The Princess's Desperate Plea
Rihella Leyseras. "P... Please... help me... I beg you...."
A woman suddenly approached and dropped to her knees right in front of me.
I couldn't see, so I had no way of confirming who she was.
But her incredibly elegant voice, the vibrations revealing her high-quality dress and refined features—they all told me this woman was no ordinary person.
I immediately knelt on one knee, facing her with my cloth-covered eyes, and asked, "What seems to be the trouble?"
"Um... well... that is..."
That was when it happened.
"There she is! Grab her!!"
"Anyone who captures Princess Rihella Leyseras gets ten gold coins as a reward!!"
"The captain even said we can have our fun with her however we want!!"
Spouting the cheap, filthy talk befitting a dark fantasy, a considerable number of strong foes were closing in on us.
...I got the picture.
This Rihella Leyseras in front of me was being hunted by them, and she'd come to me for help to save her life.
So, what choice should I make?
Should I ignore this hassle and hurry to rescue the Corrosion disaster Enetua as soon as possible?
But that surname—Leyseras—nagged at me too much for that.
I was certain I'd heard it while playing this game.
'Though I've never heard of a woman named Rihella... Hmm.'
As I pondered briefly,
sensing I wouldn't help, the princess grabbed my ankle with trembling hands and pleaded.
"If... if you save me and my companions, I'll give you ample reward. If you want, you can even take me. So please... save us. I don't want to lose any more people around me...."
Her heartfelt plea, choked with sobs.
Truth be told, the moment I started hesitating, I'd already decided—but seeing her like this sealed it. No need for further thought.
"Understood. Mind if I ask one thing?"
"W-what would you like to know?"
"Are they villains?"
Even if this world was dark fantasy, I wanted to avoid meaningless killing as much as possible.
If I started slaughtering people just because I had power, raping women, and looting wealth, that wouldn't be adapting to dark fantasy—it'd just make me a beastly pup. I'd thought that from the moment I reincarnated.
Startled by my question, the princess nodded with effort, her voice hoarse as she answered.
"Th-they're rebels from Leyseras who toppled the kingdom without reason under the Genos Empire's backing, and assassins from the Black Moon. Villains who massacred countless kingdom folk."
"That's enough for me. I'll finish this quickly, so rest easy."
I rose slowly, turning my head to sense the presences trampling through the underbrush one by one.
Footsteps, breathing, the faint friction of weapons clashing—everything.
Roughly a hundred men formed a semicircle, blocking my front and tightening the noose from all sides.
'...Backed by the empire, huh? They're pretty strong.'
Faint mana leaking out, thick killing intent palpable on my skin.
And some moved with the disciplined steps of proper training.
Judging this might turn into a real bother, I toyed with one of the swords at my waist, scanning the surroundings once more.
Then my gaze naturally fixed on the anomalous presence atop a large boulder near the right slope.
Four men radiating far superior power than the rest.
Hearts suppressed, footsteps silent as they blended into the wind, their movements perfectly one with the forest.
Clearly far beyond ordinary mercenaries or rebels.
'Those must be the Black Moon assassins. They could be a real pain.'
Finishing my quick assessment, I drew the sword I'd been fiddling with.
As the sudden man prepared for battle,
the rebels at the front charged without hesitation, weapons raised.
"Kill everyone else!! Just grab the princess."
"What's with that one-armed freak? A mercenary?"
But in that instant—
"Hold."
One of the four lurking on the right—the apparent leader—raised a hand, easily halting the rebels' rush.
The frontrunners huffed in frustration but stopped dead.
The man I guessed was the assassins' head lightly leaped forward, landing right before me.
"......"
"Pardon our intrusion. You seem no ordinary warrior, so why spill blood needlessly? Let's each go our way—I'll make it worth your while."
No sooner had he finished than another assassin approached, tossing something from his pouch at my feet.
Clink.
From the sound and impact, gold coins.
He nodded at them rolling by my feet and continued.
"If you wish, I can even connect you with our employer. For some reason, I have no desire to cross you."
Polite from start to finish.
But beneath it coiled killing intent ready to draw his dagger and slit my throat anytime.
...Pretty arrogant, huh?
'Arrogant, yeah... but even with my aura fully suppressed, he sensed me. He's the strongest here—mid-level Aura User at least.'
The Black Moon name carried weight, sure.
But arrogance was arrogance, so I showed no reaction, just stared blankly.
Unanswered, he matched my silence, glaring steadily.
Behind me, Princess Rihella and the surviving knights swallowed dryly, all nerves on me and the assassin.
"......"
"Hoo...."
After a tense standoff,
I sighed first, casually crushing the gold coins under my dirt-caked boot.
"Appreciate the offer, but I've already made a decent deal with the folks behind me. Plus, with my eyes like this, a couple puny coins don't compute too well."
"......"
I felt his breath hitch ever so slightly at my nonchalant reply.
His fingers drummed his weapon hilt, voice far colder now.
"...A foolish choice. You're hiding something, sure... but a blind one-armed swordsman playing hero picked the wrong foes."
Negotiations broken.
His words unleashed dozens of suppressed killing intents in a explosive swell.
"Rip that arrogant bastard apart first!"
"The other knights can't even move anyway!!"
With a shout, the men roared and charged as one.
Simultaneously, the four assassins scattered like smoke, diving for my blind spots.
I quietly raised the sword in my right hand in a smooth upward arc.
The first rebel's spear aimed at my neck—I casually deflected it with my blade's flat,
using the recoil to spin and sever his throat.
He crumpled, spurting blood, without even a dying gasp.
As the metallic tang hit my nose, a second man swung a massive axe overhead from my side.
I didn't withdraw the sword.
Instead, I dipped my torso under the axe's path, slipping in close,
then snapped my right foot up, shattering his knee joint.
"Gaaahhh!!"
A bone-crunching snap and agonized scream erupted—but it cut short.
"Quiet down. My hearing's sensitive enough without you yelling in my face. Bad manners toward a blind man, no?"
I slashed lightly left to right.
Thud. The hulking body slammed down.
Two comrades dead in a blink—the remaining rebels faltered.
"D-damn it...."
"What the hell is that guy? He really blind?"
"And his swordplay's no joke. Some hidden master?"
Their trembling voices rang clear.
Vibrations from their retreating steps reached me.
Finally—
"Die!!"
Killing intent from behind-left—an assassin plunging twin daggers down.
I twisted slightly, slashing diagonally; the arrogant coin-tosser split clean in two.
Thicker silence blanketed the field.
Unlike before, the assassins' leader edged back, spooked.
Memorizing it all, I smiled.
"I don't care for pointless slaughter. Sure, it'll make enemies of the Black Moon and Genos Empire—headaches I'll bear. So get lost."
'Not that saying it will make them back off.'