9 The Bandits' Ambush

*BANG!*

"Was that them?" Prince Clement asked while he was shielded by Norman. Thankfully, I was included inside the body shield.

I peeked from under Norman's beastly arms. The carriage had been hit by a fire blast. There was now a hole on the left side of the carriage.

"Wow," I muttered in awe. "I wonder how hot a fire is needed to melt the sides of a royal carriage, while maintaining the stability of the carriage itself?"

Thankfully, Norman didn't seem to have heard me. My brother did, though. His golden brows went up and he answered me, "It was probably a Steady Meteor. It's an advanced fire magic that releases a slow moving ball of fire. The stronger the mage, the higher the temperature the ball."

I nodded in understanding. "So that means someone wants us alive, but still wants us exposed to danger. Normunculus, make sure you protect your liege. I suspect a competent mage-warrior will enter our carriage to steal or hurt the prince."

Norman heard me this time and gaped at me in shock, which promptly annoyed me. "Focus, guard! Do your duty well!"

At that, and a firm look from the prince, the shapeshifter brought us behind him and faced the open wall, stance ready for a fight.

I started thinking. 'Is it really this easy?' I though in worry.

Would the prince really have been injured if Norman was actually inside the carriage with him? How was that even possible? If I were the enemy, where would I attack? Where...

I looked at the gaping hole in front of us. It seems so obvious a sign that someone would try entering from there... What if...

'Shit!' I thought, suddenly looking at Prince Clement beside me. There was a ripple in the air behind him. 'Invisibility!'

I screamed, and not really thinking about what I was about to do, I hurled myself at my brother's chest and pushed him down. We fell onto the ground, and then we heard a grunt right under us.

I just made us fall on top of the invisible guy! But, thankfully, my rash action had broken his concentration, and he was now fully visible.

"Norman!" I shouted, and right as I finished it, the beast had already grabbed unto the man's neck and pulled him from under us.

"Who the hell are you, and what do you think you're trying to do with the second prince?" Norman growled and his whole aura, already terrifying, grew even more ominous. I saw the man's robes start to get wet from down under.

"Uh oh..." I found myself muttering. "Someone's wet his pants-ies!"

The man didn't even hear me, and he only trembled in front of the hideous guard beast.

"I... I was ordered... ordered only!" he whimpered, already tearing up in fright.

"BY WHOM!?'" Norman continued in a deep growl and finished with a sharp-toothed bite at the air in front of the poor man.

He wailed like a child. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!"

I sighed, actually feeling pity at the man. Anyway, I knew he wasn't here to murder the prince and only hurt him. But, still...

"Alright, Norman. Kindly keep the intimidation at the bare minimum," Prince Clement told the guard. "We don't want him to die from fright before he could tell us information, don't we?"

I nodded. "Also, we should hurry this up. We don't know if this is their last attack."

Norman then tried his best to look less scary, but it was no good. In fact, when he tried smiling, he looked so incredibly like the Demon God Nyxus that the poor man fainted right then and there. I had to giggle a bit.

"It's no use," I said. "Just tie him up so we can interrogate him later. Anyway, the three of us already know who ordered this."

The prince agreed with my proposal and before long, we had ventured outside the carriage, looking at the bandits' main attack. All the royal guards were fighting with bandits. It was chaos. Swords, glowing or not, were being swung, and spells were being cast from all directions.

"That stupid prince," I mumbled to myself, imagining my oldest brother's annoyingly haughty face.

"Did you meant me?" my second brother asked, looking at me with a hurt smile.

I only laughed. "No, no. Second brother is ever so smart, and so cute! Oldest brother, on the other hand..."

He only smiled awkwardly. "Don't hate first brother too much, sister. He still hasn't quite matured enough for his crown prince role."

I huffed. "... I doubt he ever will."

I remember how the said prince only frolicked around with drink and women in my past life. If father didn't put so much importance in traditions, I doubt he would have been given the title of crown prince.

"Everything's a mess," I muttered, looking at the chaos around us. There was even a servant lady running away from a wild horse. Just... what?

I sighed. "For now, I think it's safer for us to go back into the carriage. It might not be much, but it'll protect us from all of this."

The Prince nodded and we went back to the carriage, the shapeshifter standing guard just outside the hole. The man with invisibility magic was still on the ground of the carriage, tied up with a few tassels from the elaborate curtains.

