Badly Injured

Helena's eyes widened for a moment. Her head? In the black market? Were her opponents after her life to that extent?

"Damn it! I underestimated the people around me," Helena thought. She didn't have time to contemplate who put her on the list of hunted individuals in the black market, as this attack was different from the previous six. Six assailants simultaneously launched an assault, replacing their fallen comrades on the ground.

Their movements were swift, surpassing the level of the previous group. Their sword swings were skilled and coordinated. As Helena tried to dodge two sword strikes, two others greeted her. Helena swiftly evaded, but in return, she received a sharp sword cut on her left arm.

Crash!

The fabric covering Helena's fair skin tore apart, and blood gushed from the sword wound inflicted by one of the bandits, staining the white fabric, matching the color of Pegasus' feathers, with red.

"Hahaha, no wonder your head is so valuable, my dear!" one of them sneered, his eyes the sharpest and most malicious among the group. "You're so skilled with a sword and adept at avoiding attacks."

"I almost thought she was dancing in a drama performance, and we were her accompanying dancers," another chimed in, laughing.

Helena pondered intensely. It turned out her opponents this time were not to be taken lightly. She glanced at Pegasus, who stood across from her. With a flick of her eyes, she sent a signal to Pegasus.

Neeeiiigghhh!

The white horse let out a sound while rearing up and lifting its front legs. It kicked one of the individuals standing on Helena's west side, causing them to fall. Helena quickly took several leaps and mounted her horse, fleeing from her current position.

However, her troubles were far from over. "Hurry, Pegasus! They're chasing us on horseback!" Helena exclaimed in worry, suppressing the pain in her left arm.

She looked back and noticed five of them in pursuit. On the narrow trail, they were closing in. It seemed their horses had a higher speed than Pegasus, who had been traveling for half a day already.

The day started to darken, and Helena grew increasingly anxious. Yet, things didn't improve as she continued to run. Should she decide to enter the depths of the forest to seek refuge?

"If it's not too deep, maybe it won't be a problem," Helena thought to herself.

She then directed Pegasus to enter the thicket of trees on the right side. However, Pegasus encountered difficulties. The horse became entangled in thorny shrubs, injuring its leg.

Fear crept into Helena's chest. Would she lose her beloved horse on this journey?

"Pegasus?" Helena whispered hoarsely. She tore her undershirt and tied up the horse's wound. Her eyes gazed at her cherished companion, welling up with tears. "We part ways here, my love! Return to the city and seek help."

Her horse neighed, looking at Helena with sadness. The woman caressed the side of Pegasus' face and kissed him. "I love you."

In a flash, Helena ran, seeking a safer hiding spot within the forest. In her heart, she could only hope that the robbers wouldn't use arrows or long-range weapons again.

Meanwhile, the five robbers searched for Helena. When they found Pegasus injured on the side of the road, they felt ecstatic.

"It seems that arrogant miss is not far from here," their leader exclaimed with joy. "Get ready, everyone! We will attack her simultaneously."

The leader had indeed sent his six subordinates as bait to assess Helena's abilities and techniques first. He had never met Helena in person, but he was clever enough to employ such deception.

They approached closer, just like Helena. They left their horses behind as they couldn't move quickly in difficult terrain. However, they were well acquainted with the Silverwood Forest, having been there for over two weeks.

One of them discovered strands of golden blonde hair scattered around. He smiled and said, "She passed through this area. We might be close to her."

Hearing their conversation, Helena held her breath. She could no longer escape as she had sprained her ankle and fallen into the underbrush. Perhaps that's why a few strands of her hair got caught and left behind.

Bruised and bleeding, not only from her arm but also from her thigh, pierced by a sharp wooden shard, Helena cursed her foolishness. Why did she let her emotions flare up over her grandfather's behavior and push herself to reach Broughton quickly? She underestimated both the challenges of nature and the bandits. She didn't even know that there were people out there who wanted her dead.

Not everyone took a clean approach to achieving their goals. A pretty face wasn't always what it seemed.

The bandits drew closer. Helena didn't want to take any risks; she held her breath as much as possible, hoping the bandits wouldn't realize her presence.

Unfortunately, Helena was still no match for the bandit gang in dealing with the Silverwood Forest. They had become one with the wild. Their senses and sense of smell were like those of wild animals.

"I wonder why there's a scent of sweet blood, just like your blood, miss!" Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from behind Helena. She was startled but couldn't move far due to her severe injuries. She wielded her sharp sword to defend herself and prepared to fight back. However, anyone could tell that Helena was no match for the five wild bandits in a situation like this.

At this moment, Helena thought, if only she were a main character in a storybook, she would surely be saved by a handsome prince or a mighty knight riding a white horse.

However, the knight on the white horse was none other than herself, now severely injured. And there was no book written by a writer featuring a main character with a sharp tongue like hers. There would be no prince to help her.

"Therefore, I have to fight for my own life," Helena shouted, encouraging herself.

Somehow, she gained strength from somewhere. Her trembling hand that held the sword became steady again.

"I won't let them rejoice in my death!" Helena shouted.

Her eyes gleamed like stars, staring sharply at her opponents. She planted her feet firmly, swinging the sword in a rapid spin, not giving her opponents any chance to attack.

However, no one expected the sword to fly away due to the initial speed given by Helena's hand. At that moment, no one saw the sword's owner because she had leaped like a monkey and escaped using the nearest tree roots.

That was Helena. She wasn't a wild creature. She was just a desperate person who had to use any means to escape.

"Goodbye, you damn robbers!"

The bandits could only stare at her. "Damn it! Now it's her turn to outsmart us," grumbled one of them. "I thought she was going to attack, but instead she ran away."

"Should we chase her?"

"No!" replied their leader. "It's dangerous there."