23. Daphne’s Only Weapon

The shattered glass continued to fall with a tinkling sound. The music could still be heard loudly.

Daphne barely opened her eyes, which she had squeezed shut. Right in front of her, Celestian’s green eyes were clearly visible amidst the confusion. She belatedly felt him gently stroking her cheek a couple of times.

“Daphne, breathe.”

Only then did Daphne realize she had been holding her breath. She opened her lips. A deep breath burst out, like someone who had just surfaced after a long dive.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-yes.”

It seemed that Daphne should have been the one asking that question. Celestian was sprawled on the floor, holding her in his arms so that no part of her body touched the ground.

“I was just startled…”

The large hand that had been cradling the back of her head protectively, as if holding glass, quickly moved away. Daphne got off the man’s body, which felt quite comfortable.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

He checked again. Daphne shook her head.

Until just now, the series of events had felt like déjà vu, as if time had stopped. But Daphne quickly returned to reality. Only her right foot sole, which had suddenly tensed up, felt a bit sore.

Celestian stood up after confirming that her eyes were blinking normally. Then, in a swift motion, he grabbed the longsword hanging on the wall and unsheathed it. As if to check if it was a real sword, he struck the wooden table once.

“Ah!”

The table, which split in two so easily, knocked over one of the men. Daphne quickly crawled behind the bar, bracing herself against the floor.

“Mr. Beaucater.”

“Oh my.”

The café owner was staring blankly at Daphne with a panicked expression. His face was so pitiful yet oddly comical that Daphne almost laughed, momentarily forgetting the situation.

“Why didn’t you run away?”

“M-my café…”

For a moment, Daphne was about to say she would buy this café, but she cleared her throat. This attack wasn’t her fault, so why spend money unnecessarily?

“I’ll make sure someone compensates you later, so hurry and leave.”

The owner’s expression became almost tearful before he nodded.

“Come, come with me.”

It seemed he wanted to take Daphne along, even in his dazed state. For a moment, she considered it, but Daphne shook her head. The café owner didn’t ask twice and crawled away towards the kitchen.

As she sat down, pressing her bottom to the floor, she could see beyond the bar reflected in the display case glass. One blonde and about six or seven men in black clothes. Including those who had gotten out of the carriage, it was close to ten people. Her palm stung, probably from touching glass shards.

Two or three men leaped at Celestian with shouts. The sound of blades clashing filled the space.

Catching her breath and trying to shake off the soreness in her foot, Daphne habitually felt for her thigh. She only felt the rough texture of the fabric, leaving her feeling empty.

“Right. I didn’t wear it. I forgot.”

Of all days, she hadn’t worn her garter holster because the skirt fit didn’t look good. She clenched her fist and struck her trembling calf a couple of times. Then she completely removed the bothersome hairpin.

She looked up again. Celestian, reflected in the brown glass, was fiercely fighting the men. His hair, which had been slicked back with oil, was gradually becoming disheveled. His movements were very light and fast, disappearing far away only to return close immediately.

Daphne caught herself staring and quickly shook her head.

‘Do you want to be a spectator in this situation?’

She rummaged through the cabinet under the bar. Two bread-cutting knives came to hand.

It couldn’t have been an ordinary coachman who had thrown just the carriage compartment indoors. It certainly wasn’t ordinary National Defense Group members who wanted to kill a traitor.

‘Wait, kill?’

Suddenly, she felt a heaviness in one corner of her chest. Celestian was, after all, a traitor. If he committed another murder in the country, he wouldn’t be able to avoid execution even if she threw all her money at it.

“Celestian! Don’t kill anyone!”

Celestian, who was about to make a long cut across the waist of a man rushing towards him, turned the handle of his sword upon hearing Daphne’s voice.

The man, struck in the abdomen with the back of the blade, tumbled towards the bar stools. This caused a loud commotion as metal and leather collided haphazardly.

“Cele, no, I said don’t kill!”

Daphne poked her face out over the bar and shouted. The interior was in utter chaos.

“I didn’t kill him.”

He answered in a low voice after brushing back his bangs.

Celestian continued to bat away glasses, tableware, and bottles with the tip of his sword like shuttlecocks at those who kept rushing at him. Two or three men were knocked back after taking direct hits to their faces.

Those trying to approach from behind were hesitating, looking at each other. They all held swords with distinct white flags.

‘Ah, so they weren’t umbrellas but swords.’

By this point, whether it was Kisha or them, one might have expected gunfire, but no shots were heard. Celestian frowned, tilted his head to the left, and made eye contact with Daphne. Then he stretched out his arm, beckoning her to come.

‘It seems their goal isn’t to assassinate Celestian. Then why?’

Just as Daphne rose, entranced, one person who had come out of the carriage compartment nimbly climbed onto the bar table where she was hiding. Teacups kicked by his feet spilled in front of Daphne’s legs.

‘Huh?’

The man slowly drew his sword from its scabbard and pointed it not at Daphne, but at Celestian.

