Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Life is a Succession of Escapes (10)
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“We've arrived.”
“Yeah...”
A golden-haired boy, handsome enough that anyone would call him good-looking, appeared carrying a pink-haired beauty in a princess carry.
What are you hiding!
This guy, handsome enough to pass for the male lead, is the cat who's been hanging around my little lady, and the stunning beauty in his arms is my precious daughter!
Damn it! The only one allowed to hug my little lady is me!
That damned cat bastard.
I'll let it slide this time given the circumstances, but next time, it's the steel bat treatment!
“Ugh...”
Seeing the guy trembling fit to burst, my warning seems to have sunk in properly.
- Huh? You didn't say it out loud.
- Instinct picks up on annoying things first.
- What's wrong with the steel bat!
What's wrong? It's the worst punishment for any living creature besides me.
“Now, shall we make a run for it?”
“But... is this really possible? Shaking off an entire nation. Is that even feasible?”
Seeing the cat's uneasy expression, I flashed a confident grin.
“A mere kingdom-level guard detail? No way I couldn't punch through it!”
“Huh?”
For a split second, the cat tilted his head.
He frowned slightly, looking puzzled, as if wondering if he'd misheard.
“Did you just say... you can't break through this kingdom's guards?”
“Exactly.”
Of course. Even if it's small, it's still a kingdom.
Even a dog bites back half the time at home—what chance does the kingdom's lord have?
One word, and hordes of soldiers pour out, traps and magic hidden everywhere—punching through that?
If it were just me sneaking out alone, maybe, but with my little lady and the other baggage? No chance.
“What the hell are you talking about? Didn't you say we were running? How do you run without breaking through the guards!”
The cat's voice started rising.
But when my little lady stirred and mumbled in his arms, he calmed his excitement and lowered his voice.
“You mean run without any way to do it?”
“No, we are running. The target is just different.”
“What?”
The cat looked utterly baffled.
Oh, you fool.
The key to a proper escape is distinguishing between those you need to flee from and those you don't.
If you treat non-enemies as foes too, your escape options shrink!
So you have to separate enemies from non-enemies precisely.
Non-enemies can be crucial allies.
“We're escaping from here, but our foe isn't this country.”
“Huh?”
“The ones chasing me are the Empire's army and that hero punk. Not this country.”
The cat stared blankly, clearly never imagining this nation wasn't the enemy.
“This country is actually on our side. Their goal is to catch the hero.”
I want to escape the vile hero's clutches.
And the princess wants that vile hero to become hers.
Our goals differ, but we can coexist.
The hero getting caught by the princess is the best scenario—for her and for me.
“Then why run like this?”
“To keep the hero from catching on.”
From his reactions so far, he'd assumed I was fleeing this country, not him.
That's why he could suggest running together.
“Better to trap him so he can't run than to keep fleeing him.”
I've escaped him several times before, but got caught every one.
Those failures taught me something.
The hero isn't tracking me—he's tracking my little lady!
And here in the kingdom, seeing him openly watch her, I realized: the heroes are using my little lady to monitor me.
So now, time to turn that against them.
“You guys, slip out this way.”
I pointed to the pre-dug hole and told the cat.
“What about you?”
“I've got unfinished business.”
I've tossed the bait to snag the hero—now time to ready the weapon for the catch.
“There'll be soldiers outside. Don't panic—follow them.”
“What?”
“Oh, you'll need this.”
I pulled a fur hat from my pocket and plopped it on my little lady's head.
Her horns made it poke up, but no soldier would nitpick in this situation.
“No time. Hurry!”
“Got it...”
At my words, the cat gently shook my sleeping little lady awake.
“Alright, then...”
Getting caught by the hero midway would ruin everything.
So I melted into the shadows and dashed toward the kingdom's main gate.
“You're here.”
The princess was already waiting at the gate, knights and mages mobilized and ready.
“All preparations are complete.”
“I see... I didn't want to believe it, but it must be true.”
“My apologies for my worthless disciple.”
“No need. If not for you, Lord Naruan, I wouldn't have known.”
A sad beauty is a sight to behold.
But most beauties I know are bitches, so it doesn't stir my heart.
No, this princess acts like one too.
“No time.”
“Yes.”
At the princess's nod, droves of personnel streamed through the gate toward the hole.
He always assumes I'm fleeing and knows tailing me stealthily is best in a pinch.
So the moment I planned my escape, I tipped off the princess about the hero's flight plans, and we agreed to cooperate in stopping him.
