At the same time Leon was locked in combat with Sara…
Myrcella’s POV
As we were conducting our survey of the area, a sudden flurry of birds erupted into flight in all directions, signaling that something was amiss.
I turned to scan the surroundings, a sense of unease settling over me, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
“Is everything alright, Princess?” Johanne, my companion in surveying the area, inquired.
“Nothing… just a strange feeling,” I replied. “Do you sense anything unusual, Johanne?”
“I don’t… feel anything out of the ordinary,” Johanne responded, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
“Is that… so?” I responded, though I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was indeed amiss. But if that was the case, then I supposed it was fine.
Suddenly, without warning, they pounced on us.
“Wha…?!”
Three men, each brandishing firearms, fixed their gaze on us. No, it was me they were eyeing with hunger in their predatory stares.
“Hahahaha! You were right, boss! The Princess is really here!” one of them exclaimed, licking his lips.
“You’ve got a good eye, boss!” another leered at me, sizing me up like a delectable treat.
“Hahaha, told you so! Stick with me and we’ll bag ourselves quite the catch,” the leader declared from the middle of the trio.
It was clear they had nefarious intentions involving me. Whatever their plan was, it couldn’t be good.
“Princess, stay back!” Johanne commanded, drawing his sword. “You scoundrels, what do you intend to do with the Princess? State your intentions!”
“Oh? Looks like the knight in shining armor has arrived to save the day,” the leader sneered. “Do you honestly believe a greenhorn like you stands a chance against seasoned elites like us, who’ve seen real war? Dream on.” His gaze turned predatory. “But if you’re so curious about our intentions, I’ll enlighten you.”
Turning to his cohorts, he grinned wickedly before gesturing toward their crotches.
“We want the beautiful Princess of Milham to get on her knees and worship our cocks.”
The way they spoke sounded like an attempt to intimidate me, but I wasn’t your typical Princess. I hadn’t trained in swordsmanship and arcane arts just to tremble at their lewd remarks. I remained unfazed; I’d heard worse.
“You lowlifes!” Johanne exclaimed, assuming his stance, but I halted him by extending my arm outward.
“Hehehe, are you going to surrender to us without a fight, Princess? If so, that’s a wise decision,” the leader taunted.
“Before I consider that,” I retorted, “can you please enlighten me as to who you gentlemen really are? I’m not keen on engaging in any sexual activities with men whose names I don’t even know.”
“That’s irrelevant, Princess,” the leader brushed off, his tone dripping with contempt. “I mean, do prostitutes bother with real names when you’re fucking them? And rapists, they don’t give a damn about introductions as they assault you. So why should we?” His tongue darted out to moisten his lips, anticipation evident in the way he smacked them hungrily. “In fact, it’d be downright foolish for us to spill our identities to a potential future ruler of this kingdom, don’t you think?”
“I see,” I murmured to myself, the gravity of the situation sinking in.
These men weren’t mere participants in the game; they were something far more sinister. It was clear their objective wasn’t just victory but the capture of me. They were terrorists, hell-bent on inciting chaos within the kingdom’s borders and igniting insurgencies.
I wasn’t in line to inherit the throne; that privilege belonged to my brother. However, if anything were to happen to me, it would prompt my father to crack down on insurgent groups. It wasn’t because I was his precious daughter—none of us were precious to him. His motivation would be purely pragmatic. Declaring war on insurgent groups would only stir up internal strife and damage our kingdom. I couldn’t allow that.
“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I can’t give you what you want,” I declared firmly.
“Tsk, you should’ve just accepted it without a fight, Princess. If you had, you wouldn’t be in for such a world of hurt,” the leader sneered.
In response, they aimed their guns at us. Without hesitation, I activated my skill and deflected all the bullets. With that, our battle against this group commenced.
***
Hertrude’s POV
I found myself in a dream.
