Chapter 187: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (51)
Chapter 187: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (51)
The sobbing Princess looked like she’d lost her mind.
It was understandable. Though she was addressed by the grand title of 'Princess,' at her core, she was little more than a woman who had barely reached adulthood.
In terms of actual age, she was a girl not even twenty years old.
A legion of demonic beasts had suddenly ambushed their procession, her escort knights had been reduced to biological bombs, and the Head Maid she trusted was being controlled by a mysterious dark priest.
It would be difficult for anyone to maintain their sanity in such a situation.
Furthermore, was she not the one in charge of the group?
Being in a position of responsibility only made it more agonizing. The self-loathing and guilt—the feeling that countless people had died because of her—must have been eating away at her heart like a parasite.
Dozens had been killed or wounded by the forces targeting her.
Among them were those she had laughed and talked with. 'Escort Knight' and 'Head Maid'—judging by their titles alone, they were inevitably people who should have been classified as her closest confidants.
That alone was a fatal blow to her mental state.
It wouldn't have been strange for her to simply break down in tears and chant apologies, as she was doing now. Moreover, the Princess was currently in an even more vulnerable state, intoxicated by the lingering effects of the anesthetic.
"I-I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Sir Ian..."
Clear tears rolled down her cheeks.
The sight of this noble-looking woman with dark blue hair weeping was, in itself, as valuable as a work of art.
However, I didn't have the luxury to leisurely appreciate the scene.
My eyes flickered toward my back.
Mitram's body was burning fiercely. To be more precise, it was the body of the Head Maid he was controlling.
Normally, a charred corpse does not regenerate.
Even the greatest necromancer could do little more than extract a soul from a burnt body. Therefore, it was only right to assume that Mitram was now incapacitated.
Nevertheless, I felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.
I had to get her to safety.
That thought pierced my mind like a seizure.
Though they had taken the antidote, the Princess and the beautiful female knight seemed incapable of continuing the fight. Nor could I simply wake the fallen escort knights.
This was because some of them had been modified into biological bombs.
In many ways, only difficult choices remained. My contemplative gaze fixed on the Princess once more.
She was still merely begging for forgiveness like a broken record.
"I was w-wrong... I was wrong, Sir. It's all... hic, it's all because of my petty pride..."
Eventually, I let out a sigh.
Sometimes, complex calculations only served to tangle a problem into a more difficult knot.
I decided to think simply. Just simply.
My hand reached out and hoisted the staggering Princess up by her shoulder. Even after being pulled to her feet, the girl was busy sobbing and trying to wipe away the overflowing tears.
It was then that a low voice escaped my lips.
"...Your Highness."
The Princess's light gray eyes flickered toward me. With a bewildered look, she stared at me, her eyes full of questions.
Those tear-streaked eyes did look quite beautiful.
Of course, I wasn't foolish enough to voice such a sentiment.
Looking somewhat anxious, the Princess stammered out a question.
"Y-Yes?"
And in that brief moment as her trembling voice trailed off—
With a sharp thwack, the Princess's body flew through the air.
My fist had slammed into her cheek.
Even as she was struck, the Princess didn't seem to realize what had happened. Her mouth, hanging open in a daze, spoke volumes of her state of mind.
The Princess's body went airborne and rolled across the ground several times. It was a strike delivered with that much sincerity.
It might have been a bit much for a fragile girl to handle.
However, the mental shock seemed greater than the physical impact. The Princess's eyes looked chaotic as she sucked in a breath she had been holding.
Before those light gray eyes could even focus on me, I grabbed her by the collar.
"Stop whining already, Your Highness."
The Princess's face turned pale at my smoldering voice.
I didn't know how I appeared to her right now. I might have looked like a monster, with hair soaked in blood and eyes burning with murderous intent.
"You're sorry? Are you saying all those people were hurt and died because of you? If we go by what Mitram said, that might be true, but..."
In truth, the Princess wasn't much to blame.
Within the Academy, I was known as an unpredictable entity.
Even if I suddenly splashed water on the Princess, it would just be one more entry on the list of my eccentricities; it was hard for anyone to think there was a specific reason behind it.
As a royal, it was only right for her to repay an insult.
