3. Dragon’s Eye, Human Mind (51)
The crying princess did not look sane.
It was worth it. Although she is called the grandiose title of ‘Princess’, her essence was no different from that of a woman who had just become an adult.
In terms of her age, she was a girl who was not even twenty.
The escort knights were turned into bio bombs by the monster army that suddenly attacked the procession, and the maidservant they believed was being manipulated by an unknown dark priest.
It was difficult for anyone to remain sane.
Isn’t she even the chief executive officer of the party?
On the contrary, since I was in a position where I had to take responsibility, I couldn’t help but suffer more. The sense of shame and remorse that so many people died because of her must be eating away at his heart like a parasite.
Dozens of people were killed and injured by the forces targeting the princess.
Some of them were laughing and chatting together. ‘Escort knight’ and ‘Chief Maid’, just looking at the names of those positions, they were inevitably classified as close aides to the princess.
That alone was a fatal blow to his mental strength.
It wouldn’t be strange if she burst into tears and recited words of apology like she does now. Moreover, the princess was now in a state of being even more vulnerable, intoxicated with anesthesia.
“Me-me-I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Sir Ian… … .”
Clear tears fall again.
The crying image of a noble-looking woman with dark blue hair was worth a work of art in itself.
But now I did not have time to enjoy the sight at leisure.
My eyes glanced back and forth.
Mitram’s body was burning. To be more precise, it was the body of the head maid he controlled.
Regeneration of burnt corpses did not normally exist.
Even the greatest necromancer could only extract a spirit from a charred corpse. So now it was right to think that Mitram was incompetent.
Nonetheless, I felt impatient for no reason.
I had to evacuate.
Such thoughts ran through my brain like a seizure.
Although they drank the antidote, it seemed impossible to continue the battle between the princess and the female knight. Even so, he couldn’t raise the escort knights who had fallen recklessly.
Because some of them have been converted into bio-bombs.
In many ways, there were only difficult choices left. My troubled gaze stared at the princess again.
She was still begging for forgiveness like a broken gramophone.
“Okay, wrong… I was wrong, Sir. Mo, everyone… Hehe, it’s all because of my petty pride… … .”
Eventually I sighed.
At times, complex calculations have twisted the problem rather convolutedly.
I decided to simply think, simply.
My hand lifted the princess’s staggering shoulder. Even after getting up, the girl was busy wiping away the overflowing tears.
It was then that a low voice came out of my mouth.
“… … Her Highness the Princess.”
The princess’ light gray eyes glanced at me. With bewildered eyes, she asked me full of questions.
Those wet eyes looked very beautiful.
Of course, I was not foolish enough to express such sentiments outright.
As if somewhat uneasy, the princess stammered and asked me.
“Yes Yes?”
And that moment when the bewildered voice ends.
With a click, the princess’s body flew through the air.
My fist was lodged in the princess’s cheek.
Even the moment she was beaten, the princess didn’t seem to realize what had happened. The gaping mouth was expressing her feelings.
The princess’ body floated up and rolled on the ground several times. It was a blow with so much sincerity.
It might have been a bit difficult for a weak girl to handle.
However, the princess seemed to have a greater mental shock than physical shock. The princess’s eyes looked confused as she drew in her breath, which had been paused.
Before those light gray eyes turned to me, I grabbed her by the collar.
“Please stop whining, Her Highness the Princess.”
The princess’s face turned pale at the sound of my voice, which I spat out while blazing.
I didn’t know what I would look like to her now. He might be seen as a monster with blood-soaked hair and ferocious eyes burning with murderous intent.
“I’m sorry? All those people were injured and died through your fault, is that so? According to Mitram, it could be… … .”
Actually, the princess did not do much wrong.
Within the academy, I was known as an unpredictable being.
Even if I suddenly poured water on the princess, the list of eccentricities I committed would only increase by one more, so it was difficult to think that there was any reason.
If you are a member of the imperial family, you should repay the insult.
Even though it might have crossed the line for hurting my family and acquaintances, I didn’t think the princess was wrong from the start.
