Princess and Knight

"Bea-neechan, how long have we been gone?"

"I don't know. Probably long enough to get away from the scrutiny of Prince Julius."

"Julius..." she leaned her head against the side of the window, dreaming as she admired the scenery along the way.

"Beastman Kingdom, don't you know what it looks like?" she smiled.

"Hey, we're here to work, to work, not to hang out, princess."

"I know, I know. You're taking it too seriously, Bea-neechan." her cheeks puffed out like an angry little bird, she sneaked a glance at Beatrice and immediately turned her gaze back to the window.

"Hmm..."

The clear blue sky, with its ripples of white clouds, slowly drifted away. Gentle breezes blew across a vast prairie, filled with golden sunshine and butterfly wings fluttering gently in the breeze. There, on a small path, the sound of horses' hooves temporarily breaks the silence of the space.

A small detachment of cavalry, a magnificent carriage.

The carriage was escorted and moved in the centre of the caravan, surrounded by well-armed horsemen, always ready to fight, no matter what they faced.

"Rumble"

The small sound coming from the princess's stomach made Beatrice laugh, she reached into her pocket and pulled out an antique wooden clock.

"It's almost lunchtime." Beatrice looked at her watch and approached the princess.

"Princess, we will stop temporarily at the village ahead."

"The village... plants," she said, still basking in the natural beauty outside the window, ignoring what her maid Beatrice had just said.

"Princess."

She was startled, her eyes fixed on Beatrice.

"If you continue to behave like this, I won't sleep with you tonight!"

Anxiety suddenly filled the little girl's mind.

"Don't. Don't. I'm afraid... I'm afraid of ghosts!" The little girl hugged Beatrice tightly and buried her head in the maid's chest.

"That always works." Beatrice thought to herself as she looked at the princess, who was about to cry. Beatrice coaxed her gently.

"Hm, you're trapped, Bea-neechan." the little princess said quietly.

The small hand touched Beatrice's breast, a sudden squeeze that startled her.

"So soft!" a smile of delight appeared on Charlotte's lovely face, reminiscent of the soft pillow she used to hug when she went to bed at the castle. Two rows of drool dripped out, some of which seeped into Beatrice's maid's dress.

"Princess, don't take advantage!" Beatrice frowned, gently pushing Charlotte away.

Beatrice's eyes seemed to shoot thousands of sparks, she looked at Charlotte in a 'hunting' position.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson." Beatrice rolled up her sleeve and rushed to tickle Charlotte.

Charlotte was pinned down on the cushion by Beatrice.

"Stop, stop!"

Charlotte struggled for a moment before lying still. The sound of her romping filled the room, startling the riders marching outside. Even though they were used to the noise, they couldn't help but look towards the carriage.

A yellowish maple leaf blew lightly in the wind, unfortunately sticking to the ceiling of the carriage. The leaf did not give up, but kept trying to 'swing' itself free.

Not long after the mischievous leaf was 'freed' by a light breeze, the wheels of the car cross over the oak fence. An old nameplate appeared, faded roofs glittered behind it, and they lay side by side for some far distance.

The group stopped at Maple, a small village tucked away in the valley, surrounded by a vast forest of maple trees.

◇

Although they had been informed in advance, the villagers were overjoyed at the arrival of the caravan.

They crowded around the carriage to meet the "little angel" of the Kingdom of Peace, as Charlotte was nicknamed.

"Everyone, please make way," a polite middle-aged man wearing a shirt embroidered with red maple leaves stood up and invited them to enter the village hall.

Beatrice and Charlotte were led into a large room. It was probably a sitting room, decorated like a meeting room, with luxurious wooden tables and chairs and colourful nature paintings. In the centre of the room is a large maple tree, the main symbol of Maple Village.

A thin man approached from a large table near the window. It was probably the village chief. He was wearing a black yukata that looked a little shaggy. It was the jagged gait, the long moustache, the dark circles under each eye with red blood vessels that made Charlotte shudder. She snuggled up behind Beatrice, her hands clutching the maid's white dress.

