Chapter 55

Would I stop just because Prince Cain said no? The small rare stone in my hand flew towards the monsters.

Sensing the magic, the monsters went berserk. In an instant, the bodies of the fallen knights were trampled into unrecognizable forms.

Prince Cain screamed and tried to run away, but I blocked his path.

“Didn’t you say you would kill these monsters?”

“Get out of my way, you wench!”

Prince Cain shoved me hard. I staggered back a bit but didn’t fall. He had no time to feel humiliated by my resistance; his sole focus was escaping. The lone knight left behind stood trembling, staring at me.

“Do you have any experience fighting monsters?“

“N-No, none.”

“Grab your sword. Unlike Prince Cain, if you run, you’ll die. But if you kill a monster, you might just save your life with that merit.“

“Why are you doing this? Are you insane?“

“No.”

I had a good reason for what I was doing. I handed the knight his sword and slowly stepped back. The monsters howled as they watched us, seemingly contemplating the best way to kill us. I took this opportunity to give the knight some advice.

“Listen carefully. The four small ones aren’t much. A slash from your sword will kill them quickly. But those two big ones have tough, thick neck hides; they won’t be easy. The weak spot is when they open their mouths wide. Stick your sword into their throats. If you succeed, they’ll die before closing their mouths, so don’t worry about losing an arm.”

“M-Mouth… inside…”

“Right. Looks like you got it.”

I took out my arrows and started shooting at the more miniature monsters. They were agile, and one of my arrows missed, but the rest hit their marks.

I glanced at the knight, feeling somewhat smug.

“See? Only two left now.“

“C-Crazy woman…”

Calling the Grand Duchess crazy seemed like a sign of his own madness. But perhaps seeing his odds of survival improve, he gripped his sword tighter.

“If you’re terrified, think that losing an arm is better than dying.”

With that, I charged forward. I thought my explanation was sufficient. As a knight, he had to find his own way to survive.

“If you can’t do that, at least be a decoy!”

At my shout, the knight, though trembling, picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the monster.

“Waaah!”

It wasn’t exactly impressive… but it was an attempt at bravery.

While one monster thumped towards him, I faced the other. Shooting arrows didn’t help much against its thick hide. However, my last arrow hit it squarely in the eye. Blinding one eye increased its blind spots.

I circled the monster, gradually moving into its blind spot. The beast, irritated, swung its claws wildly. I leaped up and climbed onto its back when it turned one arm wide.

The monster raised both arms above its head, trying to claw at my legs. I felt pain but couldn’t stop.

With one foot on the monster’s crown, I thrust my sword into its mouth. My head was almost inside its mouth. If I failed, I’d die.

I closed my eyes tightly and pushed the sword deeper.

Gurgle.

The sound of its death was accompanied by a splash of bluish blood on my face. I had struck accurately.

Pulling my arm and face from the monster’s mouth, I spat out the blood that had entered. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve and saw the knight still running and screaming.

He looked pathetic, but at least his running was decent. I wanted to help him, but my injured leg made running impossible.

“Run this way! This way!”

Hearing my voice, the knight urgently changed direction and ran towards me.

As he passed me, the monster switched its target from him to me. It chose the more straightforward, stationary prey over the one running away.

With only one monster left, there was no need to worry about being flanked. I decided to face this last monster head-on.

The monster opened its mouth to devour me. Just as I was about to thrust my sword into it, I saw an arrow fly past the monster’s temple. The arrow embedded itself in the throat of the beast, which I was facing head-on.

What is happening?

Before I could finish my thought, the monster collapsed sideways, its mouth still open. It seemed as if it had been pushed by the arrow’s force.

This monster’s hide was so brutal that arrows couldn’t pierce it from the outside. But this arrow had penetrated its hide and lodged itself precisely in its throat.

I stared blankly at the monster. A black-banded arrow was lodged in its neck.

It wasn’t Louis. Although Louis was influential for a boy his age, he didn’t possess superhuman strength.

I knew only one man with such overwhelming power.

“Julian…”

I looked in the direction the arrow had come from. There stood a man I knew well. His red eyes were more menacing than ever, and his presence alone seemed fierce enough to wither the surrounding foliage.

Julian walked towards me with determined steps. He wasn’t hesitant, but he wasn’t rushing either. When he got very close, I couldn’t even step back.

“Julian, this is…“

“Don’t say anything. I might get angry.”

Julian looked down at my leg. The monster’s claws had sunk deep, tearing my pants and drawing blood. Julian started to remove his cloak, seemingly to cover me. I hastily stopped him.

“No!“

“Your clothes are torn.“

“But taking off your cloak…”

Julian never removed his cloak. Even with long-sleeved clothes underneath, he didn’t want his bare arms exposed.

However, the shapes of the magic stones would still protrude through his clothes, and people would gossip about it. I knew how much he hated that. I didn’t want to make him take off his cloak because of me. But Julian frowned and said,

“You always insist on having everything your way.“

“This is my fault, but… But that’s not it!“

“I’ll repeat it. Don’t say anything.”

With that, Julian removed his cloak. The outlines of the magic stones were visible on his white shirt. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to shine.

I tried to stop him again, but he wrapped his cloak around me. Julian’s cloak, which would cover his entire body, was too large for me.

“Stay still.”

Julian lifted me up. Pain surged through my leg as it wobbled. When I whimpered and shrank my shoulders, Julian held me more carefully. It was a markedly different attitude from how he didn’t even look at me before. As I clung to Julian’s neck, I called his name softly.

“…Julian.”

But there was no response. Seeing Julian’s angry expression made my heart race faster than when facing the monster’s mouth. I knew Julian would be furious. He was kind and constantly worried.

But I didn’t expect him to be this angry. I felt guilty for proceeding with the plan without telling Julian. However, I would make the same choice even if I could go back in time. This plan required me to get hurt.

After Julian placed me on his horse and was about to mount it himself, a knight who had fled in panic called out to us, sobbing.

“Y-Your Grace! Your Grace the Grand Duchess!”

Julian tried to ignore him, but I grabbed his hand.

When I slightly shook my head, Julian, thankfully, waited for the knight. Looking down at him from atop the horse, I asked,

“What is it?“

“Please, spare me.”

I expected him to say that. The knight had to choose sides now: between the mad prince who had abandoned him and the insane Grand Duchess who had spared his life.

“If I go back like this, won’t I be killed?”

He was right. The knight had conspired with Prince Cain. It might have been different if things had gone well, but now everything was ruined.

He couldn’t predict how things would turn out. Prince Cain might have survived because he was royalty, but his subordinates differed.

Even if he were lucky enough to live, returning to Prince Cain would only result in him being expelled for failing. Either way, it was a bad ending.

“Duchess, we must hurry before your wound worsens.”

Julian urged me. It was a command to decide quickly whether to kill or spare him. Not wanting to further provoke Julian’s anger, I asked quickly,

“Do you have the guts to betray Prince Cain?”

The knight’s face turned pale. His lips trembled, indicating he wasn’t yet resolved. I could feel the blood flowing from my leg, and my patience was running thin.

“Let’s go, Julian.”

When I spoke, Julian immediately mounted the horse. As he embraced me and pulled the reins, the knight knelt before the horse, bowing his head to the ground instantly.

“I-I’ll do it! I’ll do anything!”

The knight, who had pretended to be tripped by Prince Cain, quickly switched sides. Satisfied, I asked,

“What’s your name?”

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.