'Sword Maiden,' Yui said, looking at the figure standing at the window while holding a sword, immediately identifying the woman.
"You! Hehe, kill that bastard now," Leud ordered, laughing aloud upon seeing the woman holding the title of 'Sword Maiden.'
Still not receiving any response for some time, he became overwhelmed with anger and irritation, shouting before lifting his finger and aiming the ring towards the woman, "Bitch, I said kill—SKLCHT!"
Not even air was disturbed, yet the finger wearing the ring was dissected in half, breaking apart. "AGggHhhhh!"
Thud
Falling to the floor, Leud writhed in agony. The sheer pain was something he felt for the first time in his life.
Until now, he had only seen blood coming out of someone else.
"AaaGgggHhh, it hurts, it's killing me!" He shouted the same words, which were most familiar to him, not understanding how even under the influence of the Ring, a Reinguard attacked him.
"What is your name, child?" The woman's lips parted, making way for soft words to reverberate in the whole room, causing Yui to narrow her eyes, as she saw an afterimage standing in front of her.
"..." Without saying anything, Yui's eyes slowly turned towards the sofa in the middle of the room, where the woman was seated, caressing her blade with hollow crystal eyes.
"It's Yui, Lady Seraphina." Without any fear, Yui calmly stated, not getting intimidated.
"Heh, how bold of you. As expected, you know too much," Seraphina's colorless eyes, which seemed unidirectional, turned towards Yui.
It was enough for others to feel overwhelmed by the sharp killing intent falling on them, but somehow, an eleven-year-old child was withstanding everything with ease.
The reason for Seraphina's arrival here was not a call from a ring with ancestral bindings, but rather something else.
"Please accept me as your disciple," Yui proposed, looking towards Seraphina, who seemed confused at first, but somehow found it amusing how she wanted to accept this unknown girl too.
"I accept—" Seraphina slowly stood, her hand clasping her sword tightly before sheathing it, but was interrupted by Yui's next word.
"Please give your sword to Ryuk."
'!'
Seraphina's eyes widened for a second before relaxing. Internally feeling angered due to Yui's proposal, but somehow everything felt very familiar to her, grip on the hilt loosening.
Looking for some time at Yui, her lips parted yet stopped midway, thinking something before asking, "Until how much have you learned from me."
It was a guess, but it somewhat felt to Seraphina that she would somehow get an answer from this mysterious girl in front of her.
Her real name was unknown to anyone, even her husband or family. Meaning this girl could be from her past or possess some mind-reading ability.
Her past was completely eradicated, so there was no way for this girl to belong from there, and about mind reading, Seraphina was sure that was impossible.
So, it all came to one conclusion: she was familiar with this girl, not necessarily in this life though.
"I had reached 8-star Swordsmanship in a previous life," Yui revealed without hesitation, something unbelievable yet strangely believable for Seraphina.
CLANK
Suddenly, a sharp sword intent launched towards Yui, but was stopped in the middle by a mind sword, proving the reality behind her words.
Normally, Sword Masters were classified into categories unlike Mana Users; the sharpness of their blade decided the level one reached, which was classified into twelve stars.
Right now, Seraphina used a mind sword to test Yui's strength. Though normally Mana users' strength was measured based on energy levels or strength related to one's present body state, Sword Masters were different.
A sword not only sharpened one's physical body but also the mind. Once someone reached a level where just thinking could produce a sharp intent, then even after losing all their strength, their mind became that much focused.
"I will give this Sword to that little guy, but tell me, did I also give it to him in a previous life too?" Seraphina somewhat believed Yui's words but wanted to know how far she went for this girl to even give away her own sword.
Though it could create consequences if the prince's name were used so openly, that's why Adanyl had especially added a heart at the end while keeping the length of the cloth so that it feels like the person in question is the Crown Prince—using free publicity.
"Stand at ease!" Adanyl folded her hands behind her, ordering every maid to stand in line.
"Yes, Master!" Each one of them swiftly took all the pamphlets, gathering them in bunches before lining up and waiting for further commands, unaware of several eyes settled on them.
