ALL NOVEL Chapter 51
Chapter 50: Beastmen Attack! Liliya’s Crisis
Although this was somewhat inferior to the previously nearly invisible assassin in terms of stealth techniques, it did not mean the opponent was easy to handle.
Moreover, there was no trace of the decay and deathly stench typical of corpses on the enemy, meaning the ones attacking Liliya could only be beastmen, and certainly not just one joining the fight.
“Grrr…”
“Who! Get out here!”
“Assassin alert! All units on guard!”
Just as Liliya was attacked, a series of screams and shouts erupted from the kingdom’s troops, causing the previously stable formation to fall into disarray.
At least a dozen mid-ranking officers perished in this round of assassination, and the enemy was a well-trained assassin team. Moreover…
A fluffy, powder-pink tail suddenly appeared in the air. While she physically resembled a human girl of a similar age to the princess, the furry ears and pink vertical pupils on her head confirmed Liliya’s suspicions.
“An assassin… from the Fox-Human race? They’re quick on the draw.”
“Your Highness, are you alright!?”
Emily rushed to steady the swaying figure of Princess Liliya and resolutely shielded her from behind.
The throwing knife she had thrown earlier did nothing, as it was directly swatted away by the enemy’s large tail. Though it was a hasty response, it was enough to prove that this Fox-Human female assassin—who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen—was far stronger than she was.
Even so, she couldn’t let the princess be harmed. Emily wouldn’t hesitate to give her life if it came to that.
“I’m fine! Emily, go relay orders immediately! Have the Shadow Guards focus on containing the enemy assassin, and instruct the troops to evacuate the Tapeya Basin quickly! Do not engage the enemy! Go now!”
Liliya steadied herself, quickly issuing new commands like a popping bean, her eyes locked fiercely on the Fox-Human assassin before her.
“What about you, Your Highness!?”
“I’ll stay behind to hold off this Fox-Human. Right now, I’m the only one who can do this.”
“No, let me take your place, Your Highness!”
“You’re no match for her, and her target is me. I can’t escape! I’ll say it again—go now! And you’re not allowed to come back for me after retreating! That’s an order!!”
What Liliya didn’t say was that if Vilyric or Hua could arrive in time to deal with the enemy, she would be safe. If that were not the case, the Princess would never have made such a nearly suicidal choice.
“…Yes! Please be careful!!!”
Emily gritted her teeth and hurried off into the distance.
As Liliya’s right arm, she might not be the strongest among the Shadow Guards, but she was certainly extremely clever and knew exactly what to do to best help her master in such a situation.
The Fox-Human girl didn’t seem intent on stopping Emily; her gaze was fixed firmly on Princess Liliya, exuding an unabashed, dense killing intent. It was already quite apparent.
“The first order you received… was to kill me, right?”
Liliya had never seen this Fox-Human before, and even if the opponent knew she was the kingdom’s princess and commander of the Western Army, there was no reason for her to be so relentlessly fixated.
After all, even if Liliya were to fall here or the entire army were to be wiped out, her military objective would have already been achieved. With Wanku Fortress guarded by General Layton, whether a princess lived or died didn’t really make much of a difference to the beastmen.
Therefore, the only explanation was that someone had given the Fox girl a death order.
An order that read—【The Fifth Princess must die】.
“You’re pretty good; your eyes and skills are impressive. But the High Priest has commanded me to kill you.”
Responding in simple, somewhat clumsy royal language, the Fox girl’s voice sounded adorably cold yet concealed a contrasting alluring charm, like a kitten playfully tugging at heartstrings. The two traits didn’t clash; instead, they complemented one another, radiating a unique allure.
Furthermore, to Liliya, who had seen countless people, this Fox girl could indeed be described as “delicately cute.” Although her chest left much to be desired—falling short of even that priestess with a B-cup—she still looked like a cute little beauty.
Her powder-pink hair danced in the air, stirred by the killing intent, and the Fox girl’s eyes gradually turned icy.