In this dream, I was in the forest, accompanied by Mr. Leon, the Princess, and her knight. Suddenly, a figure emerged behind the Princess. Simultaneously, a man wielding a gun fired at me, while Mr. Leon deftly sliced through them with his mana blade. Though Mr. Leon saved me, the Princess was attacked in the process.
I watched in horror as she was stabbed from behind, the blade protruding from her chest. Blood gushed from her mouth, and when her assailant withdrew the blade, the Princess collapsed to the ground. Finally, I caught a glimpse of the assailant.
I was shocked when I saw who it was. I recognized that person. Well, it’s not like I was particularly close with them. In fact, I had only met them for the first time yesterday. That’s right. The one who killed the Princess was…
At that moment, my eyes snapped open, and I jolted upright in terror, my arm outstretched as I screamed. It felt as though I had been drowning, my breathing erratic and heavy as if I had been submerged in an ocean.
Harold looked at me, confused. Like me, he was still in the cave. But I had no time to explain. I needed to talk to Leon. I quickly rose from where I had been lying and hurried out of the cave.
***
Leon’s POV
I kept pounding the woman until she began bleeding from the nose. It was tough to land punches hard enough to make her bleed because the pill that boosted her strength also seemed to enhance her endurance.
Even after I’d beaten her enough to bloody her face, it seemed like she wasn’t taking any real damage. She just kept laughing as I punched her.
“Your punches are futile! Futile, I say! Hahahaha!”
After her declaration, she released a burst of mana, knocking me away from her. As I staggered to my feet, she backed off to create some distance between us.
“I underestimated the power of someone without skills. Well, it seems you’re not entirely without skill, given your current use of one. But still, I underestimated you,” she admitted. “I commend you for holding your own against me, but I’m afraid this is where it ends for you.”
“Is that so?” I retorted.
My response only seemed to aggravate her further, and she growled, unleashing her mana in all directions, accompanied by a potent wave of bloodlust directed at me.
“You really piss me off,” she growled. “And here I thought you were handsome enough that I wanted to fuck you…”
“If you wanted to fuck me, you should’ve picked a better material,” I shot back.
Even though I hadn’t had sex all day and was bursting with pent-up energy, if Shredica got horny and attacked me, it was doubtful I’d even get hard. That’s why even if this woman looked like Shredica and wanted to get it on, I wouldn’t be aroused. I mean, who’d screw someone aiming to off them? That’s a major red flag.
We locked gazes for a heartbeat before she sprang at me. Reacting swiftly, I surged forward, our blades meeting with a thunderous clash that reverberated through the air. The sheer force of our collision unleashed shockwaves, sending debris spiraling outwards in a chaotic frenzy.
After disengaging and putting some distance between us, we squared off once more. With every clash of our blades, shockwaves rippled outward from the point of impact, creating a swirling tempest of raw power around us. Despite the ferocity of our exchanges, neither of us yielded an inch, locked in a relentless dance of blades.
Her strength seemed to have increased. It was as if she wasn’t the same person I’d faced earlier. Norman had taken the same awakening pill, but this woman just kept getting stronger and stronger. They must have really upgraded the pill.
Stepping forward with my left foot, I swung the mana blade diagonally towards her left shoulder. I wasn’t underestimating my opponent, but her reaction was quicker than I anticipated. She disregarded my strike and countered with a sideways swipe of her own blade, narrowly missing me as I hunched down. I felt a few strands of hair rip out as it passed. Damn, my hair was a mess. Cursing under my breath, I struck again. My blow landed true, but it only grazed her lightly. Her skin was so thick that my mana blade couldn’t even penetrate it.
“Goodness, what a pain in the ass opponent,” I muttered.
It was the first time I’d encountered an opponent like this. Instead of feeling apprehensive, I was filled with a thrill unlike anything I’d experienced before.
I cracked my neck and stretched my muscles. Surprisingly, my enemy allowed me to prepare without interruption, though she watched me with confusion.
After finishing my stretches, I declared, “I suppose it’s time to get serious.”
