The water barrier had fallen, leaving Yara feeling exposed and vulnerable. Each shift in the wind heightened her anxiety in anticipation of imminent attack.
However, there was soone whose deanor contrasted sharply with hers. Nok approached with a smile on his face and inquired, "How are you guys feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"N-No," the princess stamred, her usually steady hands trembling slightly as she shook her head. Struggling to maintain her composure, she nervously twisted the edge of her silk gown, the fabric slipping through her grasp like water. With only a thin water barrier separating her from potential assailants, it was natural for anyone to feel a sense of dread.
"Shall we treat ourselves to so hot chocolate in the anwhile, then?" Nok suggested cheerfully. "Itll be a while until the second group of assailants arrive, so we should have enough ti to relax."
Observing Nok's genuine lack of concern, Yara clenched her fist tightly, drawing blood with her nails in her palm.
"Aren't you worried at all for your life?" she questioned, incredulous.
Nok raised an eyebrow inquisitively, regarding her as if she had asked the most absurd question imaginable. "If people of that caliber could kill , then my days were numbered anyways.
There was not a trace of fear in this man's heart. It was far from normal.
Ignoring Yara's reaction, Nok retrieved a talisman and tore it apart, summoning three dim, thumb-sized light balls in front of his face. "I need all of you to co to my cabin imdiately. Bear, bring as much chocolate powder as you can. Miku, gather as many bandages as possible, along with disinfectant spray. I have so injured kids at my doorstep. And Pan... don't be late, or I'll give your lazy ass a proper scolding."
Activating his ability, Nok sent the three light balls soaring towards distant cabins that Yara could barely discern even when squinting.
To her surprise, Nok's subordinates arrived promptly. Bear arrived with a sack of chocolate powder, Miku carried a bundle of bandage rolls and disinfectant spray, while Pan showed up on ti, though he yawned lazily.
Miku imdiately tended to the unconscious youngsters who appeared to be around her age, diligently bandaging their wounds and showing great concern for their well-being.
"Bear, please make several cups of hot chocolate using the large oven. These kids will need the energy to recover from such a brutal beatdown," Nok stated, shaking his head. Although he seed regretful, Yara couldn't bring herself to believe it for a second. Nok had a smile on his face throughout the fight, as though he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Curiously, Pan inquired, "So, who attacked the kids?"
"I did," Nok replied without hesitation.
Pan looked at him strangely. "You beat up soone's children?"
"Technically, they were orphans, so they arent anybodys children. But yes, I thoroughly defeated them."
"That's intense... and concerning," expressed Pan.
Bear arrived with two trays of hot chocolate-filled cups. "What's this about beating orphans?"
Pan shrugged nonchalantly, as if discussing the weather. "Our boss just had a run-in with a group of orphaned kids."
"Yeah, and I'm about to finish off the rest," Nok declared.
"That doesn't sit well with ," comnted Bear.
"Don't worry, I practically grew up as an orphan myself. So it will hurt more than it will them," Nok said, shaking his head.
Yara observed the exorcists with their silver hair, their broken jaws, and limbs twisted unnaturally. She also noticed Miku, the exorcist girl, staring at Nok with a gaze that seed to say, How shaless can you be?
"How can soone practically be an orphan?" the princess whispered.
What struck Yara as most peculiar was that throughout the entire conversation, as she read Nok's Ord, she felt like he hadn't told a single lie. Was he sohow manipulating his Ord? It had to be, as her own ability wasn't to detect lies but rather an aftereffect of her eyes.
She refused to entertain the idea that he could be telling the truth.
Miku nodded at Yara, acknowledging her struggles, and offered reassurance. "Don't worry, you'll eventually get used to this."
Yara was startled by the notion of getting used to such a situation. However, amidst her unease, she realized sothing; she was no longer afraid.
Nok and his group continued their banter, and Yara observed that despite the circumstances, none of them seed worried. Even the princess, who had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt re minutes ago, now appeared significantly calr, even chuckling at the team's antics.
