Chapter 82: Chapter 81

Episode 81.

It was strange. No matter how much I stuttered, I couldn’t feel what I should have felt. I’m sure I always carried the pouch with beads in my arms.

‘I wouldn’t have dropped it… Don’t tell me, a pickpocketer?”

There was a momentary panic in the plausible assumption.

Did I get pickpocketed while in the last village? Come to think of it, I had no memory of bumping a person while walking down the street.

‘It doesn’t make sense.’

I’m in trouble. If it’s true, then there’s really nothing worse than this situation right now. I stepped back without looking back and hit a tree and stopped.

‘What do I do?’

I have no beads. The pain in my ankle has become so severe that I honestly can’t walk, let alone run.

The forest-thieves grew closer and closer. When I lightly counted the number of heads, it seemed to be about ten.

‘That’s a lot.’

Several people came out to rob only one person.

I turned one hand back and felt my back waist. A firm touch was delivered on the fingertips. The dagger for self-defence was still in place. I glanced sideways at the state of the horse.

The horse, which had collapsed on the floor in a dying position, had recovered some strength and was standing up again.

‘……can I?’

I don’t mean to fight. Holding a dagger and playing 10-1 was just another word for a suicide show to me.

But, all I’m after is……..

‘A hostage.’

If I could do something well and take one of them as a hostage.

‘When anyone gets close to me, I’ll find a chance and put a dagger on one’s neck.’

And after taking a hostage and threatening them, try to drag time until the horse recovers its stamina to some extent. Then I can ride it and run away.

‘……but will it work?’

Honestly or not, it’s meaningless to judge it now. Since I have no other way than this anyway.

I gulped down dry saliva. My expression hardened because of the tension.

Fortunately, my opponents were just the same, but they were very relaxed in their current attitude. In other words, they were careless. It might have been possible if I caught one of them off guard at the crack.

“Now, what can we do with you?”

“First of all, we have to spare your life. Because I said with my own mouth that we’re not murderers.”

“I’ll break your arms and legs instead.”

“We can also pluck out your tongue.”

“What about one eye?”

“You won’t die even if we do it all. A person’s life-line is stronger than it looks, kekekek!”

‘They’re very excited.’

Yeah, that’s good. Come and keep on flirting and chatting like that. The more you do, the better it is for me.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Wait, that guy. Didn’t his face change a little?”

“What are you talking about …. What? It’s real.”

“Huh?”

Then the forest-thieves suddenly roared in groups. I groped my face with my hand, which was not holding a dagger, looking at their reactions.

‘The magic has worn out.’

I touch the familiar curves with the tip of my finger. My face was back to normal.

“What is it? Can a person’s face change like that?”

“Were we the one who saw it wrong?”

“No, but it’s too….”

The chatter gradually died down. Subsequently, the eyes of the forest-thieves changed little by little.

I was soon startled to see their dim, dreary eyes.

‘Those crazy guys?’

But it was only for a while that disgusting goosebumps came up.

‘No, it’s better than that.’

If they had an impure mind to do something about me as I thought, at least they wouldn’t hurt me. Then they’ll approach me with their bare hands, defenselessly. And that would be helping me.

“Who wants to go first?”

“Me first…”

“Hey, grab her first and then decide.”

“But, you bastards, are you sure she’s a woman?”

“Then what? With a face like that, even if he’s a man, I still can….”

“This is really crazy. Stay still, now I see that hair looks like a wig.”

The level of conversation that once ‘elegant’ now turned over to a filthy content. I was disgusted with it, but I endured it.

Soon one of the crowd came up with a hasty step and reached out to my head.

“Look, I took it off….”

My head went blank. I swung the dagger I was holding behind my back for this time. No, I tried to swing it. Even if the man in front of me had not fallen down before that.

“…….!”

“What, what?”

The forest-thieves rumbled. It was the same for me. I heard someone shouting when I was stuck in a situation where I didn’t know what had happened.

“Princess!”

What?

“Who are you… Argh!”

“Aargh!”

Subsequently, people wrapped in black clothes appeared and cleaned-up the forest-thieves in turn.

