TGS - Chapter 72
Chapter 72: The Unexpected
It wasn't until Alyuin landed and unbuckled her sword that the people in the stands finally reacted.
The advisor stopped running, his eyes wide with disbelief. The city lord's noble supporters had lost their nerve; some watched numbly, while others were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
Someone glared at the caravan master. "What is going on?!"
The merchant, holding his hot tea, said calmly, "I am but a humble merchant. How could I possibly understand the thoughts of Her Highness the Princess?"
The noble choked, then suddenly heard the low growl of the black panther.
He whipped his head around to look at the arena.
The shredded flesh and warm blood from the first three rounds had melted most of the snow. The city lord had rolled on the ground, covering himself in blood, filth, and sand.
Facing a life-or-death threat, he almost instantly sprang up from the ground. His expression was one of utter terror, yet his right hand swiftly drew his saber and assumed a defensive stance.
—He was, after all, a child of the royal family.
The swordsmanship and combat training the city lord had received in his youth had forged an instinctive reaction to crisis. Though his breathing was ragged and his hands trembled, the short saber remained held steadily before his chest.
For a moment, the Princess, the city lord, and the black panther formed a triangular standoff.
Lotus also floated down from the stands at this moment. She landed in an empty space on the other side, becoming an unseen fourth party.
Humans could not see her, but animals had a vague sense. The black panther was very uneasy. Lotus looked at it, her expression suddenly pausing.
No, the panther's unease didn't stem entirely from sensing a divine spirit.
It was agitated about something, panicked, wanting to flee. But the chains and extreme hunger restrained its movements, causing the beast to cast a longing gaze at the two humans before it.
What was it…
Before Lotus could ponder further, the black panther was already in motion.
It rushed toward the Princess. The transition from circling in place to explosive movement took but the blink of an eye.
In the natural world, not considering special defensive measures like venom or sharp spines, beasts generally judge an opponent's difficulty by their size.
A panther's attack power is far inferior to a tiger's or lion's. They are more accustomed to ambushing their prey by surprise, chasing, and then pouncing to kill.
Even when forced into a face-to-face battle in the arena, it followed its predatory experience and chose the more slender opponent.
It was too hungry.
To incite a beast's ferocity, the arena would starve it for a period before releasing it. It was best if a grand spectacle of tearing and eating a person could be staged in the ring, as that would better stimulate the audience's senses.
Panthers are agile and swift. To have survived in the beast-fighting arena, this black panther was far stronger than its kin.
But before the black panther could truly raise its front paws, Alyuin had already dodged to the side. It pounced on empty air, turned with terrifying speed to attack again, only to be struck hard on its flank by her scabbard.
Just then, the iron chain was suddenly pulled taut. Someone behind an open gate was desperately tugging on it, trying to drag the beast back into its cage—the arena manager had begun to act.
The black panther roared, fighting against the force trying to pull it back. It twisted its head and opened its mouth, still unwilling to give up on the food right before its eyes.
Unfortunately, compared to warriors armed with spears and swords, or to tigers and lions, a panther was not a truly deadly opponent.
Alyuin drew her sword. The scabbard struck the beast's side again, while her other hand, gripping the hilt, brought the blade down with immense force.
A metallic screech set one's teeth on edge.
The iron chain trailing behind the black panther was severed by that single strike.
This action drew a small gasp from behind the gate, followed by the chaotic footsteps of someone fleeing. A noble above lost his composure and shouted:
"A—Princess! Please don't let that beast near the Lord! This is murder!"
There was also a voice urging others on: "Protect the city lord! Isn't that what you're here for? Go!"
The guards in the stands hesitated, shirking the responsibility to one another.
While they were arguing, the black panther seemed to realize it was free and immediately leaped away from Alyuin's side.
The black panther had met its match in the Princess. It then turned its beastly eyes toward Lotus's spirit form, its nose twitching. The threatening aura emanating from the spirit made it understand that this invisible, intangible fourth party was on the same side as the slender human before it.
The animal's instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm made it switch its target to the city lord.
As the massive body pounced, the city lord's pupils contracted. He had no choice but to raise his saber to block.
Perhaps there was indeed something wild lurking in the blood of Solancia's royal family. It sent hot blood rushing to his brain, causing a red haze to fall over his vision.
Something in the city lord's mind snapped. He let out a hoarse cry, swinging his blade with all his might, preventing the black panther from gaining the upper hand for the moment.
Alyuin stood idly to the side, arms crossed, watching the fight.
Someone in the stands shouted, "Lord City Lord, the gate is open! Retreat toward the gate—"
The city lord started. His gaze shifted, and sure enough, he saw a small, open gate.
The large gate on the other side was not an option; there were beasts more terrifying than the panther there. But this small gate was safe. It was the victor's exit, the only path to survival.
Hope flared in the city lord's eyes.
However, Alyuin strolled over and blocked the path to that gate.
"A royal warrior of Solancia wouldn't flee in panic from a mere black panther, would they?" Alyuin tapped the ground with her scabbard and said considerately, "I understand. The city lord is still just a child of twenty-one and needs more experience."
"—I won't interfere with your training, rest assured."
The words of assurance that came from her rose-colored lips sounded to the city lord like the whispers of a devil.
In that moment of distraction, the black panther finally seized its chance. It leaped, pinning the city lord beneath it. The feline's mouth opened wide, revealing sharp teeth, poised to pierce the human's throat.
Alyuin paused slightly, her posture straightening a little, her eyes fixed intently on the situation.
A dark shadow flickered across the depths of her brilliant golden eyes.
If Horst's nephew were to die here, a worthless death in the jaws of a beast, could that serve as the first step of her revenge?
Destroying him, destroying Horst himself, and bringing down his branch of the family. The thrill of getting what one desires is a sweet lure for an avenger.
But Alyuin still raised her sword, her gaze clearing once more.
She remained impassive, yet ready to intervene at any moment.
…In the end, the city lord did not lose his life to that pounce.
Scared out of his wits, he thrust his long saber sideways, barely managing to block the beast's attack.
The black panther struggled with its front paws, trying to lean forward and bite the city lord's face, but the long saber blocked it. It stopped less than an inch from his skin, unable to advance further.
But the city lord's strength was no match for the panther's; he could only resist for a short time.
The panther's body was heavy, its eyes filled with the desire to feed. The unique stench of a wild beast filled his nostrils, along with the saliva dripping from its foul-smelling mouth.
"Help me…" A faint voice squeezed from the city lord's throat.
He wanted to call her "Your Highness." If it meant being saved, what was calling her "Your Highness" a hundred times? But he didn't get the chance to speak.
At that moment, Lotus abruptly raised her head, looking to the southeast.
A certain fleeting unease she had felt before surfaced again. It was a hint, an omen.
—It was a subtle pull, a connection inexplicably linked to her godhood.
In an instant, Lotus swept to Alyuin's side.
Ignoring whether the Princess knew of her spiritual presence or not, she placed her lips by Alyuin's ear and said quickly and curtly, "Get out first, Alyu!"
The River Goddess's clear, ethereal tone was a voice the Princess knew to her very bones.
Her eyes widened slightly. The change in her expression lasted only a moment before she turned without hesitation and hurried toward the open gate.
In the instant her perspective shifted, she glimpsed the black panther behind her suddenly release the city lord. It took a running start and leaped into the stands on the other side without looking back, even though there wasn't a single person in that direction.
From beneath the arena, the roars of lions, tigers, and wolves rose and fell indistinctly, as if they had all agreed to go mad at once.
"Leave the arena!" Alyuin shouted sharply in the direction of Motis and the merchant as she ran for the small gate. "Now! Get outside!"
Motis: "Huh?"
He was completely bewildered, but he followed the order without question, hoisting the merchant over his shoulder and running for the exit.
The spectators in the VIP seats were baffled. They were still reeling from the terrifying panther attack. Seeing that both the Princess and the panther had fled, they were just about to arrange a rescue—
The arena began to shake.
Not just the building, but the very earth was shaking.
The faces of the nobles and advisors all drained of color. They scrambled after Motis, racing to get out of the arena.
The arena was situated halfway up a small mountain.
As the ground shook, the accumulated snow on the mountainside was dislodged, like a small avalanche. Chunks of snow and a loose mist of powder swept down along one of the high walls, burying the last few nobles and the arena floor below.
Because the arena blocked its path, this sudden "avalanche" did not affect the road outside the gate.
The group of escaped nobles stood stunned in the open space, only then realizing that the tremors were not getting any worse.
Not far away, residents from the vicinity had also rushed out of their homes, but no buildings had collapsed. Perhaps some dilapidated houses in the slums, out of sight from here, had fallen, but the people here didn't care.
A small avalanche seemed to be the most severe consequence.
Among the nobles, someone was the first to murmur.
"…An earthquake?"
On the third Saturday of the twelfth month, an earthquake occurred in Disimeng City.
The tremors affected more than ten nearby cities, including the main city where the Princess was staying. Even many residents living in the royal city of Akhet felt the shaking.
News arrived quickly, as Disimeng City was relatively close to the main city—it was a secondary city within the main city's domain.
By this time, the snow that had been falling for several days had stopped.
The sky had cleared, but it did not dispel the cold that enveloped the city. The sunlight that shone down was also icy and without warmth.
Some people, still too afraid to return to their homes, sat by the side of the open roads, talking to each other, still shaken.
Meanwhile, the unconscious city lord and a few other unlucky nobles had long since been dug out from under the snow. Some had even managed to crawl out on their own. They were all rushed back to their respective manors.
The slope where the arena was located was not, after all, a perpetually snow-capped peak. The falling snow looked intimidating, but it actually had little destructive power.
The greatest damage it caused was washing away the canopy that covered one side of the arena.
Thanks to the buffer provided by the canopy and the several tiers of stands, the few who were buried in the snow were not seriously harmed.
At the very least, they appeared uninjured on the outside.
Inside the temporary palace, the Princess was in the reception hall, speaking privately with one of the city lord's advisors.
Lotus, meanwhile, sat in the main hall, her head bowed in thought.
After a long while, she lifted her eyes to look out the window.
In the main city during winter, there were no flocks of blue herons, so it wasn't convenient to catch a suitable-looking one to act as a messenger.
So Lotus once again split off her Snow Goddess incarnation and sent it to the Kingdom of the Gods.
The destination was clear: the temple of Suojia, the Goddess of the Earth.
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