After that, the military soldiers who stood in their wayâwere in reality assassins sent by the House of Nobles, full of killing intent and even readying their blades. As they saw the prince Ashyl,
âHeâs here! The traitor Ashyl! Kill him!â
âIf we kill him, we can have any reward we want!â
âSurround him! Take the woman as a hostage!!â
They came to attack while shouting those kinds of things.
Well, the prince is playing dumb though,
âPrince? Who is that? I am the mysterious masked knight who is grieving for this country!â
Saying something like that, heâs in high spirits.
Then, I thoughtlessly joined this entertainment.
âSimilarly, mysterious swordswoman who happen to pass by, Mask The Rose, appeared! Those who hold no regard toward their own life, feel free to come at me!â
I said it in heat of the moment and even take a pose.
âŚwell. I am reflecting on that right now.
And, cooperating with Prince Ashyl, we easily break through from enemy territory while continuing to wear our masks, escaping from the opera house.
Immediately Sir Carlos carried Angelica in his arms and as if heâs flying he jumped into the carriage he drove. I commanded Mikoto to hold back our pursuersâwell the person herself seems delighted as she piled up frustration from meeting with the princeâwhile she confronted our pursuers (or more accurately, slaughtered them), we quickly escaped from the royal capital.
âŚSometimes I can see flashes or hear exploding sounds from behind, perhaps someone is playing with fireworks or something.
By the way, our destination is as planed before, a place where royal family sanatorium existedâFulvia Lakes.
Since we canât get a change of horses at night, midway we moved at an extremely slow pace. However according to Prince Ashyl, we will most likely arrive at midnight.
Also, while we escaped from the royal capital, since there is only one barrier pass certificate  and I keep it with me, we planed have Mikoto take a detour. She would fly until the barrier most likely didnât reach anymore and then regroup with us. Since she was also told the general direction we were headed, and at certain distance a master and pet can check each otherâs locations, I think this is the best option.
Well, for how Mikoto should escape, if by some chance the barrier also covered the sky, for Mikoto it is nothing more than a soap bubble so itâll pose no threat anyway. And since we already escaped, even though thereâs uproar because of her, it has nothing to do with us.
Then, as we took a breather, we took off our masks and kept silentâSince Angelica received a shock from the attack, Prince Ashyl hugged her and tried to calm her down, as I sat on the opposite side inside the carriage, staring at them. Prince Ashyl, who couldnât stand the silence and my stare anymore, shrugged his shoulder jokingly.
âWhat is it, Princess Hiyuki. That grim look will spoil your lovely face.â
ââŚaround 3 to 7 rightâ
ââyes?â
âThe number enemy we defeated before we entered the carriage. You took quite the lead.â
âNo no, thatâs impossible. I think itâs around the same, well, as my neck being targeted, there might be 2 or 3 difference, perhaps. âŚeh, hasnât Princess Hiyukiâs tone changed?â
âIâm the one defeated here. Even if I take a big loss 4 to 6 itâs still fine, but what was that? Even though I was frantically killing, you who were next to me, still has the composure to hold back so they wonât be killed? âYet, you still took quite the lead of 3 to 7.â
âWell, I donât think itâs as much âcomposureâ, as wellâŚthey are just following the orders of House of Nobles, and theyâre still citizens of my country.â
The Prince became troubled and scratched his cheek.
âHah! I donât care whether theyâre doing it for money or honour. For anyone who is willing to take a life in exchange for those things, I think itâs appropriate to kill them. They chose that kind of job, thereâll no room for pleading. I think itâs better if they disappear from this world. âMoreover, you... didnât you kill 8 people who came to assassinate you when you were 11 years old?â
ââŚYes, at that time I was too focused on protecting Angelica, so I didnât feel any regret since I protected her.â
Then he took a deep breath.
âHowever, after that Iâve always felt regret afterwards. Iâve shown the young Angelica the ugly side of kill or be killed human relation in this world, and my own weakness. Thatâs why, I aim to absolutely protect Angelica, gain power to be able to bring goodness to humans in this world, and show its beauty to Angelica.â
I saw no hesitation in his eyes, I keep silent.
