Kidnapping the princess?

Upon hearing Leon's promise, the Cat Princess' ears twitched involuntarily, and she meowed in doubt.

That imposter posing as herself was indeed hateful, but she... or he was just a character in the "Bedtime Story," catching her, what use would it be?

'The significance of capturing her lies in gaining control over the "narrative advancement."'

After contemplating his current situation, Leon, while squeezing the paw pads of the Cat Princess, thoughtfully answered:

'Although we are also characters in the "Bedtime Story," and we can even vaguely guess some of the story content, we don't know the full picture of the story, so we can only follow it like puppets on strings.

And now, although I haven't completely rid myself of limitations, I've gained a bit of "freedom," so instead of dragging on for the opponent's story nodes, why not try to take the initiative and see if we can disrupt their plans.'

It seems somewhat reasonable...

Nodding in half-understanding, the Cat Princess intended to ask more, but then footsteps stopped outside the door, followed by cautious knocks on the door panel.

"Thud, thud thud."

"Come in."

"Honorable Prince, I am the captain of the Grand Shaman Court's guards, you can call me..."

Turning the doorknob and walking into the room, the captain, who had just heard a bunch of conspiracy theories from the Shaman Society's CEO, couldn't help but scrutinize the "Evil Prince Lion Heart" a bit more.

At that moment, the sun had just set on the horizon, a dim afterglow shone through the window onto Leon's back, slightly brightening his facial contours while engulfing most of his body in shadow.

The shadow cast by Prince Lion Heart leaning against the chairback repeatedly elongated under the dim light, spanning over the slightly worn-out tables and chairs, crossing the dark carpet, slowly and ominously pressing toward the doorway.

And the little black cat perched on his lap seemed to notice the movement at the door, too, peeking its head out from his palm, its two bright, amber eyes staring fixatedly with a gaze belonging to humans...

Hiss...

Startled by Leon's unique "presence" under the night, the captain's smile instantly froze on his lips, with the eerie gaze from both the man and the cat clearing out much of the speech he had prepared.

"Continue."

Tucking his thumb under the Cat Princess' chin and gently raising her furry head with the back of his finger, Leon, with most of his body cloaked in shadow—having activated the [Horror] badge effect— said calmly yet irresistibly:

"What should I call you?"

"Uh... Gary! You can call me Gary!"

The captain, snapping back to reality, quickly reported his name, unconsciously taking deep breaths, and bracing himself to step forward under the immense pressure emanating from the King of Nightmares, stopping beside the chair opposite him, followed by a forced smile:

"Prince, regarding your maid..."

"Wait."

Interrupting the captain's words, the Evil Prince raised his right hand, pointing to the chair opposite him, and said calmly:

"Have a seat."

"Ah? Alright!"

Hearing Leon's command, the captain of the Grand Shaman Court hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously followed the order and sat on the chair opposite him.

However, strangely enough, even though he appeared to be having an equal conversation from standing to sitting, the captain did not feel relaxed; instead, he felt more and more tense.

The darker the outside, the more relaxed the man holding the cat appeared, yet the pressure emanating from him continued to increase, almost suffocating him.

Instinctively scooting forward, sitting with only a small portion of his rear end, and slightly hunching his neck and back, the captain finally managed to breathe more smoothly, vaguely acquiring some bizarre insight.

When someone asks you to sit down and talk, it doesn't necessarily signify an equal conversation; he might simply despise looking up at others...

"Prince..."

Attempting to shrink his body as much as possible, the captain, overwhelmed by the [Horror] effect, whispered with his head lowered:

"We didn't actually capture your guard; we only caught your maid, but she appeared at the Yarn Ball Society's base, unable to explain her presence there, so..."

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Ah?"

Stroking the silky back of the Cat Princess, Leon, with most of his upper body relaxed against the chair back, calmly concealed in the shadow, said:

"I'm asking, is there anything forbidden about that place?"

"Well... the Yarn Ball Society is an evil underground society that recently planned an assassination attempt on the Grand Shaman King, so..."

"False."

"Ah?"

Observing the captain's dumbfounded look, the Evil Prince Lion Heart hoisted the cat in his arms slightly, explaining calmly:

"The leader of the Yarn Ball Society is my ally. Our goal is to kidnap Princess Catherine, replace her with a fake, and have her inherit the throne of the Grand Shaman King, not assassinate him, so the Yarn Ball Society isn't responsible for this; you've caught the wrong person."

"Ah?"

Uttering an uncontrolled "Ah" for the fourth time, the astonished captain couldn't help but gawk at Leon in bewilderment.

I admit your explanation is rather persuasive; after all, failing to assassinate the Grand Shaman King isn't necessarily more harmful than your plan... but did you have to be so outright about it?

...

Hmm... Since he's able to articulate his "plan," it proves that the [Narration of Nonexistence] doesn't have full control over the [Bedtime Story]—likely only over key plot points.

As the captain sat dumbfounded on the chair, unsure of what to say, Leon continued contemplating the intelligence about the [Bedtime Story] in his mind after testing his "freedom degree."

In the current situation, the [Bedtime Story] by Narration of Nonexistence might just be an "outline," similar to how Snow White will surely eat the poisoned apple, and Sleeping Beauty will prick her finger with a spindle. Even with Materialism's backing, he can't defy the predetermined storyline.

However, what's under his control seems to be just that.

He can decree Snow White eats the poisoned apple, but whether the apple is red or green, whether it's waxed, whether the taste is sweet or sour, he can't control in such detail.

To summarize briefly, the closer the plot is to the "outline" and "mainline," the stronger the [Bedtime Story]'s binding effect, while things straying from the "mainline" are seldom restricted by the [Bedtime Story].

[Through detailed testing and summarization, you've acquired substantial information about the "Bedtime Story"... Your resistance to this abnormal object has significantly increased, and you're now capable of blocking deeper levels of influence]

Guessed right!

Hearing the sound by his ear, feeling the considerably loosened constraints, Leon couldn't help the smile lifting his lips, looking up at the hesitant captain opposite him, and inviting him to join his scheme with a smile.

"Gary, you seem like a talent... Would you like to join my plan and kidnap the princess together?"

"Ah?!?!?!"