'Ah ...?'
She was stuck.
She couldn't move.
She had to pull her arm out. But...
'…Hup.'
Artanis held her breath. She put strength into her arm. She pulled. But the arm didn't budge an inch.
'...…'
Was this… real?
Was she having some kind of horrible nightmare?
A soft surge of denial welled up in her chest! But she coolly assessed the situation.
'...…'
She had observed since yesterday and discovered a weak point in the barrier. She struck it precisely. And broke through.
Up to that point, everything had gone well.
But the weak point hadn't broken as much as she expected. The hole was just barely big enough for her arm to pass through.
Only her arm below the shoulder passed through the barrier, and it couldn't reach that bratty Demon King Credos' heart. Meanwhile, the broken barrier began to regenerate on its own.
And so, she got stuck.
Her forearm was caught in the barrier's crevice, which kept trying to restore itself. Now she couldn't push in or pull out.
'…Hrrgh!'
Artanis's fair face turned slightly red from exertion.
Still, it was no use. Her forearm, wedged in the barrier's hole, didn't move even a single millimeter.
Instead, a strange and ominous sense of unease began to thump in her chest.
'No way.'
Would she be stuck like this forever?
She had finally escaped the confinement of the Sealed Ruins.
She had finally returned to the Demon King's Castle, to Chavin de Huantar.
And now, like this? With her arm stuck, looking ridiculous? As if trapped in another prison—would she really be held here forever?
'.......'
She couldn't say for certain that wouldn't happen.
If the worst-case scenario really came to pass, then perhaps… she really would end up like this.
Crack!
Growing desperate, she pulled with even more strength.
The mana condensed throughout her body began to manifest in black silhouettes, coiling around her. The ground trembled. Chains began to thrash.
Rumble rumble rumble… KWA-KWANG!
The earth heaved.
Dozens of chains struck the barrier, pushing. She pulled her trapped arm with all her might.
But the result was no different.
In fact, it got worse.
...Snap!
At the peak of pulling her arm, an ominous sound came from her shoulder. Her arm drooped lifelessly.
She realized it immediately.
'Ah…'
Her shoulder had dislocated.
She couldn't muster any more strength.
'The arm that needs to come out won't budge from the barrier…'
Grind!
She clenched her teeth and shoved the joint back into place. At the same time, she accepted it—her arm, stuck in the barrier, couldn't be removed by her own power.
'Should I just cut it off?'
Then she'd be free.
But… she didn't want to do that.
Because she'd be left with a weakness?
Because it would make her weaker?
No.
'If I only have one hand left… it'll be hard to play instruments.'
She was the Witch of Melody.
It was her ultimate power to weave melodies through her voice and both hands.
But if she lost a hand?
Her power would be halved, or worse.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
And yet, without cutting off her arm, she couldn't think of a way to escape this trap.
Yes, a trap.
A perfect trap.
Could it be that brat Demon King...
— You planned this outcome from the start?
Her free left hand carved magic letters in the air. Kim Jangcheol squinted at them with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh? What did you say?"
— Or did you perhaps anticipate this result?
"What are you talking about?"
Kim Jangcheol glanced in disbelief at the letters Artanis had written and the hand frozen right in front of his chest.
Then he replied.
"What were you just about to do with this hand?"
— .....
"You were trying to kill me, weren't you?"
— .....
"Wow, you were. Right in the chest! You were about to stab me to death. Are you a murderer or something? Why try to kill someone the first time you meet them?"
— I wasn't trying to kill a person.
"Then?"
— I was trying to kill you.
"...…"
Artanis answered honestly. At this point, making up excuses like 'it was a misunderstanding' or 'I didn't mean to' would've been pathetic and disgraceful.
— To be precise, I was aiming for your heart.
"My heart?"
— Yes. The one that holds the collateral of Moderato.
"…What are you talking about?"
Kim Jangcheol tilted his head.
Inside his heart?
The collateral of the former Demon King Moderato?
He had never heard such a thing in his life.
It wasn't part of the game's lore either.
Meanwhile, Artanis's letters continued to inscribe themselves in the air.
