In the hall, red candle flames flickered, illuminating a mountain-like towering figure.
The figure stood on the marble floor, his rugged adamantite armor unable to hide his bulging, powerful muscles. Just looking at his back, you could feel an oppressive force like a mountain peak crumbling down. If you circled around to his front, you'd be completely overwhelmed by his brutal and vicious expression.
He was a pure warrior, a savage fighter. And now, the frozen rage in his eyes was about to erupt like fire, his massive fists like warhammers clenched tight, knuckles cracking as if ready to crush something to bits.
Before him, a cold corpse with intact limbs but a twisted face and disheveled hair lay on the equally cold stone floor.
The corpse's cheek looked like it had been smacked hard by a titanic bear, with mouth and eyes all crooked, nose bridge shattered, purple lips that wouldn't close slightly parted, and one eyeball bulging out of its socket, oddly reminding you of a squished putty doll with its head crushed.
The facial wounds were so gruesome that they made you overlook the sword wound piercing the corpse's chest. The stab went straight from the front through the heart and out the back, the blood already clotted, staining the shirt and leather armor a bloody red.
Facing the corpse, the mountain-like burly warrior suddenly dropped to his knees, his heavy body and the weight of his adamantite armor slamming into the ground. As his knees hit, they shattered the stone floor, sending stone dust flying and leaving two shallow craters.
He stared at the corpse's twisted face, the anger in his eyes suddenly shifting to endless grief. He reached out his battle-axe-like, calloused hand and gently stroked the corpse's face, murmuring, "Brother..."
After a long moment, he stood up, the sorrow in his gaze fully forged into a towering fury, his eyes blood-red and veined, like lava was flowing through them. These were no ordinary human eyes—they were more like those of a vengeful tiger or a starving dire wolf.
In the hall, several iron-armored soldiers with swords all turned their gazes away at the same time, not one daring to meet his eyes.
A bald, short man in black formal attire cautiously scurried to his side, stammering nervously, "Lord Slam, please calm down a little. We all understand your pain, but..."
The bald short man's words weren't even finished when the warrior known as Slam, without so much as a glance, swung a sideways punch. The short guy in black formal attire went flying, crashing into the corner of the fireplace, his face drenched in blood, and he fell silent.
Slam's mountain-like towering body stepped over the corpse on the ground, yanking a thick, broad-bladed giant sword from the rack on the wall. The cold blade was etched with blood-colored pine needle patterns, like a glacier soaked through with blood.
As he drew the sword, he let out a thunderous roar!
"EEDECHI! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"
Slam gripped the blood-patterned giant sword tight in one hand and strode out of the hall. He crushed the wooden threshold underfoot with a single step, and not one of the surrounding guards dared to block him.
An old, feeble voice came from behind him. "Slam, stop. Don't stir up trouble. That adventurer can die anytime, but before that, we have more important things to do."
The voice was pale and weak, like the murmur of some gravely ill old man slumped on a sickbed, carrying no emotional ripple, nor a hint of magic.
But Slam Daguerre froze. He halted, standing outside the hall, breathing in great gulps, his chest rising and falling as if to quell the raging storm of anger inside him.
After a long moment, he replied in a low voice, "Yes, General Waverly." Then he turned and walked back into the hall.
...
"Let's go, we're heading out! Sean, Stella, you two pick up the pace."
On a wide avenue, EeDechi called back to her three teammates trailing behind.
Walking beside her was Barrett, clad in gorgon leather armor, while a few steps back were Sean and Stella, shuffling forward with small, hesitant steps, a touch of fear on their faces.
Ahead of their adventuring party was a troop of fully armed royal knights astride tall steeds, surrounding an exquisite royal carriage. Seated inside was the Re-Estize's third princess—the one famed as the "Golden Princess," Princess Renner—along with her ever-present personal bodyguard, Climb, who never left her side.
"Hurry up, hurry up! Why are you dragging your feet like that? Didn't you eat enough for breakfast?" EeDechi glanced back at Sean and Stella, who were trailing her every step with hesitation, looking very impatient.
The adventurer team had been hired by the Re-Estize's Princess Renner and was currently on a mission to protect her. Princess Renner was heading to a city near the capital to provide relief to the poor, so the four adventurers were accompanying her.
Sean and Stella had complaints they couldn't voice. They were adventurers from Baharuth, and under their weirdo captain's lead, they had somehow ended up as guards for the Re-Estize princess.
You see, Baharuth and Re-Estize had been at war for nearly a century—they were bitter enemies who couldn't stand each other, sharing the same sky only in hatred. Under the supreme deterrence of King Ainz Ooal Gown from the distant Sorcerer Kingdom, large-scale wars between the two nations had stopped in recent years, but deep blood feuds still divided the people and officials on both sides.
