SSS Class Infinite Regression: Ascension of the Mad Dragon Prince

"W-Wha…?! Lord Louis?!"

"Timothy."

"Y-Yes? What do you need, Your Majesty?"

Louis took one step forward.

"Huh?"

Then another—until his tall frame towered over Timothy.

His golden eyes flared with red light; reptilian pupils narrowed to slits.

"Um…"

Timothy broke into a cold sweat as Louis summoned Gungnir and pinned him against the wall.

Just as he opened his mouth to scream, Louis clamped a hand over it.

"Hmmm?! Hmm!"

He struggled uselessly; an invisible psychic force held him immobile.

"I'll be merciful this time. But the next time I catch you trying to romance Mirai, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Eh?"

"I'll dismember your body piece by piece and send the parts to your parents."

"A-Ah…"

"And then your parents will be hanged publicly."

"Hyeee!"

"Do you understand? She is mine. Nod if you understand."

Timothy nodded frantically, convinced he was seconds from death.

Louis released him. Timothy fled like a madman.

Since then he had canceled the date with Mirai and kept things strictly friendly, never daring to pursue anything romantic again.

Timothy sometimes reflected on it: Louis could have simply threatened to expel him from the castle or send him back to the farmlands.

But no, he had threatened to kill him and his parents.

He was a monster. A complete monster! Timothy wanted nothing to do with this insane bastard—and yet he was stuck here, likely forever.

"Haaa…"

"What's wrong with you lately?" Zorba asked, glaring. "Stop sighing every five seconds—are you that tired?"

"Ah, shut up, Zorba…" Timothy groaned.

"Hah, want me to beat you down again, shrimp?" Zorba snapped.

"Oh? Last time I was winning until you pulled out your dead friends," Timothy sneered. "Wanna test how far you can go with your family of corpses?"

"You damn son of a—"

"Enough! Stop fighting!" Anastasia shouted. "Ugh, why can't guys just get along?"

"I really don't understand them!" Agustina agreed. "Such brutes! Timothy, you were from my district—yet you act like this. Please be more conscious of your new position at Louis's side!"

"Ugh, I'd rather not even be here," Timothy sighed.

"Really? You don't like hanging out with your friends?" Mirai asked softly. "I thought we were friends?"

"W-We are, Mirai—sorry," Timothy said, his heart softening the instant she spoke. "I'm tired, that's— No, you know what? I'm going to say it. You… the prince, he's…"

"…"

Louis turned his glare on Timothy. The young farmer fell silent instantly.

"What's wrong, Timothy? What were you going to say about me?" Louis raised an eyebrow. "I've been very generous with you—investing in your growth. The least you could do is show some respect."

"But why did you have to threaten me like that?!" Timothy burst out suddenly. "You said something so awful…!"

"What? What did he say?" Mirai asked, tilting her head.

"He said… when I invited you on a date, he threatened to kill me, cut me into pieces, and hang my parents!" Timothy blurted—thankfully no one outside the group could hear.

Suddenly every eye turned to Louis.

The silence broke with Zorba's laughter.

"Hahaha! Well, that's certainly something Lord Louis would say!" Zorba roared. "He's jealous of his possessions—we all belong to him, after all."

"Eh?" Timothy's eyebrow twitched.

"Aw, Timothy, aren't you exaggerating? I was going to decline the date anyway…" Mirai sighed. "Louis can be rough on the outside, but he's very kind. He just says scary things sometimes when he's nervous. So… were you jealous of him? Heheh…" She grabbed Louis's arm. "If you wanted to, you could've just asked me out…"

"Um… Well, I suppose I did overreact," Louis admitted after a moment. "Sorry about that, Timothy. I misjudged the situation. And I wasn't truly planning to follow through on those threats. I wouldn't harm innocents—least of all my own citizens. I… promise I won't do it again. As long as you remember your place."

"…"

"…"

Agustina and Anastasia exchanged silent glances, surprised, yet with nothing to add.

Meanwhile Timothy stood stunned. He had expected Mirai to take his side, to be angry, but she wasn't. And her blunt admission that she would have declined him anyway stung.

"I'll gladly keep being your friend, Timothy! I'm happy to make tons of friends," Mirai said brightly.

He suddenly realized Mirai wasn't as innocent as she seemed. She was deeply devoted—borderline obsessive, when it came to Louis.

"A-Ah… yeah…" he muttered, face pale, as though his soul had been siphoned away.

"Hahaha, cheer up, idiot—let's go eat something that'll make you feel better," Zorba laughed, slapping Timothy's shoulder and walking alongside Louis and Mirai.

"Sorry, Timothy," Agustina said with a shrug. "It's like that."

"Better luck next time. Plenty of fish in the sea, right?" Anastasia winked, laughing.

"Eh?" Timothy's eyes widened at the playful gesture.

Was she just flirting?

She wouldn't wink for no reason… right?

"I guess so… thanks for cheering me up, girls," Timothy sighed, falling into step beside them. "I should've guessed Mirai was in love with him…"

"Isn't that obvious from the start?" Agustina sighed. "Honestly, I don't like how she gets all his attention… But Mirai's my friend and she's nice… so I just shrug it off."

"I've trained with Louis for months and learned more about him," Anastasia said. "I used to be one of his maids, but… a lot happened, and I chose to train instead. I was struggling badly—he somehow helped me pull myself together. Since then we've trained together constantly. He can be inspiring with the things he says out of nowhere. Makes you think he's much older than he looks… But he's not flawless. Still, sometimes it feels like he's genuinely trying to become better."

"Hm, okay…" Timothy sighed. "I guess I should say I won't get on his bad side, but… I'm not that kind of person, you know? Prince or not, I'm not licking his boots like Zorba."

"And that's fine," Anastasia smiled. "Louis actually likes people who talk back. He might act annoyed, but I don't think he dislikes you completely. He keeps you around for a reason. Being surrounded only by yes-men can make anyone arrogant. I think he keeps us close so we can offer perspectives he might miss on his own."

"Oh…" Timothy rubbed his chin, a small smile forming. "So that means I can mess with him?"

"I wouldn't recommend it unless you've got a death wish, idiot," Agustina sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I'm going to get closer to him too—I want to be nearer… Grrr, but Mirai keeps hogging all his attention. Here I go—wish me luck~"

"Good luck~" Anastasia waved as Agustina joined Louis, looping her arm through his.