Chapter 284: Chapter 55: Legend! Legend! (3)

’He’d hidden his power so well?’

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was completely stunned.

Tears still clung to her cheeks, and the glistening drops reflected the pine-straight back of the man before her.

Her heart hammered in her chest as if it would burst free.

The suffocating despair from just a moment ago, the heart-rending anguish, still lingered in her senses.

And in the next instant, thunder had descended, the monsters were slain, and hope had returned in the most violent and direct way imaginable.

It was just like that time at Silent Pass, when a pure white light had descended from the heavens in her moment of deepest despair.

She watched as Murphy calmly sheathed his Longsword, watched the once-savage monsters fall into pools of their own blood, and watched the dazed expressions on the faces of the surviving civilians...

"He... he saved me... he saved them..." Elizabeth murmured, her voice as faint as a whisper in a dream.

She recalled her own powerless rebuke of the soldiers in the square.

She recalled her frustration, a Princess unable to protect even a handful of her people.

And now, this man, with his sword, had accomplished the very thing she had dreamed of doing, but had been powerless to achieve.

Recalling the heart-shattering despair from moments ago, and how he had saved her back then, an indescribably complex emotion welled up inside her.

It was a mix of gratitude, shock, shame, and an admiration she hadn’t even recognized in herself.

Murphy, however, paid no mind to anyone’s reaction behind him.

With a flick of his wrist, he flung the last few drops of foul blood from his blade. The dark purple lightning receded completely, and the Longsword returned to its simple, unadorned state.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze passing over the mother and child still huddled together trembling, and settled on the dumbfounded Peric Clan officer behind them. His calm voice rang out:

"Take these civilians and fall back to a relatively safe area within the fortress."

"Immediately."

The officer jolted, snapping out of his stupor. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Facing this "Legend" who had just displayed inhuman power, he dared not show the slightest hesitation or doubt. He instinctively straightened up, gave a military salute, and replied, his voice strained with nervousness:

"Y-Yes! Sir! As you command!"

He immediately turned and roared at the soldiers, who still hadn’t fully recovered their senses, "What are you standing around for! Follow the order! Cover the civilians and retreat in an orderly fashion to the designated settlement area in the lower Inner Castle! Move!"

The soldiers snapped to attention as if waking from a dream and hurried into action. Although their movements were still a bit stiff, they were far more efficient than when they had been driving the civilians away earlier.

They no longer dared to use whips or bark orders. Instead, they did their best to form a barrier with their bodies and weapons, guiding the dazed and helpless civilians toward the relatively safe passages behind them.

Murphy didn’t leave right away.

He turned, his calm gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield before finally landing on a protruding rock not far away.

Elizabeth was standing there, subtly shielded by the Female Knight, Alison.

Her eyes were still red-rimmed and tear stains streaked her cheeks. Her magnificent dress was covered in dust, leaving her looking rather disheveled.

But her dark eyes were exceptionally bright, fixed on Murphy and swirling with a multitude of complex, unspoken emotions.

After a moment’s thought, Murphy strode over to her.

His steps were steady, and as he crossed the blood-fouled ground, it was as if he were walking down a smooth palace corridor.

Seeing him approach, Alison immediately took a step forward, placed her right hand over her chest, and bowed with the utmost respect. "Lord Melfield."

Murphy’s gaze didn’t linger on her, falling directly on Elizabeth’s face instead.

Elizabeth’s heart inexplicably quickened. She took a deep breath. "Lord Governor of Melfield..."

Her voice was still a little hoarse, but she tried to maintain the decorum expected of a Royal Princess. Only the slight tremor in her fingertips betrayed her inner turmoil. "You... you’ve returned from the Deep Red Wilderness?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she froze, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

’That was a rather pointless question. Since he’s here, of course he’s returned. Besides, the power he just displayed was so similar to that of the Royal Family’s Legendary Knight, the "Steel Lion," Otto... The so-called mission to the Deep Red Wilderness probably wasn’t an insurmountable challenge for him.’

She hurriedly tried to recover, her voice laced with genuine concern. "Are... are you all right? Were you injured?"

As soon as she said it, she inwardly cursed her own foolishness.

’Seeing the way he cut through those monsters like they were nothing, his breathing steady and his clothes immaculate, how could he possibly be injured? Besides, as a Legendary Knight, how could he have gotten hurt? What a stupid thing for me to ask.’

Having asked two stupid questions in a row, Elizabeth was at a loss for words, an embarrassed blush creeping onto her face.

Flustered, she averted her gaze, no longer daring to look directly into Murphy’s unnervingly calm and profound eyes. She looked instead at the retreating civilians behind him, her voice dropping to a low tone filled with heartfelt gratitude. "Thank you... for saving them."

Murphy watched the subtle changes in her expression.

’This young princess, once so thick-skinned and ruthless from her time in the vortex of power, seems to have had the kindness and gentleness deep in her heart reawakened after witnessing the cold cruelty of war. People change, and Elizabeth is only twelve. At her age, her values haven’t even solidified yet. It’s not strange at all that she would change.’

"The mission was completed, so I returned," Murphy’s voice was as calm as ever, answering her first question while indirectly addressing the second. "As for them..."

He glanced at the civilians supporting one another as they retreated into the fortress, still shaken. Fear remained on their faces, but at least they had made it out of this Hell alive.