"Welcome to Maple Village."

"We apologise that our village could not have welcomed you more solemnly." The village chief clasped his hands in apology to Beatrice, his voice hoarse as if he were ill.

"No, we have to thank villagers." Beatrice smiled.

Beatrice pulled Charlotte's hand forward and boldly introduced the little princess, not bothering to meet the man's gaze.

Charlotte shivered slightly, a strange feeling enveloping her. Charlotte involuntarily looked at the man and saw a long, snake-shaped tattoo hidden behind his sleeve. She was about to say something, but the village chief spotted her and stopped her with an invitation:

"Invite two people to enjoy a cup of herbal tea from our Maple Village."

"Thank you."

Beatrice took Charlotte's hand and walked over to a black oak table beside the old maple tree, according to the chief. She wanted to whisper something in Beatrice's ear, but was drawn to the glitter of the clear blue sky from the maple leaves above.

"So beautiful!"

"Um." - Beatrice

"This scene in combination with the taste of tea..."

"Maybe it would be great, Bea-neechan.

"Invite the princess to tea." The village chief appeared from behind Beatrice with three cups of tea in his hands,they wafted a fragrant aroma of herbs through the room.

He placed one cup in Charlotte's hand.It's like green tea, but it's a little darker in colour. It's great to eat with some of the pastries they have there.

Charlotte thought the same and didn't hesitate to sip the cup. The sweet taste with a hint of bitterness from the herb immediately calmed Charlotte.

For a moment, she forgot the story of the chief's tattoo and lost herself in the taste of the herbs.

While Charlotte and Beatrice closed their eyes to savour the taste of tea, the chief looked at Charlotte again, his hands clenched. At his feet is a crumpled portrait of the princess.

"Charlo..te!"

....

After a short conversation, the polite man returned and invited them to lunch.

"This way, please."

Beatrice led Charlotte to a large pine cabin in the middle of the woods, flanked by rows of green maples preparing for fall.

The path was paved with fragrant wood, with a short bridge over a small stream in front of it. The spring water was crystal clear, reflecting the pale blue of the sunny sky, Charlotte watched intently the mischievous little carps are down there.

The gentle breeze blew away Charlotte's flowing pink hair, she gently reached out to catch the golden butterfly wings before they flew away with the wind, her eyes constantly comtemplate the peaceful natural surroundings.

Charlotte thought about the kingdom she was in. Apart from the flower garden, which she often visited for a stroll, there was a hustle and bustle around the castle. She wished her father could extend the garden a little further and plant maple trees with leaves that were more than half yellow.

Charlotte loved beauty, especially the natural beauty around her.

Charlotte leaned over to look at Beatrice and gave her a big flowery smile:

"Bea-neechan, I want the kingdom to be just as beautiful!"

Beatrice patted Charlotee's head, her face blushing a little at the sight of Charlotte's sweet angelic face:

"Hmm."

"I'll help you build a forest like this when you grow up."

"Really. You have promised!"

Beatrice hooked her pinky finger against Charlotte's, "I promise."

Beatrice smiled and urged Charlotte to hurry up the steps of the bungalow and enjoy her lunch behind the other door before continuing her unfinished journey.

"Charlotte Cara Peace..."

"Hmm."

In the distance, the village chief watched their movements with a wary gaze, his mouth muttering of some dark plan about to take place.

◇

At a place in the maple forest, the sound of a gently cascading waterfall was interrupted by the sound of a loud banging.

Leon gripped the stone pestle, squeezed the bag of herbs in his hand.

The light breeze brought with it the pleasant aroma of plants that made Leon feel very comfortable. He looked up at his natural surroundings before thinking about the work he was about to do: "Refining herbs."

"Huh, why do I have to do this?" thought Leon as he washed the small herbs Gabul had just brought back in the cool spring water.

Looking at his face through the water, Leon once again complained the gods for the body they had given him. He wondered what would happen if one day [Hide] stopped working, if people would be afraid and try to destroy something like him.

