Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Aoi - Ch. 100

The archers steadied their aim on top of the barricades.

The necropolis was in a sorry state, the infernal creatures chose to surface at this very place, and the ground was littered with reanimated corpses, scattered bones, and the fresh bodies of the imps.

The latter became easy prey to the Saipole archers at least, but the undead cared little about arrows. Some resembled hedgehogs from all the hits but kept stumbling like it was nothing. The capital guard had to take them down since the wizards lacked the correct spells to fight their kind.

"A Kisserleng priest could make a short work of them..." I heard the Crantan Princess claim in a mocking tone. She washed the dye out from her hair and now it paraded in a bright purple color, curled up into springy rolls that screamed Western nobility to everyone. "A single miracle to create a barrier over the entire graveyard, then a field that returns the corpses into their original state."

She looked like a completely different person, wore shiny armor donated by one of our fledglings from Nordhaben, and equipped the short sword of the same benefactor. A confident aura emanated from her for whatever reason. Even I did not look forward to descending the depths that much. The annoying critters ruined everything they touched, knocked the gravestones over, and dug holes everywhere.

"Followers of the Church are not welcome in this country." I pulled my nose up, leading them towards the entrance, avoiding the ditches and open graves. The other gladiators and spellcasters gathered there, waiting for the guards to clear a path through the invading monsters. "No deities did any good for my people in the past."

"And yet you ask for our help, hmpf." The Princess crossed her arms and made a face that screamed punch me, but I couldn't forget how easily she defeated me last time. That said, she caught me by surprise, the same way when I struck her companion some days ago.

I paid the price for my arrogance and learned my lesson not to underestimate her. I doubted they would return from this quest alive.

"It's more like I offer you a chance to prove yourself and escape the prison." I corrected her but recoiled when a group of imps crossed our paths. The guards wasted no time to respond to their attacks.

It was hard to tell, what these fiends hoped to achieve, easily mowed down by the archers. Even the reanimated corpses by the consecutive magical storms offered a bigger challenge, and they were slow, wandering mindlessly within the necropolis.

"I wonder what made you shake in your boots so badly to offer us that chance though." The Princess barely even flinched. I couldn't decide if she was this fearless or just plain dumb.

Now that our defenses were set, these creatures didn't pose a threat, but the dungeon had more to offer. She was the only one this confident too, and I didn't recall her acting like this before she received the blessing. Gods were too scary, I refused to trust them.

The paladin looked pale, her blue hair peeking underneath her ancient helmet. She was adamant we gave her armor and sword back, though I found the latter too cumbersome for the dungeon.

"Princess, the thing is... I won't be able to call on my miracles down there." She whispered to the noble but I could still hear most of it. I didn't even consider that priests and paladins inside that infernal place would be mostly useless. But that only made things better for me.

"Gaddu says she will stay with me the whole time, so I guess it's my turn to protect you for once." The purple-haired girl answered. I was tempted to say she lost her mind, but it seemed clear how she borrowed considerable powers from a long-forgotten goddess. She lacked no confidence, eager to enter the dungeon with a wide grin.