Chapter 40: Battle Preparations Begin
"You were told to be careful, weren’t you? You’re my trump card... no, the hope of Freesia," the princess said sharply when we met again in the audience chamber after half a day. Her attire was a long dress-like nightgown, as if she had jumped out of bed upon hearing the commotion.
"No need to worry about it. My level has gone up a lot, lately. I took them down easily," I replied.
"Don’t lie," Princess Ellis said, grabbing my bleeding palm forcefully.
It seems she had noticed I was hiding my wound.
"It’s just a scratch. No big deal," I said.
"If that arrow had been coated with expensive poison, you might already be dead," she retorted angrily. I had never seen the princess this upset before, and her anger was justified.
"I’ll go get bandages and disinfectant," Reina said, hurrying off to a room deeper in the castle after seeing my wound.
"From now on, Lord Seiou, please don’t leave the mansion so carelessly," the princess said.
"With all due respect, Princess, the fire was too strong. Only Lord Seiou’s magic could put it out. This is the fault of our guard unit, not Lord Seiou’s," Captain Kanon said, bowing apologetically.
"There were multiple fire sources, all upwind of the sewing workshop. It was likely a planned arson targeting the workshop," I added.
The princess’s face darkened as she turned to Captain Kanon. "Who were the men we captured?"