Royal Princess of Blood

Vol. 5 Chapter 23: Wrathful Goddess (Part 4)


It was relatively quiet as the men, young and adult, guarded the cave entrance. Some drew on the soil in boredom, while others played by throwing pebbles against one another. Of course, there were some that were more serious about their jobs, and they stood at the front of the entrance. It was then they noticed a familiar kid running towards them.

"Jiro?" one of the guards recognized him immediately.

The kid was covered in sweat and gasping for breath, but he didn't stop and still kept running. He even almost fell, and it was when they noticed that he seemed frantic.

"H-Help!" the kid screamed in a strained voice.

Once he reached the entrance, he collapsed, and one of the guards caught him.

"Jiro! What the hell happened?!" the guard asked.

"It—they—everyone—" it was hard to tell what he was trying to say, with him gasping for breath and trembling voice.

"Get him inside and give him water!"

The guards carried him inside the cave, while one rushed to give the kid a pouch of water.

"Take a breath first and drink. Calm down."

The kid started chugging down the water so quickly that he almost choked.

Chio noticed the commotion, and she quickly rushed to join in. She curiously looked at the exhausted Jiro. She looked around, there was no one else but him. Her brow knitted, feeling puzzled. Did something happen, perhaps?

Chio approached the boy and crouched down before him. She gently grasped his hands. "Take a breath. Once you're ready, speak."

Jiro stared deeply at Chio before he vigorously shook his head, reaching and grasping her shirt. "T-There's no time for that! E-Everyone… T-They…"

Hearing those words, and seeing the terrified expression on the boy's face, Chio felt apprehensive. But she kept a firm grip on herself, to hear his words to the end. To understand.

"What happened?"

The kid started weeping uncontrollably, his tears streamed down his cheeks like rivers. "Soshu… Maro, Kinzo, everyone… they're dead!"

"Huh…?" Chio's eyes blinked in complete surprise and disbelief. It was almost like she had mistaken her ears. "What did you say…?"

"W-What the fuck happened there, Jiro?!" one of the kids pulled Jiro's hands, demanding an immediate explanation.

"T-They were killed, okay?! Everyone!"

Killed? Kinzo…? My Kinzo is dead?

Chio's mind went blank. She just couldn't handle that prospect, this reality. The father of her child, and the man she loved, was dead? Why? How could this have happened? They still had plans to talk about. This couldn't be it. Not this sudden. This couldn't be real. This had to be a bad dream.

"Jiro… is Kinzo really dead…?" Chio couldn't help but ask, as if to have confirmation.

"Y-Yes! I saw it. She killed him!"

"She?" one of the guards asked in bafflement despite his shock. "How many are there? How many did you face to have killed all of them?"

"J-Just two! A woman and a kid monster!"

"What?! How is that possible?!"

"You can't be serious."

"No way."

The people in the cave began muttering and words of anxiety began to spread like tides. They couldn't believe it, it was just too absurd for two people to have killed all of them. Chio slowly let go of Jiro's hand and stepped back. Her face began to tremble, and she placed a hand on her face. She mildly shook her head, refusing to believe it, as tears started welling up in her eyes.

How could this have happened? Why did this happen? What did we do to deserve this…?

Her child just lost his father. And she herself lost the person she loved the most. One that helped her in times of difficulties and agony. One that brought her that special warmth in her heart. One that gave her hope in life, hope for the future.

And that future was now coated with darkness. The next step could not be seen anymore. She turned her head and stared at the tent where her lovely son was slumbering ever so peacefully. She didn't know what to do.

She never imagined something like this would happen, not today. Not ever. She had always been optimistic that Kinzo would persevere through any danger.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Wait, how did you escape?" one guard asked.

Jiro paused for a moment before answering. "I managed to run away. Koto sacrificed himself for me."

"They managed to overpower you all, and you still managed to run?" the guard narrowed his eyes as if in deep thought. Then his eyes snapped wide open. "They wanted you to escape… You led them right straight to us!"

"W-What?"

The guard pointed towards the entrance. "Everyone, to your stations! Prepare for an enemy assault!"

There was a moment of delay before the people, young and old, started moving. The men and some of the women that could fight grabbed the weapons from their storage. Quickly, they lined up for their defense.

One of the guys gently pushed the mourning Chio back to her tent.

"You need to stay back, Chio."

Chio was utterly speechless after the shocking revelation and the realization that she would never see the man she loved again. It was even uncertain if she could even see just his corpse. She gently grabbed her baby in her arms, and gently swayed him. Closing her eyes tightly, she kissed her son's forehead.

It will be alright…

***

Nira landed back down on the ground from her fog form. She went ahead to follow the kid and discovered the cave where the rest were hiding. The goddess, Estelia, halted in her way as she faced Nira. Estelia looked exceedingly worn out, the eye bags under her eyes were becoming heavier by the day, her eyes were droopy, and she moved a bit slower than usual. Nira was pretty aware of her plight. She was concerned about the goddess's health, but there was nothing she could do about it. And the goddess herself seemed to be keen on moving forward.

