episode_0100

If there was a sea connected to the empire, it was only the southernmost part.

Other than that, they are all connected to other countries.

The only silver lining was that the empire was quite far from the sea.

Even if you keep going by carriage, it will take at least 18 hours. If you stop in between, it might take longer.

Even though the time difference between them and me is quite large, I can still catch up.

I prayed that those thugs would stop neglecting their duties.

So how do we catch up with their carriage?

The answer is my strong legs. I have to wrap my legs in mana and run hard.

Unfortunately, this method was the best for me, as I have no mobility skills. Still, I’m a whopping level 85, so it’s probably a lot faster than a horse.

“I will leave first.”

“Follow me.”

So I left Adele behind and started running straight south. I was pressed for time and didn’t have the luxury of taking anyone with me.

Of course, I couldn’t help feeling impatient as I ran. No matter how fast I went, it was a whopping 12 hours difference.

If we are even a little late, the princess may be found dead.

It wasn’t just me who was aware of my impatience, but suddenly everything changed.

The thing that had been sitting still in my arms for a while started to transform on its own.

It stretches its body out and transforms into a rope-like shape. Then it throws its body at a tree and contracts while hanging on to me.

Swish!

My body flew forward as if I was being dragged. I let out a short exclamation.

“Oh.”

I felt like I was a character in a movie. Isn’t there a guy who shoots spider webs randomly?

No, I’m closer to TaX than Sxetherman because I ride trees instead of buildings.

Since it was a guy who could transform his body as he pleased, it was useful in many ways.

I gladly accepted the guy’s help and headed towards the princess.

*

Although she is the 3rd princess, Dayla, who is subject to many restraints from the 1st prince.

That doesn’t mean she’s stupid.

At least he was able to reflect on why he had been kidnapped.

And in her opinion, there was something strange about her kidnapping.

First of all, why was I kidnapped now? Why at this point, when there is not much time left until the Second Prince is rescued?

The answer was obvious. Someone in the resistance group betrayed him. Someone reported on the First Prince, and he was captured like this.

How did the intruder get into my bedroom?

Even though she was a princess with no power, she had this much power to protect her surroundings.

It’s ambiguous to say that they are on the same side as us, but they are like civil servants who receive a salary from the country.

Even though there are few people, they do exist.

At that time, the escort knight was sleeping, so a guard had to stand in his stead, and if that wasn’t available, a servant had to watch over him during the night.

But how did the stranger enter my bedroom without any fuss?

I wondered if he had killed the night guard, but the assailant’s knife was too clean for that to be the case.

That is, the first time they shed blood was when they cut down my escort knight, Railey.

The answer to this is obvious. Even my servants betrayed me. Whether it was for money or whatever.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like everyone around me has betrayed me.

Even though there was no one he could trust in the palace and he was weak, he never thought it would be like this.

This only made her more depressed.

The extreme anxiety of being kidnapped, the ordeal of more than half a day, the death of Riley, and the feeling of betrayal from those around her – all of these things combined to shake Deila’s mind.

Now there really is no one left who will take my side.

“···Whew, it’s so dirty.”

After a few more hours, the tiresomely long carriage finally arrived at its destination.

“How many times did we have to rest because the horses got tired along the way? If we hadn’t been able to change horses at a nearby stable, we would have stayed up twice.”

“After··· That’s what I mean.”

The thugs who got out of the carriage stretched and chatted.

The place she arrived was a dock located in the south. The salty smell of the sea greeted her.

Although it was her first time at the sea, she couldn’t help but feel fear rather than excitement.

Because he could clearly see how the guys would treat him.

The sea has been a great place for people to quietly deal with issues since ancient times.

No matter how great a person is, he cannot overcome the vastness of the sea.

Once you throw it into the sea, there’s a 99% chance you won’t even be able to retrieve the body.

The guys were planning to bury themselves in silence.

“Okay, let’s get started quickly.”

“Okay, I understand.”

So the villains took over an inn and began making preparations.

Oak barrels and plaster-like things popped out one after another from their subspace pockets. Deila trembled in fear when she saw them.

