I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

It's simply his own fault.

Lily looked away and gazed ahead: "Did he agree?"

Hearing this, Guinevere, who was walking over, smiled and gave an OK sign. Having spent a long time together, and with Guinevere's frequent explanations, Lily had long understood the meaning of this gesture. She smiled slightly and said, "That's good."

“He’s gone to report now. It’ll probably take a while, which is a good opportunity for us to deal with these guys…” She looked at the leader of the thugs with a half-smile, who couldn’t help but shiver.

They initially thought they were just two naive and arrogant girls, and had even planned out their fun "play" together. However, they ended up kicking a hornet's nest. The girl who hadn't lifted a finger was one thing, but the girl in the white dress who looked like a noble's guard was thin and small, yet she could send people flying four or five meters with a mere flick of her wrist—she was practically a monster in human skin.

Feeling the astonishing power so disproportionate to his frail body, he was sent flying backward. In that instant, he realized what had happened and was filled with remorse. If time could be reversed, this local thug would have turned tail and fled the moment he saw them, thus avoiding the miserable state he was in now, beaten to a pulp.

But there's no going back in life. He could only watch helplessly as the blonde girl with flowing hair walked step by step to him, slowly squatted down, and looked him straight in the eye with a smile: "You actually dared to laugh at me just now." As she spoke, she raised her hand and pointed at him forcefully: "Even my father wouldn't dare to laugh at me so openly. You, and you, you, you, you all have a lot of nerve."

They pointed to each one. In the chaos just now, no one had noticed what the girl and the shop owner were talking about. But when they suddenly heard her say "Father," those who were a little quick-witted were immediately stunned—as for the less quick-witted ones, they were even more confused.

"Lily, what do you think I should do to them? Kill them all..."

Deliberately drawing out her words, Guinevere frowned as she watched the faces of the group turn pale. "Blood will splatter everywhere, it'll be dirty and smelly. And I don't like seeing corpses... How about we kill half and let the other half go?"

She tapped her chin rhythmically with her index finger, pondering for two or three minutes with an air of seriousness—a period that must have been the longest two or three minutes of their lives for those thugs—before finally shaking her head again: "It doesn't seem fair to the other half... Lily, what do you think is the best course of action?" She squatted there, tilting her head to look at the girl in the white dress.

"Why not give them a chance?"

"Oh?"

“I believe everyone should have a chance to make a mistake. If they don’t learn from it this time, it’s not too late to punish them next time,” Lily replied.

Guinevere thought for a moment: "That makes sense. Let's do it that way then. Hey, did you hear me! Take that poor injured man to get medical treatment immediately, and try to be a good person from now on, stop doing those shady things. Otherwise..." She chuckled twice, and seeing the other side nodding vigorously, she waved her hand again: "Now that you know, what are you still doing here? Hurry up and take him to see a doctor!"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes..."

Despite the pain all over his body, the leader of the thugs struggled to his feet and limped toward the man whose palm had been pierced—the latter had been knocked unconscious long before the two girls appeared, and had not uttered a sound until now—but after taking only two steps, he heard that sweet, soft voice calling him to stop behind him: "Wait, there's one more thing I forgot to remind you of."

Thinking the other party was going to back out, he turned around nervously, ready to run away at all costs. But he saw Guinevere raise a finger and shake it seriously: "I came here this time for something very, very important." She paused, as if waiting for the other party to ask a question so she could continue.

"Wh...what is it?" Even though he wasn't curious about the two people's purpose at all, he still asked while cursing inwardly.

The girl had a teachable look on her face: "I've already told you this is extremely important, but of course I can't tell you the specifics. Just remember, I'm not the daughter of the King of Scotland, and I'm not here because Princess Elaine's men are here. It's simply because... well, that's just an excuse to cause trouble. You can come up with any reason you want to make up."

"Anyway, I am neither a Scottish princess nor do I have anything to do with Princess Elaine. You must remember these two points, and it's best to pretend you've never met us, otherwise... you might lose your life if you're not careful."

She put her index finger to her lips and winked jokingly, but what she said made it hard for the listener to laugh.

Then don't say it!

