Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 473: Red Passage

"There is no way." Dancer whispered under his breath, his shock concealed as he gazed at Loup with eyes entirely changed from earlier.

For once, the young wolf wasn't snarling, howling, or frothing. His head hung low, fingers clenched hard in his lap, as though restraining himself fiercely.

"It's really true." White remarked casually, sprawled on the decayed, filthy sofa.

"This friend of ours happens to be the grandson of that old lady butchered just days back. And unjustly so, I must say. Come on, Dancer, you don't actually buy that rubbish, do you?"

White lazily shifted his gaze, fixing it on Dancer's strikingly beautiful features. A gentle smile curved his lips.

"How on earth could a Wasted break into the King's quarters and snatch the Ring of Ragnarok? Does that even sound logical to you?"

"It... doesn't." Dancer replied cautiously, his stare locked on Loup's visage. Only then did the family likeness strike him clearly.

A trembling exhale escaped him as he fought to stay calm, then he pressed on. "So, does that mean you aim to take down the King?"

"We're not quite that reckless." White chuckled. "It's not the order-giver we're after. Just the head of the one who carried them out."

"The First Prince's head, right?"

"Aye."

"Not just that." Loup interrupted, his gaze burning with pure hate and fury. "Not merely his head. I'll strip everything from that scum. I'll make him suffer far worse than what he inflicted on my grandmother."

Teeth grinding, he met Dancer's eyes without a blink. In that moment, Dancer glimpsed beyond the wild pup in Loup.

Right then, he saw a boy — barely twelve — who had witnessed his sole kin's decapitated corpse devoured by famished, broken wolves.

A youth marked by the world's brutality, craving only to exact his revenge, fully aware no one else would step in.

'This is what life boils down to, huh?' Dancer pondered, shutting his eyes for a second, memories flooding back. 'No one gives a damn if you're worthless. And even with worth but no power to guard it, you're chained and bent to their whims. And you'd figure strength would shield you...'

A bitter laugh escaped Dancer, drawing stares from Loup and White alike.

They saw the stunning man hunching over, like he yearned to flee some inner torment.

Yet how does one flee what festers within the mind — howling, twisting, yanking him into the horrors from that damned Church?

All the agonies inflicted by the Disciple of Sorrow.

'Nothing saves you in this world. Not even might. Power just attracts the famished, the covetous, the stronger. And you're exploited once more.'

Over and over. Endlessly.

An endless loop. A cycle of doom, leaving one helpless against fate's tides.

'All that lingers in us afterward are wounds. Wounds that hollow us out. Hollows begging to be stuffed. And stuff them we do, with whatever comes our way.'

Carnal bliss. Rage. Self-hatred. Or the timeless favorite...

"Vengeance." Dancer uttered at last, his tone rough with buried anguish, facing Loup and White. "That's your desire, pup?"

"Yes." Loup snarled in response.

Dancer shifted to White, who grinned amid the thick tension. "And you, ghostly freak, what's in it for you? What part do you play here?"

"I'm merely an aide." White drawled lazily. "An aide to vengeance. Not out of my own wish, but by command."

"Your god's decree, I bet?"

"Aye." White confirmed with a nod. "So relax, pretty boy. Your aims mean nothing to me, but I'll make them happen. That's my god's desire. What am I if not a devoted servant to my Lord?"

Dancer inclined his head, then focused back on Loup.

"You crave the First Prince's head. Here's my price." He declared, interlocking his fingers and propping his chin atop them. "Simple enough. I need a gateway known as the Red Passage, hidden somewhere in the Royal Palace."

His gaze flicked between his fresh allies, gauging their reactions.

"I've already started hunting it down."

"How so?" White cut in.

Dancer paused for a heartbeat, weighing the risk. But he decided quickly. No alternative existed; full trust required revealing his methods.

With a sigh, he parted his lips and confessed outright. "I charm the Palace women."

Silence crashed over the room, shattered fast by White's guffaws and Loup's disgusted rumble.

"I knew you were a slut." Loup glowered, though a keen ear caught the envy lurking beneath.

White wouldn't miss that chance.

"Look at that, Dancer. Stirring up our virgin's jealousy once more." He laughed. "Care to demonstrate for him?"

Loup's cheeks blazed with rage and shame.

"Sadly, that's out of reach." Dancer smirked smugly. "You need real looks to pull off even a sliver of my feats."

He scanned — judged — Loup top to bottom and up, then shook his head in feigned pity. "You fall way short there, pup."

"I'm not ugly!" Loup roared, lunging at Dancer like a furious hound. White snagged him mid-leap, slamming him onto the sofa and perching on his back.

It all unfolded in a flash.

The pup thrashed, shouted, and swore at them both.

"Personality's lacking too." Dancer pressed on ruthlessly, pink eyes sparkling with devilry. "Girls despise noisy idiots."

"Hahaha! Who can say?" White shot back, clamping a hand over Loup's mouth. "Some lass might feel sorry for him somewhere."

"Not probable. But spare his dreams."

"So, pretty, how many are under your thumb?" White asked, tone sharpening slightly. Loup quit fighting, sensing the pointlessness.

White's strength dwarfed his.

"Plenty." Dancer answered.

"High-status ones?"

The beauty flashed a grin. "Naturally. No boast, but two Queens are mine already. Plus maids, guards, and top nobles aplenty. And speaking of which, time to relocate. I'll snag us a solid base."

Even White paled in disbelief, gaping at Dancer like it was unbelievable.

Loup's eyes nearly popped out.

The Kingdom's Queens. King Fenrir's spouses. Two already ensnared by him?

That revelation hit them hard, showing how much they'd misjudged Dancer.

And should he claim the final Queen...

He'd hold sway over vast swaths of the realm's power. All thanks to his allure.

White's gaze gleamed. "Dancer, you gorgeous devil, did you know I adore you?"

"I stick to ladies."

"I already—!"

"No. No shifting into a girl for me." He interrupted, face twisting. "I've got priority females. Like the final Queen. She's the toughest mark. But crucial for us."

"Why?" Loup queried, freed by White. He glared darkly at the pale youth, who just winked.

"She's the newest, the pet, and thus nearest to the King." Dancer explained. "Think of the secrets she could spill. I could locate the Red Passage. And aid you too."

"Got a scheme?" White inquired, cocking his head.

Dancer's smile widened.

"Naturally." He affirmed. "First off, good tidings for you two."

One finger lifted.

"The First Queen let slip something key days back." He teased, snaring Loup's focus instantly. "The First Prince is pulling in fresh recruits for his Faction. No clue why. Couldn't dig deeper; she clammed up. But word is, his Faction's seen loads of deaths recently."

Loup tensed up.

"That's your opening." Dancer went on. "A chance to near your prey. Tread carefully, though. Something's rotten here."

"Intriguing. Next intel?" White urged.

A second finger rose. "This covers slipping past the last Queen's defenses."

He eyed White and smirked.

"You, Shapeshifter, will make the ultimate accomplice in this venture. Which I'm dubbing gloriously: How To Bed The Last Queen Of The Wolves Kingdom."

White howled with laughter. Loup groaned, embarrassed but adapting.

"That's a tale folks would devour!" White gasped amid mirth. "Count me in! Gotta stock up stories for Crimson and crew."

"I'd love to meet—!"

"Not happening. Ever."

"Let me fin—!"

"I said no."

"Tsk."

Thus, the trio hammered out their scheme.

—End of Chapter 473—