37. The Prince I Met on the One-Legged Bridge
At the one-legged bridge, one of the principles that had guided her life as Yeong-ryeong was simple: do not meddle in matters that do not concern you.
As expected, the woman who had once been a member of the Demonic Cult lacked any sense of justice.
She also despised the noise and commotion that came with no benefit.
If she drew her sword, she would have to see the blood and finish it.
So these men had made a very poor choice right now.
“Uncle, that’s mine.”
Her lips moved, and a calm voice flowed out.
Suddenly, a woman’s voice behind her made the mercenary thugs hesitate for a moment.
But when they turned to look at her, seeing that she was alone, they raised their eyebrows in surprise.
And exchanged mocking glances with each other.
Was there even a fearless woman like this these days?
The leader who had picked up Esika’s sword twitched his eyebrows like a silkworm and spoke to Esika.
“This… is it yours, miss?”
Esika nodded with a blank expression.
And extended her palm.
“If you hand it over now, I won’t let you get hurt and will let you leave here unharmed.”
“What?”
“Kyahaha! What did this woman just say?!”
The leader burst into laughter at her audacious action even in a dangerous situation.
Given the dress, she didn’t seem like a noblewoman raised in ignorance.
Then the other men began chuckling.
“Well, it doesn’t look very good, but I can return it…”
The leader’s gaze reached Esika’s collar.
His sticky gaze was exactly what she had expected.
“…Before that, shall we go somewhere quiet and talk? This neighborhood has such a pretty young lady, I can’t just send her away. If you become my lover, this sword is nothing… I’ll buy you something better.”
“Ki ki ki ki.”
Even in this blatant teasing, Esika stood quietly without reacting.
Then the leader, thinking she was scared, slowly extended his hand toward Esika’s hair.
“A girl without guts… Come here.”
Before his words ended, Esika drew the sword at the man’s waist.
And in the blink of an eye, he slashed his arm.
Blood splattered gorgeously.
“……!”
This was a moment no one here could follow with their eyes.
“Ayaak!”
The man’s arm was shaking pitifully, spraying blood.
If she slashed again with the same momentum, the arm would be severed.
“Leader… Leader!”
“What, you crazy woman!”
The men behind drew their swords angrily.
Esika, looking at the sword in the bleeding man’s hand, licked her lips.
“I have always valued my sword quite highly.”
Her silver hair swayed in the still air without a breeze.
Her blue eyes shone darkly with a fierce aura like a beast.
“I don’t like to dirty it with the blood of trash.”
The shocked men pointed their swords at Esika.
“Moreover, I don’t accept the trash grabbing my sword.”
“Aah! Aaaah! Kill this girl!”
The leader with his arm cut off was shouting.
Esika’s lips curled up at the corner, having just drawn her sword and taken a stance.
***
After Esika drew her sword, the situation was easily resolved.
The smooth and fast swordplay caused blood to splash and bones to break everywhere.
The men fell in an instant.
They opened their mouths to moan in pain, but for some reason, no voice came out.
Facing a knight-level or less of these trash with Cheon Yeong-ryeong’s memories and skills was like eating rice.
“……Hah…”
The shop owner’s face was deathly pale, and Esika with her usual calm expression wiped the blood splashed on her face with a white hand.
Esika, slightly bending her body, picked up her fallen sword.
And slightly drew the sheath to check the blade.
The beautiful line and the brilliant sheen pleased her heart.
“……”
The shop owner stared at Esika with disbelief.
Standing proudly among the fallen men, she had a deep smile on her lips.
As if what happened to her was nothing.
Moreover…
‘What kind of life did she live to be laughing in the middle of this?’
When she came to the weapon shop wearing a maid outfit to make a sword, she thought she was going to give a farewell notice to some poor guy.
But this sword was the one she would use…
‘Moreover, this amazing skill…’
If there was such a high-level knight, it would have been rumored in Torres, but since I haven’t heard it, she’s not a knight either.
Then, is she an assassin belonging to the mercenary group?
But it’s rare for women in the mercenary group to wear good quality dresses.
‘It’s the only word I can express as amazing.’
The angel of slaughter laughing among blood and corpses.
A scene that reminded me of a masterpiece by some artist.
Esika, looking at the sword with a satisfied smile, when she met eyes with the shop owner, felt a chill run down his spine.
“These people fought among themselves and ended up like this.”
“Ah…”
“Since we cut their throats together, they won’t be able to testify. Illiterate mercenaries won’t write letters either…”
A cool smile formed at the corner of Esika’s mouth.
Cutting throats, is that possible?
The answer to that question was that the guys who opened their mouths but couldn’t make a sound were doing it instead.
The strangeness and cruelty made her feel like she was being pushed.
“Just cutting off their heads would have been better, but that would be troublesome.”
A violent incident caused by the neighborhood thugs’ fight wouldn’t be investigated, but if several people were massacred at once, it would definitely be investigated.
In the martial world, those who would meet the King of Hell, luckily or unluckily, were alive and panting, so she had to keep quiet.
“I hate troublesome things.”
The shop owner, startled by her quiet voice, lowered his head deeply.
“…… I will remember this. I will handle these people myself.”
In any weapon shop, shop owners usually pay protection fees to large guilds.
Even if paying protection fees, it’s common for wandering mercenaries to cause trouble, but anyway, dealing with these poorly fallen guys isn’t difficult.
Esika nodded and said to the shop owner.
“The sword is to my liking. I’ll use it well.”
The shop owner, who had been bowing his head, looked at Esika with a surprised expression.
Esika… that is, Yeong-ryeong always respected blacksmiths and sword suppliers.
She was harsh only to equal warriors.
Anyone holding a weapon had to take responsibility for their actions with their life, but those who made and supplied swords did not.
“……”
Esika’s beautiful smile was a bit bewildering.
“I’m glad the sword pleased you. Please use it well.”
He bowed again.
“Goodbye, customer.”
***
‘I met the person I didn’t want to meet on the one-legged bridge.’
Esika came out of the shop door and raised her eyebrows at the sight of Resvan standing as if waiting for her.
She wanted to sigh loudly, but since he was the crown prince… I’ll endure, thinking so, she stood in front of him and greeted him according to etiquette.
When she slightly bowed her body, her thin ankles were revealed under the slightly lifted skirt.
“I greet the small sun of the empire.”
Behind his black hair, the sun was rising, casting a halo.
Due to the light shining from behind, his golden eyes were even darker and more emotionless than usual.
“From you…”
Resvan slowly raised his hand.
His hand gently touched the end of Esika’s disheveled hair.
In response to the contact, Esika frowned slightly, but Resvan looked at her with a cool gaze and licked his lips.
“…It smells like blood.”
Esika’s blue eyes, facing his thick golden eyes, flickered slightly.
When the wind blew, Esika’s hair swayed again.
“One, two, three…”
A low voice pierced the ears, making the mind dizzy.
“…Many.”
Blood scent. It’s a bit rude to say to a woman.
If it wasn’t Esika who had just danced merrily with the sword.
Her body would have been soaked with dense blood scent.
A master like Resvan would have noticed the faint blood scent just from the door opening and closing.
Esika looked calmly at Resvan.
“I just paid the price for what they did.”
Even if he knew what happened just now, it was unavoidable.
She had never regretted the sword she swung.
Her dignified and calm appearance made Resvan’s gaze even deeper.
“Then that sword is…”
“A sword for revenge?”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth and disappeared.
As if observing her deeply.