Chapter 18

"I can't run away anymore. I'm already exhausted."

They were under the heavy silence for a couple of seconds. The look on the lady's face was so exhausted as she almost bore a hole in the ground with her depressing gaze alone. However that torturing silence was interrupted by Amy's heavy sigh.

"My lady …" Despite being merely a maid, Amy disregarded her status in the society and just gave the lady a loud smack in the back.

The lady had her head raised as she screeched in surprise, "Eeek!"

Amy glared at her and gave her a furious look. "No, Ms. Alice Claria Graciano, did you already forget how we almost drowned ourselves in mud just to come here?"

That lady named Alice took a step backwards and hid in anxiousness under her fragile arms that was blocking Amy's currently demonic gaze at her.

"W-what's suddenly gotten i-into you, Amy?" She stuttered. "Y-you're scaring me."

"My lady, why do you think I'm being like this?"

While Alice was giving her a reply, "I also don-," Amy had this sharp fierce look on her face as she covered Alice's mouth with her hand in abrupt. Even Alice at that time was so surprised seeing Amy giving such a strong expression on her face.

"Shh," while covering Alice's mouth, Amy looked around her as if she's looking for a place to hide.

Seeing a nearby alleyway, they slowly headed towards that direction. In that rowdy crowd, they completely camouflaged themselves as they safely entered that alleyway. Amy immediately removed her hand from covering and whispered, "Stay quiet for a while, my lady. I just saw some familiar faces we don't want to encounter."

Amy then scowled as she continued, "Such familiar faces just by the sight of them make me puke in disgust and tremble in rage."

Alice instantly felt the chilliness in that alleyway. With a shocked expression, she whispered, "No way …"

She wrapped herself with her own arms and intensedly shivered as if she was standing on top of the peak of the coldest mountain. "D-did t-they really followed u-us all the w-way here?" she stuttered with fear attached.

Among the crowd of players, these familiar faces that have been following them wherever they go had their perfect disguises and were looking around as if they were meticulously searching for them; the very specks of them being there and their existence itself.

Alice gradually lost the strength in her legs, slowly crouched down and cowered in fear by the cold walls of that alleyway.

"W-what s-should we do n-now, Amy? I …" Alice sobs slowly filled the distressing, cold silence. "... d-don't want to d-die …"

"My lady …" Amy's soothing voice entered Alice's ears. Amy also crouched down in front of her and in surprise; Alice felt Amy's warm hands crawling towards her face. These hands forced her to look at the source of that warmness.

What Alice saw was as if the brightest of day. Amy's radiant smiling face made all of her fear goes away. Though, it was only for a short moment of time.

"Don't worry. As long as I am here, no one will-," Amy paused. In abrupt, she suddenly swung her arm towards the back.

"A-A-Amy …"Alice stuttered in concern. "Y-your h-hand …"

After swinging her hand, blood started dripping to the ground. Instinctively, Amy instantly felt the bloodlust around them and as if she already knew, she just caught the blade that was rushing towards them and was aimed towards the lady she was serving.

"… harm you and touch even a fiber of your hair," Amy continued.

Amy dropped the bloody blade and with a serious look she faced Alice with her solemn back as she stood up. "My lady, Master Rael's manor is not far from here. Please head there first."

"W-why are you suddenly saying this, Amy?" Alice reached her hand towards Amy's wounded hand. "W-we need to t-treat your hand fi-," Alice didn't finish her sentence as she flinched in surprise after hearing Amy's loud yell.

"My lady!! Please …" Amy yelled.

"Amy …"

While gritting her teeth, Amy looked back at her and coldly said, "Don't be stubborn and just head there first."

Alice instantly realized the situation they're in. The familiar faces they were badly trying to avoid were now standing in front of Amy. They were all grinning along with their unruly faces and behavior. As if they finally found the prey they laid their eyes on for a long period of time. They looked like hungry beasts drooling in front of their feast. That's how it looked like for the scared Alice.