It was as if the enemies posed no real threat, but Yara knew better. She had witnessed that even in one-on-one encounters, these subordinates would likely be overpowered by the silver-haired youths. Except for Miku, who possessed a considerable amount of Ord and could potentially handle multiple of them, depending on her special ability.
***
There was an unspoken but obvious elephant in the room, despite none of us acknowledging it. It seed that Organization X was pursuing Princess Wis, and it was likely one of her siblings who ordered the attack.
I felt a sense of kinship with her, considering our shared experiences with dysfunctional families. However, whether the anticipated Royal Clash Arc would occur this ti remained uncertain. The Sun Country hadn't reached a state of sufficient instability for the royal children to do more than perhaps send a couple of assassins after their siblings.
Nevertheless, Wis had grown up with these individuals, so it was understandable if she felt saddened by the situation. Regardless, I was confident that we would have ample ti to ponder such matters later. I crouched down and carried Wis in my arms, observing her wide-eyed expression and a slight blush coloring her cheeks. However, Yara panicked and yelled, "Hey! What are you doing with the princess?!"
"Well, she's the target, and the rest of you are relatively weak. So, she and I will flee, diverting the attention of the others. You guys take care of the children. Ill catch you all later," I responded, rushing towards the nearby forest.
Carpy had already inford that there were approximately a hundred individualskids, as I saw themwhose average age hovered around fifteen. So of them, as Carpy ntioned, would require caution. Ordinarily, I would handle a situation like this with ease, but safeguarding a princess while fending off deranged killers would prove a bit more challenging.
Nonetheless, I still intended to spare, perhaps even recruit, these young individuals to my side. If persuasion failed, I would have to call upon Agon and rely on his persuasive abilities. However, if all else failed, I would be forced to resort to my last option, which was...
Suddenly, a silver-haired youth with a fleshy, red-tipped tail flew past my head. He attempted to grab with his tail, but I swiftly unsheathed my cursed sword and severed the appendage.
"Princess, hold on tight," I instructed, as Carpy signaled that we were surrounded. Wis wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. She breathed heavily in my ear, clearly terrified. "Don't worry, Ill be just a second. We'll grab so pizza afterward, I know the perfect place."
One by one, white-haired half-demons erged from the trees, each exhibiting characteristic traits of their demonic heritage, which, on average, were rather repulsive. However, there was one individual among them, a man with six arms, exuding a distinctly dangerous aura. I recognized him from the original story.
"Well, this might be challenging," I muttered audibly. It appeared I might need to resort to activating Perfect . At the sa ti, I had to remain within Carpy's sensory range, as the forest tested the limits of his perception.
***
Leo reclined in the Dark Sword Clan's yard, a contented smile gracing his face. Taking a deep breath, he relished the fragrance of the soft grass and cool stone. There was much to rejoice in, particularly the rise of his son Kon, a prodigious exorcist who had taken the world by storm. It seed inevitable that the Dark Sword Clan would ascend to one of the four great clans.
mories flooded Leo's mind of his humble beginnings, a re child from an obscure clan attending the exorcist academy. Such unpleasant recollections montarily dimd his smile, but he swiftly banished them, reminding himself of the nurous reasons to celebrate. Dwelling in the past served no purpose but to squander valuable ti.
Suddenly, an icy shiver coursed down his spine, jolting him to his feet as he pinpointed the source. His niece, Delia, erged through the gates, clutching two daggers exuding a sinister aura. Ordinarily, he wouldn't be wary of his niece, but sothing about her seed amiss.
"Hello, uncle," Delia greeted him, her smile falling short of reaching her eyes. "Is my father here?"
"Yes, but-" Leo began, only to be interrupted by a searing pain in his shoulder. Delia vanished from his line of sight.
"Good," his niece declared, her voice devoid of warmth. "I will talk with the elders first, then pay him a visit."
Cold realization gripped Leo's thoughts, though it wasn't Delia's intentions that consud him, but rather how she had moved with such uncanny swiftness. It was like she was in a whole other league.
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