Chapter 122: The Handsome Man Trap
The beast-drawn cart came to a sudden halt just as we were about to reach Belfast.
Princess Lena, her expression one of indignation, poked her head out to see why they had stopped, only to find familiar soldiers surrounding the beast-drawn cart.
At the utterly unexpected situation, her expression changed completely.
“Why are Marquis Hestia’s knights here…”
“Princess, you mustn’t show your face! Their target is you!”
An Imperial Guard Knight, one of the escorts, raised his voice, tinged with urgency.
A peek at his face revealed utter despair.
The Royal Guard protecting royalty are the elite of the elite, but they were overwhelmingly outnumbered.
Indeed, there were eight of them against several hundred enemies.
“My apologies, Your Highness!
For us to make a comeback, our only path is to offer you as a gift and seek refuge in the Empire!
This is Belfast. No help will come.
Well, please give up, thinking of it as for the future of your departing retainers.”
They had the appearance of men bearing the scars of battle.
They were likely soldiers who had fled the battlefield in defeat.
“Fools!! Even if you succeed here and now, there’s no way you can cross the border!”
“We won’t know that unless we try!
I’m telling you, thanks to our foolish lord, we have no path left!”
It was true, they had no path left.
They had joined the war knowing they were siding with the Empire, and to make matters worse, they had even drawn their swords against Crown Prince Riley.
It was a situation from which there was no excuse.
“Worst case, the Princess’s corpse will do! Prepare for a simultaneous magic attack!!”
“W-Wait!! Damn it! Barrier deployment formation! Hurry!!”
From all directions, red, glowing magic circles were aimed at the beast-drawn cart and began to deploy.
The Imperial Guard Knights formed a V-shape to protect the beast-drawn cart and deployed a barrier taller than themselves.
Seeing this, Marquis Hestia’s knight smirked.
“You protected it, huh? Good, now you can’t move. Keep it up until the Royal Guard’s barrier runs out of magical power!!”
At those words, the Imperial Guard Knights’ expressions twisted, and they fell silent.
If they dispelled the barrier, the Princess would be exposed to danger. However, their magical power would run out first.
It was a checkmate from the very first move.
“This is bad… We’re going out, Yukina.”
“Yes… I don’t know how much help we can be, but we can’t just sit here and die, can we?”
“Riana-san!? B-But the enemy are adult knights!?”
“Yes. But well, there’s a better chance than surviving the Abyss.”
Despite her troubled expression, she forced a stiff smile, opened the door, and jumped out.
“D-Don’t come out!!”
“Is this any time to be saying that!? We’ll provide support from on top of the cart. And you two at the end!
You join the attack too! This isn’t the time to worry about just grazing them, is it!?”
The Imperial Guard Knight made eye contact with his captain, then leaped onto the driver’s seat and began to construct an attack magic circle with Riana-san and the others.
“Firestorm, right?”
“Yes. Immediately after, we’ll turn the beast-drawn cart around and retreat. Be prepared for that!”
“Huh? In this situation, leaving our rear undefended…!? Don’t tell me, you’re leaving them behind…?”
“That’s what escort knights are for. The Princess’s safety is our utmost priority.”
Both sides were ready.
Hesitating here would only drain the magical power of the knights maintaining the barrier.
Having judged so, she reluctantly nodded and called out, “Firing!”
The Firestorm, unleashed at maximum output, didn’t quite reach fully but conveyed enough heat to scorch the enemy’s front line, forcing them to break off their attack.
Immediately after, the Imperial Guard Knight in the driver’s seat turned the cart around and started to flee.
“Riana-sama, get inside too!”
They couldn’t use magic while moving.
Thus, the knight, thinking they had no role to play, urged them to move inside the cart.
“No, I’ll stay here. Yukina can at least drive.”
“Yes, I can, so Riana-sama, please go inside.”
“No way. I refuse to wait trembling without knowing what’s going on.”
While they argued, Yukina took the reins from the Imperial Guard Knight and made the familiar run at full speed.
Seeing Yukina’s skillful handling, the two knights felt relieved, entrusted it to her, and turned to guard their rear.
“As expected, we can’t shake them off…”
“Eh, they’re here already!?”
“Yes. They’re riding solo, after all.
But our captain and the others must be holding them back. There are only about fifteen of them.
With this number, perhaps…
We will dismount here and stop them, so please ride on through.”
Riana-san, experiencing for the first time a situation where others sacrificed themselves to protect her, was struck by an indescribable conflict, but before she could reply, they moved, and the situation progressed.
“Riana-sama, we’ve merely taken over. It’s our turn next. Please stay strong.”
