episode_0044

“Speak. Where is the princess?”

“Aaah! Wait! Don’t break it! My arm will break!”

As if being subdued by police from a different world, his arm was twisted behind him, while with the other hand, a sword was pointed at his throat.

He struggled against the first martial arts move he had ever experienced in his life.

Hand-to-hand combat skills or martial arts didn’t seem to be widely practiced in this world.

Naturally, when magic and swords were prevalent, why would hand-to-hand combat be necessary?

However, unarmed combat skills could prove useful in certain situations like this.

Especially since it wasn’t meant for killing.

“Where is the princess?”

“Aaah! She’s… She’s underground!”

“…Underground?”

“Yes! If you go to the end of storage for employees in room 20, there’s another door that leads underground! We only know this much as low-ranking members! So please don’t kill me!!”

Still with the sword at his throat, his twisted arm was slightly loosened.

‘The darkest place is under the candlestick… Was the inn we stayed at connected to a gang?’

This was a bit of a variable. We might be exposing our position blatantly to them.

It could get more dangerous if we lingered.

I needed to meet Emile quickly to discuss. What could Emile be doing right now…

Just as I was thinking that.

“…Cough!”

Taking advantage of a moment of distraction, he viciously counterattacked and swiftly slashed my throat.

His body slumped to the bathroom floor.

The scattered blood stained the floor red.

There seemed to be no more valuable information to extract, and we had obtained crucial information.

I should go see Emile.

-Click. Click.

“Why is this locked! Hey! Are you in there?!”

“…”

Did I take too long?

My comrade had come looking for me.

There was no choice.

I hastily opened the door.

-Click!

“Huh…?”

Due to the sudden opening, his comrade lost balance and lurched forward.

In one swift motion, I slashed his throat.

-Swish.

And immediately, I dashed towards Emile’s room.

Having caused a commotion, other members might gather.

Eventually, I arrived at Emile’s room.

-Creak, thud!

“Sian… Sir?”

Emile looked surprised as I abruptly entered.

Given the circumstances, I didn’t have time to explain every detail.

“There’s no time to explain! Follow me!”

“Aaaah!”

The maid next to Emile gasped in shock at the sight of my blood-stained clothes.

Ignoring her, I sprinted towards the end of the corridor, towards room 20.

Emile quickly grasped the situation and followed suit.

-Pat, pat, pat, pat!

The corridor was so wide that our footsteps echoed loudly.

Passing maids who saw us screamed in terror, as if in a horror movie.

Feeling the danger, they all started evacuating.

It was actually helpful.

With no time to spare and obstacles on the way, we needed to quickly reach the warehouse to rescue the princess.

“Do you have any information?!”

Emile, running behind me, asked.

“Yes! If you enter the storage at the end of room 20 and open another door inside, it leads underground. The princess is there!”

“Indeed…!”

We were in the midst of running when suddenly.

“These bastards! They must have come here to die willingly!”

“The rest is up to the princess! Run to the underground first!”

People who appeared to be members of the Black Magic Sect poured out unexpectedly.

Some seemed disoriented, possibly drugged, while most appeared unharmed.

Glancing into the room they came from, I couldn’t help but be shocked.

Emile, too, widened his eyes in disbelief.

…A maid lying naked, exposed, without a single piece of clothing, trembling uncontrollably on the floor.

Her eyes rolled back, shivering violently as if under the influence of some drug.

In addition, there were other maids in the room, covered in bruises, unconscious.

Was this the doing of the people before us?

They sneered with malicious laughter, casting unpleasant glances our way.

About eight of them brandished swords, while one held a ragged book and a ominously shaped wooden staff, possibly a warlock.

“Si… Sir Ian…!”

Emil trembled as she looked at me, her hand gripping the sword, a look of unforgiving determination on her face.

…Let’s make a calm judgment.

There’s no time to waste on these scoundrels here.

If we delay, Rosaria might fall into their hands first.

“…Emil. Please go ahead.”

“What?”

“I will stay behind.”

“That’s absurd! Look at the number of those scoundrels. They don’t even know what power they wield…!”

“Unless you want Princess taken away.”

“……”

I had already made my decision.

Emil, meeting my eyes, sharpened her resolve and whispered to me.

“…I wish you luck.”

“Yes. The same to you, Emil.”

She leaped towards the enemy.

-Swish!

“That wench…! Ugh!”

After swiftly dispatching one, Emil dashed towards the warehouse.

I drew my sword, blocking those who tried to follow her.

“Don’t make choices you’ll regret, brat.”

“Foolish ones who defend pigs and indulge in self-deception. Heh heh.”

“……”

I had a plan in mind.

The Magic Stone Sword.

With it, I could sever any interference with my magic and defend against it.

So unless they were proficient in dark magic beyond a certain level, I should be able to hold my own with just my sword skills.

There were eight opponents I was facing off against.

Can I defeat them?

