Inside the main tent, the moments before invaders came into the vicinity of the tent.
---
"Your highness", the manager said while he bowed down in front of the princess.
To the manager's action, the princess just waved her hands indicating the manager to stand.
"What is it that you require, your highness", the manager said after standing.
"Nothing much, I just want you to have a check of the surroundings to make sure there aren't any difficulties".
Listening to the princess's words, the manager sighed inwardly, and how could he not, He had just ordered a full sweep check of the surroundings before coming to the princess.
However, it was not his place to either deny or suggest something to the princess as he was nothing more than a lowly servant of the crown.
Hence he replied,
"I will surely do as you say, your highness",
With that, the manager turned to leave the tent and have the guards once again have a full check of the surroundings.
As the manager left the tent, he bumped into someone. Looking up at the person he bumped into, he realized it was one of the guards he had hired from the Guild's Association just before he left the trade city.
Due to the fatigue from traveling the whole day along with the recent orders he received from the princess, the manager's mood was not the best.
Hence, he practically growled at Ray,
"What are you doing here in front of the main tent. You should be out there protecting the camp by staying guard with the other guards".
Listening to the manager's words, Ray knew that the manager was not in the mood to talk. So he kept himself precise and said with a hurried tone,
"I was just guarding the vicinity of the base sir. The reason I am here is to inform you about the fact that there are four foreign presences at the peak of the advanced tier approaching the tent".
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Just eliminate the thr-..",
The manager choked on his words as his brain finally comprehend the words Ray had said.
"Advanced tier and that too at the peak?", he mumbled to himself.
After fully understanding Ray's words and realizing the severity of the matter. The manager panicked and quickly left the princess's tent as he moved towards all the other tents to alert other guards, the manager did not even reprimand Ray for being late nor did he confirm if what Ray said was true.
After all, the manager knew that these guards who were at most at the peak of the intermediate tier while some who were at the beginning stages of the advanced tier had no hope of winning against four existences at the advanced tier.
This was because not only would the guards have to fight against the four mysterious existences at peak of the advanced tier but they would also have to protect the princess without even knowing about it.
On the other hand, Ray understood why there were four existences at the peak of the advanced tier approaching the clearing.
As he had been standing in front of the princess's tent for quite some time, he was naturally able to listen to what was going inside with his keen senses and acute perception.
He was surprised to find that, the passengers that they were guarding were none other than the princess of the empire and her entourage.
However there was one thing that he did not understand as he muttered,
"Why hire couple dozen guards at the intermediate tier along with a few at the start of the advanced tier, can't the emperor hire some powerful guards to help the princess reach the Royal City safely?",
This was the only thing he was unable to wrap his mind around. Yet he did not think much about it.
Little did he know that later on, he would rely his life on this small and seemingly strange discovery.
-----
Meanwhile, inside the main tent,
The princess was pacing around the tent as she knew the approach of several existences at the peak of the advanced tier.
Although her strength and perception were not at the same level as Ray, she had a treasure that could scan around the area of thousand meters to find any anomaly in the area it scanned.
The princess was sure of the fact that these existences were here for her and she also knew that they would not harm her life but were here to abduct her.
However, she knew that being abducted by these people would be far worse than facing death. Not only for her but for the whole empire.
Furthermore, this was also one of the reasons she was trying to return to the safety of the Royal City with the ruse of being normal passengers in a caravan transporting goods to Royal City.
Then suddenly the ground shook,
"Boooooommm",
Forcing the princess out of her stupor a large boom sounded in the vicinity along with the pained cries of many guards.
Listening to the commotion happening inside, the princess knew that it had started and the people who came with no good intentions towards her have arrived.
The princess could do nothing but pray in her heart as she watched the massacre continue from inside the tent using another treasure that she had.
Moreover, the whole tent was a treasure that acted as the last resort for the princess to save herself.
"Booom!, Bang!, Ahhhh!, Booom!",
Several sounds traveled to the princess's ears as she witnessed the carnage caused by merely three people, while several explosions ensued and many tragic cries rose.
The cries were of the guards as they fell one after another while several got injured. Whereas, the invaders who came to capture her did not even receive a single injury and merely looked as if they were having a walk in the park.
Seeing the guards dying constantly, the princess flared up but ultimately, she could do nothing as she was weak and did not even have the strength to save herself much less help all these people suffering.
The fighting continued as the guards died in a one-sided massacre, soon there were only nine guards left, who had circled the tent hoping to protect the innocent people within the tent.
Meanwhile, inside the tent, the princess clenched her fist so hard that her skin turned white from the pressure she applied to her fists,
She said to herself,
"Only if I had been strong enough, I would have been able to save them",
However, the princess knew that right now she could do nothing. Moreover, she realized that the remaining guards who had surrounded the tent were not in a good condition as they were constantly huffing and panting while blood seeped from their injuries.
Seeing it, the princess did not hesitate to activate the strong one-time protective barrier that the tent possessed, she did so only to buy some time and wait for some miracle to happen.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe barrier activated and the situation seemed to come into a stalemate as both parties stopped fighting.
Seeing this, the princess heaved a sigh of relief,
"Thankfully they stopped on seeing the barrier erect. I Just have to wait for someone from the palace to come after contacting them".
Yet some moments later, her relieved expression stiffened as she saw the barrier break apart like a piece of glass.
The princess had the urge to curse the heavens for being so unfair, as she saw the man who seemed to be the leader of the invaders put on a large-scale fire spell as he intended to turn everything and everyone to ashes.
However, it was at this moment that something happened,
As if the heavens had heard her plight, a figure surrounded by golden energy arrived. A sword hung around his waist while his hand held a bloody body.
Furthermore, the aura emitted by the man made it seem like a god descended into the mortal world.
Other than that, the figure's black hair danced in the air, while its golden pupils calmly observed everything. There was no expression on his face when meeting the leader's gaze as if the leader was not worth his attention.
Then what she observed was the fighting prowess of the man as he was not hurt by the leader even when the leader shocked her by turning into a demonized creature using a forbidden technique.
However, the most shocking thing to her was not that the figure in golden did not even get hurt in the slightest as he bullied the powerful demonized creature, it was that the figure surrounded by golden seemed as if he was an adult playing with chickens before slaughtering them.
Soon she saw the man in golden defeat the demonic creature and kill it. Practically saving her and the guards present.
Yet, then suddenly, the figure in golden looked at the tent, more specifically at her. He seemed to look through the tent and straight at her.
His gaze did not contain any malice and was as deep as an ocean that seemed to be as calm as a lake.
However, the most surprising thing was that the man spoke, and what he said was,
"Help me", then the figure collapsed to the ground.
While the princess was speechless because she heard that the man had directly spoken into her consciousness. Yet seeing the man collapse on the ground and his previous plight.
A river of emotions ran amok her mind that varied differently as she stared at the collapsed body on the ground.
A/N:- Another chapter out, so have fun everyone.