And Plays As Apex Predator With Its Hunted

"Sir Knight, I do not feel comfortable traversing the woods. If the Princess and her servant are there, then they surely must have laid out traps. That wench already put our Scout out of commission."

"Shouldn't we wait for more reinforcements? The forests seem too dangerous for them to escape in, especially the dire straits they have been."

"What is there to fear? We have tracked them down until here and they can hardly trade blows. There is no doubt that they are exhausted and if this friend of the princess knows any trap-spells, which I sincerely doubt, then she must have already extinguished her mana."

"I… there's something about that manor that's making me uneasy. The princess must have cursed it. If we go there, I am not sure if we will make it out alive."

"If we take her head, we will have a great bounty for it." the knight snorted. "It does not sound like a curse, but a blessing in disguise. If you bring it to me, there will be much fortune in your life."

Wealth was a great way to motivate people.

But these were orders that the young archer did not agree with, but couldn't rebel against in fear of repercussions.

When the orders had been given to him and the rest of the group, it was simple and plain.

Kill Princess Eleanor Averon

She was feared.

She was supposed to be cursed, evil, the bringer of doom. If the Princess was killed, then all of those prophecies, visions and other things that she may remark upon will not come to pass.

She had mentioned the famine and people died by the thousands.

A plague occurred in another kingdom where she was summoned to talk with.

There was a lot of bad reputation surrounding Princess Eleanor and it meant that she needed to be rid of. However, to the archer, it didn't appear that way to him at all.

It seemed like she was being blamed and used as the scapegoat—another thing entirely.

Unfortunately, it was far too easy to be pulled in by the fear and rumors.

More than that, the orders were clear.

Princess Eleanor Averon and her servant, Rose Goodhill, must die.

Ashter Bouw did not believe that Princess Eleanor brought disaster until he felt a presence of bloodlust.

It was so fleeting that it was almost impossible to detect in the cold and silent air of the night, but then he did.

He craned his neck and then spotted the being that might have been Death manifested.

Dressed in an outfit befitting nobility, a dark cloak across his shoulders that flew across the wind, there was a regal yet highly dangerous look on the Being's face that nearly soiled Ashter's trousers.

A wave of excitement and fear charged through his body as his fingers touched his arrows.

The young man remembered what it was like to be an ordinary hunter in his village—he was a good one according to the others—but there was that state where you relished the hunt and entered a state where every little thing became crystal clear.

This was what it felt right now, the wind felt just right, except it felt like his party were the ones being hunted. However, Ashter didn't pause.

His arrow struck true as called out to his superiors.

"Sir Knight, we have a sit—"

"Don't disrupt our conversation, boy." the knight growled at the peasant archer.

Ashter knew he needed to be more serious. He glanced over his shoulder and said, "We have an enemy—"

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

—

"Why hello there, everyone. I was not expecting visitors, but it seems that you have a problem with my current guests. As their host, I had to take the matters into my own hands."

I grinned relaxedly whilst removing my hand from the head knight's throat.

His head was still luckily attached to the rest of his body, but it was clear as blood spewed out of his mouth and dripped down his punctured neck—he was no longer with us.

Of course, everyone responded in kind.

Arrows blasted, even magical attacks zipped towards me, but it was far too easy to dodge, and instead, the poor 'Sir Knight' ate up most of the attacks.

A part of me wondered why I chose not to deal with them all in one move, but I could use the exercise. Stretch the limbs, yes? The undetermined amount of years in my Eternal Sleep meant I had to shake up my body.

"Let's see. My body is limber, how about this…"

The blood within the dead knight exploded and covered the rest of the party, and within moments, it burned the others.

"I normally wouldn't waste blood or change it, but something so despicable as him wouldn't dare touch my lips." I explained to them while I blocked a blade with my hand then felt a searing heat.

My gaze met another knight and I came to a realization. "Oh, imbued with light. Fascinating. That did hurt."

"He's weak to light—"

I flashed forward and seized them by the throat, choking them to death and then tossing them aside, knight armor and all. Behind me, some of them had already disbanded and attempted to flee, but in the darkness, their shadows slowed them down and dragged them back.

"I was curious about what Averon was all about as a new kingdom. It made me speculate what its specialties are, but it seems like all of you are greedy cowards. Nothing different."

Their own shadows twisted around them and ended them then and there.

I caught the arrow behind me and turned over to see the remaining one who hadn't run away like the others. It was the very same archer who grazed my cheek and successfully landed a blow.

"You know, when a hunter shoots an arrow and kills a creature, the other birds and the deer learn how to avoid them. This won't happen again." I pointed the tip of the arrow towards my already-healed cheek.

Smoke and fire suddenly exploded.