The leader of the thugs felt like crying but had no tears. Even if he had ten more lives, he wouldn't dare to say those words out loud. Regardless of his thoughts or intentions, he could only nod and swear that he would never reveal a single word. Then, together with several equally disheveled henchmen, he took the unconscious wounded man and fled in a panic.

Guinevere watched their figures disappear, still squatting there, and waved to Lily: "Help me, my leg is numb..." The girl in the white dress helped her up with a wry smile, and then casually leaned most of her body against her.

Since her companion changed from "Artoria" to "Lily", nothing else has changed much, but under the guise of "what does it matter if we're all girls", the person has become increasingly unrestrained in their physical contact.

As proactive as she usually was, whenever it came to the most crucial step, she would immediately revert to being a coward, handing the reins back to Lily. Guinevere sometimes thought that it was fortunate that the certain knight princess was still innocent and naive, otherwise she might have teased her about this matter—but then she thought, Lily is such a righteous person, even if she matures in the future, she wouldn't make fun of her in such a way, and she was just judging Lily by her own petty standards.

"……what?"

"what happened?"

"No, it's just that I suddenly feel like I've set some incredible flag..."

……

"If all goes well, news of our visit to Her Highness Elaine should soon spread throughout Plymouth and appear in document form on the desks of well-informed nobles."

Guinevere only spoke after confirming that the thugs had completely disappeared. Lily glanced at her: "Are you so sure they'll tell everyone?"

“Definitely not. But there’s an old saying: if three people know a secret, it’s no longer a secret. Especially this group of people, they clearly haven’t received any professional security training. I guess no one has taught them how to be careful with their words. Just keeping something to themselves won’t last long.” Guinevere smiled. “Besides, they have their own little tricks.”

"Clever tricks?"

“Lily, think about it. Scotland is so far away, one in the south and one in the north. Why would I travel all this way? It must be something very important. What I just said proves that point. And for low-level people like them, if they learn a secret that doesn’t match their abilities, their fate is usually not good.” As she spoke, she made a throat-slitting gesture, and Lily couldn’t help but frown.

"So, when they can't guarantee their own safety, the more people know this secret, the safer they are. Because the more people know, the harder it is to silence them... Everyone has this kind of cleverness. Even if I don't say anything, you might say something. You and I are keeping quiet, but there are three, four, five, six, seven, eight... With so many people, someone will inevitably tell. In that case, for my safety, it's best to spread this news as much as possible. As long as everyone knows, I won't have to worry about being silenced. As for whether it will be traced back to who first spread the news... Rats in the gutter are best at hiding their tracks."

"Besides, this is just a side move. After all, I don't actually have any evidence to prove that I am Guinevere. If the brother and sister insist that I'm an imposter for some reason, then this information might come in handy. But I don't think it will come to that... So whether it succeeds or not, it doesn't really have much of an impact."

Hearing the sound of the once-closed inn door open, and with the topic now settled, Guinevere spread her hands, smiled at Lily, and turned around. The innkeeper emerged, glancing left and right, seemingly searching for the two who had been fighting. His gaze quickly returned to the two in their direction, and he bowed slightly, saying, "Your Highness, the master requests your presence." His attitude was much more reserved and polite than before.

I don't know which of the two personalities was an act...

Guinevere shook her head and walked over side by side with Lily.

Similar to the feeling of the street, the interior of the inn was also extremely simple. The first floor was furnished with tables and chairs according to the customs of the time, for people to eat and drink. There was also a simple small stage set up in the corner, which was probably for bards or dancers to perform. It was only early morning, and the stage was empty. There were only a few scattered figures in the lobby. They all looked like they had been drinking all night and hadn't had time to leave. They were drunk and reeked of alcohol.

Seeing the shop owner enter with two pretty girls, someone whistled, "Oh, could this be—" He was cut off mid-sentence by a glare from the shop owner, causing him to shudder and sober up instantly. Those who frequented this place weren't exactly respectable figures; they might lack other skills, but their eyesight was impeccable. Knowing these two likely had connections, he chuckled, touched his nose, and fell silent. The others quickly averted their gazes, unwilling to risk offending him.

The innkeeper led the two through the regular customers, up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor. The inn had three floors; the first floor also served as a food and beverage business. When it was really full, tables and chairs would be put together, and a few door panels would be placed on top, so that people could make do for the night—they would inevitably have sore backs and aches the next day.

