༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (51) ༻
The sobbing princess didn’t seem to be in her right mind.
It was understandable.
Despite her status as an ‘Imperial Princess,’ in reality, she was merely a young girl who hadn’t even turned twenty.
Thrown into chaos by a sudden ambush of a horde of demonic beasts during the procession, witnessing her knights transformed into living bombs, and discovering that her trusted head maid had been controlled by a dark priest all along…
Anyone would have found it difficult to maintain their sanity in such a situation.
Moreover, burdened by the weight of leadership, the responsibility she felt only added to her distress. The guilt and anguish from causing numerous deaths, particularly those of her close retainers like the knights and head maid, were likely eating away at her heart.
Her mental resilience had undoubtedly been dealt a severe blow.
Thus, her current state of tears and repeated apologies, aggravated by the effects of anesthesia, were entirely understandable.
“I-I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Sir Ian…”
Her voice trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks.
To witness the esteemed princess, with her midnight-blue hair, reduced to such vulnerability, was as if observing a rare and delicate masterpiece unravel before our eyes. However, amidst the chaos, there was no time to appreciate such a sight.
My gaze involuntarily shifted behind me.
There, Mitram’s body, or rather, the body of the possessed head maid, still smoldered.
Under normal circumstances, a charred corpse would be beyond revival, and even the most skilled necromancers could only extract souls from such remains. Thus, it was safe to assume that Mitram was completely out of the picture.
Yet, despite the odds, an urgent sense of impending danger gripped me, defying common sense.
My instincts screamed at me, telling me that we had to evacuate immediately.
Glancing at the princess and the female knight, it seemed that even after taking antidotes, they were incapable of further combat.
Due to the risk posed by the potential presence of living bombs among the fallen knights, we couldn’t even heal and rouse them.
We were left with nothing but difficult choices.
Lost in thought, my gaze returned to the princess.
She was still pleading for forgiveness, her words echoing like a broken record.
“I-I… I was wrong. A-All… hik… because of my useless pride…”
A soft sigh escaped me.
I decided to think simply, as sometimes, overthinking only lead to more complications.
Having made up my mind, I gently lifted the princess by her shoulders.
Even after helping her up, she continued to cry, hastily wiping away her tears.
I called out softly.
“…Your Imperial Highness.”
The princess looked up at me, her gray eyes filled with confusion.
Her tear-filled eyes were captivatingly beautiful, though I refrained from voicing such thoughts in this tense moment.
The princess stuttered nervously.
“Y-Yes?”
–-Puk!
Just as her voice trailed off, she was sent hurtling backward.
My fist connected squarely with her cheek. It was a sincere blow.
Despite being hit, she seemed almost oblivious to what was happening.
Her mouth hung agape in shock as she tumbled across the ground.
The physical shock might have been too much for the frail girl to handle, but the mental shock appeared even greater.
Gasping for breath, her bewildered eyes sought mine, yet before they could fully focus, I grabbed her by the collar.
“Please stop with all the whining, Your Imperial Highness.”
Her complexion paled at the intensity of my tone.
I could only imagine how I appeared in her eyes—perhaps a monstrous figure with blood-streaked hair and a murderous glare.
“You’re sorry? Are you saying it’s your fault that all those people were hurt and killed? That might be the case if what Mitram said was true…”
In reality, however, the princess wasn’t really to blame.
I was known for my erratic behavior within the academy, so even though I had doused her with water, it was difficult for anyone to think I had any underlying motives and would likely be dismissed as just another crazy antic.
Moreover, as a member of the imperial lineage, it was only right for her to seek vengeance for the offense.
Even though she had crossed the line by targeting my loved ones, I harbored no ill will and believed she was free of blame—attributing the fault solely to the Dark Order.
Had they not targeted the princess or unleashed demonic beasts in a sudden onslaught, no sacrifices would have been necessary.
Yet, I saw no need to point this out.
Mitram had already deeply ingrained within her the belief that she was the one responsible for all this misfortune, and it was both difficult and futile to try and break down pre-established beliefs.
Instead, I opted for unfiltered honesty.
“But even then, will whining solve anything? Will someone come along and resolve everything for you if you simply cry? You’re so scared and overwhelmed that you can’t do anything? Then must I clean up after you, Your Imperial Highness?”
“ah. N-No… I… uuu… That’s not…”
It seemed that being hit had taken a significant toll on her. She appeared utterly bewildered by my sudden rebuke. She struggled to form words, much less meet my gaze.
Tears welled up in her eyes once more.
I hadn’t known because she always put up a strong front, but she was quick to cry. In fact, ‘crybaby’ was quite fitting for her.
But shedding tears wasn’t a sin—everyone had the right to be weak and vulnerable.
The reason I yelled at her stemmed from my belief that there was a time and place for tears.
As a member of the imperial family, she held a position of authority and was subject to the same expectations–to bear as much responsibility as she had authority–as other nobles within the empire.
“S-Sir Ian… I-I didn’t mean it like that…”
“Stop crying if you understand.”
“hik.”
She shut her mouth upon hearing my warning.
Though she was on the verge of tears, it was a necessary step to bring her back to reality.
Her gray, tear-filled eyes met mine, and I sighed as the sight softened my heart.
In truth, there was another thing I wanted to convey.
“A-Also, um…”
“Sir Ian!”
But right as I opened my mouth in a stammer, the female knight’s shriek echoed through the tunnel.
Reacting instinctively, I embraced the princess and dove forward.
The sound of something slicing through the air pierced my ears as I felt something coil around my ankle.
Swiftly seizing the hatchet, I swung it with relentless force, aiming to sever the strand of mana ensnaring my leg.
Each collision echoed with sharp, metallic reverberations, while flying sparks obscured my vision.
Before long, the mana thread snapped, but not before inflicting considerable damage—mangling my flesh and exerting immense pressure, resulting in a sickening snap as it dislocated my ankle.
A pained groan escaped through my clenched teeth.
“Kuuhk… uugh…“
The princess let out a startled hiccup as I struggled to rise to my feet.
Behind me lay a charred corpse sprawled on the ground.
No, it was hard to even call it a corpse.
Countless mana threads extended from it, reaching for the severed limbs of the fallen knights.
Grotesque sounds filled the air as it retrieved and crushed the dismembered parts to the bone.
As the charred remnants of the corpse fell away, red muscles were briefly exposed as white skin began regenerating on the surface.
Carried by the wind, the laughter emanating from those partially-formed lips echoed eerily.
Before that monstrous abomination could regain its proper form, I swiftly lifted the princess and threw her towards the knight.
“Run away! Now!”
The princess tumbled across the ground once more, yet no one questioned my rough handling of the imperial princess.
The female knight promptly staggered to the princess’ aid and lifted her from the ground.
Seeing this, I returned the hatchet to my waist and drew my sword.
But the escalating situation didn’t end there.
-KOOOOOONG!
Dirt rained down from the ceiling as the tunnel rumbled.
The violent tremor momentarily disrupted my balance.
Fear dyed the eyes of both the knight and the princess cradled in her arms as Mitram, having regenerated her form, flashed a sinister smile
“Your senses are quite sharp, Ian Percus. To think you’d even be wary of a burnt corpse.”
Amidst the descending debris, the monster and I faced off.
With the princess and the female knight behind me, I silently steadied my breath.
The conclusion to this long day was finally drawing near.