And in the first place, all the sins were on the Dark Church.
If they hadn’t targeted the princess, and if they hadn’t mobilized demon beasts and attacked the princess for that purpose, no one needed to be sacrificed.
Still, I didn’t bother to point that out.
It was after Mitram had already overlaid the perception that everything was her fault. In the current situation, destroying existing beliefs one by one was ineffective.
Instead, my mouth spewed out my sincerity.
“If you are whining and weeping, who will solve the problem for you? Is it scary and difficult? So, should I even take care of it now, Her Highness the Princess?”
“Ah, uh, that, that’s not it… … .”
The princess seemed completely distraught at the sudden rebuke.
It seemed that the effect of being hit by one hit was great. She hesitated and couldn’t meet my gaze properly.
Dew began to form in the princess’s eyes again.
I didn’t know because she pretended to be so strong, but in fact she cried a lot. No, there weren’t many of them, so it wouldn’t be strange even if they were called ‘crybaby’.
It wasn’t a sin.
Because everyone had the right to be weak.
Even so, the reason I yelled at her was that there was a time and a place suitable for tears.
The princess was a human in a high position.
The nobility of the Empire carries burdens as heavy as their rights. Even the imperial family was no exception to this.
“Lee, Sir Ian… I-I don’t mean that… … .”
“If you understand, stop crying.”
At my chilly warning, the princess hid and shut her mouth.
He looked like he was about to burst into tears, but he couldn’t help it. I was lucky if I could bring myself to my senses.
Light gray eyes full of tears were looking at me. Seeing those eyes made me weak again, so I let out a deep sigh.
In fact, there is one more sincerity I want to convey.
I stuttered and opened my mouth again.
“And, and then… … .”
“Sir Ian!”
It was then that the female knight’s shrieking sound was heard.
As soon as I heard that voice, I instinctively hugged the princess and threw myself. I felt the sensation of something wrapping around my ankle.
My hand immediately raised the hatchet. Then, I raised my upper body and struck the magic string around my ankle several times.
Kang, Kang, Kang!
Every time the hatchet and the string of magic met, the sound of metal clashing echoed. Sparks flew and colored my vision, and my teeth gnashed on their own.
With a click, the string of magical power was finally cut. But my ankle was already tattered, and it was after terrible pressure was applied just before the laces broke.
At first glance, I thought I heard the sound of my ankle joint dislocating. A moan escaped my teeth.
“Turn it off, big… … .”
The princess was hiccuping, perhaps because she was so surprised. Regardless, I stumbled and got up. Behind me, a charred corpse was lying face down on the ground.
No, can we call it a corpse?
Countless strings of magical power entwined the body fragments of the escort knights scattered around. And the fragmented limbs were being pulled one by one and clinging to the corpse.
Whoops, whoops, whoops.
Scattered body parts were crushed to the bone with a grotesque noise. The more she did, the more the carbonized shells wrapped around her body fell off one by one.
Soon, bright red muscles were exposed, followed by white skin.
It was only then that the sound of the wind passing through the empty bends regained its language.
A giggling laugh escaped from between his lips.
Before the monster regained its true form, I quickly carried the princess on my back and threw it at the knight.
“Flee now, now!”
Cranky, the princess’ body rolled on the ground again, but no one questioned it.
The female knight hesitated, but immediately embraced the princess in her arms. As soon as I saw that, I hung the hatchet again from my waist and drew my sword.
But the matter did not end there.
The crypt let out a wild cry as if an earthquake had struck.
Piles of dirt rained down from the ceiling. It was such a vibration that even I stumbled for a moment. Fear flashed in the eyes of the knight and the princess in their arms.
There was only one probable cause.
Mitram, who had regained his body before he knew it, smiled seductively against my gaze.
“You have a keen sense, Ian Percus? I never thought they would be wary of even burnt corpses.”
I came out through the piles of falling dirt and faced the monster.
Leaving the princess and the knight behind my back, I caught my breath without saying a word.
This long day was finally over.
“This is not my final form” — all of the main villains probably