SSS Hypnosis: I Made the Heroines Beg for Forgiveness-Chapter 35: Falling Down~

One Hour Ago

Footsteps echoed through a lavish hallway lined with ornate decorations, elegant paintings in gilded frames, and crimson drapes embroidered with floral patterns.

Everything reeked of luxury.

In the midst of all this, four figures were striding quickly. One was a red-haired woman, another a blond man, beside him a black-haired man with a scar across his face. Leading them all was a woman with violet hair and eyes that gleamed like stars in the night sky.

"Where is he, Nimi?" Alice snapped at the purple-haired woman. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Leader, just thirty minutes ago, a citizen reported to a patrolling officer. He claimed to have seen Jack the Ripper, in broad daylight," Nimi replied sharply.

Niel and Theodore, trailing behind, kept quiet, doing their best to grasp the situation.

"The man said he saw someone that matched Jack the Ripper’s description exactly, white hair like moonlight, crimson eyes like congealed blood, and most importantly, dressed head to toe in white," Nimi continued.

Alice gave a small nod. "Do that man know where he saw him?"

"At the royal square, Leader. The witness saw Jack the Ripper... ordering larva sticks."

Niel and Theodore both grimaced. The most wanted criminal in the entire kingdom, casually buying larva sticks in daylight?

And larva sticks were notorious for tasting awful, seriously, they were disgusting. Only people with bizarre taste buds could stomach that.

"And one more thing. Before ordering, the witness saw him riding a bicycle... singing," Nimi added.

Niel and Theodore blinked in disbelief.

A bicycle?

Alice nodded again, her pace quickening, prompting the others to keep up.

They were now walking through the halls of the royal castle of the Solas Kingdom.

Balthazar Von Salvatore, the reigning king of Solas.

Alice was heading straight to report this to His Majesty himself.

The four of them soon arrived before a large set of doors carved with a horse motif, fitted with black, finely detailed handles.

Without hesitation, Alice kicked them open.

They were greeted by an extravagant chamber, crystal chandeliers hanging overhead, golden chairs spread across the room. At the center, a large table piled with documents.

Standing before the window, hands clasped behind his back, was a red-haired man with piercing yellow eyes. Beside him stood an elderly butler with a long white beard and formal attire.

The butler turned toward the door, startled by the abrupt entrance.

"Who dares—"

"Balthazar. Send out all your troops. We’re taking him in," Alice interrupted coldly, without the slightest bow or formality toward the King of Solas.

Niel and Theodore froze. She just... ordered the king?

"I’m already aware of the situation, Alice. I’ve dispatched my soldiers," Balthazar said without turning, his voice deep and calm.

"All of them?" Alice narrowed her eyes.

"No. Just a portion," Balthazar replied evenly.

"You’re a damn fool!" Alice shouted, spittle flying. "Do you have any idea how critical this is? Huh?! Have you completely lost your mind?! Did you forget?!"

Niel, Theodore, and Nimi had never seen their leader like this before. She was usually calm and stoic, but now she was openly furious.

Why was she so afraid of Jack the Ripper?

"You think I’m going to risk the lives of all my men just to catch one guy?"

Balthazar smirked.

"No... no, no. Let him do whatever he wants. Eventually... he’ll die on his own."

Those words snapped whatever thread of patience Alice had left.

She marched up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him forward.

The only civilian who had ever dared to lay hands on a king.

"How dare you—" the old butler began, stepping forward.

But Balthazar simply raised a hand, signaling him to stop.

"You’re really going to let your people die out there? Is that it?! What kind of king are you?! A king who doesn’t care about his own people?!"

Alice’s voice cracked as she shouted. Balthazar, still in her grip, closed his eyes.

"You and I both know that man can’t be stopped. He’s beyond that now... He’s impossible to defeat."

"We don’t need to defeat him! We just need to catch him! Or at the very least—"

Alice’s voice faltered.

She looked down, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"...At least... bring him back to who he used to be," she whispered hoarsely.

Niel, Theodore, and Nimi could only stand in silence behind her. The butler turned to the trio, studying them.

"You three. Who are you? Speak," he asked firmly.

Theodore stepped forward without hesitation.

"Forgive us for barging in. We’re members of the Glacier Flame guild. The woman with red hair, Alice. Is our leader."

The butler’s eyes widened. He stroked his white beard thoughtfully.

"Alice... You mean the Alice? The Celest-tier Ascendant?"

"Yes," Nimi answered briefly.

The butler turned again, looking at the king still held by the collar. He knew the rumors, he knew of the history between Balthazar and Alice.

And now, understanding the connection, he made no further attempt to stop her.

Balthazar gaze remained steady, emotionless, even as Alice clung to him with trembling hands.

"...Are you... crying?" he asked.

"Shut up. Just order your men to find him. We need to end this now, before it’s too late," Alice muttered, voice raw.

"Too late?" Balthazar repeated, sounding confused, almost dull-witted.

"Are you serious right now, Balthazar?!" Alice’s voice rose again as she looked up at him.

Balthazar, still wearing that look of dazed confusion, stared at her.

"...You don’t know, Alice?" he said slowly.

Alice frowned, her chest tightening.

What... is he talking about?

"Let go of me. This is highly disrecspectful, you know? I’m the king now," Balthazar said calmly, grasping Alice’s hand that was still clutching his collar.

Alice reluctantly released him.

Balthazar adjusted his shirt, turned, and walked over to his desk. He skimmed through the documents spread across it before finally finding the stack he was looking for.

He lifted the bundle, then spread them out on the table, roughly twenty sheets of paper in total.

Alice narrowed her eyes, glancing over them. Each paper appeared to include a photograph of a person.

"Take a look," Balthazar said, gesturing for her to come closer.