Chapter 41
Nelly subconsciously cried out.
Melissa jumped up in an instant, her sword drawn. But the black shadow, seeing this, had already decisively turned and quickly disappeared into the depths of the dark forest.
Nelly walked to Rosalia’s side, half-squatting down to ask with concern, “Your Highness, are you alright?”
Rosalia didn’t look like she had just been startled awake. Her face was a little pale, and it was very likely that she had seen the black shadow approaching her with her own eyes. She lowered her long, thick lashes, and her emerald green eyes shifted, her voice as soft as ever. “I’m fine.”
As she spoke, she looked up in the direction the black shadow had disappeared. The trembling warm light of the fire fell on her face, adding a steep change of light and shadow to her flawless features. Only then did Nelly realize that Rosalia’s expression was very different from before. Her lips were tightly pressed together, as if she were trying her best to suppress the turmoil in her heart. The light and shadow seeped into her eyes, and she stared into the depths of the forest without blinking, her brows slightly twisted due to the intense emotional fluctuation, but she was more vivid and alive than at any moment before.
Was Rosalia frightened?
Nelly couldn’t help but feel a little more sympathy for the Rose Princess. After all, she was a pampered young girl. How could she not be afraid in the face of an unpredictable danger?
At that moment, Rosalia slowly lowered her gracefully lined neck and buried her face in her knees. The headscarf loosened from her ears and fell off, revealing a waterfall of brown hair. She maintained this posture for a long time before she slowly tidied her headscarf and smiled faintly at Melissa and Nelly. “Looks like I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
As she had said, Melissa sat by the fire and kept watch all night, and Rosalia also didn’t close her eyes all night. But Nelly, on the other hand, actually slept fitfully for half the night.
※
Melissa swung her sword crisply, the tip of the sword humming, and cleanly killed the wild boar that was blocking the road. She picked up the small item that had dropped with satisfaction, walked back to her mount with light steps, took the reins from Nelly’s hand, and said, “The monsters are getting more numerous.”
“This is Sunset Valley, near the Ivy Mountains. The enemies we encounter will indeed be more numerous than before, and they may be more troublesome. Melissa, you have to…”
Before Nelly could finish, Rosalia suddenly grabbed her. “There…”
Melissa and Nelly turned their heads at the sound. A huge front paw appeared from behind a thick tree and slammed heavily on the ground, sending up a shower of gravel and branches. Then came another equally powerful, sharp claw, and the behemoth revealed its face. It was a bear monster!
Startled by the sudden appearance of the giant beast, the horses all neighed and tried to break free from their ropes and flee.
Melissa was pulled to the side by her mount and almost fell. She timely steadied her steps, gripped her sword with both hands, and turned her head slightly to the side. “Nelly, please take Her Highness and leave for now.”
Nelly nodded and pulled Rosalia to retreat in the opposite direction.
Because they still had to watch over Melissa’s battle situation, they didn’t go too far, just outside the bear monster’s attack range.
Melissa was now a mature swordswoman. She lowered her upper body slightly into a charging stance. She picked up a handful of small stones from the ground with her left hand and threw them hard at the bear monster’s right side. As the giant bear raised its paw at the sound, she pushed off with her foot and shot out like an arrow from a bow.
The sword arrived quickly, with a clanging sound. The bear monster sensed something was wrong and twisted its body, but it had already been stabbed hard in the right abdomen. Melissa did not get entangled in the fight. After a successful strike, she quickly ducked and backed away.
The bear monster’s brute force was astonishing. In its rage, it swung its paws and claws wildly, the wind whistling. Melissa raised her hand to block, and the sword and sharp claws collided, creating scorching sparks. The sword let out a soft cry, as if it would break under the bear’s paw at any moment.
Melissa audibly gasped for breath and struggled to pull her sword free.
—Swish.
At the last moment, she rolled to the left, avoiding the bear monster’s furious strike. At the same time, she ducked and charged at the bear monster again. With her previous experience, she beautifully avoided the bear monster’s slap and successfully disengaged after a strike.
Nelly assessed the situation and judged that Melissa could defeat this mini-boss, so she let out a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Rosalia. The other girl was politely watching the hero’s heroic posture in battle, not very enthusiastic. Noticing that Nelly was looking at her, Rosalia turned her head and smiled faintly at her.
Before the princess’s smile could fade, Nelly felt a sudden change in the atmosphere behind her. She subconsciously pulled Rosalia and ducked, rolling down the slope.
Out of the corner of her eye, a black shadow once again pounced at Rosalia.
“Melissa!” Nelly called for help, and at the same time, without much hope, she drew the short sword at her waist, rolled over to protect Rosalia, and at the same time, used her pitiful skill on the other person.
As expected, the attack was easily blocked.
Nelly also got a clear look at the newcomer’s face. It was a person in black, completely covered from head to toe, even their eyes hidden in the drooping hood, unclear.
The person in black bypassed Nelly and was about to reach for Rosalia.
But at that moment, Melissa charged over, her sword slashing diagonally. The person in black had to slow down to block the sword move. Nelly took the opportunity to pull the somewhat dazed princess back, but a low growl of a beast suddenly came from her side.
