There’s No Way My Maid Is a Villain

Chapter 38 : Stained with Blood

Stained with Blood

After returning home, Yinhua was still half-lying on the floor, panting, seemingly unable to recover from what had just happened.

"Your Highness, how did you escape from that crisis just now?"

Odin asked.

"I don't know. In that instant, I just felt like everything around me stopped, and then when I came to my senses, I was already standing behind you guys."

Yinhua leaned on Aili's shoulder and slowly stood up. She wasn't actually tired, just shaken by the experience.

"Is that so? Hmm, then there's no problem. Today's training was perfect."

Odin curved his lips into a smile so inscrutable it was impossible to decipher.

Zhixi, having experienced time reversal and knowing that the gardener held time in their grasp, didn't fully understand, but she basically knew what had happened.

"Well, I'll take my mistress back to rest first."

Aili supported Yinhua's shoulder and helped her step by step back to the bedroom.

Although she was the one who knew the least, her mistress's safety was more important to her than anything else.

"Rest well,"

Odin waved them off.

..................

Late at night, Yinhua got up from bed again. After resting for less than five hours, she no longer felt sleepy at all.

"Awake?"

A familiar voice came. Yinhua turned her head and saw Odin sitting on the windowsill of the bedroom.

"Odin! When did you get here?"

"Five hours ago? Nah, just teasing you, I just arrived too."

"Is there something you want?"

"Mm, there is indeed something."

Odin jumped off the windowsill, climbed onto the bed, pressing down on Yinhua, staring intensely at her face with those heterochromatic eyes.

"Eh? What's wrong?"

Yinhua was a bit confused.

"I'm asking, Your Highness, have you spoken to the Gardener... Luna?"

Odin pressed her face even closer.

'Isn't this a bit too close?' Yinhua thought.

"Yes, I've communicated with her."

"Then, could you have her come out and talk with me?"

"I'll try..."

Seeing Odin's serious gaze, Yinhua, though reluctant, had no choice but to accept.

"... Hmm."

After a while, Yinhua's hands fell to her sides.

"As expected, it's no good. Sorry I couldn't help you."

Yinhua, dejected, said.

"It's fine, it was within my expectations; it's not your fault, no need to apologize."

"What kind of person is Ms. Luna?"

"Hypocritical, full of lies, terrible personality, likes to scheme against people, gets happy when others are unhappy, and absolutely poor—so poor that when you're with her, you'll struggle to even find a few blades of grass to eat."

'Completely a scumbag!'

Yinhua screamed in her heart.

"So, what was it that you wanted to ask her? Next time I see her, I could pass the message for you."

"... Then, ask if she could give me the position of main wife,"

Odin mused.

"Huh?? What did you just say?"

As if she'd heard something outrageous, Yinhua asked in disbelief.

"No, it's nothing. Please forget it."

"Oh, by the way, this is for you."

Odin tossed the pitch-black long blade used in yesterday's training into Yinhua's hands.

'Still so light,' Yinhua thought.

"Is this appropriate?"

"This weapon was always yours. There's nothing inappropriate, I'm just returning it to its rightful owner."

Yinhua drew the blade. Under the moonlight, the blade shone coldly, a faint chill emanated from it.

Since Odin had never drawn the blade during training, this was the first time Yinhua saw its cutting edge, and it felt oddly familiar to her.

"This is an ice-attributed blade, called 'Sovereign', but for now it is still dormant. It's best to pour something warm into it—human blood works well."

"... That..."

Yinhua hesitated a little.

"I'm giving you this weapon to kill people, not as an accessory."

"In battle, if you don't kill them, they'll kill you. If they don't die, you will."

Odin's answer was rather ruthless.

"I know..."

Yinhua understood better than anyone. Soon, war between the two countries would break out.

If she didn't harden her resolve now, she would only become a burden to everyone.

"As long as you know."

Odin sighed, then jumped out through the window.

