[Vol. 7] Chapter 244: The Mischievous Priestess
Before Princess Carinvega could react, the priestess immediately lifted her foot and kicked at the attacker without hesitation. With a sharp "clang," the figure who had blocked Violet's strike with a weapon quickly stumbled backward, taking several steps before managing to regain balance.
Although the attack was easily repelled, the black-haired girl raised an eyebrow in slight surprise and then smiled lightly.
"Oh~ not bad, it seems there are a few skilled people around the princess after all. Although I had a feeling you were capable when we first met, this is even more interesting than I expected."
"Wha-what's going on..."
Princess Carinvega, who had been spun around in a circle, finally managed to steady herself. Before she could say anything, Violet casually pointed at the attacker who had just been knocked back.
"Look, it's your little knight. But it seems she’s also ‘rebelling’ with the others~"
"Eh... eh!?"
Following the direction of the priestess's finger, Carinvega quickly turned to look, her expression instantly turning to one of shock.
It was a tall young girl, dressed in armor and looking like a knight, with a mercenary-like style. Her black short hair was as neat and refreshing as always. She had just hastily blocked the priestess's careless kick with her longsword, which was still sheathed, showing no intent to harm.
At that moment, she was kneeling on one knee, her sword propped against the ground as she took heavy breaths, trying to calm her rushing blood from the strong impact. It looked like she had managed to withstand the kick, but it hadn't come without cost.
What was more important was that the young girl’s bold and beautiful eyes, usually full of spirit, were now vacant and empty, much like the other members of the guard. Even in the presence of her own princess, she remained silent, showing no emotion. For Carinvega, who was familiar with her, this strange expression revealed a lot.
Clearly, the sudden attack had come from her. If it hadn't been for the priestess's superior skill, she might have succeeded.
The betrayal from this girl hit Carinvega harder than the collective defection of the entire guard. She even lost her composure for a moment.
"Gladys...?" Carinvega muttered. "What's going on? Even you... Where did that Orluk get such dark magic from? Can... can you hear us?"
When asked, the priestess casually shrugged her shoulders.
"Who knows? As one of your 'main characters,' she should be a bit different from those random side characters, but if you're planning to use some love-based awakening plot, you might want to forget it, okay? But now that I think about it..."
It seemed like the black-haired girl suddenly had an idea, and without a second thought, she turned to look at Princess Carinvega, completely disregarding the legendary mercenary, the princess's strongest guardian knight.
"Let me double-check. She's one of the main characters in the [Starlight Concerto] script, right?"
"Uh... yes, why?"
"Nothing. In that case, you can handle this Gladys yourself."
"Oh... what? Me, deal with Gladys?! Are you kidding me, Miss Violet? I can't even use..."
The princess froze in shock at the unexpected statement, but Violet seemed to have already predicted what she would say and calmly finished her sentence.
"You can't use any magic or martial arts. Every year, during the academy checks, they can't find a single trace of magic power in your body. You can only defend yourself with special items or magic guns that don't require magic, but they can only protect you, not help you fight enemies, right?"
The priestess turned back, waving her hand as she saw the "How do you know everything?" look in the princess's eyes.
"Martial arts and magic aren't everything. In fact, to put it bluntly, they're just inferior imitations of true power. For example, the ability that the other 'main character' Orluk recently got. You saw it, right? Gladys is much stronger than her, but what's the use? She's still being controlled like a puppet by that person."
"This might be hard to understand... but you can think of it as a 'divine gift', a golden finger that works without needing magic. Is that easier to understand?"
"You have a golden finger too."
"My... golden finger?"
Carinvega frowned and complained with a frustrated expression.
"But I don't have any special abilities at all! Apart from the script I learned from the game, all I have is good luck. I'm always getting caught up in things... Ah! Could it be...!"
Instead of answering the princess's surprised question directly, Violet just smiled and remained noncommittal.
"Luck is just the most basic form of your true abilities. In a certain sense, my appearing here to help you solve your difficulties might also be a manifestation of your power."
"This kind of power doesn't have any magical aura or presence. It can't be detected by either the user or others, but it silently influences everything around you... This kind of authority is probably more terrifying than any visible law," she added.
"Uh, Miss Violet, I'm still not quite sure what you mean... So what exactly is my ability?"
"Hehe~ If you really want to know, just find out through real combat."
"Ah!"
As she spoke, Violet casually raised her hand and gave a light push. Carinvega was pushed forward uncontrollably, stumbling ahead. Losing her sense of security, the princess quickly turned around, but the unscrupulous girl in white robes had already stepped back a few paces, leaving the center of the corridor entirely for Carinvega.
The look on her face was like that of a judge who was about to watch two duelists take the stage...
"...?"
The girl with the different-colored eyes opened her mouth, her face showing a moment of confusion. She probably hadn't expected someone's logic to jump to this extent. However, in front of her own subordinates, Carinvega couldn't show too much embarrassment and could only stand there in slight panic. She tilted her head and let out a soft, almost deer-like cry towards the black-haired girl, whose expression had turned teasing.
"Hey, hey, Miss Violet! Is this really the time for a joke?!"
"Oh, come on, don't panic. You're the [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus], someone who's already predicted everything and has a plan for everything, right? Even if I don't step in, as long as Princess Carinvega wants to, she should be able to easily come up with a way to defeat the enemy and leave here, right?"
"There's no way I can do that! That's Gladys, the strongest genius in the Frederick Royal Academy's martial arts department for the past ten years, a legendary mercenary! And I can't even communicate with her! In this situation, no matter how smart someone is, there's no way to solve the problem!!!"