“Tell me, do you… do you know who I am?”
From within the blurred, dark 3D holographic projection, an unusually clear female voice rang out. It was light and crisp, as melodious as silver bells.
Yet, to be frank, this voice… it didn’t quite match—no, it was entirely different from the voice of Artoria that Alcius remembered and had heard firsthand just moments before.
“What… what is going on?”
Indeed, hadn’t it been promised that the Blonde Sword Princess would appear? Why had another person’s voice suddenly emerged?
Facing an utterly bewildered Alcius, Cyborn merely stated, “Your Highness… please continue watching.”
“…………”
Silently, Alcius chose to heed Cyborn’s advice.
“Oh… is that so? Then that’s truly wonderful, isn’t it?”
The female voice from the screen uttered another enigmatic phrase, but… that wasn’t important!
What truly mattered was this:
“What!?… This orb of light, what is this orb of light?”
Even though he was merely watching a recording of events that had already transpired, Alcius could still feel the unparalleled shock emanating from the image. It radiated from the guard whose eyes were wide as brass bells.
He could sense the sheer astonishment that guard must have felt in that moment.
This orb of light… it was truly perfect!
It transcended every beautiful thing imaginable in this world, as if its very existence was forbidden. It possessed a beauty so profound, it defied all description, reaching an absolute zenith.
Following that, its ghost-like speed suddenly became entirely comprehensible.
Indeed, if it was a maiden possessing such brilliant radiance…
“What a pair of chatterboxes.”
Puff—
Puff, puff, puff—
“She… she, she, she, she, she…!—”
“Your Highness… you are becoming overly agitated.”
“Urgh…”
‘No… that’s not it!’
Alcius felt as though he was going mad, exasperated by Cyborn’s lack of social graces and his inability to understand the concept of cooperation.
“She, she… she looks so much like the one we saw before! No, are they not the same person? Perhaps she merely changed her clothes?”
Indeed, from the footage, it certainly appeared that Jeanne differed from Saber only in her hairstyle, armor style, and color. In every other aspect… they were strikingly similar, almost identical.
But…
“No, that is impossible!”
Stating this without reservation, Cyborn swiftly produced his evidence: another energy crystal.
However, unlike the current 3D panoramic display, the energy crystal Cyborn now held merely depicted Leya’s detailed appearance in her ‘Saber’ form.
Upon closer inspection, one could discern that the recorded scene was precisely Leya’s grand entrance at the auction.
“Is there… any difference?”
Alcius first gazed at Jeanne, then at Saber, until he was on the verge of aesthetic fatigue. Yet, he still couldn’t find any decisive evidence.
“Of course there is, Your Highness. Please observe their chests.”
“…………”
****
“Er… cough, cough, cough. Yes, indeed, it seems they are not the same person!”
With a slight blush, Alcius waved his hand, ordering Cyborn to put away the energy crystal, and spoke with feigned composure.
“So, your purpose in seeking me out… ah… I understand now.”
“Yes, Your Highness, I am glad you comprehend. However, I hope you can make a decision swiftly, as the Guild of Roseland is likely to arrive at the underground s*ave prison very soon.”
“Mm-hmm, good… good… I understand, heh heh…”
Alcius let out a bitter laugh, his face etched with a helpless expression. He continued, “One after another, they keep bringing me trouble… now two Blonde Sword Princesses have popped up?”
“Ahhh… but why? Why did you set your sights here? Why the Guild of Roseland?”
‘Wait… didn’t that girl named Artoria ask me to meet her at the Guild of Roseland headquarters yesterday? But in fact, she only returned to the city today, it seems.’
‘I heard she went to that dreadful place, the Netherworld Forest. So, to win her over and to show goodwill to the forces behind her, Alcius had bestowed upon her the title of honorary knight.’
‘But what’s frustrating is that she seems to hold it in utter contempt, sigh…’
“Tsk… Very well, relay my command…”
****
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—
At the same moment, outside the gates of the underground s*ave prison.
“Faster, faster, all of you, move faster!”
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—
“Form ranks, keep in step! Do none of you want breakfast tomorrow!?”
It was hardly a disciplined unit.
Indeed, their formation was scattered, each soldier swaying as if they’d smoked opium, perhaps not fully awake. Some even had their leather armor on backward—it was truly a sight to behold.
