「What?」 the princess asks, confused by the abrupt change in Xal's expression.

He looks at her, his smirk characteristically widening into an evil grin,「Know what? You're right!」

The princess feels too apprehensive to ask, but the expression on his face makes her chest tingle briefly with a sense of relief to see a glimpse of his old self coming back.

Xal turns on his heel and stares out the window, not minding the poignant silence, before choosing to expand on his own, 「I quickly surpassed my instructors and teachers, and gained an undeniable edge in combat due to my war campaign experience. And yet, I'm still a mouse compared to Hero,」 he explains, moving his gaze toward her, making sure she's listening.

But the confusion on Rosaria's face only deepens, fine eyebrows furrowing, and head tilting slightly, spelling out a 'so what?' expression.

「That's what it means to be Goddess' chosen one, Rosaria — granted the special powers and fortitude to defeat the Demon King, while the rest of us are to merely support him by clearing the thorny path for him to save the world,」 he continues, his voice taking on a theatrical quality.

Rosaria nods slowly, bewildered over why he would retell her something so obvious. Xal turns around, letting go of his bag, and puts his arms out, 「What a cruel joke!」 he grits his teeth, 「And you're absolutely right! It's time I stop running, if the Demon King couldn't do it, I'll just have to kill him myself!」

Rosaria's jaw drops, staying down against all her court etiquette drills. She must have misheard him.

Xal doesn't give her time to protest, 「Even a mouse can defeat a lion by using its wit! And I won't let my hard work over the past two heavenly cycles go to waste!」

He grabs her neck, and Rosaria yelps in surprise. However, she soon finds that the force in his grip is so weak that she could slip away with ease if she wanted to.

「You being here already shows how stupid Hero is! Princess Rosaria, come with me!」 Xal demands with a menacing frown, grip slowly tightening.

His arm looks emaciated and the force in his hand, once so great, now seems to be sapped to almost nothing. Using both hands, she grasps his arm and contemplates whether she should strike him down now over his revelation. She can drag him back by force and end this nonsense. But Rosaria can see the gleam of determination in his eyes, and she feels it make her hair stand up. The way Xal has been acting right now, it feels more and more like he's regaining his old self, and she can't help but feel the warm tendrils of that old charm creep back into her heart.

「Xal, stop!」 she manages to choke out, 「Do you realize what you're doing?」

Xal's gaze remains steadfast, his grin replaced by a serious look, 「I need you,」 he says, and Rosaria's heart skips a beat.

「—So I can destroy Hero,」 he finishes, and Rosaria feels a chill run down her spine.

「I can't let you do that! Hero is my betrothed! I'm supposed to marry him for the good of the world!」 she protests.

「Then why did you flee to me?」 Xal asks, unyielding.

「No, I was just being foolish! I-I love Hero. There's no way I can go with you!」

Xal's expression doesn't soften, his voice chilling cold, 「I don't care what you think. You're coming with me,」 as he quickly reaches into his bag using his free arm.

A ｟click｠ echoes in the hallway before Rosaria realizes what has happened. She recognizes the red color of the leather covering the metal object around her neck reflected in Xal's eyes. A collar bought during their sexual escapades, which was supposed to weaken Xal by heightening his sensitivity — thus giving Rosaria a fair chance at trying to wring out a release from him — but ultimately ended up as a failure when it only increased his vigor during his relentless pounding.

The princess feels her knees buckle beneath her, body getting weak and succumbing to the amplified sensations and feelings brought on by the collar. Memories from that time return to her, countless orgasms flutter in her mind's eye, and before she knows it, Xal has already started dragging her by that collar, down toward the basement of the house.

Rosaria can't help but let out a hollow laugh at the turn of events while staring absentmindedly down at the ground, 「You know, Hero warned me that you were accused of kidnapping me. Don't think you'll get away with this.」

Xal keeps walking, dragging her further into the depths of the dark basement, to where she has never ventured before. The only light available comes from small fluorescent beads floating in the air, casting a faint yellow-green glow as they dance back and forth.

「Yea, I figured as much. Another reason why I don't want to go back. They'll lock me up in prison for sure,」 Xal states, undeterred with his grip on the collar unwavering.

As Xal drags Rosaria deeper into the basement that's like a long hallway, her mind seems to calm down. The feelings of the past diminish. Stepping further, she can't help but marvel at the strange and eerie surroundings, and a sense of curiosity about where Xal is taking her starts taking hold. The air is musty and damp, causing Rosaria's hair to cling to her face and neck. She can hear the sound of her own footsteps echoing against the stone walls.

