Book 1: Chapter 26

Book 1: Chapter 26

Rescuing Princess

I advanced through the small tunnel in pursuit of the kidnapped Elena.

Although that maid had leaked information, the culprit shouldnt have time to dig a hole this long beforehand. Most likely the kidnapper was a user of earth sorcery.

So even though Seras colleagues were standing watch, they didnt investigate the underground. In the first place they were lacking manpower, so they were using even a child like me. Only the maid who listened to my words was Seras colleague who was accompanying Elena this time, but even she wasnt skilled in stealth and search. I heard that she only had several knight skills in order to become meat shield for the princess. There was no way all the members of the organization had high level scouting skills like Sera. The majority must be people like spies who focused in gathering information.

But right now Elena was more important than those things. Even if they managed to contact the high ranked butler outside, it should take him more than ten minutes to catch up. Until he arrived I would need to find Elena and held back the kidnapper by myself.

The culprit was able to travel through this kind of cramped tunnel that only a child or slim woman could pass while carrying a child. The opponent might be a scout, thief, or.

Assassin huh.

An assassin using sorcery was the worst opponent that I could imagine. Even so I had to catch up. But that wasnt because this was a job that I had undertaken.

After passing through a distance that seemed to be around the same with three houses, the tunnel suddenly changed into a shaft. I used stealth while applying body strengthening. I pushed my fingers on the earth wall while climbing up the hole smoothly. Then I peeked outside while searching for any presence in the surrounding. There I see a dirty looking man preparing to escape in a rush.

So the culprit didnt operate solo and had an accomplice. Or perhaps he was just a robber, but I had already decided to attack either way.

Feel

When I chanted the sorcery inside my mouth, the man turned around in surprise toward the entrance. I leaped out in that instant and threw the tow knives hidden in my sleeves.

Gyah!?

The man was stabbed by two knives on his back and lost his balance. I kicked his leg to make him stumble, then when he lied face down on the ground, I put my knee on his back hard and pointed my black knife on his neck.

Where is the woman and the girl she has with her?

W-what the hell with you! I dont know agyaah!

The man tried to play stupid, so I slashed him from his neck until his back before pointing the knife on his neck once more.

I have no time, so I wont torture you in a way that can be healed with Heal.

I slid my knife while pressuring him. When his neck was cut, the mans face instantly turned pale.

I-I was only paid to stand guard! Spare me!

Thats not what I ask.

Gyaaaaaah!

This time I stabbed my knife into his back and twisted. The man couldnt endure the pain and started talking.

That woman carried the child and turn rightno, left! There is a carriage there!

When I twisted the knife further when he spoke too smoothly, the man realized that I was serious and changed his words in panic.

Any other accomplice? Ill come back and kill you if you lie.

N-nobody else! She said that her comrades are waiting outside the city! Im not lying!

Got it.

*Go-!*

Gah

I strengthened my hands and knocked out the man by striking his head with my knifes pommel. It was pointless to ask him anything more than this. Besides if I left him alive, Seras comrades who came chasing this way would be able to interrogate him.

I collected my throwing knives and went outside. I came out in a narrow alley where there wasnt anybody else.

The man said that they went left, but he said right at first. To make sure I lowered my face until it almost touched the ground and strengthened my eyes. Certainly there were footprints going to the right, but I found the faint trace of erased footsteps to the left. I started running to that direction.

It was my first time using Feel in real battle but I was able to confirm its effect. This was illusion magic that I constructed with darkness magic, I specified the location with darkness sorcery and applied only the effect with darkness magic. It was a combination of sorcery and magic.

Its effect was only something simple to grant the sensation of being touched at the optional location of the living thing that I targeted. In fact there was nobody touching the target, so this magic could even move a single leaf, but as the result of cutting down the construction as much as possible, I managed to keep the magic power consumption to just 5 points.

Magic had to be constructed inside the brain, so it was still difficult to use it immediately. But it could be used effectively in this kind of situation, and its MP consumption was low so there would be many situations where it could be used if I got used to it.

Its this way.

