A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

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Then, he moved closer to her face.

"I like you."

"------"

"And what was the Saintess's reply?"

"Um... there are so many people here, can't I reply later?"

Although this person should be in quotes, with all the pieces watching, Saint Karina didn't have the courage to reply.

"I understand. Then Philomena will have to wait a little while, feeling lonely. Regarding the follow-up to the Saintess's reply."

Philomena looked around and said understandingly.

"But in the future that Philomena is waiting for, in the future where everyone is laughing, can Philomena stay by your side too?"

"...Of course! I won't let you go anywhere else."

Saint Karina stared straight at Philomena.

Then, bite down.

"You are my toy. I won't give you to anyone else."

"It's a promise."

"what?"

Upon hearing the sudden and rather rational response, Saint Karina seemed to realize that she had been tricked by Philomena and had fallen into a linguistic trap, and exclaimed in surprise.

"In short, Philomena has already reserved a place for Her Majesty the Saintess. You can't take back what you've said, okay?"

With a mischievous and playful air, Philomena closed one eye and lightly touched Saint Karina's lips with her finger.

An electric-like sensation traveled from Philomena's fingertips to Saint Karina's entire body, bringing her a strange feeling that rendered her speechless.

"You...you, you...you—"

"Yes, Philomena is here. She is the Saintess's person, and also the Saintess's personal toy."

The usual answer now sounded incredibly shameless, and Saint Karina was so angry at being tricked that she couldn't continue.

Nevertheless, being confessed to by a beautiful girl like Philomena, especially in front of so many people, still filled him with uncontrollable joy.

"After we've both been honest with each other, you've gone too far in many ways..."

"Girls who are serious about love are amazing, Your Majesty."

Philomena, who no longer concealed her affection for him, made Saint Karina blush with embarrassment and other reasons.

They leaned in close, forehead to forehead, gazing into each other's eyes at close range.

Philomena gazed at Saint Karina with affection at her actions. At such a close distance, where they could almost touch each other, the beautiful girl's appearance made Saint Karina's heart itch with desire.

My gaze was naturally drawn to her pink lips, and my heart began to race slightly.

163. The people of the Toran Empire

Meanwhile, in the forest, there was another group. If Saint Karina were to come and identify them, she would surely recognize these disheveled, refugee-looking people as being from the Toran Empire.

That haughty princess, just like any other refugee, was traversing the difficult, dense forest with her two noble companions.

Besides making the roads difficult to discern due to the fog, these pampered teenagers shouldn't be here either.

However, they looked like they were being chased by something, their faces filled with panic. Aaron, who had previously acted very gentlemanly and pretentiously in front of Curtis, had lost all his composure as the young viscount.

"Aaron, wait for me."

"Curtis, don't worry, we won't abandon you."

Aaron's smile was forced, but he still slowed his pace.

He actually preferred to help the princess get started, as their feelings for each other would be more likely to grow stronger in the face of adversity. If they could escape this calamity and return to the Toran Empire, and get engaged to the princess, they would have a chance not only to compete with their father's other sons for the earldom, but also to become marquises or dukes after winning the heirship.

He was a very ambitious man, and in his mind, although Curtis was a bit willful, he was still within the range of tolerance.

Moreover, Her Highness is very beautiful. Even without doing anything, the elegant Curtis can attract everyone's attention simply by standing in social situations, which is a very prestigious thing for a man.

People from slums are often considered unruly because of poverty and hardship, but if a princess is of noble birth, especially the emperor's beloved sixth princess, she is considered an unattainable beauty who will attract more young nobles to pluck her.

In fact, many times before, when the princess was about to trip over some overgrown branches or thorns, he wanted to go over and help her up, to make a good impression. However, the princess swayed a few times and showed obvious resistance, which made him not to rush forward.

He worried that Wan's performance was over the top, and all his previous efforts would be in vain.

"Curtis, you really don't need our help, do you?"

Aaron used a more tactful approach again.

In fact, besides his own ulterior motives, he was also anxious. Compared to them, Curtis was running far too slowly, and he was genuinely worried about being caught by that "monster."