"Scatter!" With a single command, each one of the maids mixed into the crowd and started to distribute every pamphlet.
With the sheer amount of a hundred maids, the seemingly whole Royal Palace was in motion, showcasing the power of the Crown Princess of Selvius Kingdom.
"Take this and try our perfume too." Maids started to advertise, but the funny thing was their prime targets were commoners instead of noblemen, confusing everyone.
Observing everything going as she planned, Adanyl felt genuine satisfaction, turning towards the carriage that had arrived. The doors swung open, revealing a girl with blonde hair and ruby eyes.
Olivia stepped out of her carriage, observing the crowd cheering for Ryuk a moment ago. Her mind, for the first time, couldn't understand the reasons which made him so popular among commoners when she was the one who created artifacts.
Everyone's gaze turned towards the next carriage, glimmering with Gaia's rays, adding allure to the whole scenery. The gates slowly opened, making way for a boy sitting within.
"Woah!, Crown princ...." A woman standing near the carriage shouted but was halted midway the moment her eyes fell on the boy exiting it.
Silence. The whole place was pin-drop silent; everyone's eyes were fixed on the boy exiting the carriage. Everything would have felt irritating due to the slow pace, but somehow, everyone's excitement to see the Crown Prince had turned into something else.
It was astonishment, something on another level.
Even maids giving out pamphlets stopped in their work, and some even dropped the whole bunch of them. After all, in front of them stood the perfect sculpture they could imagine to be handsome.
"Beautiful." Olivia was not untouched by the face in front of her: deep eyes like the ocean, amber hues justifying the warmth of the setting sun, smooth skin, eyes cold yet holding all the care of this world.
badump
'He seems to have changed,' her heart was betraying her facades as she looked at the boy who slowly approached her, her mind filling with thoughts about the words she should use to refer to him.
Ryuk moved, ignoring everyone's silence. Since he could see things more than eyes could, right now in his ears, he could hear a rapid increment of 10 beats per person in the crowd, which seemed unnatural, making him re-evaluate his previous judgment about his features.
"You seem fine." Passing beside Olivia, whose heartbeat was increasing at a slower rate than others, proof of her being a heroine. But still, there was a subtle rise. What made Ryuk amused was Adanyl, who seemed calmly observing him.
"Greetings, Your Highness," Adanyl bowed, confused by others' reactions yet giving priority to her own work.
"Are you feeling well?" Ryuk's eyes softened as he looked at the exhausted girl, who had been working since the night without any break.
'You devil!' Adanyl pouted in anger understanding his sarcasm, yet she didn't break her facade and kept a calm approach. "I am completely fine. Thank you for caring so much for me."
"Fine, I can at least do this much," Ryuk smiled, already satisfied with seeing the result of his actions.
.....
Inside the newly opened perfume shop of Count Carlos, filled with various fragrances made using expensive herbs and flowers.
"Sell all these thousand bottles today or forget about going to His Highness, since I can't give a useless slave to him," Carlien said, taking out her fan and placing it on her face. She felt satisfied seeing the already lost face of Jenny, who understood that selling a thousand bottles in a day would be impossible.
And, the moment she got wind of the new Crown Princess also opening a perfume stall, everything was already decided.
"L-Lady Carl, I mean Master, can I sell these bottles at lower prices?" It was Jenny's only chance to sell such expensive perfumes, which were 5 gold coins each—an extravagant price.
"Don't you dare. I want 5000 gold coins today, or you will lose one limb. After that, no one will get a disabled slave," Carlien was hell-bent on destroying even a glimmer of hope Jenny had, making her fall into despair. Feeling satisfied with the horrified expression on Jenny's face, she turned to leave.
BANG!
Suddenly, the door of the shop swung open, causing it to break and fly apart, shocking both Carlien and Jenny. Their confusion and fear were visible from the fact that someone with such strong strength barged into their shop.
The only thing visible to them were two shining amethyst orbs and the shadows of two ears, looking intimidating before an anger-filled voice reverberated throughout the room. "Where is the shop owner? I want perfumes!"