— The truth is, I was sealed in a prison due to… blah blah… countless ages… blah blah… and though I awakened… yadda yadda… came here to recover the power of melody by unsealing the seal artifact… yada yada… and realized this.
"So what you're saying is, the cursed collateral that was embedded in Moderato's heart to unlock your seal artifact… was transferred—or rather, inherited—into my heart when I took him down?"
— That's right. I appreciate how quickly you understood.
"I don't appreciate it at all."
— .....
"I mean, if that was the case, you could've explained the situation and worked with me to safely extract the collateral from my heart. Something like that."
— ...…
"But instead, you went straight to trying to rip my heart out—bam!—without a word. What kind of psycho move is that, huh?"
— ...…
"Damn. The more I think about it, the scarier it is."
— ....
Artanis fell silent.
And she thought,
Why… did it feel like she was getting scolded?
Kim Jangcheol continued.
"You see, this is what happens when someone's got bad intentions. You get punished. You can't even pull your arm out now, can you? Am I right?"
— ...Yes.
"Don't even think I'm going to help you."
— I never hoped for that in the first place.
"At least you've got a shred of shame."
Kim Jangcheol pouted slightly.
Then he coldly turned away.
"Well then, whether you get your arm out or not, that's your business."
He said goodbye with a voice that turned cold out of necessity, putting distance between them.
While calming his startled heart, he also remained wary—what if that stuck arm was just bait in an elaborate trap?
As he retreated further—
"...How dare you! Turning your back without permission from the former Demon Queen is an insult most grave!"
A sudden, absurd outcry echoed.
From where?
From beneath the shadow of Artanis's chains.
Three silhouettes emerged as if rising from the earth. Then they lined up behind her.
The fierce, solemn, and stern scolding that followed was just a bonus.
"Immediately! Show proper respect to our lord and former Demon Queen, the great Lady Artanis!"
"...."
What the hell.
Kim Jangcheol felt his sense of reason gently evaporating. He casually looked over the three figures who had suddenly appeared.
Then they each stepped forward in turn and opened their mouths.
The first to speak was an old man.
"If I may introduce myself, I am Largo, a true servant of the rightful Demon Queen, Lady Artanis. Also, I have come forth to officially denounce the discourtesy shown by the current Demon King, Credos, toward his predecessor."
"......."
The one who introduced himself as Largo was an old man with white hair and a thick white beard, contrasted by dark bluish-gray skin.
But that wasn't the only peculiar thing...
'That's… an instrument? A trombone?'
He was carrying a large brass instrument.
And the same was true of the other two.
"I am Veloce. As you can see, I also serve Lady Artanis. And because of that, I can no longer tolerate your continued rude behavior toward our lady."
"......."
The second to speak was a youth standing easily over 190 centimeters, with crimson skin. He also held a violin as red as his skin, a bloody red instrument clutched close.
Then the last of the three stepped forward—a kid who looked no older than a fifth or sixth grader, with fiery red hair, pale skin, and a face full of freckles.
"I go by Andante. I also serve Lady Artanis. So if I may make a request, could you please show a bit more courtesy to our lady? Ah, and this is a harp. I noticed you were looking at the instruments of two hyung-nim, so I figured you might be curious."
"......."
The harp that the kid introduced… was enormous. So much so that it was bigger than the kid himself. At this point, it felt more accurate to say the harp was carrying the kid.
But that wasn't the part Kim Jangcheol found shocking.
What caught his attention was a certain term of address the kid had just casually used while introducing himself.
"Wait…? Did you just call them 'hyung-nim'?"
"Yes?"
"You just referred to those two… as hyung-nim?"
"Yes."
The kid who called himself Andante nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world. With a bright, innocent smile, he dropped an utterly outrageous line without a trace of hesitation.
"We're triplets."
"…Huh?"
"Triplets. You know what triplets are, right?"
"Uh, yeah. I do."
"Well, we're that."
"...That's… for real?"
"Yes?"
"I mean, that's…"
Kim Jangcheol was genuinely flustered.
He looked at the first two who'd stepped forward.
