Chapter 86: Blood in the Sand

While Vritra was still fuming about the new heroine who couldn't decide if she liked him or not, it kept him from focusing on the real issue he was supposed to be dealing with.

In reality, it wasn't much of a problem at all.

He could easily solve it just by explaining himself.

But since when did an Asura Prince have to do something so pointless and embarrassing?

The beaten knight pointed at Luciana.

"Boss, she's the useless bitch who tried to demand that we help these lowlifes! What are you going to do to her?!"

He was desperate for Lord Arcellion to put these people in their place so they would know never to offend a knight from Lord Arcellion's order. He was already imagining them on their knees, begging him for forgiveness.

"Keke... they'll regret this!"

The knight grinned mischievously.

"It seems you all don't know who the man before you is, as expected of ignorant fools waiting for slaughter!"

He stepped away from Arcellion to give him a more than proper introduction.

"This is Lord Arcellion Modeus Karsinov. He's the feudal lord of Kaalen Tower City and one of the greatest hunting knights to ever serve the Military Kingdom of Serathen. He's one of Divine General Ravenblade's trusted soldiers and a future Divine General himself!"

That introduction was enough to make everyone gasp.

Luciana stepped back in shock, looking more cautiously at the man.

"No way..."

She didn't expect they would somehow enter Serathen territory. In fact, she didn't even know that Serathen's military influence had extended this far into the Red Desert. It made her wonder just how much of the Red Desert was now under Serathen's control.

Normally, Sophia would have been the one feeling this shock since she was an Imperial Knight, but she had assumed this territory would belong to Serathen after seeing a knight freely roaming the streets of Kaalen Tower, deciding that its people wouldn't get the chance to eat food or drink clean water.

However, standing before a soldier who was supposed to be the right-hand man of the Black Divine General triggered her killing intent.

"Serathen!"

She pulled out her sword.

But before she could do anything, Vritra held out his hand without even looking at her.

"Cease..."

That was all he needed to say for Sophia to stand down.

He refocused his attention on Lord Arcellion.

"Well, it seems you do──"

Before Vritra could finish his sentence, Luciana stepped forward confidently and threw aside her silk robes and scarf to reveal her regal gown and royal crown.

"I am Princess Luciana Aveline Duranzia, the first and only princess of the Fortress Nation of Duranzia, and the heir apparent to the throne!"

As soon as she revealed her identity, both Vritra and Neron facepalmed.

The few commoners who had been watching collapsed to the ground, and some were so shocked that their jaws dropped at being in the presence of the princess from one of the great nations of the Central Continent.

For them, the chances of meeting royalty were nearly impossible, especially with the ongoing war between Duranzia and Serathen, which made traveling across the Redsteel Territory incredibly difficult.

They had better odds of seeing a lightless star in the night sky than ever encountering royalty from either nation.

"Look at her dress!"

Now, he lay dead, another corpse claimed by the desert.

Arcellion looked at the headless body.

"Good. Now you don't have to worry about a broken jaw or broken fingers anymore..."

The knights around Arcellion showed no reaction, but the commoners and Vritra's companions were stunned.

It was shocking to see a commander kill one of his own soldiers without a hint of remorse or regret. This was a surprising sight, especially for the commoners, more so than for newcomers like Vritra, Luciana, and the others.

Rosemarie stepped back in fear.

"No way..."

She was absolutely shocked, her body frozen in place.

『I know Lord Arcellion is a vile man, but he's never been the kind to kill his own men... there must be something I don't understand about these people. What makes them so important that he would spill the blood of his own soldier? Aren't they supposed to be enemies?』

She took another step back and bumped into someone.

"KYAA────!!"

Before she could scream, the person placed a hand over her mouth and gently held her by the waist.

"Shhhh~! It's me, my love..."

"Sa-, Sadim?!"

Rosemarie's eyes crawled back for confirmation, and to her surprise, it really was Sadim.

A delightful surprise, of course.

"Honey, it's you!"

Her face lit up brightly at the sight of her man.

"Come with me..." Sadim whispered in her ear.

"O-, Okay..."

Rosemarie quietly nodded.

━ ━ ━ ━

Meanwhile...

Lord Arcellion dismounted from his horse and immediately knelt before God Vritra and Princess Luciana, bowing his head lower than even a servant would.

"Forgive me... I never expected to see you, Princess Luciana Duranzia. I've only met you once before, when you were little. But there's no doubt in my mind it's you."

This revelation shocked Sophia deeply.

Even Luciana herself was taken aback.

"D-, Do you really mean that...?"

Her anger faded instantly.

The only ones not surprised were Vritra and Esmeralda, who already knew about the small history between Lord Arcellion and Princess Luciana.

『This will be an interesting plot indeed...』

The young lord smiled.