CHAPTER 22: ...IS NOTHING COMPARED TO HER BODYGUARD’S.

BANG!

The sharp, piercing sound of the gunshot breaks the stillness of the night. From the treetops, dozens of birds perched among the branches suddenly take flight, scattering into the darkness, while small woodland creatures flee through the undergrowth.

By instinct, Aoshi could do nothing but shut his eyes tight the instant he saw the man aim the gun and fire, bracing for the worst. He expected a sharp, searing pain to shoot through his body — or for Eliss’s body to collapse in his arms, accompanied by a heartbreaking scream of agony.

Yet none of that happens.

When he opens his eyes a second later, someone is standing between them and the attackers. A tall and striking young man, his sculpted build clearly visible even beneath the layers of his refined, almost nineteenth-century outfit — a gray waistcoat and trousers, white shirt, black tie, and polished black shoes. His long, sleek obsidian-colored hair falls neatly over his shoulders.

Between his thumb and index finger, he holds the bullet that had been fired just moments earlier.

Aoshi stands frozen, still holding Eliss, his body trembling uncontrollably after coming so close to death. He has no idea who the mysterious young man who intervened might be — but Eliss knows him all too well. It is Raelor Valraen, her bodyguard and brotherly friend.

«A-And who the hell is this guy now?! Another monster?!» the armed man yells in terror as Raelor crushes the bullet between his fingers.

«You made a serious mistake by failing to appreciate the merciful act granted to you by Princess Eliss Narkhalis. And unfortunately for you, I am not as forgiving as that boy,» Raelor hisses, referring to Aoshi, his composed yet solemn voice carrying a quiet menace — like an unrelenting judge pronouncing an irreversible sentence: a death sentence.

«I-I don’t know how you managed to stop that bullet with your bare hands...» another of the men growls. «But try to stop these, if you can!»

At that threat, the others also draw their pistols, aiming their weapons at Raelor, ready to fire, and... SLASH!

A chorus of desperate, agonized screams overlaps one another, filling the air with a harrowing symphony that freezes the blood and makes the skin crawl. Fountains of blood gush from the spots where, just a moment ago, their hands were holding their guns — hands that now lie submerged in the crimson pool spreading wider and wider beneath their feet, staining the dirt path a macabre shade of scarlet.

Before the men even have time to pull the trigger, Raelor traces a horizontal arc in the air with his index finger — an invisible slash that spreads at a speed imperceptible to the human eye until it reaches their wrists, cutting them clean off.

«That’s it, Raelor! You’re the best!» Eliss cheers with renewed energy, bouncing on her feet like an excited child. But Aoshi is anything but excited. Terror and disgust paralyze him as he stares at the severed limbs of their attackers and the spurts of blood bursting from their wounds. He doesn’t manage to move away in time, and ends up splattered from head to toe.

He turns abruptly, forcing his gaze away from the slaughter, pressing his palms so hard against his ears that it feels like his skull might crack under the pressure. A moment later, a violent retch bursts from his mouth like a torrent, mixing with the blood that stains the blades of grass beside the path. The convulsion is so strong that tears stream down his face, as if his stomach itself were trying to claw its way out of his throat.

T-That man... no, that thing... there’s nothing human about him! Being Eliss’s bodyguard, he must be a demon too — someone capable not only of moving faster than a bullet and catching it between two fingers, but now even cutting off those men’s hands without anyone realizing it...

I-I should be glad that Raelor stepped in to defend us and made them harmless, and yet... I wouldn’t wish what I’m seeing and hearing — right now on my worst enemy. This isn’t something a normal human being should ever experience... not even in their darkest nightmares.

Eliss — she’s the one who distorted my perception of these demonic creatures. So sweet, so carefree, so cheerful, so... human.During these ten days with her, I somehow convinced myself that living with a demon wasn’t so different from living with an ordinary girl. But it’s clear now that Eliss was nothing more than a rare exception.Raelor — he’s the reality. And the fact that Eliss isn’t even remotely disturbed by this bloodbath proves it. Where she comes from, executions like this are probably routine.

Shit... And to think I believed that having an overly clingy, flirtatious roommate was the worst part of living with a succubus princess. Turns out it’s nothing compared to what it really means to deal with beings like them — being brutally killed in an instant by their terrifying magic, without even having the chance to react or realize you’re about to die.

A terrifying thought flashes through Aoshi’s already fragile mind like a bolt from a clear sky, plunging him into an even deeper state of despair and dread. He crouches on the ground, still pressing his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyelids shut as tightly as he can — trying to make himself smaller and smaller, as if he could somehow disappear from the incubus’s sight.

What if... he goes after me next? If he’s her bodyguard, and he appeared at the exact moment of danger, that means he’s been following us. Which also means he saw me kissing Eliss... and touching her... Damn! In any world, laying hands on a princess is a crime punishable by death — it was, even in ours, just a few decades ago! I can’t even imagine the kind of horrific tortures a blood-soaked kingdom like theirs would prescribe for something like that. I knew it... I knew I should’ve kept my instincts in check, one hundred percent, like I always had until now! It was obvious that the consequences would be disastrous — and yet I gave in... Is this really the end for me?

Lost in his spiral of pessimistic thoughts, Aoshi only realizes with delay that the agonized screams of the five men have completely ceased — there isn’t even the faintest groan of pain anymore.And against all reason screaming at him not to look, Aoshi turns his head — just slightly — enough to catch, out of the corner of his eye, the lifeless bodies of the five men collapsed on the ground, lying in a vast pool of blood, their heads severed cleanly, as if sliced by a precision laser.

The sight deals the final blow to Aoshi’s sanity.As if his mind shuts down in self-defense, everything goes blank — and he collapses heavily to the ground, unconscious.