Chapter Four: The Girl and the Man in Black

A dark figure darted out from the dense woods—a humanoid shape, unmistakably a tall woman by her silhouette. Draped in a green cloak, with intricate silk and leather armor boots accentuating a physique both powerful and elegant, she cut a striking form. Beneath her hood, emerald hair framed delicate features, and her green eyes shone like jewels; her pointed ears revealed her elven heritage.

On her back was another woman: clad in silver armor, with flowing golden hair, her features noble and spirited. Yet now, the blonde’s face was pale, her breath ragged, and her expression betrayed weakness and pain.

“I… I can’t go on, I really can’t…” Aimeya gently set the golden-haired knight down onto the grass, bracing her hands against her knees, gasping as beads of sweat rolled down her face.

Olina, leaning on her longsword, managed to stand from the grass with difficulty. “Aimeya, you should go ahead. If we stay, neither of us will make it out.”

The sound of rustling grew louder from the forest, shadows drawing nearer, forming a threatening advance.

Aimeya grimaced. “Do you think I still have the strength to run? I’ve carried you for nearly an hour—should’ve left you behind halfway through.” She felt she’d lost far too much; her life might end here today.

Regret flooded her heart. She shouldn’t have coveted that trinket and agreed to be this unlucky princess’s bodyguard. She wished she could slap herself for not being ruthless enough to abandon Olina earlier. If she’d done so, she’d have slipped away without a trace and avoided this predicament.

The thought that her life might soon end here made Aimeya’s expression anxious. She grabbed Olina’s shoulders and shook her. “Olina, aren’t you supposed to be the most gifted princess the Dawn Kingdom has seen in a hundred years? Hurry up and cut down those bastards—just like you do with monsters!”

Olina managed a bitter smile. “I’ve been poisoned. My energy is in chaos—I can’t muster any strength.”

“Don’t you have any survival trinkets as a princess?” Aimeya pressed.

“I did receive one from my father during my coming-of-age ceremony, but I sold it a few months ago,” Olina admitted sheepishly, scratching her cheek. A dignified princess of the realm, forced to sell her possessions to cover expenses—she was surely the most downtrodden among her siblings.

“You dared to sell even that?” Aimeya’s voice rose, then she slapped her own forehead and covered her face. “You’re hopeless. Looks like it’s up to me—the future Great Sage. Come here…”

Aimeya leaned close to Olina’s ear, whispering so only they could hear, “Do this… and that…”

When Olina heard her plan, she stepped back, staring at Aimeya in disbelief, her voice trembling. “Miss Aimeya, I… I can’t possibly…”

Aimeya said, “It’s just looking and touching—won’t cost you a piece of flesh. Better than being violated to death, isn’t it?”

Olina was fair-skinned and beautiful, with refined features and the status of a princess. A bit of seductive behavior would surely drive those lecherous men wild.

“But… if anyone should try seducing them, wouldn’t Miss Aimeya be more suitable?” Olina sized her up.

In terms of beauty, Olina had to admit she couldn’t compare to Aimeya, who hailed from the most beautiful race—the elves. There was nothing to criticize in her looks, except perhaps for her modest chest.

Aimeya glared. “I’m an old woman over a hundred years old—how can I compare to a lovely seventeen-year-old girl like you?”

“Ah—wait, I remember Miss Aimeya said she was only sixteen…”

“Hm?!” Aimeya raised an eyebrow. “If I do the seducing, can you handle the rest?”

“I understand,” Olina lowered her head, feeling wronged. She knew the difference between survival and dignity. Aimeya was in danger because of her; she had to take responsibility.

Olina steeled herself. “Just consider it being touched by a dog—endure and it’ll pass!”

“Miss Aimeya, are you really sure you can handle those men?” Olina was still uneasy.

Aimeya clasped her hands to her chest, speaking earnestly, “I swear by the great, all-knowing Goddess of Wisdom.”

Olina’s heart eased a little; swearing by her own deity meant Aimeya was confident. Wait—didn’t Aimeya once say she worshipped the Lord of Night…?

Olina sensed something was amiss, but there was no time to dwell on it.

At that moment, nearly twenty figures emerged from the woods, clad in black robes and wearing fiendish masks. Cold steel swords in hand, they formed a semicircle around the two women.

The leader stood before Aimeya and Olina, tapping the grass lightly with his sword, his demeanor insolent. “Honorable Princess, the game of hide-and-seek is over.”

