They didn't announce it in advance, so the new streets were pretty deserted.
Also, the soldiers stationed on the rooftops of the buildings were nowhere to be seen.
If something did happen, it wouldn't be easy to find them with fewer witnesses.
‘Not good.’
Osian's eyes scanned the building's windows.
The glass was hardly transparent to say the least, and unless he knew what lurked within the shaded panes, he had to be on high alert.
The fixers must have sensed a similar updraft, because they whispered in low voices among themselves.
"This is getting weird."
"This is a sudden change of direction. Didn't they say anything about this beforehand?"
But apart from being suspicious, there was nothing they could do.Their role was to stand by and watch.
Even if they had to go around the entire city, they would have to go along with it.
'Honestly, this has nothing to do with me, so I should just ignore it.’
As they entered the deserted streets, the piercing sensation in their minds faded away.
But it was the calm before the storm.
Here it is.
If anything was going to happen, it was going to happen here.
'The escorts that were following them have also slipped away, reducing their numbers.’
In particular, the number of people stationed around Princess Orlea had decreased significantly.
It was a blatant sign. Surely, as the one in charge of the escort, she wouldn't be unaware of it.
'No.'
Osian looked.
Princess Orlea's expression was more submerged than before.
She was trying to smile for the sake of the people watching, but her face had the expression of someone who was ready to die.
‘She knew it from the beginning.’
To be ready to die means to know that someone is trying to take your life.
I didn't see Marquis de Debussy besides her, which means he was an accomplice.
'This is why he had the rootless fixers as her escort.’
Tirna's army and Carleon’s guards were all in cahoots.
There are probably assassins lined up around here to kill her.
The method is not difficult. All you need is a gun, and you can kill anyone with it.
‘There's no such thing as a cause to save.’
On the contrary, the moment you set out to save her, you're walking into the middle of a huge conspiracy.
Better to walk away with the minor stigma of a failed escort mission.
Common sense tells me that's the right thing to do.
It's a perfectly rational decision.
But,
‘My job is to escort her.’
I have before me a woman who has willed her own death but that death is not of her own choosing. A death that is forced upon her by someone else is a murder.
Hmph.
Osian drew his sword.
His previously faint senses became sharper than ever the moment he drew his sword.
‘I see.’
He could see the dot that would bring death to someone.
The red dot that formed in the void was like a demon's eye that flowed from a black crack.
The ominous glow moved slowly, pointing to the heart of Princess Orlea.
That's it.
Seeing the light, Osian gripped his sword and moved without delay.
No one noticed his movements as he moved quickly and stealthily.
The sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance. At the same time, his eyes, sharpened to the extreme, caught a bullet flying toward her.
Time passed slowly as he swung his sword.
The moment the tip of the bullet met his sword time returned to its normal flow.
-Bang! Bang!
The gunshot, the sparks flying in front of Princess Orlea's eyes, and the severed bullet hitting the ground were almost simultaneous.
"What......."
The escort watching from the side, the driver driving and Princess Orlea, all of them stared at Osian, their eyes narrowed but those who were late to realize what was happening screamed.
"It's a gun!"
"It's an assassin!"
The gathered crowd scattered in panic.
Those who had been following the procession were also panicked and at a loss for words.
"You, you, what are you doing!"
"Can't you see? I was merely protecting the escort target."
The soldier's expression turned pensive.
Rather than thanking him for his help, the soldier's expression was more of a rebuke and confusion that things had gone wrong.
Oh well.
Was he involved?
Osian's gaze fell to Princess Orlea, who was still staring blankly at him.
I wonder if this little girl knows that her life has been saved.
'Of course she does, she knew she was going to die here today.’
Then her tiny lips parted, and a trembling voice came out.
"You, you......."
She was about to say something when her eyes shifted to Osian's side of the passenger seat.
Osian didn't ask what was wrong.
Instead, his body spun a full revolution.
-Clang!
The pistol the driver had pulled out was sliced open, revealing a neat cross-section.
"A sword?"
The driver stared in disbelief at the pistol, which was now only the grip.
He couldn't believe that a sword was the only weapon the man who had saved Princess Orlea carried.
Before he could say anything else the sole of Osian's foot kicked him in the face.
The driver collapsed in a spray of blood.
Osian immediately realized that bright red lights had been generated all over his body.
"Danger......!"
Before the princess Orlea could finish her warning, Osian's sword danced.
-Kagagagagang!
The five bullets that had been aimed at him shattered into pieces and clattered to the floor.
Princess Orlea kept her mouth shut. Her warning had been meaningless, but Osian's recklessness was outrageous.
Swinging a sword to deflect a flying bullet? Was that even possible?
Princess Orlea may be young, but she was wise.
