If You Win, Your Prize Is The Princess

After being directly threatened, Sylia was just confused.

(What is he talking about?)

That question bothered her the most. If you asked her who was the most valuable person here, that would, of course, be Luna.

After all, she’s the princess of a country. There was a great benefit to the thugs just by kidnapping her. The risk was large, as a matter of course.

(I’m not going to let them kidnap Luna!)

Sylia was prepared and determined to do just that until a moment ago. Now, Sylia realized they were after her.

“You guys are already trapped like mice,” the leader said. “But, if you quietly comply, we’ll keep the others alive.”

The knights don’t tell them what they’ll do when they keep Sylia alive. At the very least no one nodded and said, “Yes, we understand.”

“Why are you aiming for Sylia?!” Luna cried.

Under such circumstances, she was the first to speak. The men look mockingly at her as they reply,

“We already told you. She’s bait to lure ‘that woman!’”

(‘That woman’, say…) Sylia thinks.

However, she’s already figured it out somehow.

“Are you talking about my Master?”

There was only one woman clear in Sylia’s memory, in the time before she left for Brenarch. A woman who easily fended off the thieves attacking Sylia that day, and then taught her how to be independent.

As soon as they heard the word “Master” from Sylia, the men started seething as if angered. They were effectively confirming it.

One of the men screams in a rage, “That’s her! We were destroyed by that woman named ‘Eyrie!’ Just that one woman!”

“We have to take our revenge. We’re willing to make any sacrifices for it.”

“Even if it’s a young woman or a child, nothing is sacred!”

The men continue shouting like they’re having a meeting. However, Sylia’s expression was blank and confused.

“Who’s Eyrie?” she asked.

“… What?”

“My master was called ‘Sagimia’,” Sylia said.

“……….”

""

“………”

A quiet breeze blew past them…

“You’re not saying they attacked you by mistake, are you?” Feuille asked.

In this awkward air, Feuille was colder than usual and still expressionless, but her body language seemed to be shocked. The men deny it in a hurry.

“Th-That’s not possible!” one of them said. “Think of how hard it was to gather all that information! We even discovered you left that devastated country and helped the assassin who attacked you?!”

“… That’s right, but,” Sylia said, narrowing her eyes as she recalls those days. In a sense, it was the beginning of her second life. “But her name is still different, right?”

“That… may have a been a pseudonym!” one of the knights said. “It doesn’t matter which one is real! Regardless, we’re just going to lure that woman to us!”

While still sheltering Luna, Sylia looks at Feuille. Feuille is standing between them and the men, so Sylia can’t see her expression, but she can tell she can leave the men to her.

“Fuck! Enough talking! Hey, tie them up! It doesn’t matter if they’re alive or dead except for that black-haired girl!” the leader cried.

The others in his party all get furious at once. It seemed that they had had enough.

Luna grabbed Sylia’s clothes, afraid of their murderous intent. Sylia wrapped her arm around her to reassure her, but there was a bit of anxiety in her eyes.

The men before her were clearly different in strength from the previous street thugs. They said they were annihilated. It could be some kind of group or something much bigger than that. Regardless, the risk was high.

Moreover, there was a difference in weapons. Feuille’s baton was for riot control but the men were armed with swords. And on top of that, there were 5 of them.

(Feuille’s alone…)

Sylia believes in her strength and knows the present situation is dangerous. It doesn’t matter to them if they were alive or dead except for Sylia. If there was even a single cut, it would be fatal.

Both Luna and Sylia were worried. However, the subject of their concern, Feuille, remained expressionless.

“I would like to know something before fighting you,” Feuille said.

“… What is it, you little girl?”

“Are those guys who first ran into Princess Luna and Lady Sylia part of your group, too?”

The man laughs off the question. “I don’t know these guys. But, I still have to thank them for getting our target away from the festival grounds.”

“… Is that so?” Feuille asked. “So, the reason why King Dien of Brenarch has suddenly returned home is that you men did something?”

“Hmph, we don’t know anything about that country! We’re just here to take revenge on that woman!!”

At that, Feuille takes a breath. For the moment, it seems that neither double nor triple measures have been laid. The fight has become a little easier for her.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Feuille said. “And now it’s time for all of you to die!”

“…!”

But it didn’t seem that easy.

