Chapter 23.1

While leaning against the wall of my treasure room I vacantly stare off into space.

………….I’m still waiting.

It’s been at least 10 minutes. How long does it take to change clothes?

I knocked on the door but my only answer was silence.

“……Strange.”

Even if Sasha was still busy Misha should have answered.

Have they left without me?

Or……….?

“Misha? Are you there? I’m opening the door.”

I opened the door having received no reply.

The altar enters my view first. It’s clearly different from before.

It’s red.

In front of the altar is Misha, head slumped forward and kneeling in a pool of blood with a knife thrust into the right side of her chest.

She’s still alive but needs treating right away, except I can’t. A magic barrier has been carefully set up around Misha.

“Oh? You finally appeared. You were very obedient there.”

On the other side of the room by the entrance is Sasha. She’s wearing the and is holding the king’s sceptre.

“Fumu. What’s with your behaviour Sasha?”

Sahsa replied with a sneer.

“Hmph. You’re an idiot. Just because we got along a little you were so easily deceived. Did you really want this me to get along with that trash doll in this little play of ours while aiming for first position in the dungeon test?”

A play huh? Reconciling with Misha, being happy, even crying over her birthday present. Was all of that a lie?

“Men are simple. A little kiss for only a moment and you fall for it. Did you honestly think I liked a mongrel like you?”

“You’re very good at acting Sasha.”

Sasha flinched a little at my words before glaring at me.

“……….What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? You were so skilful I didn’t see it was an act.”

“I see. It was a fine performance on my part.”

“However, as betrayals go yours seems a bit tepid for some reason. You could have killed Misha, chopped up her body to make revival difficult, sealed those pieces in rocks and spread them around the world where I’d never find them. Why didn’t you do that?”

Sasha frowns and draws back from the atmosphere I’ve just created. I can’t say any more. I can’t show a complete lack of empathy.

“So far what you’ve done is nothing but pure mischief. You might as well just patted Misha’s breasts with that knife.”

“……..Shut up. My purpose is to come first in the dungeon exam.”

This stories getting stranger.

“Even if you have the king’ sceptre, it’s meaningless as long as you are a member of my group.”

Anything the group obtains is the property of the leader.

“Contract was cancelled.”

The contract was made between Misha and Sasha and now it’s disappeared. With this, she can leave anytime as it was only the contract that made her a member.

However I look at it I can’t see Misha agreeing to the cancellation. Unless both parts agree it cannot be cancelled. Even if one of them dies the effect will continue.

I don’t think Sasha has enough magic to forcibly break it either.

There are a few other ways to break it but those are the most obvious.

“I see. Interesting.”

Sasha probably thought she had the upper hand but instead she now had a cornered look on her face.

“You…..are you crazy? That girl will die if you don’t help her. This isn’t a situation where you can be composed! Don’t you understand that!”

“Fumu. What’s wrong with this situation? By all appearances, nothings changed. We have a tedious sleepy class this afternoon.”

As I speak Sasha’s face becomes more and more stern.

“It just seems like a small quarrel between sisters to me.”

“I told you I don’t think of that trash doll as my sister!”

Sasha puts all her anger into that shout.

“She was born to be used by me. Nothing more than a tool and when it became useless it was to be thrown away like a ragged dustcloth. A pitiful, miserable, magic doll.”

Sasha is spitting out words loaded with hatred.

“Fufuu hahahaa hahahahahaha!! Please forgive me, but those words are the truth. How many times do you need to be deceived before you are happy? A really stupid doll. Did you really think we could get along all happy and nice? Aah, but it turned out alright. I thought I had no more use for you but you helped me deceive this mongrel.”

She’s not even looking at me. Her eyes are locked onto Misha.

“Nee, Misha. Are you still alive? Let me tell you this in your final moments. No matter how many times I deceived you, you still believed me. You always played the good little girl all helpless and cute. You disgust me! I hate you!”

Sasha excitedly spits out words designed to hurt but the thing is, her have not formed.

Not just now either. Not once have they formed since this began.

“And?” I take a step forward and Sasha takes a step back. “Your true reason is?”

Sasha glared at me.

This time her formed.

“What’s wrong? Are you angry I saw through you?”