She knew how far beyond common sense what Osian had shown her was.
Orlea remembered Osian. She remembered his appearance, which was remarkable for a fixer.
'Are all the fixers in Tirna like this?’
As it turned out, Osian was the only one who had stepped up to the plate.
Only this man was as unique as the awl sticking out of his pocket.
Princess Orlea's judgment didn't last long.
Osian's strong forearms were now around her waist.
"Excuse me."
"......!"
Osian scooped her up in his arms and sprinted away.
Touching royalty, even from a neighboring kingdom, was not a crime, but Osian had no choice.
The vehicle he had just jumped from exploded in a burst of red flames.
At the same time, through the crowd of scrambling citizens, he could see people pulling pistols from their holsters.
"A bomb in a car, and as if that weren't bad enough, they've got assassins all around."
I don't know who did this, but I do know that they were very willing.
If Osian hadn't intervened, Princess Orlea would have died here.
But he did intervene.
‘I won't let her die.’
With that, Osian stomped on one of the building's walls and leaped again.
The assassin, who had timed his fall to open fire, widened his eyes as he leapt higher.
"Crazy. What was that?"
"You flew?"
Leaping off the wall, Osian landed on the roof of the building.
The rooftop, where snipers would normally be stationed, was deserted but Osian was not relieved.
The entire area had already been set up as a trap to kill the princess Orlea.
Unless they can get out of here, the assassins will not rest.
Right now, judging from the chaos downstairs, assassins were running down the stairs.
"It's no use. We can't get out of here."
Knowing this, Princess Orlea warned Osian.
Of course, Osian didn't even listen.
He sheathed his sword and picked her up with both hands.
It's what people call a princess hug.
Considering her status, it was indeed an appropriate name.
"There are enemies within a three-kilometer radius. Tirna's military, too. They're all in cahoots."
"I know."
"You know? Then you also know you can't get out of here......."
"I'll warn you, you'd better keep your mouth shut from now on."
A cloak of pure white starlight formed behind Osian's back.
"Unless you want to bite your tongue."
[Nebula Silk]
Princess Orlea was mesmerized by the cloak of starlight draped over Osian's back but her astonishment was not yet complete.
The cloak on his back fluttered in the absence of wind, and it began to spray pure white powder.
It was as if it was trying to apply momentum to push something away.
Osian lifted his feet off the ground and began to run.
Princess Orlea couldn't help but clutch the hem of his robe with her tiny hands.
The speed at which Osian ran was beyond her imagination.
"We've arrived!"
"He couldn't have gotten far!"
The assassins who had just broken through the rooftop door couldn't help but gape at the sight of Osian's white tail trailing off into the distance.
Not daring to give chase, they called to the others.
"What? The princess escaped? What do you mean?"
"Escaped the siege? Have you been drinking? How long has it been, she's already escaped! The siege radius is three kilometers! How can she escape in one minute?"
The people waiting outside were equally baffled by the sudden news.
"Running on the roof of a building? That's not going to get us to the side of a divided boulevard with nowhere to go! What? It went this way? Where the hell is.......?"
The person shouting into the receiver suddenly looked up.
A meteor streaked across the wide avenue, from building to building, with countless steam cars and trams.
"What is this.......?"
He could hear someone shouting into the receiver in his hand, asking what was going on, but he could do nothing as he watched the meteor recede.
*
A dark alleyway, away from the prying eyes of the world.
Osian decided that enough was enough and slowly let go of Princess Orlea.
Princess Orlea squirmed unsteady on her feet and afraid to escape Osian's touch.
She didn't even seem to care that her fine dress was soiled. No, maybe she couldn't afford to.
Princess Orlea couldn't help but ask Osian.
"Why did you save me?"
"By the way you reacted, you knew you were going to die all along."
Princess Orlea bit her lip.
Of course she knew. She had been sent to Tirna in the first place to fulfill a role.
"I am......."
"You come to Tirna as an emissary of the Peace Accords, and you get shot by an extremist. That's your role. Right?"
"Did......know that?"
"It's hard not to when you're playing the game so blatantly. Your own people are outraged that their princess has been shot dead in a neighboring country. Marquis de Debussy will return to his own country and complain about Tirna."
As the words spilled out of Osian's mouth, Princess Orlea was speechless.
This man was more than just brute force.
"Hmm. Let's see, seeing as how the military, which is supposed to provide escorts, is suddenly absent......I'd say they're actually in cahoots with him. It was the military that pushed for this agreement, so they've been targeting you from the beginning."
Osian stroked his chin for a moment, then his eyes narrowed.
"So the goal is war."
The military of Tirna and the Kingdom of Carleon joined hands and tried to start a war by using Princess Orlea as a sacrifice.