Despite her trembling in fear, Alice gradually stood up from the ground. She piched a part of Amy's hood and stutteringly whispered, "A-Amy … Let's es-," she was cut off.

Without facing her, Amy just said, "My lady, don't worry about me and just go ahead first."

Seconds later, Amy faced her with the sincerest smile and added, "You promised that we will bathe together in the luxurious mansion, remember?"

"Amy …"

Despite her hesitations, Alice just dropped her head down to a point where her face can be barely seen. She faced her with her back and slowly walked away from her. While walking away, tears can't stop crawling down her face.

"I'll be waiting, okay? So please …"

Alice knew that there's only a slight change for that to happen. She grew up together with Amy and she already knew that a mere maid won't survive an attack from the rowdy mercenaries that were hired to kill her. Despite that realization, Alice put all her trust in her and by the end of the day, Amy, who she already considered her older sister, will came back with the sincerest smile on her face; just like always.

While escaping from the other side, another sharp knife flew towards Alice's direction. However, it didn't pass through even half a distance as Amy prevented it to do so. She naturally caught the knife in between her fingers. Right after confirming that Alice was already nowhere to be found, Amy's posture instantly changed.

"Now that the lady is gone, should we do some light exercise now? Pretending to be concerned sure is not my style."

Fast as lightning, she flung back the knife and just like a passing wind, one of the mercenaries found himself being pierced by that knife in the head and died without putting a decent fight.

"What in the world …," one of the mercenaries blurted out in surprise.

Not only one but almost the entire mercenary troop was shocked by the sudden death of one of their comrade. They instantly lost the grins in their faces and in split second, instead of relief; their faces were instantly filled with anxiousness. They came with loosed shoulders but at that time, they never expected how tensed they were.

"Who are you?"One of the mercenaries asked.

With a cold, inexpressive face, Amy replied, "Does it even matter? You're all going to die here anyways."

All of the mercenaries instantly had their guards up as they raised their weapons, ready to fight if prompted so.

"Amusing isn't it?" Amy said. "You guys were desperately tailing us like some annoying rats for the past week. I was in the mood to exterminate pests back then however I was too forgiving to give you rats more than a chance to escape from hell."

"How persistent. To think you rats gladly offered each and every piece of yourselves. I'm more than grateful, you know?"

Amy grinned all of a sudden.

"Oho? No way, having cold feet now?"

One of the mercenaries talked and said, "Who are you? You're not merely a maid, correct?"

Amy's face straightened in an instant. With a sharp gaze, she replied, "I already told you. It's pointless for you to know since you're all going to die here today. However, I'll give you rats the final chance to redeem yourselves. So tell me, who hired you rats?"

"…"

During the unnerving silence, another knife flew towards Amy. However, just like the previous attempt, another mercenary was unfortunately killed in a swift. The mercenaries were taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

"Is that so? It seems like everyone wishes to die. Then, let me grant everyone's wishes. Don't worry, I may be lacking but satisfying distasteful animals is where I excel at."

In that narrow alleyway, despite players passing through the main road, no one heard a single scream and shriek. Amy, whose identity was unknown, brutally murdered the mercenaries who were persistently following them. Among the dozen of mercenaries, only one left barely standing in fear.

"M-m-monster …," that remaining person flopped onto the ground and crawled backwards as he heard the terrifying sound of Amy's steps.

Amy gazed down at him like a trash ready for her disposal and chuckled.

"That's right …" She coldly said. "As the last man standing, isn't it my duty to give you a satisfying reward?"

Amy was smiling with her eyes as she approached the terrified man.

"N-no … s-stay away from m-me …," that terrified man crawled until he reached a wall.

Amy crouched down in front of him and with a smile, she said, "Earlier, you wanted to know who I am right?"

Amy leaned forward and whispered to the ears of the terrified man who was almost on the brink of passing out.

"I am one of the twins, Pollux, the Gemini, Twelfth Celestial Servant of Albus, the God of Magic."

"And for your reward …"

Using only her hand, Amy swifly cut the man's head very cleanly.

"… a painless death should be worth thanking for."