I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Chapter 103 King's Limits

"you can rest easy, miss minerva," king said. a faint smile on his lips. "we're here to handle this."

"can you even handle it?" diana asked, her arms crossed as her gaze swept over the group, as though assessing their capabilities. "that despicable man has killed every hunter who's gone after him so far."

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"every hunter except me," king replied.

diana's eyes narrowed as she studied him. was this confidence genuine, or was he simply trying to impress her and minerva, just as he had just an hour ago?

"you can trust us," king spoke up. "there's no need to involve other guilds for a third-rate criminal."

"we're not calling guilds to handle this," diana shook her head. "we're reaching out to private hunters to ensure the job gets done. after that, we'll leave."

'this is worse', king thought.

"what exactly do you mean by 'private hunters'?" reynold asked politely.

"we've enlisted a few a-rank hunters," diana said flatly, then added, "and one s-rank."

"that much for a bandit?" lua blurted out in surprise. it seemed like overkill for a single target.

"it wasn't my decision..." diana said, glancing toward minerva, who was still comforting the girl with a gentle, reassuring smile.

minerva had made the call. she wanted davon crook dealt with immediately, and she wasn't willing to take chances. connections and money weren't an issue for her; all that mattered was seeing justice served swiftly. her determination to wait for the hunters to arrive stemmed from her desire for absolute certainty that crook would face the consequences of his actions.

"well, he'll be dealt with long before your private hunters arrive."

king stepped forward, his focus shifting to the little girl. she instinctively shrank back, intimidated by the mask obscuring king's face.

"hey there, sweetheart," king said softly, his tone kind as he knelt to meet her gaze. "can i ask you something?"

hearing his voice, which lacked any hint of menace, the girl peeked out from minerva's embrace, her wide eyes watching him cautiously.

"i just need to know if you have any idea where they might be," king said gently. "or maybe you can tell me how you managed to escape? it's to help save others like you. you want to help them, don't you?"

at his final words, the girl's eyes brightened. she nodded slowly, her small hands gripping minerva's sleeve for reassurance.

"i—i ran from them because some big wolves attacked," the girl said, her voice trembling. "i ran... and kept running..." her words faltered as tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks.

"a pack of wolves, you say? interesting," king said, unfolding the map of the forest he'd been given. his eyes scanned the lines denoting rivers, trees, and elevations. "did you see any rivers? or maybe landmarks—something that could help me pinpoint where you were?"

"it's going to melt?" she asked softly. "but it's so beautiful..."

"i'll make another for you," king replied with a small smile. "once i've brought your friends back, you'll have another flower to keep and one which will never melt."

"really?" she asked widened her eyes.

"promise," king said, standing and ruffling her hair lightly to which the girl smiled.

with a final reassuring smile, he turned to his companions. "let's go, team," he said, his tone taking a sadistic edge each time he was tasked to assassinate a scumbag "time to take out the trash."

"you bet!" reynold replied, slamming his fist in his palm. he was even more fired up for the task now while the three girls smiled.

minerva, watching the exchange closely, glanced at the little girl. she was now hugging the ice flower tightly, a smile lighting up her face for the first time since they'd found her.

turning her gaze back to king, minerva made her decision. "i'm going with them," she said standing up.

diana let out a sigh, seeing this coming from miles away. "sister...i knew it."

"can you take care of her?" minerva asked, nodding toward the girl.

"i'm not letting you go alone with these strangers," she said, signaling to one of the guards.

"milady?" the guard asked, awaiting orders.

"keep her safe," diana said. "we'll deal with the problem ourselves."

"but—" the guard began concerned.

"we'll take the other three with us. there's nothing to worry about," diana said.

though reluctant, the guard eventually nodded. "yes, milady," he said, his tone resigned.

with their plan in place, minerva raised her hand. the ring on her index finger gleamed brilliantly before transforming into a magnificent bow with a regal design. diana mirrored the motion, summoning a beautifully crafted green-sheathed sword.

"may we accompany you?" minerva asked.

king turned to her, his azure eyes gleaming as a wide smile spread across his face. "that would be my greatest pleasure, lady minerva."

before minerva could respond, diana stepped forward, her arms crossed. "let's be clear. we're here to help, nothing more. our relationship stops right there. don't try anything strange or overstep your boundaries."

king turned his glowing eyes toward her. "i wouldn't dare, lady diana."