If they could get close enough, Curtis would run a little faster.

In fact, Curtis didn't know what she was thinking. She shouldn't be so dramatic, but with Aaron, a man she had previously thought was alright, she now only felt resistance and aversion. She felt that she couldn't tolerate herself having intimate contact with him, even if it was just polite or assisted contact.

She didn't know why she had changed like this; in fact, she probably did know, but she just didn't want to admit it.

Thinking about the things in her dream, which she had mistakenly believed to be a dream, Curtis's face flushed slightly. She had to pretend that she was just tired from running and was panting, hence the redness.

Her beautiful dress had long been torn to shreds by branches and thorns while she was running.

Several times she got caught on the fabric, and she even tore off several pieces. Although it didn't result in any wardrobe malfunction, the hem of her skirt looked like it had been chewed by a dog.

"Whoosh whoosh."

In fact, not only Curtis, but the other two men were also breathing very rapidly.

They were attacked and separated from the main force in the thick fog. For some reason, the fog became thicker the deeper they went into the forest.

Actually, besides the three of them, there was another squad with them, but they were held up by that "monster." Or rather, the soldiers in that squad were all government-funded soldiers who voluntarily stayed behind to cover their retreat and buy them time.

It wasn't that the soldiers were too loyal; in fact, the Toran Empire was too rigid, with a very fixed class system. Although it was better than the country of the young emperor, which was full of traitors and parasites, if these soldiers dared to harbor ill intentions towards nobles and royalty, their families would suffer the consequences.

These people's families are all firmly controlled by upper-class individuals, preventing them from having any wicked thoughts.

Loyalty and protection are their motto, and also what they must adhere to.

"Aaron, I can't go on. Let's rest. My lungs feel like they're burning. Also, you said the main force is in this direction, but we've been chasing them for so long and haven't seen them yet. Are they really in this direction? Or are you mistaken?"

Curtis was panting heavily; she felt a burning sensation in her lungs and entire respiratory system, as if her organs were on fire.

In addition to the burning sensation in her body and the pain of lack of oxygen, she also felt her vision turning black and red. She felt that if she continued running, she would probably faint or suffocate from lack of oxygen.

She was, for the time being, a princess who lacked physical exercise, and a mage with a weak body but strong mental power. Although she could mobilize the magic power within her body for physical recovery, it was a drop in the ocean.

She felt her whole body begin to ache and feel weak, her limbs began to tremble and shake, and she was only able to hold on by willpower.

She had been trying to avoid asking the question and focus on running, but now she was truly on the verge of a breakdown.

"Curtis, we can't stop. I don't know how long the rest of the group can hold out, but with that monster's strength, it won't last long. If we relax even slightly, it will catch up with us very quickly. Hang in there a little longer, and if it really gets too much, I can carry you."

Aaron is a male, and although he is a magician, and a genius magician who is highly regarded among his peers at school, he is not a swordsman who practices regularly, and the swordsmanship he knows is just the fancy swordsmanship of nobles.

He usually practices swordsmanship, but he can't be described as diligent. He just completes his daily tasks and works out his physique to make himself look sunny and handsome. He is a fair-skinned pretty boy.

Despite his bad luck, he can grit his teeth and persevere.

However, when Curtis asked him, his previously unwavering confidence began to waver.

Is this really the right path? He asked himself, his tone already uncertain.

In fact, he had paid special attention to the attack beforehand, as well as the direction the main force chose last before they got separated from the main force. Logically speaking, they had been running for so long, there was no way they couldn't catch up.

At least... there won't be no trace left...

Looking at the thick, almost solidified milky-white fog all around him, he wondered if this strange white fog might cause people to lose their basic ability to distinguish directions.

164. Mainland refugees

However, if he went back in time, he knew he would never be able to defeat that monster.

Thinking of the boundless fog beasts and their leaders, he couldn't help but feel his face darken and become extremely grim.

Aaron originally thought that coming out with the princess and so many people would be a simple task, but the reality was quite different, and he was proven wrong.

