Chapter 49

As we were returning to the castle with Lillian, we encountered many knights heading to the scene. They were all armed, and it seemed that the items they wore varied according to the units they belonged to.

"Have we received a detailed report from the watchtower?"

"Not yet!"

"Come on, come on, come on, the alarm hasn't stopped ringing yet?"

"Is it a rare monster with some meat on its bones?"

"My arms are tingling!"

"But, didn't you say the Lord went out first?"

I tried to piece together their conversation, but I couldn't understand the situation. I couldn't stop them, so I hoped to find a familiar face among the knights, but one of them spotted me first.

"Um..."

"Oh, it's the Princess!"

"We'll take care of it right away, so please don't worry!"

"Alright, show the Princess the power of the Galbreath knights!"

"Um..."

"We're suddenly motivated!"

"Please stay and rest in the castle, Princess."

In the morning, the bloodthirsty knights raised their fists towards me. Since none of them were in a position to answer my questions, I bowed and waved at them lightly. If I could have said something clever at such a time, but I couldn't think of anything, so I said, "Please don't get hurt," and the knights let out a loud, rough voice and ran off energetically.

"Princess, that was a wonderful encouragement!"

"Is it really encouraging them?"

"It is! Their morale is so high!"

The knights, who made a loud clattering sound as they left, were indeed a reliable presence. On one hand, I felt reassured that we had these people, but on the other hand, I felt guilty for not being able to do anything at such a time.

"Princess, let's go in from there!"

The place Lillian was heading to had a hole in the wall. It seemed to be one of the magical hidden doors found throughout the Midleague fortress, and I rushed in, out of breath. Even after a short run, I was so out of breath. I should do more exercise instead of just doing research and staying cooped up.

"The Princess's room is the safest. Let's wait there together until the Lord returns."

"I'm sorry, Lillian. It's frustrating to be unable to do anything at such a time."

"That's not true. Everyone has their role. The knights have various roles: those who directly slay monsters, those who assist them, those who defend the city, and those who perform regular duties."

Lillian turned around, placed her hand on her chest, and tightened her face.

"My primary duty is to protect the Princess!"

Lillian, who looked like a knight, was very dazzling.

Before we reached the room in the south wing, a different kind of alarm started ringing. Lillian muttered, "This is the first time," and put down Tenrou, then took out a small round ball from her waist bag. I opened my arms to the aimless Tenrou, and he nestled into my arms, moving his nose.

"Is it bad news?"

"I don't know, let me contact the captain first."

Lillian cast a spell on the small round ball, and it turned into a bee and flew away.

"It's called a messenger bee. It can only convey short messages, but it's very convenient."

I didn't understand what the alarm was trying to convey, but I knew something serious was happening. I hurried back to the room, unlocked the door, and wandered around, not knowing what to do. Tenrou, who had gotten down from my arms as soon as we entered the room, followed me around.

"What's happening? They said it's coming from the fifth direction. Can we see it from here?"

"Let's check, shall we?"

Lillian opened a large window, went out onto the terrace, and looked outside. After a while, she looked up at the sky and let out a strange sound. Curious, I went out onto the terrace and looked up in the direction Lillian was looking. I saw a familiar black shadow.

"Lillian, is that Berginion?"

"I think so. But why? Is it revenge for a fallen comrade? Are they that smart?"

It hadn't been long since the Duke's group had eliminated the mass-maddened Berginions. It was unlikely that they would come back for revenge, and it was also possible that another group had attacked, but Lillian also seemed puzzled.

"Please stay here with me, Princess. You'll be safe as long as they don't break through the magic barrier."

"Yes."

The Berginions, unlike when I was attacked, were moving in a scattered manner. I could see the knights on dragons chasing them, but it seemed more like they were fleeing from something rather than attacking.

"Oh... This might be a disadvantage for the drake riders."

Lillian, who had been observing the battle, grunted.

"Why is that?"

"If the Berginions are in a group, the drake riders can fight them, but if they move separately, the drake riders get in each other's way. Drake riders are not suitable for flying in a narrow area."

"That's why the wall defense units were called, I see," Lillian analyzed calmly. The fleeing Berginions were being repelled by the magic barrier and chased by dragons, and they seemed quite exhausted. Occasionally, purple lightning would strike the sky without any thunderclouds, and a loud boom would echo. It was clearly magic, and it might have been the Duke using magic to pursue them.

"I think they're trying to lead them to another place. There hasn't been any damage to the magic barrier this time, so it should be fine."

