Chapter 31 – Unidentified Enemy
How much time has passed?
Since we’re in a cave, our concept of time is broken, and they’re having sex like crazy, so I can’t even guess anymore.
All I can guess is that the number of times I’ve been in contact with Sylvia is dozens of times.
It’s an ecstatic time, like an animal that wakes up and only has sex.
But now we have to leave slowly.
I don’t plan on getting rescued, and I can’t stay here forever.
“Silvia. I don’t think I can wait any longer for rescue.”
“Then…”
“There is a possibility that the cave will collapse, but I will clear the entrance myself.”
Now, saying that I was actually locked up on purpose is a bit much, so I say it with an appropriate amount of lies.
“Is it okay?”
Sylvia looks a bit worried.
Seeing her lovely face makes me feel a little guilty, but I can’t take back what I’ve already said.
“If you’re careful, there won’t be any problems.”
The stones blocking the entrance to the cave are slowly lifted and moved.
It’s a huge stone that would be difficult for an ordinary person to lift, but for me, who strengthened my physical abilities with mana, it was a piece of cake.
Thump- thump-
Stones piling up inside the cave.
In the past, I thought half a day was enough, but it feels like it takes longer than that.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“It’s okay, just wait a moment.”
Sylvia is now standing on her own two legs for the first time in a long time.
The guide said that it takes at least 14 hours after you stop taking mushrooms for the paralysis to go away, so half a day has passed.
“Ah… It’s light!”
Still, the hard digging had an effect, as a faint light comes through the rubble.
Finally, when the largest stone was thrown aside, bright light poured into the cave.
After getting used to the darkness for a while, Sylvia frowned and blocked the incoming light with her hands.
It’s not bright sunlight like during the day, but it’s bright enough to make you think it’s around 3pm.
My eyes felt a little sore, but I strengthened them with mana, so it was relatively bearable.
However, what greeted me after finally coming out was a sharp, ear-piercing sound.
I love you~
The body moves instinctively rather than checking with the eyes.
I quickly pulled out the sword from my waist and swung it in the direction the sound came from.
Chang—!
The sword and arm tremble from the great shock.
It feels as if a cannonball has bounced off.
But surprisingly, the object that flew was an arrow.
“Who are you?”
Quiet silence.
What came back after a while was an arrow instead of an answer.
Nettle liquid—
This time, she swung her sword relatively leisurely and attempted to deflect the arrow.
However, as soon as the sword touched the arrow, it exploded.
Taaaaa!
Sharp remnants of arrows create wounds on the skin.
At the same time, poison penetrates into the body through the wound.
An arrow laden with poison.
No matter how good you look at it, it is not an ordinary attack.
It is an attack aimed at killing the target with clear murderous intent.
“Real…”
There is a very high probability that they are not targeting me.
Because only Selena knows that I’m here.
That means he is an assassin targeting Sylvia.
There are countless reasons to target her as a princess, from the grandiose to the trivial, such as her usurpation of the throne, rebellion, dissatisfaction with the regime, etc.
“It looks like a dog.”
Uses mana in the body to detoxify the poison that has penetrated the body.
In the meantime, I became accustomed to detoxification to the point where I was sick of it.
Now, most poisons are no threat to me.
As I concentrated on observing the direction from which the arrow came, I saw a figure wearing a black mask hiding in the bushes, preparing for the next bowstring.
“Just wait there.”
Concentrate as much mana as possible on your legs and bounce as if exploding as you approach the guy.
One step. One step. The distance narrows in an instant.
Nettle liquid—
I twist my body and barely avoid the arrow fired by him.
“You are dead now.”
Just before piercing his body.
The sound of rough rustling bushes sounded ominous in my ears.
The warning signal sent by the survival instinct sends a chill down my spine.
He quickly retrieved the sword he had stabbed and rolled on the ground.
Ssaeak-
The sharp sound of a blade cutting through the air.
But it wasn’t the arrow I was seeing.
You may have lost face a little, but you did well.
“Hehe- “
I spit out the dirt in my mouth onto the floor and take my stance again.
What I thought was one person turned out to be two people.
The guy who was completely hiding in the bushes and waiting for the right moment held a sharp sword in his hand.
Was the sound of cutting through the air just now the sound of his sword trying to pierce your neck?
If I hadn’t followed my instincts, I would have died almost instantly.
“2 to 1 is a bit harsh. Isn’t that right?”
The two guys just quietly observed my movements and remained silent.
Anyone can see that he is the perfect assassin.
Plus, it’s a pretty great combination for the assassin theme.
A skilled swordsman and archer.
When an archer attempts an assassination and fails and the opponent approaches, he takes advantage of the opportunity.
There are even weapons coated with poison.
I won’t be able to compete with people of any skill.
When the archer pulls the bowstring again, the swordsman swings his sword and blocks him from getting closer.
Nettle liquid—
He narrowly avoids the arrow aimed between the eyes.
Chang—!
A vicious tactic where the archer takes advantage while the swordsman blocks his movements.
There is no choice but to break through this at once.
Otherwise, you will just die like this.
“I don’t think you’ll tell me who the owner is anyway, so I’ll just blow it up and kill you.”
Pull the sword back slightly and make a stabbing motion.
The prosecutor gets very nervous because he thinks he’s about to stab him.
Look forward to it. I’ll show you something good.
As soon as the archer finished preparing, the swordsman rushed in without even directly seeing what signals were being exchanged.
“Get lost.”
Throw the sword in your hand in a straight line as sharp as a bee sting.