She couldn't pretty well stop her if she didn't want to. No, it was more like she was a bit frightened of suggesting something that the goddess wouldn't like. For now, at least, the goddess could still move, so there was still no need for desperation. If the goddess was ever in a critical condition, then that would be a different case. And this was not exactly a place where they could leisurely stop.

"You found them?" Estelia asked.

Nira nodded and pointed in the direction of the cave. "It is on the side of the mountain. A cave."

Estelia let out a sigh. "Still need a bit more climbing, huh?"

"Yes."

"Well, whatever, let's get this over with."

Estelia continued on the rising pathway on the side of the mountain. This was the same path the kid took. Considering that it was walking upwards, it was more straining for her, and it was pretty obvious that the goddess was finding it so tiresome to do this. For Nira, however, it was no issue. If she ever gets tired, she could just fly anyway. However, she felt it would be a bit unfair to do that, so she decided to do it in the same way as her companion.

On the way, Nira kept glancing at Estelia. Again, she was becoming more concerned. She feared that Estelia would collapse all of a sudden.

"Did you see how many there are?" Estelia suddenly asked.

"Uh, eh, from the outside, I saw several guards."

"Adults or children?"

"I saw both young and adults."

"Hm. Do you think they are a threat?"

Nira slightly tilted her head. "Not really. At least, I don't think they're any stronger than the ones we faced earlier."

Nira was not pretty confident in her own assessment, but that was how it felt. Perhaps her measurement was just different because all manner of attacks inflicted upon her would be insignificant. At any rate, those guards didn't carry themselves like anyone strong. And she was plenty accustomed to being surrounded by strong people. Still, feelings were different from facts.

"That is good. Then this shall be quick work." But it would seem the goddess trusted her judgment.

"What are we going to do once we get there?"

"As I said, supplies. We need food. You might not need some, but I do. They might have something decent." She pulled out her pouch of water. "I'm also running out of water. The last thing I want is to have no water to drink."

"I-I see."

Humans needed water and food. Without either of those, they might die. Nira wondered how that would feel, to be on a brink of death. Not like she wanted to actually die, she was just curious how it would be. But thinking about it, she realized a little how fragile being human was.

"What are we going to do about… about the people in there?"

"Kill them all, of course."

Nira paused for a brief moment. "Is that really necessary?" She found it conflicting, to just kill that lot of people for this kind of reason. They were not monsters, or actively going after the two of them.

Estelia paused in her tracks. "You don't think it's not? Their group intended to rob us, and kill us. Those people are not our friends. All we must care about are our allies, Nira."

Nira lowered her head, taking in her words. It made sense. One shouldn't trust strangers after all. And allies, friends, were more important, even to her.

So I shouldn't just care about strangers… Our side is more important than anyone else.

"Furthermore," the goddess continued. "Those people likely have the supplies I need to survive. You want me to survive, don't you, Nira?"

"O-Of course I want the goddess to survive."

"Then we must do what we must. If they stand in our way, we must remove them in our path, eliminate them if we have to. Do you understand?"

"Yes, goddess."

Estelia nodded and continued on.

Nira echoed her words in her mind.

So I must hold no sympathy for anyone unless they are my allies.

Her eyes then lingered on Estelia.

The goddess cared for me. She saved me, and takes care of me. She is most important to me right now.

If this would please her, if this would save her, then this must be the right thing to do. She was the one who saved her, who touched her even in her repulsive form. The one who gave her the light of hope, the one who gave her a purpose, a direction. Indeed, she was the most important person to her right now.

Is this what it's like to have… a caring family?

She wouldn't know. She had never received such a nice treatment from her original family. Or perhaps she did, but had only forgotten about it. Buried in all the bad memories.

At any rate, the goddess Estelia was the one who showed her compassion. Family or not, she was important to Nira. And she must do whatever was required of her.

Eventually, they arrived close to the cave. Nira and Estelia hid tightly behind the rocks. Estelia narrowed her eyes as she observed the entrance.

"They don't seem to be outside. They're already anticipating our attack."

Nira supposed that would happen, they might have realized it the moment that kid returned alone.

"Should we attack later tonight?"

Estelia lowered her gaze for a moment. "No, I can't wait that long. I need food and water soon."

… The goddess might collapse if we delay…

"How will we attack?"

"Considering my weakened state, I will need you as the vanguard. Attract their attention while I deal with anyone I could."

"I understand."

"Remember, I won't be using any magic. I can't risk it anymore. So, if you notice a danger to my person, don't hesitate to step in to shield me."

"Yes, goddess."

"Good. Now then, ready?"

Nira nodded, her face firm with resolve.

"Alright, then kill everyone who gets in our way."

Indeed, anyone, children or old, it didn't matter. Nira clenched her fists tightly as she bore that in mind.

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