Chapter 326: Hiding

Blood spread over the stone-paved ground. Nearby I could hear no stir, no people’s voices, no footsteps. For now there seemed to be no enemies around. Of course no allies either. Anyway it would be good if allies were searching, but enemies might be searching too. The enemies should not be only the ones I had dropped. Without support besides those people they could not kidnap Her Majesty, so I must not let my guard down.

First I stored the corpse in front of me and cleaned the blood spreading on the road.

"Purification"

I did not know how clean it had become, but to night eyes I thought it was clean. Then I cleaned the blood that would be on my body. Now I faced the thing wrapped in cloth pressed to the dead-end wall. The one inside this is Her Majesty, yes? What if it is Lily or someone? If they grabbed Lily by mistake, that would be funny. No. I would not laugh. It would only become a story that that was fine too. If I were disappointed Lily would be pitiful.

The pounding would not stop. When I touched the cloth I knew it was a blanket. I turned the edge slow. My heart felt ready to burst. Hair showed.

"Light"

I lit a small, small light. The hair was clean blonde. It shone in the light. Meaning? I turned the blanket further and there was a face! Her Majesty. But her eyes were shut. Asleep, or unconscious? Or under magic? I was relieved seeing Her Majesty’s face, so my own feeling must have loosened. I went faint, the front of my eyes went dark, and I fell onto Her Majesty as I was.

I do not know how long I was out. I woke all at once from the cold. Her Majesty’s face was in front of me. About the interval just before a kiss... I lifted my face and looked around. The same alley as before I lost consciousness. No sense of people around. Fortunately enemies had not come.

Her Majesty’s breathing was regular. But I had to check whether there was something wrong with Her Majesty’s body. I wanted to praise myself for thinking of that! I turned the wrapping blanket a little and she was in a negligee, but the buttons at the chest had come off and the negligee had fallen wide open. And! Her breasts were exposed. Even in the tiny light I could see the nipples. Ah, how lucky! I thought, and when I turned the blanket lower, unfortunately she was wearing underwear below. Underwear with a string... Most of the negligee buttons were gone, so her body was almost exposed. Meaning under the negligee it is only underwear, is that the setting? I brought the light a little closer and I could tell the embroidery on the underwear! May I undo the string? Of course not, but if I said it was undone from the start I felt it might pass. What do I do? A man’s heart that wants to peek a little lower! Because Her Majesty’s body is far younger than I imagined! I had a slightly plumper impression, but was that the impression from before the medicine? That aside, her legs stretched white. The closed thighs were something else...

I thought that extra thing for an instant, only an instant, and at once the present came down and the heat cooled. What do I do with this place now? First I have to bring Her Majesty’s consciousness back.

"Oh..."

I started to call Her Majesty and noticed. Must not. I must not call her Her Majesty. If the surroundings learned it, bad people might gather again.

So I put my lips to Her Majesty’s ear.

"Lady Scarlett, Lady Scarlett!"

I whispered. No reaction. As expected. The common thing where a kiss wakes someone surely exists, I think, but that would be a last weapon. So I tried tapping Her Majesty’s cheek soft. Patting,

"Lady Scarlett! Lady Scarlett!"

I tried a little larger voice. Then,

"Uu..."

a groan rose. Good. If some drug or magic had been used it would be past my hands. She had only taken a blow, surely. Was there a bruise on her stomach? I regretted my lack of checking a little. Coming this far and checking the stomach felt a little bad.

I took Her Majesty’s shoulders and shook her. Her Majesty’s head lolled.

"Uuu..."

a voice, so I shook further, and Her Majesty’s eyes opened, there was an instant, then her eyes went round,

"Ki!"

she tried to raise a loud voice, so I covered her mouth with my hand. Her Majesty did not know what had happened, who I was, or where she was, so she bit my hand, set a hand on my chest, and thrashed to get her body away. When she knew I was holding her and she was not free, she set nails in my face and scratched. It hurt enough I wanted to raise a voice, but I could only endure. Might a finger be bitten through? I held the thrashing Her Majesty tight and whispered at her ear.

"Lady Scarlett! It is Robin! Robin Marie! You are safe! Please hold yourself together!"

Even so Her Majesty thrashed, awawa, and at last seemed to understand. The resistance stopped. The teeth left the finger that had been bitten. Good it was not bitten off. I think there is blood...