And this is the result!
“Huh?”
Hill's eyes bulged as he popped out of the hole.
The area was silenced by layers of spells.
Illusion magic hid us until we emerged.
So lifting his head, he saw thousands of troops at minimum!
No wonder he was stunned by the impossible sight!
“This way, please.”
Knights grabbed his arm before he could resist, and the elf Selena who followed showed the same shock, dragged off by knights.
“Princess, I'll move to execute the next phase.”
“Yes, just a bit more effort, Lord Naruan.”
I bowed slightly to the princess promising future repayment and withdrew.
Of course, I have zero intention of collecting.
No plans to return to this country—or anywhere north.
Look at that!
That déjà vu!
A few years back, I was in that hero's place amid such a mob.
And if I'm not careful, I'll be in that spot again soon.
So now's the time to flee with my pre-extracted little lady!
Farewell, disciple!
Live happily with that princess!
#12 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Hero
Ah, screwed.
Stepping out the wall, I see Hill and Selena captured.
And the princess smiling?!
“Where are you off to?”
“Uh, well...”
The princess's smile was truly beautiful.
She's called the north's top beauty in nearby kingdoms.
A stunner dragons try to kidnap!
How many would kill to see that smile?
But the instant I did, I froze stiff.
Even a beauty's smile turns grotesque against thousands—tens of thousands—fully armed troops.
“Huh? Where to? Leaving me behind?”
Moonlight made her blue hair and eyes sparkle in the dark.
Stunning, yes—but instinct screamed:
Fail to escape here, and my life ends in every sense!
“A... stroll?”
“Oh? Me too. Care to join?”
Strolling at night with an army?
She expects me to buy that?
No, if true, that's scarier?
“Haha, honored, but I'm wrapping up my stroll. Too bad—next time?”
“Shame. I thought you came through my hole to meet me. Wasn't it?”
“Gah!”
I thought it was Instructor's hole, traces of spirits lingering—but hers?
Then...?
“Is my master here?”
“Lord Naruan had business and stepped away briefly.”
Meaning he was here moments ago.
Damn, colluding with the princess even on escape?
Of course—she doesn't know he's Empire-hunted, so easy to fool!
Damn, I didn't think of that?
“Too bad—stroll next time. Shall we head back together?”
Her moonlit blue eyes fixed on me.
Like a frog before a snake, I racked my brain for escape but found none.
“The northern night is brutally cold—lingering outside is unwise, especially this winter. Your comrades await—let's go.”
The princess smiled softly, hand extended, but my feet wouldn't move.
Her gaze, colder than the northern winter wind, paralyzed me.
“Oh dear, even you heroes need handling.”
As she raised her hand gracefully, knights closed in slowly.
Damn—abandon Hill and Selena and bolt?
But where?
I could fight them, but a hero antagonizing a kingdom? Absurd.
Self-defense?
No—thanks to Instructor's schemes, my marriage to the princess is continent-wide "fact."
This looks like the hero eloping irresponsibly without commitment.
Resort to force, and I'm socially done.
Ruined. My life is over!
That's when it came.
“Need a hand?”
The saving voice.
“Huh?”
“Want help?”
No form visible, but the voice was deeply familiar.
“Y-Yeah!”
“What?”
At the annoyed tone, I pleaded.
“No—help me! Lady Mira!”
“Fine. But in return... help find Instructor.”
“Yes!”
In an instant, a black shadow burst between Hill and Selena, enveloping them.
“Wh-What?”
As nearby soldiers panicked at losing their prisoners, the shadow spat Hill and Selena right beside me.
“Wh-What is it?”
“Hero?”
As the suddenly relocated duo freaked out beside me, Mira—who revealed herself—ignored the thousands of troops, staring only at me.
“Where's Instructor?”
“Hero, who's that woman?”
Curious about Mira's sudden dramatic entrance?
Or just any woman appearing before me?
The princess's icy voice echoed from afar, chills pouring off her.
“Instructor?”
“Hero!”
The soft voice nearby and the frigid one distant—both terrified me to death.
“Shouldn't we talk after getting out of here first?”
“First, Instructor.”
“Instructor's fled! We gotta catch him—so first, we escape here!”
“Tch... beat me here... but he's gone...”
Grumbling, Mira pulled something small from her bosom and brought it to her lips.
“Teleport.”
At her word, space warped, the scenery shifted—and I escaped.
Click.
“Huh?”
“Until we catch Instructor—you work for me.”
Caught by someone else immediately!