“Right… Being suddenly dragged out of the academy like this, my feelings just can’t keep up…”
Indeed, Princess Lena and the others had suddenly appeared at the academy with a letter and taken them away.
However, it was the same for the princess and her party. A letter from Riley had arrived from the battlefield, and the King had suddenly ordered them to go to Belfast.
Further hardship befell the girls, who were already burdened with such anxiety and dissatisfaction.
“Fuhaha, the main road was a decoy! You were fooled! We’ve caught up!!”
Turning her gaze towards the voice, she saw the man who had been leading the unit just diagonally behind them, followed by several soldiers.
“Hey, Yukina? You said it was our turn next, right? What should we do?”
“No, um, what should we do?”
The two looked at each other with tearful faces, but the enemy didn’t wait.
A spear was thrust into a wheel, the cart overturned, and the two were thrown from the beast-drawn cart.
“Kyaaaa!”
The girls’ high-pitched screams echoed, followed by the sound of the overturned cart being dragged.
Riana-san, slammed to the ground, endured the pain and looked up to see the figure of an ugly, laughing man before her.
The three of us—myself, Yuri, and Ignat—were heading towards Belfast. We’d taken a slight detour to check around what time the princess, who was said to be arriving today, would get here.
And, naturally, we found them right away.
A lavishly decorated beast-drawn cart accompanied by escorts—there was no mistaking it.
However, it seemed they had run into a very troublesome situation.
That’s right. They were surrounded by several hundred soldiers and under attack.
A very bad situation indeed.
If a princess of Lestall dies in Belfast territory, it could easily lead to war, you know?
And yet, because we’d been so careful not to be noticed, there was quite a distance between us.
“We’re going in to help, full speed! Prepare yourselves!”
Even as I said that, the situation was developing.
The beast-drawn cart turned around and attempted to flee, while soldiers desperately tried to hold back the pursuers.
I felt bad for the escorts, but the princess was the priority, so I banked, sped up, and chased after the fleeing beast-drawn cart.
But looking closely, there were only about ten pursuers in the forest and fifteen on the road.
In that case, one person should be enough to rescue the princess. It seemed we could help the escort knights too.
Wait a minute… if that’s the case, it’s better if I don’t rescue the princess, right?
“Alright! Ignat-kun, you will be the one to gallantly rescue the princess!”
“Eh… Of course, I don’t mind rescuing her, but why the suggestive phrasing?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. I think that’s best! For, um, you know, achievements and stuff?”
Yuri, who seemed to have caught on to my intentions, agreed in kind.
Ignat looked a little bewildered, but with the beast-drawn cart having overturned and stopped, there was no time left.
As we dived, he leaped out gallantly without us even landing.
Ignat landed smoothly right in front of Riana-san, who was sprawled on the ground.
Huh? He jumped out of a flying vehicle, so he should still have momentum from inertia, right?
Wait a second. How does that work?
What? Is it some kind of handsome-guy correction?
While pondering such questions, I banked, and the scene receded into the distance.
Although I felt a tremendous sense of doubt, I decided to forget about it for now, let out a light breath, and went to rescue the escorts who had put their lives on the line to protect their master.
The knight who had been fighting fifteen enemies was severely injured but victorious, so I flew past him and landed where the escorts were facing several hundred.
“I’m from Belfast. I’ve come to assist.”
“N-Never mind us! The Princess! We entrust Princess Lena to you!!”
“Rest assured. A strong individual is already heading her way.
So for now, let’s focus on this place.”
“How fortunate! Then, I’m sorry to trouble you, but we request your aid!”
“Leave it to me,” I said, deploying lightning magic and sending bolts coursing through. Yuri rushed to help a knight who looked like he was about to be struck down.
Perhaps she’d gotten used to movement magic, as she zipped around the battlefield in an instant, cutting down enemy soldiers one after another.
Just as I’d seen from above, their skill level wasn’t very high.
There were about two hundred enemy soldiers remaining, but their annihilation was over in a matter of minutes.
“Is it… already over? Such skill at your age. Could you possibly be… His Highness, Prince Rui?”
“Um, yes. Well… But more importantly, shouldn’t you go check if the princess is safe?”
They looked startled, exclaimed, “You’re right!” and started running, drinking Potions as they went.
“Well then, shall we go too?”
“Yes. That was excellent quick thinking, Rui.”
And with that, Yuri clung to my arm, and we left the scene.
I was happy, of course, but I couldn’t quite rejoice wholeheartedly in a place that was clearly the aftermath of a battlefield.
So, I quickly departed from there.