I continued my pursuit while checking for the footprints sometime. There was only one set of footprint. The culprit was walking skillfully in a way that didnt leave footprint, but there was a faint footprint remaining as though she had stopped for a moment to fix her hold on what she was carrying. I didnt know whether it was because Elena was heavy or because she had regained consciousness and struggled, but even if I assumed that the culprits gender was woman, I felt that her physical strength wasnt that high.

I was pursuing while doing what Viro taught me. I imagined the figure of my enemy. I assumed that the enemy was an assassin, but why didnt she kill Elena?

Sera hypothesized that the enemy was someone who was dispatched by a hostile faction. If that was true then the objective of the kidnapper was to bring Elena back alive and used her for political means. If that was the case, there was no need for the culprit to be assassin. From the lack of physical strength of the opponent, was she a thief variety of scout whose main specialty wasnt fighting?

Then she wouldnt go as far as taking Elenas life. It was fine to assume that, but I should discard any naive thinking and assumed that she would kill Elena if she was cornered. My winning conditions were first, Elenas life, then second was retaking her back. My objective wasnt to defeat the enemy. It also wasnt my objective to investigate the enemys identity. It would be dangerous if I mistook the order of priorities.

Even if the enemy a scout who wasnt a fighter type, most likely she would be a formidable enemy who was stronger than hobgoblin. Then, why was I chasing alone l like this to brave such dangerI asked myself.

I wondered when did it startI realized that the pressure in my heart lightened when I was together with Elena.

Elena was light. In this twisted and cruel world, she was the only same kind who appeared before me and faintly illuminated the dark and solitude path that I had continued to walk on until now.

I did this not because of work. Ijust didnt want Elena to die.

After running through the back alley, I saw a carriage that was usually used by individual peddler parked in a slightly open space.

Found you.

There was one slim silhouette outside the carriage. I also confirmed blond hair fluttering from inside the carriage. I ran while swiping my skirt to pulled out the knives tied on my legs.

When Elena started to grow awareness, her mother started giving her education for gifted children. She never felt any motherly warmth from her. The baby Elena continued to accept the harsh education only to seek for that warmth. As the result, she obtained four sorcery elements and knowledge that could put adult to shame, but as the compensation, the elements and powerful magic power that she obtained at four years old gnawed into her body. Her body was reduced into one that couldnt run around like a child her age should be able to.

This wasnt something that was widely known even among the nobles, but when someone obtained a lot of elements, the caster had to pay with their lifespan as the price of obtaining strong power. In Elenas case, if she was able to grow until she had adult body, she would be able to live normally even though it would be difficult for her to have children. But such defect was vital for a royalty. Elenas mother quickly lost interest with her.

Elena who failed to obtain a mothers warmth and also lost her healthy body was only supported by her brother the crown prince who was born from the first queen. He was a gentle and kind brother who could understand other persons pain. Elena idolized him and she was so fixated with him that it looked like her brother was the only one who she could rely onthat was how Elena made herself appeared to be to other people.

If she continued to follow whatever her mother told her to do, the country would be divided between the royalty faction and noble faction one day and conflict would break out. A part of herself had also been saved by the kindness of her big brother the crown prince, and she personally harbored affection to him as a little sister, but the kindness that her brother possessed wasnt a strength that was capable to unite a country that was torn apart into two.

With how young Elena was right now, it would be hard for her to ignore the words of the noble faction. That was why there was a need for Elena to show to the external and internal side that she belonged to royalty faction that she even went as far as acting to be obsessed with the crown prince.

At present only her father the king, her grandparents the previous king and the queen mother, and a small number of close associates including her wet nurse who knew about this fact. In case the crown prince was judged to be too weal to be the next king, she would take on the role of queen as the kings representative and educate the crown princes child until they grew up. Like that Elena continued to receive ruling education without her mother the second queens awareness.

The result of the education that the second queen gave in order to snatch away the throne from the son of the first queen had given Elena the knowledge that could make her think of the countrys peace that she even betrayed her own mother for it.

.