"Robbie? Truly?"

Her Majesty looked at my face from close enough to touch.

"Yes. That is so. You are safe now. Please be at ease. I cleared out all the thieves."

Whether she was eased by my words or not, after an instant Her Majesty went waa! and cried, so I covered her with the blanket to keep the crying from leaking,

"Lady Scarlett, please do not make a sound. Please."

I said and covered her mouth. Tears fell on my hand. I lit the magic light between Her Majesty and me, lit both our faces, and Her Majesty nodded. Tears were still overflowing.

Holding Her Majesty’s hand,

"I am very sorry, but I do not know where this is. I chased the ones who grabbed Lady Scarlett and ran the town at random in the dark. I think going back is possible, but the thieves’ comrades may be nearby searching for us, so I think we should hide here. I do not want to move poorly and be found by the enemy. You may think me a coward, but I think that is better. So until allies come I think we should stay still here. Is that all right?"

I took my hand slowly from Her Majesty’s mouth.

"Yes."

She agreed in a small voice.

"I will protect Lady Scarlett with my life. Until help comes, let us stay here."

I said it, came out of the blanket, and wrapped Her Majesty. Then I stood beside her. Only underwear and a shirt, barefoot, a truly embarrassing figure, but with this I protect Her Majesty! It is cold, but I can only endure!

I did not want to stand out so I put out the light, and,

"Don’t put it out. I am frightened! Frightened!! A dark light is fine. Leave it on."

she said, so I kept a light a little brighter than a firefly. I think even Her Majesty can light a light, but she cannot do that now.

Even in that light she seemed to see my figure.

"Robbie, are you only in underwear?"

She asked in a voice that could not get over the strangeness.

"Yes. I was sleeping, saw Lady Scarlett being taken, and jumped out. I had no time to dress. In fact I am not wearing shoes either."

I said it and showed my feet. The feet probably could not be seen well, but Her Majesty laughed, kukku. She was returning a little to ordinary from the shock of being taken.

"Robbie, you must be cold. Come inside this."

Her Majesty lifted the edge of the blanket, but even at night I can see white breasts, you know? Should I not go into a blanket like that?

"But, um..."

I hesitated, and,

"That is an order! Come in!"

She said it low but without mercy. Told that far, that is... I am glad, though.

Her Majesty set the blanket on my shoulders as I crouched and pressed her body close. At once Her Majesty’s scent entered my nose. We sat together on a lump of stone against the wall and wrapped in the blanket. I tried to take even one inch of distance, but thinking no one was looking, maybe, Her Majesty pressed close boldly. Her Majesty’s body was warm.

"Robbie."

"Yes?"

"I was frightened..."

"Ah."

"I was frightened."

"..."

"Suddenly the window opened, in no time thieves came in, I was told not to make a sound, I was told if I resisted they would kill me, I was so shaken I could do nothing. I tried to give the thieves a shock, but my mana was disordered and I could do nothing... In an instant a thief drew near, and I remember up to being hit in the stomach. Then I woke and Robbie was there..."

Her Majesty’s tears fell on my thigh. The fear of being attacked by thieves had risen again. Tears fell drop by drop.

"Frightened, frightened... Until now I had never allowed thieves this close! Even if someone drew near I would have known if they had hostility, and still, s-still when I noticed the window was open! In no time the thieves, the thieves..."

She cried with her voice killed. Force went into the fingers gripping my arm. Nails were set in enough to hurt and bit into the skin. She has strong mental magic and was confident in it, and at the needed time it did not serve. The confidence until now had vanished. That shock and the fear of being attacked by thieves mixed, and that would rise again and again. If Her Majesty had been calm, she could have cleared them out the moment the thieves entered the room, but the shock of not being able to do that is large. I hope it does not become trauma. We will have to watch that going forward. This world has neither the word counseling nor the treatment, but I will do what I can. As long as Dee does not pull me away from Her Majesty.

That feeling aside, Her Majesty’s posture was in fact dangerous. Right under Her Majesty’s face my adult thing sat. Facing up, claiming please take it in, Your Majesty! Various things from Anouk earlier were on it and it was not clean, but given the situation the thing that stands will stand! My unclean son is there! Shall I think of prime numbers? Shall I say the prefectures from the north? Shall I search for countries that start with A?

You must not, Your Majesty...