“…!”
For the first time, facial expressions appeared on the two guys’ faces.
There will be very few people who throw the sword they are using during a fight.
It’s like throwing away your weapon.
A sword full of power and mana.
The swordsman barely managed to throw the sword away, but for a moment there was an opening.
He boldly digs into that gap and takes control of his body.
Bang!
“Wow!”
Sensation felt through hands.
It was clear that the heart or an internal organ had burst.
The archer quickly regained his composure, but it was already too late.
Because I have a good shield.
Nettle liquid—
Use the corpse of the swordsman, who falls with the death horse, as a shield to block arrows.
The muscles are stronger than expected, so it’s a good shield.
Knowing that the attack had failed, he quickly tried to run away, but perhaps because he was an archer, he was slower than a swordsman and was caught by my hand before he could walk a few steps.
“Ugh… “
An archer who died bleeding even though he didn’t attack much.
Did he even prepare poison for himself in case he was caught by the enemy?
“It’s thorough.”
It’s a risky move targeting the princess, so it’s worth preparing like this.
However, if you have prepared so thoroughly, it means that you have decided to do something.
“Ah… My headache hurts”
The people who attacked me were prepared as a precaution in case Sylvia might survive in the cave.
If so, there is a high probability that the opponent has many subordinates stronger than these guys.
“What is happening?”
Sylvia, who was watching the situation inside the cave, came next to me and looked surprised when she saw her corpses.
“It looks like he’s an assassin targeting the princess.”
“It can’t be…”
“Isn’t it possible that another royal family took advantage of the confusion to target them?”
If the king or the next heir is seriously injured or goes missing, it is a big opportunity for other powers.
But Sylvia looked like she couldn’t believe it at all.
“Currently, I am the only one with the right to succeed to the throne. “
Then did they start a revolution to overthrow the kingdom?
For that to happen, there are usually signs in advance.
The country’s situation is unstable, and the people are dissatisfied, crops are failing, etc.
A revolution is not an event that can easily break out suddenly and without warning.
Moreover, the Kingdom of Lumis is a more livable and stable country than you might think.
“Isn’t there a possibility that they are the same merchants who led the rebellion in the past?”
“Even then, there were no significant traces.”
There is no trace.
It may mean that there is no one involved, but on the contrary, it is evidence that it may be a very annoying entity.
I’m not that brilliant, but I can piece together a few things that suddenly pop into my head.
A single merchant revolt? At the time, I didn’t think much about it because it was a hassle.
But now that I think about it, it is not an easy task.
Plus, this ogre incident.
Immediately after stopping the rebellion, the princess was attacked.
It’s too exquisite to be a coincidence.
It is said that if a coincidence happens twice, it is inevitable.
Is it because it’s been a long time since we’ve had a heated fight, or is it because I’m nervous?
Before I knew it, cold sweat was streaming down my forehead.
If.
Really, what if.
What if you deliberately led those many ogres to the princess?
“Sseu-eup… “
Such a thing is not something an ordinary human being can do.
So I also thought that Sylvia was just unlucky.
If it’s all someone’s plan, it’s clear that the enemy is very picky.
The fact that we defeated these guys will soon reach his ears.
If so, I will definitely come back to take care of it.
“I guess the rough welcome doesn’t end here.”
Doubt had already turned into certainty.
Above all, the two corpses lying on the floor are strong evidence.
Who on earth would do something like this?
*****
A room full of colorful decorations.
Sylvia, the owner of this place, was with Eugene, so it had to be empty.
But now here, a woman who looked exactly like Sylvia was receiving a report from a man.
“Sorry. “It seems like the princess was alive.”
The woman looked a little surprised, but her expression quickly changed to one of interest.
“I didn’t know she was alive and trapped there. “Didn’t you leave some loyal subordinates behind, just in case?”
“Sorry. I think they all got hit too.”
Fake Sylvia burst out laughing as if she was having fun.
“Foot… Yes… They got hit…”
She also knew the skills of her two people well.
They are powerful people that even a princess can never stop.
The knights who disappeared without a trace at their hands proved this.
“No shame.”
“Are you okay. Because not everything in the world always goes as planned.”
She continued her speech leisurely, touching numerous jewels in front of a luxurious dressing table that would seem luxurious to an ordinary person.
“But thanks to you, I can now pretend to be a princess. “The kingdom is more lax than you might think.”
“It’s because everyone is tired of peace and has become lax.”
“Are you saying that although it is a powerful country with outstanding national and military power, it is weak on the inside because it is suffering from peace? “It’s also fun because it’s human.”
Fake Sylvia placed her large, beautiful ruby in her hand and looked at the man reflected in the mirror.
“So, she said before that she wanted to have Sylvia, right? “Maybe she said no then?”
“Maybe this time…?”
The man looked at her with expectant eyes.
“I think that might be a little difficult. There are too many possibilities for problems if left alive. Instead, I will let you have it later among the nobles as you please.”
He saw her regret, but he did not dare to disobey her.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
The ruby that was rolling around on her hand had suddenly turned into a mushy red liquid.
“What should the princess do?”
“I don’t think I’m alone. “What information?”
“Perhaps a knight named Eugene from nearby Roern is with him.”
“It’s Eugene…”
It was a name she already knew.
The name of the knight who was recently killed while preparing a merchant for treason.
“I never thought I would hear that name again.”
She tilted her palm and gently let her liquid ruby fall onto her floor.
“Let’s get rid of it together.”