After Odin left, Yinhua got up from bed, walked quietly down the stairs, opened the wind screen, placed the blade on the wooden plank outside the door, closed the wind screen, then stood in the middle of the courtyard, letting the cold wind blow over her, trying to calm herself.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from beyond the courtyard wall.

Inside, Aili's eyes suddenly opened.

"Enemies? No, just ordinary bandits?"

Aili's dagger appeared in her hand as she prepared to go out to deal with those pests.

Just as she stepped out, Odin was already waiting at the doorway.

Odin gestured for her to keep quiet and then dragged her up to the roof.

Once on the rooftop, Aili looked at Odin:

"What do you want to do?"

"Shh, don't rush. Look below."

Odin pointed downwards.

Below, Yinhua was being surrounded by three men from different directions.

The three bandits walked quietly, without even communicating with each other, as if afraid any noise would alert others.

Yinhua gauged her situation and wanted to shout for help but feared the bandits would charge her regardless.

Squinting, she seemed to be thinking, then decisively ran backward. One of the bandits took up his weapon to attack her, but Yinhua flung a handful of earth she'd picked up into his eyes.

"Ah!"

The bandit clutched his face, and Yinhua easily bypassed him.

Yet he recovered quickly and chased after her.

Yinhua reached the wind screen, glanced at the long blade before her, and then at the enemy behind.

She knew she wouldn't have time to open the wind screen and would be caught before she could.

She picked up the long blade, rolled to the right, and with a "bang", the bandit's blade slashed into the wind screen, shattering it to pieces.

"Can you do such depraved acts and feel at ease about it?!"

Yinhua shouted.

"In this world, the weak are meat for the strong! Whether it's wealth or beauty, it all belongs to the strong!"

The apparent leader of the bandits snorted coldly.

"Miss, this is the mortal world, this is reality. Give up your resistance, and we might leave your corpse intact."

Yinhua trembled uncontrollably.

Not from fear.

But from anger.

Why could they so casually decide the fate of another's life?!

Without realizing it, Yinhua gripped "Sovereign" tighter. She remembered what Odin had told her:

"In battle, if you don't kill them, they'll kill you. If they don't die, you will."

"Why waste words? She's as good as dead. Do it quickly, lest things drag on."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two men lunged at her.

Yinhua's teeth gnashed in anger. In an instant, a layer of white frost covered "Sovereign" from top to bottom.

With a "whoosh", the blade sprang from its sheath, and the frigid cold surged out as if it had found a vent, rapidly covering the entire courtyard in ice crystals.

Yinhua leapt out to confront a bandit. He was startled and dodged to the side, eluding her strike, but the bone-chilling cold imprinted itself on his mind.

Yinhua suddenly spun around, slashing to the side again. This time, frost entangled the bandit's leg, preventing him from dodging.

With a "whoosh", his body was cleaved in two—yet not a drop of blood spilled; even the vessels were frozen solid.

Though she only used basic cutting and stabbing techniques, they were lethal and terrifying to the extreme.

No time for thought, Yinhua instinctively rolled aside, dodging another attack from behind.

Such reactions could only be forged through countless battles, and they were now evident in her.

The bandit leapt into the air, hacking down with a cleaver aimed at Yinhua.

She sprang up in a hurry, completely fearless, thrusting straight at him.

Their weapons collided, and the bandit's weapon instantly snapped in two.

The sound of blade meeting flesh—"puchi"—and, the moment he was struck in the abdomen, his organs were frozen solid.

"That weapon."

Greed flashed in the bandit leader's eyes. He paid no mind to his dead companions.

Yinhua looked at him coldly, suddenly pouncing at him. As she neared, he sprang up like a leopard and appeared behind her; by all rights, Yinhua should have been dead.

"Die!"

But...

"Tick."

That sound of the clock was the last the bandit heard.

Yinhua suddenly appeared behind him. As she sheathed her blade, the bandit leader collapsed dead.

"The rift of time... killing in the second imaginary number time. It's terrifying just thinking about it."

Odin muttered to herself.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Yinhua has strong powers, but she can't control it yet...

Good thing she's getting trained...

Also, she's also making the effort to change her mindset...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】