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Chapter – 10
Before suspicion could fully settle into Sentileon’s eyes, Shaylin quickly spoke.
“Do not misunderstand. I came to save you. I happened to see you fighting with those men earlier.”
“……”
“I intend to get you home safely, so for now, I’d like you to simply follow me.”
Sentileon scoffed at her sudden words.
Was that really something a suspicious person completely hidden beneath a robe should be saying?
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You came to save me just because you happened to see me earlier? You think I’m supposed to believe that?”
“There’s no reason not to.”
“Ha. I’m not naïve enough to blindly trust the words of some stranger I just met.”
“Ah, so the issue is that you don’t know who I am.”
Without hesitation, she removed her robe.
Silky sky-blue hair spilled down around her.
Golden eyes stared directly at Sentileon.
His jaw dropped open on its own as he pointed at her in shock.
Standing before him was Princess Shaylin — the very woman expected to become the kingdom’s next ruler.
Why would someone second only to the king come to save him…?
Sentileon couldn’t hide his disbelief.
“P-P-Princess…?”
“Correct. I am Shaylin. A pleasure to meet you.”
She remarked that if he kept his mouth hanging open like that, a fly might crawl in.
Only then did Sentileon hurriedly close it. His pointing finger slowly lowered as well.
Even so, he still couldn’t tell whether this was reality or a dream.
“It’s nice to meet you, and there are many things I wish to discuss with you, but first we need to leave this place.”
Shaylin was right.
This was not safe territory.
At any moment, Casireto could discover them.
Exchanging introductions here would only endanger their lives.
“Let’s focus on escaping first. We can speak later.”
“……”
“Pull yourself together. It would be a waste to lose your life here after managing to escape.”
Sentileon finally regained his senses.
She was right.
After risking his life to escape, dying here because he hesitated would be unbearably frustrating.
“We’ll move positions. Protect him and ensure we aren’t discovered until we’ve escaped this area.”
“Understood.”
The knights formed a defensive formation around them.
Only now did Sentileon truly realize he had encountered someone of terrifyingly high status.
There were dozens of knights carrying swords, all clearly skilled beyond ordinary men.
A woman whose appearance felt unreal.
Whose status felt equally unreal.
Watching her quietly pull the robe back over herself made him feel detached from reality all over again, but he slapped his own cheek to regain focus.
Yeah. Escaping is more important right now.
Quietly, he followed the path the knights opened for him.
But because the knights focused so heavily on protecting them, their movements exposed their location—
And Casireto’s members noticed.
“Never seen these bastards before.”
“Who are you people?”
Patrolling gang members surrounded the knights.
“Hah. What’s this? Sentileon?”
“Why’s our future recruit here?”
Shaylin grimaced.
Being discovered by Casireto had never been part of the plan.
More than anything, she felt guilty that Sentileon’s originally smooth escape had become complicated because of her involvement.
Still, I told them to send reinforcements when Relina left, just in case. We should be fine.
“Your priority is escorting the princess safely out.”
The personal guards who always accompanied Shaylin nodded.
“We’ll clear a path.”
The knights drew their swords.
Like assassins, the gang members pulled hidden weapons from inside their clothes.
“Attack!”
“Move!”
Leaving the sounds of violence behind them, Shaylin’s group ran.
“The escape route’s this way, yo—I mean… this way.”
Sentileon took the role of guide, and Shaylin secretly felt relieved.
With all the chaos, escaping without getting lost would have been difficult otherwise.
“I know this area inside out, yo—I mean, very well.”
“Thanks to you, escaping shouldn’t be too difficult. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, yo.”
The knights clicked their tongues at Sentileon awkwardly forcing polite speech by attaching “yo” to the ends of casual sentences, but Shaylin didn’t mind.
She wasn’t offended at all.
And she already knew this was simply part of his personality.
“Looks like not everyone fell for the diversion.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“We’ll need to move faster.”
The knights were tense.
They had to ensure the safety of the people they were protecting.
The pressure weighed heavily on them, draining their stamina even faster.
Shaylin inwardly clicked her tongue.
The concise reports she had read had probably caused her to underestimate this situation.
And because events were unfolding almost exactly as they had before her regression, she felt as though she had returned to that past—
The past where she had endangered everyone as an incompetent ruler.
No.
No.
She shook her head.
Now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past.
Escaping quickly was what mattered.
That was the only way to keep the knights and Sentileon safe.
“There’s a shortcut this way.”
“Wait.”
Pursuers stood directly behind the nearby wall.
The knights gestured for Shaylin to move farther back.
She tightened her grip on Sentileon’s hand and slowly stepped away.
The knights whispered quietly,
“Their pursuit speed is too fast. We’ll have to eliminate them here.”
“Then kill them.”
“…Pardon?”
“They are parasites devouring the kingdom. If you attempt to capture them alive and end up injured or disadvantaged because of it, I won’t be able to face your families.”
“…Then we shall obey your command, Princess.”
Besides… people like that are usually trained to endure torture and pain. Better to kill them outright than subdue them carelessly.
No matter how skilled the knights were at killing, knights differed fundamentally from mercenaries or assassins.
Their attacks were direct and honorable.
No tricks.
Every strike precise and honest.
But assassins?
They used any method necessary to kill their targets.
And Casireto belonged firmly in that latter category.
“So don’t say foolish things like you don’t want me to witness something unpleasant. Eliminate the enemies quickly.”
“…Understood.”
“We’ll wait farther ahead. If you survive and return safely, I’ll recommend leave time or bonus pay to Father.”
“Yes, Princess!”
At her signal, the knights immediately charged forward.
Soon, the clash of steel echoed through the alleys, followed by screams erupting from every direction.
Sentileon tightly covered his nose as the scent of blood drifted through the air.
Even though he had grown up in the slums and was accustomed to death, this smell always made his stomach churn.
But Shaylin remained composed.
Her hands trembled slightly, yet her expression barely changed.
To Sentileon, she looked incredible.
Someone who should have lived a sheltered life seemed calmer than he was.
Why does a princess raised so delicately seem so used to this…?
“You’re the one who needs to lead us out of here. Pull yourself together and guide me outside.”
“Huh? O-Oh, right! Yes!”
Sentileon ran with her through alley after alley, leading her toward a narrow escape tunnel.
He hated bringing someone so noble into such filthy backstreets, but there was no choice.
“If we keep going straight and turn right, there’ll be an exit— I mean, there will be an exit.”
“Understood. Lead the way.”
The two sprinted toward the hidden passage.
The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder behind them.
“Hurry!”
Before entering, Shaylin touched the firecracker signal flare she had brought just in case.
Then she crawled into the hole.
Though slightly larger than her frame, it was still little more than a cramped tunnel.
Her breathing had already become ragged from all the running.
But she could not die before finishing what she needed to do.
Sentileon emerged first and pulled her out.
“Hah… hah…”
“Get up— I mean, please get up. They’ll catch us soon.”
“My apologies…”
Shaylin barely managed to stand.
Her legs trembled violently.
If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve exercised instead of lying in bed all the time.
The two turned right.
The exit was close now.
But just before reaching it—
They were surrounded.
Casireto’s members waited for them, weapons in hand.
Without hesitation, Shaylin ignited the flare.
A red firework exploded across the sky.
The signal meant emergency.
“Well now, what do we have here? Quite the catch.”
“Why would a noble princess be wandering around a place like this?”
Apparently her robe had fallen off during the escape.
“Doesn’t matter. Our real target is that bastard anyway.”
Shaylin immediately stepped in front of Sentileon.
She could not allow them to drag him away.
And staring blankly at Shaylin’s small back as she shielded him—
Sentileon fell silent.
