The dining room was decorated with vibrant colors and lighting.
Sunlight filtering through the crystal windows softly filled the tranquil interior.
A bright bouquet of flowers adorned the center of the table, surrounded by delectable dishes.
The butler approached the table and indicated one of the dishes.
“This is made with ‘Black Fin,’ caught in Lake Diyat. I hope it suits Your Highness’s taste.”
It was a fish dish.
Moreover, it was a luxurious meal made with only the finest ingredients.
The beautiful atmosphere and the lavish food naturally brought a smile to one’s face.
However, only melancholy was reflected in Princess Irena’s eyes as she looked at them.
“…Yes, thank you.”
Princess Irena of the Sail Kingdom replied listlessly.
She knew that these dishes were poison that would eventually ensnare her.
The butler who offered her the food was also someone placed by the Aristocrats.
They wanted the members of the royal family to act more extravagantly.
They were subtly influenced to continue doing so.
Even the food before her was an example.
Where did such top-quality ingredients come from all of a sudden?
If she were to accept it, rumors would surely spread soon.
Rumors that Princess Irena’s extravagance had reached its peak.
As Irena hesitated, the butler approached with a subtle smile.
“Oh dear… If it doesn’t suit your taste, shall I get it removed?”
Even if she refused to eat it, the rumors couldn’t be prevented.
They would probably accuse her of being wasteful.
Despite that, Irena stood up from her seat.
“I’m not feeling well today. I’ll be going now.”
She couldn’t stand being there any longer.
Everyone except her father and her personal knight was an enemy.
She left the dining room quickly, wanting to return to her room.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
“Ah, Sir Lennon. I’m fine.”
It was her personal knight, Lennon, who supported Irena as she swayed.
Lennon walked with Irena, supporting her, towards her room.
Before she knew it, they had arrived at Irena’s door.
“Please let me know if you need anything.”
Lennon said, bowing his waist.
“I’m alright, so please don’t worry about me. I want to be alone today.”
At her words, Lennon quietly stepped back.
Irena waited until Lennon had disappeared before entering her room.
The room was silent.
She walked towards the window where sunlight streamed in and drew the curtains, blocking out all the light.
A room where only she existed.
It was dark and quiet.
She glanced around and began to retrieve something from under the bed.
“Will this really work?”
Everything she pulled out from under the bed was extraordinary.
Red candles, the carcass of a dead rat, parchment with unknown writings, and even some jewels and gold.
Finally, a book bound in black leather.
It was a book of dark magic rituals.
The royal library contained various books.
Among them, her attention was caught by a book of dark magic rituals that could summon demons.
Of course, she wasn’t completely sure if it was real.
She had only brought it out of mild curiosity.
If it wasn’t real, she had nothing to lose given her situation.
But what if it were real?
If it were truly real, even with a small possibility, things would change.
“If only I had power…”
If only she had awakened mana.
Or if she had talent in swordsmanship.
Her current position might have been different.
But unfortunately, she was a very ordinary person.
With her current self, even if she were to become queen, there wouldn’t be much change.
She might end up living a life dragged around by the nobles.
She didn’t consider the possibility of not becoming queen.
The Aristocrats wanted a puppet king anyway, and she was the perfect candidate for it.
*Grind-*
Irena clenched her teeth.
It was just one life, after all.
Therefore, if she could change her current situation, she was willing to try anything.
‘Your Highness has no talent for magic. Feel the mana first.’
‘Swordsmanship for a woman? Your Highness has weak stamina, so you can just stay put.’
She had heard countless taunts.
If her father, the King, hadn’t been there, or if she had possessed power, would they have said such things so openly?
The answer was no.
This was the reality for the powerless.
With a determined look, Irena began to place the items one by one on the floor.
First, she unfolded the parchment filled with unknown letters.
Looking at the book of dark magic rituals, she arranged the rat carcass, candles, jewels, and gold on the parchment in the exact same positions as in the book.
Finally, she lit the candle and bit the tip of her finger.
“……”
A drop of blood beaded at her fingertip.
Irena endured the slight sting and began to let the blood drop onto the parchment.
And then.
The red candle began to emit blue flames.
The blue flames grew larger, engulfing Irena’s blood, and melted not only the rat carcass but also the jewels and gold placed on the parchment.
***
“Huh?”
An alarm rang from my smartphone.
I checked it immediately.
– Special mission has occurred!
– Someone is desperately asking for help.
– Will you lend a helping hand?
It was a special mission.
“Lots of missions appearing lately?”
I immediately clicked to check the mission details.
– One who wishes to make a contract with a demon
– Princess Irena of the Sail Kingdom has requested help. Dispatch dungeon monsters to assist Princess Irena.
– Reward: Increase in Princess Irena’s favorability.
One who wishes to make a contract with a demon?
Was the title too provocative?
Well, let’s put that aside.
“…Isn’t the reward too small?”
The reward was just an increase in favorability.
I pondered for a moment.
This mission was different from previous tasks.
It wasn’t about dungeons or monsters, but about helping someone like me.
Although the reward was meager, I found it interesting.
“Sail Kingdom…”
I had heard that there was a princess in the Sail Kingdom, but I didn’t know who she was.
I had no need to know.
“Still, it’s better to help, right?”
Even if the reward was small, she was a princess of a kingdom.