Sure, adventuring was a border-crossing profession that ignored backgrounds and wasn't tied down by laws, but when you needed to keep a low profile, you still had to tuck your tail and play it safe.
And now, in this situation, these two adventurers from the Baharuth had inexplicably been hired as guards for the Re-Estize's third princess...
No doubt, that troop of royal knights circling the princess's carriage, ever on high alert with weapons at the ready, would charge in on horseback the instant they discovered Sean and Stella's nationality, shouting "Assassins! Protect the princess!" and then dice them into mincemeat with their gleaming steel swords and lances.
Seeing EeDechi calling them to hurry up again from ahead, Sean and Stella had no choice but to pick up their pace a little, barely keeping up at the end of the group. In their hearts, they let out a sigh—following such a clueless adventurer captain really meant walking into one danger after another, with their lives hanging by a thread.
Ever since the last time EeDechi caused a huge uproar in the capital's brothel, Barrett had been on pins and needles, constantly ready to wind up on the wanted list alongside EeDechi again and then bolt for it right away.
But strangely, several days had gone by and nothing happened at all, as if they'd never set foot in the brothel. Yet the stack of gold coins in Barrett's ring of holding, snatched from the patrons' hands, reminded him that the whole fiasco wasn't some illusion.
Later, Barrett disguised himself and went out to sniff around for news. In a tavern, he heard the word: Princess Renner had gotten a tip-off that a fancy brothel was harboring dark wizards tinkering with black magic. After a covert investigation nailed down the evidence, she sent hired adventurers to smash the place to bits.
Now Barrett got it—it was Princess Renner who had shielded them.
But Princess Renner's tactics were downright slick. Barrett had visited that brothel twice before and hadn't caught even a hint of black magic, yet Princess Renner had slapped the charge right on it anyway.
After slogging along the dirt road for half a day, the princess and her entourage reached a small town, where they halted for a short break.
The local big shots—nobles and lords—had already gotten wind of it and hustled over from nearby cities to roll out the red carpet for Princess Renner. The princess's group bunked down at the town mayor's house, while the mayor's family got "helpfully" booted to an inn by those eager nobles.
It was already noon. After pacing a few steps in the courtyard, Princess Renner waved off the surrounding nobles and knights—she needed to chat about some matters with the captain of The Last Defender of the Way adventurer team.
"Your Highness, I think it's best if you keep your distance from those adventurers. They... seem awfully shady." The captain of the accompanying royal knight squad—Grand Knight Wade Bolton—stepped in front of Princess Renner and said as much.
The princess looked at the devoted knight before her and smiled gently. "No need to worry. I believe they're not bad people."
The princess's exclusive bodyguard, Climb, also stood tall and chest out, declaring with forceful conviction, "Please rest assured—I will protect Her Highness with my very life."
Wade patted Climb's silver full-plate armor, trying to soften his tone, "I believe you'll protect the princess well, but some enemies can't be beaten even if you throw your life away. Be careful, please!"
Princess Renner nodded to him in acknowledgment and headed to the side room with Climb to find EeDechi.
Grand Knight Wade watched the backs of Princess Renner and Climb walking side by side, a wave of concern rising in his heart. Princess Renner didn't look down on common folk because of her high status; she always treated the lower classes with a friendly, down-to-earth attitude. That was a rare and good quality, for sure, but getting involved with adventurers like this was way too risky.
Adventurers didn't have strong ties to home or country; they always packed swords, crossbows, wands, and pockets full of bizarre gear. With just Climb alone, the princess's safety wasn't guaranteed. But since the princess was set on it, he couldn't go against her wishes.
Noon had come, and the local nobles' chefs fired up the stoves, dishing out platters of food, wine, and white bread onto everyone's tables.
Because Princess Renner always kept things approachable, her entourage brushed off class barriers too. Knights, the three adventurers, scribes, attendants, and servants all sat together in the same dining hall, clustered around tables to eat.
EeDechi was still chatting with the princess and hadn't joined them. In the dining hall, Barrett sat by himself, clutching a big hunk of white bread, dipping it into steaming mutton soup and chewing it slowly. Nobody around bothered with him, and he didn't bother with anyone else.
Sean and Stella hunkered down in a corner of the dining hall, facing each other at a small wooden table, picking at their food with extreme caution. They even kept their heads down when servers brought dishes, terrified someone might come over and spot their Baharuth roots.
Suddenly, a plate of white bread, a serving of roast steak, and a dish with a silver knife and fork were set down on the empty spot next to their table, followed by a tall figure plopping into the seat.
Sean and Stella turned to look and were totally stunned—it was none other than Grand Knight Wade Bolton!
The royal grand knight's rough cheeks cracked a slight smile, his face full of cryptic mystery. "This seat's free, right?"
It's true that the more you fear something, the more it seems to come your way!