I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Episode 65 – Snow White (6)

“What’s wrong, what’s wrong~ Why are you sweating so much~ It’s just getting started, right? Hmm? You gotta talk big like you were doing earlier!”

“Shut your trap, wench!!!!”

Ellis could finish him anytime, but she was deliberately stalling. She swung her mace at high speed but didn’t exploit his openings, leaving them wide open. Willump, disgusted by Ellis’s attitude, was grinding his teeth in anger, frustrated that he couldn’t even attempt to attack.

“Ughhh!!!!”

Willump, unable to stand it any longer, roared. He unleashed immense power, lifting his sword to block the mace. Ellis was caught off guard, her upper body exposed. But Willump’s sword had reached the end of its lifespan, splitting in two.

He tossed the broken sword aside, extending sharp claws towards her chest.

“Die!!!!”

Here’s the thing – Ellis wields her mace with one hand. Which means her other hand isn’t idle. Willump’s desperate strike was actually a terrible mistake.

“Oh my, what a pervert!”

* * *

*Smack-!*

Ouch, that’s gotta hurt. Snow White and I both cringed. Wilmp’s fangs went flying through the air. I eyed the sizable canine that had landed by my feet before giving it a little kick.

“Uwaaah!! This can’t be happening! I’m supposed to be a being beyond humans!!!”

“Yeah, right, you weakling.”

What came next was obvious.

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

Alice unleashed a barrage of indiscriminate slaps. With the relentless assault, Wilmp couldn’t even retaliate, his cheeks puffing up like a rugby ball. It was starting to look pathetic.

“M-My goodness… I’d heard tales from Adel, but seeing it firsthand, I’m reminded how incredibly strong you all are.”

[Psh, what’s so strong about a guy like that! Just a stupid brute!]

“Well, I’m weak though.”

Snow White chuckled in response to my words.

“No, you’re really strong too, Siyu. You stepped up for us, people you’ve just met. Th-That’s proof of a strong heart.”

“Haha, is that so? It’s kind of you to say so.”

She really has a way with words. Snow White’s eyes shone with a different light than before. As if she’d found a beacon of hope in us. Come to think of it, Alice alone might just be enough to take over this entire territory.

Maybe barging in and smashing everything as per Alice’s original plan would actually be the best strategy. With Ariel and Alice’s skills, they could easily dominate a multi-opponent fight. Hmm, I’m too weak, not sure if I’d be of any help.

“Krrk!”

Wilmp let out a short scream and collapsed to the floor. His legs were trembling violently. Alice grinned, poking his face with her foot.

“Pervert~ Time for you to go to prison now. A prison called Hell, that is?”

“D-Don’t be ridiculous! I’m…!”

Before Wilmp could even finish his sentence, Alice stamped on his head with her foot. *Crack!* Snow White and I both looked away.

“Ugh, lame. Things went weirdly sideways, but whatever. Looks like we took out most of the guards, right?”

Alice said, wiping her blood-stained hands on Ariel.

[Ew! Where are you putting that! You psycho!]

“Kyahahaha! You can just wash off in the water~”

[Ugh, get lost!!!]

Ariel dodged away from Alice’s touch. And Alice, as if finding it adorable, chased after her. I hesitated for a moment, then asked Snow White.

“Princess, what do you want to do now?”

“Huh? Uh, um, that is…”

My question seemed abrupt, and Snow White couldn’t hide her bewilderment. Then, the dwarf with a hairy face, who was threatening Alice with a dagger, spoke up.

“Princess, our current location is compromised, a very dangerous situation. It’s best we leave and set up a new base, then reorganize.”

I looked at the dwarf, then shrugged.

“Is that guy, Willem, the captain of the guard?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, he is.”

“Then, it’s safe to say the guard forces here are almost wiped out? Sure, there’s some stragglers left, but nothing that can really threaten us. So, using the Princess as bait, like Alice said, doesn’t have much advantage, I think.”

“Y-yes, you’re right.”

