I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 389 What can Monokuma do?
In an unnamed mountain area, a group of about two hundred people were walking on a narrow mountain path. The long line stretched out like a giant python, winding and slowly crawling through the mountains.

The team did not move quickly, partly because the mountain path was narrow and rugged, and partly because the proportion of the elderly, weak, sick and disabled in the team of about two hundred people was quite high, accounting for at least half.

This caused the black and white bear at the front to look back at the group, frowning as it turned and walked back to the middle of the group.

This is not good. The team is moving too slowly. In addition, the long line of two hundred people is too long. There are only about fifty guards. The players from the Overmountain Tiger Battle Group, who should be one of the guards, are not here.

Players were not happy to do the tedious and boring guard work. They all said that the vast majority of the Minieses had left the mountains, and even if there were a few die-hards, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Therefore, the players of the Overland Tigers are not here, but are wandering around the mountains, hunting, or looking for the remaining small group of Minieses.

Therefore, the Tia family's guard force is particularly vulnerable, and any attack would be devastating for this team.

Black and White Bear did not agree with the Tia family leaving the valley now, and even now that the group was on the road, he was trying to persuade Elena.

"The team is too slow...and too fragile."

Monokuma's voice was deep; he had already found Elena in the middle of the group.

“If we are attacked, we will be unable to support each other, and our troops will be easily cut off, divided, and wiped out.”

Miss Elena, I urge you again to retreat into the valley, at least until those Tigers return, or until we make clear contact with the vanguard of the northward expeditionary force!

Before him stood young Elena Tia, wrapped in an ill-fitting, mud-splattered cloak. Rain streamed down her pale cheeks, but her eyes burned with an almost obstinate flame.

She slightly raised her chin, looked directly at the black and white bear, and although her voice was a little hoarse from exhaustion, it was unusually firm.

"Withdraw? Great Knight Monokuma, we can't go back to that damp, cold 'sanctuary' where even breathing smells musty."

Elena's tone carried a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

“I know it’s dangerous to go out now, but the situation is getting worse if we stay in the valley. In just three days, two more children have had high fevers again due to heat and dampness, and they are coughing every night.”

The noise in the valley, the steam from the underground river... it's terrible for the elderly and children.

She took a deep breath, the cold air making her shiver slightly.

"Moreover, have you forgotten the news our sentries brought back? Those poor souls who fled from the direction of White Rock City testified that my father, and almost all the adult males of the Tia family, were imprisoned in the dungeons of White Rock City."

That tyrant Charles is using them as bait, waiting for us to walk right into his trap!

When her father was mentioned, Elena's voice trembled slightly, but she quickly suppressed it with an even stronger determination.

“I know White Rock City is a trap. I’m not naive enough to think we can break out of the prison with our limited strength. That’s why we must leave here as soon as possible and head south!”

She pointed to the misty mountains to the south.

“The Bagnia expeditionary force is heading north. Prince Chris has sent a large army to meet us. Only by joining forces with them can we have strength. Only by relying on Bagnia’s strength can we have hope… hope to rescue my father and our people!”

Elena's gaze swept over her suffering people who were moving slowly behind her, her voice filled with an undeniable sense of responsibility.

"Staying here and waiting is tantamount to waiting to die."

The environment of the valley is eroding our health, and time... time is taking away the lives of our loved ones!
Every minute, every second, someone could die in the White Rock City dungeon. The sooner we reunite with the expeditionary force, the greater the chance of my father and my people being rescued.

I cannot... I cannot continue to watch the elderly and children in the valley die of illness out of fear of possible attacks, nor can I watch my loved ones in the dungeon despair.

Monokuma fell silent, filled with utter disgust... disgusted by the game designer and by the long-winded female NPC in front of him.

Seriously, no matter what game Monokuma plays or when he does a rescue mission, he always encounters similar idiots.

Elena's reasoning was impeccable; the valley's environment was indeed too harsh for long-term habitation, especially for the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled, for whom it would be tantamount to waiting to die.