Even with an Imperial War Goddess like the Guild Leader, things were still disrupted by a third party. That's right, besides the native Mist Beasts of the Black Forest, what truly made it difficult for the Guild Leader to extricate herself was another group of people—members of a mysterious organization.

“But, Aaron, those guys used some kind of magic, we might have started off in the wrong direction.”

Curtis didn't have Aaron carry him; instead, he was thinking of another way.

"Could we perhaps use communication magic?"

“I’ve tried it, it doesn’t work at all.”

Aaron replied.

Actually, the main force was supposed to be split up and run away in several small teams, with the commander covering the rear. To confuse the enemy, they were hidden in one of the teams, but now the team has been wiped out due to a new attack, leaving only the three of them to escape.

To ensure their survival, they had to chase after other teams.

"Hehehe. Of course that won't work, little guys, because this fog is a natural shield."

Just as the three were talking, a seductive female voice rang out.

The voice was very familiar, which startled the three of them at first, and then made them tremble.

"It's you?!"

Aaron's pupils contracted, and he gasped in surprise.

How could this be? Wasn't the commander trying to stop these people? How could she have caught up so quickly? Did something happen to the commander?

An uneasy feeling began to grow in Aaron's mind, and he started to have wild thoughts.

The newcomers were none other than the gang that had attacked them. This woman was a ruthless character; her face was extremely alluring, and she had long, ominous black hair that seemed to absorb all light—a hair color rarely seen in nearby countries, more like the hair color of some distant, dark land.

In fact, long black hair often comes from people who died on the mainland.

The woman had long, thin ears, light-colored eyeshadow, and full, beautifully shaped lips that made her look very sexy.

Her headlights were enormous, almost defying biological structure, making one wonder why they didn't sag due to gravity, because they were so big and perky. Her legs were also long and shapely, perfectly natural.

She wasn't wearing iron armor, but rather tight-fitting leather armor that accentuated her figure.

"Hey kid, I'm talking to you. You think that broken stick you're holding can handle me? I bet it'd be no match for those wild beasts in the forest."

The woman glanced at the magic wand in Aaron's hand and bluntly described it as a broken stick.

Because, to a woman, these are just lambs, her prey, and they won't cause her any harm at all.

She said that on purpose to insult Aaron and provoke him. Because she, you see, most enjoys toying with her prey when she has a sure chance of winning.

"How will we know if it will work if we don't try?"

Aaron frowned, his brows furrowing almost into a frown line.

He knew, of course, that he was no match for this woman. But surrendering obediently, giving up the struggle, and letting this woman grab him was not his style.

This woman's intentions are hostile. If we simply discard our weapons, wouldn't we be completely led by the nose?

"Hehehe. A mere viscount, yet he has commendable courage."

The woman naturally didn't take Aaron's desperate clinging to this last straw seriously.

She walked slowly towards the three of them, as if taking a leisurely stroll. Her posture and expression were extremely relaxed, as if this were not an endless, dangerous black forest, but the back garden behind her small house.

As she walked, the green grass on the ground swayed wildly like seaweed, and the vines in the woods bloomed like flowers under her feet.

"Don't come over here!"

Step by step, as the woman drew closer and closer, Aaron, though still gripping his magic wand tightly, hesitated to use even a single spell.

Even if he were to swing it down and actually use it as a stick, he wouldn't dare.

"And you, Regan Gunther, are another pathetic wretch trying to win the princess's favor. You don't think you can hurt me with that dagger, do you?"

When the other party called out his name directly, Reagan immediately showed an even more nervous expression.

His eyes were very wary; it was not a pleasant feeling to have a stranger call him by his name.

He certainly wished he had a more suitable weapon, such as a longsword, or some other decent weapon. But in reality, he was just a magician, a classmate of Curtis and Aaron.

Unlike Aaron, his magic staff had been damaged during the attack before he ran away. Although the staff didn't break from the attack, like a shoddy product, it had been lost on the battlefield and couldn't be found.