I lent her 'meteor.' Since I can use magic, her having a weapon adds another combatant, which is more practical.
She also stared seriously at the situation outside.
Just as I was about to count down and charge out, I suddenly heard a loud *bang*—the sound of a neighboring store's door being smashed. It was followed by the clashing of weapons.
Hearing this, I instantly relaxed. It seemed this wasn't an assassination attempt targeting me.
But an inadvertent shout made my heart clench again.
During the fight, a male voice from next door shouted, 'Protect the princess!'
This couldn't be Princess Ariel, could it? If she dies, as her Guardian Knight, I'd be held accountable and likely forced to join her in death for failing to protect her.
In that case, I'd have to flee the Asura Kingdom overnight and become a fugitive from a major nation. Remember, Rudeus was pursued by the Millis Holy Kingdom for over a decade just for using a divine-level detoxification spell. His family and friends were killed during the pursuit, and that was with another nation willing to take him in.
I have no foundation in any other country right now. To prove his innocence, my grandfather would undoubtedly send people to hunt me down. The thought is despairing.
Although I know Ariel's fate is incredibly strong, and historically, she should survive this assassination attempt, I don't dare to gamble on it.
I glanced at Izoruti. She knows I'm the princess's Guardian Knight and understands what I must do next.
She tightened her grip on the sword and was the first to step out of the store, with me following closely behind.
AI Model: gemini-3.0-flash
The pedestrians on the street had already fled. In front of a shop, more than six men in black were surrounding the area. Inside the shop, there should still be men in black fighting with Ariel's guards.
It seemed Ariel and her party were trapped inside the shop.
Izoruti assumed her sword stance and stood in front of me. I didn't bother greeting the opposition; even if it wasn't Ariel inside, I was definitely getting involved today.
I started with a combo of 'Water Splash' and Icicle Field. I immediately restricted the six opponents to their spots.
However, there was a very experienced mage among the opponents who cast a Fireball at the ground, dispelling the freezing effect on the two men standing in the front.
Two very burly-looking men drew their swords and charged toward us.
I whispered to Izoruti, "Focus on the one on the left. Leave the one on the right to me."
I conjured a wind field in front of Izoruti to slow down the enemies passing through it.
Then, using a saturated attack, I generated four Wind Blade spells around the burly man on the right—above, below, left, and right. This man had plenty of combat experience; seeing the wind forming in my hand, he immediately slashed straight ahead, successfully parrying one Wind Blade.
However, his imagination limited him. My Wind Blades from the sides and below slashed his shoulders and calves. He fell to the ground as if he had tripped over himself.
Next to me, Izoruti's attack also went smoothly. Just as the man on the left swung his sword from the side, she parried the incoming strike with the flat of her blade and used the Water God Style's signature 'Parry-Counter' to strike the man directly in the face.
Two enemies were successfully dealt with. I immediately began preparing to attack the others. Currently, Izoruti and I had each taken down one, leaving four enemies.
Close-quarters combat was still too dangerous. I decided to use a long-range saturated attack to wipe them out all at once.
Just then, for some reason, Izoruti's sword suddenly swung toward me. Because it was so sudden, I didn't react in time. Moreover, since it was her attack, I stood there stunned.
I saw her swinging her sword at me, but as it reached my chest, the blade suddenly turned flat, and the spine of the sword hit my chest, causing me to stagger backward. At that moment, I heard a 'whoosh' as a feathered arrow grazed my skull and flew past, knocking off my hood.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"