That day, he met with a goddess. Her long, red hair flowed down her back like a river of flames and her crimson eyes shimmered with determination. Her chest piece bulged, contrasting with her tight waist. Her plump thighs peeked out from under her short skirt, worn to enable freedom of movement on the battlefield. A set of leg armor completed her regalia, adding an extra layer of protection.
She looked like she’d walked straight out of a painting. But what this beautiful maiden offered the young king of Althos was not a bouquet of blessings, but the pointy end of a large sword ill-suited to the wielder’s feminine frame.
“King of Althos, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Sorry for being so abrupt, but it’s time for you to die!”
She proclaimed her intent with a light tone and a cute smile. In the face of her dignified actions, the ongoing dust-filled gale appeared as little more than a gentle breeze. He could’ve kept watching her forever, but given his status and the situation, he couldn’t let himself get lost in her eyes, as this marked the two-thousand-and-somethingth time that Althos had been attacked by the neighboring country of Freiya.
“Are you a Diva?” the king asked the scarlet-haired, red-eyed beauty, her huge sword still pointing his way.
“Hehehe... What if I am?”
“Huh? Either you are, or you aren’t...”
Instead of focusing on the sword, he was completely lost in her powerful eyes and her booming voice.
“What does it matter? You will die here and now!”
She charged forward and swung her sword with elegance befitting of a Diva.
“I’ll be taking...”
At long last, the young king returned to his senses. But he too was late. Much too late.
“Your head!”
She struck down from above, the sound of her blade cutting through the wind providing her victory sonata.
The king could do naught but gulp in terror.
Every onlooker expected his head to fly off, but...
Boing!
The blade was repelled by an invisible force inches away from the king’s neck.
“What?!”
She didn’t understand. Why didn’t it hit?
The sudden deflection knocked her off balance and sent her tumbling towards her target.
“Watch out!”
The young king reflexively reached out to catch the girl, thinking only to save her.
She landed right in his arms.
“Um...”
Dead silence. For a moment, nobody uttered a word. They say that anything can happen on the battlefield, but it’s quite rare to find yourself holding a girl so close that you can feel her breath on your neck.
The girl’s cheeks slowly turned from white to pink, and then eventually, to bright red.
“Your hands...”
Her composure returned. She directed a sharp glare at her opponent, filled with a mixture of contempt and discomfort.
She didn’t understand what had just transpired. With her lying firmly in his hands, her body was heating up. Something felt off, something more than the awkwardness of this unfamiliar situation. She felt something she had never experienced before stirring her suspicion.
“Hey! What did you do to me?!” she asked loudly, their faces just an inch apart.
“Huh? Well, um, I just thought that you could’ve gotten hurt...” he said as he looked at her, dumbfounded.
“Who cares?! Put me down!”
With burning red cheeks, she forcefully untangled herself from his grasp and skillfully jumped out of his arms.
“What the hell did you do to me?! Tell me what exactly you did!”
She suppressed her discomfort with her burning spirit, raised her sword again, and stared at the king.
But the king of Althos did not return her look. He was instead looking behind her at the plume of smoke rising in the distance.
“Hey! Are you listening?!”
She glared at him with anger burning in her eyes.
Just as she lifted her sword and prepared another strike, a Freiyan army messenger ran out of the forest and interrupted her.
“Princess! Our supply train has been raided! Most of our supplies have been stolen and the slaves were set free!”
“They freed the slaves?!”
The king of Althos grinned at their conversation. “That’s right! I won’t rest until every slave on this continent is liberated!”
The messenger’s report continued.
“We tried to catch them, but an Althos ambush stopped us and the slaves all ran away.”
The Freiyan princess hid her confusion and continued staring at the king, her eyes aflame with rage.
“I understand. Everyone, retreat!” She sheathed her sword and calmly but firmly ordered a retreat.
The displeasure was clear on her face as she glared at the king before her.
“Don’t think that you’ve won! I will have your head for sure next time!”
She turned on her heels and promptly left.
“She’s gorgeous, but terrifying... Good thing we won’t be seeing each other for a while,” he mused to himself as he reluctantly watched her leave. He had no idea what was to come.