Part of the second and third floors are guest rooms.

According to Guinevere's understanding, during this period, there were generally several situations regarding lodging when people stayed away from home. If they were monks, they would receive hospitality and food as long as they identified themselves at monasteries in various places. Poor people passing through could also receive free hospitality from monasteries, depending on their circumstances.

As for knights, they would usually be entertained by the castle owner upon arriving at a castle and giving their name. Although there was no explicit rule, this was almost a customary practice, and there was a relatively complete set of rules regarding the etiquette they received.

However, because of this, there are occasional incidents where a knight feels that such hospitality is not commensurate with his own strength and clashes with the castle owner.

Aside from these groups, those who usually choose to stay at inns are generally merchants, travelers, and ordinary pilgrims.

This inn seems to primarily cater to travelers with limited funds, as the food and drinks it serves prioritize quantity over quality. The rooms are similarly simple and lack aesthetic appeal, and they have a persistent, musty smell. However, they are spacious enough for daily exercise and laundry, and you can even ask the inn staff to help you take your weapons and armor for repair.

As you go up the stairs, you can see many shirtless men walking around, some even brazenly drawing their swords and brandishing them. People standing nearby quickly move away, followed by a barrage of vulgar insults.

"...That man is a mercenary from a Roman province. He used to be a very famous gladiator, a strong contender for the championship, but in the last two years, a swordsman of unknown identity suddenly appeared and has been occupying the strongest position, defeating his opponents with absolute advantage... He couldn't stay there any longer, so he had to cross the sea to make a living."

"I see, that explains why I couldn't understand what he was saying," Guinevere said with sudden realization. "But judging from the other person's expression, it seems like they know what this former gladiator is saying?"

"Anyway, insults are nothing more than—,—, and—, etc. You don't need to know what they're saying; you can guess... Okay."

The moment Guinevere reached out and covered the white-dressed girl's ears with lightning speed the instant he opened his mouth, the shopkeeper's voice gradually softened, and finally he shrugged and stopped talking.

"Fina?"

"Don't listen to these things, little kids."

"Well--"

Seemingly unhappy about being called a child, Lily didn't brush away the two hands placed near her ears. Instead, she puffed out her cheeks and glared angrily at Guinevere. The latter chuckled and withdrew her hands, saying, "Alright, alright."

"Your Highness and this young lady seem to have a very good relationship," the shopkeeper interjected from the side. He probably wanted to test the relationship between the two, as he had initially thought they were master and servant, but their interaction didn't seem to suggest that.

Even if there were no distinction between superiors and inferiors, there would never be such playful frolicking.

"Lily is a friend I met on my previous journey. You wouldn't believe it, but she's Merlin's student. You know Merlin, right? The famous magician..."

The stairs creaked and groaned as they reached the third floor, following the shopkeeper down a corridor. Compared to the first and second floors, this place was quieter, presumably for guests who disliked crowds and could afford it. But as soon as Guinevere uttered those words, the shopkeeper's expression suddenly changed. At the same time, with a loud bang, the door to the room on the left at the end of the corridor, which had been tightly closed, was violently blasted open and sent flying into the air!

The door flew off, splinters flew everywhere, and at the same time, an angry shout came from inside the room—a hoarse voice belonging to a woman around thirty years old:

"Who dares to mention that bastard Merlin's name in front of me?! Get over here, I'm going to kill your whole family—!"

P.S.: This is a long chapter of 4600 words, remember to vote! Also, I recommend a FF14 fanfiction featuring a yuri (male protagonist) character, "Light Dazed Chronicles," which I personally found quite good.

The third-faced dragon girl is the best in the world! (Sound resounding)

Chapter 93 This Princess is a Bit Reckless (Part 2)

Bang—crack!

Before the stunned group, the entire door of the room on the left seemed to have been struck heavily with a hammer, suddenly soaring into the air, spinning as it crashed into the opposite wall, then bounced back and shattered into pieces on the corridor floor, splintering wood everywhere.