Daphne observed his appearance. He wore combat attire optimized for movement and was the only one wearing a mask. No weapons other than the sword were visible. Those who had been sitting didn’t cover their faces separately.

However…

‘Not a mask, but…’

All their faces were disfigured by burns!

Celestian blew air to clear the golden hair covering his eyes. He glanced left and right once, measuring, and then pointed the tip of his sword at the man standing on the bar.

“Traitor, don’t move.”

The masked man spoke. It was a deep voice.

Celestian completely removed his loosened tie.

“Are you giving me orders?”

Celestian took a large step forward provocatively, and simultaneously, the masked man pointed his sword at Daphne. The cold blade was thrust right in front of Daphne’s face. She bit her lips. The prince laughed with a deflating sound.

“Try leaving even a scratch.”

He growled.

‘He’s saying what I was about to say.’

Daphne’s eyes widened.

Perhaps because of the masked man’s appearance, everyone had stopped moving. The others didn’t rush in first either. They continued to face off.

‘What are they really trying to do?’

Daphne stood in front of the cracked glass display, puzzled by the situation. The distance between Celestian and herself was about ten steps. In between were the swordsmen who were pointing weapons at Daphne but keeping their eyes on Celestian.

The weapons in her hands were two bread cutter knives.

‘Should I throw them or not?’

Daphne gripped the rough handles of the knives tightly.

* * *

She failed in her first attempt to throw the bread cutter into the assassin’s shoulder. She had barely moved, but her nose was almost cut. A few strands of hair that had fallen beside her face were cut, but the sword in front of her face was gone. Thanks to that, chaos resumed on the opposite side.

Daphne stepped on a fallen bar chair and climbed onto the bar table.

Celestian was dealing with them perfectly, utilizing the structure of this café like a mermaid in water. Despite wearing a suit that should have been difficult to move in, and shoes with no functionality whatsoever.

There was no waste in his movements as he stepped on tables and swung his sword powerfully. Just now, he had cut off the neck of a large phonograph. The tearing noise that hit the eardrums was only momentary.

Daphne swallowed the saliva that naturally pooled in her mouth. She shook her head once more, looked at the knight in front of her, and threw the knife again.

However, ‘aimed shooting’ and ‘throwing towards a target’ were completely different.

The first was something Daphne was very confident in, but the second…

“Oh my.”

Her best throw hit Celestian’s back. Fortunately, it was the handle; if it had been the blade, it could have been serious. Celestian slowly turned towards Daphne, tilting his head.

“Sorry!”

Perhaps because he was in the midst of fighting, his gaze was cold. Daphne felt a chill run down her spine for no reason.

Celestian had already subdued six men, simply knocking them out by striking the back of their necks. Daphne, having lost her weapon, balanced on the long bar and kicked everything at her feet towards the assassin.

“Don’t come, don’t come!”

She had a truly terrible aim. But it was enough to prevent him from approaching her.

“I said don’t come!”

Daphne even grabbed thin glass cups from the storage behind her and threw them fiercely.

‘He’s not coming?’

Despite her attacks, the swordsman didn’t seem to have any intention of approaching, standing still. He had only tried to come close a few times at the beginning. Even then, he had merely deflected a teacup flying towards Daphne.

‘Why is he doing this?’

Daphne narrowed her brows and stood still. There was nothing left to throw or kick anyway.

“Who are you?”

Of course, the masked man didn’t answer. Daphne hadn’t expected an answer either.

It felt like everything was becoming more and more of a mystery. His attitude seemed more like he was trying to protect her.

‘It’s really strange!’

Daphne took three steps forward. He retreated two steps.

At that moment, there was a gunshot and a sharp sound cutting through the air. The masked man was hit in the arm and rolled onto the floor.

“Miss!”

It was Kisha with his lips all busted, along with several bodyguards. Kisha silently looked around the chaotic café and the assassins sprawled on the floor or broken tables.

“Wow, Kisha. You came quickly.”

The young bodyguard immediately ran to Daphne.

“I’ll explain. First, please come down.”

Kisha stretched out his arms as if to embrace her. Daphne immediately prepared to jump down from the bar.

Celestian dropped his sword and came right over, catching Daphne in his arms. Kisha, suddenly pushed by Celestian’s body, took comical steps and fell away.

Celestian was breathing heavily at intervals but was dry without a single drop of sweat. He quickly came out to the café exterior and set Daphne down on the asphalt where there was no debris.

“Daily bodyguard, thank you for your hard work. Today’s pay will be deducted from the gold mine.”

Light flickered on the rooftop of the building Celestian was facing. Daphne blinked slowly.

‘A star?’

But for a star, the light was intermittently blinking from the same spot.

Daphne, with a hunch, pushed hard against the man’s solid body. The sound of something cutting through the air was clearly heard.

“Miss!”

Her whole body stiffened involuntarily. Daphne looked down at her body very slowly.

“Ah, I. Damn…”

Dark red blood was blooming on her yellow jacket.