The recuperation in Dandall this time also wasnt to cool down Elenas head that was going too far with unhealthy obsession, but a rest that was suggested by Elenas father in his concern for her who had to adjust the internal balance of the kingdom even in her age of seven years old.

Other than for that rest, Dandall was chosen because Elenas cousin Clara was also there. Clara was living in the capital when she was three years old until six years old. During that time she was always visiting the palace as Elenas playmate.

The one year older Clara never acted servile or coarse like other children and possessed gracefulness as the princess of Dandall. Elena looked up to her as though she was her real big sister. That was why Elena went as far as this place for her recuperation, but Clara who she met after two years was slightly different from before.

Perhaps she should describe it as there was this faint discomfort coming from Clara. Clara still had calm disposition like before and now she also had knowledge that even Elena didnt know about. At first Elena was rejoicing that she finally found someone who could talk at her level, but as she continued talking with her, she got the feeling that she was talking with a different person.

Her eyes when looking at Elena was changing from the previously pure affection in the past to a wary gaze at the present. Something happened to Clara during these two years. And Clara was hiding that something from her.

In order to ascertain what it wasor to be more accurate, wanting to return their relationship to be like before, she forcefully poached a maid who Clara was looking with the same kind of wariness like when she looked at her. She had no firm basis behind her action. It would be fine even if she was wrong. That pink colored hair was the same color with the hair of the queen two generations before that Elena saw in a portrait when she was even younger than now. She was secretly harboring a longing that pink haired color was better than golden hair.

The name of that pink haired girl was Aria. She didnt ask her age but if she was a commoner than should be around ten years old. Her appearance wasnt that different from the current Elena who had grown quicker due to her magic power. Arias eyes left a deep impression in hereven Elena who was used to seeing beautiful and gorgeous people considered Aria to have a lovely look, and yet her jade green eyes were containing powerful strength that was opposing something.

At the inside Aria was also different from the normal children. She possessed a calm and coolness that were unthinkable for a child, and yet she looked at other people with great attentiveness. She would immediately notice when Elena wanted something and approached her.

Perhaps this feeling was sympathy. Arias way of life that could even be called aloof gave her a feeling of relief to Elena who had continued to fight in solitude, that she wasnt alone by any means.

There was that one time when another maid dropped something. Aria instantly moved to protect Elena. It made her thought that perhaps Aria was a bodyguard maid of the dark side that she heard from rumor.

And then about Clara, it seemed that her guess that it was Aria who was bothering her was right, but before she could ascertain Claras reaction, Clara was the one who distanced herself away from them. Did she have trauma with Arias hair color? But, she thought that she didnt mind it even if that was the case. Right now rather than the matter of Clara, Elena wished to be together with Aria who was the only one in this world who had the same point of view with her.

That was why she got the idea to go outside by her own initiative after so long. But, no matter how smart she was, Elena was still just a child. The emotion that she couldnt control became carelessness that came to bit her.

.

Elena who should have become a part of the royalty faction was still considered as the hope of the noble faction. At the same time her existence was nothing but a hindrance for noble house that wanted to raise a new symbol to unite the noble faction.

Using some kind of drug, the handmaids in the dressing room fainted and even Elena had the freedom of her body taken away. The culprit was the staff who should be measuring her body. That woman put the unmoving Elena on her shoulder, moved aside a furniture, and easily took her outside from a hole in the floor.

Where did the information of Elenas visiting place leak from? None of the servants hired should be related to the noble faction, but she saw one of the maids while she was taken away and guessed that she must be the one leaking the information. When their eyes met, she glared at the maid to express that she would never forget her face. At the same time Elena produced light magic particle from the magic stone in her heart to attempt neutralizing the poison by flooding her whole body with it.

Oh, you can move already? As expected from the princess who is rumored to be excellent.

You arent going to kill me?

She was able to neutralize the poison somewhat, but her body still couldnt move. Elena had learned light sorcery until she was able to use level 2 at her age, even so she couldnt fully remove the poison even using Treat unless she understood what was the poison used.

Even so, if the kidnapper realized that she could move, then it would be better for her to gather information rather than staying quiet.

