Chapter 201: No Need to Worry

The defense against the zombies continued for a while longer, even after the giants had been taken down. After all, there were over 20,000 regular zombies swarming around them.

Although their numbers were formidable, they posed little threat.

The Empire’s army wielded semi-blessed weapons, which possessed faint holy properties. Even for zombies, striking a vital spot would ensure a kill in one hit.

The real advantage, however, was Eve’s team providing support.

With snipers ready, targeting zombies that were too close for comfort, the Empire’s soldiers could fight with peace of mind. Ultimately, after half an hour, every last zombie was eliminated.

With no casualties or injuries, the soldiers felt elated, celebrating outside as they enjoyed their humble dinner.

Meanwhile, Eve’s team rested inside their tent, consuming packed meals separate from the army’s provisions—supplies that Eve and Arianne had pulled directly from their inventory, enough for all ten of them.

The girls chatted idly as they ate, with a cheerful atmosphere around them… Completely unaware of someone watching them from a distance.

“…Doesn’t look like they’re in trouble right now.”

The man, concealed in the shadow of a hill about 300 meters from the main encampment, sighed. He set down the night-vision binoculars, his gaze fixed ahead. His identity was unmistakable: Axel!

Only he would dare to linger in the darkness without any light or protection.

But he hadn’t just arrived. He had been tracking them from the beginning, keeping a safe distance behind the army—far enough that even Eve couldn’t sense his presence.

He was deeply concerned for her, after all.

Was he stalking them? Perhaps. But his intentions were good, so it’s fine.

“Hmm?”

As he zoned out, Axel noticed a few shadowy figures approaching the girls’ tent.

He quickly grabbed the binoculars and peered through the lenses. If they were just typical soldiers led by their baser instincts—their lower body in particular… Axel wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate them from this world.

However, his assumption was slightly off.

“That’s… Sophia and Rico?” Axel frowned.

Sophia was one thing, but Rico… he felt conflicted about allowing him into the girls’ tent.

Yet, he couldn’t simply dispose of him without cause. Thus, he found himself at a standstill, unsure of what to do…

Until Eve peeked out of the tent’s entrance and gestured for Sophia to come in.

Rico, fortunately, remained outside, as if standing sentry.

Seeing him holding back on entering the flower garden, Axel sighed in relief.

Naturally, he still kept a close eye on him, cautious that he might act inappropriately.

And so, the long, long night commenced.

…

[Do you really need to be doing this?]

Morning arrived, and Navi, appearing more bothered than irritated, stared at Axel, who lay flat on his stomach, peering through binoculars at the camp.

[You look like a voyeur right now, you know that?]

“Shut up…” Axel grumbled, stifling a yawn. “This is a necessary evil…”

In truth, Axel had spent the entire night guarding Eve’s tent from anyone with ill intentions.

Ultimately, nobody dared to act on his fears, resulting in a grand total of zero casualties that night. It felt like a complete waste of his effort!

[…Beatrix and Teruria have been trying to reach you, you know? Should I tell them that you’re out here, peeking at your to-be-wife changing clothes?]

“I’m not doing anything like that!” Axel snapped, glaring at the floating little penguin. “Just tell them I’m out surveying the surrounding terrain of our kingdom… That should suffice.”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

He was, indeed, surveying the land between the Axevaria Kingdom and the Alcott Empire. It was merely a “coincidence” that his pace aligned perfectly with the empire’s army.

Navi didn’t feel great about Axel’s response.

He couldn’t just let Axel waste time watching over Eve, who was perfectly safe!

[You… leave me with no choice.]

The little bugger disappeared, leaving Axel’s side.

But a moment later, he reappeared… along with something else.

A crack in space appeared, and a firm hand shot out, grabbed Axel by the collar, and yanked him back.

“WOAH!”

The tug was so violent and swift that Axel couldn’t even react.

Such a feat wasn’t normally achievable; given Axel’s current strength, only a limited number of figures could attempt something like that with him.

As he lay on the floor, he looked up.

A familiar ceiling. The castle’s meeting hall ceiling.

And a group of familiar faces surrounded him completely.

Closest to him was the culprit who had pulled him back—Fenrir. With the Gleipnir’s second seal loosening, she could now exhibit 25% of her true strength. Though still below Axel’s raw stats, with her buff, Overdrive, Axel couldn’t even compare.

But she wasn’t the only one present.

Nina, Teruria, Beatrix, Maria, and Cherry were all there too!

“I’m innocent…”

Axel denied it even before he was questioned, smiling wryly while hiding the binoculars in his inventory. Unfortunately, it was too late; the girls had already discovered what he had been doing all night.

“Husband, you…”

“Master… Guilty.”

“Bad! Go to sleep!”

Various voices called to him, their expressions differing. Yet, in unison, they all did one thing: grabbed Axel by the arms and escorted him back to his room!

Of course, what happened there afterward is a story for another time.

…

After packing up their tents, the empire army resumed its march.

At that point, it was still considered dawn rather than morning, making the march relatively comfortable.

If there’s any changes to mention, it was that Eve and her team were not at the tail end of the march this time; they were walking right beside Sophia’s carriage.

The reason? They wanted to chat.

Marching in silence was mentally taxing, after all. Sophia felt the same, even though she was just sitting inside the carriage with Rico to talk to.

However, with almost all possible conversation topics exhausted between them, she preferred to find someone else to talk with. That’s where Eve came in.

As another princess, they had plenty of things in common to discuss.

But most of the conversation revolved around Sophia sharing her life stories—mainly about her romantic history and such. Topics that Eve couldn’t really dabble in. She just nodded along, providing some input now and then while mostly zoning out and staring ahead.

“Hmm…?”

That was why she was the first to notice it.

In the distance, just beyond the horizon, shadows began to emerge.

Without hesitation, she stood still and propped her rifle, using the scope to peer into the distance and discern the shapes of the figures.

“That’s… an army,” Eve muttered, a frown crossing her face. “An army with the Empire’s flag.”

Hearing her words, Sophia quickly grasped the situation.

Of course, even Eve was starting to piece it together. After all, Beatrix had explained this possibility during their last discussion long ago.

“That’s most likely one of my siblings…”

Sophia took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing mind.

“Here to keep us in check… One aiming for my life.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep