Dawn- An age of Darkness

"I feel like I've heard that name before." The girl wondered but didn't say anything. 

Alisa told me that my name was famous but not in this country since it was mostly sealed off: I was free to use my name. But looks like this girl knew me or my name to be specific. Or maybe there was someone in this world who had the same name?

Yeah, probably not. 

"I've battled dragons before, maybe that's how you knew?"

The girl smiled. And bowed tilting the hem of her skirt. If only she didn't smell. "Viola Von Ohran." She didn't say she was a princess. I guess that was clever. 

And she still didn't realize that half of her skirt was wet?

"Alright, Viola, I'll take my leave now: I've to go somewhere. Good day."

I betted on the possibility that they'd stop me. But if they didn't, that'd actually be a bit awkward. Besides, all these aromas in the air weren't really making me feel so hot. I was about to magnificently throw up my breakfast if this kept up. 

"Already?" She grabbed me. "But you're so injured, at least let me- us tend you first." Well, at least the plan kind of succeeded.

But the puking feeling intensified the closer she got. 

I had a feeling she wanted a lot more than just to tend my wounds. After all, these guys were powerless now, meaning they needed my help. Clever. This princess might not have been that dull after all.

Though offering my help for free might have invited suspicion, so I had to tread carefully. 

"Your highness". A maid came walking this way. Ve held back a lot or this middle-aged woman would have been dead by now. She whispered something to the princess and her face turned bright red. 

This was the first time, I saw someone blush like that. "Please use that tent. Treat him please," She pointed, ordered her maid, and walked back to the central tent, in a very careful manner. 

Yup, she finally understood her number one problem right now. And I was really glad for that. I didn't know why but I really liked this maid now. I had to thank her later!

"This way, young man."

The maid led me.

'I should just get a shower.'

I was definitely going to clobber my companions for putting me through this. 

***

It was a small tent and I was given a small bucket of water. Definitely not enough to take a shower. 

The maid also provided me with a towel. 

So, with no other choice, I had to just clean myself with the wet towel. 

Now that I was far away from the princess, I didn't smell that bad. I guess she wasn't careless enough to rub everything against me. Then again it would have been nice if she were at least conscious about the fact that she shouldn't have gotten close to me in that state in the first place. 

It was us who put her in that situation, so I had no right to complain. 

The maid kind of didn't move from the tent and just watched me take my armor off. 

I guess she suspected me. After all, I'd be suspicious of a random stranger coming to my rescue too. 

I cleaned myself and kept the armor hanging to dry it a little. Meanwhile, I drank a whole bottle of potion, which I had carefully kept in my pouch. 

I did feel better but these wounds needed attention. 

Actually, the maid's wounds also needed attention but she was acting tough and I had a feeling so were the rest of the soldiers. I did see a healer among them, so it was cool. I wanted to use healing magic myself, but I wasn't that confident and since I already showed off water magic, I couldn't just haphazardly show off healing magic. 

"You said you were an adventurer, correct?" The maid began. 

I had to take this calmly. "Yes. I'm a first-class adventurer."

"First class?" She was a bit surprised. "I guess that would explain your strength, yes. Can I see your card, please?"

"Sure-" I brought it out and showed her. It was a good thing I moved all the necessary stuff to the pouch. If I randomly started pulling out stuff from the ring, people would have freaked out. 

Though I kind of already made a mistake when I'd brought out the mystic blade and even sent it back through the ring. So, I had a feeling it was a bit pointless at this point. 

"You ARE first class." She was mesmerized: she probably didn't believe me the first time. But then she let out a sigh of relief. "The heavens have not yet abandoned us," She mumbled. I heard that. She returned the card back to me. "Would you be interested in a guard duty for a day or two?"

Looks like this maid was desperate too. "I'm sorry but I am on an urgent mission. I must make it to the capital within three-"

The half-elf had said the capital was three days from here but the path was rather tricky and she'd have to guide me through the forest. She also told me that something about this part of the forest was unnatural. But I guess now wasn't the best time to be thinking about that. 

"Perfect!" The maid came and held my hand. "Please- I beg of you, just take the girl and ensure her safe passage to the capital. You'll be paid handsomely!"

Just the princess huh? I guess this maid was that selfless? But unfortunately, I already had plans. 

"You mean that girl who wet herself?" I gave her a dull look. "I'm sorry but I have to make it to the capital as fast as possible, I can't slow down because of-" 

The maid grimaced a little. "I beg of you." She got down on the floor. 

So, she was desperate enough to trust a random stranger?

I moved back by instinct. "What are you doing, get up."

"Please!" Her head was on the ground. She was serious. 

The half-elf and Alisa had by chance came to know about this situation. But long story short, these guys had been stuck here for three days and their numbers were dwindling fast. The rations were almost gone and they were about to be wiped out in a day or two. 

We were going to help them either way, so Alisa came up with a plan to rescue the princess and ask her for a favor later. I was against this plan, but here I was. 

I also kind of wanted to see how far these people were willing to go, but I guess I now knew. I sighed, very audibly. "Fine, but I expect a very-very generous compensation. And I was expecting something for this too." Which I just made up right now. 

After all, nothing in life was free and if I just happened to help people for the goodness of my heart, I'd be seen as more suspicious. 

But since I already made plans to help them anyway, I was willing to just take her word for a reward. And I wasn't really interested in a reward either, after all, we had bigger plans. 

"But of course!" The maid got up with tears and a smile. "Please take this." She handed me a small stone necklace- a ruby necklace. "This should be worth at least fifty Xylax gold. This should be enough for an advance, payment, don't you think?"

I had no idea how much that was worth but didn't have time to care either. 

"Very well." I took the ruby. "What about you guys?"

The maid smiled. "We'll be just fine."

Yeah, I doubted that. But Alisa and the others had already slain half of the monsters anyway. And they were currently killing monsters too, that was why there weren't any raids ever since I showed up. 

But really, why were so many monsters coming here of all places? It couldn't have been a coincidence. 

Someone was really trying to kill these guys and that was crystal clear. But as far as I'd heard, this princess was kind of a spoiled brat, so why bother killing someone like her?

For the throne, I guess. People could do anything for power after all. 

 "Is there any reason you guys are here? And who are you, people?"

The maid looked a bit troubled but- "The miss is from a noble family. She ran away from home and we were supposed to guard her. But along the way, we got lost, and somehow no matter what, we were always ending up in this location and monsters were just crawling everywhere, so we had to set camp here."

I didn't know why but this oddly didn't make sense. 

The princess ran away from home. These guys- the size of a small army followed her and even took rations but then these guys- the very same guys who were supposed to be the brightest of the country- were getting lost in their own backward? And not to mention they should have at least been able to kill monsters but- something really didn't add up. 

"You have any theories?"

"I believe someone must be trying to assassinate the pri- my lady."

Wow, she almost slipped. 

And wasn't it obvious already?

I sighed. "I mean do you have any idea what's going on? As in why are you coming back here and why you haven't gotten any help or why monsters are attacking you like this."

"We don't know. Though we suspect it has to do with the dark elves."

I sighed again and tried on the armor. A lot of the wounds stung. I really needed attention. "Alright, why don't we start preparing?"

I guess these guys really were desperate enough to trust a random stranger like me. 

But if people were constantly getting back to this place, didn't that mean even if I and the princess left, wouldn't we just be getting back here again?

"Oh- I forgot to tend your wounds!" With that said, she ran out of the tent and brought back a bowl of water, some cloth, and some kind of petroleum-type jelly.

There was a lot of rubbing.

Did I forget to mention it hurt?

Cause it sure did. 

Arghghhhh!