“Princess Scheffiel!”
The knight previously in charge of the grotto’s situation rushed into Scheffiel’s tent. The urgency of the matter compelled his abrupt entry.
“I understand. Issue the orders.”
Scheffiel had not yet removed her armor, as if she had anticipated trouble. She stepped out of the tent.
“Monsters! Monsters have launched an attack! Their numbers are estimated around three thousand.”
In the dead of night, the patrolling knights outside the camp sounded the alarm. The entire camp was instantly on high alert, all personnel fully armed and gathered at the camp’s main gate.
“Princess Scheffiel, please give the order! We are with the God of Victory!”
Every member of the knight order awaited Scheffiel’s command, showing no trace of panic at the monster assault. They were, after all, seasoned warriors.
“Do we know what kind of monsters they are?”
Scheffiel moved past everyone, taking her place at the very front.
“Princess Scheffiel, they are Undead Skeleton Soldiers and Undead Mages.”
The knight responsible for reconnaissance stepped forward.
“Maintain the strategy. Sages, imbue everyone with Light attribute enhancements.”
“The God of Victory is with us!”
Scheffiel drew the one-handed sword from her hip, proclaiming their battle cry.
“Oh!!!”
The war between humans and demons erupted once more. This time, however, they faced Skeleton Soldiers and Undead Mages, creatures of a higher caliber than ghouls. It seemed Scheffiel and her forces would have to pay a small price.
“Holy Slash: Full Moon!”
Scheffiel moved with incredible speed, charging alone into a throng of Skeleton Soldiers. A 360-degree slash swept through the surrounding enemy.
Not a single Skeleton Soldier caught in its arc remained active, each cleaved into two lifeless halves.
“Princess Scheffiel, look out!”
Yet, in the very second after Scheffiel launched her attack, five massive fireballs descended from the sky, leaving her no escape.
*Boom!*
The five colossal fireballs struck simultaneously, engulfing many Skeleton Soldiers. However, attacks of this magnitude could not destroy the undead. Their true weakness lay in the Light attribute; other elemental attacks were ineffective.
“Princess Scheffiel!”
Witnessing Scheffiel struck by the fireballs, the knights instantly grew frantic. They charged forward desperately, carving a path through the enemy, their sole desire to reach her side.
“I’m fine.”
As the smoke cleared, Scheffiel stood unharmed, her gaze fixed on the five Undead Mages positioned behind the Skeleton Soldiers.
“Be careful, all of you.”
Uttering this, Scheffiel accelerated, transforming into a silver meteor that streaked through the layers of Skeleton Soldiers. Her figure was that of a decisive Valkyrie, showing no mercy to her foes.
Skeleton Soldiers who approached her were instantly cleaved in two as she pressed directly toward the Undead Mages.
“We swear to follow Princess Scheffiel to our deaths!”
Seeing Scheffiel fight so fiercely, the knights’ morale surged dramatically.
“Cross Retribution!”
After a powerful charge, Scheffiel arrived before the first Undead Mage. She raised her one-handed sword and unleashed a golden cross slash directly at the mage.
However, Scheffiel’s attack did not strike the Undead Mage. Instead, a Skeleton Knight suddenly appeared, blocking the cross slash with its heavy shield. Two distinct cut marks were left upon its surface.
The Undead Mage’s distorted voice echoed around Scheffiel. “Weak humans, you cannot stop us from reclaiming the continent.”
“The continent will never welcome demons.”
Scheffiel’s stance on demons was decidedly hostile. Orcs, goblins, and other less civilized races had already pledged allegiance to the demonkind, actively devastating human lands across the continent.
“No, the continent was originally our homeland. You humans merely usurped it later.”
The Undead Mage’s attitude toward humans was equally unfriendly, bordering on intense animosity. They believed humans had usurped the continent and the world, which rightfully belonged to the demon race.
“Then I shall bury you all in this very land! Holy Flame Rupture!”
Scheffiel gripped her one-handed sword tightly. The blade instantly ignited with golden-red flames, and with an upward slash, a wave of fire surged forward.
“Demons talk too much.”
Scheffiel watched the sea of flames before her with cold eyes. Within the inferno, the Undead Mage and Skeleton Knight were consumed by the light-attributed fire, utterly annihilated.
Witnessing Scheffiel eliminate an Undead Mage so swiftly, the knights’ morale soared once more. The Skeleton Soldiers could no longer withstand their relentless advance, rapidly turning into piles of dry bones.
In the end, they vanquished all the Skeleton Soldiers and Undead Mages, securing victory with zero casualties and only minor injuries. Just then, a group of approximately twenty adventurers, representing the most common professions on the Euran continent, arrived from the north.
“Are you military personnel?”