I was caught by the word "this time" that Lillian said. It seemed that such events were a regular occurrence in the Galbreath territory. Thanks to the vast land, long river, and steep canyons, the damage from the Elsenie Great Forest's monsters was limited to this area. And the people of Galbreath were protecting it. Why didn't I know this fact? It should be known and praised by more people.

"Still, it's strange. It's taking this long."

"Is that so? The number of Berginions doesn't seem to have decreased much."

"The magic is strange too. They don't use lightning magic in the city..."

After waiting anxiously for half an hour, the alert was still not lifted, and the knights had not returned. Even Lillian seemed to be getting worried. I tried making some scented tea, but I was so worried about the Duke and the knights that the tea got cold without me drinking it.

"Princess, are you okay?!"

While we were waiting, Captain Blanche entered the room. Lillian straightened her back and reported briefly to Captain Blanche.

"Captain, the Princess is safe! When the alarm started, I was at the dragon stable, so the Lord went out on a drake immediately."

"Good job, Lillian, for fulfilling your duty."

Lillian looked happy to be praised by Captain Blanche.

"Princess, it seems there's a large monster chasing a flock of birds. At first, it wasn't clear because they were in a group, but it seems they got into a big mess when they hit the magic barrier."

Captain Blanche, who had gone out onto the terrace, was looking at the Berginions flying in the sky with a puzzled expression. We both sighed in relief at the news.

"There's no need to hunt here. Princess, are Berginions that delicious?"

"I haven't had the chance to eat them. Is the monster that hungry?"

"Speaking of which, did this one eat Berginions? How was it, was it delicious?"

Lillian picked up the Tenrou puppy, who was rolling around at her feet. He seemed happy to be played with and wagged his tail, barking energetically. Captain Blanche, who had been watching, came back into the room with a serious face.

"Lillian, how is the puppy doing?"

"He's very energetic and mischievous."

Captain Blanche's frown deepened. What was wrong? Could it be that he was so accustomed to humans that it was too late to return him to the wild...? Seeing my worried face, Captain Blanche explained hesitantly.

"Actually, a furious Tenrou is relentlessly chasing the Berginions."

"Tenrou... Could it be this puppy's mother?!"

"Maybe, but we can't be sure yet."

I looked at the Tenrou puppy in Lillian's arms. It was good news that his mother was alive. But why was she chasing the Berginions? It didn't seem like they were her favorite food, and if it was because this puppy had been taken by the Berginions...

"Tenrou is a special magical beast to us. We can't hurt it, and even if we return this puppy, there's no guarantee that the enraged Tenrou will leave peacefully. If it's not this puppy's mother, there's a risk it might be killed."

"Then, the Duke and the knights are trying to separate Tenrou from the Berginions?"

"Given the time it's taking, that's the only explanation."

If they could make Tenrou lose its fighting spirit without hurting it. But was that even possible? Moreover, the anger directed at the Berginions could turn towards us at any moment. A sleep spell wouldn't work on a moving target. What about a paralyzing agent? If it hit the dragons, it would be a disaster. How about making a loud noise in its ear? Continuously making noise was impractical. As I was thinking, I remembered something.

"Captain Blanche, Tenrou has a good sense of smell, right?"

"Considering it's a wolf, it should have a decent sense of smell."

"Could the scent of Skrimwood help?"

Captain Blanche tilted her head, not understanding what I meant.

"Could we extract the scent of Skrimwood along with the magic and make the cloudy crystal explode in front of Tenrou's nose to distract it?"

"Princess, can you do that?"

I nodded vigorously in response to Captain Blanche's question. It was a risky attempt, but it seemed worth trying. An unbearable stench could cause a lack of concentration, headaches, and dizziness. If an unpleasant smell clung to a sensitive magical beast's nose...

"On the day I arrived, I escaped from a group of Berginions by making a cloudy crystal with magic explode. The Duke can skillfully use my cloudy crystal!"

Captain Blanche thought for a moment and looked at me directly.

"Alright. I think it's worth trying as the Princess suggests. I can't take you to the scene, but can you entrust me with the cloudy crystal?"

"Please do! The red Skrimwood is in the shed outside. Let's start working right away."

I took out three small cloudy crystals and some dyes and tools from the bedroom's safe. Then, I apologized to the Duke in my heart for the emergency and entered his room, which was connected to my bedroom. Just in case, I borrowed a cloudy crystal with the magic of a Loiarmoodler from the storage.

(This time, I'll make a magic circle to protect the Duke and the knights!)

I can only do a little, but if it can be of any help, I want to do it. Captain Blanche, Lillian, and I all felt restless. We nodded to each other and decided to head to the shed where the Skrimwood was stored.