The Mad Princess's Tale of Doom and Survival

My heavy and clouded mind suddenly snapped back to reality.

 

  “Wha… cough! Cough, cough!”

 

  A violent coughing fit erupted. My vocal cords were so dry that I couldn’t speak properly.

 

“Why is my body like this?”

 

  I forced myself to swallow a dry spit. Messages kept appearing before my eyes in succession.

 

  Continuing, a small space appeared in the bottom right corner.

 

  In the empty space, letters began to fill.

 

— Anonymous Holy See: It’s open!!!

 

— Anonymous Holy See: …But it looks like a crappy contract.

 

— Anonymous Holy See: Whoa, did I pick the wrong room?

 

— Anonymous Holy See: Haven’t even entered the main game yet. Impulsive decision, no way.

 

  “What’s this…”

 

  In the midst of reading the text, I was taken  aback. A bright red sentence flashed before my eyes.

  My body reacted before my thoughts could catch up.

 

  I instinctively turned to the side and distanced myself, then widened my eyes.

 

  A furry body, with fur so thick it looked like it would be dragged on the ground, long arms almost touching the floor, a D-class monster resembling a monkey.

 

  “Why are you coming out from there?”

 

  A monster that had cleanly disappeared as the annihilation ended was appearing again?

 

  “…Is this a dream?”

 

  I uttered in a daze.

 

  In the next moment, five claws, each over 30cm long, brushed closely by me and deeply embedded themselves into the marble floor.

 

  *Screech!* *Screech!*

 

  The monster that had missed its prey let out a roar.

 

  It seemed to want to tear me apart right away, shaking its body vigorously.

 

  However, because its claws were all stuck in the solid floor, it would be difficult for it to move for a while.

 

  I took advantage of that and looked around.

 

  “Where is this?”

 

  It was a place surrounded by a forest, with a well-maintained dirt path winding through it.

 

  It seemed like a mountain, but I could see a two-story building behind me.

 

  There was another building on the other side of the path. It boasted an antique appearance and impressive scale.

 

  Compared to that place, the building behind me looked like a barn.

 

  The problem was the architectural style.

 

  I gazed at the building that resembled a medieval mansion with a puzzled expression.

 

  Did I happen to come on a trip to Europe?

 

  “But no? I don’t have any memories of that.”

 

  As I tried to recall, my memories felt incomplete.

 

  I was trying to piece together fragmented scenes, and suddenly screams erupted from all around.

 

  “Ahh! He-help me!”

 

  “Ahh! Go away! Go away!”

 

  People dressed in medieval European-style clothing were screaming and fleeing from the monster.

 

  This wasn’t a scene unfamiliar to me. During the times when the invaders dominated the world, I had seen scenes like this countless times.

 

  “But… the invasion is over.”

 

  It was definitely not a misconception. I was the one who ended the invasion, after all.

 

  But for the monster to appear again. What on earth was going on? My mind was on the verge of exploding.

 

  I tried to ignore the sensation that my head was about to explode and quickly scanned the ground.

 

  Fortunately, a longsword was lying on the nearby dirt. It seemed like someone had dropped it while fleeing.

 

  “A lucky find!”

 

  As I quickly lifted the longsword, a notification window appeared before my eyes.

 

 

“Tutorial? The invasion ended a long time ago, what kind of nonsense is this…”

 

  Before I could finish speaking, the monster pulled its claws out of the ground.

 

  Immediately, a foul-smelling hot breath covered my back.

 

  “It’s too late to turn around!”

 

  I swung my arm and the sword backward as fast as I could.

 

  -Swoosh.

  

  The side of the creature, composed of thick bones and tough muscles, was sliced halfway through.

 

  At the same time, the monster with its core   destroyed froze in the midst of its roar.

 

  I kicked my petrified body like a statue, retrieved the sword stuck in the ground, and swung the drawn sword right at the monster’s neck.

 

  -Thud. 

 

  The head of the creature that had fallen from its body rolled to a stop.

 

  “Whiik!”

 

  I let out a sharp whistle.

 

  In response to that sound, another monster, which had been riding on someone’s abdomen and screaming, perked up its ears and looked around.

 

  “Over here, you fucking brat!”

 

  I used my foot to kick the rolling head that had come towards me.

 

  Drawing a graceful arc, the flying head hit the back of the monster’s skull.

 

  Kiiieek!

 

  I dashed towards the momentarily stunned monster, splitting its head open and stabbing the sword beneath its ribcage.

 

  Underneath, a person who had been waiting  for death widened their eyes in astonishment.

 

  “P-P-Princess…? U-Uwek!”

 

  “Princess?”