The leader of the adventurer group observed the scattered bones, the remnants of battle, and the uniform military gear and insignia worn by the newcomers.
“We are the knight order directly under Princess Scheffiel.”
“I am Helen Keston, a knight attendant loyal to Her Highness.”
A knight stepped out of the ranks, removed their helmet, revealing a woman’s face.
When Helen stated her name, the adventurers opposite them were collectively stunned. They had never imagined this contingent would belong to the Empire’s Princess, the third daughter of Emperor Agamemnon, Scheffiel Mycenae.
Scheffiel Mycenae, the third daughter of Emperor Agamemnon of the Euran continent, was among his most gifted children. By the age of fourteen, she had achieved A-rank proficiency in both magic and martial arts, wielding three magical attributes: Light, Water, and Lightning.
She also possessed a fourth, truly unique attribute: Holy Flame, an innate power capable of annihilating and purifying evil. This was Scheffiel’s birthright.
Now seventeen, Scheffiel’s strength steadily approached S-rank, marking her as a paragon among the Euran continent’s younger generation. She had initially embarked on this journey with her knight order for the sole purpose of self-improvement, hoping to touch the threshold of S-rank and decisively break through from A-rank.
Thus, Scheffiel had petitioned the Empire for permission to scout and provide support at the grottoes along the national border. Her wish was granted, bringing her to the grottoes, where she encountered a most intriguing individual—someone she would long remember.
“I—I am Jin Votson, a B-rank archer and squad leader of the Platinum-tier ‘Bountiful Bacchus’ mercenary guild from Saxony City.”
Clearly, an unexpected encounter with the Imperial Princess’s retinue would unnerve anyone—everyone, that is, except for one particular individual.
“What is it?”
Scheffiel approached, flanked by several knights, causing Jin and the others, already tense, to grow even more anxious.
“Princess Scheffiel, it is a mercenary squad from Saxony City.”
Helen turned and replied respectfully.
“Oh?”
Scheffiel looked at Jin, who, as the leader, felt a shiver run down his spine under her gaze.
“Greetings, Her Imperial Highness, Third Princess.”
Jin quickly composed himself. Standing before him was an Imperial Princess of noble birth; even their guild master would kneel before her. He immediately dropped to his knees, and the others followed suit.
“Are you here for a mission? Or do you have another objective?”
Scheffiel’s eyes remained fixed on Jin. She suspected their presence had an ulterior motive; it was too coincidental for them to simply appear near the grottoes.
“Your Imperial Highness, we received a reconnaissance mission a few days ago. We don’t know who posted it, only that the mission specified a twenty-person team, including at least one B-rank.”
Jin answered truthfully.
“And your destination was here?”
Scheffiel gestured toward the grotto not far behind her.
“That’s right. They only instructed us to scout the situation and retrieve something from within the grotto.”
“What thing!?”
Upon hearing this, Scheffiel’s brow furrowed instantly. Something felt amiss.
“I don’t know either. The instructions merely stated we would see it once inside the grotto.”
Sweat beaded on Jin’s forehead. He feared being executed on the spot for his words, given the vast disparity in their strengths.
“Then the mission’s reward must be substantial. If not a vast sum of money, it could very well be a Holy Relic.”
As Scheffiel uttered the words “Holy Relic,” she distinctly observed a subtle tremor pass through his body.
*Silence.*
The atmosphere grew exceptionally silent, as if a dropped pin would echo clearly in the stillness.
“Whether you speak or not, it matters little. However, I must ask you to return. This area is a restricted zone, not for just anyone to enter.”
While Scheffiel wasn’t particularly concerned with Holy Relics, the grotto itself and its contents remained her utmost priority. Ultimately, she decided to send them away first, addressing subsequent matters later.
As for the Platinum-tier ‘Bountiful Bacchus’ mercenary guild, she would arrange an investigation once this immediate crisis was resolved.
“Why are you still here? Her Highness has already dismissed you.”
Helen, seeing the adventurers still kneeling motionless, frowned and urged them to leave.
“We cannot go back, nor can we.”
Jin suddenly slumped into a despondent state, a dark aura emanating from his body. It wasn’t just him; all the other adventurers accompanying him did the same, uttering identical words and emitting the same dark energy.
“Hey, are you alright?”
Helen walked up to Jin, just as she was about to pat his shoulder and inquire about his condition, another sudden event occurred.
*Pugh!*
Helen’s chest was pierced by an arm. She hadn’t even registered what happened, only an unbearable agony erupting from her chest. When she looked down, she realized she had been ambushed, and a copious amount of blood gushed from her mouth.
The arm that had impaled Helen was withdrawn from her chest. Helen collapsed to the ground with a thud, blood pouring frantically from the wound. The arm’s owner licked the fresh blood from their limb, a grotesque smile spreading across their face.