I Gave Up on Conquering the Heroines – Chapter 110

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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I trusted her.

I trusted Alicia.

She was my first subject, the first person who took my dream seriously.

The one who wholeheartedly supported my dream of someday surpassing my brother and father and ascending to the throne.

Alicia was the only one who pledged her loyalty to me with pure intentions, and she still is.

Of course, we had nothing back then.

Even if we wanted to help each other, there was little we could do materially.

We were just two outcasts, ridiculed and looked down upon, huddled together, offering each other friendship and support.

But that was enough.

I was truly worthy of becoming queen.

And Alicia, though those fools in the Yevgenia family failed to recognize it, possessed an extraordinary talent for academics.

All we needed was a comrade who believed in us and had our backs.

That was all we needed, and as soon as we had it, we began to soar.

While my brother celebrated his impending inheritance, indulging in pleasure, luxury, and women… I gritted my teeth and trained in magic and swordsmanship. Alicia tirelessly devoted herself to her magic research, using stolen books and the allowance I provided.

As a result, I was able to surpass my degenerate brother.

When my brother, consumed by inferiority, challenged me to a duel, I crushed him decisively, turning public opinion in my favor.

Even my father, the former king, stepped in to try to salvage the situation, but he too was defeated in a spar. He couldn’t cling to his stubbornness any longer.

I was appointed Crown Princess.

And I stopped pretending to be crazy.

Instead, I used the weaknesses I had diligently gathered over the years to eliminate families that would become traitors and subdue those who hadn’t yet pledged their loyalty to Palana.

One of those families was the Yevgenias.

By that time, Alicia had secured a position at the Magic Tower and had gained significant influence within the Yevgenia family.

We met again, now as a queen and their subject, both holding positions of power that no one could ignore.

It seemed my eye for talent wasn’t so bad after all.

After that, Alicia and I became even closer.

It wasn’t just a simple queen-subject relationship.

Some voiced concerns that I was showing too much favoritism towards a single subject.

It was so absurd.

How could they compare to Alicia?

She was a loyal subject, perhaps even more precious to me than my own life.

She was the one who stood by me when I was nothing.

Of course, I couldn’t help but favor her.

I had never doubted Alicia’s moral character.

After gaining power within the Yevgenia family…

Instead of using that power for revenge…

She used it to help the abandoned children.

Alicia secured funding and ordered the establishment of an orphanage. The orphanage provided basic necessities and job opportunities for the children who had been expelled from the Yevgenia family.

As a result, almost no children froze to death during the winters anymore.

And thanks to their well-nourished bodies, their productivity actually increased, even though they were still treated as expendable labor.

The expelled children were no longer delinquents, resorting to robbery and pickpocketing in the back alleys.

They were now a valuable workforce, filling the labor shortage in the North.

The orphanage was always operating at a deficit…

But considering the increased productivity and tax revenue, it was essentially profitable.

That’s why…

I trusted her.

I trusted Alicia.

I wanted to believe in Alicia.

“What are you hiding? Tell me the truth. You never said you went to Elvenguard. But how did the elders here recognize your face?”

“…”

Confronted with my questions, Alicia simply froze, trembling.

She couldn’t offer any excuses.

I wanted to believe she was innocent.

I wanted to believe in Alicia.

But all the circumstantial evidence indicated that she had betrayed me and hidden Yoo-jin.

Who would have thought…

…That I would be betrayed by the rabbit I had trusted and cherished so much?

That a bond forged over nearly 10 years would shatter like this?

Come to think of it, Alicia had stopped wearing her lust inhibitor after returning from the South.

She looked much more beautiful and natural compared to her past self, who acted like an emotionless machine.

But Alicia’s beauty wasn’t due to stopping the inhibitor.

It was because of love.

She must have changed because she had fallen for a man.

And not just any man…

My man.

My subject had brazenly stolen the Queen’s man.

So Alicia was no different from any other rabbit beastman after all.

She was just like those lust-crazed rabbits.

That thought brought tears to my eyes.

I never imagined I would lose my most cherished subject like this.

“Ha…”

What should I do with Alicia?

I pondered that question during my stay in the South.

The answer came quickly.

I had to do what had to be done.

“We have restrained Alicia-nim with magic shackles and imprisoned her in the barred carriage at the back of the procession.”

“Sigh. Good work.”

“But… Your Majesty… Are you sure about torturing her? Even if…”

“I will not tolerate betrayal, no matter who it is. We need to make an example. Are you volunteering to be that example, Captain of the Guard?”

“No, Your Majesty. I apologize for my insolence.”

“Have the procession depart.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Captain of the Guard bowed, apologized, grabbed the reins, and rode to the front of the procession.

It was time to return to Palana.

As I had said…

If this procession arrived safely in Palana… I would have no choice but to torture Alicia and extract all the information from her.

And if she confessed to trying to steal my man… I would purge all key figures in the Yevgenia family.

If they arrived ‘safely,’ that is.

“W-What?! The door to the barred carriage is open!”

“She escaped?! How?! She was wearing shackles!”

Chaos erupted.