These were the patrol guards of Volantis City’s inner district, supposedly an ‘elite force’ equipped with standardized weapons and leather armor. By all rights, their duty should have been to protect the upper-class nobles and wealthy residents of the inner city. However…
At this very moment, they were here.
Their objective was singular:
“Damn scoundrel! Thief, robber! We absolutely cannot let her escape! Surround this place; not even a rat is to get out!”
The middle-aged man leading them roared, incessantly urging the soldiers to run faster, and then faster still.
However, judging by his appearance, Leya, if she were present, might find him vaguely familiar.
After all, he was none other than Malfoy, the second human Leya had encountered since arriving in this world. He was the culprit behind Erica’s kidnapping, an individual Leya had never truly bothered with.
“Haha, rest assured, Brother Malfoy! Our city defense force has mobilized a full 300 men this time. I guarantee that person won’t escape, even if they had wings!”
The commander of this patrol unit was a visibly corpulent man, a胖子 whose rotund figure often drew jokes from his soldiers. They would quip, “If a wine barrel and the commander were simultaneously rolled down the same slope, which one would reach the bottom first? Hahaha—”
“…………”
Did Malfoy believe what he said?
Regardless of whether one believed it, after observing the state of these patrol soldiers and the commander himself, Malfoy certainly did not.
Yet, there was nothing else he could do. At this point, he could only place his trust in them.
After all, the headquarters had issued a death order: [Malfoy, you are to investigate. We will also arrange for a regular army unit to assist in holding the line. Remember… you must capture the intruder… and they must be alive! Otherwise, if any incident occurs at the prison… not only will the Guild of Roseland lose all face, but once those above investigate, such immense financial losses would be enough to send everyone involved packing their bags to farm the fields!]
‘What nonsense! They’re clearly bullying me and trying to shirk responsibility. If this succeeds, the credit will undoubtedly be theirs. If it fails and the intruder escapes, they can simply blame my incompetence! Damn it!’
“Oh, right, where are the two guards at the gate?” Malfoy suddenly remembered something and asked those around him.
“Uh… Sir… sir, we are here…”
“…………”
Malfoy had originally intended to seize the opportunity to give them a severe dressing-down, perhaps even kicking them a few times and lashing them with a whip. That would have been ideal.
However, when he saw the distinct crimson sword mark on the back of the two pitiful guards’ necks, a sudden realization struck him. He paused, pointing at their necks as he inquired,
“Is this… the intruder’s doing?”
“Yes… yes, sir!!! That woman did it!”
Unexpectedly, at the mention of this, one of the guards was unable to contain his inner sorrow and spoke with agitated fervor.
“Uh… a woman?”
For some inexplicable reason, a flicker of unbidden panic suddenly crossed Malfoy’s heart.
“That’s right! By the sound of it, definitely a woman! Yes, and probably a real stunner too! Hehehe… tsk, tsk, but she’s just a bit too strong… I tell you, sir, if it weren’t for our high level of cultivation, that single blow of hers, if she’d put even a little more force into it, would’ve kept us bedridden for a day and a night, no problem! Well… even so, her strength might be too much for an ordinary Lv1 martial artist to withstand; they might even pass out!”
“Uh…”
‘However,’ Malfoy wanted to say, ‘this doesn’t seem to have anything to do with me! Can’t you provide more useful, more precise information? Why… why do I feel so inexplicably anxious?’
“Oh, that’s right, that’s right! Before I collapsed, when I still had a flicker of consciousness, I seemed to see that woman with dazzling, brilliant golden hair!”
“…………”
‘Hold on, hold on…’
‘Seriously, this… could it be… could it really be…’
‘No, no, no… it shouldn’t be, right? Yes, yes, I must just be too nervous to think clearly. Oh no! What am I even afraid of? At worst, I have over 300 soldiers here, you know? Three hundred! That’s nearly ten times more than last time! Even if… even if it’s you… still…’
Thump, thump, thump—
“There… there’s a sound! Footsteps are echoing in the prison! It seems the culprit is about to appear!”
The rotund commander shouted loudly to his troops.
Thump, thump, thump—
“Tsk, everyone, get ready! Await my command!—”
As he spoke, the rotund commander simultaneously drew the sword at his side.
“Ah… what are you all doing?”
“Charge!!!—”