Chapter 165: What a Stupid Game

'This is a mess.'

Kaisen licked his lips and cracked his joints, getting ready for what he anticipated to be a cakewalk of a fight.

But before he could enjoy his victory dance, he needed answers from the lady boss, and before that, he had to sort out the Maximus mess.

So, why hadn't Kaisen just yeeted Maximus into oblivion the moment he suspected him of working for the Night Shades?

Well, it was complicated, like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube while blindfolded.

Firstly, he needed answers. Secondly, Kaisen had grown fond of Maximus, like a cat reluctantly adopting a mouse as a pet.

If Maximus had pulled any stunts that directly harmed the party, his head would have been rolling faster than a cheese wheel down a hill.

But the thing was, Maximus's betrayal barely felt like a betrayal. It was more like finding out your pet goldfish was moonlighting as a sushi chef—it was surprising but didn't really change much.

In fact, Maximus's so-called treachery had often worked in favor of the party. He never actively sabotaged their missions; instead, he fed Kaisen valuable lore nuggets about the whole convoluted mess.

So, Kaisen didn't mind the betrayal... until now.

Honestly speaking, Kaisen could end this soap opera in seconds. He could dispatch both Vhalla and Maximus faster than you could say "plot twist," but his curiosity got the better of him.

He decided to stay out of the family drama and let Sable have her moment of confrontation.

"How could you? After all we've talked about... After I forgave you... How can you betray us again?"

Sable was practically a hot mess. Understandably so. She had her fiancé and a new lover, all in the same complicated equation.

And now, her fiancé, who had been cool with the arrangement, was turning on them. Twice.

All her dreams of a magical life outside this nightmare went up in smoke, just like that. Her hands trembled with a cocktail of rage and sadness.

Maximus, on the other hand, wasn't exactly the poster boy for betrayal. He wasn't laughing maniacally or twirling a metaphorical mustache, boasting about how he was with the bad guys all along for the ultimate treasure.

Nope. He looked even messier than Sable, with a pained expression and tears rolling down his cheeks like someone had left the faucet on.

Shink!

But before the sword could even touch his armor plate, someone materialized between them. Both knights' eyes widened as they saw two fingers stopping the sword in mid-attack.

?!

How the fuck was that possible? Both knights had bewildered expressions with the same thought:

Who the fuck is crazy enough to stop a sword that can cleave through metal armor with bare fucking fingers?

Momentarily forgetting their ongoing battle, the knights stared at the hand, then at the man who did it, who smiled at them like an idiot.

"Cough~ Cough~ Before you guys kill each other, I just have one question," Kaisen said, grinning at the knights.

'Why else would there be a giant flower in the boss room? It's gotta be game mechanics.'

"Wh-what?" Sable asked incredulously, then shook her head and asked the obvious question, "Are you fucking retarded or something?"

Kaisen chuckled at her bluntness. She was cute.

"No, honey, I'm not retarded. I just want to ask this gentleman here one question, and after that, you two can resume killing each other, okay?"

Sable's mouth hung open, unable to reply to the smiling man. Here she was having a mental breakdown, and the guy who's supposed to be her lover was all smiles and giggles.

She didn't know what the fuck was going on.

Kaisen whipped his head toward the knight, who was accepting his fate with the resigned grace of someone who just remembered they left the oven on.

He asked, "Is it the flower?"

A simple question, but it made the knight start his crying cycle again.

'Damn, here we go again,'

Kaisen thought, rolling his eyes.