Free Web NovelChapter 7: The beginning of hell
"What do you mean?" asked one of the maids who stood behind the princess, dressed in a crisp servant’s uniform. Her voice trembled slightly, and she cast frightened, darting glances between her mistress and the strange boy.
The arrogant smile still hadn’t left the princess’s face. She slowly walked around her massive desk, and the heavy rustle of her dress against the polished marble floor sounded like a ruthless countdown.
"What is your name, boy?" she asked, her voice dropping to a smooth, dangerous purr.
’Just as I thought. She’s completely hooked,’ Ruthless analyzed, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the floor. ’Now she can’t execute me, but she can’t let me go free either. Because a mind like mine could be a weapon against other continents, as well as a deadly threat to her own rule. But since I’m a guy, and in this matriarchal world guys are naturally weak, she doesn’t perceive the same immediate physical threat a woman would in my place.’
He shifted his weight slightly, maintaining his posture of total submission.
’At the moment, this was the most efficient strategy. It guarantees safety and institutional resources, which is infinitely better than execution or an escape attempt that has a near-zero success rate. But I shouldn’t jump to absolute conclusions. Humans are fundamentally irrational; you never know what chaotic variable they might throw at you.’
"My name is Ruthless, Princess," he said, his voice cracking with a perfectly simulated tremor.
He shrunk back slightly, masterfully playing the role of a terrified, downtrodden victim, all while the cold gears of calculation continued to spin silently in his mind.
Meanwhile, the princess didn’t just look at him—she observed him. She stepped almost right up into his personal space, her arrogant, predatory shadow completely covering his smaller frame. Lysandra tilted her head slightly, studying him like a rare, dangerous insect caught in her web.
"Short black hair, a thoroughly unathletic body, a thin build... and big brains," she murmured, a smirk playing on her lips. "A common, unremarkable appearance of a commoner that would easily get lost in any crowd. And most importantly—those alien eyes... There is no reflection in them, as if they are full of pure darkness, or as if you are blind. An absolutely empty, bottomless, and eerie gaze."
’Since birth, there has been no reflection in my eyes,’ Ruthless thought, his internal state remains entirely flat. ’On the path to my main goal, I will surely find the answers to why. At any cost. Whatever is required, whichever path is more efficient. If I have to kill everyone—I will; if I need to save everyone—I will. The morality of the action holds zero value to me.’
"Fine. I like you," Lysandra cut through the silence. Her smirk morphed into the predatory grin of a master player who had just acquired an ultimate piece for her board.
"Studies at the academy will begin soon. You look to be exactly 17 years old. Consider this a grand mercy on my part. You will study at one of our best institutions, and your tuition will be entirely free of charge. But, of course, this is not a charity. In exchange, you will assist me personally with the affairs of this city. Does such an arrangement suit you?"
The princess offered a faint, chilling smile as she shifted some documents hidden in the deep shadows of the massive desk. The paper rustled dully beneath her fingers, her signet rings tapping against the wood.
’Now this is a different conversation,’ Ruthless calculated, optimizing his strategy. ’If everything goes as she outlines, it yields maximum efficiency. I will gain direct access to the structured knowledge of this world, alongside a baseline layer of personal freedom. My intuition suggests she won’t limit my utility solely to city affairs. But even if I refuse now, the risk of immediate execution or torture to extract compliance is too high.’
"Princess... God himself must have sent you to me," Ruthless broke into a radiant, sincere smile, letting his face transform into an expression of pure, overwhelming gratitude. He looked like a tragic orphan who had finally found salvation. "Recently, I suffered a very great tragedy; seeing this, God sent me his blessing in the form of your mercy."
Their smiles were completely indistinguishable—both were masterly masks hiding cold, predatory calculation. From the outside, however, it looked like a heartwarming scene of true devotion and royal benevolence.
"You overrate me," Lysandra dismissed him with a lazy wave of her hand, signaling that the audience was officially over as she turned her back to look at her maps. "Since you agree, you may go now. I will instruct my people; they will prepare your accommodations."
’The immediate threat from the princess is temporarily neutralized. Now I can analyze her profile with better precision.’
Ruthless’s internal interface activated. In his mind’s eye, hovering right over the lavishly furnished, marble-lined office, a cold neon system report window unfolded.
’Primal Gaze!’
[Current Stats: Lysandra Lurius]
Strength: 700
Speed: 700
Stamina: 700
Intelligence: 45
Primal Level: 2
Chosen Path: Path of Business (20% mastered)
’New data parameters,’ Ruthless noted, mental recording the numbers. ’She already possesses a secondary Primal Level and an active Path of Business. For now, I don’t know the exact mechanics of these paths, but they clearly grant an operational power boost. Her physical and intellectual stats immensely surpass Ari’s and Nora’s—which is standard logic, considering her status as a princess.’
’If a mere princess possesses stats of this caliber, then the scale of a queen’s power must be colossal. I will need to secure a physical or external strength parameter at least equal to a princess if I want to harvest the seals, assuming I continue to operate intellectually.’
Ruthless slowly turned and walked toward the exit, tracking the rigid, silent officials frozen in the corners of the room with the corner of his eye.
’But as I established, humans are fundamentally irrational beings. Even if a direct physical war is a low-probability event, I must acquire a fallback insurance policy in case my intellectual leverage fails.’
Ruthless, the two girls, and the visiting VIPs filed out of the business center, leaving only the Princess and her personal maid behind. The heavy oak doors of the office shut behind the last official with a dull, echoing thud, cutting off the ambient noise of the external world and plunging the spacious room into relative silence.
"Why didn’t you kill him right away, Mistress?" the servant behind the Princess asked, her voice hushed as she stepped forward.
’I initially intended to execute him myself,’ Lysandra thought, a cruel light dancing in her eyes as she slowly approached the panoramic window. ’But I changed my mind because I finally realized the exact nature of the tool that just walked into my hands.’
Through the glass, Ruthless’s small figure could be seen below, quietly crossing the grand square in front of the building.
"You know, he’s like a diamond in the rough," the Princess said with a dark smirk, lazily following the boy’s path with her gaze. "They are exceptionally rare to find, but cutting them into shape isn’t so difficult. The main task is simply finding one—the cleaning comes later. And here he came, delivering himself straight to me."
She tapped her fingernail against the cold glass. "But don’t think his path will be smooth. He’s a truly smart, but incredibly naive boy who clearly believes that good triumphs over evil. He’s entirely lost in his own little fantasies, as we’ve already witnessed from his bleeding-heart plea about morality."
’As a physical threat, he is utterly non-existent,’ she summarized confidently. ’Even if this innocence is a calculated act, many in this city know exactly who I am. Even the most experienced actors have to work themselves to death to convince me.’
"What do you mean, Mistress?" the servant asked, holding her breath.
"His life within the academy walls will not be easy," the Princess continued, her smirk growing exponentially colder. "He will endure an absolute, living hell. And when he breaks, he will come crawling back to me—both to offer his utility and to beg for my protection."
Having said this, she turned sharply, pulling a thick leather folder from the shadows of her desk. The heavy parchment rustled drily as she thrust the document directly into the maid’s hands.
’And in the end, he will be a perfectly refined diamond... but cut entirely into the shape that I desire.’
The servant quickly flipped open the folder, scanning the first few lines of the localized directives. Her face instantly drained of color, turning completely pale at the sheer, terrifying scale of what the Princess had prepared for the boy within the academy.
"What?! No... wait, Princess, have you really decided to do this to him?"
