༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (40) ༻
Cien’s mind was in absolute disarray.
Anyone would have been the same. A chain of explosions abruptly erupted and sent the entire area into pandemonium.
The pained cries of those sprawled on the ground tore through the previously festive atmosphere, and she was soon engulfed in an intensifying wave of negative emotions as more and more people became injured.
Gripped by a suffocating terror, her breath failed to escape her lungs.
Possessing eyes capable of seeing through all sorts of emotions, she was unaccustomed to unexpected, rapid shifts in emotions of this scale.
It wasn’t just limited to human emotions. She could even faintly grasp the intentions of all living creatures.
This included both their hostility and murderous intent.
As such, she should have been able to detect their emotions and notice the ambush. However, her eyes hadn’t captured even a fragment of an otherwise conspicuous emotion until the very moment the demonic cats exploded.
It was an inexplicable situation that bordered on impossibility.
No normal living being was capable of remaining so unfazed in front of death. It was as if the cats’ emotions were disconnected from their bodies.
Cien inadvertently trembled in the face of an unprecedented situation.
As the chain of explosions continued, her knights stepped forward one by one, offering themselves as shields against the blasts. Had she not bolstered the number of knights present, her safety would not have been guaranteed.
Picturing the grim possibility of what could have happened, her legs gave out, and she found herself on the ground.
Amidst her trembling, the figure of a man’s back flashed through her mind.
It was a man with black hair and golden eyes.
He had once advised her to increase the number of knights escorting her. The emotions he exuded at that time contained nothing but genuine concern.
‘Could it be that he had foreseen this attack?’
It was mere speculation, but if she reflected on all the events till now with the assumption that he had expected this attack, all the pieces of the puzzle that had previously eluded her began to fall into place.
She didn’t have any concrete evidence. It was simply an inkling of a possibility. However, that alone was convincing enough to cloud her eyes in a daze.
And that gave way to another problem.
If her speculation really was correct, then what should she do?
Cien bit down on her lips.
That couldn’t be- no, it was impossible. Even the imperial family was unaware of the ambush—the possibility of some random son of a rural noble family preemptively noticing the attack was virtually nonexistent.
Moreover, tarnishing his own reputation and exposing those around him to persecution just to save her?
It was absurd.
She had a deep-rooted distrust of humans. The only things she could place her trust in were people’s desires.
Throughout her life, she had yet to witness anyone who successfully escaped the clutches of their desires. It stood to reason, then, that Ian was no exception.
Could someone truly act out of pure goodwill, devoid of any underlying desires, and willingly sacrifice themselves to save others?
Such a thing was nothing but a fantasy.
Cien refused to believe the ridiculous notion and denied any possibility of Ian’s altruism.
“Y-Your Imperial Highness… we must escape.”
Irene’s voice dragged her mind back to reality.
Her emotions were betrayed by her trembling voice and quivering eyelashes
The previously confident and dependable Irene was nowhere to be seen. Even then, Irene was trying her best in her own way as a knight to ensure her princess’ safety, and she concluded that they had to flee.
In a state of overwhelming turmoil, Cien nodded without saying a word.
Though some students were already responding to the sudden ambush, swiftly organizing an effective defensive formation on the spot required extensive training and combat experience.
Unless someone had foreseen the attack and prepared for it, the chances of falling while engaging in the scuffle were too high to simply ignore. They had to make their escape.
Irene’s decision was undoubtedly correct. However, a nagging thought lingered in Cien’s mind.
If she were to flee, her knights would follow suit to accompany her, leaving a significant gap in the student’s defenses.
Her steps faltered as she thought of the increased danger and harm the students would face. However, the knight’s sole priority was keeping their princess safe, and in the end, Cien found herself being pulled along as they escaped.
Irene drew strained, ragged breaths as she practically carried Cien.
“Princess, there’s an escape route in the basement of Verlata Pavilion. We’ll make our way there.”
Though it was directed to Cien, it also served as a command to the other knights and maids, who nodded in understanding.
Yet, Cien merely remained silent.
Another explosion erupted from behind as the sounds of violent screams and clashing blades stabbed into her ears.
Fearing she would witness all the turbulent emotions, Cien tightly shut her eyes.
For her, this place was no different from hell.
**
I came to realize a few things as I rushed away from the battlefield towards the academy.
The first was that while the group of demonic beasts assaulting the procession was indeed their main force, the horde of demonic beasts heading towards the academy was also of considerable force.
It was evident just by looking at the number of beasts making their way over. Numerous demonic cats were charging forth as they stretched out their limbs in a wild sprint.
Second, the demonic beasts weren’t merely concentrated around the procession. Many were scattered around the city, disguised as stray cats, and would jump out of alleyways to attack unsuspecting passersby.
Naturally, those that came within my vision swiftly met their ends.
That being said, their sheer numbers were overwhelming, and no matter how quickly people tried to escape, coming face-to-face with these cats was inevitable. Consequently, more beasts would join the fray the longer the battles dragged on.
The risk of dying was alarmingly high, and there was a possibility that casualties had already occurred.
Anxiety welled up as I sprinted as fast as I could.
The group that split off in escape were predominantly underclassmen and non-combatants.
Thankfully, my effort wasn’t for naught.
After eliminating several beasts on the way, a group of students fighting off a never-ending wave of demonic cats entered my sight.
Judging from the exhaustion etched on their faces, they seemed to have been locked in combat for some time already. Even at a glance, the cats were increasing faster than they were slaying them.
They were checkmated, their faces grim as an ominous future loomed over them.
