“All right...” Mil turned around and noticed a cloth bag lying in the middle of the corridor. “Huh?”
What’s that doing there? When she picked it up, a letter fell to the floor.
She picked it up and read it.
Dear Princess Mil,
If you happen to go out adventuring, you’ll need these things in the outside world.
If you don’t know where to go, rely on the compass to guide you east. On the way, you’ll find several villages and a town full of humans. It’s a long way to go, but travel far enough east and you’ll reach the royal capital. Our time together was brief, but I’m glad to have met you. Good luck out there.
P.S. I’m not used to using human writing. I hope this letter was readable.
Yours,
Crowell
Mil looked in the bag and found a compass, three days worth of food, a lantern, and a map of the region. Only now did she realize that she’d been overly focused on combat when planning her trip. Adventurers had to consider their own well-being too.
“Food could be—oh.”
There was also a plant encyclopedia. It explained which wild plants and mushrooms were edible. She was glad to have it. She’d probably need it while traveling through the forests near the castle.
“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it all.”
So Crowell really did know my secret.
Perhaps Crowell had heard her whispering “I wanna go adventuring” to herself when she’d been alone in her room. She must have guessed that Mil would try to leave eventually. Mil was grateful that Crowell had given her this final bit of help despite being part of the Demon King’s forces.
She put all of the supplies into her dimensional bag and headed for the castle gate.
But where am I gonna go?
She hadn’t thought about what to do once she was outside the castle. Crowell’s mention of a town to the east was the closest thing she had to a plan.
“Father and everyone back home must be worried...”
A search party must have been dispatched in the month since she’d left home. Knowing father, he’s probably worried sick.
“But I can still enjoy my adventure, right?”
I feel bad for father, but I wanna enjoy myself out there. I’ll still make the royal capital my goal, rather than wandering aimlessly. I’ll just have some fun along the way!
Her destination was set. With no idea what sort of journey awaited her, she couldn’t help but feel anxious, but the thought of adventure stirred her heart.
She trembled with excitement as she walked toward the castle’s gate. A red carpet led the way ahead through a corridor flanked by demonic statues. It wasn’t totally unlike the throne room. Far ahead was a towering pair of double doors that served as the main gate. Once she got beyond it, she’d be on the open plains that surrounded the castle.
As she neared the gate, full of hope, she realized there was a problem. “I didn’t think about the guards...”
Two giants were standing at either side of the gate. Each was wearing a full set of golden plate armor and holding a massive halberd. They were even bigger than orcs. They looked big enough to effortlessly crush a small human like Mil in one hand.
But how strong are they? she wondered.
Mil hid behind a demonic statue and extended a palm toward one of the giants.
Name: Gregoria / Level: 75
HP: 2800
MP: 155
STR: 390
DEF: 422
INT: 126
DEX: 189
SPD: 59
LUK: 23
“Oh?”
He had a lot of HP, but he was only level 75.
Mil checked the second giant and found he was no stronger than the first.
Other than their strength and defense, each giant had surprisingly low stats for level 75. They had a few skills, but neither could use magic, limiting them to physical attacks.
“Could I actually beat them?”
It looked like she could force her way through, but just to be sure, she used a spell she’d learned in the library—overload—to temporarily increase her damage output. Now she felt strong enough to break through the wall with a single punch.
She gulped and then slowly stepped out in front of the two giants.
“Stop right there! Who are you?”
“Are you the human princess? Why have you come to our gate?”
The two giants crossed their halberds, blocking Mil’s path.
“Um... I was thinking it’s about time I went home.”
“We were ordered to let no one through.”
“You can’t pass, whatever your reason.”
Well, that’s pretty much what I’d expect a guard to say. It would have been nice if they’d let me walk by, but oh well.
“Then I’ll have to force my way through... Is that all right?”
The guards both laughed aloud under their metal visors.
“A small thing like you?”
“Defeat us? I’d like to see it. You don’t—”
Before they could finish mocking her, the sound of scraping stone stopped them.
“Huh?!” they both cried.
“Ngh... Hup.” Mil lifted the demonic statue beside her into the air. From the giant’s perspective, she was a weak young girl lifting a solid stone statue twice her height.
“I’m gonna throw it. Please move aside so you don’t get hurt. Yah!” She sent the statue flying at the gate.
“Whoa!” cried the giants as they moved out of the way.
The statue smashed into one of the doors, and cracks ran through the wood.
“Hup.” Mil picked up the next demonic statue and threw it with another “Yah!”
Once again, the giants cried “Whoa!” and dodged out of the way.
This time the statue hit the stone wall, creating a large hole.
“This princess... She’s no weakling!”
“We’ll have to stop her with all our strength.”
Before Mil could throw another statue, a giant swung his halberd at Mil with all his might.
Clap!
“Huh?”
Mil effortlessly caught a halberd blade between her hands and threw it aside with a “hup!” along with the giant holding it.
“Whoaaa?!”
The giant crashed into another demonic statue, rolled across the floor, and was left lying on his back. He wasn’t dead, but he wasn’t moving.
Mil’s attention then turned to the other giant.
He was trembling but he yelled, “You won’t get away with this!” before bravely swinging his halberd at Mil.
The result was the same as before. Mil caught his halberd and this time sent him to the ground with an overhead throw.
“Guh!” Much like the first giant, the second was laid out on the ground, completely still, but he wasn’t totally out of HP.
“Huh? Those giants were lighter than I expected.”
Both giants had been knocked to the ground by the same small girl, leaving no doubt as to who was stronger.
“A-Are all humans...this strong...?”
“Our gate hasn’t been breached in over a hundred years...”
Mil felt a little guilty, but her desire for adventure was irresistible. She bowed her head as an apology, then headed for the castle gate.
“All right! Now a new adventure can—”
“I can’t let this human make fools of us like this!”
Mil was interrupted by a girl’s voice from behind, and immediately she sensed danger. She reacted quickly by leaping to the side.
An instant later, a sharp blade cut through the ground where she’d been standing, leaving a long fissure running along the red carpet, all the way to the castle gate.
“You gave me a real fright!” Mil said as she turned around.
A slender girl was standing between Mil and the two fallen giants. But she wasn’t human. There were two small, black wings on her back, and horns on her head that curled backward. She was a demon, just like the Demon King and Crowell.
Her face was beautiful and her skin fair, but her eyes were cold.
What stood out above all else was the huge scythe she carried—it was bigger than she was. It looked ill-omened, like the tool wielded by the death gods of legend.