"Who are you exactly?!" The person in black held the dagger tightly and instinctively took a step back, his voice revealing his nervousness.
In response, Xi Mu didn't provide any answer. He walked toward the person in black step by step, uninterested in explaining himself to an npc.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill her!" the person in black threatened, pointing the dagger at the girl not far away, his eyes revealing ruthlessness.
Such a role of hero saving the beauty probably wouldn't allow the beauty to perish.
"I don't even know him!" the girl couldn't help but blurt out, but neither the person in black nor the knight paid any attention to what she said.
And as the knight approached, the person in black finally couldn't bear it any longer. He threw the dagger at the girl, the blade cutting through the night.
This is where life ends.
The girl harbored such a thought. She wasn't afraid to close her eyes, waiting for her death. Instead, she widened her emerald eyes, witnessing her impending doom.
Then, she saw an unexpected scene. A heavy broadsword swung with even greater speed, accurately knocking away the dagger and continuing its momentum onto the person in black.
Blood splattered, directly dousing her from head to foot.
Logically, with the mass of the broadsword, it wasn't possible to be quicker than the swiftly thrown dagger, but reality showed the heavy broadsword arriving first.
Was this silver-clad knight exceptionally strong, allowing the speed of the broadsword to catch up to the dagger, or was it magic?
"Beautiful Miss, how much strength do you have left?" Xi Mu glanced at the assassin split in half, then turned his gaze to the side where the blood-soaked blonde princess was sitting on the ground.
"Strength, perhaps…none at all," Letixia observed the arrows in her wrist, ankle, and shoulder.
Now, even moving was an extremely difficult task for her.
"Is that so?" Xi Mu shook off the blood on the broadsword, appearing to fall into thought. The girl saw this and understood the other's concerns.
She took the initiative to speak:
"Don't worry. At this moment, there's no need to fuss over the details. As long as I can survive, I will definitely find a way to repay you afterward."
"I apologize, I hope you don't mind too much," Xi Mu nodded, then knelt on one knee, extending his hand toward the injured princess in front of him.
In response, the girl naturally reached out her hand, intending to wrap it around Xi Mu's neck, though she thought a piggyback would be more appropriate.
However, since the knight wanted to carry her princess-style, there was no need for her to fuss about it. Just surviving was already very fortunate.
Unexpectedly, the knight grabbed the arrows on her shoulder and forcefully broke them off.
"Mmph!" The girl let out a muffled groan, her emerald eyes brimming with tears, yet she endured and did not cry.
Xi Mu discarded the broken arrows, his gaze falling on the girl's wrist and ankle, calmly extending his hand. The girl, showing toughness, voluntarily extended her wrist that had been hit by the arrows.
But even as Xi Mu was about to break the arrow, the girl finally couldn't help but whisper,
"Please, sir, be gentle."
"Alright," Xi Mu nodded, calmly breaking off the arrow, then shifted his gaze to the girl's ankle.
"Please go ahead." The girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes tightly, turned her head away, and her tense body trembled slightly.
Xi Mu remained unshaken by this. He reached out to the arrow in his ankle, swiftly broke it off, and then looked at the girl with tears clinging to the corner of her eye.
He turned, exposing his back.
"...Letixia, that is my name," the girl said softly, shifting her body and lying on the knight's back.
To this, Xi Mu nodded gently, lifted Letixia onto his back, and then looked over at the forest, asking, "Do you want to go look for your servant?"
"I'm sorry, let's leave this place as quickly as possible," Letixia responded, her eyes downcast, her voice carrying a mournful yet resilient tone.
Although she truly wanted to check, she was very clear in her heart that in their current situation of being pursued, it was better not to go back and investigate.
It was not just she who was in danger; even the silver knight protecting her was under great pressure. It could lead to both her and the silver knight dying here.
Not to mention the almost nonexistent chance of the maids surviving.
"Alright," Xi Mu replied, grabbing his greatsword that was plunged into the ground with one hand and supporting Letixia with the other. A few steps later, they vanished into the night.
Shortly after his departure, several figures clad in black arrived at the scene, quickly scanned the surroundings, and dispersed in all directions to search.
Just as Letixia had thought, even a moment's hesitation to go back and check on the surviving maids would have led to them being surrounded by pursuers.
Missing the prime opportunity to escape.
Meanwhile,
On the other side,
"By the way, sir knight, I realize I still don't know your name," Letixia remarked to the knight as the scenery on either side seemed to move backward. She inquired softly.
The knight's appearance had been very coincidental and quite romantic, but it was after all too coincidental, prompting impolite suspicions.
She doubted whether the knight was truly compelled by a sense of justice.
"Xi Mu, or you can call me Ahtal, either is fine," Xi Mu replied casually, as he stepped powerfully, leapt over a small stream, and his figure disappeared into the woods.
"Let's discuss the specifics once we find a place to hide. Now is not the time for doubts and tests."
"I'm sorry, Lord Ahtal," Letixia apologized softly. She didn't want to doubt her savior.
But regarding the situation's coincidental nature, she still felt... suspicious.
"No worries, being cautious isn't a bad thing," Xi Mu reassured her. He was not angered by Letixia's suspicion; on the contrary, he thought she was very smart.
After all, his appearance was premeditated, and he had plotted the hero saving the damsel scenario himself. According to the plot development, Letixia was supposed to be severely injured yet successfully escape their pursuers.
As for the players to formally meet Letixia, they would have to wait until the 'Meeting the God of Plague' scenario began. They would come across an almost lifeless Letixia by the roadside, where, driven by goodwill... or ulterior motives, the player would help treat Letixia's injuries, thus triggering the subplot of revenge, gradually aiding Letixia in taking revenge and reclaiming the kingdom's sovereignty.
However, the start of the 'Meeting the God of Plague' scenario was still almost two months away, and for players anxious to speed through the game, this was too slow.
Therefore, he artificially created a heroic rescue scenario, pre-emptively assassinating the lurking archers. He personally shot the arrow that incapacitated Letixia.
Then, appearing as a passing knight, he rescued Letixia, thereby prematurely triggering Letixia's revenge subplot.
The whole process was smooth as flowing water, something not even seasoned players could achieve.