King Julius couldn't believe what was happening. As he ran down the secret passageway, he frantically tried to sort out what was going on. Captain Swallow was after his life?? But why? She had said something about his actions incurring the wrath of a Goddess from another world, but how had he done that? She'd brought up his turning Hero Alesha into a sword -- was it about that?!
Panting heavily, he regretted how he'd let down his guard. If he had been about to hold an audience with any of the Heroes, he'd have worn his armor and carried a sword. Had it been a foreign dignitary, he'd have insisted on retaining at least one Royal Guard right next to him. Of course, it had been the Captain of a Knighthood devoted to him and him alone; so why would he have been suspicious? There was no reason for him to suspect one of the people directly in charge of protecting him.
Had it not been for the fact that she'd returned earlier than commanded without explanation, he wouldn't have even hid the Nightwatchers in the Throne Room. If it weren't for that, he'd be dead already.
The thought sent chills down his spine as he ran.
Not even five minutes passed before Captain LuRoss came to cut down the Nightwatchers that had come to escort him. In short order, they were dead, and the King found himself alone in a poorly-lit passageway, confronting one of the best Knights in the Kingdom.
"Alesha, it's all you now," she said.
A moment later, Bana Laoch changed color and acquired an ominous aura. Glowing red, jawless teeth hovered near the now-luminous ruby embedded in the hilt; the ruby at its pommel echoed its vermillion luminescence. Gently swirling wisps of purple-red smoke danced along the surface of the weapon.
At the same time, the Captain's light blue eyes spontaneously changed, the pupils slitting like a cat's and acquiring a rainbow, color-wheel hue. They glowed brightly in the passageway's dim light.
"Hello, Your Majesty," she spat. "I'm here for revenge."
He wasn't certain if the person before him was actually Alesha, but it certainly wasn't Captain Edelle LuRoss. Not with those eyes, that expression.
"Who are you? What revenge do you seek to claim from me?" He demanded boldly, shoving down his fear. When in doubt, pretend you have the upper hand; that strategy had served him well in negotiations for decades.
"Ha! Didn't the Captain's question give you a hint? It's me, Alesha." She held Bana Laoch forward, flat side facing the King. "You turned me into a sword. You even had the audacity to apologize for it before doing so!! You can't be sorry for something you're about to do! That's not how apologies work!"
"But how…?" The King asked, bewildered. "Merlin affirmed that the consciousness would be destroyed during the process, so how is this possible?"
The Captain's face twisted into a sneer. "Ah, my consciousness was supposed to be destroyed, was it? Well, I've got news for you. I've been trying to figure out how I woke up and in the process, found out something rather surprising. Would you like me to tell you?"
The King nodded, hoping to buy time for reinforcements to find him. Maybe he could even placate her anger if she was able to vent her frustrations to a listening ear. What would come after that? He didn't know. All he knew was that, for now, his best option was to buy time.
The Captain's face shifted, taking on a self-satisfied grin. "I bet you would. However, I have no intention of giving you the sense of satisfaction that would come from getting answers. Nor do I intend to give you the chance to buy time, wait for allies, or escape."
With that, Bana Laoch came rushing towards him horizontally. When he attempted to duck below the strike, the sword was already there, severing his head with one clean sweep.
"Goodbye, Hypocrite King," Alesha said, "Die with your curiosity unfulfilled, knowing only that your hope was futile."
[King Julius Killed! +500 XP]
[Level Up!]
Utterly dumbfounded, Alesha stared at the familiar purple status windows in surprise. Two others (both deep maroon with golden flecks) appeared alongside them, but she didn't care about them at all.
How were those specific purple windows here?! Further, wasn't she supposed to be unable to acquire XP or level up in this world due to the "Hated By Gaia" title??
*****
Plunder conditions met! New skill acquired: Dignity Lvl 1
Skill description: Even when the skill possessor is resting, they exude a dignified aura. Sentient beings are more likely to see the skill possessor as someone to be respected.
*****
*****
Gluttony conditions met!
Random stat acquired: Intelligence +5
*****
Briefly glancing at the contents of the gold-flecked windows, she closed them out. Then, when she pulled up the "Hated By Gaia" title to figure out what was going on, she saw the following crimson window:
*****
"Hated by Gaia" (Greater Curse)
"Experience Gain Block, Level-Up Restriction, Status Value Lock"
Cannot gain experience or level up by killing monsters
Status values cannot be increased by leveling up, equipping magical items, or drinking potions
*****
A sardonic laugh escaped her lips as she realized what she had missed before. It was so obvious that she couldn't help but feel stupid: the experience gain block and leveling restriction only applied to monsters.
In other words, all this time, she could have leveled up by killing humans.