I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game-Chapter 166: Faith (4)

‘There’s no way out.’

Numbers, firepower, stamina.

She was completely outmatched in every way.

Victory was out of the question—this wasn’t even a fight.

And worst of all, she had someone to protect. That meant the battle could only be even more one-sided.

Irene hid the unconscious Regia behind her back.

Then, she raised the tip of her sword.

Fwoosh—

Even her Crimson Flame was starting to fade.

Keeping it burning was growing more difficult.

At this rate, she would collapse from exhaustion within five minutes at most.

No... before that, they would probably tear her limbs off and devour her alive.

She swallowed the breath that had risen to her throat.

“Haa, haa...!”

She saw no way out.

She cut down one, then another—yet dozens of hands only reached out for her in response.

All she could do was barely hold the situation together.

Sweat dripped down her face as she scanned her surroundings.

‘This is too much.’

Had she even managed to take down a hundred?

Rotting piles of flesh lay at her feet.

But beyond them, thousands of undead still loomed, casting a shadow of pure despair.

The fox shook off her wandering thoughts and steadied her wavering stance.

In that instant, a thick, heavy strike aimed for her neck.

Irene barely managed to tilt her sword horizontally to block it.

Claaaang—!!

“Ugh...!”

“Your struggle... is meaningless.”

The one who had attacked was the Ragged Man.

A shovel wreathed in dark energy.

Brute strength slowly forced her backward.

The dirt beneath her soles carved out a trail, while the embers in the air faded away.

At last, the fox faltered under the pressure, her grip unsteady.

The enemy did not let the opening go to waste.

Clang! Thud—!

The man easily swatted her sword aside—

Then, he drove a mid-kick straight into her abdomen.

Irene staggered back, coughing up a pained breath.

“Kegh...!”

KIEEEECK!!

Not even given a moment’s reprieve, the undead swarmed.

A claw shot toward her eyes.

She barely managed to twist her head, but her cheek was torn open.

Dark energy seeped into the wound, corroding the flesh with a searing pain.

A wave of nausea crashed over her.

“Urgh... Ugh...”

Irene forced herself to steady her breathing.

But the staggering beast finally dropped to one knee in the dirt.

The flames that had once illuminated the graveyard’s dawn flickered out.

Her once-burning red hair returned to its natural orange hue.

Her sword, which had blazed with fire, cooled into nothingness.

She had expended all her strength.

“Haa, haa...”

“...Is it over?”

Perhaps realizing she no longer had the strength to resist,

The Ragged Man lowered his shovel.

Then, he spoke.

"Hand. Over. Regia. Pilots."

“......”

“I do not. Take. Unnecessary. Lives.”

If she obediently handed over the pilot, they would spare her life.

Irene remained silent, still kneeling.

Her shallow breath escaped as a mist in the cold air.

Throb—

It hurt.

The wounds on her body were festering.

Her skin, tainted by dark energy, felt like it was peeling away.

And all around her, thousands of corpses smacked their lips, eager to devour.

A terrifying sight.

Yet, the girl spoke.

“...Go eat shit.”

She never had any intention of giving up Regia.

Irene understood the stakes.

If she allowed them to succeed, everything would be destroyed.

The peaceful days she had come to cherish would be shattered.

The person she wanted to protect, the time they had shared—everything would be lost.

She could not afford to break.

“In that case. You must. Die.”

The Ragged Man reached out.

Irene, with trembling hands, gripped her sword.

Once more, a warning echoed in her ears.

"Never go against the flow."

"The natural order is an absolute law."

"If a mere creature tries to defy the stars, they will pay a price worse than death."

The Sword Saint had warned her.

If she forcibly opened the door, she would suffer the consequences.

She would be trapped in an illusory world for eternity.

His eyes had held no trace of jest.

As if he were begging her—telling her not to make that choice.

“Hah...”

But she had no other options.

The girl poured everything into her sword.

As her consciousness slowly faded—

She reached deep within herself.

And then, faintly, a whisper echoed in her mind.

[Oh, pitiful fox.]

It was the voice of the stars.

As she attempted to forcefully open the door within herself, it tried to hold her back.

Irene ignored the noise and gathered her last remaining strength.

[Why do you bring about your own demise?]

[You already know the tragedy that awaits an unprepared star.]

[You are like a life destined to throw itself into the flames.]

It was a path she had to walk.

If she wanted to protect her home, then at times, she had to be willing to walk through fire.

She was no longer a weak girl—she understood that now.

Clenching her teeth, she knocked on the door within herself.

[Are you not afraid?]

She was.

But she did not run.

[Are you not sorrowful?]

She was.

But she did not cry.

If she could slay the reaper before her—if, in the end, she could protect this place—then that was enough.

Once more, she struck the door within.

[You will be trapped in eternity.]

[In a place where one hour feels like a year, where you will meet no one, you will serve a thousand-year sentence.]