"Leon, hurry." was the voice of Gabul, the bone horse who had decided to accompany Leon after the events of that terrible cave.

The face of Gabul that appeared behind Leon startled him, he was not careful and fell down head first. The spring water splashed into the air and into Leon's eyes.

Leon sat up with difficulty, looking at Gabul uncomfortably but unable to do anything.

"Boet...Boet"

At that moment, a transparent slime emerged from under the water. It stared at Leon and hurried to devour the herb that floated to the surface before it was grabbed by Gabul and destroyed with a water balloon, becoming a slimy medicinal ingredient.

◇

"Be careful of the herbs on that side, Leon."

"Those are quite poisonous." Gabul said, pointing to the light purple seedlings on Leon's left hand.

Leon nodded and carefully opened the paper that outlined the steps of refinement from the Holy book. He picked up an old wooden bowl from the Spacetime Museum - a treasure left for him by the blacksmith Zwerg after the cave incident.

"You said that an A-grade potion was the equivalent of 5 medium-sized gold coins. According to my estimates, a full-sized gold coin is worth around 150,000 yen. So those 5 gold coins are..."

" We will be rich, Gabul, with these A-level healing potions" Leon jumped excitedly at the thought of the bargain he would get from this job he thought was easy.

Leon quickly got to work, mixing some freshly crushed herbs with the slimy slime. The dripping slime and rising odour annoyed Leon, he covered his nose and turned back.

"I need a face mask here."

"Leon, what's a face mask?" Gabul tilted his head curiously to ask Leon.

"It's something that can protect our noses from this horrible smell." Leon searched the museum and pulled out a rather large piece of black cloth.

"Hm, I forgot this is otherworld, how can face mask appear in this place?"

"The black cloth in my hand looks suitable." Leon looked at the cloth for a moment and then wrapped it around his head, trying to seal his nostrils.

Seeing Leon's face, Gabul laughed, he wanted to ask him about the origin of the special "face mask" Leon wore on his face.

Leon didn't care, he calmly turned around, held the wooden bowl in his hand and continued mixing the ingredients.

"Purple Artisso flowers, slime mucus, fern leaves, slime cores mixed with a mixture of Agaricus mushroom puree, ....Hm, is there anything else I forgot to put in?"

"Probably enough!"

Leon shook the wooden bowl in his hand vigorously.

Leon took a deep breath and looked at the slimy liquid that was slowly condensing into jelly. It was emitting a blue light, like the colour of the sky right now.

"It doesn't look like much." Gabul came to Leon's side and made his comment.

"It seem looks thicker and darker in color." Leon looked at the sample potion in the paper and exclaimed silently.

"Leon, try using [Appraisal]."

"You don't have to remind me!"

[Appraisal]

-

Item: [Name Unknown]

Self Heal: +30

Mana: +50 (Temporary)

Automatically heal all minor body wounds. (Success rate: 95%)

Increased ability to heal fatal wounds. (Success rate: 30%)

Neutralises all effects on the body.(Success rate: 100%)

Increased movement speed .(Temporary)

-

"Hmm. The healing stat is slightly lower than the Holy book's potion. Increasing Mana, that potion doesn't seem to have any. There's some writing at the bottom, they're really strange."

"The recovery index is over 25, it is a class B potion?"

"This temporary potion probably sells for a little money." Leon was a bit disappointed.

"Don't worry too much.Maybe you left something out. We'll try again next time."

Gabul looked up, try to guess the time based on his experience.

Perhaps because of fatigue, Gabul sighed:

"It's past noon, you can quickly clone this potion and make your way to the human city."

"Cloning ?"

"Listen. Open your status panel, go to the Skills section and select Achievements"

There's a bunch of mixing formula you've used, use [Assessment] to analysis and clone what you need." Gabul instructed Leon.

"Tha... thanks." Leon opened the status panel and did as Gabul said.

"It's like the RPG game I used to play in the old world, it's pretty simple." Leon thought.

