Chương 57

Rudra walked over to the deep snowdrift. The Knight Captain was sitting up, shaking her head to clear the dizziness. He stopped a few feet away, leaning on his staff.

"Hey. Sorry about the helmet. The math was weird, but it was the fastest way to move you." The Captain reached up with trembling hands. She unclasped her heavy, dented silver helmet and pulled it off. Long, bright blonde hair spilled over her silver armor. Her face was flushed bright red. She was breathing heavily, but she wasn't looking at him with anger. She was staring at his dark leather mask with wide, intensely focused eyes.

"No," she whispered, her voice surprisingly soft.

"Do not apologize." Rudra blinked.

"I shouldn't?"

"My shield form was completely sloppy," she said, slowly standing up. She bowed her head respectfully.

"I left my left side wide open to the troll. You saw the flaw instantly. Your physical reprimand was harsh, but absolutely necessary. Please... if I fail my posture again, discipline me." Rudra froze. His brain totally stopped working.

"Uh. What?" [Affinity with Princess Seraphine has increased by 10!] Before he could process how weird this conversation was getting, the surviving elite knights rushed over. It was total chaos. Half of the knights dropped to their knees in the snow, tears streaming down their faces.

"Thank you! You saved our lives, masked warrior!" The other half drew their swords, pressing the sharp steel right against Rudra's neck. They looked completely furious.

"You dared to strike the First Princess! Drop your weapon immediately!" Rudra looked at the crying knights, then at the angry knights, and finally at the blushing woman in front of him.

"Wait. Princess?" Rudra muttered. He took a slow step backward.

"I just slapped the Princess of the Murray Kingdom." Seraphina glared at her guards.

"Stand down! All of you! He is a master! He was merely correcting my fatal mistake!" Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The angry guards reluctantly lowered their swords, looking completely confused. Seraphina turned back to Rudra. Her regal, dignified posture was completely gone. She stepped uncomfortably close to him.

"Your staff technique is incredible. The way you bypassed the beast's thick skin... please, you must teach me. Tell me exactly what I did wrong." Rudra took another step back.

"Look, your highness, I just hit things. There's no secret technique. You just need to swing harder."

"Brilliant," she breathed, completely missing the point.

"So direct. So blunt." Elysia walked over, crunching through the snow. She looked at the dead Troll King's ash pile, then at the Princess.

"Why is a Troll King this close to the capital?" Elysia asked, keeping her fur hood pulled low to hide her face.

"These monsters live deep in the northern peaks. They don't naturally migrate this far south." Seraphina's expression finally turned serious.

"It wasn't a natural migration. We were ambushed." She pointed to the bloody snow.

"The Saharan Empire has been slipping dark mages across our borders. They use dark magic to drive apex predators out of their territories and straight toward our patrols. It is a cowardly assassination attempt. They want to kill the royal family without starting an open war." Elysia went completely silent. She looked down at her boots. Her fists tightened. The Empire she had proudly served for years was using monsters to slaughter innocent border patrols. The guilt weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Rudra noticed Elysia's quiet anger. He patted her arm gently before turning back to the Princess.

"Well, you're safe now," Rudra said, adjusting his new black trench coat.

"Good luck with the Empire. We're going to head back to the city."

"Wait!" Seraphina grabbed his sleeve.

"You cannot leave. The Empire is actively sending assassins and monsters after my family. I need a retainer of your caliber by my side."

"No thanks," Rudra shook his head.

"I hate politics."

"Please," she insisted, her grip tightening.

"If you return to the palace with me as my personal guard, the reward will be limitless. For saving my life and securing my safety, I can grant you access to the Royal Vault." Rudra stopped.

"The Royal Vault?"

"Yes," Seraphina nodded quickly, sensing his hesitation.

"It holds ancient, legendary items. Weapons forged by dwarf kings, legendary accessories, and relics that have been locked away for centuries. You can take any legendary item you desire." Rudra's eyes went wide behind his mask. He didn't care about wearing legendary armor. He already had his Unique coat, and he liked it. But his mind instantly did the math. If a Rare hidden class book sold for over twenty million dollars on the auction house, how much would a literal Legendary item sell for?

Or better yet, what if the vault had a legendary alchemy tool he could use to brew better food for Elysia and Kratos? Ever since he equipped the Troll King's Black Coat, a newly created greed for high-tier loot was burning brightly inside him. That greed completely took over.

"You know what?" Rudra smiled, perfectly hiding his true thoughts.

"As a noble warrior, I simply cannot let the Empire get away with this. I accept your offer, Princess."