This is bad.
In the roll and retreat, Nelly and Melissa had switched places, and now she was directly exposed to the bear monster.
And Melissa was temporarily entangled with the person in black and couldn’t help.
Nelly made a split-second decision. She held her breath, pushed Rosalia to the left, and at the same time, shouted and dodged to the right.
The exposed skin on her neck clearly felt the change in the air.
As the bear monster roared and slapped its paw, the wind instantly became oppressive and sharp, and the spring sunlight also lost its warmth.
The smell of the beast was overwhelming, and Nelly was almost suffocating, but she forced herself to push her body to its limit. In a ten-thousandth of a second, she did her best to lower her head, fall forward, and pray that she could dodge this strike.
Nelly could already feel the tip of the sharp claw on the back of her neck, bloodthirsty and cold.
Gravel pressed against her face, and Nelly’s body was stiff for a moment. She struggled to move her limbs, but she had no strength due to the pain of the impact.
Is it really going to end like this? Although a guide could start over after death, she was still unwilling…
An overwhelming pressure suddenly unfolded, almost freezing the air.
Nelly was in a daze, and an absurd thought vaguely passed through her mind.
But all her thoughts were scattered by the loud crash that sounded right next to her. The bear’s claw hit the tree trunk above her head. The ancient tree let out a crisp scream, broke in the middle, and fell with a wail, crashing heavily on the bear monster.
The monster was pierced by the sharp end of the tree trunk, and with a long hiss, it dissolved into points of light.
Nelly was lying in the triangular space formed by the tree trunk, safe from harm.
She panted and turned over, her vision blurred. She weakly raised her hand and wiped her face. It turned out that her brow bone had been cut by a stone, and her face was covered in blood.
Her thoughts were still racing. Nelly dazedly tried to get up, and Melissa’s enlarged face suddenly appeared before her.
“Nelly? Nelly! Are you alright! You… please!”
Her panicked voice seemed to come from across many layers of water, infinitely slowed and stretched, looking comical and losing its original meaning.
Nelly subconsciously wanted to turn her head, as if she were expecting to see someone. But who? She didn’t know, and her mind was a mess. She struggled to form words, to smooth out the jumbled thoughts. “I… I’m fine… just now…”
She trembled, and suddenly she floated up from under the water of the membrane, feeling dizzy. “Where’s the princess?”
Half of Rosalia’s face peeked out from behind Melissa’s shoulder. She looked a little astonished, her beautiful green eyes wide, her eyebrows raised, as if she were completely stunned.
“That person in black ran away.” Melissa helped Nelly up and looked back at the fallen tree trunk, still shaken. “You’re too reckless!”
Nelly subconsciously gave a dry laugh and took the handkerchief from Melissa’s hand to wipe her face clean. Her fingers were trembling, but not from fear. Her body was trembling with excitement for some unknown reason, but it cunningly hid the reason from its owner.
The dizziness from blood loss suddenly washed over her at that moment. Nelly only remembered that she had curved the corners of her mouth, and then her vision went black.
Before her consciousness faded, she finally figured out what she was concerned about. That sudden change in the atmosphere just now… did someone save me?
※
After this incident, the journey was peaceful. Neither the person in black nor the other person Nelly suspected appeared again.
Spring passed and summer arrived. The chirping of cicadas replaced the singing of spring orioles, and Melissa’s party of three finally arrived at the Misty Coast.
The Misty Tower was located in the middle of the coast and had once been the strongest fortress against pirates. This seven-story tower was now covered in thorns, and each floor was infested with various monsters. The legendary Vine Armor was locked on the top floor. With the protection of this indestructible armor, the hero could then safely turn north and officially launch an attack on the Demon’s Lair.
Of course, this time Melissa was also carrying the hidden mission of liberating the Misty Tower and escorting Rosalia.
In any case, the Misty Tower was the first truly difficult test, and the hero was bound to experience a tough fight.
The three of them first rested in Renis, a town near the tower. There, a noble from the court had been waiting for a long time and soon took Rosalia away. Melissa and Nelly rested for a while at an inn in the city.
Since embarking on her adventure, Melissa had made remarkable progress, but in order to safely get the treasure, she had made several times more preparations in advance.
After resting for a few days, Nelly and Melissa finally arrived at the tower.
In the early morning, the sea mist was at its thickest. The pure white water vapor wove into a soft barrier of fog, and one couldn’t see anything more than three steps ahead. Nelly and Melissa walked forward cautiously on the gravel road. Besides their own footsteps, they could only hear the soft sound of the waves crashing against the dark reefs beside them. Melissa didn’t even dare to breathe, constantly on guard against an enemy launching a surprise attack from the impenetrable fog.
In Nelly’s experience, the first wave of small monsters, the Flower Spirits, would appear before they reached the high tower. But until the dark green thorns appeared in the snow-white mist, the surroundings were still quiet, without any movement.
Melissa was also a little uneasy. She gripped her sword hilt tightly, looked around, and exchanged a glance with Nelly. With a nod, she raised her sword and hacked at the rusty chain on the tower gate and the branches wrapped around it.
With a crisp sound, the chain broke in the middle, and the door swayed a few times and creaked open.