The sound of blades and iron clashing echoes in the alley. Feuille is barely able to deflect the unexpected pressure of their swords and moves back a step.

The leader who’s about to slash at her seems to be more capable than they expected.

“You reacted well for a girl…” the leader said.

“For a girl…” Feuille said. “You say that, but weren’t you guys turned into a farce by ‘that woman’? Didn’t you learn anything?”

“… You bitch!!”

The man took the provocation and launched into another ferocious sword assault. However, it was neither as fast nor as accurate as the first attack. He was drawing too much power from anger.

“We just got caught off guard! We won’t lose next time…!”

“… Nn… fuh…”

Feuille continues to endure, parrying those furious slashes at the last minute. She was aware she was doing something crazy.

There were 5 men in all. No one should come near Sylia and Luna behind her. For that, she’ll have to keep the advantage while keeping control of the field. No draws or losses are allowed.

By provoking the man and making him swing wildly, it makes it difficult for the others to come forward. The idea was working right now but every move from here must be careful.

(Lady Sylia should at least have a weapon,) Feuille thought.

They went out to enjoy the festival. They didn’t even carry one. Feuille has accepted that fact and can’t help but mourn it.

And even if Sylia was armed, she couldn’t leave Luna.

(I have to do something about it,) Feuille thought.

She deflects the man’s slash to the left and ducks in. A few severed hairs fluttered in the air, she had barely dodged it.

“In the first place, will that person really come forward if you kidnap Sylia? Isn’t this all a waste?” Feuille asked.

“No, that woman is kind to the people she involves herself with,” the leader replied. “If she made her a disciple, she’ll have to come out!”

“What if she doesn’t?” Feuille asked.

“Then I’ll kill her,” the leader said. “Which is what’s going to happen to you, too!”

“Ugh!”

Feuille was too late in responding to a horizontal swing, she caught it with the baton but before she could deflect it, the leader put all his strength into him, Feuille was blown back halfway.

“Feuille!”

She heard Luna’s sorrowful voice from behind but she can’t look back.

(… I can do this,) Feuille thought.

She thought they weren’t simple kidnappers but she couldn’t have imagined he was an equal opponent. She’d be able to get around him if she could fight normally but now the circumstances were against her.

(Did I overestimate… my capabilities?) Feuille thought.

Feuille recovers her posture as she felt the sensation coming back from her hands, numbed from having taken the full force of the blow.

The man before her was angry just now, but it seemed he was convinced he could handle Feuille, he calmed down and began to consider his moves again. The situation was bad.

“Hey.”

The leader pointed his sword at Feuille and signaled to the men behind him. Then, they changed their formation to spread out. They were definitely trying to capture Sylia.

(This is bad,) Feuille realizes.

Sylia cannot fight properly so long as she’s protecting Luna.

She considered the worst-case scenario but it was difficult with the man before her standing in the way.

(I’ve got to do something, somehow,) Feuille thought.

She takes a quick look around. However, she can only find scrap wood. Suddenly, she’s noticed something there.

“… Ah,” Feuille said.

“’Ah’, what?” the leader taunted. “Did you come up with something? It seems you’ve been thinking about something.”

That ruined plan was worrying, but Feuille noticed something.

(These people were chasing Lady Sylia so determinedly…)

A light bulb went off.

(They had nothing to do with the reinforcements I called…? Hence,)

They were dressed as knights and when they appeared, they said, “Sorry for being late”, so she thought there was something up from there.

(If they don’t know that I called for help–!)

It happened almost at the same time it occurred to Feuille.

“Huh?! What’s going on?!” one of the spread-out men screamed.

Everyone there suddenly turned to the voice.

“No, the back alleys in this country are still a maze…”

“B-Bastard, what is… GAH?!”

It was a giant. The man who seemed to be the definition of the word picked up one of the thugs with one hand, then slammed him to the ground. The thug didn’t move much after that.

“Oh, that person… huh, why?” Sylia asked.

Her eyes opened wide, she couldn’t hide her heartfelt surprise.

He was there at the arena, in a sense the start of everything involving Luna, who had somehow taken Sylia under his wing–

“Oh, Little Missy! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?! It seems you’re getting along well with the princess!”

The man, whose name she didn’t even know, was standing in a knight’s armor.