Suddenly, Xal comes to a stop and she sees a large, wooden cart waiting for them on a track that extends into the darkness, disappearing into the unknown depths of the basement. The thick oak frame is overflowing with various items, from shiny gems and ancient tomes to his ragged clothing and pieces of equipment.

「Where are we? When did you build all of this?」 Rosaria wonders in awe.

「As long as you have enough coins, dwarves will dig anything for you,」 Xal snarls with a hint of sarcasm.

Bewildered, the princess asks,「So you've had this prepared all this time? You anticipated this...?」

「Rosaria, please, do you think I'm stupid? Unlike Hero, I always have contingencies in place,」 he growls, turning his scowl to the cart, 「The only thing I didn't anticipate was him using his cursed powers on me. Just like he did to the Demon King! Now I'm all weak, I will never be able to cast much magic either! 」

「Never!?」 Rosaria gasps in disbelief.

Xal nods painfully, still grappling with his loss. He raises his arm weakly, demonstrating his diminished strength.

「And that's why I was waiting,」 he explains, opening and closing the palm of his hand, 「—For you. Right now, I can't move this cart by myself. Use your blessings, your command over all four elements, and push it for me. And, while doing that, you'll destroy the path behind us,」 he commands.

Rosaria widens her eyes. How far back has he been planning? It's as if she's been in Xal's palm all along!

「That strike to my back earlier wasn't a mistake, was it?」 Rosaria can't help but laugh bitterly upon her realization. She looks at him, noticing the evil glint in his eyes.

「Bullseye! And because of your damned shielded body, I had to take a detour,」 he reveals with a sly and evil grin.

An exasperated form of fury wells up within her, a storm of anguish and anger, the combination sending electricity crackling through her body, which could also easily be mistaken for feelings of excitement and thrill, evident in how a wicked smile emerges on her own face. The collar, It's this damn piece of metal's fault.

「Scumbag, trash, coward, indecent son of a goblin!」 with a slight blush on her cheeks, the princess starts hurling every insult her royal tongue can muster, each word a fiery dart aimed at Xal's ego, 「You think you're better than Hero? Ha! Dream on. You're inferior in every way, charm, strength, looks — you're nothing! I should never have confided in you!」 she spits out venomously, face flushed cherry-red, chest heaving in heaps of air, and at some point, her wicked smile also turning her expression into one of excitement.

Xal is unfazed. He starts loading the last few items onto the cart,「Whatever you say, little princess,」

Rosaria's eyes fall upon a shelf on the wall, carrying several large chests bound by big heavy silver locks that gleam in the basement's light. Xal tries to move one, but it doesn't budge. He looks at her with slight frustration.

「Use your magic to load these onto the cart,」 he orders.

The princess raises an eyebrow, noting how heavy the chests must be to not even have budged a millimeter, 「What do they contain?」

「Gold coins,」 Xal quickly answers with a smirk back on his face, 「Yours, princess. How do you think I could afford all of this? Now, hurry!」

Rosaria's right eyelid twitches. The amount of frustration and vexation she feels at this moment can't be put into words. Clenching her fist, she walks forward begrudgingly while hurling even more insults at him,

「Deplorable son of a bastard! A literal devil's spawn! Worse than the son of a beast's bitch!」

They are also partly aimed at herself for the unexplainable wetness she's been feeling between her thighs, each of her steps slowly replacing the anger within her with thrill.

When their gazes lock, she can sense his body tense and him holding his breath as she draws closer, eyes a mixture of fear and resolve. Despite his bravado, they both know the truth — he is powerless against her. His own admission of weakness at the hands of Hero only solidifies this fact. He's most likely giving her a choice. The collar on her neck? Easily torn off, she realizes. It has never posed a threat. Stopping him and ending this nonsense would be a simple matter. Yet she doesn't act, why?

She steps close, within a hair's breadth, of him, focusing on his eyes, searching deep for an answer to the question that plagues her. His eyes, once uncertain, now gleam with determination, a far cry from his disposition just half an hour ago. She doesn't know what expression her own face wears at this moment, but surely, with the warm flush she's feeling across her cheeks, together with the rapid beating of her heart and the never-ending pool of wetness dripping down her thighs, she knows it must be a telling one.

With a heavy sigh, she turns away from him, facing the shelf of large chests, and places her hands upon them.

Why?