"Ting... ting"

"Ting... ting"

[Announcement: 16 [Name Unknown] items created].

"That's it." Leon heaved a sigh of relief. He stored 17 potions and concoctions in the space-time museum and climbed onto Gabul's back.

"Get down. I will go to rest. When you have sold the potion and found an inn, call me."

"Hey. Don't you kidd..."

"After searching for herbs for you, I'm exhausted. I don't have the strength to carry you around anymore."

"Hey, hey...Wait a minute!"

"Bye."

Gabul crawled into the shadow over Leon's helplessness.

Leon stamped his feet on the ground as if to vent his anger. He stepped forward, his mouth constantly criticize:

"Gabul. You are lazy people!"

Leon grabbed a nearby branch and leapt into the air.

[Dimension Move]

Leon glided in the wind, his shadow slowly disappearing behind the large maple trunks.

◇

"Charlotte, let's go."

"Yes. Bea-neechan."

Charlotte was led by her maid, Beatrice, into the magnificent carriage with a full stomach. She looked out of the window and saw Beatrice handing the chief a small leather pouch. There must be money in it, Charlotte thought. She wondered how much this delicious lunch could be worth.

"Thank you for the enthusiasm of the Maple villagers!" - Beatrice bowed her head and thanked the chief. She said goodbye to them and quietly walked into the open door, opposite the window frame Charlotte had just used to observe her actions.

Beatrice sat down next to Charlotte and gestured for the convoy to move on.

Charlotte was silent, leaning against Beatrice's chest. She felt a little tired and soon fell asleep.

Beatrice stroked Charlotte's rosy cheekbones before turning her eyes to the window. By this time the golden sunlight had become more sultry and uncomfortable.

Charlotte clutched her old watch, her mind fading.

Back in Maple Village, the Chief went to his room, opened a secret drawer under the bed and pulled out a quite new document.

The Chief wrote something and stamped it on the document. He took a small, almost completely burnt candle from the corner of his table, lit it and burned the paper.

The characters jumped out of the paper as soon as they came into contact with the flames, disappearing into a red magic circle that suddenly appeared in the room.

"Princess, your life is worth it."

The Chief's loud laughter echoed through the wooden room, startling the little birds singing outside.

From the same drawer, he pulled out an old wooden box covered in cobwebs. He carefully dusted it off and opened it. Inside was a tight black suit, under which was a weapon with a very sharp blade attached to a heavy ball of long chain that had rusted.

When he saw his reflection in the blade, the village chief took a deep breath. Covering himself in the inky black of the suit, he slipped out of the village and quietly set his horse, follow the escort group.

On a small hilltop, not far from the village of Maple.

"Sough...sought"

"Hey, do you see the target?" said an athletic man coming out of the bushes. The large scar on his face and the heavy armour made him look like a huge, aggressive black bear.

"Boss, there's news that they're coming here."

"That's good. Let's go!" the man licked his dagger blade and drew his large sword in front of him, plunging it firmly into the ground.

"This prey will be interesting!"

◇

"AHHHHHH"

"Don't come near me, please." A loud scream rang out, accompanied by tears of fear.

A group of large men slowly approached Charlotte from all sides.

They held long swords covered in red liquid. At the head of these men was a man we all called Boss.

"Yaaaa"

Beatrice lunged at one of the robbers from behind, knocking him to the ground.

"Charlotte, I'll hold them off. Hurry and get out of here!"

"Shut up, you stupid bitch."

A hulking man rushed over and threw a powerful punch to Beatrice's stomach. The pain made her vomit instantly and she fell to the ground.

"Huh...huh," Beatrice gasped.

She looked at Charlotte and pointed weakly into the forest.

"Run..away."

"I told you to stop, bitch!"

He stepped forward angrily and stomped on Beatrice's hand, breaking her finger backwards.

"No!"

"Bea-neechan."

Charlotte was frightened, she stepped back and looked towards the forest.

"Rumble"

Charlotte bumped into the boss's sturdy black armour and was knocked to the ground. He grabbed the girl by the hair and pulled her up.