Alicia had escaped, jumping off the carriage.

It was quite amusing to watch everyone panic and scramble around.

“Hmm. As planned.”

Because this was all part of my plan.

This procession was never meant to arrive safely in Palana.

Inside the barred carriage…

…In a corner, a sharp nail protruded from the wall.

Alicia must have used that to break her magic shackles and then used Wind Magic to cut through the bars and jump out.

I had blocked all sounds with a barrier, so it wasn’t surprising that they only noticed now.

Everything was orchestrated to facilitate Alicia’s escape.

‘Hehehe. I would never hurt that cute girl.’

I had declared that I would drag her to the torture chamber, force her to confess everything, and then purge the Yevgenia family.

Naive Alicia must have believed it all and been terrified.

So, she had no choice but to escape.

“Y-Your Majesty! Alicia-nim has escaped! I beg your forgiveness…!”

“Hmm. Then we must pursue the fugitive.”

I dismissed the panicking guards and stepped out of my carriage.

I would pursue Alicia after a slight delay.

She would try to cover her tracks, masking her scent and scattering her footprints…

But it wouldn’t be enough to shake me off.

I could sense the lingering traces of magic power that were too faint for the insensitive guards to detect.

Alicia was in the palm of my hand.

She would go to Yoo-jin for help.

I would just have to ambush them at their destination.

“Hmph. Hmm. This way… Huh?!”

I was pushing through the undergrowth, pretending to follow Alicia’s magical trail while slacking off…

…When a chilling sensation triggered my instincts.

Swish!

I hurriedly took a step back.

Invisible wind pressure swept past the spot where I had been standing, felling three or four trees. They crashed down beside me with a loud crack.

‘Wind magic?’

But I hadn’t sensed any fluctuations in magic power.

And it was too powerful.

Besides, my sixth sense had reacted, which meant it wasn’t a magical attack, but a physical one.

“Hahaha! I thought you might dodge it! As expected, your reflexes are sharp!”

“The Murderer…”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Queen of Palana!”

The figure that emerged from the undergrowth…

…Was none other than a pale-faced person with a longsword slung over their shoulder.

Well, considering their age, ‘old hag’ might be more appropriate, but…

Transylvania.

That was definitely the name of that blood ghoul.

My guards drew their swords and blocked their path.

“I’ve recently become interested in the Frost Style, the secret swordsmanship passed down only within the Palana royal family! I hear it’s a beastly style that uses the entire body? It sounds more like martial arts than swordsmanship! Anyway, I’d like to request a spar!”

“I don’t have time for that. I’ll be happy to spar with you another time, so… Come to Palana officially.”

“There’s no need for formalities. I’ll be satisfied with a brief exchange of swords and then be on my way.”

“Step aside! We’re in pursuit of a fugitive!”

“Then the spar will be over quickly, won’t it?”

They were impossible to reason with.

Facing Transylvania, with their usual carefree attitude, made my teeth grind.

Their appearance had disrupted the lingering traces of magic power in the area…

Making it even more difficult to track Alicia.

If I wasted any more time, I would truly lose her.

Should I gang up on the murderer with my guards and kill them… or should I just give them the spar they wanted?

‘Damn it.’

No matter how I thought about it, the latter was much faster.

Transylvania was only asking for a spar, not a life-or-death battle.

I couldn’t guarantee the safety of my guards in an actual fight, but… in a spar where magic power was prohibited, I could quickly defeat them.

“Guards, stand down.”

“Your Majesty?! There’s no need to entertain such a rude request…!”

“This is the fastest way to end this. If they wish, I will show them their place.”

“Hahaha! As expected of the Mad Queen, the one who seized the throne by force! You’re as bold as ever!”

“…”

I dismissed my guards and stepped forward.

I was curious to see how long their laughter would last.

I drew my sword and met the blood ghoul’s gaze.

‘I’ll show you what the Frost Style, which has reached a realm close to the Unity of Body and Sword, is capable of.’

The Frost Style had undergone the most changes during my reign.

It might not have blossomed into an ultimate technique like the Unity of Body and Sword yet…

But it was now more practical and sharper than ever.

A mere corpse like a blood ghoul…

I was confident I could shatter them, sword and all.

“Hmm. Interesting stance. It’s like facing a beast.”

“…!”

Transylvania smirked and lowered their stance.

At that moment, a shiver ran down my spine.

I felt a chill.

Why?

They were just a corpse, who had lived for a long time and accumulated infamy by tormenting the weak…

They had no other skills or abilities…

So how could they exude such a sharp aura…?

‘Well, I suppose it’s natural for a corpse to accumulate negative energy after living for so long.’

I dismissed those thoughts and kicked off the ground.

I would subdue this blood ghoul as quickly as possible and then I would pursue Alicia.

“Hahaha! You beastly woman! Entertain me!”

With that determination…

I raised my sword, nonchalantly.

“Dakia Style ultimate technique.”

“…!”

At that moment…

The blood ghoul’s aura shifted drastically. An intense energy, impossible for a long-dead corpse to possess, began to emanate from them.

“Iron Blood Storm Slash!”

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