What happened in the blink of an eye was done in such a short time. I couldn’t even move my back to the tree until all the forest-thieves lay on the ground.

“Princess, are you all right?”

“…..how did you……”

Doubtful of what my eyes had seen, I managed to bring out the word.

One of the black-clad men of the Dark Knights approached me.

“I saw the princess in the village and chased you here.”

“What?”

It was too much to understand. Since I had the face of a completely different person in town.

More than that, I passed the entrance to the village where they, the Dark Knights members were guarding, without any trouble.

“To be honest, I didn’t know you were the princess at first. Since your appearance looked so different.”

“But why… ….”

“But I noticed your walking style.”

“My walking style?”

“Your appearance and attire were too plain and modest, but your gait seemed to have been educated by some high-ranking family. So I secretly followed you, feeling suspicious.”

“……..”

I have nothing to say. I never thought of a reason like that.

“But I was just doing it, so I tried to hide and watch until I was sure, but this happened. I’m sorry I couldn’t come forward and protect you.”

The members of the Dark Knights bowed deeply to me.

I didn’t answer anything and just stayed still.

My body lost strength in collapse. I stumbled, then the Dark Knights member hurriedly approached me to support me but I shook my hand.

‘It’s over.’

I don’t have beads now. In other words, there is no way to reverse the current situation. It’s over. I got caught. My last struggle ended in vain like this. I thought I would cry out of despair, but tears didn’t fill up as soon as I thought.

“Is your ankle okay, princess? First of all, we need to go out of the forest and go to the clinic. Please forgive me for having to touch the princess body until then..”

It was then. The member of the Dark Knights suddenly stopped talking. As soon as I stared at him strangely, a stream of blood flowed down his lips.

“-Cough!”

“…..…?!”

“Jimmy!”

A handful of blood spattered the Dark Knights member on his knees. I stepped back a few steps, reflexively avoiding the tree behind my back.

“Right, yeah. This is it. As expected I’m so lucky.”

“Jimmy, Jimmy! Get a hold of yourself!”

“You bastard, why on earth to Jimmy……….”

“What do you mean why?”

A man who stabbed a member of the Dark Knights named Jimmy from behind licked a bloody dagger.

“You idiots, do I still look like a member of your Dark Knights? Anyway, this is the problem if you get too many heads. They don’t even know each other.”

“…….!”

“Guys, don’t just stay still, you guys just get them.”

Soon after, the situation became a mess. Those who thought they were on the same side just a moment ago stabbed, cut and fell close to each other.

In an instant, a number of members fell to the floor or suffered severe serious injuries at one glance.

I couldn’t move in the meantime. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t.

Pain in the ankle was also painful, but above all, the man who caused the situation was keeping his eyes on me.

As if to keep an eye on me so that I can’t escape.

“Keugh!”

“Wh, what the hell is this…….”

“Who are you!”

“We?”

Some of the gang members who managed to get out of their bodies in the midst of the uproar shouted. That doesn’t mean they weren’t completely fine either.

Only then did the man draw his eyes from me. But I still didn’t move.

The pain in my ankle was too severe. I wondered what it would mean to run away like a turtle while limping in a situation while I didn’t even know where to go.

The man continued with a smile.

“It’s no big deal. We’re just a worker in a similar industry to you guys. With only a little difference. Let’s say, if you guys are the handymen who dig the well, then we’re experts who sell one well with sincerity.”

“That’s not…”

“We only deal with killing people.”

Hitmen. The man was introducing himself like that.

“We don’t do the rest for money, only killing. How about, we’re really sincere, aren’t we?”

“Why are you guys here….”

“Well, good. I’ll explain it step by step. People are supposed to show kindness when they’re in a good mood. Isn’t that right?”

The man then swung the dagger, shook off the blood, and continued his words.

“First of all, that’s the woman we should kill for.”

He pinpointed me with his finger.

“…….!”

“What are you talking about!”

“Why the princess!”

Unlike the violent reactions around me, I was calmer than I thought. Rather than being surprised or embarrassed, I first felt that it was the most likely.

Maybe I had a hunch when I made eye contact with a man a little while ago. I don’t know why, but I’m the one they’re after.