Even if touching my family and acquaintances had crossed the line, I didn't think the Princess was entirely in the wrong from the start.
And if we were to assign blame, all the guilt lay with the Dark Cult.
If they hadn't targeted the Princess, and if they hadn't mobilized demonic beasts to ambush her for that purpose, no one would have had to be sacrificed.
Nevertheless, I didn't bother pointing that out.
She had already been brainwashed by Mitram into believing everything was her fault. In a situation like this, it was inefficient to try and dismantle her existing beliefs one by one.
Instead, my mouth poured out my unvarnished thoughts.
"Even so, if you just whine and squeeze out tears, is someone else going to solve this for you? Because you're scared and it's hard? So now, do I have to clean up after you as well, Your Highness?"
"A-Ah, ugh, t-that's not it..."
The Princess seemed completely dazed by the sudden reprimand.
The effect of the blow seemed significant. She faltered, unable to meet my gaze properly.
Dew began to form in the Princess's eyes again.
I hadn't realized it because she had acted so tough all this time, but she was actually quite prone to tears. No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a 'crybaby.'
That wasn't a sin.
Everyone had the right to be weak at some point.
Still, the reason I shouted at her was that there was a proper time and place for tears.
The Princess was a human being in a high position.
A noble of the Empire carries a burden as heavy as their privileges. This was no exception, even for a member of the imperial family.
"S-Sir Ian... I-I didn't mean it like that..."
"If you understand, then stop crying."
At my cold warning, the Princess let out a small hic and clamped her mouth shut.
She looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment, but it couldn't be helped. It was a relief if this was enough to snap her back to her senses.
Her tearful, light gray eyes were fixed on me. Seeing those eyes made my heart soften again, and I let out a deep sigh.
In truth, there was one more piece of my mind I wanted to share.
I stammered as I opened my mouth again.
"And, and another thing..."
"Sir Ian!"
It was then that I heard the piercing scream of the female knight.
As soon as I heard that voice, I instinctively hugged the Princess and threw myself aside. With a sharp shweeeck, I felt something wrap around my ankle.
My hand immediately grabbed my hand axe. I pushed up my upper body and hacked several times at the strings of mana coiled around my ankle.
Clang, clang, clang!
Every time the hand axe met the strings of mana, a sound like metal clashing against metal rang out. Sparks flew, coloring my vision, and my teeth clenched involuntarily.
With a sharp snap, the strings of mana were finally severed. However, my ankle was already mangled, having been subjected to terrifying pressure just before the strings broke.
I thought I heard the sound of my ankle joint popping out of place. A groan escaped through my teeth.
"Urgh, kgh..."
The Princess was hiccuping, perhaps out of sheer shock. Regardless, I staggered to my feet. Behind me, the charred corpse was prostrate, its hands on the ground.
No, could that even be called a corpse?
Countless outstretched strings of mana wrapped around the body parts of the escort knights scattered nearby. One by one, those severed limbs were being pulled in and attached to the corpse.
Crunch, crackle, snap.
Along with the grotesque noise, the scattered body parts were crushed, bones and all. As they were, the carbonized shells surrounding the woman's body began to fall away one by one.
Soon, crimson muscle was revealed, followed by the regeneration of pure white skin.
The sound of wind passing through the hollow contours finally regained the form of language.
A giggling laughter flowed from between those lips.
Before the monster could fully regain its form, I quickly hoisted the Princess onto my back and threw her toward the female knight.
"Run, now! Get out of here!"
Thud. The Princess's body rolled across the ground once more, but no one was left to question it.
Though the female knight hesitated, she immediately took the Princess into her arms. As soon as I saw that, I hung the hand axe back on my belt and drew my sword.
But the situation didn't end there.
The cave let out a violent roar as if an earthquake had struck.
Dirt poured down from the ceiling. It was a vibration so intense that even I stumbled for a moment. Terror flickered in the eyes of the knight and the Princess in her arms.
There was only one likely cause.
Mitram, who had now regained his physical form, met my gaze and flashed an alluring smile.
"You have sharp instincts, Ian Percus. To think you were still wary of a charred corpse."
Between the falling debris, the monster and I stood facing each other.
With the Princess and the knight behind me, I caught my breath in silence.
This long day was finally coming to an end.