[Is your will and selflessness strong enough to bear such a sin?]

It did not matter.

Instead of answering, the fox simply clenched her fist.

A pale light seeped into the air around her.

[Will you... not regret it?]

Regret.

For a moment, her hand faltered at that word.

But as if nothing had happened, light flickered in her tightly clenched palm.

Had the stars finally accepted her unwavering resolve?

At last, they ceased their attempts to stop her.

[Very well.]

A voice, tinged with sorrow.

The faint shimmer of a night sky reflected beside her.

[If this is your nobility... even if it is foolish, I will not stand in your way.]

[The stars shall remember your dawn.]

[My fox.]

The stars whispered.

[Open your eyes.]

In that moment—

A single beam of radiance pierced through the darkness.

A brilliant flash struck the center of the graveyard.

That light belonged solely to the fox.

As she lifted her eyelids, only pure white pupils shone from within.

The sword in her grip burned with pristine flames.

A fierce heat washed over the battlefield.

“......”

At some point, Irene had risen to her feet.

She gazed at the thousands of undead surrounding her—at the single necromancer who stood among them.

The once lifeless eyes of the ragged man now flickered with awe.

Without a word, the fox simply lifted her sword. freēwēbnovel.com

Whoooosh—

The wind curled silently around her fingertips.

A sense of omnipotence filled her entire being.

At this moment, she felt as though she could cut down not just the enemy before her—but even the world itself.

Brilliant starlight burned through her mind with countless revelations and exaltation.

Her gleaming, pale pupils now unmistakably resembled the stars.

In the bleak field of corpses drowned in darkened dawn—

Only a single radiance stood at the center.

The girl gripped the light.

‘It’s quiet.’

It felt as though every part of the dawn, except for herself, had come to a halt.

A delicate stillness drifted through the air like scattered petals.

She could perceive every particle suspended in the moment.

For just an instant, she indulged in the illusion of rapture—

Then, slowly, Irene swung her sword.

A single, unwavering line traced the infinite earth.

And then—

———!

There was no sound.

Only for a brief instant, the world was severed.

The necromancer.

The undead.

The Hounds.

For a moment, they stood, motionless, as though frozen.

And then, belatedly, they realized they had been cut.

Thousands of heads began to fall all at once.

Only then did the delayed sound of severance resonate.

Sssht—!

“...Burn.”

A faint murmur left her lips.

As if responding to her call, the white flames consumed her enemies without leaving a trace.

The once-sturdy domain of the ragged man shattered into pieces.

Just a single strike.

And yet, in that moment, the girl had stepped into an entirely different world.

The sheer exhilaration swelled in silence.

As the light banished the lingering dawn—

[This is the end.]

Her consciousness wavered.

The fox’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.

The scenery around her had already returned to the academy’s alleyways.

A faint whisper of the stars lingered in her ears.

[Foolish child.]

[There is no undoing this now.]

[I only hope that you have lived your star to the fullest.]

[My poor fox.]

Sssss...

Even the voice faded into the distance.

Irene did not resist, accepting the darkness consuming her mind.

As she sank into the depths of an endless sea—

A single person surfaced in her thoughts.

That familiar, ominous presence flickered in her mind.

‘Yuda.’

She had broken the taboo in the end, but she had not done so without reason.

Irene was not reckless.

A quiet resonance echoed within her.

‘I’m not afraid.’

Her fading consciousness flickered.

The brilliant white glow of her eyes dimmed.

Her heavy eyelids surrendered to the peace of slumber.

Even as all her senses blurred like the ocean’s depths—

The fox—

Drifted into sleep.

And yet, she did not fear what lay ahead.

She simply let herself sink into the flow.

‘Because if it’s you...’

You will find me.

No matter where I am, no matter how far I fall—if it’s you, you will find me.

That last strike had been a testament to her belief in their bond.

Even if it took days, months, years, or centuries—she believed he would come for her.

With that belief alone, the fox was ready to endure hundreds of years.

She whispered her final, unheard words.

“I’ll wait.”

So don’t take too long.

* * *

Hours later—

Orange locks lay still against the hospital bed.

The fox lay unconscious, as if merely asleep.

“Irene.”

By her side sat a boy.

His slender hand covered hers.

The golden serpent gazed down at the one person who was his.

Reaching out, he gently brushed her pale cheek.

Then, with a complicated smile, he murmured.

“...If «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» you place that kind of faith in me, I have no choice but to answer it.”

He carefully smoothed out her disheveled hair.

Then, he left behind a quiet whisper.

“Wait for me.”

It was the fulfillment of a long-standing promise.

A bond that could not simply be left to faith alone.

If he had tamed someone, then naturally, there was only one truth to be drawn.

A voice acknowledging that they were each other’s only one.

The serpent answered.

“I will find you.”

I won’t leave you alone.