She didn’t like to talk too much, and even though the bulk of the Wolf Riders and Bird-Humans would take some time to arrive, she sensed the anomaly and rushed here with her ghost fox assassin team. However, as long as she could eliminate her target in front of her, the mission the High Priest entrusted her with would be fulfilled.
As for war supplies, the High Priest’s instructions were quite clear—if you can save them, then save them; if not, it doesn’t matter.
With General Layton of the western front fully recovered, they had little chance of taking Wanku Fortress, unless they were willing to suffer significant losses to engage in a reckless fight against the United Kingdom.
Yet that would hold no meaning; the army remains at the border not to withdraw but to force this princess out.
Smart individuals tend to have predictable behaviors, as stated by the High Priest.
“Is that so? Then let’s give it a shot. I won’t just stand here waiting to be slaughtered.”
Knowing that saying more would be pointless, Liliya raised her longsword, her eyes burning with the desire to fight.
Since Vilyric had helped her gain power through incomprehensible means, Princess Liliya hadn’t had a chance to go all-out against a truly powerful opponent. This legendary Fox-Human assassin would be just the test she needed.
Liliya also wanted to see precisely how far apart she was from genuine strength.
“Wind Shadow! Fluid Armor!”
Now was not the time to conserve magic power; she simultaneously cast two strong buffs, and an almost invisible, entirely air-formed armor appeared around her, perfectly fitting her already silver-white armor.
At the same time, Liliya’s shadow began to writhe at her feet, rising upright and floating behind her. The indistinct figure in the shadow also held up a longsword, resembling some unique guardian spirit.
“I am Mavis. Remember that.”
“Wind Blade!”
The raised longsword was merely a decoy; Liliya concentrated her thoughts as seven or eight blade-like shapes of air simultaneously slashed at the back of the Fox girl, Mavis, trying for a sneak attack!
In a life-and-death battle, there’s no such thing as unfair or fair; the winning move is the good move. Plus, hadn’t Mavis just killed Liliya previously? This was simply fair play.
With a whoosh, Mavis’s large tail swung through the air, shattering all the wind blades to pieces at once. That fluffy, soft tail was actually one of Mavis’s weapons.
Beastmen are seldom seen using weapons. Partly due to their inability to craft or familiarity with them, and more importantly, their bodies vastly surpass most ordinary weapons in functionality and harmony.
While blocking Liliya’s wind blade attack, Mavis slightly bent her knees on the spot.
With a whoosh, the sound of quickly moving air rang out as Mavis crossed the short distance between them, leaping into the air and aiming a claw towards Princess Liliya’s neck.
“Fox Spirit Secret Technique: Soul Charm Slash.”
Liliya hadn’t expected her sneak attack to work. Just as she prepared to block with her sword, her heart suddenly jolted as an inexplicable force emanating from Mavis’s claws crossed space and drew her gaze to meet the Fox girl’s.
In that fleeting moment, Mavis’s pink vertical pupils radiated an enchanting charm, full of seductive allure. Even Liliya, being a woman herself, found herself momentarily entranced, inexplicably possessing the thought of wanting to gaze at her forever, disregarding everything else.
Because of this, the strength of the longsword in her hand weakened instantly, and Mavis’s sharp claws directly knocked it away. She only had time to instinctively tilt her body.
“Gah!”
The piercing pain in her chest snapped Liliya out of her enchantment, and she quickly swung her sword to push Mavis back and retreated.
The fluid armor and metallic armor encompassing her all easily tore apart like fragile butter under that claw, leaving a deep gash in her abdomen through which blood flowed, staining parts of her white inner garment.
What a powerful charm… Caught off guard, she hadn’t been able to resist at all.
However, the truly terrifying thing was that inexplicable pulling force; it was that very presence that made Liliya and Mavis’s eyes lock at the most critical moment. The strange effect of that charm was anything but coincidence.
A Fox Spirit Secret Technique, huh… No wonder they’re considered the most enigmatic and mysterious race among the beastmen. This is truly hard to defend against.
This is getting a bit troublesome…
Princess Liliya displayed a wry smile.