The plight of Baiyancheng's relatives was a sword hanging over her heart.

On the surface, her choice was not problematic. It was her responsibility as the successor to the clan chief. She wanted to seize the only visible chance of survival in the face of despair, even if that chance came with enormous risks.

But as Monokuma looked at the long and fragile line, and at the elderly, women and children trudging through the mud, barely able to protect themselves, alarm bells rang in his heart.

Have all the Minisians really left?

Now the team has left the relatively familiar valley shelter with its natural barriers and is exposed on this long, unprotected mountain path... It's like exposing the most vulnerable throat to a possible sharp blade.

Black and White Bear looked at Elena, and seeing the stubbornness on her face, he immediately swallowed back the last words of persuasion he was about to say.

You can't reason with a devil who's destined to die; judging from the current situation, an attack is inevitable.

Stubborn NPCs, long queues, sporadic scouting battles fought by the Tiger player in the vicinity a while ago... and so on.

Damn it, all the dangerous factors are gathered here!
The flags on the stage aren't even this complete; this accident was bound to happen!

Monokuma was too lazy to talk to Elena anymore. This female NPC had a whole repertoire of polite phrases, which were magnificent and pleasant to hear. He couldn't argue with her, and there was no need to fight with her.

The harsh reality won't change just because someone can speak.

Monokuma walked back, found Centurion Torres in the ranks, and then gave him orders very directly.

"Torres, you take a few reliable soldiers and guard Her Highness the Princess Consort."

"Yes, my lord..."

Torres instinctively pounded his chest, and after completing the action, he couldn't help but ask if he had also seen the conversation between Monokuma and Elena.

"Sir, what happened?"

"Nothing is happening now, but I have a feeling something will happen soon... Remember, what His Highness needs is Elena alone; the other members of the Tia family are just optional extras."

Therefore, if any enemy attacks us, you must protect Elena. As long as she lives, our mission can be completed. Once she dies, the other members of the Tia family will be of no value.

"Do you understand?" Monokuma's words were impolite and cold, but after a moment of silence, Centurion Torres nodded slowly and forcefully.

To be honest, Centurion Torres also harbored resentment. He resented Elena, even though she had been very polite to him. However, the centurion had not forgotten that the reason his side had ended up in such a predicament was because of the future princess.

If Her Highness the Princess Consort is willing to heed the advice and move to the Kingdom of Bagnia before summer, even if there are some accidents on the way and some people are killed or injured, she will not be stuck in the mountains.

Two of the most elite Bagnian hundred-man guards escorted the Tia family members across two hundred kilometers to reach Bagnian-controlled territory—this was no problem at all.

At that time, the main armed forces of the Kingdom of Minicia were concentrated on the front line, while the rear consisted of refugees and local garrison troops. As long as the troops moved fast enough, the Minicians would not have time to gather a large force to intercept them.

The only thing that could stop the advance of the troops was some militia, but no matter how many local militia there were, they could not possibly be a match for two hundred Bagnya elites.

Unfortunately, Centurion Torres failed to persuade the future princess, which resulted in more than 200 elite soldiers not dying on the battlefield, but slowly losing more than half of their men in non-combat situations due to lack of food and clothing.

Even Alvin, who was also a centurion, was killed in an encounter with the Minisians, leaving Torres alone to continue commanding the troops and protecting those burdens of the Tia family.

How could Centurion Torres not harbor resentment after such an experience?

After making arrangements for Elena, Black Bear didn't stop. He took a minute to go offline and contacted Little Knife, the captain of the Overland Tigers, hoping that he could get nearby Overland Tigers members to come over as quickly as possible.

Once online, Monokuma immediately had someone armor him, three layers of armor: first a layer of soft armor, then chainmail, and finally a Bagnya-style breastplate on top.

Although the three layers of armor were not adequately protected, with gaps in the lower body and arms, at least the chest and other key areas were protected.

