Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 28: A Drop of Blood for a Coin

“...”

Lynn, seemingly provoked by the puppet’s taunts, slowly raised the revolver and mimicked its action, pressing the gun to his temple.

The puppet’s smile grew sharper, dripping with ridicule. “Unbelievable. The famed cunning of Trickery believers doesn’t seem to manifest in you at all. You’re just a worthless fool.”

Lynn frowned slightly, glancing at the puppet.

Seeing this, the puppet’s mocking laughter intensified. “I loaded two bullets. That gives us two possible arrangements: either they’re adjacent or spaced apart.”

“If the bullets are adjacent, combined with my earlier empty shot, the probability of your death is one in four.”

“If they’re spaced apart, then your death probability becomes two in four.”

“But if you spin the chamber before firing, the chance drops to two in six… Ha! Imagine being a Trickery believer and unable to do basic math!”

Ignoring its provocations, Lynn suddenly asked, “I’ve got a question. If you’re hit by a bullet, will you die like a human? Or have you rigged it so you can’t lose?”

“I’m no Trickery believer. I don’t play those kinds of games,” the puppet sneered disdainfully. “Though this body is no longer fully human, a fatal wound would still kill me.”

“However... I’d revive after ten minutes. Gahaha—”

Before the puppet could finish its taunt, its expression froze.

It stared at Lynn in disbelief, only to find the same incredulous look mirrored in Lynn’s eyes.

“Wait... so you can die?” Lynn’s voice brimmed with genuine shock. “Then why would you talk to me like that? Didn’t you know I can fight?”

At that moment, the cold muzzle of the revolver was pressed against the puppet’s head. The puppet froze, unable to move.

It hadn’t anticipated this turn of events.

Trying to maintain composure, it stammered, “Y-you might want to reconsider... Doing this could vi-violate—”

Before it could finish, Lynn suddenly pulled the trigger repeatedly.

“Bang! Bang!”

Two flashes of fire erupted, and the puppet was hurled backward by the powerful recoil, collapsing onto the floor.

---

“Is... is that even possible?”

Watching the scene through the enchanted mirror, Morris wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Since the mirror didn’t capture sound, he could only see the events unfold like a silent movie. Even so, he witnessed Lynn’s bold actions in their entirety.

Morris knew a bit about this containment item. He had always believed that survival required sheer luck.

Milanie, standing nearby, glanced at him with a mix of pity and exasperation.

“Loyal as you are to the Princess, your brain clearly isn’t your strongest asset.”

“But if that’s all it takes, it shouldn’t be much of a challenge for him, right?” Morris remarked, his tone skeptical as he turned to Rhine.

He’d assumed Rhine’s goal was to get Lynn killed by bringing him here. But now it seemed like an empty threat.

However, Rhine, who had witnessed everything from start to finish, didn’t seem upset at all. On the contrary, a strange smile crept onto his face.

“About a month ago, Her Highness retrieved an artifact from an ancient, forgotten ruin. After some investigation, it was confirmed that the object bore traces of ancient demon blood.”

“Over the centuries, likely due to demonic corruption, it underwent a wicked transformation. Wicked enough that even Her Highness found it troublesome and had to seal it away temporarily using a specific containment method.”

Rhine’s voice dropped, his tone turning ominous.

“Do you recall the dossier on the ‘Deadly Marionette’ project?”

Morris’s mind flashed to a document he had read:

Item Name: Deadly Marionette

Project ID: 0381

Sequence Level: 6

Background: Cursed by a powerful Trickery believer, the item became a half-human, half-puppet entity compelled to engage anyone in a deadly gamble upon sharing a room.

Effects: During the gamble, all supernatural phenomena within a five-meter radius are nullified, with the nullification taking precedence over other powers.

Containment Recommendation: As it poses limited danger and does not affect other cursed objects, it can be used as a containment tool when necessary.

Level 6? That’s as dangerous as a Trickery Coin.

Morris hadn’t paid much attention to this item before, as he lacked interest in containment procedures. But recalling the details now, he realized something significant.

“The Deadly Marionette... It’s just a decoy, isn’t it? Its real purpose is to use its power to nullify supernatural forces and seal something far more dangerous.”

“Dangerous is the word I’d use, yes,” Rhine replied, his eyes glinting ominously.

“Its name... is the Greed Box.”

Milanie stayed silent, her expression ambiguous.

---

Lynn stared at the lifeless puppet sprawled on the ground and shook his head.

This guy must’ve been sent here for comedic relief.

But could Rhine really be stupid enough to think such a laughable contraption would scare him into turning the gun on himself?

Shrugging off the absurdity, Lynn rose from the chair. The invisible force that had restrained him was now completely gone, and his extraordinary abilities were once again at his disposal—a clear sign that the puppet was dead.

Remembering the puppet’s claim of reviving in ten minutes, Lynn decided to wait for its return.

He didn’t particularly care about revenge; rather, the puppet’s earlier comments suggested it knew a great deal about the Trickery faith. Lynn wanted answers.

Especially about the bizarre vision he’d seen during his first use of the Swallower of Lies ability—a colossal figure bound and tormented by countless threads.

Not to mention the name he’d unconsciously uttered back then: "Prisoner of Fate."

Lynn’s understanding of the Trickery faith was minimal, largely because it had never been mentioned in the original narrative. Still, he had his suspicions.

Just as the “Lord of Infinite Stars” symbolized cosmic order, the “Prisoner of Fate” might represent the god of Trickery.

While Lynn was lost in thought, a soft “click” caught his attention.

Looking up instinctively, he remembered the ancient wooden box resting on the table—the one he’d assumed belonged to the puppet but was never used.

Now, the box had opened on its own.

Peering inside, Lynn saw a single, slightly yellowed piece of paper.

As if reacting to his gaze, a line of blood-red text slowly appeared on the paper:

“Give me a drop of blood, and I’ll give you a coin.”

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