Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 190: Death Among the Dead

Captain Hayes descended the spiral staircase of Crownspire Tower, his polished sabatons clicking against the marble steps. His jaw was tight, his patience thinner than a razor's edge.

He had scoured the entire third floor for Princess Lumielle, yet she was nowhere to be found. Her servants had absolutely no idea where she might have gone, and Lyndoria had also gone out to run an errand.

As he stepped onto the first floor, his frustration only deepened at the sight of Stynx leaning casually against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. His half-lidded eyes gleamed with amusement, as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

"Ah, Captain," he drawled, tilting his head. "Judging by that scowl, I take it your search was fruitless?"

Hayes exhaled sharply through his nose. "What do you want, Stynx?"

"Me? Nothing at all," the boy said, pushing off the wall with an infuriatingly slow grace. "I'm merely passing the time, watching our valiant captain fumble about the tower like a lost hound." He smirked. "Tell me, is it standard protocol for the princess's protector to not know where she is?"

Hayes folded his arms, unimpressed. "Forgive me if I don't take criticism from someone whose idea of existence is lurking in the shadows and hoping no one notices. But isn't that a bit counterproductive?"

Stynx raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Instead of skulking in the shadows like a pest, shouldn't you be kissing up the aristocrats and currying favor? That is, if you think it's even remotely possible for you to lay claim to the throne."

"Harsh words," Stynx mused, placing a hand over his chest theatrically. "But I suppose I should expect a certain level of defensiveness when failure is involved."

"Failure?" Hayes scoffed. "At least I'm doing my job instead of loitering around." He narrowed his eyes. "Or are you just here for the spectacle? I imagine it's quite amusing watching others actually take responsibility while you contribute nothing."

Stynx chuckled, unfazed. "You wound me, Captain. But tell me—if you don't know where she is, then perhaps the real question is... who's the one not doing their job?"

Hayes clenched his jaw. He would have liked nothing more than to wipe that smug expression off the bastard's face, but getting into a scuffle with the king's illegitimate son in the middle of Crownspire Tower wasn't exactly on his to-do list.

Instead, he sighed in annoyance and stepped past the sly fiend. "I don't have time for this."

"Clearly," Stynx said, watching him go. "You've already wasted enough of it looking in the wrong place."

Hayes stopped briefly, considering a retort, but thought better of it. He had more important things to do than trade barbs with a man who had nothing better to do than stir trouble.

As he disappeared through the corridor, Stynx leaned back against the wall once more, tapping his fingers idly against his arm. Lumielle... just what exactly are you up to?

***

SLASHH!

With a swift upward arc of his blade, a bandit collapsed in two halves. Leopold's full plate armor gleamed, each metallic clang of his movements ringing out like a battle cry.

Twisting his claymore, the former commander caught the sunlight on its polished steel, blinding a lunging bandit. In the next instant, his blade surged forward, severing the man's head from his body in one fell swoop.