He looked into Charlotte's face and licked his tongue lustfully.

"Oh, this lady is a pretty girl." the man said, pinning Charlotte to the ground as the others grabbed her and held her limbs.

"Bastard, stop. Let go of Charlotte." Beatrice shouted as she watched the man and his underling tearing at Charlotte's white dress.

"Shut up, you'll also be happy soon." he ordered the other two men to hold Beatrice down and gag her.

"No. Let me go... let me go." Charlotte struggled as he touched her body. On the contrary, the man seemed even more interested in touching her soft skin.

The white dress was torn in half, revealing a thin bra.

His hand rested on Charlotte's breast.

"Does this girl have no breasts?"

"It's probably just not developed yet, Boss." A underling standing nearby exclaimed, stream of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Hmm.It's a bit boring, but that's OK. That stupid maid would make up for this bitch's shortcomings."

"Lie still." He looked at Charlotte with an amused look, his hand reaching down to her white tights.

Charlotte's body shook.

"Ha ha."

"Boss scared her so much she peed her pants!"

"No problems, I'll take them off anyway!" the man excitedly tugged at the thin cloth trousers, tearing them to shreds.

Beatrice screamed angrily, looking at him with red veins in her eyes. She was about to do something, but two of his subordinates tightened their grip and began to touch her breasts.

"Father, save me..." she closed her eyes tightly, tears of despair rolling down to the red streaked ground.

"Hm, what sound?" - Leon moved as fast as the wind with [Dimension Move], the short-range teleportation magic Gabul had just taught him.

It didn't take long for Leon to confirm that it was the sound of a melee. Leon decided to stop and follow the sound. He hid in a large bush and watched the situation unfold before him.

"They're bandits!"

"They're attacking massively soldiers and close to the carriage."

Leon saw a small girl in a white suit being pinned to the ground by the big man. He had just torn off the trousers she was wearing, leaving only a small pair of panties.

"You bastards... I have to do something." Leon thought angrily.

He involuntarily looked at the demon sword he was carrying. It was emitting a distorted magical power that seemed to invite him to use it to finish off those bastards.

"No!"

"Gabul said I wasn't allowed to draw it!"

"But..."

Leon tried to keep the desire from his arm, he saw a dry wooden branch nearby and grabbed it.

"I have to hurry."

Leon looked at the wooden stick in his hand, without hesitation he rushed out like a hurricane, swinging the wooden stick hard.

"Bastards!"

"Rumble"

The boss staggered to the ground, his head covered in blood.

"What is it?" The subordinates' laughter stopped after the loud noise, and they turned to face the man.

"Boss, Boss... What happened to you?"

The subordinates paid no attention to the person who had just taken their boss's great sword. He was about to rush towards them.

"Slash"

Blood and the upper body of the robber with the scarred face covering one eye were splattered everywhere.

"What the hell?" The bandits were startled by the sight before them. It was a man whose face was sealed with black cloth, revealing only two red eye sockets. More importantly, he was holding the leader's great sword, dripping every drop of fresh blood onto the broken humus wood.

The stunned boss sat up, looking at the man who had just attacked him, holding his head and shouting angrily:

"You bastard."

"Useless bunch. Quarter him for me." he pointed at Leon, red veins bulging all over his face.

Leon's eyes stared at the man like a true predator. Gathering momentum, he swung his sword high and stepped forward with his left foot.

[Dimension Move]

Leon disappeared and appeared behind him, his sword slicing through the wind.

"Slash"

The boss was sliced in half, his blood splattering on Beatrice's face as she stood nearby.

Beatrice recoiled in fear until her back touched a wooden trunk. She couldn't control herself and sat down.

In Beatrice's tight embrace was Charlotte, her eyes stunned. She succumbed to the sight before her and vomited, her whole body spasticity.

"Beatrice, that man over there is so scary!"

"Charlotte, I... I'll protect you!" - Beatrice shuddered under the tremendous pressure of Leon, who rushed into the battle and slaughtered the remaining bandits.

