Another World Story

Day Sixty-One:

"Die"

Time seemed to freeze for the dagger that reflected in Dawn's eyes. She watched the tip of the dagger move ever-slowly as countless images flashed through her mind. Different emotions clashed inside her. Fear, joy, satisfaction, despair, frustration, anger, and... regret.

Drip- Drip-

A trickle of blood appeared on her lip. Her eyes that was filled with despair, gleamed, great resolved could be seen from them. Dawn forced her body to move, although she could not move a single limb and a lot of her muscles and bones were either torn or broken, she still tried to. She does not want such an ending!

'Please...! Move..!! Move!! Move!!! MOVE!!!!'

She howled internally. But her body that was weakened by her illness and was beaten up by the madman was not listening. Dawn could feel it, she was certain that death was something she can't truly escape no matter what. But even so, even if it was selfish of her, she wished to live for even a minute or two longer for her princess.

Dawn took a quick glance towards where her princess is. She couldn't see well, but she knew that she was okay for now. She just need to stall for time until the knights arrive. Dawn gritted her teeth and...

"AAAHHHHHH!!!!"

Crack-

She mustered all her strenght and roll to the side, dodging the madman's attack. The ominous dagger who missed its target plunged to the marble floor, cracking it.

"..."

Ha. Haa. Haa- Haa. Haa...

"Hugk! Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Dawn gasped for breath as her last ditched effort to dodge made her broken bones to stab one of her lungs. She coughed blood as the damage was too much for her weakened body.

"..."

Dawn could feel the madman's gaze on her. Killing intent filled the air and Dawn used up her remaning strenght to withstand it.

'I finally caught his attention...!'

Dawn exclaimed. But it was already too late. If only she was able to caught his attention sooner, she could have baited him outside the room. But now she was crippled and even breathing proved to be giving her difficulties.

"...Trash like you...!"

The madman stood up, he glared at Dawn and raised one of his foot and slammed it onto her abdomen.

"AGHK!"

Dawn rolled around, her broken ribs diving deaper into her organs.

COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!

The intentsity of her coughing rose to a whole level. She look like she would die in an instant if another of the madman kicks hit her again. But the madman was only angered by her coughing and went towards her. He glared and whispered incoherent words.

"..."

Dawn could only look at the madman. Despite her status, she faced the madman's gaze with her resolve filled gaze. She does not fear death anymore as her only goal is to save the princess. The madman receiving her gaze, trembled in anger. He raised one of his foot again and slammed it right at Dawn's abdomen.

"...Trash like you dare!!"

"AGHKA!"

"A trash like you dare interfere!!"

"Ghak!"

"I'll tear that look on your eyes!! I'll show you what happens to those who interfere!!!"

The madman kicked, kicked, and kicked Dawn's abdomen. Every kick was strong enough to make a normal adult man flying a few meters, yet Dawn received those kicks. She clutched her stomach as the pain was too unbearable. Dawn felt like her consciousness would fly with every kick, she became dizzy and a pool of blood was created below her.

"Tsk, I've wasted my time, on such trash"

The madman spoke as he landed a final hit on her. He stepped on her head and tried to squash it. But before he could do so, a moan was heard.

"Mmm..."

Eleonora who was sleeping peacefully, was now beginning to wake up.

"Aaahh~ How beautiful!"

With Eleonora's sleeping moan, the madman seemed to forget what he was doing, he removed his feet on Dawn's head, and slowly walked towardss the sleeping body of the princess hugging himself.

"Aahh~ I'm sorry~ I didn't mean to make you wait~ Eleonora!"

'Princess...!' Dawn with her half-closed eyes saw the madman walking towards Eleonora. He was hugging himself and twisting his body as if in euphoria.

"Just hearing your breathing is making me aroused~!" He said.

"Ah~ how I wish for us to be together for the longest time!"

'Somebody...'

Dawn could only pray to the Gods as she looked at the madman standing infront of her princess. She wondered why there was no one among the knigts or the shadows to show up. She knew that the King assigned shadows to every member of his family, and the princess was no exception, yet there seemed to be none of them responding to the situation.

"This silk-like, lustrous, platinum-blue hair..."

The madman raised some of Eleonora's hair upto his nose and smelled it.

"Ahh~ the sweet scent of this body..."

He said, traising his fingers from Eleonora's shoulder to her neck, then to her face.

"And this beautiful face... Le-"

The madman clasp Eleonora's face and showed his tounge, but before his tounge reach her face and licked it, it disappeared -no, it was cut.