Seeing several sharp fragments flying straight towards them, Guinevere raised her hand, preparing to sweep them away with a whirlwind. However, the shopkeeper seemed to have anticipated this. Almost at the same time as the sound came from behind the door, he swayed and stood in front of the two girls. He stretched out his large, rough palm, casually grabbed a couple of times, and actually caught all the sharp pieces of wood in his palm.

The blade-like cut pierced the skin, but snapped in two the next moment without drawing blood.

Taking in this scene and noticing the calluses on the other person's hands, Guinevere suddenly realized that this person was definitely not an ordinary innkeeper.

Although he wasn't carrying a sword, that one step and grab he made just now were enough to show that he must be an experienced and highly skilled swordsman.

Plymouth, as a newly established frontier town bordering the territories of Marco and the other two kings, was a melting pot of all sorts of people. It was only natural, and even necessary, for the shrewd nobles, for whatever purpose, to send people to secretly gather intelligence. And the town's owners, "Fisherman King" Pelles, or the rumored siblings Fisher and Elaine, who were supposedly in charge, would certainly not remain inactive.

No wonder Perinoa sent them here to find Princess Elaine.

It's unclear whether the "real person" is the innkeeper in front of us or the woman who yelled at Merlin's name in the room earlier.

That said, it seems you can run into a messy situation involving Merlin everywhere. Cornwall had it, Terenas had it, and now, judging from the tone of the person in the room, it's clear they also had something going on with Merlin, and it's definitely not something that would bring back fond memories...

Is it too late to distance yourself now and say you don't know Merlin?

Sensing trouble brewing, Guinevere couldn't help but have a thought that made her both amused and exasperated.

She stopped in her tracks due to the sudden turn of events. Lily walked up and stood beside her, adjusting her sword. Because Guinevere's current situation was somewhat precarious—who knows when she might sprout wings in the middle of a fight—and given the limited "team funds," Lily, who was nominally her bodyguard, carried her sword, while Guinevere was empty-handed, resembling a naive noblewoman out for a stroll.

Even if she encounters any danger, she still has the Wind Mark to protect her, so she shouldn't be completely helpless. As for a young girl who isn't carrying a weapon, most ordinary people would unconsciously underestimate her, and might reveal some weakness because of it. Sometimes, a simple thought or misconception is enough to determine the outcome of a battle, a matter of life and death.

Guinevere used this reason to persuade Lily, but there was an even more important reason she didn't say, and it's unknown whether Lily herself realized it—she changed weapons far too quickly.

The Sword in the Stone broke prematurely, and Excalibur became a bridge to Nightmare due to Terenas's machinations. According to Merlin, only when her dragonification curse is lifted can the Star Sword return to reality. As for whether it will be given to Artoria or continue to be used by her, that will be decided by the two of them.

"The 'now' has changed, and the 'future' will change accordingly; that's what's called 'fate.' I won't interfere or say anything about it... Why, you ask? Because it'll be more interesting that way!"

Thus, although Guinevere only sensed a bad premonition in those few words, as Merlin said, everything had to wait until the dragon curse was lifted and the holy sword was safely retrieved before any further thought could be given.

Before this, although she really wanted to find another divine weapon for Lily, such treasures are not easy to find, and she could not waste her precious time on them. Therefore, the swords that Lily was using at the moment were all purchased from villages and towns she passed through.

The reason for using the word "all" is...

This was because an ordinary longsword in Lily's hands had almost become a consumable item. Before this, until the battle in the ruined village of Cornwall, the iron sword she used seemed ordinary, but it was also specially chosen by Hector. As her adoptive father, the old knight knew his adopted daughter very well. The sword he chose might not be the sharpest, but its sturdiness was absolutely top-notch.

That's why that sword could withstand multiple bursts of magical energy. A blacksmith's work in a rural town would often break into several pieces after just a few light swings, or even before any force was applied.

If the sword breaks, it must be replaced.

In the short stretch of road north from the town where she met Merlin, Lily encountered only a handful of bandits and wild beasts, yet she still managed to break three swords during that time.

It's important to understand that in this era, before the so-called assembly line production of later generations even began to emerge, weapons and tools were all forged by craftsmen, hammer by hammer. Naturally, they were not cheap. Ordinary people had no need to buy weapons. Even ordinary knights' squires—mostly lower-ranking nobles—or mercenaries and adventurers would have to save money for half a year or even several years before they could grit their teeth and buy a decent quality sword.

