"Hmm... So, Jaken was killed?" The sexy woman with a tattoo on her neck mused. She saw the scene of how swift and mind-blowing Victoria killed Jaken.
As she traced her lips with her longer finger, she licked her lip, "Interesting that Kaiden boy is just my type... Hm, Victoria Cross is really as impressive as the Adviser said."
"It seems I have to call the main force. Hehe. Kaiden, I can't wait to see how you look when you feel despair. Ugh... I can't wait! Oh my, look at me, I lost myself for a bit." The sexy woman had a look of ecstasy on her as she said those words.
"Fufu, Phantom Lily. Let's go." With a chuckle, she snapped her fingers as a dark waterlily appeared behind her and wrapped its vines around her.
Then, she disappeared from thin air.
...
With Hawk and Kaiden's valiant exploit, the morale of the Sword Knights rose!
The remaining Evil Cultivators died under the hands of the Sword Knight while fleeing and calling for help as they yelled the name, "Miss Yumi! Help me!" or "Miss Yumi, save me!"
But their cries were futile since they were left unanswered and no one came for help.
However, it did not mean that the Sword Knight's did not suffer any losses.
Jaken had killed two by catching them off guard while they fought like what he did with Koma.
The sexy woman was able to kill four without moving an inch from her position.
Thus, there were only nine of the fifteen Sword Knights who came for this escort remaining.
Koma had his life on the brink of death just one blink ago. But by the time he opened his eyes, Victoria had miraculously saved her from Jaken's surprised attack.
Filled with conflicting trepidation and relief over what just happened, he fell on his rear and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, I thought I was a goner."
The tall woman ran to him and checked whether he still had injuries.
She let out a tear and hit Koma , "You, idiotic big brother! You should pay attention to your surroundings! You've been bragging about your experience! Now, you nearly died because of your arrogance!"
"Ouch, that hurts. Erca, you shouldn't do that to me! I'm both your superior and big brother, you know!" Koman complained and glared at his sister.
After successfully saving Koma, Victoria turned around then opened her eyes.
She asked with a worried look, "Uncle Koma, Big Sis Erca, are you both alright? The villain did not hurt you, did he?"
"Wait, why is she a big sis while I'm an uncle? I'm only three years older than her!" Koma complained to Victoria.
Victoria was surprised and felt that she did something wrong.
So, she repeatedly apologized, "Err.. I-I'm sorry! I didn't know. I sincerely apologize... I just thought that way because you looked older with your beard. I'm deeply sorry."
"Hey, you big lunk! How dare you speak like that in front of her! Speak respectfully in front of milady!" Erca knocked her brother on the head again furiously.
Then, she turned to Victoria and respectfully apologized, "I'm sorry, milady. My brother has been this easy going since we were kids. That's why he always acts so frivolous. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive him."
Victoria was flustered and waved her hands to indicate that it was of no concern, "I-Its fine! I don't really mind. I even feel happier that someone acted so friendly towards me like Big bro Koma. I mean, most of the people I know treat me like a princess... so..."
"So...?" Erca asked curiously.
"Ah, nevermind. So, are you two hurt?" Victoria smiled and did not proceed any further.
"We're all right, Lady Victoria. Thank you for saving us. We are ashamed that you protected us when it should be us that should be protecting you!" Erca gratefully bowed.
"Lady Victoria, you're really strong! You were actually able to slice that bastard into piece! I am in your debt!" Koma laughed as he pinted at Jaken's chopped up corpse.
Inadvertently, Victoria's line of sight followed Koma's finger and she saw the messed up flesh that Jaken had become.
The sight of blood made Victoria's face lose color and her body shuddered.
"I... I did such a thing?!" Victoria held her head as she trembled uncontrollably. She was like a frightened child who just went through a traumatic experience.
'D-did I also.. d-do that to the first person I struck?' The image of death and Jaken's corpse, if you could even consider it as a corpse in that state, constantly haunted her mind.
Even though she knew that she should not look, she could help herself.
As they say, curiosity killed the cat. When she saw the even worse shape of her assassin, the man was no longer recognizable.
Her stomach churned so much that she puked. "Blergh!"
Victoria held her neck as she hyperventilated. The images of those she killed kept appearing in her mind. She cried, "I... I really k-k killed someone... I can't breathe... This..."
"Lady Victoria, please calm down!" Koma and Erca tried to calm her down but to no avail, Victoria did not seem to hear them.
"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry..." Tears and rainwater dropped continuously from her face as Victoria apologized.