Suddenly, a cat kicked off the ground in a way unbefitting its large body and shot towards a vulnerable male student who was preoccupied with another beast.
It was evident that he would die if the situation was allowed to play out.
My arm swung through the air, and a streak of light lashed out as a sonic boom erupted.
A sickening crunch resounded out as the silver streak sliced through the seemingly suspended time and penetrated through the cat’s forehead at the peak of its jump.
Blood showered down, and pieces of brain matter splattered all over the place.
The cat dropped dead to the ground with a hatchet lodged in its head, and the students’ eyes dazedly gathered in my direction.
Paying them no heed, I pulled out my sword.
It appeared that the demonic cats had already instinctively singled me out as the primary threat as the eyes of all the cats that were previously hunting for gaps within the students’ defenses collectively honed in on me.
Then, baring its fangs, a single cat charged forward, followed by a few more in a rapid onslaught.
It was at this moment that the hatchet flew out from the dead carcass of its first victim. With another resounding crack, it struck the skull of the leading beast from the back.
With a short cry, the beast immediately dropped dead, causing the other cats to jump over its corpse in surprise.
However, foolishly jumping around in the midst of battle came at a grave cost.
Blood poured from above as the head of one of the cats split in two, fell to the ground, and spilled its contents. I had bisected it after imbuing my sword with aura.
Simultaneously, the other brandished its claws in fury.
However, I had already dug deep into its range.
Leaning back, the beast’s claws swiped right over my shoulder, and taking advantage of its momentum, I forcefully threw the beast down.
-KIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEOUW!!!
Crashing against the ground, it writhed and howled in pain before frothing at the mouth.
Its spine had surely shattered, and deciding to put it out of its agony, my sword pierced through the beast’s neck, staining the froth in red.
Its fading spasms testified to the loss of another life.
Then, pulling out my sword, a surge of blood spewed forth, and its body convulsed one last time.
Drenched in the blood of demonic beasts, the gazes of the students, who were still putting up a defensive against the cats, locked onto me in both admiration and fear as they bore witness to the slaughter.
However, the battle was still far from over, and they couldn’t afford to lose their focus.
Two smaller cats sprang up from behind them as they stared at me dumbfoundedly and quickly swelled in size.
“Get down!”
Swearing inwardly at how they were standing still and letting out stupid stammers with their mouths agape, I hurled the sword in my hand.
The sword stayed true to its target and dug into the skull of one of the beasts. However, even with one down, another was left, and it ferociously continued its offensive.
Maintaining my momentum, I exerted my body further and pushed the student aside right as the beast tore open its mouth, revealing its terrifyingly savage fangs.
-Kwaaajuk!!!
A sickening crunch echoed out as its fangs dug into my bone.
I had sacrificed my arm, judging that I didn’t have the time to dodge.
Clenching my teeth and enduring the flaring pain, I forcefully swung the beast down.
A loud impact reverberated and shook the ground.
However, the beast stubbornly held on, and left with no other choice, I mounted the beast and pounded down on its face with my fists.
The mana-imbued punches of a swordsman were more akin to heavy hammer strikes.
-Puk! Puk! Puk!
Blood and flesh splattered with each strike.
It took less than a minute for the cat’s face to become completely flattened. Its eyes bulged out, unable to withstand the pressure, and it was only now that its quivering jaw released my arm.
However, it wasn’t only the cat that was messed up. I was as well.
Although it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t move my arm, chunks of flesh were bitten off, and it convulsed when exerting even the slightest bit of strength.
Taking out a potion, the flesh regenerated quickly, but it wasn’t without any residual effects—muscle weakness still lingered.
While murmuring complaints to myself, I retrieved my sword and hatchet from the carcasses of the demonic beasts. After placing the sword back into its scabbard, I tried strengthening the grip on the hatchet, but all it resulted in was a trembling arm and an unsteady hold.
It was already the second time I sustained injuries that impaired my mobility today, and I began to doubt whether I would be able to confront the main force of the Dark Order that was targeting the princess.
While engulfed in a gloomy mood, I remembered the students who had been fending off the other demonic beasts.
“Hey, are you guys o-“
“…Why did you save us?”
Their fists were clenched, and a vague resentment filled their eyes.
I stood gobsmacked. It was such an unexpected reaction to someone who had just saved their asses.
What was more surprising was that it wasn’t limited to a single person but the entire group. The others were biting their lips or avoiding my gaze. What they had in common, though, was that they all shared a particularly intense emotion.
The nature of that emotion quickly became apparent.
“We… We tormented you and your friends! So, why did you save us, even giving up your arm?!”
It was an outburst of their shame, regret, and guilt.
Their overwhelming remorse was being vented as anger instead.
The reality of being saved by someone they had harassed was gnawing at them.
Although I initially listened in silence after being taken aback, an irritated smile soon found its way up my lips.
After sifting through my memories, I finally remembered—these were the bastards who disappeared into the alley after stuffing Leto into a trash bin.
Fate worked in funny ways. And so, I had but one response for these bastards.
“Y-You could have just left us… Are you trying to make us feel miserable?! W-We’ve harassed yo-!”
-Pak!
The sound of a blunt object striking a neck rang out.
The male student’s eyes shook violently and rolled up as he collapsed limply onto the ground.
I had struck the back of his neck using the backside of my hatchet.
It was their turn to be stunned.
Looking at their puzzled looks, the corners of my lips lifted into a smirk.
“…I’ve got you now, ya bastards.”
Who would have thought they’d confess so readily? At this rate, they would be framed as model prisoners who obediently cooperate without a fuss.
Their eyes quickly became submerged in fear.
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