12. Sunset (3)
12. Sunset (3)
The first thing we needed to do was determine the location of Arbel Village.
No matter how much I had studied, it was impossible to memorize small villages that were either part of some territory or outside territorial administration.
So we headed toward the carriage station first.
"I'll go ask."
One member took the initiative and began asking the resting coachmen.
After asking several people, they returned to us.
"If you follow this road, you'll come to a village...—"
The explanation was quite lengthy.
It seemed this village wasn't part of any noble family's territory.
"Hoo."
My mouth felt bitter.
If possible, I wanted all citizens to live safely within noble territories or inside the imperial capital.
But I knew well that this wasn't easy, nor was it something I could simply decide to do.
So I could only do my best as a member of the Imperial Family.
####
"Captain! I can see something ahead!"
After riding for several hours, chimney smoke began to appear beyond that hill.
Following the coachman's directions, this was probably the Arbel Village we were looking for.
Thinking we were almost there, we hurried over the hill, only to be met with sights completely opposite to our expectations.
The smoke we thought was from chimneys was actually a fire consuming an entire house,
and everything—fences, farms—was destroyed.
As we approached closer, unbelievable things were scattered across the broken wooden walls.
"Gasp...!"
"What... what kind of..."
"Damn it, everyone prepare for battle!"
Lumps of flesh were scattered across the walls.
No.
They were corpses.
Presumably the villagers.
But they had one thing in common—they were all male corpses.
Why couldn't we see any female corpses?
After a moment of shock, I drew my Divine Sword.
At that moment, someone's scream pierced my ears.
"Aaaaaah!!"
Hearing that voice, we all immediately ran toward the sound without hesitation.
And the scene we encountered was—
"Kireuk?"
"Kirruk!"
Squelch, squelch, squelch!
"Haak, haang, aang! Tha, that's enou... enough..."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Kyeek!"
"Hok, ok, ook! Gaaah, more! More!"
Goblins had gathered all the young women of the village in the center and were gang raping them in groups.
Just seeing it made murderous intent boil up within me—it was disgusting and revolting.
And this wasn't even indoors.
Over a dozen young village women were surrounded by tens of goblins.
Their hands and feet were tightly bound with ropes or shackles, unable to move.
Their clothes had long since become rags on the ground, creating a spectacle of human skin tones and goblin green flesh.
And what stood out most was that every orifice—mouths, genitals, and even anuses—
were all stuffed with their cockheads, and regardless of whether the victim women screamed or struggled, they were being 'used' solely for the goblins' sexual desires.
"Ugh."
A female knight in our order covered her nose.
Naturally, it was the stench coming from that crowd.
Sweat, spit, various fluids.
But worse than that was the smell of urine and sexual fluids from the gang-raped women and goblins, and the scent of goblin semen vibrating through the air.
The stench they created made everyone here uncomfortable.
"...Your Highness."
"I apologize, but please don't treat me as someone who needs protection."
Evernoir gave me a momentarily worried look.
But if I were going to stand by and do nothing, I wouldn't have drawn the Divine Sword in the first place.
As quickly as possible.
So those women's minds wouldn't shatter, praying that we weren't too late.
—Swaaaah!
"Kyeeeeeek?!!"
I unhesitatingly sliced through a goblin's neck.
####
Tens of goblins.
About thirty or so?
I don't know.
I didn't want to count the number of demon beast corpses.
Anyway, could a group of goblins win against 15 knights?
Especially not in a cave where they force close combat, but in a village square with nowhere to hide.
To get straight to the result, it was a complete victory.
The 2nd Imperial Knights achieved a perfect victory without a single injury.
To me who had only lived within the Imperial Palace, they all seemed amazing, but among themselves, the atmosphere suggested that if anyone got injured in such a fight, they should voluntarily resign from the knight order.
Evernoir, who had organized the situation, approached and spoke.
"...Your Highness, are you injured anywhere?"
"You, you're treating me like a baby, aren't you?"
"Th-that's not..."
Of course I understood Evernoir's concerns.