“Besides, most of the main force was sent to the Queen, so they probably aren’t that numerous.”

“Y-you’re right.”

“Then, is there really a need to move? If we regroup, they might just return and make it harder to infiltrate.”

The dwarf, flustered, yelled at me.

“That’s not right! You’ve forgotten what matters most! It’s the Princess’s safety! We can’t move until her safety is secured! Now is the time to regroup!”

Then the other dwarves approached and joined the discussion.

“But haven’t you seen their skills? They toyed with and killed that cruel Captain Willump. I believe it’s not impossible to ride this momentum and strike the main force.”

“Exactly. I agree with Siyu’s opinion. Especially that Elis, she’s truly incredible. Couldn’t she take out Count Vivid in one go?”

“Haha! Remember who brought them here!”

Amidst all that, Adel shrugged, confidently boasting her contribution. A dwarf with thick facial hair exclaimed, seemingly displeased with our display.

“What are you saying! What if we fail? It’ll be the end of everything! We need to regroup! We need a place to fall back to in case of failure!”

“But where would we find such a place? Do you know a good one?”

“Ugh, well, that’s…”

The dwarf couldn’t answer easily to my words.

“B-But, the Princess’s safety is our priority!”

Is this how they’ve been protecting the Princess all this time? No wonder they haven’t been able to accomplish anything and just wasted time.

“What are you all debating about~”

Then, Elis, chin resting on Ariel’s head, appeared. Ariel was uncomfortably wiping the blood off his body.

“Huh? Can’t we just charge in? They’re totally weak. What’s the problem? Right? My very brave dwarf friend who pulled a dagger on me?”

Elis mocked the hairy dwarf. The dwarf bit his lip tightly and kept silent. Seems like he can’t say anything when a real powerhouse shows up.

I pondered for a moment, then approached Snow White, who had a confused look, and asked.

“Then, Princess, please decide. You are the leader of this group, after all. Do we move the base and regroup like that dwarf suggests, or do we charge in, or do you have another method to suggest? Please make a decision.”

Then, all eyes turned to Snow White. That’s right. It’s pointless for us to discuss it amongst ourselves. The leader here is Princess Snow White. She is the ultimate decision-maker.

“U-Uh, I… I…”

“Princess! We must secure a base! This is truly…”

The hairy dwarf glared at Alice, ready to rip her mouth off if she said one more word, so she immediately clamped her lips shut.

Snow White, after some deliberation, seemed to reach a decision, nodding her head firmly and declaring,

“I want to fight now! I don’t want to hide in safe places any longer. I want to face it head-on. So, please!”

She bowed deeply, her head lowered before us.

“Please, help me!”

“Absolutely.”

“You should have been like this from the beginning~”

[Let’s finish this quick, take the castle and I’ll take a shower! Look at all the crap this crazy b*tch got all over me!]

“Kyahaha! What crap are you talking about being all over you~”

At our agreement, Snow White smiled brightly.

“Yes!!! Let’s go! Finally, I’ll get to see that Count Vivid’s face contort with fear!”

“Hahaha! Princess, don’t you worry! We’ll take responsibility and protect you!”

“Huhu, don’t forget that it’s because Adel here brought you heroes that all this is possible.”

The dwarves roared, full of fighting spirit. But despite her decision, the hairy dwarf grumbled almost inaudibly, expressing his discontent.

“Damn it, this isn’t right. If the Princess comes out like this…”

He’s been annoying me since before. I wanted to tell him off, but I didn’t want to break the mood. Instead, Alice silenced him with a single, murderous glare.

And so, we strode confidently through the streets to take the Count’s head and rescue the hunter. The city’s people were startled by our sudden appearance. It must be surprising to see wanted fugitives flaunting themselves so openly, since they should be in hiding.

But then, something unexpected happened.

“That, that’s!!”

Snow White’s gentle face twisted in anger. She screamed, looking at the figure approaching us with a furious expression.

“Count Vivid!!!”

That’s right. Count Vivid was leading the main force, approaching us.