My mind went blank the moment I saw her.
A wave of warmth and a strange sense of relief, washed over me as I recognized her face.
"Princess Clarice," I whispered.
Why is she here? And why is she surrounded by bandits?
Questions flooded my mind as I continued watching from afar.
Before I regressed, I had only met her once, after I'd started traveling with the Hero's party.
But her appearance now was strikingly different from the image I remembered.
She looked dignified and graceful, her long blonde hair neatly tied, her large blue eyes warm and expressive.
There was a gentle confidence in her smile, and her features radiated sincerity.
She stepped out of the carriage, scanning her surroundings with composed awareness.
"Please, Princess, get back inside, it's not safe here,"
one of the knights barked, approaching her cautiously with his helmet still on.
The maid who had been escorting her rushed out of the carriage, trembling and timid as she clung behind the princess. But unlike the maid, Clarice didn't seem afraid—not even with the bandits surrounding them.
Then, a large man in a dark hood stepped forward from among the bandits, slowly approaching her with heavy step with a large axe on his back.
Quietly, I made my way closer, one step at a time, slipping through the tree line without drawing attention. My eyes stayed locked on the scene.
As I got a closer look, something about that large man felt familiar. The way he moved, the massive axe strapped to his back, it reminded me of someone I had encountered before. But with his face hidden beneath that hood, I couldn't be sure if it was really him.
"Oi, you look hot as fuck, Princess," the large man grinned as he walked closer and closer to her.
"Hey! Stop it!"
"Don't come any closer!"
The knights rushed forward, forming a protective wall in front of the princess.
My eyes widened the moment I heard his voice; it was a familiar voice of my opponent that I defeated in the future.
Yet the princess stood still, unshaken and without fear.
"I don't know who you are,"
Princess Clarice said confidently, her voice calm and unwavering,
"But if you don't cause any trouble, I will overlook this matter."
Her speech was flawless, laced with authority.
Without a single word in response, that big guy suddenly reached to his back and pulled out his giant axe. With a thunderous swing, he brought it down on one of the knights—splitting him clean from the top of his helmet to the ground. The blade cleaved through metal, bone, and flesh, leaving the armoured corpse in two mangled halves. Blood and entrails spilled out, pooling beneath the shattered body.
"Shit! One down already!"
"Princess, get back inside—everyone protect—!"
Another knight shouted as he turned toward Clarice, but before he could finish his command, his head was sliced clean off. It hit the ground with a heavy thud, and blood splashed across Princess Clarice's face and dress.
As soon as the large man attacked, his underlings sprang into action, surrounding and clashing with the remaining knights. The knights were heavily outnumbered; there were nearly thirty bandits closing in on them.
Before I tried to make my move.
The big man walked steadily toward Clarice, who stood frozen in place, her dress soaked in blood and her eyes wide in shock.
He stopped just a few steps in front of her and slowly pulled back his hood.
Short brown hair. A deep cross-shaped scar across his right cheek. A cold, stern expression etched onto his face.
The moment I saw him; my heart began pounding.
My body trembled, not from fear, but from rage.
This man… I knew him. I fought him in the future.
He was the second in-command of the Lion Crawl; his name is Kevin.
The reason I felt such burning rage wasn't just because of what he'd done. It was what he said in his final moments.
Even as he lay dying by my blade, he had the nerve to smile and say,
"I'm satisfied. I've done enough bad things and achieved many things, and I never forget the face of that princess!"
He laughed, when he said it, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.
But the moment he mentioned the princess, I snapped.
I grabbed him by the collar, yanked him close,
"Who is that princess? What did you do to her?"
He only grinned wider.
"Why would you care, you bastard?" he spat, eyes full of mockery.
Slowly, I pressed my blade into his gut, twisting it just enough to make him scream.
"Talk," I repeated, my voice low and cold.
"Just kill me already, you piece of shit!!"
He roared through clenched teeth, blood bubbling from his mouth as I twisted the blade again.
Before I could get an answer from him, he had already died.
But now I saw him again, standing right in front of Clarice.
He looked at her with lusty eyes.
"You got big tits princess !"
Kevin grinned darkly as he stepped closer, placing his thick arm casually over Princess Clarice's shoulder.
The confident and composed princess from moments ago was gone. Now, she stood frozen in fear, her body trembling after witnessing the brutal slaughter of her knights. She looked nothing like royalty—just a helpless, vulnerable young woman caught in a nightmare.
"Sir! We've taken out half of them, and the rest are surrendering!"
One of his men rushed up to report.
Kevin didn't even glance at him.
"Just kill all of them," he said coldly.
"What about the maid?" the bandit asked.
Kevin finally turned his head slightly, a cruel smirk twisting across his face.
"You guys can play with them," he said coldly.
Then his eyes slid back to Clarice, full of wicked intent.
"My meal is right here," he muttered.
When I heard that, it shook me to my core.
In that moment, I finally understood the pain Princess Clarice had been carrying when I met her in the future. Back then, I thought she was simply quiet and reserved—but now, I realized her expression had always been hollow. She smiled out of habit, not joy. Her voice had always wavered beneath the weight of silent suffering. No one truly cared about her, not even in the royal family. As a royal whose body had been defiled by scumbags, her worth in the eyes of the court had diminished to nothing. No title, no bloodline, no grace could cleanse what had been taken from her.
I stood up from my hiding spot, anger burning inside me. With a deep breath, I formed two sharp blades from my dark magic and rushed toward Kevin.
The bandits were still laughing, cutting down the knights without care. The air was filled with screams, blood, and the clash of steel. Off to the side, five maids huddled together in fear. A group of bandits slowly walked toward them, their eyes full of sick thoughts.
Without a moment's hesitation, I swapped places with Princess Clarice. Kevin's eyes widened in shock as he found me standing before him, my twin blades slowly dripping with blood.
"W-What… who the hell are you?" he stammered.
Before he could even reach for his axe, his head was already falling from his shoulders.
I had sliced it cleanly—so fast that the nerves in his neck hadn't even realized he was dead yet.
"Boss!!" one of the underlings screamed in panic as Kevin's body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
I turned toward them, my mask hiding the fury burning in my eyes.
"Humans are no different from demons," I said coldly before rushing to them.