Volume 2, Chapter 4 – Princess Carrying a Princess

The tall, muscular orc let out a chilling, mocking laugh as he saw his prey lose balance and fall.

He raised his torch, eyes glued to the tender-skinned girl. His pupil-less yellow eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, the grotesque muscles on his face squeezing together into a revolting grin.

A prime-grade breeding tool delivered to their doorstep—how could they possibly resist?

Felicia collapsed to one knee, utterly drained. Having lost all reason, she couldn’t even manage to channel Divine Power. She only knew how to swing her sword wildly. Even after exhausting all her strength, she clung tightly to the hilt, her prideful gaze fixed on the approaching orcs.

But the orcs seemed to enjoy it even more. By orcish standards, they loved strong-willed, unyielding women. Conquering that type always felt better.

Felicia’s strength was at its limit. Her greatsword became unbearably heavy. Her wrists and arms trembled, clearly worn out from the earlier fight with the goblin swarm.

Her sluggish swing was effortlessly parried by the orc’s spiked club. This time, when she hit the ground, she no longer had the strength to get back up. Though her hands pressed against the earth, they couldn’t lift her heavy body.

Seeing that she was no longer a threat, the orcs closed in slowly with smug amusement on their faces.

Thwip, thwip! Suddenly, a light arrow shot in and struck the ground between Felicia and the orcs—clearly a warning: cross this line, and suffer the consequences.

The orcs seemed to sniff something strange in the air. Frowning in unison, they turned toward the bushes at the edge of the forest.

The shrubbery rustled as a dazzling figure stepped out.

A butterfly hairpin—blue fabric rimmed with gold—flickered faintly in the moonlight. Silken platinum hair flowed with the wind. Slender feet wrapped in white silk stockings brushed through the grass with a soft swish.

Trailing behind the girl were two teal feathered cloaks. In her hand, she held a full-length wooden bow. Step by step, she emerged from the shadows of the trees, her emerald eyes gleaming coldly.

Something about this woman’s scent… was off.

The orcs glanced toward her ears, confused.

But orcs weren’t exactly known for thinking.

They acted on instinct far more than logic.

The problem in front of them was simple: one breeding tool had become two.

So what? Just take both.

They abandoned the helpless Felicia and turned their greedy eyes toward me.

I said nothing, simply drew back the bowstring. A light arrow began to form, golden wings unfolding from both ends as it steadily absorbed energy.

Because it was nighttime and there was no sun, light took longer to condense. The arrow charged more slowly.

Seeing that I was an archer, the orcs charged, waving crude weapons—spiked clubs, machetes, and the like.

They were all shoddy makeshift weapons, probably looted or homemade. Still, these tribal orcs displayed a level of intelligence—at least better than goblins.

But not by much.

And this was just the outskirts of Ruglian. If orcs were this numerous here, who knew what awaited deeper inside?

The light arrow left my bow, streaking like a meteor. A brawny orc sneered, raising his club to swat it aside.

But the arrow was aimed at his neck—a sharp, unorthodox angle. The force was greater than he expected.

His weapon managed to deflect the arrow, but not completely. It veered slightly and pierced his arm.

Instead of deterring the orc, it made him even more aggressive.

This girl’s got fire? Good. I like that.

I furrowed my brow as I watched the orc grow more excited after being shot. I nocked three more arrows and loosed them in succession.

But even golden meteors had limited impact on orcs with such thick skin. I could tell—these weren’t the same kind I’d fought before awakening. Those had worn no armor and weren’t nearly this strong.

With the orcs less than ten meters away, I calmly reached for a flash potion on my belt. I pulled the safety pin and lobbed it toward them, then turned my back and stepped aside.

Pop!

Accustomed to darkness, the orcs shrieked as the blinding flash seared their eyes. They clutched their faces and wept tears—far too distracted to attack me now.

Blinded and disoriented, they trampled over each other in chaos.

Next came an enhanced incendiary gel bomb—Inferno Compound.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The plain erupted in fire. Flaming orcs leapt and danced wildly. The more they panicked, the more the fire spread. One with flames on his head slammed into another whose back was ablaze, and the fire grew even stronger.

Inferno Compound was a high-tier potion—purple grade, single-use, and expensive. But this was no time to be stingy. If I wanted maximum effect, now was the moment.

Ordinary incendiary bombs probably wouldn’t have harmed these green-skinned orcs. That’s why I used the strong stuff.

Leaving the flaming chaos behind, I turned to Felicia, who was still panting on the ground.

Yes—I had been following her since the moment she snuck out tonight.

My movements were light, and the forest masked my presence. Felicia never realized a golden-haired shadow had been tailing her the whole time.

I’d already suspected it, but now it was confirmed: the injury Felicia had was from fighting the Demon Race.

That kind of wound couldn’t have come from sparring in a training ground. Only a real battle, with every blow meant to kill, could cause that.

There were so many stationed troops from all over Kaleburn near Coleman City—no way it was caused by bandits. That left only one possibility: the Demon Race deep in Coleman Forest, Ruglian.

“.........”

Felicia had regained a little clarity, though still drained of strength. Perhaps because of her unstable state, she couldn’t think properly.

“Felicia.”