They are likely all swordsmen who cannot use magic. So being skilled in magic, I shouldn’t have much trouble.

But there could always be unforeseen circumstances.

In that case…

“Let’s draw the Magic Stone Sword.”

Since it consumes a vast amount of magic, I hoped to avoid drawing it unless absolutely necessary.

…I readied myself.

As soon as I did, a figure resembling a warlock pointed a wooden staff at me, signaling the start of the battle.

Shortly after, as expected, a nauseating and ominous energy gathered.

A sphere of black flames formed and flew towards me.

-Boom!

Enhancing my body with magic, I swiftly dodged like a cat sensing danger.

Just as I evaded, several dark magic swordsmen rushed towards me.

Seems like they won’t give me a moment’s rest.

Their urgency was palpable.

-Shaaah!

-Thud!

-Swipe!

I took down one following the rhythm, deflected an attack aimed at my back, and swiftly avoided another’s strike.

Then, I created distance between us.

Seven remained.

Just as they were about to launch another attack…

‘Huh?’

It felt like I was hit by dark magic when I divided their ranks, starting to feel weighed down.

‘This is getting annoying…’

Trying to activate the Magic Stone Sword again, I placed my hand on my hip.

-Aaargh….

Suddenly, the Magic Stone Sword, glowing blue, pierced into my hip.

And the oppressive force pressing down on me vanished.

‘…! What’s this? Does it purify automatically now?’

Did Lucy do something when she refined it?

“……”

“……”

Seeing no reaction from me, they started to show signs of confusion and tension.

…Indeed, they must have attempted to infiltrate dark magic into me for the showdown.

From their faces, I could sense their unease at things not going as planned.

‘Yes, this might work.’

One warlock and the rest are just swordsmen of average skill.

After swiftly dealing with the swordsmen, I’ll take on the mage.

I reinforced my legs with magic once more and lunged towards them.

.

.

.

“Ugh… Ugh…!”

Finally, after beheading the warlock, I ran in the direction Emil had gone.

Emil is the princess’s guardian knight. She must be more skilled than me, if not equally so.

However, she was alone as well and considering the importance of the location, there was a higher chance of facing a more formidable opponent than the number I had encountered.

Therefore, I hurried.

In front of me, there was a railroad gate with a sign that read “No Unauthorized Entry.”

This is the warehouse…!

-Clang!

“Emil! Are you okay-?!”

“Oh, Sian!”

Upon opening the door and entering, Emil stood right in front of me.

But why?

She seemed somewhat perplexed, fidgeting with a slightly awkward expression.

“…What are you doing?”

“Well…! I just got rid of the guys who were causing trouble and followed. But then… they locked the door.”

“The door…?”

Looking beside her, a sturdy iron door was firmly shut.

As she said, it seemed tightly locked with no room for even a breeze to pass through.

“Emil.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s locked, shouldn’t we break it?”

“…Huh?”

Could it be?

Emil seemed to have a more vulnerable side than expected.

“Then I’ll break it!”

She pulled her sword back at the door.

A few seconds later, her body began to shimmer with a white light.

A noble aura emanated from her sword, looking almost like the wing of a pure angel.

“Hayap!”

She swung her sword.

-Crash!

The clashed iron door shattered with a thunderous noise, as if two solid objects collided.

Due to the shockwave, stones and metal shards scattered in all directions.

There was no time to waste.

I told Emil, “Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

And so, we leaped into the broken iron door.

Perhaps due to the lack of proper lighting, it was deep and dark inside.

It reminded me of the ant tunnel maze I had visited before.

…

Running deeper into the darkness, we suddenly saw a faint light.

We kept running until we could finally reach the source of the light.

“What on earth is this…!”

“…!”

An artificial space unfolded before our eyes.

A dim red light softly illuminated the space from the wall, barely revealing its form.

Thanks to this faint light, we could tell that the space was vast.

Dozens of people were crowded inside, just as we saw now.

“No… this can’t be happening… They must be using some kind of trick!”

“Woahhh! Weeheeek!!”

“If you don’t want holes in your stomach, quietly hand over the money.”

“We’ll have some fun with the girl we brought and come back, so you guys enjoy first. Kekeke.”

Perceiving this unfamiliar sight, Emil turned to me and asked, “Sian, where are we…?”

Her expression stiffened as if she had experienced a cultural shock.

Having worked only in the palace, such a scene would naturally be unfamiliar to her.

In a greenhouse, one cannot expect to see parasitic plants and leaf-eating insects.

…I could anticipate what she would say next.

“G-gulp! G-gasp!”

Someone struggling for breath, possibly due to excessive drug use, reaching out in agony into thin air.

“Hahaha! Deal!”

Men gathered around a gambling table with gold and silver coins placed in the center, playing cards.

“Teeheehee….”

Even a man dragging a woman who seemed unconscious and battered all over.

This place was…

“…a gambling den.”