"Milady, we-" Erca tried to comfort her but he suddenly felt an aura from her back that was volatile and boiling.
She knew this was the result of someone's extreme rage.
"You, two! What are you two doing?!" Hawks' voice suddenly exploded and filled with anger.
Then, his gaze landed on the trembling Victoria. Her situation drove him even madder!
Then, Hawks turned into a blur and appeared at Victoria's back.
His hand was already in chopping motion but he still warned the trembling Victoria with a gentle voice, "I'm sorry, Ria."
Then, his chop connected and Victoria trembled no more.
She lost consciousness and her body lost all strength.
Hawks assisted his niece by putting his hand on her back, preventing her from falling on the muddy soil. He enveloped her with a strange energy that seemed to be protecting her.
With a stern look and deep voice, he uttered, "We move now."
Those three words signified that they should move locations immediately as this location was a danger zone still. Everyone knew what Hawks meant in those three concise words.
Without fail, they all moved as swiftly as possible.
...
After some time, they eventually decelerated and slowed down.
"This is far enough. This place also has a cave Ria can rest in. We can stop here." Hawks commanded.
His voice became grim and deep as he ordered, "Kaiden, take care of Victoria and comfort her."
"Yes, sir." Kaiden nodded and followed.
He went to Victoria and carried her to rest in a cave near them so that she would be sheltered for a short while.
Hawks turned to everyone else after leaving Victoria in Kaiden's care.
"Oh no, Cap'n is gonna explode again!" One of the surviving Sword Knights said.
"Those two are in for it now." Another one shook his head out of pity.
Then, Hawks started his long sermon to Koma and Erca.
"What are you imbeciles doing?! Not only the two of you, the rest of you! What were you all doing?! I let you defend the rear guard because it is much closer to the heiress! It is so you can defend her closely! You should have noticed an assassin sneaking past all of you?!"
His voice rung out and caused everyone to bow their heads in shame.
"If it weren't for Lady Victoria being sufficiently strong as she is, not only would all of you have failed to protect her and let her die by the assassin's hand, you all would have been slaughtered like lambs due to the drop in morale of failing the mission?!"
Hawks veins were evident as he scolded everyone relentlessly, "But the most pressing matter is, you let her, the person you're supposed to escort and protect, be exposed to danger?! Not to mention that she is my niece, the Clan Head and her grandfather would have taken your heads if something were to happen to her! You actually let an innocent fourteen year old girl kill someone?!"
"We-" The group of Sword Knights even felt more ashamed of their incapacity to protect Victoria. In the cave, Kaiden clenched his fists in response to the feeling of shame that he is feeling from hearing Hawks chiding.
"Even more so, ME! I have failed to guide you all and I have clearly not prepared enough to protect the princess. I am the most incompetent leader here. I fell into disarray and could not prompt you all to defend the princess." While Hawks criticized others, he was even harder to himself.
"We were tasked by the Clan Head to escort him to her maternal grandfather's sect for a visit. We were warned not to expose her to any danger that would damage her physically or mentally as this is her first trip outside the clan. But it seems we have already failed to do so! What face do we all have to face the Clan Head like this?!"
His words caused the men who survived to grit their teeth in shame.
Koma hesitated for a bit but he still asked, "Could it be... this is the first time milady killed someone?"
"I already told you. This is the first time that milady left the clan! So, aside from the monsters she's fought in training, she never experienced killing another person. That girl is too kind, too delicate and too innocent to kill a person. That's part of the reason why the Clan Head allowed her to go outside, so that she could gradually gain experience. But this is just too sudden..." Though he was still angry, Hawks still replied.
"We actually let an innocent girl like that kill someone... And she killed multiple people to boot… We have really failed as her guard…" Koma had a sour taste in his mouth because of this. He really felt guilty.
"Maybe we should apologize?" Erca felt guilty and her gaze wandered to the cave where Victoria was.
But Hawks said otherwise, "NO!"
"But, Captain..." The siblings said in guilt.
"Under no circumstances, will the two of you apologize to her! Apologizing is the same as admitting that what she did was truly wrong! She put aside her thoughts and decisively attacked, just to be of help to us, just to save you! I will not allow you to show pity to my niece who bravely overcame herself!" Hawks glared at them furiously and turned around.
All of them clenched their fists in frustration.
They knew that Victoria, a fourteen year old girl and the heiress of their clan, was a kind and shy person who treated all clansmen with respect and did not put on airs like other royal children.
Though they were merely on a mission to escort her, she made an effort to know everyone's name and talk to them at least once.
They remembered their encounters and conversations with her.