 

  “Is that what you said to me?”

 

  Although I was curious, I didn’t have the time to ask casually.

 

  While the man was retching, with monster blood splattered on him, I leaped over him.

 

  Using that momentum, I stabbed the sword into the next target’s back.

 

  Thunk! 

 

  The monster, which stopped like a broken machine, lurched forward and collapsed with a swoosh.

 

  Continuing, I hopped onto the shoulder of the monster rushing from behind, grabbed its head, and twisted it around.

 

  Thud! Grotesquely twisting its neck, I swung the sword with all my might, and then descended to the ground.

 

  “Whew…”

  

  Gradually, my body was returning to its original condition.

 

  Senses that had been dulled became sharp, and the unfamiliar feeling of inhabiting someone else’s body disappeared. As a result, my movements became smoother.

 

  The once stubborn sword, which had felt unusually heavy, could now be swung easily, cleaving through anything.

 

  By the time I faced the remaining monsters, with a single swing of the sword, two or three of them would drop dead.

 

  With a thud, the last monster fell like a wooden log, its body rigid.

 

  Only then did I stop swinging the sword and stood still.

 

  Thud, thud.

 

  From the tip of the sword that fell to the ground, droplets of blood fell slowly.

 

  The chaos of screams and moans subsided, and a silence fell over the surroundings.

 

  The gazes of the survivors, filled with fear and shock, were fixed on me. Their expressions bore witness to an unbelievably surreal sight.

 

  ‘Why are they looking at me like that?’

 

  At that moment, urgent hoofbeats resounded, and someone appeared riding a horse.

 

  Dressed in a perfect suit, the man was an impeccably dressed middle-aged person, with his silver hair slightly disheveled from his hurried approach.

 

  He emerged from the forest-like surroundings and surveyed the area, following the sword in my hand.

 

  “Huff…”

 

  The middle-aged man, who had just caught his breath, jumped off his horse.

 

  “What in the world happened here?”

 

  “Exactly. I’m curious too.”

 

  “…Your way of speaking has changed, like a different person.”

 

   I tilted my head slightly.

 

  ‘Like a different person? Does he know me?’

 

  Come to think of it, didn’t someone call me a “Princess” just now?

 

  The middle-aged man furrowed his brow with a serious expression.

 

  “Astel, what happened?”

 

 “…”

 

  “Did you defeat those monsters?”

 

 “…”

 

  “Astel! Answer me!”

 

  The middle-aged man raised his voice. It was a commanding tone that exuded a considerable amount of pressure.

 

  However, my thoughts were tangled, leaving me unable to respond.

 

  ‘I want to ask what they mean by calling me Astel all the time…!’

 

  Shiver! I felt goosebumps on my arms for a moment.

 

  Simultaneously, unfamiliar yet familiar scenes rushed into my mind.

 

  Even without anyone explaining, I could understand. These were memories of a woman named Astel Luteous.

 

  In the next instant, a few unbelievable facts surfaced in my mind.

 

  This place wasn’t the world I used to live in; it was an entirely new realm.

 

  The handsome middle-aged man was Astel Luteous’ father, Duke Exion Luteous.

 

  ‘What, what’s going on here?’

 

  Unconsciously, I raised my hands.

 

  Thin arms and pale hands. These hands were nothing like my own, calloused and rough from training.

 

 Moreover, I wasn’t even wearing the usual workout clothes I was accustomed to.

 

  “Oh my…”

 

  Incredibly, I found myself wearing a dress I had never seen before in my life.

 

  Opening my eyes to a completely unfamiliar world with an unfamiliar body? Doesn’t this feel like I’ve been possessed?

 

  “No way, this can’t be real. It must be a dream, a dream.”

 

  With determination, I slapped my cheek hard.

 

  It might be a cliché, but if I wanted to wake up from a dream, this was the only method.

 

  Clang!

 

  “Ah!”

 

  Everyone who was looking at me gasped.

 

  Duke Luteous was just as astonished.

 

  “Astel! What is this behavior in front of your father? Are you participating in a protest or something?”

 

  “Huh…?”

 

  Despite Duke Luteous’ scolding, I stood there dumbfounded, my mind blank.

 

  The sharp pain on my cheek was definitely not something I could feel in a dream.

 

  “C-Could it be… I-I’ve really possessed her? For real?”

 

  As I realized the situation, a distant dizziness overcame me.

 

  One fact hit my head like a hammer. It was the truth…

 

  “I’m in trouble.”

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TL note- Hello, dear readers! It’s Nosha, and I’m translating this series along with The Northern Mad Dog is Wagging It’s Tail. I hope you guys will enjoy reading this one too!

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