This is the request of my client. In the first place if its a murder request, then I wont accept it even if the request comes from the guild.

The female staff was unexpectedly talkative. She even grinned cheerfully with her unimpressionable face while winking to her. She wouldnt kill her. There were only two types of people who took job through guild. Either they were adventurer or

Thief?

Exactly. Even though we are scouts who become pet dog that wag our tail to a country or feudal lord, we are different from the uncivilized assassins who know nothing except killing. I am a proud thief who have polished my technique until the level of art.

She said that a noble made a request to the thief guild. Unlike adventurer scouts who fought with monster or even assassins who polished their skill in facing other human to the extreme, the thieves polished their skill in infiltration and stealing. People like them were perfect for kidnapping mission.

Its fun talking with a clever and cute girl but, stay quiet until we get out of the city okay? Ill give another dose of poison to you now but you can also struggle if you want? Ill really hurt you in that case.

kuh

Considering her capability, it would be pointless even if I struggled. But, at this rate she would get handed off to a noble somewhere. Most likely she would be forced to sign something and had all information squeezed out from her before getting disposed.

Her tongue felt slightly numb and she didnt know whether she would be able to activate magic. She couldnt do anything, even so Elena glared at the female thief. The woman made a delighted face seeing that and just as her hand was about to touch Elena

*Kan-!*

!!

A knife slid between the two of them and pierced the carriage. The female thief deflected another knife with her short sword. Elena and the female thiefs gazes instantly turned toward the direction the knives came from. The figure of a girl with pink blond hair wearing slightly loose maid uniform was reflected in Elenas blue eyes.

Aria-!!

I threw a knife to interrupt the female staffs hand movement, but I couldnt even scratch her even though it was a surprise attack. However I confirmed Elenas safety hearing her calling my name.

HeeI thought I still have a bit more time until someone catch up to this point but, could it be you dived into that hole to chase me until her?

That attack again-!

The female thief leaped away when she sensed the attack. I controlled the string to hold back the female thief from putting me into her range. The female thief too, even though she didnt know the true identity of the attack, she had guessed that it was a projectile weapon and dodged just from its presence.

My trump cards right now were only this string and illusion magic. I wanted to inflict some kind of damage when using one of those trump cards, the string for the first time, but in the end I could only use it to hold the enemy at bay without any other effect.

But, even though I was aware of her poison and keeping my distance, this female thief had sorcery. Right now she was still unable to see through the centrifugal forces speed, but if the true identity of this weapon got exposed, she would immediately deal with me using sorcery.

Even so I had no other way. My only option was to continue attacking with the weapons I had in hand to create an opening.

Snare

-!

The female thief used sorcery in order to escape from the strings blade. A hole was suddenly opened under my feet and I lost my balance. Even then I rolled and dodged that sorcery, but the female thief didnt let go of that opening and threw a dagger.

I was on my knee without being able to stand up, so I used my knife to deflect the dagger. But the female thief charged forward at the same time when she threw the dagger. She showed a big preparatory stance by drawing back her knife to the back, and then she unleashed a thrust.

Double Edge!!

It was short sword Battle Skill level 2, Double Edge. Its range was no different than a normal thrust, but the skill gave an explosive increase at the thrusts instantaneous force and speed, and it made it possible for you to launch two consecutive thrusts.

I couldnt dodge this attack while I was unbalanced like this. But

Wha-!?

My body that was crouching low on my knee slid right to the side. The female thiefs Battle Skill only tore my skirt. Normally I wouldnt be able to dodge. But the female thief was anxious because she had little time left. I had predicted that rather than using spell that took time to activate, she would rely on Battle Skill that had attack power. That was why I kept my feet hidden behind the widely spread long skirt and used the footwork that I learned from Sera so I could dodge the attack.

Although I sad predict, half of it was based on instinct. But, there was no option of letting go of this opening where the female thief had missed with her Battle Skill.

I firmly supported my body by solidly planting my knee on the ground and twisted my upper body while pulling my hand to behind me. The female thiefs face slightly twisted when she realized what I was going to do.

Thrust!

