Blood Princess, Kill them All

Life is Always Unequal

After about an hour, she signaled, “It’s time.”

Mary had already concluded her conversations with most of the villagers, fulfilling her duty sufficiently. However, Ami’s father implored her with a worried expression, “Please wait, Princess Mary. There’s actually one more person who would like to meet you…”

“I’m sorry, but staying any longer would only put all of you in danger. I must leave now.”

“I see… No, you’re right. There’s no choice.”

Surprisingly, Ami’s father readily gave in. But this time, Ami clutched Mary’s dress with a sorrowful expression, “Are you leaving already…?”

Mary smiled at her, gently stroking her head. “You’re such a bundle of energy, Ami, the future of this village will be bright. Please do your best.”

“Yeah! I’ll give it my all!”

Ami’s limbs were slender, and concerns lingered about her fragile body. But her complexion was healthy, and there was no doubt that she would survive and grow up strong. If Mary managed to survive, she promised herself that she would visit again.

With those thoughts in mind, Mary bid farewell and departed from the house. The three of them said their goodbyes, their hearts clinging to one another with a sense of lingering attachment.

“It was tough, but if I could provide them with hope just through conversation…”

Mary also gained insight into how the villagers perceived Romeo’s death, gaining a deeper understanding of the reality of the situation. While her visit may have served as a mere diversion, she believed there was something valuable to be gained.

Mary swiftly left the village while concealing herself from the soldiers, moving with the grace of a nimble beast.

◇◇◇

The villagers peered anxiously from inside their houses, their eyes fixed on the unfolding scene. Soldiers, clad in heavily armored power suits covered in gray plates, had gathered in the village center, where they were setting up a massive capsule-like device. No one knew its purpose, but a vague sense of unease permeated the air.

Ami clung tightly to her father’s coat as she peered out the window, “Dad… Could this have something to do with Lady Mary?”

“Unlikely. Who would’ve exposed Princess Mary’s presence?”

“But, Uncle didn’t show up…”

“He’s been my dear friend for years. He wouldn’t betray us. Besides, Princess Mary has already left.”

“Yeah… It wouldn’t make sense now that she’s gone…”

Nevertheless, the unease lingered. Ami’s mother joined them, and the three of them stood frozen, watching the events unfold.

Apart from the soldiers busily setting up the device, there was no one else in sight. The patrolling soldiers seemed to also have vanished. Once the installation was complete, even the soldiers in their powered suits stepped back.

Curious villagers cautiously approached, observing the mysterious contraption. Suddenly, the device started to transform on its own, and the sealed discharge outlet opened, releasing a purplish smoke that engulfed the surroundings.

“Something… is coming out…?”

“Mom, dad… I’m scared…”

“Don’t worry, Ami. We’re here with you.”

The concerned family watched as the nearby villagers, who were closest to the device, became exposed to the gas. At first, they seemed unaffected, but soon their expressions turned perplexed as they started scratching their bodies.

Initially, it was just itching.

But with each scratch, their skin peeled off, sticking beneath their nails. Blood began to seep out. The itching escalated into a stinging pain. And as they continued to scratch, their flesh was scraped away.

A man screamed as he witnessed his own flesh being torn by his own hands. In his panic, he inadvertently inhaled a large amount of the gas, causing him to cough and spew blood from his mouth. Without any intervention, both his external and internal body writhed in pain.

He glanced at his unscathed arm. The skin had vanished, exposing raw flesh that was even starting to dissolve. Bones protruded down to his fingertips, and his nails fell to the ground.

“Oh… Ahhhhhh! It hurts… Aaah! Cough, cough!”

Hair began to fall out, teeth were lost, his voice grew hoarse, and blood gushed from his mouth like a torrent.

“No… Aaaaaah!” Ami buried her face in her father’s back, unable to witness the horrifying sight.

“Does… coming into contact with that gas cause you to dissolve…?”

It was not a mere poison, but a corrosive substance—a murderous weapon designed to disintegrate only the human body. This was the plan orchestrated by Logan.

“Ami, Dear, we need to get away!”

“Y-Yes!”

The father embraced Ami and, along with his wife, attempted to leave the house. But as they stepped outside, the ground was already blanketed with a purple gas.

Seeing it begin to enter, he hurriedly closed the door.

“We can’t escape? What do we do, Dad?”

“I-I don’t know! But… but we’ll protect you, Ami, no matter what!”

Even with the door tightly closed, the gas managed to seep through. The area surrounding the house was now enshrouded in a purple haze, leaving no means of escape.

◇◇◇

Mary, who was still in the vicinity, noticed the presence of soldiers. Presumably, they were the ones responsible for patrolling the village.

“Hey, did you hear anything from the two?”

“Nah, we couldn’t get in touch with them. It’s too late now, Captain. The gas has already been released.”

“I see, unlucky bastards…”

“Maybe Mary Pulcherrima took ’em down.”

“Even so, using gas to wipe out a whole village is downright crazy. I don’t want anything to do with Logan anymore.”

“Agreed.”

“We’ll stick to our plan and leave the rest to Logan’s private troops.”

“Got it.”