Opportunities to get acquainted with royalty were rare.
In fact, getting acquainted with the princess would bring me many benefits.
Currently, my dungeon was located in the mountain range near the Sail Kingdom.
The Sail Kingdom was like a neighbor.
Therefore, the princess’s favorability would be useful someday.
“Then, who should I send?”
Actually, this was not a problem to ponder.
There was always only one answer.
“Celia, you’re the only one.”
I immediately dispatched Celia for the mission.
*Tap-tap-*
After finishing my business and putting my smartphone in my pocket, the skeletons around me began to make noise.
I was still in the F-Rank dungeon.
And the skeletons in the dungeon were expressing their allegiance to me.
Thanks to my trait, it wasn’t difficult to understand their words.
I had a question and accepted their request.
“Hmm… That’s strange.”
The F-Rank dungeon was now under my control.
And I felt the aura of this dungeon being transmitted to me.
Since I could feel the aura of this dungeon, a question arose.
“Why can’t I feel Azmo’s dungeon?”
Azmo’s dungeon was also said to be on Earth.
But I couldn’t feel the aura of Azmo’s dungeon no matter how hard I tried.
It wasn’t that it had been conquered either.
It still existed in my list of dungeons.
“Hmm.”
What was blocking the dungeon’s aura?
Perhaps some interference was preventing me from feeling the dungeon’s aura.
After a brief moment of contemplation.
“Well, it will work out somehow.”
I knew Azmo’s dungeon was still intact, so there was no problem.
I decided to focus on my current concerns.
How to manage the skeleton dungeon and what to do with Jinsoo Kang.
As for the mission, Celia would handle it well.
***
The blue flame whirled.
As the flames that had soared to the ceiling subsided, someone appeared before Irena.
“…Gasp!”
A woman of incredible appearance.
The large horns on her silver hair indicated that she was no ordinary person.
At the same time, an overwhelming presence could be felt.
Even Irena, who couldn’t sense mana, could tell that she was no mere demon.
“A… demon…!”
It was exactly as written in the book.
She hadn’t expected to actually summon a demon.
The woman smiled as she looked at Irena, who was kneeling on the floor.
“Oh my, what a cute young lady?”
“……”
Irena was so surprised that she couldn’t speak.
But the demon before her whispered softly into Irena’s ear.
“My name is Celia. Why have you called me, dear young lady?”
It was the demon’s sweet whisper.
***
The appearance of a demon, which she hadn’t expected.
Despite her surprise, Irena didn’t make the foolish mistake of letting this opportunity slip away.
The other party didn’t seem like an ordinary demon but an immensely powerful being.
In a way, it was an opportunity.
Irena introduced herself to the person who introduced herself as Celia.
And she shared many stories.
Including the current political situation of the Sail Kingdom, the power struggles between the Royalists and the Aristocrats, and her own goals.
Among them were stories that were taboo in the royal family.
She even spoke of how her father, who led the Sail Kingdom, was not actually the legitimate heir.
“I see, so you have many worries.”
Fortunately, the demon listened well to her words.
Her kind demeanor even made her wonder if the image of a demon was just an illusion created by humans.
“The former king had no heir. Eventually, after searching for collateral relatives, my father became the heir. As you can see, my father was enthroned as king, but even after becoming king, he simply adopted the royal surname.”
It was generous to call him a collateral relative of the royal family, but in reality, he had a significant amount of commoner blood.
Karendia Derseil.
So, even though he took the royal surname Derseil, there was no name in the middle.
It meant he had no roots.
“Humans really live complicated lives.”
Celia agreed with her words.
Irena knew that because her father was a king who was no different from a commoner, the nobles looked down on him even more.
And the limit was approaching.
The Aristocrats were like time bombs that could explode at any moment.
And they were becoming more rampant around the time the White Church began to interfere with the Sail Kingdom.
Then, Irena heard laughter.
– Hahaha.
She glanced out the window and saw nobles in the garden, swirling their wine glasses and laughing.
How dare they use the royal garden as their personal space?
They were truly detestable.
After seeing them, Irena made a decision.
“I don’t care what price you ask for. Just give me power! That is my wish.”
She wanted power, even if it meant selling her soul to a demon.
Her goal was to use that power to solidify the royal authority.
“You are a bold princess?”
Irena gazed out the window with indifferent eyes.
There was one person who caught her attention.
It was Count Derek, who was at the center of the gathering.
Count Derek was one of the nobles leading the Aristocrats and could be considered the archenemy of the Royalists.
“If only that person were gone…”
Irena murmured unconsciously as she looked at Count Derek.
It was a very small mutter, but Celia couldn’t possibly not hear it.
“Let’s consider this a gift before we formally contract.”
Celia spoke and made a slight gesture.
Then, Count Derek, who was enjoying the gathering in the garden, experienced something strange.
“……!”
Irena’s eyes widened at the subtle change.
Count Derek, with a deranged expression, picked up a knife stuck in a cake.
Short screams erupted from around, but Count Derek didn’t pay them any mind.
Instead, he began to swing the knife in his hand around.
Red blood splashed in the air.
Red blood dripped onto the green grass.
The gathering, which had been predicting their victory just moments ago, quickly devolved into chaos.
And Irena, watching this scene from her room.
“Haha…”
She was enveloped in an inexplicable thrill.
That emotion was like exhilaration.
