Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Translation: godsn
Medeia adjusted her grip on the iron-ribbed fan as she sensed his sinister intentions. The cool touch of metal clung to her palm.
It had been a long time since she last held a weapon after the expedition, and the sensation felt unfamiliar.
"You can't even handle a low-level Magic Beast like this? Princess. Why on earth did you even join us?"
"Valdina's nothing special either. All that talk about being an elite cavalry was just empty bravado!"
"Wouldn't it be better to turn back? Did you think our Expeditionary Force gathered just to babysit some useless woman?"
In her past life, the warriors of the expedition had never been kind to Medeia.
Since she and Iason were not formally wed, she was treated as nothing more than baggage by the expedition—let alone receiving the treatment befitting a Grand Duchess.
Even Iason, her lover, did not protect her.
"Medeia, you know I need them. On the day I become Emperor, I will make sure all your grievances are avenged."
It pained her that even the one she loved was not on her side. On nights when they slept back-to-back, she secretly stifled her sobs, wetting her pillow.
"I can't keep living like this."
And then she realized—the only one who could truly protect her was herself.
If she didn't prove her worth somehow, she would be abandoned in this treacherous expedition.
From that moment on, Medeia began observing the warriors who fought the Magic Beasts.
"I can't surpass them in strength. So I have no choice but to rely on speed and skill."
"How can I strike them down in a single blow?"
The straight edge of the fan's ribs traced an arc from the inside out.
And then—
"I want to prove it. That I didn't make the wrong choice."
Her strike landed precisely on the leader's throat.
The distinctive weight of Damascus steel transmitted through the point of impact.
"Ghk—! Wh-what the...?"
"I want to work hard. I want to return with my head held high. I want to show everyone."
Iason. I really thought—
That if I tried hard enough, if I gave it my all, it would be enough.
Our love, the future of my child,
Even my dream of one day returning to my homeland with dignity.
But back then, I didn't know.
That the depths of a person's heart are as endless as the Abyss, and that even a man I spent half my life with could never be trusted.
"Kuh—!"
After a brutal strike to the throat, a merciless blow to the solar plexus sent the leader crashing to the ground.
Thud!
Then, right beside the fallen leader's ear, Medeia's fan embedded itself vertically into the earth.
Had it been just a little more to the left, it would have pierced straight through his neck.
"Ugh... ngh..."
The leader trembled violently. A pungent stench rose from his lower half, now soaked dark with urine.
Swish, swish, swish—!
At that moment, several Flying Daggers came flying toward Medeia with a deadly whistle.
"Your Highness, be careful!"
She deflected two, but the last one slipped past.
'Saya is behind me.'
In that split second, instead of dodging completely, Medeia twisted her body just enough to avoid a fatal wound.
But the pain she braced for never came.
Clang!
The sharply flying dagger struck something and ricocheted away.
"Are you alright?"
Neril rushed over and asked.
"Yes."
"That was far too dangerous. Why didn't you dodge?"
"......"
Neril soon noticed Saya trembling behind Medeia and understood the reason.
"What if those daggers had been poisoned? What would you have done then?"
As Neril scolded her with a pale face, Medeia scanned their surroundings.
Someone had clearly intercepted that last dagger.
'Where did it come from? Who threw it?'
The silent forest gave no answer.
Under normal circumstances, she would have traced its origin, but the sun was setting. They had to return before the palace gates closed.
Having set her priorities, she sheathed her weapon and straightened her attire.
Neril, having finished dealing with the remaining underlings, approached. She paused when she saw the fallen leader.
'As I thought... Her Highness has been hiding her true abilities all along.'
"Shall I finish them all off?"
Neril glanced at the unconscious leader.
"No need to dirty our hands further."
They were already bodies that could no longer serve any purpose.
Would beasts in these times of famine even have full bellies?
Even if they miraculously survived and returned to the streets, there would be those waiting to settle their karmic debts.
