Chapter 55: The Empress

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Empress

She was a tall woman with pink hair that reached down to her knees. She wore black hot pants, a brown top, long boots matching her top, and a gray cloak draped over her shoulders. The sclera of her eyes were completely black, and her ears were slightly pointed. One of them had a golden hoop piercing.

The sinister smile on the woman’s pink lips sent a chill down Victor’s spine. He was already beginning to suspect that this crazy woman would be just as bad as the Wendigo, if not worse. He remained on guard for a few seconds, looking for a way to escape, but the woman pointed a finger at him.

"You heard me, little boy. Put everything on the ground and get out of here."

’As if I would do that...’

The items he carried were the difference between life and death. There was no way he could even imagine handing over everything he’d worked so hard to obtain.

Holding his sword firmly in one hand and surrounded by the dogs silently staring into nothingness, Victor asked:

"Will you kill me if I refuse?"

The woman let out a melodious, arrogant, and macabre laugh.

"Are you deaf, Wheel of Fortune? Of course I’ll kill you if you don’t obey me."

"Hmm... I see. Then, that furry guy from earlier—did you kill him because he refused to obey you, or simply because you felt like it?"

There was no way Victor could know for sure, but judging by the explosion earlier, that beastman had most likely been killed by this sinister beauty.

His suspicions were confirmed almost immediately. After hearing his question, the woman’s smile twisted into a chillingly delighted grin, and the irises of her eyes began to glow a faint neon green.

She summoned her black whip, which was covered in sharp red thorns.

’I don’t even need to ask again.’

This woman’s intentions had been clear from the beginning, but Victor didn’t know what else to do. Should he run? What would happen if she hit him with that murderous white beam that had taken down the Golden Bone Penitent? What Path did this devil of a stalker possess?

Above all, there was something that had piqued Victor’s curiosity. He thought it over carefully because he felt that moving even a single inch would get him killed on the spot, so he chose his words cautiously.

"Wheel of Fortune," he said.

The woman looked confused. Victor continued:

"How do you know that my role in this scenario’s story is the Wheel of Fortune?"

She struck the roof tiles with her whip, shattering them with ease, and replied in a carefree tone:

"Could it be because I’m the Empress?"

Victor frowned.

’The Empress? The Wheel of Fortune and The Empress... They remind me of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.’

After that, the Empress descended to the ground with a magnificent, elegant leap.

In that split second, Victor noticed a slender black tail with an arrow-shaped tip hidden beneath the Empress’s cloak. That meant this woman wasn’t human.

"Now that you know, are you ready to do as I say?"

Victor took a step back, his senses pushed to their limits by his special abilities. He thanked the Fairy Tear a thousand times over for keeping him calm at that moment, since he felt he could think things through more clearly before acting.

"To be honest, I’m a little reluctant to cooperate. You see, I got these items through blood, sweat, and tears, so I’d be pretty upset to part with them."

With his other hand, he held the flare gun.

’Besides, I know she’ll kill me anyway, even if I cooperate. There’s no middle ground here, so I need to find a way to get away from her without getting myself killed in the process.’

When the Empress took a step forward, Victor took another step back. Anything he had at his disposal could help him escape, so he first focused on preparing to do what he’d been about to do to the Penitent a few seconds earlier.

"Don’t you think parting with your life would hurt a lot more? If I were you, I’d give that some serious thought."

"Believe me, I’ve given it plenty of thought. Better yet, why don’t we work together and keep surviving this scenario? There’s still almost half the Morning Star event left. If we fight the Golden Bone Penitents together, we can get our hands on a lot of items."

The Empress laughed again.

"I like the way you think. You’re quite sensible, to be honest. You have the perfect mindset every human should have, but I’m not like you, Wheel of Fortune. I was born to rule. There’s a reason my role is the Empress, so you’ll do as I say without complaining, or you’ll die right here and now."

"I knew you’d say that. Fine, I’ll give you my items."

"See? That’s how you settle things. By talking."

Victor tightened his grip on the flare gun.

"Then the first thing I’ll give you is THIS!" he said, immediately firing the two remaining flares straight at the Empress’s face. Enraged, she struck the flares with her whip.

A massive crimson explosion of light erupted, and by the time the woman rushed through the cloud of light, she saw Victor speeding away down the long, dark street. He repeatedly propelled himself forward to put more distance between them, which only fueled the Empress’s rage.

’You fool! You’re such a damn fool! How could you possibly trust me?!’

Victor wanted to burst out laughing. For a moment, he’d thought the Empress would be something like a dangerous, sadistic teacher, but she turned out to be nothing more than a woman with overwhelming power and an ego through the roof.

People like her were the kind who rose quickly among the weak, only to eventually fall just as spectacularly because of their own stupidity. Victor knew that all too well because he’d made a similar mistake in the first scenario.

The difference was that he’d actually learned from his mistakes, unlike the Empress, whose inflated ego would eventually be brought back down to earth by someone or something.