Chapter 132 (1/2)

This is a story without much relation to the main plot It is oon characters make an appearance

Down a path buried up by droves of people passed the caravan of gorgeous carriages

The sky was blue The scenery colored by fluttering confetti was one to sing praise of a single princess in the largest carriage

Inside that carriage rode only that single beautiful girl, alongside the young knight that served as her guard

The cheers buried up the surrounding noises Froirl waved her hand Her skin was pale and her frail, slender body gave off the i blue hair, that could be called her most notable feature

Her waving, glearew to around her lower back As she waved froripped her pendant… the ite-shaped iteraved with the cursed seal of Celestia

Everyone celebrated the birth of a new shrineas they offered up Princess Cleo Celestia of the Celestia royal line

With this they'd be safe They'd be at peace for another few decades Cleo understood as on everyone's minds

In the first place, these cheers and the sht over her own sacrifice

The green-eyed Cleo, under her s She had been born to do so Her role had finally co left

It would be too pitiful for her young little sister Her brothers wouldn't be able to fulfill the role

The clan raised as sacrifices would regularly offer up a woman every few decades The people would think of theuardian God

Cleo was royalty But for the peace of the country, she would offer her very life to the protector… How tragic Fro, it looked as if the royal faation

In truth, royal blood did flow through Cleo's veins But that blood had been carefully prepared outside the current royalty Cleo's fa kept alive, a clan of sacrifices royal in nay supply of the ancient weapon, that demanded life every few tens of years

In order to replenish it, Cleo was henceforth set to die

She would continue on the carriage, e of the continent She would enter the ruins on that active volcano of a mountain, offer her life to the weapon, and that would be the end of it Right, that's where it was supposed to end

Cleo first thought it strange when the carriage stopped at a spot it wasn't planned to stop When she thought they had run upon sohts acting as guards started charging straight ahead

And knights gathered around the white, cereed that their training and devotion fell not short of the high knights of the large power of Courtois

”Protect the princess!”

”Da in the crowd!”

Things did not see very well outside

”Why did it come to this…”

While Cleo was the surprised, the young knight hung over her

”Princess, get down! It will be dangerous if an arrow flies our way!”

Even if they tried to run, they were unable to go out into the main street croith people They could only trust in the carriage, built not only pomp, but sturdy as well

So following the words of her guard… no, the knight keeping watch over her, Cleo had no choice but to meekly quiver

The young knight's na, and he was a fair knight of Celestia Called the wonder child of Celestia, once in knight school, he easily changed that naenius

Even after enlisting in a brigade, his rumors would all extol him His service only covered a few year, but it was said he was on the way to becoht captain and he was stipulated to be the country's strongest knight

Many wo protected by hi to the contrary, that h surveillance to dispatch such an elite knight

(Mother…)

Cleo felt the sounds of battle outside gradually grow in intensity, too scared to help it But while she had lived for nothingwithout fulfilling her role Otherwise, her young little sister would be offered in her place

(Just to the ruins… we just had to make it to the altarWhy won't they just let us be?)

To protect the girl on the verge of tears, E watch of the outside, let out his voice Cleo required just a bit of time before she realized that

”It's dangerous here, princess! We need to withdraw”

”… Eh? We can't, Emilia The ceremony can't start without me What'swill…”

”Right now, your life is anize our foro further in this We have to go outside”

The carriage in front carried the ceremonial tools It took quite some time to prepare them While she didn't want to cast them aside, she saw there was soe

Ee, the street buried in cheers had changed to the intense sounds of battle Outside, she could hear even side the din of clashi+ngfired off

Cleo wanted to hurry frohts, for this was their job And her own job meant for her to offer her life

She told herself so as she fled with Emilio who pulled her down the way In their way, a man who had likely slipped into the crowd held a weapon in hand as he came at them Emilio pulled his sword to knock it from his hand

”Stand down, ruffian!”

For now, perhaps prioritizing their escape, Es on theblow Cleo had never been somewhere like that before Unlike the main streets, an unpleasant smell wafted about

At the sa it difficult to run

”Princess, just a little further”

”I' but trouble…”

As Eh the ss, he looked to Cleo like a reliable knight When she had no idea where she was and she had even started to forget which way they'd gone, E on

He turned a right, and next a left He ran down the stairs

Once the left the narrow path, a s A different terrible smell came from there It was the smell of a drain

”This et away”

”I know I don't intend to fixate on these trivial matters”

Thinking Leo's hand would let her get away, as the sounds of battle grew distance, Cleo found a little of her composure If an ally appeared here, she would have more peace of mind But it seemed the ones who appeared were no allies

”It's a dead end this way”

Just as they tried to cross the bridge, they were pincered in the front and back Unlike the ones who had slipped in with the people, theat their waists From the leisure hich they held theht they would win if they pressed through with numbers

Three in the front, and two in the back

Cleo gave Eo Emilio shi+fted the sword he held in one hand to a two-handed grip

”Princess, leave this to me”

”I' on you, Emilio”

If it was Eht, then he would be able to break through this dilemma Cleo believed so

The robed men drew their swords E Cleo in the center of the bridge, he kept wary of foes on both sides

… It was at that moment

”Princessss!”

It wasn't elite knights but soldiers who rushed to their aid The robedaway

”We're saved, Emilio”

Relieved, Cleo called over to Erip on his sword re over

(Has the eneuise?)

She felt aard, doubting the soldiers who rushed to their aid, but if Eht she would imitate

The soldiers noticed they were being suspected and hurriedly stowed their weapons

”We're, uate beyond this point We're on break right now, and we'd gone to the limpse of the princess off to the ritual So any the princess and coies”

The city was surrounded by walls, and apart froates one could pass through The sluice gate to let in the river water fit that description There were a nuates, and in order to protect them, there were usually soldiers permanently stationed

But it wasn't the sort place knights were deployed If anything happened, they could seal the gates at a moment's notice, so such places were occupied by hired soldiers