Chapter 12
“Protect the saintess! We shouldn’t let even the tip of her hair to get hurt.”
The knight commander, Arthur, shouted to the other two knights, including Simon.
“Gabi-nim, you should hide.”
As Simon approached, Gabi unknowingly lowered her hand to reach the pistol in her thigh.
“Well, I…!”
Simon caught her when she tried to go back and led her behind the carriage.
“You can’t. You have an important event, we can’t afford you to get hurt.”
“But we’re behind in number.”
“I don’t think Gabi-nim would get hurt, but you’re dressed up right now, and the weapon Gabi-nim uses seems to be enough to kill people.”
Gabi, who was about to pull out her pistol, was stabbed by his words and pulled down her dress to cover the already visible holster.
Hearing the sound of blades, perhaps the heretics and the knights were already confronting each other. Simon looked alternately between Gabi and the place where the heretics were.
“Aside from this gun…”
“Please wait.”
She was about to say that she could fight with her bare fists or even swords, however, Simon, who was impatient, told her to wait and quickly left.
Gabi pokes her face out from the back of the carriage and looked over the situation.
Simon didn’t seem to have used a sword ever since he was born, so as expected, he used magic instead without any special weapon.
“Oh…”
While recognizing the seriousness of the situation, it’s a rare sight to see magic, so Gabi just watched the fight between the knights and heretics like a spectator.
Then she saw a man standing at a distance beside her.
“Are you not going to fight?”
“W-Well, I’m of the lowest rank, so I just have to stay and protect the saintess…”
From his hesitant attitude, it was clear that he was a new knight. But it seemed like Gabi will be the one to protect him, so she just looked away.
“You’re Lewis, right?”
“Your eyes cannot be fooled.”
When the large man who was confronting Simon took off his mask, a face in his late 30s or 40s was revealed.
“Who is he?”
“Well.”
The new knight also tilted his head, as if he didn’t know about the person.
As expected, they were outnumbered. Other than Simon and Lewis, the other knights has already fallen. Arthur is holding them off, but his stamina is already running out.
Simon, who was struggling to block Lewis’ sword with magic, can only defend himself without attacking.
“Does Simon fight well?”
“As far as I know, magic is his specialty.”
“Yes, it looks like that.”
Gabi looked back at Simon.
“What a bad meeting, Lewis. There are many people behind the gate. It’s not good to make a fuss.”
“That is our purpose. Simon, as you know, there is no need for a saintess.”
While Simon and Lewis were talking earnestly, Arthur knocked down the last heretic and sat down on the ground.
Gabi was nervous.
Should I really not go out?
The sounds of the fighting had reached the gates, and Gabi began to hear people’s murmurs.
While stamping her feet, Simon was suddenly attacked by Lewis.
“I can’t do this anymore.”
“S-Saintess!”
Gabi threw off her shoes and ran out from the back of the carriage.
On the way to Simon and Lewis, she snatched the dagger from Ethan’s hand, who was lying on the floor.
“Because the situation is urgent.”
Simon told her not to mess up her dress, but she can’t afford to just watch. The long skirt, which was inconvenient to move, was cut to above her knees with a dagger.
“Simon, are you okay?”
“…Yes.”
Red blood trickled out between Simon’s fingers as he squinted in pain. It seems to have been cut quite deep, so Gabi handed Simon the skirt that had been ripped off to stop the bleeding.
“Don’t. Just wait for me there.”
As she tried to approach Lewis, who was kindly waiting for the injured Simon, Simon grabbed Gabi’s wrist.
“How will you win by just defending? And look at my dress. It’s already out of shape.”
Simon was afraid that Gabi would get hurt, so he held on to her.
At her words, Simon lowered his gaze and saw the hem of the dress was already torn.
Simon sighed as if he had given up and let go of Gabi’s wrist.
“Let’s not use any weapon. I’m also bare-handed, so please be considerate of this lady.”
At Gabi’s words, Lewis sneered at her and dropped his sword to the ground.
Gabi and Lewis glared at each other with their fists clenched.
Lewis lunged first, and Gabi twisted her body around to avoid his fist. She was just as confident in her bare-fisted close combat as she was, but due to the huge difference in physique she could hardly attack.
‘My arm hurts just by blocking it.’
She understood why Simon was only defending. Gabi, who can only block the strong fist, wanted to kick Lewis at his defenseless waist. However, because of the fitted dress she was wearing, she couldn’t stretch her legs.
She can only shoot him.
Gabi takes her defensive stance and she gritted her teeth.
When she thought that she had no choice but to pull out her pistol, Simon, who was trying to stop the bleeding, reached out to her and fired something at Lewis.
Lewis withdrew to avoid Simon’s magic.
“This saintess is physically strong. You must be useful. Because it rained, I thought you can only use some nimble magic, but your fighting skills aren’t bad. The last saintess only knows how to…”
Lewis, who spoke his words leisurely, approached Gabi but was hit by her in the face with all her might.