Even I thought that if there was a princess in my unit, I'd naturally be worried.
If even a small scratch appeared on the princess's body, all responsibility would fall on Evernoir as captain.
"Evernoir, even if I were to get injured, I wouldn't hold you responsible. So you don't need to be so anxious."
"Huh? What do you mean..."
Leaving Captain Evernoir who was pretending otherwise, I walked toward the victims.
"Ah, no! That's not what I meant... Your Highness!"
Evernoir finally understood and shouted from behind, but I could no longer hear.
—Clank. Clang!
First, I cut through the iron chains and ropes binding the women's arms and legs.
But they were already lost in waves of climax.
"...Bring some blankets."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The women's condition was miserable.
Their arms and legs weren't simply bound.
Blades had been embedded in their arms to prevent resistance, and women who had fought back had their thigh tendons cut so they couldn't escape.
What was truly disgusting was that they had bandaged them so they wouldn't die in this state.
They were demon beasts, it was their nature.
Naturally, having successfully invaded a human village, the village women were their spoils of victory.
Just as humans feel no guilt killing demon beasts, demon beasts feel no guilt attacking humans.
So they had only done enough to keep them from dying, and had been gang raping these women until now.
—Swish.
"Ugh."
"Y-Your Highness the Princess..."
The surrounding knights were shocked.
Mainly the female members.
Well, I was touching goblin semen with my bare hands.
But I had no regrets.
If I didn't take the initiative, who would wipe away the goblin semen these citizens were covered in?
No matter how defiled they were by demon beasts, no matter if people around them called them dirty sluts.
At least I didn't want to turn away from them.
If I wore gloves to wipe them and they woke up, that sight alone would surely leave lifelong psychological scars.
The other female knights hesitated slightly.
Of course I had no intention of forcing them.
Naturally, as women, they couldn't possibly view goblins—who only rape and gang rape human women—favorably.
I knew they wouldn't want to touch it either.
As I wiped down the village women one by one, Captain Evernoir soon joined me in my actions.
I heard Evernoir was from a noble family too.
I never imagined she would help with such work.
Then again, she probably never imagined the princess would do such things either.
Evernoir and I silently wiped away the semen from the village women without a word.
From their hair to their mouths, armpits, breasts, stomachs, and inside their vaginas and anuses, all the way to their backs.
After wiping them all down, we covered the women with blankets and laid them quietly in the village hall.
Now the problem was hoping that when they regained consciousness, they wouldn't have gone mad.
####
—Splish splash.
"...Tch."
After tending to the village women.
I was washing the goblin semen from my fingers and palms under running water,
but for some reason it wouldn't wash away cleanly.
I didn't regret my actions for the village women, but the stubborn yellow fluid that refused to wash off was extremely unpleasant.
—Splish splash.
And Evernoir washing her hands beside me was also making a face I'd never seen before.
"Pfft."
For some reason, laughter suddenly escaped me.
Not ordering subordinates to do it, but the highest-ranking and noblest princess and noble lady washing goblin semen.
Wouldn't this be a scene worthy of ridicule if others saw it?
"..................?"
Evernoir, who was already frowning, tilted her head at my sudden laugh.
"Kheuk, it's nothing."
Anyway, why won't this stuff wash off?
Even when I scrubbed hard with my hands, it showed no intention of coming off.
Normal human or animal male semen is usually pale and thin.
But as if to prove why goblins are called breeding demon beasts, their life force felt disgustingly potent.
Surely having strong life force should be viewed positively.
Why did this strong life force have to manifest in such a way?
It was thick and sticky rather than thin, deeply pigmented, and even with my hands this far away, the fishy smell vibrated through the air enough to sting the nose.
'...Why is it so foul?'
Without thinking, instinctively—
"Sniff sniff."
I brought the hand I was washing to my nose.
And then, of all times. No, perhaps inevitably, my eyes met Evernoir's as I was doing this.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah, uh, uuh! It's, it's nothing...!"
My face instantly flushed with heat.