In the distance, a girl was hunched over, tiptoeing away stealthily. Upon hearing Kaguya's words, her whole body froze as if caught in ice. She stiffly turned around with a forced smile on her face.
It was Cosmina.
"I don't recall giving you permission to leave." Kaguya played with a lock of her hair with her pale fingers, speaking with a faint smile.
"Princess, Your Highness," Cosmina immediately knelt down, her eyes reddening as she lowered her head, sobbing lightly. "Please spare me. I was forced to do those things under their pressure. I beg you, have mercy on me."
"Oh?" A curious look appeared on Kaguya's lovely face. "You were coerced?"
"Yes, yes," Cosmina noticed Kaguya's attitude softening and quickly added in a hurried voice, "Yes, they forced me to do it. I had no choice but to join them. Please, Your Highness, have mercy on me."
"But you did kill people, right?" Kaguya asked in a troubled tone.
"It wasn't my intention. They encouraged me to do it; I am truly innocent," Cosmina sobbed, looking pitiful and helpless.
How cleanly she shifts the blame, placing all responsibility on others. She certainly has thick skin.
"So these things had nothing to do with you?" Kaguya asked, pinching her smooth, rounded chin as if deep in thought.
"Exactly, that's how it is." Cosmina nodded rapidly like a pecking chick.
"But you did kill people," Kaguya pretended to be troubled. "According to the Empire's law, manslaughter is punishable by death, usually beheading."
Cosmina's tear-streaked face froze, her body trembling slightly, and she paled, saying, "Princess, Your Highness, I didn't mean to. Please spare me, I promise there won't be a next time."
Cosmina crawled to Kaguya's feet, clinging to her leg, tears welling up in her eyes, looking utterly pathetic.
"I might consider letting you go," Kaguya's lips curled slightly, "but..."
Cosmina's eyes lit up, about to say something.
At that moment, an extremely cold light flashed in front of Kaguya, accompanied by the splash of bright red blood. A long-haired head spun into the air, and a pillar of blood shot skyward.
With a "thud," a bloody head hit the ground, its face still showing a bewildered expression.
In the blink of an eye, Cosmina had been decapitated with a single stroke.
"Hey, were you trying to kill me too?" Kaguya shouted in dissatisfaction at the black-haired girl nearby.
It turned out the one who killed Cosmina wasn't someone else; it was Kurome, who had been fighting Syura.
Kaguya had wanted to toy with Cosmina, this wicked person, a bit more for amusement. But unexpectedly, Kurome ended her swiftly and decisively.
"Humph," Kurome turned her head, snorting coldly, her face seemingly puffed up with anger. "What's there to say to this harlot? Could it be that the noble Princess is interested in this slut?"
Harlot, slut?
Kaguya's face froze, stunned by Kurome's words.
Kurome had always seemed gentle and quiet in front of her, refined and serene, never speaking ill of others, let alone making such shocking remarks. This was completely contrary to Kaguya's previous impression of her.
Could it be that she misjudged her? Is Kurome actually a closet sadist with a sharp tongue?
Noticing Kaguya watching her, Kurome turned away with a huff, stepping on the ground and rushing toward the direction where Syura was fleeing.
Hmm, there's another trait—tsundere.
Kaguya's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile as she lightly stepped forward, transforming into a stream of light, and pursued Kurome.
Earlier, while Kaguya was battling the three members of Wild Hunt, Kurome had been locked in combat with Syura.
Surprisingly, Kurome and Syura were evenly matched, with Kurome even having the upper hand, pressing Syura hard. Syura, although cruel, violent, and shameless, was quite skilled. His combat techniques were a combination of various styles, capable of seeing through opponents' moves and routines. The same move rarely worked on him.
Moreover, his Imperial Arm allowed spatial movement, somewhat similar to the Flying Thunder God technique in Naruto. As long as the place was marked, he could move freely, making him hard to defend against. In the original work, Lubbock had to sacrifice himself to barely bring Syura down with him, marking him as a formidable opponent.
However, considering Kaguya's training of Kurome, this made sense. Fighting Kaguya was at least ten times more challenging than fighting Syura, even a hundred Syura couldn't match one Kaguya.
Syura's Imperial Arm required marking to teleport, whereas Kaguya needed no such marking. She could move anywhere instantly, with astonishing speed and ghostly agility, impossible for most to perceive.
Through such intense training, Kurome naturally gained substantial understanding of spatial movement in combat. Although she still couldn't evade Kaguya's grasp, Syura was no longer a significant threat to her.
When Kaguya caught up, Syura had disappeared. He must have fled quickly after witnessing Kaguya's power and seized the opportunity when Kurome struck down Cosmina.
But it doesn't matter; Syura would be dealt with sooner or later. He could run for a while, but not forever. And since he was the son of Minister Honest, she definitely wouldn't let him off the hook and would ensure he paid dearly.
Nearby, Kurome was half-kneeling on the ground, using her sword for support. Her face was flushed, and she was panting heavily, drenched in sweat.
Seeing Kurome's condition, Kaguya's lips curled. She was about to make a teasing remark when she noticed something, her brows furrowing as she walked over quickly and grabbed Kurome's wrist, saying sternly, "You took the drug again?"