Chapter 26
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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 26
"Ah, well... that is..."
Embarrassment bloomed across April Salt's face.
Liam, observing her quietly from above, let slip a crooked smile.
'It's fortunate I caught her just now under the guise of coincidence.'
He had deliberately cleared everyone from the vicinity of the Grand Duke's chamber and arranged for servants to redirect the mages attempting to approach in this direction. It was precisely for a situation like this.
A maid's uniform, a mask that wasn't even convincing?
Observing her suspicious appearance and the cold sweat now beading on her brow, he opened his mouth again.
"Well, even if the Magic Tower is full of eccentrics, wandering about in such a suspicious manner is practically advertising yourself as a criminal. Surely you understand?"
"Ah, well, I..."
"And that hammer in your hand looks precisely like a murder weapon meant to crack someone's skull."
At Liam's observation, April Salt clumsily hid the hammer behind her back.
"Ah, haha... This is just... a self-defense weapon. I always carry it, and since I didn't know what kind of place this was..."
But Liam could immediately recognize it.
That hammer April Salt was holding was one of the prized possessions presented to Blaire Grand Duke years ago.
A Partanium hammer crafted by a master artisan.
However, he recalled that due to Partanium's properties, it had inferior durability compared to other materials for its intended use, and since the Grand Duke had no occasion to wield a hammer, it had been gathering dust in the warehouse.
So why did April Salt have it?
'Self-defense?'
Was she planning to bash in the skulls of the envoys from Salt if things went awry?
For a moment, the face of Bonita, who harbored infinite goodwill toward April Salt, surfaced in Liam's mind.
No matter how anxious she was about sending April Salt alone to the Magic Tower without her presence, to entrust her with such a thing as a self-defense weapon...
As a result, her already suspicious appearance felt precisely like that of a hammer-wielding murderer stalking prey.
"...Since you don't seem to understand the current situation at the Magic Tower, I would suggest you refrain from such behavior."
"I was just worried the remaining envoys from the Salt Kingdom might discover me."
"They concluded their audience this morning and departed immediately, so you need not worry."
"Ah! Haha... Yes, I see. Of course..."
Hearing her voice fracture awkwardly, Liam recalled Blaire, who had conducted himself as though anticipating such circumstances.
"If I press her for details, she'll only withdraw further. I'll simply maintain observation and intervene only when danger arises."
Less than a full day later, encountering April Salt in such an appearance, he felt Blaire was almost prophetic.
'Indeed, the Grand Duke—the most brilliant, perceptive, and wise noble in the Cletan Empire—possesses foresight.'
A flutter stirred in his chest.
He placed his hand over his heart briefly, then turned to face April Salt, who was regarding him with a distinctly peculiar gaze.
"Then you should return now. If you continue wandering about in such an appearance..."
As his words trailed off, April Salt nodded as though she understood without needing to hear more.
...Thus ended my first infiltration attempt, grand in conception but feeble in execution.
* * *
"How mortifying..."
After Liam led me back to my chamber, I buried my face in the bed for a long while, writhing in belated shame.
I honestly thought it would work out.
I'd anticipated that when Blaire Grand Duke went to meet the Tower Master, people would naturally flock in that direction, but I never expected a variable like Liam to appear.
I still couldn't understand why he, such a devoted fan of the Grand Duke, hadn't accompanied them to meet the Tower Master.
At this point, it was all or nothing.
'I absolutely have to shatter the core.'
Despite the setbacks, I still couldn't give up.
What had begun as a vague sense of obligation now felt like a mission.
For the sake of "independence"—something I'd deliberately avoided thinking about and postponed—I needed the Magic Tower's cooperation.
As I deliberated deeply alone, I reached a level of compromise with what one might call common sense.
'After all, I'm just part of the Grand Duke's entourage, aren't I?'
A spark.
In that instant, my head lifted from where it had been buried in the bed.
'Do people know that I'm the princess of Salt?'
They don't.
'Then what about the envoys from Salt who could prove that I'm the princess of Salt, or someone related to that position?'
Liam said they'd returned.
If time simply passed as things stood, the Magic Tower was destined to collapse.
The only way to overcome this situation was the advice Lemeia had given in the original work—I had to destroy the core she'd handed over to the Magic Tower.
And Blaire Grand Duke...
'As long as the results are good, he won't kill me.'
Rather, wouldn't he protect me in some way to use me as a slave?
Yet deep in my heart, a fear flickered through—that despite everything, he might throw me to the mages as an experimental corpse or stand by and enjoy watching as I was destroyed.
'No. Surely... surely he wouldn't go that far.'
Though "surely" has always been what gets people killed, I suppressed my worries and slowly began to steel myself.
.
.
.
"Princess."
"...Yes?"
"Why are you trembling like that?"
On the path following Blaire Grand Duke toward the Magic Tower's core.
At his question breaking the silence, I found myself wiping my sweat-dampened hands on my skirt.
Having received permission to approach the core under the guise of curiosity, I'd been on the verge of going mad with anxiety ever since.
"I... I caught a cold."
"As far as I remember, you've been locked in your chamber except for the first day."
"Perhaps I left the window open. *Cough*, *cough*. *Hack! Hack, hack!*"
It was an excuse that made no sense to anyone, but I couldn't bring myself to care about such things now.
The cold metal head of the hammer I'd secured firmly to my thigh pressed against my bare skin, drawing up a chill of tension.
Soon I would arrive at the Central Hall where the Magic Tower's core was kept.
I planned to pull out the hammer right there in front of all the other mages and shatter the core myself.
...It was a mad idea, but it was the conclusion I'd reached after days of deliberation.
"Still, you're trembling excessively. If your condition isn't good, you should return first."
"Y-yes...."
Half-listening to Blaire Grand Duke's words, I surveyed my surroundings until we finally stepped into the Hall guarded by the gatekeeper.
The floor, so smooth it was impossible to guess what materials had been used in its construction, bore an engraved image of light breaking free from an egg.
'The hint was right in front of me all along.'
I couldn't hide my regret.
It's always darkest beneath the lamp—the Mages, preoccupied with the seemingly unstable core before them, likely wouldn't have noticed it.
"Blaire Grand Duke, that crack is the source of the problem."
An elderly Mage, presumably the Tower Master, approached us.
It seemed he and the Grand Duke exchanged words afterward, but I heard nothing.
Thump, thump.
My gaze remained fixed on the bluish core floating in mid-air upon the distant platform.
A core so massive it couldn't even be compared to the magical stones circulating in the market.
And cracks etched across its surface like a spider's web, marring what should have been a pristine exterior.
While Blaire Grand Duke's attention was elsewhere, I began advancing slowly.
"Princess?"
By the time he realized something was amiss, I'd already created sufficient distance.
Slip.
I bent at the waist, unhooked the hammer hanging from my thigh, and began running without hesitation.
"Huh?"
"Wh-what?"
"Why is that woman suddenly—!"
The Mages standing nearby could only freeze, unable to react to the sudden turn of events.
Given that I was a guest permitted to accompany the Grand Duke this far, they had ample reason not to recklessly deploy their magic.
After an all-out sprint, I reached the core leaking violet mana and raised the hammer high above my head.
"S-stop her!"
'Too late.'
Crack!
The head of the hammer, forged from partanium, hurtled directly toward the core's center.
In that instant, I felt a satisfying impact in my hands, followed by the exhilarating sound of something shattering.
'If things go wrong, my head will shatter like that too, won't it?'
My role was now complete, but—still gripped by dread over the uncontrollable aftermath, I squeezed my eyes shut.
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