“I am Olina Dawn, ninth princess of the Dawn Kingdom.” Olina’s expression was solemn as she stepped forward, drawing her ornate sword without a trace of fear before the advancing black-robed men, embodying royal bearing—though inside, she was panicking.

“Attacking royalty is a grave crime. Withdraw now, and I’ll let it go.”

The leader paused, then burst into laughter. “Princess, you can barely save yourself—how are you going to punish us? Besides, once we kill you, there’ll be no crime against royalty.”

“What must we do for you to let us go?” Olina’s face was grim, partly from the poison but mostly from humiliation. If not for her weakened state, these petty thugs would have been chopped to pieces by now.

“What must you do…” The leader repeated, his gaze wandering over Olina with indecent intent.

Dark thoughts surged within him. Their mission was to kill Olina and dismember her body, staging it as a cult ritual. If they had to kill her and mutilate the corpse anyway, why not indulge themselves first? No one would ever find out—a princess, a noble woman he’d never attain. Now was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. If it came to light, he’d die anyway; and even if not today, perhaps tomorrow—what was there to fear?

“Princess Olina, remove your armor and clothing for inspection. Perhaps then we’ll let you go,” the leader’s breath grew heavy.

His words stunned the others. One of them muttered, “Boss, that’s not the mission—if we delay, things might change…”

“Hmph! They don’t have the strength to run—what trouble could they cause?” The leader shot a glare, silencing the protest.

The underling immediately closed his mouth.

“Come on, Princess Olina, take off your armor.” The leader’s laughter was vile, echoed by the others with snickers. Maybe they wouldn’t have the first taste, but after the boss was done, surely there’d be leftovers for them.

“Let’s hope you keep your word.” Olina seemed resigned, kneeling reluctantly to untie the straps of her iron boots.

A gleaming, snow-white foot appeared, dazzling under the sunlight. All the black-robed men instinctively leaned forward, eyes bulging with excitement. There was something about seeing a reluctant princess undress that thrilled them beyond measure.

While every gaze was fixed on Olina’s legs, Aimeya, silent until now, slipped out a black, ancient bone flute unseen.

…

“Not bad luck—first day here and I’ve found humans.” Qin Le gently parted vines, watching below through the gaps at the group dressed in medieval Western fashion.

Iron swords, armor, fine cloth, and an unfamiliar language. Though strange, the speech was clear and orderly, suggesting a developed language and script.

Judging by their attire and weapons, their civilization seemed roughly at a two-thousand-year-old feudal stage.

“A chase?”

Below, a dozen black-robed men had surrounded two women—no matter how you looked, it was a pursuit.

“Boss, who should we help?” The Falcon had his sniper rifle ready, the scope trained on the loudest black-robed man. The rule was: shoot the leader. His position and volume made him obviously the one in charge, even if the language was unknown.

Qin Le pondered for a few seconds. “Help the two women. Everyone, target the black-robed men. Leave a few alive, kill the rest—don’t let any escape.”

With only five people in this dense, primitive forest, they couldn’t control a dozen enemies; killing most was safest.

He chose the black-robed group as targets mainly because they were numerous, mostly male judging by build and voice, and hard to control. The two women would be easier. Another reason: the black-robed men’s suspicious appearance—hiding their faces, sneaky, likely criminals like assassins. The women’s attire suggested nobility, making them ideal for contact with this world’s human society.

Lacking information on the social structure, Qin Le could only apply his own worldview, making the choice with the lowest chance of error.

Besides, those men were hideous—compared to the two beauties…

Alright, Qin Le admitted he was a bit of a sucker for pretty faces.

“Ready.” Qin Le extended the muzzle of his submachine gun through the vines, flicked off the safety, and rested his finger lightly on the trigger.

The others did likewise, aiming at the black-robed figures.

…

“Well done, Olina, keep luring these fools.” Aimeya gripped the bone flute, pleased to see the enemies’ attention fixed on Olina.

The flute was a magical item, emitting a sound audible only to underground monsters, enraging and drawing them in. The sole drawback was that all creatures near the source would be attacked indiscriminately.

That’s why she hadn’t used it during the earlier pursuit.

“Let’s hope this war watchtower holds firm.” Aimeya glanced sideways, using her elven eyesight to see the tall structure behind them—their only hope for survival.

“Huh? What’s that?”

Thanks to her race’s extraordinary vision, Aimeya clearly spotted several black rods protruding from the watchtower window above, glinting coldly in the sunlight.