A beautiful-looking girl with long black hair sat elegantly in her horse carriage on a road to the capital, surrounded by some cavalry that escorted her. Her name is Lady Belle Felica Moonspark, Duke Nicolin Joce Moonspark's daughter, one of the most influential noble families in Euphorion.
She just a few kilometers away from Luminus City, Kingdom of Euphorion's capital. Suddenly, her carriage shook violently, accompanied by the sound of neighing horses and the sound of clashing sword. She screamed as she tried to hold on to her carriage. After the carriage stopped shaking, she quickly peeked from the carriage door and startled when she saw a huge snake-shaped monster blocking the road. The cavalry tried to fight it but the monster is far bigger than them, it even can swallowed a person in one bite.
She slipped out of her carriage when she saw almost all of her cavalry were defeated and ran to the forest. The monster quickly chased her after defeating all the remaining cavalry. She ran through the trees while occasionally looking back to checking the monster's position, and then suddenly a pair of hands pulled her behind a big tree. She almost screamed but her mouth was quickly covered by the man's hands.
"Ruthless Serpent is blind but it can detect the movements and voices of its victims." he whispered.
She nodded as she understood he want her to stay quiet. He released his hand from her mouth and peeked between the tree trunks to the monster, then he turned his gaze to her. He raised his clenched fist then pointed his index finger down. It's a military gesture order to stay still and quiet, she was surprised to see it because usually commoner didn't know it, even she only knew a little about it from his father. But despite her confusion, she nodded to his order. He drew his sword and approached the monster slowly as she remained silent hiding in fear.
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Angel approached the huge Ruthless Serpent that slithered between the tree in search for its prey. Ruthless Serpent is a big type monster but the Ruthless Serpent before him was far bigger than usual.
The monster noticed him and moved quickly to attack him, he immediately extended his hand to cast 'binding spell' to the monster and focusing his dark aura to his feet. In a blink, he jumped to the monster's head and with one swing he decapitated it. He jumped down as the monster's body fell to the ground with blood that spraying everywhere.
He sheathed his sword and walked to the girl who still hiding behind the tree.
"You can come out now."
She peeked between the tree trunks to check the situation is really safe and slowly came out from her hiding place.
"Thank you for saving-" before she can finished her sentence she screamed when she saw the monster's headless body that lying beside him.
He let out a sigh.
"It's already dead, can you stop screaming?" he said in annoyance.
She stopped screaming and immediately ran behind him.
"I know it's dead, but you don't have to cut its head like that." she complained.
'Then how I suppose to kill it?'
He turned his gaze to her and gave her a slight bow, tried to be polite to her.
"Forgive me for scaring you."
"I forgive you since you saved me." she said in unfriendly tone, then she looked around as she searching for something before returned her gaze to him.
"You're a hunter, right? Where's your group?"
"I work alone." he replied.
A frown started to develop on her forehead as she looked at him with disbelief expression.
"You defeat it alone?! Do you think I will believe that?" she said accompanied by her condescending small laughter.
He let out another sigh and remained silent. Of course she won't believe him, this type of monster can't be defeated alone but with his power, he has the fighting ability both as a master swordsman and an expert magic user. Facing a monster like this is an easy task for him.
After she waited for a while and no one showed up, she looked at him again with disbelief expression.
"Did you really defeat it alone?"
He forced himself to smile.
"I just lucky... I will escort you back to your carriage." he said as he gestured her to follow him.
After a short walk, they back to her carriage. He checked the bodies that scattered around him to search for a survivor but none of them is alive.
She started to look panicked.
"What I suppose to do now?"
He took a glance at her.
"You want to go to Luminus City, right? I will escort you." then he approached to a corpse who had similar body size with him and took off his uniform.
"Wait here, I will change my clothes." he said as he took the uniform and walked to a big tree.
She turned her gaze to him and frowned again.
"What? Why you need to change your clothes?"
He stopped his steps and turned his gaze to her.
"If you don't mind entering the capital with an unknown man like me, I'm fine with it." he replied nonchalantly.
She pressed her lips shut, she's an unmarried woman, if anyone sees her walking alone with a man like him, there will be a bad rumor about her and it will damage her reputation. It's better for him to wear a military uniform like a guard and pretend to be her knight.
"Just quickly." she said.
He gave her a slight nod and continued his steps. Actually his original plan was to wait for the night before he infiltrated the capital. But after seeing a noble carriage that was attacked he changed his plans. Disguising himself as one of the noble guards would make him easier to pass the checks at the capital's gates.
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"Are you ready yet?" she said impatiently.
"Yes, thank you for waiting for me." he said as he comes out from behind the tree.
She turned around to see him, in an instant her cheeks turned red as her heart pounding fast after she saw him in Euphorion's military uniform. Somehow, he doesn't look like a hunter anymore but a high nobleman.
He pulled a horse reins and bring it to her but he caught her still stiffened while her eyes still stuck at him.
"Miss? Are you alright?" he said as he waved his hand in front of her eyes.
Blinking in surprise, she quickly gets her thoughts together.
"I'm alright."
"Your carriage is badly damaged, can you ride a horse?" he asked.
She looked at the horse before her and shook her head.
He extended his hand to help her up.
"I will help you."
"I don't want to share a horse with you! It's worse that entering the capital with your hunter clothes on." she complained.
He breathed a weary sigh as her complain started to get on his nerve, but he keep maintained his composure.
"I don't want to share a horse with you either. You take the horse, I will walk."
Realizing she had misunderstood him, she looked down in embarrassment.
"Ah... Alright." she said as she took his hand and get on the horse.
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Glossary
'Ruthless Serpent' is one of the dreaded monsters. Its shape like a snake that ten times bigger than a large snake. This monster has no eyes, instead its skin is very sensitive to every movement and its ears that shaped like a broad maple leaf very sensitive to sound. Its fangs are very poisonous and have sharp spikey tails.