"Who gave you the permission to touch me?"

An ice-cold voice reverberated through the room. Dawn seeing where the voice came from was delighted, tears formed on her eyes. Surprising as it was, Dawn was still alive, although barely.

The madman who was confused alternated between the blue sword made from ice, the long tounge on the floor, and where the voice came from.

"Ah- KIYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHK!!!!"

After a moment, the madman finally realized what happened. He screamed as he covered his blood filled mouth.

"Annoying"

Eleonora muttered. She then whispered something, then numerous magic circles appeared inside the room. She then took a glance at the barely alive Dawn, then shifted her gaze back to the madman.

"For giving my servant and only friend such gifts. I shall gift you the same, if not greater"

"Wy ab u dyuin tis! Eleyoa! (Why are you doing this! Eleonora!)"

The madman screamed. It's as if he found the way Eleonora attack him to be incomprehensible. The madman took out a vial and drunk it, moments later the long tounge that was lost regenerated itself.

"We are destined to be together! Why are doing this?!"

The madman asked. But Eleonora didn't answer and just clench her fist. The moment she did so, the numerous magic circles activated. A barrier covered her and Dawn each, and it layered upto 3. The other circles then activated.

"Ice-attribute Field-Series: Hail"

With those words, countless ice crystals appeared from the magic circles. And with a Snap! From the princess's fingers, the ice crystals launched themselves like bullets towards the madman.

"Ahh~ this mana... Truly beautifu-"

Crash!

The madman's voice was then buried by the sound of explosions. Smokes appeared and covered the place where the man was.

And after a minute or two, the bombardment stopped. Furnitures near the madman disappeared, the floor cracked and holes appeared showing the floor below it. The air became heavy and cold as the ice crystals turned to ice particles.

'Is it over...?'

Dawn thought. If Kaiser were to hear this, he would surely scream "Flag!".

Eleonora who used such high-ranking magic, looked at the result of her attack. She then used mana sense, revealing 2 signatures other than her.

"??"

Eleonora was confused, as the signature was closer to Dawn than to the where the madman was bombarded. She immediately looked towards where Dawn is and saw the madman there standing a few meters away from Dawn.

"Ah~ even your use of magic is beautiful~!"

He said, twisting his body. Eleonora found the act to be digusting, and fired a new magic towards her oppenent. But what she doesn't knew was that, the madman was not an opponent she could fight, now. The madman licked the dagger in his hand and disappeared, the magic that Eleonora fired strike the floor.

"The amount of your mana... Is truly worthy of me~!"

"!!!"

Eleonora immediately turned to her back and step backed, the madman was behind her, spinning the dagger that reflected the moonlight.

"Ahh~! I can't get angry at you for too long~! Don't worry, I'll kill all of the people precious to you, then we can finally be together~!!"

"..."

Dawn watched as her princess even with her overwhelming power was outmatched by the enemy. The madman easily entered the barrier as if his own, and appeared behind her princess. If she were in good condition, she might act as the frontline synergizes with Eleonora's long-range and mid-range magic. But she was not, and she turned into a burden too.

"Ah~ I'll have to play with you Eleonora~! Let's play tag~! Heehehehehueh!"

The madman, crazed, licked the dagger in his hand and disappeared. Eleonora kept her senses up, locating where the mana signature would appear.

"I'm here!"

Eleonora immediately jump backed as she heard the voice, but when she turned around there was no one there. Then her mana sense caught the mana signature behind her, to the place where she stepped back.

"Caught you~!"

The madman quickly wrapped his hands around Eleonora's body, he put a towel in her mouth and after a moment, Eleonora fell limp on the floor.

"Ah~ I finally have you!"

The madman seemed truly dighted. Although obscured, Dawn could see the man carrying the princess on his shoulder. He stopped and look where Dawn is and...

"I'll come back and kill you all" the madman declared before he disappeared with the princess on his shoulder.

"..Ah"

Dawn who saw it, couldn't think properly. Her sole reason to live was taken.

"Eleonora..."

She muttered.

"Help....!"

Dawn said.

"HELP!"

She screamed.

"Somebody please!! Help Princess Eleonora!!! Cough!"

Dawn screamed. Her wounds opened up once again and she coughed out blood. Dawn continue to scream, and after a few moments. She heard faint noises of footsteps moving towards her. Dawn's eyes, as if assured by the sound, slowly closed, she caught sight of person she sometimes saw in the palace.

"Lady Vanessa..."