◇

"Monster... a monster!"

The bandit finally falls.

But Beatrice,she is frightened, searches for a nearby weapon and stands in a fighting stance with Charlotte, still trembling behind her.

"Running, Charlotte, I'll hold him back."

Beatrice shouted as she saw Leon turn his attention to them.

"Behind you, be careful!" Leon gestured to Beatrice because he saw a shadow figure in the distance.

Beatrice was startled and turned back.

But it's too late!

A powerful slash emerged from the bushes, aimed at Charlotte.

Charlotte couldn't dodge, the lightning blade flew past her, leaving a deep gash in her chest, blood gushing out as she fell to the ground.

"Bea-nee...chan."

Charlotte gasped with a bloody mouth, her eyes blurred.

Beatrice cried and rushed to hold Charlotte as she collapsed.

Charlotte's body was cooling rapidly, her breathing getting weaker.

Seeing this, Leon's eyes grew redder and redder, and he couldn't help but throw the leader's large sword aside. His left hand grabbed the demon sword.

Leon stared at the man who was about to attack Beatrice, a warrior with a black suit covering his face. Perhaps because of his small stature, he wielded a strange weapon with quick and extremely elegant movements.

He didn't mind Leon's presence there, maybe he thought there was nothing he could do to protect Beatrice from this distance.

Coolly, he swung the weight up and aimed it directly at Beatrice's head.

"Stop for me!"

Leon lunged at him like an angry beast, drawing his demon sword and unleashing a terrifying source of magical power. It gradually crystallised, enveloping Leon in white armour.

"Whir"

The powerful shockwaves knocked back the weight he had just thrown.

"What a terrible pressure. Where is it coming from?"

"From me. Bastard!"

Leon appeared in front of the man with space-time warped to the point of distortion. The weight of the immense amount of magic power pent up in a small space completely bound his body, making it impossible for him to move.

His throat stiffened, his mind shrouded in deep darkness.

The magical power of the sword burned within him.

His eyes showed fear and desperation as he saw Leon's murderous red eyes.

"Thousand Flash Slash"

The hopeless eye stared at Leon until his body broke into pieces and fell to the ground.

The man was burned into the depths of his soul by the blue flames of the demon sword, his body withering and flying with the wind.

"More Slaughter..more..." - The red blade with moaning rune.

Leon took a deep breath to suppress the urge to kill. He sheathed the sword, but the armour was still there. It hadn't vanished into nothingness like it had in the cave.

Putting that aside, Leon turned his back, pained to see Charlotte lying motionless.

"Healing potions!"

Leon suddenly remembered the potions he had just refined. Without hesitation, Leon took them out and handed them to Beatrice. He hoped that she would trust him and use them to save Charlotte's life.

Beatrice had no choice but to use strange healing potions that she had never seen in real life, not even on the pages... Beatrice trembled as she poured the medicine into Charlotte's mouth, murmuring a prayer for miracles to happen.

A source of light appeared. It gave off a very pleasant warmth and covered Charlotte's whole body.

Small scratches heal as the white light fades.

The wound on Charlotte's chest disappeared completely, replaced by the return of rosy skin. Breathing heavily, her eyes slowly opening, Charlotte saw Beatrice's happy tears.

"Bea-nee..chan."

"Charlotte!"

Beatrice hugged Charlotte tightly.

◇

"Is this a messenger from the gods?" - Charlotte wondered.

In front of her stood a white horseman with an aura that overwhelmed the natural light. He is trying to save wounded soldiers in any way he can.

Leon sighed, looking at the chaos around him, at the unfortunate soldiers still lying motionless on the ground. Despite having become a 'monster', the warmth of the human heart still gives him feelings that are difficult to describe.

Beatrice approached Leon and said shyly:

"We apologise for doubting you!"

"Thank you very much." Beatrice bowed her head in gratitude.

"Never mind!"

"Anyone will do the same when they see it." Leon turned away, clenching his hands.

