KFBRV Ch 81
- Feb 19
- 5 min read
[Odette] "What are you doing? You should leave."
[Karl] "Am I still beautiful to you, Master? Am I still your most precious possession?"
Though he was only seventeen—younger than the other male leads—Karl possessed a gravity that demanded attention.
[Odette] "......Yes. Of course."
[Karl] "Then I understand even less. You finally held your desire in your hand. Why did you try to take your own life?"
He spoke with a dry, hollow voice as he knelt before her. He brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
[Odette] "You're mistaken, Karl."
[Karl] "It is no mistake. Your height is 165 pesetas. The pond is thirty pesetas deeper. Abandoning your body to the water in that manner can only be interpreted as a desire for death."
His voice lacked any trace of warmth. He had discarded his gentle facade; a sharp, murderous intent pricked her skin.
The persistent trembling of her limbs stemmed not from the cold but from the predator kneeling before her.
Furthermore, his manner of address shifted. He no longer called her "Master," but "You." His gaze, calculating and cold, mirrored the first time they met.
[Odette] "I had no intention of dying. I was drunk, and my limbs refused to obey."
[Karl] "Is that so?"
[Odette] "I live a life others envy. I have a beautiful slave in my hands to command. Why would I want to die?"
She lightly tapped his cheek.
[Odette] "I understand that today's events angered you, especially since my death would mean your own. But rest easy. I have no hobby of destroying my prized possessions."
[Karl] "My own death matters little. I would die for you quite willingly. However, if you plan to die, that is a significant matter for me."
[Odette] "Karl."
[Karl] "Because it allows me to save time."
His crimson eyes flickered toward her throat, as if strangling her were his ultimate goal.
[A decrease in Loathing detected. (-10)]
A crimson status window materialized. The notification struck her like a bucket of ice water.
-10?
She memorized every red Loathing window Karl had triggered since their first encounter.
When we first met, and the Imprint was placed, his Loathing increased by 40. Even as it neared 100, no warning appeared.
This meant his initial Loathing had a maximum value of 60. Even with the most conservative estimates, summing every increase she had witnessed...
The maximum possible Loathing remaining was 3.
Yet the system displayed -10. Negative Loathing shouldn't exist; the math failed to align.
......No. It was strange from the beginning. Why was Karl the only one with a red notification window?
It looked like a warning.
Could it be that the crimson status windows were all lies......?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, a new window flickered into existence.
[Master of the Necklace has discovered "Karl's Status Abnormality".]
[Abnormality: "Affection/Loathing Deception".]
[Reward: Lifting Karl's "Affection/Loathing Deception".]
[Karl's False Loathing will no longer be displayed.]
A faint, pale pink window appeared. She stared at it, speechless.
Is this madness? Every Loathing alert from Karl until now was a lie?
If the other male leads have similar deceptions or abnormalities......
As if answering her anxiety, the system chimed again.
[Karl is the only individual capable of deceiving the status window through "Affection/Loathing Deception"]
Why only Karl?
[The Fenrir clan is born with a "Shield" that disrupts the Affection/Loathing of all status windows]
She furrowed her brow.
All status windows? Then......
Was Charlotte's Affection level in the <Original Game> also a lie?
In the <Karl Route>, raising his Affection had been suspiciously easy. A few Fenrir relics were all it took.
Was that because the "Affection" itself was a fabrication?
Did Karl's Affection for Charlotte ever actually change?
His hands closed lightly around her wrists, forcing her to look at him.
[Karl] "Where are you looking, Master? You should focus."
Knowing the status window was a deception allowed her to see his true nature for the first time. He was a dispassionate killing machine.
Then why did he act so submissive toward me and Charlotte? What use did he have for us?
[Karl] "Master, I harbor no ill will toward you. I have never felt an emotion like hatred."
[Odette] "......"
[Karl] "However, if you intend to choose suicide, it is true that my duty becomes far simpler."
His expression remained hollow, his presence suffocating.
[Karl] "So, if you need it, say the word. I will assist you personally."
Her mind raced.
Charlotte and Odette were the only ones Karl had ever pledged loyalty to. What value did they share?
Realization struck her like a lightning bolt.
......Charlotte and I were both the Empire's only Purifiers.
If that was the case, his goal was clear.
The destruction of the Empire.
To be precise, he aimed to eradicate those who persecuted the Fenrir. He sought vengeance against the Empire for abandoning them during the Great Catastrophe.
The pieces fell into place.
Karl never felt a shred of affection for Charlotte or me.
He acted submissively in the game to seduce the only Purifier, intending to drive the Empire into a berserk state and eventual ruin.
When he became a Transcendent and couldn't kill Charlotte, stealing her away from the Empire was the next best option.
That's why the <Karl Route> ended with them hiding from the Empire......
The game never mentioned the Empire's fate in that ending, but it undoubtedly collapsed without its Purifier.
All that talk about loving her too much to let her suffer the burden of a Purifier's duty... it was a blatant lie.
She continued to calculate.
He isn't a Transcendent yet. If he wanted revenge, it would have been easier to kill me long ago.
But the "Fenrir children" changed the equation. Killing a Purifier would mean being hunted by the Empire's Transcendents for the rest of his life. He might have accepted that fate for himself, but not for the children.
He had to seduce her, just as he had seduced Charlotte. He needed to lead her away to ensure the Empire's downfall.
[You have discovered Karl's "Truth".]
The status window confirmed her theory.
[Karl] "Tell me. Do you intend to die? Master, shall I help you?"
As his grip on her wrists tightened, the system flickered again.
[As a reward for discovering the truth, you may check Karl's Loathing]
[Would you like to check? YES / NO]
The timing was perfect.
Fine. Let's see just how much this bastard loathes me.
[Warning! The status window is incomplete.]
[To check Karl's Loathing, the status window must be completed.]
[However, if you swear to 'Complete the Status Window' in advance, you may view it now.]
[Do you swear?]
The request was sudden, but she had no other choice.
I swear.
After being blindsided by his deception, she had to see the truth.
[Finally. At last, you.]
The status window, now a deep, vibrant pink, blinked with a nauseating intensity.
Flicker. Flicker. Flicker.
The world plunged into absolute darkness. The scenery dissolved.
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