guess his feelings without the aid of a status window.

She looked at his face as he shoveled. Even a mechanical excavator would have a more expressive face than he did.

Her original strategy was titled "Odette is the Best Master." She had planned to win his favor by granting his deepest wishes and helping his people. He had many desires regarding the Fenrir clan, and she possessed more than enough wealth to fulfill them.

Once she had won his heart, he would eventually awaken as a Transcendent. At that point, she would reveal the truth of the atrocities her father had committed against the Fenrir. She wanted him to cut the Count’s throat of his own free will.

But if she couldn't verify his loathing, she couldn't use him as a chess piece. A man as expressionless as he could harbor a murderous hatred for her without ever showing a sign of it.

After three years of suffering in this horrific containment zone, there was no way his loathing for her was at zero. If his hatred was nearing its limit and she stayed near him without knowing, it would be a suicidal mistake.

She wondered if it would be better to simply leave as his savior and never see him again.

She sighed at the thought. Abandoning Karl meant rebuilding her entire revenge plan from scratch.

She reminded herself why she was going to such lengths. She wanted her family to experience the same agony she had endured.

The despair of being hunted by a divine beast was like the strawberry on top of a cream cake—the absolute highlight of the suffering she intended to return to her father.

Karl's instincts, his physical prowess, and his sheer tenacity would make that game of hide-and-seek thrilling. It wouldn't be a complete revenge unless the Count felt that specific, soul-crushing terror.

She was just about to decide to ask Zion to cancel the slavery sentence when a blood-red window appeared.

['Karl’s' loathing has decreased. (-5)]

[Changes can be tracked for one hour from the first detection. (Usage count deducted.)]

The window was as crimson as Karl’s eyes.

[Specific loathing levels cannot be verified (Conditions not met)]

[A warning window will be displayed if loathing approaches or exceeds 100.]

A white window followed immediately after. She read the text carefully. She realized that while she couldn't see his current score, she could track the fluctuations. She would also receive a warning if he became a genuine threat.

This changed everything. If she could see the changes, she could still turn him into her ally. She already knew his desires better than Charlotte ever would.

[Karl] "I have buried all the bodies as ordered, Lady Odette."

His voice pulled her from her thoughts.

[Odette] "Well done, Karl. You worked hard."

[Karl] "..."

[Odette] "Now, place this in front of the graves."

She handed him a carved wooden plaque. It was an epitaph she had prepared.

Theodore. Luca. Lara. May you play in peace in the heavens.

[Karl] "..."

His red eyes narrowed as if he were interrogating her.

[Odette] "The pits you just dug will serve as the graves for the Fenrir children."

In an instant, he radiated a terrifying, murderous intent. Every muscle in his body tensed as he shifted into a combat stance. He looked like a machine built solely for slaughter, and the fact that his expression remained blank made the sight even more chilling.

[Odette] "Calm yourself. I do not mean I am actually going to kill them. I am going to make the world believe they are dead."

[Karl] "A disguise, My Lady?"

[Odette] "Yes. I am taking them out of this containment zone. From now on, I will protect them in the capital myself."

She explained that the ringing of the bell was already public knowledge. Everyone knew a Calamity had occurred. Since the Fenrir were forbidden from leaving the zone, the citizens would naturally assume the children had perished. She intended to use these graves to convince the warden, when he arrived tomorrow, to verify the facts.

The suffocating pressure of his bloodlust vanished.

[Karl] "Do you have a reason to protect them, My Lady? I thought you despised the Fenrir."

He spoke with an indifference that made it seem as if he were discussing a stranger's affairs.

[Odette] "I do."

She handed him the plaque.

[Odette] "Didn't you go to the capital today to receive your sentence? You must have heard from Marquis Kleist that you are to become my slave."

[Karl] "Lady Odette..."

[Odette] "If you leave as a slave and the children stay here, they will only die in this wasteland. Do you think they would be welcomed in an imperial orphanage?"

She knew that once the Founding Festival was over, her father's influence would fade. However, she had ensured that Karl’s enslavement proceeded exactly as it had in her previous life.

When she had made her deal with Zion, she specifically requested that Karl be enslaved according to the Count’s wishes. She had urged him to skip the branding process, yet she could see the fresh scar on Karl's shoulder.

[Odette] "I am showing mercy for the sake of the man who will serve me. I intend to be a gracious mistress."

She worried he might feel insulted, but the loathing window did not reappear. He seemed to have no personal grievance regarding his sentence. He simply stared at her with a searching, unreadable gaze.

She offered the excuse she had prepared.

[Odette] "You were once a Crown Prince, and becoming my slave must be a humiliation. That is why I intend to treat the children well."

[Karl] "I feel no humiliation."

His lips curled into a faint, mocking smile, as if the very word "humiliation" were a joke to him.

[Karl] "I only worry for the safety of the children. I feared you might enslave them as well."

[Odette] "Don't worry. I have no interest in the children. You are the only one I want to own."

['Karl’s' loathing has decreased. (-5)]

The red window confirmed he believed her.

[Odette] "The children will enjoy a life of luxury compared to this place. Setting up a fake grave is a small price to pay, isn't it?"

She gave him a relaxed, confident smile.

The children were her way into his heart, but they were also her hostages. He was not yet a Transcendent, which meant he could kill her without being struck by the "Transcendent’s Constraint"—the eternal curse that followed the killing of a Purifier.

She felt a brief pang of guilt for acting like a kidnapper, but she needed insurance. If she was going to live in the same house as a human weapon, she needed a guarantee of her own safety.

He then asked a question she hadn't expected.

[Karl] "Why do you want me as your slave?"

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