KFBRV Ch 45

There were only about thirty minutes left.

I should have chosen not to check that bastard’s loathing level. At least then, I might have avoided this hideous mental debuff.

Just as she felt a flicker of relief, believing she could reach the hotel with time to spare, a heavy sound echoed through the air.

Thud!

A man dropped from the sky, landing heavily before her.

[Odette] "...Ah."

It was an entrance that felt strangely familiar.

That wretched man.

She stared at him with a bitter expression. She noted the twist of his mouth and the annoyance burning in his eyes. His face was a mask of irritation, as if he couldn't stand the fact that she had tried to escape.

[Zion] "Hello, Albrecht."

[Odette] "Your Excellency."

Why has he followed me all the way here?

She didn't have the luxury of time to engage in a struggle with him.

[Odette] "It has been a while. Please forgive the rudeness of my early departure—"

[Zion] "Do you know that I loathe you, Albrecht?"

The moment they met, he bared his teeth, revealing a level of hostility that was uncharacteristic of his usual cold composure.

[Zion] "I asked if you knew."

[Odette] "...I know."

[Zion] "Is that so? Then you have exceptionally poor taste."

As he spoke, he threw the handkerchief at her feet. It fell into a puddle, the white fabric instantly soaking up the muddy water.

[Zion] "No matter how precious an object might be, the moment it touches you, Albrecht, I want nothing to do with it."

She stared blankly at the handkerchief as it grew increasingly filthy. It was the item she had cherished more than anything else.

[Zion] "From the second it was contaminated by your touch, it ceased to be valuable."

In the game, that handkerchief was a critical item that raised his favorability by more than ten points.

It was a memento crafted by his own mother. Having lost all other traces of his mother because of his father, he was supposed to receive this, fall into a deep nostalgia, and be overcome with joy.

Wait. Now isn't the time for that.

Reality snapped back into focus.

She hurriedly bent down, reaching for the fabric. However, the moment her fingers touched the handkerchief, his boot came down, stomping it into the dirt.

Does he really have to hate me this much?

In the original story, he had been so pleased when Charlotte gave it to him. To Charlotte, the handkerchief had been nothing more than something she happened to pick up by chance.

The item had originally come to Odette along with a collection of imperial gifts. Her father had taken all the other treasures but ordered her to throw the handkerchief away. Seeing it discarded despite being chosen among such precious things made her feel a kinship with the object.

She had secretly gone to the incinerator to rescue it. Even when Ferdinand had beaten her for her "insolence," she had been purely happy to have saved it.

Since then, on her hardest days, she would pull it out like a treasure and read the inscription. When she did, she felt as if the grace and protection of God—words someone had stitched with such sincerity—might actually be with her.

Only the person delivering it has changed, yet it receives such a worthless, miserable reception.

[Odette] "Please move your foot."

[Zion] "..."

[Odette] "I didn't think it would offend you this much. I apologize for overstepping my bounds."

The status window was still flashing, labeling the area a [Danger Zone].

If she stayed here, she would fall into a debuff state in the middle of a perilous location. She had no choice but to apologize profusely.

[Loathing: 55]

The level had risen again in the blink of an eye.

[Odette] "Please, Your Excellency. Move your boot."

She lifted her head to look up at him. His violet eyes narrowed, clearly dissatisfied with the situation.

[Zion] "This isn't the reaction I expected. I wanted you to be a bit more honest."

Despite his words, he finally lifted his foot.

Thank goodness it didn't tear.

She brushed the mud from the handkerchief, wrung out the water as best she could, and held it carefully in her hands.

I thought that if I gave him this, I could get better information about Karl and improve my relationship with him.

Instead, she had received confirmation. Even her most precious possession was worth less than something Charlotte might find on the ground. Still, she couldn't afford to sink into sorrow. She needed to end this situation quickly.

[Odette] "I am truly sorry—"

In that instant, he grabbed her wrist with force.

[Odette] "Ah!"

[Loathing has increased by 10.]

[Loathing: 65]

Betraying her hopes, the loathing level climbed even higher.

[Zion] "An apology isn't enough. I need to see you break one more time before I can conclude."

She looked up through the pain to find his violet eyes staring intensely at her.

[Zion] "I'm confused. But it isn't as if I can lock you in an interrogation room and torture you."

Torture? What on earth is he talking about?

[Odette] "Your Excellency, have you lost your mind? How could you—"

[Zion] "I didn't want to use this method because it's dangerous."

It happened in a heartbeat.

His violet eyes began to glow with a faint, pale gold light. In that moment, she felt as though something inside her mind snapped.

[The 'Necklace Owner's' mind has fallen under Zion's 'Brainwashing.']

[The Loathing display is temporarily suspended due to the side effects of 'Brainwashing.']

[Zion] "Odette."

His voice was sweet. She felt her eyes lose their focus instantly. It felt as if her brain were melting away.

This absolute bastard.

She bit the inside of her cheek. She realized exactly what he was trying to do to her.

Mind control.

That wretched man was using his supernatural ability to stir her psyche. She had seen a similar scene in Zion’s route in the game; he had done this once to Charlotte as well.

[Zion] "Cry for me, Odette. I want to see you beg."

In the game, the line had been the exact opposite: Laugh for me, Charlotte. I want to see you happy.

Charlotte had fallen under his mind control and smiled adorably. It was from that moment that he realized his feelings were those of affection.

Odette felt her lips tremble. She felt as though she might die if she didn't cry. She was on the verge of pleading for permission to weep. Tears threatened to burst forth at any second.

But she refused to surrender. She had no desire to obey a man who had just stomped on her handkerchief.

Besides, if the brainwashing takes full effect, I won't remember any of this. I'll just follow whatever orders he gives me with a smile.

If he ordered her to perform a purification, he would discover she was a fake. She clenched her teeth.

Fortunately, this wasn't easy for him either. For an S-rank to use his power with such delicate precision was an immense challenge. It was like trying to pour out a single drop from a vast ocean using a pipette.

He was also beginning to break into a cold sweat. If he had used his full power, she would have already been dead from exhaustion after crying like a madwoman.

She did nothing but glare at him, refusing to shed a single tear. A surprised sound escaped his lips.

[Zion] "...This is also unexpected."

I'm never going to cry, so you can go to hell, you watchdog.

Just because you're a Transcendent doesn't mean you can crush someone's pride.

You should be the one crying and begging, you bastard.

She focused all her energy on her anger.

[Zion] "Cry. You'll feel better if you just cry."

She fought to ignore the command echoing in her brain, which told her to let the tears fall immediately. But as he furrowed his brow and his eyes glowed a deeper gold, a tear began to well up. She felt like a dam about to burst.

This is my limit. I can't hold on any longer.

Then, an idea struck her.

Status window. Do I have to receive the Mental and Stamina debuffs at the same time?

[No. They can be processed separately.]

She was grateful for a life that had forced her to hold back tears so often. She knew exactly what worked best to stop one from crying: fear and pain.

Cancel the delay for the Mental debuff only.

[Canceling the delay for the Mental debuff.]

[Starting the Mental debuff settlement.]

She wondered how the system would settle a mental debuff while she was still awake.

The answer appeared instantly as a vivid hallucination. In this street, far from the Erwin Desert, Karl suddenly flew toward her. He swung his axe in a clean arc, severing her neck.

[Odette] "Gasp!"

A visceral pain followed. It was the same sensation she had felt the moment her throat was cut.

[The 'Necklace Owner' is entering a state of panic. Zion's 'Brainwashing' is forcibly deactivated.]

The weight in her mind that had been trying to force her to cry suddenly vanished.

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