...
"N-nice to meet everyone here. I-I am Victoria. I-I will be in your care."
"G-good morning, everyone."
"I'm sorry for my inconvenience."
"U-uncle(A-auntie), you look like you're tired. Do you think that we should rest?"
...
Though she always stuttered and was scared of speaking, she would always greet them good morning , apologize for what little mistake she made or ask whether they were tired or not as they traveled.
She was an angel that unknowingly touched their hearts.
But, due to their incompetence, the shy angel was forced to stain her hands. They recalled her trembling body from the guilt which made their chest tighten.
Realizing all of this, their gazes changed and became more determined.
Hawks continued, "Because of our failure! We must do our utmost best to redeem ourselves! Imprint the feeling of shame you are feeling in your hearts! Let it fuel your resolves and show me blades worthy of being a Sword Knight! AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"
"SIR, YES, SIR!" The troop responded with the same vigor as they drew their swords and saluted with their sword hand resting on their chests.
"Stay vigilant and guard the perimeter. The moment Lady Victoria is fit to travel, we will embark." Hawks said those parting words as he turned around and headed to the cave.
Everyone slowly went to their positions and silently contemplated the words that Hawks drilled into their ears!
Koma was the first to break the silence, "Everyone, let's protect Lady Victoria with our lives! Let us do our best so that she won't have to suffer any longer!"
"I agree! A kind soul like Lady Victoria should not be exposed to any danger any longer!"
"Lady Victoria saved our lives! So let us repay her with it!"
From that moment, they vowed to protect her without any hesitation and guard her with their lives.
...
Hawks went to the cave and checked how Victoria was faring.
He saw Kaiden by the bonfire that he just made while Victoria was sleeping five meters from the fire where the temperature is just right for rest.
He saw that Victoria was soundly sleeping and her color seemed to have returned to her face.
He sighed and apologized softly afraid that he might wake her, "I'm sorry, Ria. I'm sorry for putting you into such a dangerous situation... I really have no face to talk to my brother because of this..."
Kaiden who was just done feeding wood to the bonfire, stood up. When he stood up, he suddenly felt a splitting headache on his head. 'What is this?'
He held his forehead with his right hand as he breathed heavily.
The pain became more and more apparent as the seconds passed. It went to that point that he lost balance and knelt. "Arggh..."
This attracted Hawks attention as he quickly assisted Kaiden who was struggling to stay up.
He questioned, "Kaiden what is happening? Are you hurt? No, you don't have any wounds... Are you poisoned?"
"Grr, I... I don't know. My head suddenly hurts like crazy." Kaiden replied with difficulty.
Hawks tried to guess the cause, "You're head? Could it be the result of the suppression of Magnate Force? But, where is the Malevolent Magnate?"
"No, this is different... I have fought with people that have Magnate Force but this feels different..." Kaiden denied.
"Then, what is it?" Hawks was even more confused at this point.
"I... Argghhh!" Kaiden was just about to speak when the pain suddenly became intense by several folds!
'Kaiden is a genius Sword Knight who endured many trials and tribulations, he also has a mental fortitude that may be equal if not better than my own. But this young man is actually groaning in pain.' Hawks found this baffling.
"Although Kaiden managed to close his mouth and minimize the sound, he still let out a raspy roar... He knew that if he shouted it may alert the others which would affect their mental state so he tried his best to keep him in." Hawks saw through Kaiden's intent.
This just showed how professional he was no matter how much pain he is in. He would not let his personal problem affect the entire team.
...
Amidst the pain, Kaiden no longer felt his body but he saw something in his head. 'The forest...?'
*Boom!*
He first thought that it was a picture but then the scene suddenly moved after a booming sound. It started moving as though it was a movie film.
Then, he saw his fellow Sword Knights who were staring at something hatefully.
'What is this? I don't remember this happening.' He thought.
Then, he followed their line of sight and saw thirty figures of people with the cultivation base of Mortal Severing. They were not wearing cloaks so you could distinguish them easily.
They wore different things but their most distinguishable feature was the tattoo of a demon with a castle on its forehead.
The one leading them was also the same woman who was leading the last group of attackers.
The sexy woman with the demon tattoo on her neck!
'What is all of this?' Kaiden thought. Suddenly, the woman looked at him and smiled interestingly.
The scene blackened and his awareness on his body returned.
Hawks were there staring oddly at him. Behind him, Victoria, who seemed to have just woken up, looked at him with worry.
"Big bro Kai, are you okay?" Victoria asked with concern, clear in her tone.