I only used Battle Skill when an opening that would allow me to land a finishing blow with certainty appeared. If the enemy intentionally gave me such an opening, there was no reason for me not to use the Battle Skill.

Tsk!

But, the Thrust that I thought would land was dodged when the female thief bent her body to the side.

The information that there was a skill called Flexible Body surfaced in my head from the knowledge, but it was outside my expectation for it to be used to dodge in a weird way like this. Even so the female thief couldnt completely dodge and my Battle Skill shallowly tore her flank. Then the female thief continued falling aside as she let out a sharp kick from that posture.

The table was turned. I who had just performed a Battle Skill couldnt move. With an instantaneous judgment, I intentionally allowed my floating waist to be kicked and opened a distance while using the momentum to spring back on my feet.

But, at that moment the female thief also got back on her feet and began chanting spell. I judged that she was planning to use a powerful sorcery from the amount of magic particles. I swiped my skirt and pulled out a knife to throw, but the female thief finished her sorcery a moment faster.

Rock Skin

*Gin* There was a hard sound. The throwing knife was deflected by the female thiefs leather suit. It wasnt an attack sorcery but defensive one. When I threw my string blade to ascertain the effect, the female thief grinned and swiped away the blade with bare hand.

Hee. A blade attached on a stringa pendulum? Looks like youre using something interesting, but this kind of shrewd attack wont work anymore on me.

Was it sorcery effect just now. The female thiefs appearance didnt change, but her whole body was being covered with earth element magic particles. Perhaps it was a sorcery armor guessing from the effect.

Its already over. ReallyI never even dreamed that a rank 1 kid will give me this much trouble. You even made me used my trump card, so let me hear a pretty cry at the very least. Ill hurt you a lot!

The female thief sported a twisted smile while starting to chant a spell again. I threw my string blade to hinder her, but the female thief didnt even dodge and the blade bounced back when it hit her cheek. I didnt know what kind of magic it was, but I started running to make it harder for her to target me. It was then the female thief finished her sorcery at the same time.

Stone Bullet

-!

Several small stones shot out from the ground. I crossed my arms to protect my head and leaped aside to dodge, even so some of the stones hit me directly and I tumbled on the ground.

Kuh

You are really persevering for a kidfufu

My stamina was still remaining, but the wounds on my body and stamina were two different things. Even if my stamina ran out, I would only faint and became unable to move, but I wouldnt die immediately. But conversely if my heart was stabbed, then I would die even if my stamina was full.

The Stone Bullet inflicted blunt damage, so it wouldnt give me serious damage as long as I protected my vital parts. Even so it was difficult to dodge that many stones. And if even one of them hit my vital spot, the next one would take my life for sure. I wasnt at a state to buy time anymore. None of my attack did anything, while the opponent could kill me easily using a single dagger or any kind of sorcery.

I wonder if you have run out of trick already? You fought well for a child, but you seem like someone who will be a massive pain in the future, so Ill kill you here.

I had one more trump card. However, the condition to use it still hadnt been fulfilled. In order to use it too, I continued to analyze the enemys ability without giving up.

There wasnt really any information in the knowledge regarding sorcery armor, even so when I gathered any scrap of knowledge about it, it seemed that such sorcery would either cancel damage within a certain degree, or reduce the amount of damage within a certain time limit. Most likely the woman used earth element so I thought her sorcery operated in a way of the former. The person said that it was her trump card so it was a level 3 sorcery and she should have absolute confidence in it. That was why I believed that must be making her careless. I continued to shave off the sorcery armor even while enduring the pain in my whole body.

Ahaha, pointless, pointless!!

The knife that I threw and even the string blade that she called pendulum were all bounced back by the female thiefs skin.

The female thief charged forward without putting up any defense. I tried enduring using martial art if my weapon didnt work, but my damaged body was unable to move like it should. The female thiefs dagger grazed my shoulder.

Tsu, aAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

A terrible pain assaulted me from that shallow wound. When I reflexively screamed from that pain, the female thiefs face warped in pleasure.