As they started to move, Mary emerged from the bushes where she had been hiding. Hearing the noise behind them, the soldiers turned around.

“Mary?!” Three soldiers swiftly aimed their guns.

Mary acted quickly, eliminating the soldiers before they could react.

The first one: She shot a bone spike from her palm, hitting him the throat and piercing through.

The second one: She extended bones from her heel and swiftly closed the gap. With a blade extending from her hand, she stabbed him in the heart.

The third one: She grabbed his head with an arm that sprouted from her back, twisted it, and tore off his neck.

All of this happened in less than a second.

Before the other soldiers could aim their guns, the three threats were taken care of. The remaining soldiers felt fear as they witnessed it, even before anger could arise.

“This can’t be real…”

“T-This is impossible…!”

“Let’s get the hell outta here!”

Pursuing them can wait. Now’s not the time.

Without even sparing them a glance, Mary grabbed one of the fallen bodies and dragged it along as she ran. When she reached the outskirts of the village, she tossed the corpse into the gas that lay ahead.

As time passed, the skin of the corpse gradually dissolved, exposing the flesh.

“This is…!” Mary bit her lip in anger.

The gas had already engulfed the entire village.

Ordinary people who aren’t mages are probably already…

“No, there might still… be someone… alive!”

Mary herself ventured into the hazardous mist, but no matter how far she ran through the purple haze, her body remained unharmed.

While the poison was designed to dissolve flesh, Mary’s regenerative abilities countered its effects, allowing her to move unhindered.

In the village, Mary bore witness to a nightmarish scene.

“Ugh… Ugh… Princess… Please… save us…”

“It hurts… It hurts… Help us, please…”

The poison didn’t deliver a swift death; it slowly dissolved the victims’ muscles, starting from their extremities, leaving them immobilized before gradually claiming their lives. The last stage was likely to reach the internal organs.

“It hurts… The pain… Lady Mary, please…”

As soon as the villagers caught sight of Mary, desperation filled their pleas.

“Please, end our suffering…”

Mary widened her eyes, looking down at a villager crawling on the ground. Gritting her teeth, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, she endured the excruciating pain and thrust her blade into the villager.

“Thank you… so much…”

Those words brought her fleeting solace. Mary then summoned the “mouth” from her chest and fed the corpse to it. Afterward, she made her way to Ami’s house and opened the door.

In the dining room, where they had once shared meals, the two figures were present.

The father held the mother protectively in his arms, but their bodies were already mangled, their flesh and blood merging together. Both turned their vacant eyeballs toward Mary, forming a semblance of a smile around their mouths.

“Princess Mary…”

Their voices no longer reached her ears, so Mary relied on their lip movements.

“You’ve returned… Thank you.”

“We… can no longer do anything…”

“Please, save Ami…”

“I’m begging you… Help our child…”

The father’s gaze shifted behind Mary, indicating a door leading to a storeroom.

Hastily opening it, Mary revealed an attic as the ceiling opened up. She climbed up and discovered the gas had not yet reached there. In a corner, a trembling girl clutched herself tightly.

“Ami?”

“Mary… Lady…? Oh, oh, Lady Maryyyy!” Ami crawled toward Mary, tears streaming down her tattered face.

Mary tightly embraced the small body and stroked her head. “I’m glad you’re safe. Let’s escape immediately.”

“What about Mom and Dad?!”

Mary silently shook her head. Despair colored the girl’s face.

“No… Nooo… Dad… Mooom!”

“They entrusted you to me. I promise to bring you out alive!”

“Ugh… Ughhh… Waaaahhhh!”

With an arm sprouting from her back, Mary shattered the ceiling.

While still holding Ami to avoid prolonged exposure to the gas, she kicked off the roof and soared high into the air. Landing on the next roof, she immediately leaped again. She repeated this process, swiftly escaping from the village.

Finding refuge in the forest, where the gas had not yet spread, Mary gently released Ami from her embrace, the girl having buried her face in Mary’s chest.

“Lady Mary… Where are you going?”

“The villagers are suffering, unable to die even if they want to.”

“Ah… My parents… They…?”

As Mary nodded, Ami looked down and bit her lip. She quickly raised her face and spoke with a tear-stained expression. “I’m going to end their suffering.”

“You’re right… that’s right… that.. It’s better that way…” Ami repeated those words to herself, as if trying to convince herself. “I get it… Please… Relieve their pain. Save my father and mother!”

“Yes, I’ll return soon. Wait here.” Mary leapt up high into the air. Ami watched her back, her eyes brimming with tears.

◇◇◇

And so, Mary returned to the depths of hell. From the surrounding houses, cries of agony echoed. With each step she took, Mary became a harbinger of death, moving from one suffering villager to another.

The villagers, gasping in pain, drenched in blood, crawling on the ground, pleading for death—Mary ended their lives without hesitation, even as tears streamed down her face. She consumed and devoured every single one of those corpses, making them her sustenance.

“Let’s go and kill Logan together. That’ll be the only way I can pay my respects,” Mary whispered in the abandoned village. The pieces of flesh that had become a part of her body seemed to surge and tremble with a euphoric frenzy.