The Insane Regressor: Throne of Pride

The door to the servant’s room closed softly behind Ravian and Mirai, and the silence swallowed the sound as though it had never existed.

The two paused at the threshold, surveying the corridor stretching before them before stepping into it. The sourceless morning light continued to filter through the windows of Evernight Palace, yet it no longer gave the place any semblance of life. The chandeliers did not sway, the heavy curtains did not stir, and even the dust suspended within the light appeared unnaturally still.

There were no mirage servants carrying trays, no guests wandering between the halls, no doors opening, and no service carts rolling across the tiles. Everything that had once made the palace appear inhabited had vanished, leaving behind only long corridors, closed rooms, and four participants, each knowing that any one of the other three might be the cause of their death.

Ravian took the lead while Mirai followed half a step behind, clutching the Master Key Ring tightly inside her fist to prevent it from making the slightest sound. Neither of them spoke. Ravian stopped before every turn, listened for several seconds, then slowly peered around the corner before allowing her to continue with him.

”By the way,” Mirai suddenly said, still clutching the back of Ravian’s coat as he had instructed her to do before they left. ”Who was your victim last night?”

Ravian looked at her over his shoulder for a moment before turning his attention forward again.

”Would knowing that make any difference?”

”Of course it would,” Mirai replied from behind him with a frown.

Ravian sighed before answering, ”It was Sylvan.”

Mirai’s eyes widened at the name as though she had expected someone else.

”You even managed to trap Sylvan?” she asked.

”It wasn’t particularly difficult,” Ravian replied, paying no attention to the shock on Mirai’s face.

”Judging by the way he manipulated people and conducted himself at the beginning, I thought he was the smartest person here after Aldric,” Mirai said, knitting her brows. ”But it turns out even he could be brought down overnight.”

Ravian stopped when he heard her and stared deeply into her eyes.

”And what about me? If Sylvan ranked second and Aldric first, where did you rank me, Head Servant?” Ravian asked, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.

Mirai froze at his sudden stop and the abrupt shift in his mood. She remained silent for a moment before answering.

”Those two are normal people...” Mirai said, avoiding his gaze, though it was unclear whether she did so out of fear or embarrassment. ”But you’re a monster. I don’t place you in the same category as them. I don’t even understand how you eliminated so many people so easily and in such a short time.”

Ravian nodded with a smile, but said, ”You’re exaggerating, my lady. All of you were simply far too stupid, and I don’t think there’s anyone who couldn’t have done the same.”

He resumed walking, while Mirai shook her head and Ravian continued watching her over his shoulder with interest.

”This wasn’t easy, Rayan, and I don’t blame you for doing it. If I had been in your place, I would have done the same, but what you accomplished wasn’t simple. Even the nightmare itself said that this was the first time anything like this had happened—that only six participants remained after merely the second night. Not to mention now: we’re still only on the fourth day, yet just four of the original nine participants remain, and all of it happened under our watch despite every precaution we took,” Mirai said, counting each point on her fingers as she herself absorbed one new shock after another with every passing second.

Then she looked at him.

”It wouldn’t have been surprising if you had aroused suspicion while doing all of this, Rayan, but...” Mirai paused briefly. ”Until this morning, no one suspected you—not me, not even Aldric. I only discovered the truth because you confessed to me a short while ago. We were even planning to include you in our plan today if events had unfolded differently.”

”But among every scenario we considered, we never once imagined anything resembling what is happening now,” Mirai said as disappointment briefly surfaced in her eyes. It was unclear whom that disappointment was directed toward, but it was undoubtedly there.

”Hmm,” Ravian murmured as though everything she had said were perfectly obvious, though only he knew how much he had tormented his mind searching for loopholes that would allow him to eliminate so many people within such a short time.

’Still, I really should thank the nightmare. Even though it tried to make things more difficult today, the situation has actually worked slightly in my favor,’ Ravian thought as his distinctive smile appeared on his lips. Every few seconds, he glanced at Mirai over his shoulder, carefully assessing her condition.

Since the morning notifications appeared, the nightmare had not revealed itself again.

No mist had formed before them, no mysterious voice had echoed between the walls, and no punishment had descended upon anyone. It was as though the entity that had created this place had withdrawn somewhere beyond their reach and contented itself with watching.

But Ravian did not mistake silence for absence.

The nightmare was here, and it would remain here. They were the ones who would eventually leave, not it.

As for the plan Ravian had explained to Mirai, it was not truly complicated.

First, they had to find Aldric, who, according to Mirai, had entered his room in full view of her and had not left again, making it impossible for him to be the Traitor, and confirm that he was still alive. Afterward, Mirai and Aldric would hide somewhere inside the palace unknown to the Traitor, whoever it was, and neither of them would leave that place under any circumstances until nightfall.

Ravian, meanwhile, had to carry out the only part that could get him killed before his plan even began.

He had to find the Traitor and uncover their identity—whether it was Bran or Garrick, the only two possibilities left...

A disturbing thought suddenly occurred to Ravian. He spun toward Mirai and seized her firmly by both shoulders.

Mirai flinched at the abrupt movement, but she did not truly resist. It seemed as though she had already entrusted her fate to Ravian from the moment they left the mirage servant’s room.

Ravian then asked her, ”Are you certain Aldric wasn’t the person who died last night alongside Sylvan?”