"Tell your master when he wakes up. The next time we meet, it'll be hard for him to keep his life."
The remaining soldiers could only nod in terror, their heads bobbing incessantly.
"That princess—she's the princess of Valdina, right?"
After the princess's carriage departed, Cesare and his group emerged from behind the trees.
Gallo, who had been dazed by the prophetess's death, rubbed his eyes as if unable to believe what had just unfolded before him.
"Since when could a princess wield martial arts?"
Even Terence, who had remained composed throughout, tilted his head in excitement.
"When she turned her back, I could feel her killing intent all the way over here! By the way, boss—that last flying dagger that got deflected, that was you, wasn't it?"
Despite his dazed state, he must have caught that much.
Instead of answering, Cesare kept his gaze fixed on the spot where the princess had stood.
"......"
He recalled the sight of her from earlier.
Her nobility, unshaken even amidst the savage bandits. Her delicate, youthful features, like those of a small animal, were vivid even from a distance.
The strange coexistence of tranquility and vitality in her aura felt more suited to nature than the bloodstained royal palace.
Yet that serenity was fleeting—she had targeted the bandit leader's throat with more lethality than anyone else.
In the forest bathed in sunset, the princess's flowing silver hair shimmered momentarily with a golden hue.
'Valdina's Gold Star...'
For an instant, the old woman's words surfaced in his mind.
"Pitiful Black Star... Valdina's Gold Star shall save you from the wretched fate that ensnares you... Tsk."
Cesare's eyes flashed gold, just as the princess's had moments ago.
'Could that Gold Star the old woman spoke of be a person?'
If so... was there any chance that princess could be Valdina's Gold Star?
The Tears of Dawn—could that girl truly find the cure to lift his curse?
"Find out everything about the Princess of Valdina."
"Just like that? You mean—everything?"
"Everything."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Even at the faintest possibility, Cesare's heart began pounding violently.
Valdina Royal Palace.
"From today onward, a girl named Saya will attend to me. Treat her well."
Saya, who had followed Medeia into the palace, adapted swiftly to her new surroundings.
"Did she face any hazing?"
"To say there was none would be a lie. But the girl is quick-witted and silver-tongued—she won over the palace maids in no time."
A street child brought into the palace by the princess during her outing.
In a world where status was everything, Saya soon became a thorn in their side.
Yet, having survived alone on the streets, she refused to yield to their hazing.
How could a stray pebble expect to be cherished from the start?
Moreover, she was well-practiced in the art of winning people's sympathy.
"My birthday is also the anniversary of my mother's death. My father injured his leg in the war and could barely move, but until the day he died, he always bought me white bread on my birthday."
She revealed what would normally be fatal vulnerabilities for a teenage girl without hesitation.
No one lashes out at those struggling for the most basic necessities of life.
Petty people only measure and compete among their own kind.
"That day, I was out gathering herbs. Who knew I'd end up being sold to human traffickers? My world went pitch black."
Her beady black eyes sparkled as she vividly recounted that day's events—a mix of truth and fabrication.
"The traffickers said my eyes and organs already had buyers. I ran blindly and crashed into a carriage—then I saw a noble lady inside and clung to her, begging for my life."
"Oh dear... How heartbreaking..."
The maids were already completely absorbed in her story.
"If Her Highness hadn't saved me, I'd have been sold piece by piece without a trace left behind. My late parents must have wanted me to live no matter what."
Saya spiritedly wiped her flowing tears with her fist. The maids, swept up in the moment, dabbed at their own eyes.
"Goodness... How tragic..."
"I may be young, but I understand human decency. I'm here because I begged to repay the debt of saving my life. I only learned later that my savior was the princess—and now I'm imposing on you sisters."
Saya stood up and bowed deeply.
"You sisters are like teachers to me. I lack education, so please scold me thoroughly. I'll treasure your guidance like the heavens themselves."
"Listen to this girl talk!"
The maids burst into tinkling laughter.