Chapter 14
Chapter 14: She's Not a Combat-Type Companion Either……
Li Kainan's figure moved nimbly and deftly along the outer wall, scaling it with ease to reach the window of the only room with a light on.
This had once been a prince's castle—naturally, it was refined and opulent throughout.
Even the windows were fitted with rather expensive transparent glass, which conveniently allowed Li Kainan to observe the situation inside!
He peered in, and discovered a tall girl with dark brown hair inside the room, reluctantly pulling a lavish evening gown onto herself.
And under the observation of Li Kainan's Eye of Insight, a green name—signifying a friendly unit—appeared above the girl's head.
【Belle (?)】
So it really is her—good thing I hadn't just fired an arrow through the window just now……
And right at that moment, the girl who was in the middle of changing seemed to sense the gaze from outside the window, and instinctively glanced back.
And just like that, she and Li Kainan found themselves staring at each other through the glass.
A face suddenly appearing outside the window staring straight at you is the kind of thing that would send most people's hearts leaping into their throats—and Belle was no exception.
Her delicate, refined features—carrying an air of bookish intelligence—flooded with alarm, and she let out an involuntary cry of fright.
The evening gown she had only half-finished putting on slipped from her grasp at that moment, giving Li Kainan an unintentional glimpse of her tall, slender, fair figure in nothing but her undergarments.
Li Kainan paid the sight no mind, his brow furrowing slightly instead.
Not as prone to losing her balance as Branny—but still fairly prominent.
And with a figure this slender and fair, it was obvious she had never trained in any martial arts.
Li Kainan had originally assumed that since this girl had managed to rescue her father from a monster, she must have considerable combat strength and courage.
But as things stood, he had guessed completely wrong—Miss Belle was not a combat-type recruit either!
And that cry of fright just now would, in all likelihood, alert the monster lurking in the castle……
To ensure this infiltration went smoothly, Li Kainan had already resolved to activate full combat mode and eliminate anyone who laid eyes on him.
But contrary to Li Kainan's expectations, the girl named Belle reacted with impressive speed.
After that involuntary cry, she had clapped her own hand over her mouth in the very next instant!
She hastily pulled the evening gown over herself first, then trotted over to the window and pressed her voice low, asking through the glass:
"Did my father send you to rescue me?"
Li Kainan had a handsome appearance that put people at ease the moment they saw him—a world apart from the grotesque monster inside the castle.
And for someone to come sneaking around furtively at a time like this, the obvious conclusion was that this was a knight sent by her escaped father to rescue her……
Li Kainan admired how sharp the girl was, and quickly nodded to make his identity clear.
Upon seeing Li Kainan nod through the window, Belle made the decisive choice to trust him and opened the window to let him in.
She was already in the worst possible situation anyway—things couldn't get much worse……
The window opened, and Li Kainan slipped silently into the room.
He had just opened his mouth to speak when a middle-aged woman's voice came from outside the door:
"Miss Belle, did something happen just now? Do you need me to come in?"
The female voice at the door had clearly been drawn over by Belle's earlier cry of fright.
Upon hearing the voice, Belle quickly gestured at Li Kainan not to move, then turned her head and called out toward the door:
"It's fine—just a small accident. Please don't come in!"
"Very well. I'll wait just outside the door—please call for me anytime you need anything……"
The person outside the door maintained a considerable degree of politeness and courtesy toward Belle—told not to come in, she genuinely stayed out!
Seeing this, Li Kainan's brow shifted slightly, and the look he gave Belle was a touch peculiar.
Well—her father's worrying was apparently unnecessary. Seems like you've been getting along just fine here……
Noticing the peculiar look in Li Kainan's eyes, the sharp-minded Belle immediately guessed his thoughts and quickly lowered her voice, giving Li Kainan a brief account of what her situation had been up to this point.
After listening patiently, Li Kainan stroked his chin and said:
"So what you're saying is—not only is there a bull-headed monster in this castle that can speak and forcibly kept you here, but there's also a bunch of talking, working pots and pans that have been treating you with particularly warm hospitality?"
Belle thought Li Kainan didn't believe her and quickly lowered her voice to swear:
"I know you don't believe me, but I swear it's all true—"
Before she could finish, Li Kainan cut her off directly and nodded:
"No—I believe you."
Sounds absurd, yes.
But in a world with transcendent powers, creatures of all kinds that could speak were already all over the place.
A bunch of talking pots and pans wasn't particularly strange.
And after completing the story mission, Li Kainan was even planning to pack up all these pots and pans and take them with him!
Rare curiosities like these, sold off to those nobles who loved collecting all manner of bizarre oddities, could easily bring back enough money to recruit a fully equipped cavalry company of a hundred men.
That would be his startup funds sorted!
The thought of it made Li Kainan genuinely excited……
……
Belle looked Li Kainan up and down—fully armed, clad in heavy armor, and capable of finding her without making a sound. His combat strength was clearly formidable!
A flicker of confidence stirred in Belle's heart, and she began thinking through the situation calmly:
"I have a plan right now that can draw the monster over here……"
But before she could even lay out the plan, urgent bang-bang-bang footsteps came thundering down the corridor outside—as though some enormous creature was charging toward them down the hall.
Then the door was pounded with a boom-boom-boom, followed by the scraaatch of claws dragging across the wooden surface.
"I told you to come down for dinner—get out here, or I'll break down this door!" A furious roar erupted from outside.
Li Kainan shook his head and said to her in a low voice:
"Looks like no plan is needed—it's already here."
Hearing the commotion outside the door, Belle couldn't help but tremble all over with fright, instinctively shrinking behind Li Kainan.
No matter how calm and rational she could be, at the end of the day she was still just a slight, bookish young woman.
Before she'd had anyone to rely on, she had simply forced herself to hold together—but now that Li Kainan had come to her rescue, she naturally and instinctively turned to him for support.
Li Kainan gestured for her to stay behind him, then set down the heavy bow—too unwieldy for use indoors.
Right hand drawing the magnificent sword at his hip, left hand taking up the battle axe hanging at his waist—he readied himself for battle……
……