Reverse Dungeon

RD | Chapter 84

The mermaid princess couldn’t find the words to explain.

“I didn’t act with that intention...”

“Didn’t you? What do you mean by that? Are you saying you weren’t the one who got angry at Lord Ian? Or that you didn’t lock him in a room? And then send soldiers to threaten him?”

The mermaid princess didn’t know about the latter two actions. She had only been sad, not thinking about where the host of the castle might send such a harsh guest.

“I didn’t order it! I never expected that you would be locked up and watched!”

“You didn’t order it?”

“Yes!”

“Then aren’t you the owner of this castle? Are you saying that the merfolk who follow you ignored your will and treated Lord Ian badly?”

“Th-That’s not....”

The people inside the castle wouldn’t have gone against her will. The mermaid princess had been avoiding facing the truth, but she was indeed the owner of the castle, and all of its inhabitants worked for her.

She wasn’t the kind of person to betray those who had worked for her family her entire life.

“So, you’re saying you had no intention of mistreating Lord Ian, and that you bear no responsibility for the current situation, and that all the mistakes are the fault of your subordinates?”

Keith nodded as if understanding.

“No!” The mermaid princess screamed. Each word from Keith’s mouth hit her like a whip.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault! I was narrow-minded and short-sighted! The people inside the castle didn’t do anything wrong! It’s all my fault!”

“I figured as much. It’s not the first time I’ve seen a ruler who has no sense of responsibility.”

“No! The princess didn’t order it, it was all my orders...” The mermaid attendant, trying to step in, was stopped by the princess.

“It’s true, it’s really true. I’m the terrible princess who resented my savior and even locked him up! Sniffle... Oh, my father...”

The princess knew she would make such a dreadful mistake sooner or later, which was why she had initially refrained from taking the throne. Deep down, she knew that the expectation of her father returning was nothing more than an empty hope.

Her father was gone. No one was left to protect her. She was the one who had to take responsibility for the castle and the city. But because she hadn’t wanted to take that responsibility, she had made an irreversible mistake.

‘It’s over.’

Once she acknowledged her mistakes, the mermaid princess actually felt a sense of relief. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. Trembling, she turned to the holy knight and asked:

“Please punish me, for the sin is mine. Please show mercy to the others in this underwater city... sniffle... I’m sorry, but could you make it quick... and painless... and strike my neck?”

She sniffled again. She feared the knight’s silence.

“Not possible, Your Highness!”

Keith, seeing the desperate relationship between the princess and her attendant, sheathed his sword. His judgment that the princess was incompetent hadn’t changed, but it seemed that she wasn’t completely devoid of responsibility or sense.

He wasn’t the type to change his decisions easily. His belief that corrupt rulers should be punished, even if they were just bugs, remained.

However, after being deeply moved by Ian’s teachings, Keith decided to show mercy even to an incompetent ruler of another race.

He abandoned his plan to kill the princess and gather all the merfolk in the underwater city to praise Ian’s achievements. He had thought the princess would never thank Ian, but seeing that she could communicate, Keith realized she wasn’t beyond help.

‘Indeed, forgiveness and mercy are the teachings of God.’

Keith wasn’t the type to keep his epiphanies to himself. As he withdrew his sword, the princess, who had been trembling, cautiously opened her eyes. Keith shared his realization with her.

“Your life is saved only by Lord Ian’s mercy. He is the one who acts as God’s agent. If you fail to recognize the foolishness of not understanding such a noble person, you would only disgrace his mercy. I too have made such a mistake, but he didn’t blame me.”

Keith paused for a moment, reflecting on his words.

“Live every day in gratitude for his grace. As you ponder his teachings, new realizations will come to you. Remember, this is not a punishment I am giving you, but an opportunity.”

The mermaid princess’s head felt dizzy. ‘Isn’t Keith Sir Keith, the head of the holy knights of the Vatican?’ His praise of God was expected, but something about his words felt off...

‘But what exactly are Lord Ian’s teachings?’

The mermaid princess wondered. But it wasn’t the right time to ask. The attendant, still trying to calm his breath after almost being stabbed, was in no position to whisper to her.

“Yes... yes, I will.”

Keith looked down at her, as if assessing her, then left the room. This time, he used the proper door.

The merfolk knight guarding the princess’s room gasped in surprise, but the princess couldn’t go out to calm him.

Tears began to flow late.

‘Father, please help me.’

The world was a frightening place.

Even in the underwater city, the renowned Sir Keith was not as saintly as he seemed. He had tried to teach her a lesson, but then left preaching about some strange cult like ‘Ianism.’

“Do we have to believe in Ianism, or will we die?”

“At least, it’s best to pretend to believe in front of Sir Keith.”

The merfolk attendant gave his advice.

The mermaid princess shuddered.

“Since my father passed away, this is the first time I’ve been scolded...”

“Ah, Your Highness! You’ve finally accepted the passing of our late king!”

“Ah...?”

‘Hmm.’

Keith, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ reflecting on his midnight excursion, was sure he hadn’t done anything wrong.

What he had done after returning to his room and seeing Ian trembling alone in bed might be questionable, but he could justify it. He had acted with no ill intentions. His only concern was protecting the vulnerable Ian... that’s why he had done what he did.

‘Why are they looking at me like that?’

Keith looked at Ian with a sincere expression. Since he had nothing weighing on his conscience, his gaze remained unwavering.

However, the circumstantial evidence was undeniable. The mermaid princess couldn’t have developed a fear of Keith from a dream the previous night. Ian, watching Keith’s shameless demeanor, thought to himself:

‘Can a holy knight lie like that?’

Isn’t this character becoming a bit strange?

Ian was filled with suspicion but decided not to address it, since this wasn’t the place for such a conversation.

He chose to focus on fixing the current situation. The underwater city’s rewards weren’t just limited to the .

Through this event, the mermaid princess would ascend to the throne of the underwater city and become an ally of Ian’s forces.

The problem was that it would take a few days for the mermaid princess to come to that decision. Just like the five stages of grief, she would have to go through ‘denial → anger → bargaining → depression → acceptance’ before she could accept that her family’s death was inevitable. Then, she would release Ian and his group, offering her apologies and gratitude. At the same time, she would declare that she would take the throne and welcome Ian’s group as eternal friends.

Right now, thanks to Keith’s unnecessary interference, it seemed like she had skipped all those stages and was stuck in the depression phase.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to apologize to us. You have fallen into deep sorrow, and anyone would harbor some resentment toward us. How could we not understand your heart? We are the ones who should apologize. We gave you hope by telling you that you would see your family again, only to shatter that hope forever.”

“...?”

Even the merfolk standing in rows seemed surprised as they stared at Ian.

“I’m sorry. Even though I suspected that the underwater city’s monsters might have already harmed your family, I deliberately gave you false hope.”

“Pardon?” The mermaid princess’s eyes widened.

“I thought that without that hope, we wouldn’t be able to reach the monster. I’ve sinned against you, Your Highness.” Ian spoke solemnly.

“...!” The mermaid princess’s eyes widened even more.

Ian, who was looking down, didn’t notice. He wasn’t concerned with her reaction.

Ian had already decided to answer every one of her conversations with ‘But your father is dead’ until she acknowledged the reality.

‘Hurry up and reach the acceptance stage.’

He needed her to say, ‘I will fill my father’s place.’

After all, he had to get all the quest rewards, didn’t he?

At that moment, the mermaid princess burst into tears.

“H-Hero...! No, Saint!”

“...?”

‘What is this situation?’ Ian was taken aback.