When a Corporate Slave Guy Reincarnated as a Mob Villain (Slave Trader), He Used His Knowledge of the Game to Raise the Heroines to Be the Strongest, Unintentionally Turning Them Into Yanderes, and Before He Knew It, He Was Completely Breaking the Story - Chapter 24-25

Chapter 24: Alice Side 07 – The Reason Princess Alice With Light Attributes Fell Into Darkness

When it comes to the Dragon Series armor, it’s typically worn by adventurers exploring unexplored dungeons or warriors slaying extremely dangerous S-class monsters.

No one would wear such gear just to explore a forest near the town.

To be honest, this armor is overkill for the beasts that appear around here.

The beasts’ fangs wouldn’t even scratch the armor I’m wearing right now.

Even the royal guards didn’t make me wear such heavy armor when passing through the forest.

Of course, the situation is different now since Linus is the only one by my side, but…

Still, it feels overly protective.

As for Linus’s equipment…it’s pretty minimal and weak.

Judging from his attitude and words, it’s clear that he overspent on my equipment, leaving nothing for his own.

Come to think of it, ever since Linus mentioned hunting beasts, his meals and clothing have noticeably become more modest…

It must be because he spent nearly all of his money on my gear.

Even so…I still don’t understand.

Why go through so much effort for a slave like me?

And more than anything, why prioritize my armor over his, the master?

In the end, Linus is leading the way, while I, fully equipped with the Dragon Series armor, follow behind him, protected by him.

Could it be that Linus has a lot of confidence in his abilities…?

But despite that, he’s been muttering things like,

“I-I’ll be fine…I’ve got game knowledge. Even with this equipment…I-I can manage somehow.”

It’s all nonsense, but it’s clear Linus is scared.

I’m really grateful and happy that Linus cares for me so much…

But shouldn’t he worry more about himself?

Linus is far too kind.

…Wait…again!

Once again, I’ve fallen into Linus’s trap.

This is all part of his plan.

It’s just one of Linus’s strategies to make me fall for him.

Linus pretending to care for me…it’s all just an act!

B-But…would he really go as far as putting himself in danger?

Could it be that Linus truly cares about me—

Suddenly, there was a loud rustling noise.

At the same time, I noticed a huge black shadow pass in front of me.

Almost immediately, Linus shouted,

“Alice! Get back!”

I knew what that shadow was.

A gigantic dog stood before Linus.

No…with three heads, it was far more than just a dog.

This…this must be what I read about in the royal archives—

“C-Cerberus…W-Why is it here so early in the game…? W-Well, rare monsters do occasionally appear…The experience points would be great, but…f-for this to be our first battle…this is bad…”

Linus’s voice trembled, unable to hide his panic as he spoke incomprehensibly.

Of course, Cerberus quickly noticed our presence.

And in that moment, it let out a low growl, taking a defensive stance.

The moment I heard its roar, my body froze.

This wasn’t my first encounter with a beast.

I’ve fought alongside the royal guards before.

I’m even somewhat skilled with a sword.

If it were a regular beast, I could handle it alone with confidence.

But…the creature standing before me, Cerberus, was fundamentally different.

Just facing it made me realize the vast difference in strength between us.

And…I felt the overwhelming presence of death.

I stood paralyzed with fear, unable to move as the massive beast glared at us.

Cerberus glanced between Linus and me, then fixed its gaze on me.

And then, it roared again.

It’s coming…I knew in that moment that Cerberus was targeting me.

—

Chapter 25: Alice Side 08 – The Reason Princess Alice With Light Attributes Fell Into Darkness

But…my legs wouldn’t move at all.

I just stood there, frozen in fear.

Even though I had already accepted death once…yet now…

I could only tremble in fear, clinging to life and terrified of death.

And Cerberus, sensing my pitiful state as if realizing I couldn’t resist, slowly started approaching me.

In that moment, I could see the end flash clearly in my mind.

“C-Come here! H-Hey! Over here!”

Suddenly, Linus shouted, waving something in his hands and flailing wildly at Cerberus.

What…what was Linus thinking?

It was obvious that Cerberus’s attention would turn to Linus instead if he kept doing that.

As expected, Cerberus let out an even louder roar in response to Linus’s blatant provocation.

Then, it turned its massive body toward Linus.

Linus was clearly panicking under Cerberus’s gaze, trembling even more than I was.

“R-Remember! R-Remember! Cerberus…i-it was the right head…yeah! The right one was…was supposed to be fatally weak due to a bug…i-if I can just hit that…b-but wait, which side is the right in real life…? N-no…and how could I even attack such a huge face…”

Linus was muttering nonsense, likely from fear.

Yes…Linus, just like me…no, even more than me, was trembling and terrified of Cerberus.

It’s only natural.

Anyone would be terrified, standing in front of such a monstrous beast.

Yes…it’s not something we can help.

Just like me, right now…

Yet…even so…Linus moved.

Not for his own sake, but for mine…for someone else’s…for a slave’s life.

Astonishingly, Linus was trying to make himself the target to save me from Cerberus.

There’s no denying it.

Linus was truly trying to save my life…the life of a slave.

At the cost of his own life…

Why…why would you…

Why…why…would you do something like that…?

‘Alice, if you really want to know someone, watch how they act when they’re truly cornered. People can say whatever they want. But how they act when there’s no way out…that’s their true nature.’

The words my father once said echoed in my mind.

Along with the image that’s been haunting me for months…

At that time…at that moment…I couldn’t move.

When Father, Mother, and everyone were executed by the Empire…I couldn’t do anything.

I couldn’t have done anything by myself, so I had no choice.

Running away was for the sake of the kingdom…to ensure the royal bloodline didn’t die out…I had no choice.

No! That’s wrong!

I didn’t move because I wanted to save my own life.

I should have acted back then.

I should have shaken off the guards, crawled out of the underground waterways, and stood before the Empire’s soldiers.

Even if it would’ve been a meaningless death, I should have acted!

In that final moment, my father and I locked eyes.

Those eyes…

Father must have seen right through me…seen my true self.

He must have seen the cowardly, foolish part of me that prioritized my own life…

And even now, I still can’t move…

Even though I’m royalty, with a duty to protect the people…

Linus moved.

Without hesitation…

You…who are you, really…?

I think I was screaming that in my confused heart.

After that, I don’t remember what happened.

All I could hear were Cerberus’s loud roars and Linus’s screams.

And then, I was clinging desperately to Linus’s bloodied body like a child.