I slumped down onto the ground, not caring for etiquette. I was still a child anyway! And who would even care about those things during a bandit attack?

Surprisingly, the prince sat down beside me as well. I looked at him with wide eyes. He laughed at my face.

"Don't worry. Besides, the center part of the carriage is the safest part, right?" he told me, smiling toothily.

He really was too cute... If only he wasn't so smart for his age.

The prince faced forward and called out to his guard, "Norman, go help the royal guards. Quicken the cleaning process."

I unconsciously tugged at my brother's sleeves. "Don't-"

He shook his head at me with a serious expression. "The danger has abated, and we are safe here in the carriage."

I only looked at my brother in worry, and Norman was hesitating as well. But, it's not like brother lied or anything...

"Don't worry, Elle," he faced me with a reassuring smile. "I may not look like much and I'm not a five-star mage at birth like you, but I still am a three-star mage proficient at two main elements. I'm capable of keeping us safe."

I still doubted everything, but nodded at my brother's firm gaze.

The prince then turned back to Norman. "I thought I gave an order, Normunculus. Follow them."

Norman flinched into action and bowed deeply before leaving in haste.

For a while, everything was silent. There were still occasional sounds of fighting and shouts, but I doubt any bandit group could hold up in the face of a beast like Norman. I sneaked a peak outside and indeed found that not even one of the royal guards were heavily injured. Norman was further in front, already back into human form, not even bothering to shapeshift while facing the last stragglers.

'Was it finally done?' I wondered as I looked at the (hopefully just) unconscious forms of bandits piled back to back at an open field. 'Everything's fine now, right?'

Then, I heard my name being called out. "Lady Elle! Lady Elle, you're safe!"

I smiled at my nanny, running towards our carriage. I couldn't really wait so I jumped out of the hole and ran to her. "Miss Hestia!"

She picked me up when I finally reached her. I probably looked adorable wobbling-running towards her.

I giggled as she nuzzled my face with hers. "I thought you were hurt, young lady! I'm so glad you're safe!"

I pulled away from her hugs to look at her too. "You seem well, Miss Hestia. Were you very busy with the guard boys?"

Unexpectedly, the nanny blushed a bright red. "... What ever do you mean by that, Lady Elle?!"

She looked so affronted it took all of my might to keep in my laughter. "Miss Hestia, did I ask something wrong?"

I tried to look as innocent as possible while tilting my head at her. My nanny seemed to have had a seizure and had to put me down before squealing into her skirts. I smiled triumphantly.

While she was busy composing herself, I looked back at the carriage and found the prince smiling at us sweetly. He seemed so at peace.

I turned back to my nanny to bring her to my brother so I could introduce them properly, but instead, I found Miss Hestia with wide eyes and a pale face, staring at the carriage's direction. Her mouth was open, as though ready to scream.

At that moment, I knew I had screwed up.

I cursed as I whirled my face to look at the carriage again. This time, I saw the anomaly. The tied up man was now gone. Invisible. My nanny could probably sense his similar special magic.

My heart quickened and time seemed to slow down as my mind worked faster. I thought about our current circumstance.

The man was already invisible and was closer to the prince. The prince was still completely clueless about the invisible man. I doubt he could conjure up defensive magic by the time he recognizes our screams. Knowing that, I knew it was impossible for us to call for Norman or any nearby royal guards. Finally, my nanny was primarily a light magic user, and could be of no help in this area.

'So what should we even do?!' I screamed in my mind, growing frustrated by the nanosecond. 'Will all I have done do nothing to change the past? Won't everything just happen all over again?'

"I refuse!" I screamed into the slowed down space.

Then, without thinking about anything, I felt an angry energy swirling in a great torrent inside my body, gathering swiftly into my heart, and I knew what to do.

I stared just a few inches above my brother's head. A ripple in the air. My target. I could do this. Aren't I a five-star mage?

I screamed, and time resumed, and a burst of scalding lava formed rapidly in front of my tiny hands and I hurled it towards the slightest ripple in the air.

"HIT!!!" I ordered, as I felt the energy leave my body, and I fell forward. My nanny hastily brought me up and I saw at that moment how, indeed, I had hit my target. The man was flailing around in pain, fully visible and clutching at his arm, now a stump. My magic had completely melted off his right arm.

I felt my vision going dark. My last sight was of Prince Clement securing the man with vine magic.

'Good...' I thought smilingly. 'He won't have a scar, after all.'