“Hmm··· Wait a minute.”

It was during this time that one of the men suddenly stopped moving. Then he started staring at Deila. His gaze was focused on her negligee.

Her curvaceous body was clearly visible through the transparent white cloth. The guy who saw it asked my boss.

“Me, brother.”

“Huh? Why is that?”

“Before I soak this year···Can’t I do this once?”

“What?”

Upon hearing that, Deila’s eyes widened. Regardless, the guy continued talking.

“No, isn’t she going to disappear soon anyway? No one will know, so wouldn’t it be okay to enjoy it for a while?”

“Don’t you know you don’t have time right now?”

“Oh, come on, isn’t it a shame to bury it like this? If not now, then when will we get to eat the princess?”

“Um···.”

The villains’ eyes pierced through Deila. She felt goosebumps run down her body at their sticky gaze.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, the boss nodded. Immediately afterwards, the menacing hands of the thugs approached her.

She was so terrified that she started screaming indiscriminately.

No! I hate this ending more than death!!

Is this really the end for you?

I have been prepared to die. I have thought about losing and not winning.

Even if she lost everything and ended up on the streets, she was confident she could accept it humbly.

But… but isn’t this not the case?

Betrayed by those around him, those he trusted died, and he himself ended up carrying out his orders in such a miserable way.

Everything else was fine. But she hated disappearing alone without a trace like this more than dying.

Soon, their greedy hands fell upon Deila. She struggled hard, but she could not overcome the strength of two trained adult males.

At that time, I closed my eyes and shed tears.

“That’s fortunate though.”

A third voice was heard from somewhere. A voice that sounded familiar.

“What a bunch of cheerful trash.”

I didn’t even have time to turn my head. The head of the junior thug in front of me was blown off so quickly.

“Thanks to you, I can kill without hesitation.”

Push!

The guy’s blood spurted into the air. The guy’s boss, who saw it, reacted in surprise.

“Who, who are you!”

“It’s noisy.”

But before the guy could even draw his sword, his sword was swung faster.

Chomp!

Just like the junior, the boss’s head is also severed and flies away.

It was a blow without hesitation or mercy.

That was the end.

The villains who had terrorized her were killed with shocking ease.

She stared blankly in the direction where the sword had swung. There, as she had expected, stood the warrior, Luke. Covered in the blood of the villains, his expression was a little more subdued than usual.

He said.

“You’re also secretly a person who likes to do things. Well… not as much as our party members, though.”

Deila stared at him blankly.

Perhaps because my vision was blurred by tears, his present appearance overlapped with his past appearance.

On my way back after the banquet, I was attacked by a squad of assassins.

It was a similar scene back then. There were corpses he had killed around him, and he was looking at himself covered in blood. Even his expression looked more sinister now than it did then.

‘···scary.’

The feelings I felt weren’t much different.

Still, when I see him, I feel an inexplicable fear. I still have no idea what he is thinking. Bravery and trust are distant words.

Actually, I still don’t know if my opponent is a warrior or a demon.

He had even thought that perhaps the reason he supported himself was to throw the country into chaos when he became the emperor. It was as if he had made a pact with the devil.

‘but···.’

But one thing is clear: he is definitely on her side. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to her rescue like this.

Deila’s relationship with him is based on contract, not trust.

A contract where he supports himself in return for which he will be on his side no matter what.

It was a truly bleak relationship, but for her, who had lost everyone she could rely on, the contract was a great relief.

“Sob···.”

Feeling that, Deila cried and clung to Luke. Luke suddenly showed his bewilderment at being hugged.

“···You can use me.”

Whether or not, Deila said without letting go of his hand.

“I don’t care what you are. If you’re really the devil and my soul is your goal… You can go later. So just, please… ”

Deila’s hands were shaking. The emotions that had already welled up were bursting out without stopping.

She continued in a trembling voice.

“Please stay by my side. At least, don’t turn your back on me···.”

After she finished saying those words, she began to cry loudly.

Luke said with a self-deprecating smile.

“You seem better than my party members.”

And then he comforted her quietly without saying a word.

For a while, the only sound in the inn was her crying.