Well, itâs not like Iâm over-awed or unable to say any words of rebuttal, I just feel like talking to him will be pointless. I understand that our thoughts wonât matchâor rather, being told like that, for me who kills humans like cutting daikon near him at the time, that will make me look like a heartless killer right!?
ââas I thought, youâre boring.â
âWell, even if you say soâŚIâm troubled. How can I fix your mood, Princess?â
Hearing that, I fell into deep thought.
Itâs obvious this happy go lucky prince is the source of this fuzzy feeling.
Then letâs âtalkâ with the way of my country.
âWell, since we are already separated from town and right now thereâs no pursuers, and luckily, thereâs a wasteland in the direction we heading... Itâs a bit dark, but itâs not a problem  for us right? Then itâs perfect, how about we get off and have a match?â
Hearing my proposal, Angelica gasps.
Prince Ashyl folded his arm with difficult expression.
ââŚIsnât that arrangement for another day?â
âItâs just a match, we donât have to kill each other. Itâs just, I wonât feel relieved without hitting  that composed face hard at least once.â
âIf it will please you, my lady, how about you hit it here and now, Iâm ready to stand one or two punchesâŚwill that please you?â
âIf you said âby all meansâ and let me hit, wonât that make it seem like itâs a womanâs hysteria? I wonât be satisfied if I canât hit you under the same condition.â
âI donât understand the difference, butâŚI guess I have no choice.â
With a resigned face, Prince Ashyl looked out of the window, and commanded the coach, Sir Carlos, to move away from highway and stop there.
***
In desolate land where night wind just passed by.
Angelica and Sir Carlos looked onward with a worried look, but with the only light coming from a lantern on the carriage that was stopped a bit farther away, they might not be able to see what was happening.
âDo you really want to fight in that expensive dress?â
Even though Prince Ashyl said it worriedly, he who stood 5 meters away from me was also still wearing his tailcoat for dancing.
âYou donât have to worry, Iâm used to it.
âŚâŚ.
Ermm. I know that I said it myself, but it seems I really got used to this dress, this fluttering skirt, even this breeze.
Or rather, since I reincarnated as Hiyuki, I never wore trousers even once.
âŚAm I alright? Somehow I became worried about many things.
âIs that so, then Iâll come at you without reservation.â
While saying that, Prince Ashyl grasp âWind Swordâ that I handed over to him.
ââIf you fight as it is, this wonât be a decent match. How about getting serious?â
At that moment, Prince Ashyl showed a bitter smile.
ââŚIâve been seen through.â
Once again, he fixed his grasp on his sword, and with half closed eyes he manipulated the magic power inside him. Then with an uninterested tone he said something that might be a magic incantation or self hypnosis.
âI am peerless and invincible. Thereâs no opponent can match my sword. âMyâattack will destroy any enemy in front of me!!â
Race        : Human (Magic Swordsman)
Name        : Ashyl Cloud Amitia
Occupation    : Third Prince of Kingdom Amitia/Kingdom Amitia Adventurer (S rank)
HPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â : 21.500-->70.950
MPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â : 9200-->30.360
âThis isâŚas expected from S rank, in these conditions, itâs near the upper limit of a human.â
Even so, in the end he is still unbranded human.
That said, perhaps Iâm making light of him, since his status is similar to that of a player who had no re-incarnations yet.
âMay I take that as praise?â
âYup. Honestly, at first I thought a magic swordsman is a fighter who can use magic at the same time. Now that I know you use magic for body reinforcements, itâs quite brave. If you can hit me, I think Iâll receive damage.â
âIf I can hit you?â
âYep, if you can hit me. âWell, I donât know what exactly will happen though, perhaps a fatal wound or just something serious, no matter what, when Mikoto catches up she can heal me just fine, so you donât have to hold back.â
With a nod, I also grasped âWater Bladeâ.
âI see, I feel relieved hearing that. âThen, here I come.â
In an instant, from a posture without any fighting spirit, Prince Ashyl shortened the distance between us into zero in one go.
At the same time, a vivid beheading line appeared in this poorly lit place, together with the glitter of steel, he swung his sword down mercilessly to cut me into two.