Chapter 32: The Tainted Princess

The Knight Captain shifted his gaze to Andrea, scanning her up and down with suspicion, his expression rather awkward.

“According to the rules set by the King, anyone who has witnessed the Princess’s Magical Outburst must undergo memory cleansing.”

But before Ailaira could speak, the Knight Captain made a difficult compromise, handing the chains that bound Trinis to Ailaira.

His voice was tinged with reluctant struggle after having conceded, “But now the authority is in your hands. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on this young lady.”

“No one cares about my opinion, huh!?”

Andrea was not someone to be ordered around willingly.

She seized Ailaira’s hand, fingers interlocking tightly, her gaze on Ailaira revealing a touch of nervousness. “What are you planning to do?”

Ailaira glanced at the hand Andrea held, slowly pulling it away.

As she stepped toward Trinis, she explained to Andrea, “We’ll talk when I get back. For now, I need to earn another sum from this Princess—been a while since I last did.”

“Afterward, go find Jody and head straight home. Don’t bother with these troublesome lackeys—they’ll find their own spot to curl up.”

With those words, Ailaira conjured out of thin air a Magic Bag etched with arcane patterns. Without another word, she stuffed Trinis inside from head to toe.

Strangely, Trinis showed no sign of resistance during the process. Instead, her eyes gleamed with anticipation, waiting for Ailaira to take her away.

“Haven’t used this thing in ages.”

Ailaira lifted the Magic Bag, dragging it along the floor as she went to find an unused room in the mansion to deal with this one properly.

The bag was a magical tool she had crafted herself, capable of suppressing the mana of whatever or whoever was placed inside, its principle inspired by the Sealing Magic Stone.

It was originally meant for ambushing people, but after getting to know Trinis, Ailaira found it had a special effect on her.

“Again with this—can’t that wicked witch treat the Princess a bit more gently? I really don’t know what magic potion the Princess was fed to make her so devoted!”

The Knight Captain grumbled resentfully from behind, but made no move to stop her—clearly, he was already accustomed to Ailaira’s rough methods.

Now that the crisis had passed, he visibly relaxed, slumping into the arms of a teammate, completely spent and left only with enough energy to talk.

Only now did the Knight Captain have a moment to observe the red-haired girl entrusted to his care. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke, “How should I address you, young lady with the red hair?”

Andrea was still lost in thought, staring at her hand that Ailaira had let go, her mind echoing Ailaira’s words—”Go home.”

Only when someone called her did Andrea snap back, putting her hands on her hips and huffing, “Andrea’s fine. The wicked woman’s busy, so you violent minions should at least explain what’s going on to me!”

“For the subjects of the kingdom, we uphold the knight’s virtues and always remember our responsibilities. How can you call us violent?”

Andrea pointed at the pits and craters scattered across the floor, and at the nearby guards who were still unconscious from being knocked out earlier. Her eyes said it all. The Knight Captain averted his gaze, a little embarrassed, and tried to defend their innocence, “It really couldn’t be helped. As the Princess’s knights, we don’t even have our own numbers—we exist solely to protect the Princess. And…to restrain her if necessary.”

Andrea asked, “So, what exactly is this so-called ‘Magical Outburst’ that happens to Trinis?”

The Knight Captain exchanged glances with his companions.

After a brief, silent conversation, he considered Ailaira’s temperament, and finally, with a sigh of resignation, he said, “Well, even if I don’t say anything now, that witch will tell you later anyway. To avoid her adding fuel to the fire, I’d better explain.”

“But Miss Andrea, you must swear not to reveal this imperial secret to anyone. Otherwise, no matter where you are, you’ll face a full-scale hunt from the Verlendel Kingdom.”

Andrea waved her hand impatiently, “Yeah, yeah, I promise. I’ve had enough of these threats.”

A glimmer of reminiscence flashed in the Knight Captain’s eyes as he spoke solemnly, “Actually, a Magical Outburst is just an illness that happens to some magic users whose bodies can’t withstand the growth of their own mana. It’s not rare, nor is it incurable. With better physical fitness, they can recover. But the Princess’s case is completely different.”

“Born of noble human parents, the second princess of Verlendel possesses a mana trait no human should have—Devouring Magic.”

Andrea’s eyes widened.

She had heard of this before. During her escape through human territory, she had overheard an Adventurer Team discussing a type of Demon living at the northernmost edge of the continent—servants of the God of Filth who fed on mana and loved to hunt powerful magic users.

Unlike the varied traits of other races, all these Demons shared one mana trait: Devouring Magic, which also meant they were incapable of communicating with other races and were innately brutal.

“But how could a human have the traits of a Demon? Does that make any sense?”

The Knight Captain gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“No one thinks it makes sense. That’s why His Majesty the King had his own generation and every ancestor recorded in the Royal Family Genealogy investigated, but found no hint of Demonic blood. With no answers, the King, furious, personally led the army north. Even though the human kingdom expanded by a tenth, the Demons themselves couldn’t explain the Princess’s condition.”

“So, to prevent the Princess’s trait from twisting her, she’s forbidden from practicing any magic. The problem is, she perfectly inherited His Majesty’s gifts. Even without training, her mana increases at an astonishing rate. Whenever it exceeds a certain threshold, you saw what happens.”

“That’s why the Priests from The Church are needed to purify and channel the Princess’s mana and suppress her violent tendencies. As her mana kept growing, the staff responsible changed from Priestesses to only those at the Saintess level or above who could fully subdue it.”

Andrea’s mouth twitched.

She knew the King was hot-tempered, but wasn’t this a bit much? In order to get answers from those long-lived Demons, he actually beat those uncommunicative guys until they spoke!?

If someone like that chopped her up, wouldn’t it be like slicing a melon!?

Andrea hugged her shoulders, suddenly feeling the world outside was too dangerous.

She’d better stick close to Ailaira for now. Having learned about Trinis’s condition, Andrea grew worried and blurted out, “Can Ailaira really handle this!?”

The Knight Captain looked at Andrea in surprise, his confused gaze as if to say, Don’t you know who that witch really is?

“Ailaira Green was expelled from The Church, but she was once a step away from the title of Saintess, and is the Princess’s chosen guardian. I’ve always opposed her, but in dealing with the Princess, no one is more skilled than her.”

In an empty room, Ailaira opened the Magic Bag, and Trinis immediately sprang out, crashing into her.

Ailaira was knocked onto the plush carpet, and in the darkness, only Trinis’s eyes glowed with a hungry light. She crawled atop Ailaira’s chest, greedily inhaling every bit of her scent, a lovesick smile on her lips:

“Ailaira! Ailaira! Ailaira!”

“I missed you so much, why did you leave me!”

Ailaira didn’t reply, just tugged down the neckline of her formal dress to reveal her fair neck, urging indifferently, “Enough talk, just do it.”

The Princess, consumed by madness, could not resist such temptation. She opened her mouth and bit down on Ailaira’s neck, sharp fangs piercing the skin, greedily **.