Aayou finally chirped. But dont worry. You wont die right away from this poison butthis poison really hurt right?

kuuh

The wound itself wasnt deep and yet I groaned from the sharp pain.

My muscles convulsed from the terrible pain and I couldnt even breathe well. A normal child would cry or faint from this but, I couldnt allow myself to lose consciousness here.

Just a bit more

The female thief laughed condescendingly while kicking me who was unable to move properly.

I rolled on the ground, then I bit my lips while glaring at the woman and holding back my scream. The female thief shivered with an expression of ecstasy seeing that. Then she stepped on me who was lying face up.

Thats so great, maid-chan. I want to play with you moreI want to hear you cry more. Even though I have to kill you quickly, even though there is no timeaa, even though I want to torment you more-!

Aa, that face is so lovely! Let me hear your cry more-!

The female thief raised up her arm with a yell and drove the poisoned dagger into my stomach deeply.

AAAAAAAAAAH!!

Thats right, cry and chirp more! Show me that face twisted in agony more-! It hurt right? Its agonizing right? Ahahahahahah!

-!!

It hurts, painful, but I couldnt faint here. BecauseI finally finished preparing.

That was whyIll give it back to you.

.

Pain

.

When my darkness magic activated, the female thief made an astonished face for an instant. Then at the next moment, her face twisted horribly and she screamed like a slaughtered pig.

Hiiih!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

Perhaps because she was a sorcerer thief who never really got into battle, she didnt look like she had that much endurance for pain. The female thief who was standing in superior position until then was now rolling around on the ground while screaming madly without caring of her appearance.

Illusion type sorcery couldnt reproduce something that the caster didnt know about.

For example, with Noise I could reproduce any sound that I knew, and with Feel I could recreate the sensation that I had felt with my skin.

With Pain that I used, it was darkness magic that worked by filling darkness magic power with pain that I knew and firing it to make the target hallucinated a pain.

But, in order to use it, I needed to know of the pain coming when just barely holding on life. This magic didnt deal physical damage although it granted pain. And even though the magics structure wasnt that different from Feel, reproducing pain consumed more than 20 MP so it also couldnt be used consecutively.

Even so I expected its effect to stop the enemys movement for several seconds, but the female thiefs mind was thrown into chaos because she didnt even know where the intense pain that wasnt hers came from. The magic even caused the effect of her nerves convulsing because of the trick of pain.

*Clang.*

tsu

The dagger that stabbed my stomach fell. I also endured the same pain while putting strength into my trembling legs to stand up. My mind wasnt strong against pain by any means. Even though I was feeling the same pain, the ray of light of hope that I finally saw uplifted my spirit and gave me the strength to endure the pain.

Hiii, gaaa, sto, stopdont come..I cant moveguaaah

The female thief seemed to recover from her panic bit by bit. She was speaking haltingly while crawling away to take distance from me. But, perhaps she couldnt put strength into her convulsing body. Her movement was slower than me whose stomach got stabbed and walking by dragging my heavy body.

Id settle this here before the female thiefs nerve got used to the hallucination of pain. The female thiefs body was still covered with the sorcery armor. Blade and blunt weapon couldnt damage her. But

Hih

I wrapped a string around the neck and jaw of the female thief who tried to push me away. I wrapped the string over and over to fix it in place. I pushed down on her neck with my knee and then pulled the string with all my strength. Because of that blood spurted out from the stab wound on my stomach.

Hiasto, stophelp

None of that, youre going to die here.

I also mustered my last remaining strength. Using body strengthening and my knee, I pulled the string with the principle of leverage.

Agaagagaaagagagaaaaah!!

!!

Even flexible body had limit. The female thief tried to endure with her necks strength even while convulsing against me who was exerting all my strength. I used my magic power control that became level 2 to pull the string with body strengthening on my whole body. The neck of the resisting female thief began to twist. That neck that was slowly getting twisted was

*Snap!*

Turning backward together with the sound like a piece of dried wood wrapped in wet cloth snapping.

The female thiefs face that was stiffened in terror was staring at me dumbfounded. The radiance of life in those upside down eyes was quietly sinking into darkness with my expressionless face reflected on them.