NOVEL NEXT chapter 1
1: Strike Before the Blonde, Let the Blonde and the Suffering One Sit at the Same Table
In the eerie and dilapidated black palace, the kingdom’s second princess, Valentina, was pouring all her strength into launching a storm-like assault against the enemy before her.
It was an attack that wagered all her skills and willpower; amidst the dazzling dance of swords, her silver hair, shimmering like moonlight, flickered in tandem with the sword’s glow, as if trying to dispel the darkness that enveloped this strange, ruined temple.
Yet, all her efforts were in vain.
For her opponent was simply too formidable, a foe that no human could hope to defeat.
“Ahhh—!!!”
That shadow, which remained unyielding in the face of Valentina’s fierce attacks, merely raised a hand.
The longsword she wielded shattered into countless tiny fragments, scattering like stars across the night sky—
It may sound romantic, but regrettably, compared to the endless darkness surrounding her, that glimmer of light was at best just the dust of a butterfly’s wings.
And that beautiful ‘butterfly’ that had unwittingly strayed into the darkness was now not only grounded with broken wings but also marred with wounds, no longer able to shine.
In simpler terms, Valentina’s weapon was utterly destroyed, and her attire was tattered in multiple places. The black tights beneath her skirt bore countless small cuts, as if attacked by numerous sharp blades, and faint blood began to seep from her pale skin, staining the black fabric with splotches of crimson.
“How… how could this happen…”
Realizing she might lose, but never expecting the gap between them to be so vast, Valentina instinctively crossed her right arm over her chest to shield her modesty, unable to suppress her incredulous voice.
The once fierce and striking expression on her delicate face had vanished, replaced by the vulnerability of youth.
Her beautiful purple eyes were filled with tremors, unable to hide her astonishment and fear.
Though she was not a top-tier warrior, she was among the best of her peers.
To grow stronger and protect the people suffering from the monsters, Valentina had planned to leave the royal capital the next day to embark on her adventure.
Yet here she was, utterly defeated the night before she was to set out, a reality she found hard to accept.
How had things escalated to this point?
Initially, she had simply sneaked out of the palace at night, unable to sleep due to excitement, intending to catch a thief she thought she had seen lurking.
But before she knew it, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar place, and the ‘thief’ she had imagined was not a thief at all.
Even the kingdom’s strongest swordmaster would likely meet the same fate as hers; it was truly dreadful.
Given the overwhelming disparity between them, Valentina was more curious about who her opponent was than about her own defeat.
Could it be a divine being?
“…It’s truly unfortunate, Your Highness, I am no deity, and if I were, I would belong to the category of evil gods.”
“!?”
She hadn’t said anything, yet that ‘shadow’ spoke up, voicing exactly what was on Valentina’s mind, causing her face to reflect even more surprise.
She had originally thought that no matter how seriously the shadow looked, it wouldn’t be able to make out her appearance, which was already strange enough. To her astonishment, even its voice was peculiar, as if multiple voices were chaotically fused together. The only thing she could confirm was that the being was likely a young male.
As the shadow had claimed, it might truly be an evil god sealed and defeated by the goddess in ancient times.
This is terrible; I can’t possibly withstand this… Should I escape?
Gazing at the indistinct ‘non-human entity’ before her, Valentina knelt on one knee, a renewed sense of awareness flashing in her eyes.
“…Not showing off, fleeing immediately upon realizing the situation is indeed a commendable option, but it’s too late. Before determination could show in your eyes, your body should have already fled. Otherwise, look, you’ve been completely caught by the enemy.”
Yet the shadow, as before, easily saw through her thoughts, its voice dripping with a playful delight as it spoke.
Valentina suddenly felt as if her body had turned to stone; no matter what, she couldn’t move, remaining half-kneeling like a statue, gazing up at the shadow before her.
“W-What do you want to do! Are you planning to kill me?!”
Fortunately, her head seemed temporarily unaffected, so Valentina, suppressing her anxiety and fear, directed a somewhat defiant question at the shadow in front of her.
Though it was a show of bravado, she indeed displayed her will. The voice that trembled from fear yet held firm was a quality befitting a heroine of justice.
Thus, Noah couldn’t help but smirk like a grand villain.
“Ha, don’t worry, Your Highness, I won’t kill you. By the way, what kind of animals do you like? Snakes? Spiders? Wolves? Or perhaps foxes or cats?”
It was such a jarring question that Valentina found herself momentarily stunned, instinctively responding with a question of her own.
“W-What do you mean by that?”
Valentina couldn’t quite grasp the evil god’s line of thinking. How did the conversation shift to such a topic? Was he implying that if she said she liked cats, he would transform into a giant cat monster and eat her?
“Hmm? Ah, it’s nothing, just deciding what kind of monster to turn you into. Not directly answering while remaining on guard is commendable; otherwise, you would have already been transformed into a monster by me. Of course, it wouldn’t be the kind you like, but rather the kind you despise.”
Noah spoke as if it were a trivial matter, wearing a wicked smile.
But the lack of self-awareness in his malicious amusement genuinely made Valentina feel physically ill.
How infuriating! She had thought it was already bad enough to be devoured by an animal she liked! Instead, he intended to turn her into the very creature she loathed!
Just how evil is this god!?
“Y-You wicked evil god! Doesn’t your conscience ever hurt?!”
However, Valentina, despite her good upbringing, wouldn’t utter anything too extreme, even if she felt nauseated; this was already quite an effort.
“Ha ha! Not at all! In fact, I find it quite delightful!”
“Y-You!”
It was obvious that the response Valentina received was Noah’s malicious laughter, leaving her momentarily speechless. She clenched her silver teeth, glaring fiercely at him.
Even now, affected by Noah’s abilities, Valentina could only barely recognize that he was a humanoid shadow.
“By the way! I’ve heard that your kingdom highly reveres dragon-slaying heroes. If that’s the case, Your Highness, don’t you think it would be quite amusing for a princess to turn into an evil dragon?”
“Isn’t it boring at all! You’re a detestable demon!”
Valentina, of course, responded with a negative answer to Noah’s familiar words.
Even though her body was unable to move, her soul would never surrender absolutely!
“…Hah hah hah! That’s the most magnificent praise for me! Make me a wicked and savage dragon! A fair and just princess, ah!”
As Noah gazed at the beautiful figure before him, who would not yield to the overwhelming strong enemy, he let out a very stereotypical villainous laugh.
Although it was a clumsy imitation of a villain, Noah’s abilities were still genuine.
As his words fell, a large amount of dark magic began to surge into Valentina’s body inside the ruined temple.
“Body… it’s so hot! Ah… aaah!”
At the same time, Valentina also let out a voice that made people wonder.
Later, a non-human dragon horn poked out on the head of the beautiful princess.
But that was only the beginning of the change.
In the next half minute, she would be infected by Noah’s magic and turn into a dragon, falling from being an object of adoration to an object of disgust.
This was all Noah’s anticipated development.
“…”
However, Noah, who should be happy, felt a rather subtle emotion at this moment.
If you ask why, it’s because he actually still quite liked the character of Valentina.
If possible, Noah also hoped to help her in a more heroic way.
But the problem was, who told Noah to cross into this hidden BOSS of the Little Yellow Oil World?
He wouldn’t have taken the initiative, or Valentina would eventually be targeted by all sorts of yellow-haired people.
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