My hopes swelled with the expectation that I already knew what the scene ahead would look like, even without seeing it.
“There aren’t many women who wouldn’t fall for him after he saved them from a desperate situation.”
“Ria-san will probably get angry, but Ignat-san can make himself scarce, so he’ll be fine.”
Ah… I’m the one who’s going to get yelled at for that, aren’t I? Well, can’t be helped.
And as we walked on, just as I expected, I heard the adorable, sweet voice of a woman.
Ah, this is the end, isn’t it.
That’s what I thought as I, still prostrating, looked up at the man with an ugly smile.
The moment that man tried to reach for me, a beautiful person descended from the heavens.
“You’re safe now. If you please, take my hand.”
Even though it wasn’t the time for such things, I found myself taking his hand without thinking.
A truly masculine voice, yet with a beautiful and captivating tone.
Being whispered to in such a voice by such a handsome man, my body moved before I could even think.
But I quickly came to my senses and tried to send a wary glance towards the hideous man, only to find he had already breathed his last.
Huh? There wasn’t even a death cry, not a single sound?
“My apologies, that was an unsightly display. There are still some insolent fellows about, so please excuse me for a moment.”
He gently, softly lifted me, and in an instant, the scenery shifted. When I realized it, I was beside the overturned Beast-Drawn Cart.
An injured maid had just managed to pull the Princess from the cart.
Yukina, who had been thrown to the ground some distance from me, was still unconscious.
“Now then, young ladies, please avert your eyes for a moment. I wouldn’t want you to see anything unsightly.”
He gave a casual, gentle smile, left behind a faint red glow, and vanished from the spot.
“Wh-who was that gentleman? Hey, Riana!?”
“I-I don’t know. He suddenly descended from the heavens.”
“A-an angel-sama?”
Even while having such a conversation, our gazes followed him.
His fighting could no longer be called a battle; it was an overwhelming display where enemy soldiers simply fell as he passed by.
The battle ended in a matter of seconds, and he walked back towards us with graceful movements.
“Forgive my late introduction. My name is Shuperu, and I have the honor of serving His Highness, Crown Prince Rui. His Highness will be here to escort you shortly, so I would appreciate it if you could wait here.”
There was something a little off about the way he bowed, but our eyes were fixed solely on his face.
Princess Lena, her expression softer and more captivated than I had ever seen, quickly stepped in front of Ignat and spoke up.
“My, my, my, my! So you are Prince Rui’s Knight! I am Lena! Lena Zel Lestall. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance! Lord Shuperu!”
Hey! Your intended partner is Rui-san, isn’t he? I thought, and also took a step forward.
“Ah, um, I, I, I’m Riana. Riana Randall. I am deeply grateful for your help. Th-thank you very much. You wonderful Knight-sama.”
Uwaah… I stumbled over my words. I wonder if he thinks I’m a hopeless girl, I thought, unable to suppress my anxiety as I looked up at him.
“They were merely ruffians of that level, so it was nothing. More importantly, I’m glad you are safe. Oh, but before that, I must heal the young ladies who were injured. Please excuse me for a moment.”
Saying so, he righted the overturned cart, lifted Yukina, and laid her down inside. He had the maid sit beside her and began treating them with Healing Magic.
“I-if only I were injured too…” Princess Lena murmured.
Ah, if it’s just a scratch… I thought, standing at the entrance of the cart and showing the frayed part of my sleeve.
However, compared to their injuries, mine was minor at best. I suddenly felt embarrassed and hid it, but after treating them, he took my hand.
“I apologize for not noticing,” he said, activating a third Magic Circle.
What a kind person he is…
As I thought this, still holding his hand and gazing at him, I was pulled back from behind.
It was Princess Lena.
“Surely a scratch like that doesn’t need treatment? It would be impolite to trouble Lord Shuperu any further.”
“Oh my, Your Highness, shouldn’t you be thinking more about thanking Rui-san? As for thanking Lord Shuperu, I shall do it myself.”
“Oh, my, my, my! You were the one saying Prince Rui was ‘cool’ and ‘cute,’ weren’t you? Wouldn’t the Prince be happier to hear it from you?”
“Hey! You’re saying that now!?”
While we were doing that, Yukina had apparently woken up and was looking this way with an exasperated gaze, murmuring, “Riana-sama…”
Feeling awkward, I let my gaze wander, and I saw the guards running towards us.
“Ah, thank goodness! The Royal Guards all seem to be safe too!”
As I exclaimed this, Lord Shuperu smiled and said, “That’s good to hear,” causing everyone’s attention to focus on him.