That calm, familiar voice made her blink. Her mind cleared a bit. Looking up, she saw that the ominous clouds had dispersed, and a crescent moon now hung in the sky. Silvery light spilled over my golden hair and gentle face.

“Time to go home,” I said plainly, lifting the worn-out knight girl from the ground.

The soft scent of herbs and mint that lingered on me seemed to snap Felicia awake like cold water. Her memories returned. Looking up at the girl helping her, her gaze softened slightly.

“Teresa… Why are you here?”

“Felicia, aren’t you the one who should be answering that question?” I smiled. “Why are you here?”

“.........”

Felicia said nothing.

“You know silence won’t fix anything, right?”

“Thank you for coming when you did, Teresa.”

“Even now, you still instinctively keep yourself on equal footing with others. You never lower yourself. Is that the pride of the Whiteglass Princess?”

“No, I...”

Something in my words clearly rattled her.

“No need to explain, Felicia. I know—even if you were facing a problem you couldn't overcome, you would never ask anyone for help.”

“That’s why it dragged on until now.”

For once, the usually proud Felicia was speechless.

“Felicia, do you even realize what you’re doing? How dangerous is this?” I kept smiling—but there was no warmth in that smile. “You know you’re unstable like this, that you could easily make a terrible mistake. And yet you still refuse to tell your teammates.”

“I’m curious—do you think I’m that unreliable?”

“No. Of course not...”

I was about to say more, but the wind behind us suddenly shifted.

I turned.

A dozen pairs of fierce orcish eyes glared from the shadows.

The Inferno Compound had done damage—but not enough to wipe them all out.

It didn’t matter. I never expected one expensive potion to kill an entire pack.

“Well, this can wait, Felicia.”

“Wait, what—?”

Before she could react, something cool and soft gently cupped her chin.

Felicia froze. Under the moonlight, she stared up at me—at the golden-haired girl whose beauty was almost otherworldly. A strange flush rose to her cheeks.

“Felicia, may I ask something... impolite? You were raised as a boy, weren’t you?”

“.........?!”

“No need to look so shocked. I just connected a few facts. For instance, I heard the Queen of Whiteglass passed away early, and the King never remarried. That makes you the sole heir. Plus...”

I smiled sweetly, eyes twinkling. “Your reaction just now.”

Judging from that alone, those rumors weren’t groundless. Felicia did seem to have those kinds of inclinations. She’d never made a move on anyone, but her reactions to certain girls had fueled the gossip.

“Sorry in advance.”

“Huh?” Felicia was still too dazed to process what I meant.

For some reason, hearing me apologize gave her a bad feeling.

“What I’m about to do might wound the pride of ‘Prince Felicia.’ Please forgive me.”

The orcs were charging again.

I placed one hand over my heart, then strapped my longbow to my back, knelt slightly, and—swiftly—slid one arm under Felicia’s knees and the other around her waist.

And lifted her up in a princess carry.

“?!”

Even Felicia, with all her willpower, was completely stunned.

Raised as the heir to the kingdom, Felicia was fiercely proud. Though she’d learned proper courtly manners, deep down she still held herself to the standard of a royal prince.

And now, after being saved by another girl, she was being carried bridal-style.

In front of a bunch of orcs, no less.

They weren’t human, sure—but the humiliation exploded in her chest. She even did something she’d never have done normally: covered her blushing face with both hands.

“The night’s still young. Please enjoy your party~” I said politely, giving a slight curtsey before leaping up—stepping on the heads and shoulders of a few orcs as I soared into the forest.

“Waaah!” Burnt and duped, the orcs weren’t about to let it slide. At the chieftain’s roar, a dozen of them stormed into the trees.

But chasing an Elf into the forest... would prove the worst mistake of their lives.

The moment their feet touched the forest floor—thwip thwip—light arrows rained from above, striking throats and foreheads.

Tiny buds drifted silently onto their brows, blooming into dark grey flowers.

The orcs suddenly felt their strength and blood drain rapidly—emptied in seconds.

More orcs tried to follow, stepping on the spent blooms—only for them to explode in bursts of force, sending them flying.

Arrows fired from every direction. The orcs were completely overwhelmed.

“WAAAH, KAKAKA! (It’s a trap! We’ve been ambushed! Fall back!)”

Panicked, the orcs fled the forest, clutching their heads.

“Thick-skinned brutes.” I leapt down from the treetops, golden silk hair catching the moonlight.

Glancing at the ground, there was nothing left but bloodstains.

I’d caused serious harm—yet hadn’t killed a single one.

And these were just the bottom-tier Demon Race monsters living on the fringes of Coleman Forest.

“Can you... put me down now?” Felicia’s voice snapped me out of thought.

She sounded calm, but it felt like she was forcing it.

“Felicia,” I said with a smile like a crescent moon, “unauthorized entry into Ruglian is strictly forbidden by the Academy.”

“You wouldn’t want the others to know you snuck out tonight, would you?”

“Put me down first.”

I said nothing, only smiled—and made no move to let her go.

Felicia realized: unless she explained everything that had been going on lately, I probably wasn’t putting her down.

That moment earlier, being held like this—with her feet off the ground, in someone’s arms—was unbearably humiliating...

But why...Maybe even she hadn’t noticed it herself—But besides the deep shame in her chest, There was also… a faint, inexplicable flutter.

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