Finally, Monokuma asked the lieutenant of the 100-man squad for a 1.9-meter-long two-handed sword to arm himself... No matter what, Monokuma would do his best when the battle came.

……

Around 2 p.m., the group finally managed to descend to a relatively flat valley.

The continuous rain made the air damp, cold, and heavy, and thick fog rose in the mountains, making fatigue feel like a real weight on everyone's shoulders.

Ahead, beside a sparse birch forest, a clear but slightly swift stream flows across the landscape, its water level rising above knee-deep due to abundant rainfall.

Upon seeing the water source, Monokuma instinctively raised its arm, causing the group to stop.

"Take a break here... half an hour, everyone go get water, boil water, and have something simple to eat."

Torres!

Centurion Torres strode up from the middle of the column.

"grown ups."

The black and white bear pointed to the lush, dark forest on the opposite bank of the stream, which looked particularly secluded in the rain and mist... That place was perfect for hiding.

"Immediately assign a few quick-thinking soldiers to establish a perimeter there."

Torres immediately responded, and he quickly arranged for the few remaining Tia family private soldiers and guards who were still in good condition to cross the stream and disperse into the woods, focusing their attention on guarding the opposite bank of the stream and the hillsides on both sides.

He then turned around and, with the four elite Bagnian soldiers, stood guard beside Elena like a rock, placing her on a relatively dry rock with her back against a huge tree root.

Elena took the water pouch from the maid, sipped it, but her eyes looked beyond the stream, anxiously gazing southward, as if she could see reinforcements through the rain. Her pale face was filled with exhaustion and an almost obsessive expectation.

Black and White Bear turned his head to look at this femme fatale. He did not dismount, but sat on a rock by the stream. The weight of the three layers of armor made him lean forward slightly.

The damp dew slid down the cold breastplate and dripped onto the skirt armor, wetting the crotch of the black and white bear. His sharp eyes, like searchlights, scanned the desolate forest on the opposite bank again and again, scanning the hillsides on both sides for possible hiding places for ambushes.

The Tiger Crossing crew hasn't arrived yet, and who knows how much longer...

At the stream, the weary crowd began to fetch water. The brief commotion and the faint cheers of the children who had obtained clean water sounded particularly jarring in the oppressive environment, and intensified the unease in the black and white bear's heart.

Something's not right, something's very wrong. The woods and hills opposite are too quiet; the black and white bear can barely hear any birdsong.

Get the team moving and out of this dangerous area!?
Monokuma glanced back at the elderly and children in the group, whose faces were sallow and whose lips were cracked, and realized that the group could not move... unless they got rid of these burdens.

Keep waiting.

Time passed slowly amidst the dull sound of rain; half an hour felt like an eternity.

The half hour finally ended, and the sparse, light rain, like a child urinating, also stopped.

Just as Monokuma was about to order the group to continue on their way...

"boom!"

A crisp, piercing gunshot shattered the brief tranquility of the streamside like a thunderclap.

The gunshots came from a sentry post on the right side of the column, near the upstream direction of the stream.

"Enemy...attack...!!!"

The sentry hiding in the treetop only managed to utter half of his piercing warning before a crossbow bolt shot out like lightning from the shadows of the forest pierced his chest.

The sentry shuddered violently, his face filled with disbelief, and fell straight down the tree, tumbling down the slope until he rolled into the icy stream.

As the gunshot rang out, Monokuma leaped up from the rock, raising his two-handed greatsword high to make himself the most conspicuous target.

"Old people and children step back, soldiers step forward and stand with me!"

Monokuma had prepared a plan of action for the troops in advance, so the soldiers of Bagnia knew how to act. More than fifty soldiers who were not sick or in pain quickly assembled and lined up on the left and right sides of Monokuma.

The elderly, women, and children of the Tia family, who had been fleeing for a long time, did not stand still. They sprang into action and, led by Elena and the remaining wounded soldiers, struggled to escape in the opposite direction.

(End of this chapter)