Even though Guinevere brought some money from home—of which only a small portion came from the King of Scotland, and the vast majority came from her childhood learning from those time-traveling predecessors to do inventions and research—although she hadn't achieved anything significant yet, she had still made considerable financial gains over nearly ten years—it couldn't keep her spending money like water.

When she came to her senses, her purse had visibly shrunk, while Lily was looking at the broken sword in her hand, on the verge of tears... At that moment, Guinevere could be said to have a very profound understanding of why masters in stories often have a good weapon.

As for the full set of armor worn by a proper knight, the price is even more expensive. Ordinary families could not afford it, let alone go bankrupt. Moreover, they could not even afford the annual maintenance costs.

Of course, if we were to be serious about whether Britain at this time actually had full-body armor that was jokingly called "tin cans," Guinevere didn't know much about this in her previous life and couldn't give a definite answer.

However, seeing is believing. Putting aside others, she remembered that when Gawain was twelve or thirteen years old, whenever he accompanied King Lot to visit, he would often secretly wear his father's armor and then run over to show it off in front of her and her brother. Pat always looked very envious but did not want to show it, while Guinevere herself would quietly look up at the sun and silently count the time.

Five, four, three, two, one...

The sun sets and night falls.

The once majestic little prince was suddenly transformed into an immobile iron tortoise.

What happened next was most likely her manipulating the wind, with Pat attracting attention along the way, to get Gawain back to his house unnoticed.

Sometimes, by accident, or perhaps due to Guinevere's deliberate sabotage, Gawain's secret wearing of the armor would be exposed, and the boy would often disappear for two or three days. It was said that King Lothar had hung him up and beaten him for the duration of three meals a day, but she didn't know if it was true or not. She decided to ask the person involved.

I didn't get the answer; I almost got slashed by that holy sword that kept spinning...

Even Guinevere herself didn't know how many things had been racing through her mind in that brief moment. She shook her head, bringing her attention back to reality. The two of them were now near the end of the corridor. Standing there, the room ahead, now without a door, was completely visible inside.

There was only one person inside.

A woman of about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with deep red hair that barely covered her ears, prominent cheekbones, and a high forehead, was of ordinary appearance. However, there was a scar that started from the left corner of her mouth, swept across the bridge of her nose, and covered almost half of her face, like a giant centipede lying there. It looked somewhat like a sword wound, but also somewhat like a wolf's claw mark.

She was wearing a somewhat worn leather armor, with protective iron plates only attached to the key parts. The leather was covered with various scratches of different depths, some from swords and some from the teeth and claws of animals.

The woman sat on the edge of the bed, one leg crossed, her left hand resting on her knee, while her right hand seemed to be holding something and waving it around.

She was barefoot, with one boot lying beside her, but she couldn't find the other one anywhere. After a while, Guinevere discovered the other boot lying among the shards on the floor, and realized what had smashed the poor door open.

Within easy reach of the woman, against the wall, stood a large axe, as tall as an adult. Its handle was wrapped in bloodstained strips of cloth, and its blade gleamed coldly, clearly not a mere decorative piece.

To the right of the giant axe was a small, round wooden shield. In battle, such shields were usually strapped to the arm for easy blocking without hindering movement. This shield, however, looked old, with several cracks along the edges and countless scratches and abrasions in the middle, crisscrossing to form a strange pattern that resembled a human face.

It was nearly noon, and the sun was growing stronger, but it wasn't yet the height of summer, so the heat wasn't too unbearable. A gentle breeze brought a touch of comfort amidst the heat. They stood in the hallway outside, and as they looked inside, the woman's gaze returned to them. Their eyes met, and the red-haired woman with the scar on her face raised her chin: "I heard someone of considerable influence is looking for me. So, which of you is Guinevere?"

As she asked the question, she opened her clenched fist, and two triangular objects rolled out, swaying a few times on the bed before stopping.

Those were two four-sided dice.

……

P.S.: I think I've gotten back into the swing of things, and I'll try to update daily from now on~ Remember to vote!

Chapter Ninety-Four: This Princess is a Bit Reckless (Part Two)