“…Give me time to speak!”
Lewis said, covering his beaten face.
“Why would I give you a chance to talk, am I a magical girl?”
Driven by the momentum, Gabi seized the moment to attack. She would be far weaker than his strength, but she attacked catching him off guard.
In a sudden turn of events, Lewis brutally punched Gabi, targeting her abdomen.
“Hitting a woman in the stomach, you’re such a scumbag.”
His aim at her abdomen was barely blocked by her two hands.
Gabi slammed a knee kick into his face as he came closer.
Lewis, who had been hit in the face twice, held his head up as his blood gushed out.
As Lewis shook in anger, he rushed at Gabi so she quickly pulled the pistol from her thigh and shot him in the leg. After all, even for her, it wasn’t easy to shoot people.
“Gabi-nim!”
“I only shot him in the leg! He won’t die from this.”
Startled by the gunfire, Simon shouted Gabi’s name, so she immediately explained.
Seeing him screaming and grabbing the gunshot wound, Simon sighed as he confirmed that he was still alive.
“Cowardly bitch, you said not to use a weapon…!”
“Sorry, you should have raised your sword too.”
Gabi, who didn’t look apologetic at all, looked down at Lewis, who was lying on the floor.
Soon after, the coachman returned with the imperial knights, and arrested the heretics.
“Gabi-nim, are you okay? Let’s go back to the church and treat you.”
“I’m okay. Just some bruises, since I wasn’t hit directly. This blood is not mine either.”
Gabi glanced at Simon’s arm as she wiped Lewis’ blood from her face.
“Rather than that, Simon, please go back. You’re bleeding.”
“I am okay. Let’s just cancel the oath-taking ceremony today.”
“No! I’m fine and everyone is already waiting for me.”
Simon knows that it’s a hassle to cancel an already-prepared oath-taking ceremony. But he wondered if it still matters if the most important person, Gabi, might have been hurt.
Simon looked at Gabi, who seemed to be okay, and nodded his head.
“The dress is now a mess, so don’t get up when you’re in the carriage.”
“Ah yes.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you.”
Simon climbed back into the carriage to go back to the church to treat his injured arm.
The knights of the church, exhausted from fighting and collapsed, also went back with Simon.
When the situation was over and Gabi got on the carriage, the gate that had been firmly closed slowly opened.
From the entrance, many people gathered by the road where the carriage would pass. As expected, the crowd was enormous.
‘Uh, if I had been hit earlier, I would have gone back with Simon.’
Luckily, she blocked it right before it reached her abdomen. Just thinking about how painful it would be makes her body tremble. Her hands, arms, legs, and all the body parts she used to block Lewis’ attacks were sore.
Gabi checked her arm, and the red swelling here and there seemed to turn blue soon.
As she was about to check her legs for bruises, she saw bloodstain splattered on the chest of her dress.
It was probably the blood from Lewis’ nose the last time she hit his face. The bloodstain wasn’t too big, but it was a little too noticeable because it was a white dress.
“We will depart in a moment.”
As she was thinking about what to do while looking at the bloodstain, the knight standing beside the carriage said.
Gabi couldn’t help but put her hand on the bloodstain and wave at the people with her other trembling hand.
“Is that the saintess?”
“How…she’s so elegant.”
“The rain the other day was also given by the saintess!”
She put her hand on her chest to cover up the bloodstain, but somehow it appeared to be a graceful gesture.
From the gate, they went to the imperial palace at a speed that made her feel that it would be faster to just walk.
“Gabi-nim, are you okay?”
“Yes, what about you Simon?”
“I’m alright.”
After going to the church and receiving treatment, Simon went straight to the palace and welcomed Gabi.
Upon his reply, Gabi looked at his arm and saw that the bandage on the wound. There were no bloodstains visible on the bandages.
“The ceremony has been delayed for a while, so you can change your clothes before coming.”
Thanks to the consideration of the imperial family, Gabi had more time right before the oath-taking ceremony. She decided to change the dress which has blood splattered on it and its hem torn apart.
She wants to go back up to the church but since there’s not much time, she followed the imperial maid into the imperial palace.
Simon, who stopped by the church before the procession was over, was able to change into a similar dress in no time, as if he had prepared another clothing in advance.
* * *
In the imperial palace, where not many people gathered, the oath-taking ceremony was held.
From greetings to congratulatory speeches, various people had long stories, but Gabi sat there blankly, listening in one ear and letting it out in another.
“…Gabi-nim, please go up to the podium.”
“Yes? Ah yes!”
Simon, sitting next to Gabi, who was looking at the distant mountains, tapped her on the shoulder and said. Thanks to that, she came to her senses, got up from her seat, straightened her pleated dress, and slowly climbed onto the platform.
The smiling Erica was also standing in front of Gabi in the podium, alongside with Prince Arnold, who was glaring at Gabi while holding a garland of flowers.