"But we... we..."

Beatrice started to say something, but stopped when she saw the sadness in Leon's actions. She thought she should give him some space and decided to step back.

Beatrice took Charlotte into a small bush nearby to get dressed, her eyes still glancing at Leon from time to time.

"So there are still people who won't survive." Leon thought, looked at the other two healing potions in his hand and exclaimed.

"This world is devastating. Human life is so cheap."

"That's their fate anyway. May they rest in peace!"

Leon folded his hands and closed his eyes.

....

"Everything seems fine."

Leon looked at Beatrice and Charlotte in the bushes nearby, he felt it was time for him to leave.

"Hmm, I only have two potions left!"

"I'll have to sleep in the forest again tonight." Leon thought to himself.

"Wait, the bandits must have a mountain of wealth from raids like this."

"Are there horses and their baggage?"

Leon went over to the bandits' horses.

He took aim at a large black horse with small horns protruding from its head.

Leon rummaged through the large bag on the horse's back and grabbed a couple of small canvas bags filled with gold coins.

"What is this?"

Leon saw a small piece of parchment sticking out of the bag. Leon pulled it out and saw that it was an old map. Although it was not very big, it made Leon very happy.

Leon tucked the map inside his body, his right hand clutching an open bag of gold. The jingling of the coins as they collided made Leon even more excited.

"Even though I feel a little guilty, just take this as my reward." Leon threw the bag of gold coins up, the light from the gold coins glittering through the thick foliage. It came down and soothed Leon's mood.

Leon's words mingled with the rustling of the green forest.

Leon himself disappeared in the glare of the sun above.

◇

Charlotte came out of the bushes in her new dress, followed by her maid, Beatrice. She looked for Leon, but couldn't find him.

"He's gone?"

"Um."

"Bea-neechan, did the gods send him down to protect us?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't know!"

"But one thing I'm sure of, he's a knight of justice, he's not overshadowed by material desires."

"What is it, I don't understand?"

"Ah... nothing!"

Beatrice said nothing more. She sat silently watching Charlotte, her palm clutching the Chief's messenger document.

"I didn't expect Prince Julius to be so cruel!" Beatrice pursed her lips and gritted her teeth as she thought about who was behind it all.

"Charlotte, we can't go back to the kingdom now, we have to hurry to the Beastman Kingdom."

"Yes..." Charlotte said quietly, she seemed to have guessed part of the story, she just didn't think that her second brother was the one who wanted to murder her.

Beatrice sighed and looked out of the window.

The scene outside the carriage was growing darker.

The sunshine was slowly being replaced by dark clouds. Storms appeared, bringing with them a few small drops of rain.

Overhead, lightning and thunderclap became more frequent, frightening the horses pulling the carriages below.

As predicted, a heavy rain fell.

◇

"Argon, is Charlotte really as dead as you say?"

"Yes, definitely."

"The subordinates I sent found her bloody white dress."

Julius took a deep breath and rested his right hand on the table, his left hand raised a glass of red wine and sipped from it.

"Um. Well done."

"You can leave now."

"Yes, I take my leave." The man with the rat-like front teeth smiled slightly, showed interest and quietly left.

In his hand was a cheque for hundreds of large gold coins, a stamped document that gave him the freedom to research and breed different types of monsters.

"Glass breaking sound"

Julius smashed the wine glass in his hand, splashing it and soaking his white glove red.

"I hate rain."

Julius took off his dirty glove and threw it into the glass door which was fogged by steam.

"Charlotte. Annoying brat. I hate you as much as I hate the rain."

Julius took a small notebook from his desk drawer, many names completely crossed out or blacked out.

"Thank God you're dead." Julius said, crossing out Charlotte's name from his black leather notebook, the outside of which was printed with a black snake pierced by a red arrow.

"Only you are left, Aaron." Julius smiled as he folded the notebook and slipped it into his breast pocket.

Julius gradually disappeared into the silence of the night, leaving his broken wine glass next to his family portrait.

◇