An old man, a young man, and a kid who looked like an elementary schooler.
Those three… were triplets?
"Hold on? Aren't triplets usually born on the same day?"
"Yep. We were."
"Then how come…"
"We're trizygotic triplets."
"...…"
Kim Jangcheol instinctively turned toward Largo, who had the oldest appearance. Their eyes met. Largo scowled in displeasure.
But something about that expression—angry, yet somehow sorrowful—felt oddly melancholic. Was that just his own impression? Or maybe just bias?
"...So you're not actually an old man, just… old-looking?"
"...…"
"…Sorry."
He wasn't sure why he felt the need to apologize.
But still, he felt like he should.
Kim Jangcheol sincerely offered an apology. Largo, the old-looking (?), had a hint of moist melancholy in his eyes.
But the second, Veloce, wasn't nearly so forgiving.
"Hey, the one you should be apologizing to is our lady. Don't tell me you still haven't realized that."
"…What?"
"I've told you repeatedly. Show proper respect to your predecessor, the former Demon Queen."
"…Hmm? Do abandoned lands have such customs?"
"What?"
"We don't do that stuff here. You should know that, so why act like this?"
Kim Jangcheol scoffed.
Veloce was at a loss for words.
Gazes tangled in the air.
The tension began to slowly harden.
In that moment, the Four Heavenly Kings who'd seen the standoff rushed over one by one. They lined up beside Kim Jangcheol as if forming ranks.
"Baal! Will fight alongside the Demon King!"
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
"Asurat, Sirgi, and Hartok are here too! But we came later than Baal!"
"Got it. I'll make a note of it. Wow, how reassuring."
"Baal! Reassuring! Received praise! GRAAAAH!"
"......."
Yeah, I think my eardrum just ruptured.
Kim Jangcheol gave a wry smile.
Feeling secure thanks to his Four Heavenly Kings rushing over on their own to stand by him, he turned toward Artanis and said:
"You there. You said you're the former Demon Queen?"
— .....Yes.
"But even so, I have no intention of showing you special respect, nor will I help pull your arm out."
— I don't expect you to.
"Is that so?"
— I do have a sense of shame, at least.
"Hmm… it sounds more like you still plan to rip out my heart somehow, so you don't want to make things awkward between us by accepting my help."
— .....I won't deny it.
Sigh.
Kim Jangcheol let out a long sigh.
Artanis bit her lip.
'......'
How humiliating.
As the Witch of Melody, as a former Demon Queen, someone who once basked in both terror and glory…
How did it come to this?
It was disgraceful.
With her arm stuck in midair like this, to be gawked at by that brat Demon King and his subordinates—it made it all the more degrading!
'........'
Should she really just cut off her arm?
Deep anguish filled her eyes.
Sensing her emotions, her loyal followers felt a wrenching sorrow. Especially the hot-blooded second, Veloce, who gritted his teeth in a fury that seemed to flip his eyes inside out.
'How could… our lady be subjected to such disgrace…'
He glared at Kim Jangcheol and the Four Heavenly Kings with trembling eyes. Then he turned his resentful gaze to the barrier that held their lady's arm hostage.
"......"
Yes, if not for that barrier.
If not for that, their lady would've already taken everything she desired. She wouldn't have had to suffer this disgrace.
If not for that cursed barrier.
If only not for that damn barrier.
'If not for this wretched thing…!'
His fist clenched of its own accord.
Rage surged from his heart.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He punched out, pouring his fury into the blow. He struck the hateful barrier with all the injustice in his heart.
But then...
Bang-!
...Such a destructive sound did not echo out.
Instead…
…Swoosh?!
Veloce's fist passed straight through the barrier.
'Huh?'
Too easily.
Without any resistance.
As if simply through empty air.
His outstretched fist slipped right through the barrier. He lost balance. Stumbled forward. His entire body passed through like it had a free pass.
And then, he fell pathetically to the ground.
Thud.
"......."
Everyone froze.
Their eyes slowly widened.
And after about three seconds…
Everyone said the same thing, in perfect unison.
"…Huh?"
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]