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

"...So, which of you is Guinevere?"

The dice landed on the bed, spun twice, and landed on their own. The sunlight outside was intense; even on the third floor, the sounds of people talking drifted up, making the room seem even quieter.

A middle-aged woman with fiery red hair sat on the edge of the bed, raising her chin and giving him a hostile look as she asked her question.

"I'm."

The girl stepped forward and answered. Lily followed beside her, while the shop owner who had brought them up remained silent, quietly retreating to a sunless corner on the other side of the corridor, where the shadows cast a faint shadow over his expression.

"And the other one, must be Merlin's so-called student?" The red-haired woman looked coldly at Lily, but before the two could speak, she shook her head: "Never mind, judging from your expressions, you probably don't know what that guy Merlin has done, otherwise you wouldn't be able to swagger up to me like this..."

Seemingly recalling something, her expression darkened slightly, but she quickly recovered: "Let's get back to the point. Leaving aside what happened decades ago, my brother and I have never considered ourselves to have any connection with Scotland during this time. Why would King Leodogland send you here? Let's be frank from the start: if it's related to the King, then forgive me..."

"Please wait a moment. While I don't dislike this straightforward style of conversation, please let me confirm one thing before we get to the point."

"Oh?"

Seeing that the other party did not object, Guinevere then asked, "Is Your Highness truly Princess Elaine, the daughter of King Peles?"

"Do I not look like Elaine in your eyes?" Hearing this question, the red-haired woman did not show any anger or surprise. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand, looked at the girl with interest, and asked in return.

“That’s not the case.” Guinevere shook her head and said, “I had never met Princess Elaine before, so I can’t say whether she looks like her or not. It’s just that from the perspective of someone who has only heard of her name but never seen her, you do look a little… different from the princess I’ve heard about.”

"Not quite similar, in which specific aspect are you referring?"

As if quite interested in the topic, the woman with bright red hair smiled slightly—the scars on her face twitched a few times, but instead of looking strange and scary, they added a touch of eerie beauty to her otherwise ordinary face.

"Do you think that Elaine, as a somewhat famous magician, shouldn't have this kind of image?" She pointed to herself, then looked at the shield leaning against the wall and the giant axe as tall as an adult. "Or do you think that I'm not as young and beautiful as you, betraying people's imagination of a 'princess'?"

Guinevere shook her head again: "Princess, king, nobleman, knight, it's just a status, a title. Of course, there are all kinds of etiquette and rules in the world, what people of different status should say and do, each with their own duties, following the rules, and all things in the world are born and accomplished because of this."

"But even those who are most particular about etiquette would not demand that a king be majestic and a princess be beautiful, because that is simply too impractical. What I am puzzled by is another matter."

She paused, then said, "Why is it that even though they are family, His Highness and King Perinoa don't look alike at all?"

"Have you met Uncle Perinoa?"

"To be honest, Your Highness, we spent some time in Cornwall before. Later, we traveled north with a caravan and met the King and his son of the Islands at a crossroads. We also learned something very interesting from that encounter."

"You mean... the Avank who is about to awaken near Plymouth?"

"So Your Highness knew about this."

"So you actually came here for this reason too." The red-haired woman raised an eyebrow, then feigned realization: "I see. You deliberately revealed your identity earlier just to mislead me into thinking your purpose was related to the King of Scotland..."

"You must have heard something from Uncle Perinoa and thought that my brother and I were unwilling to lend the Trident of Poseidon, and that if we told you directly we wouldn't even get to see me, so you went to all this trouble, right?"

She smiled as she said this.

Guinevere did not answer the question directly.

"With Your Highness's wisdom, I believe you should understand that allowing the water source to be polluted is harmful in every way, not to mention that the hundreds or thousands of people who have lost their homes as a result will face considerable trouble in terms of resettlement and quelling their discontent."

"Putting myself in his shoes, if I or my father encountered this problem, we would definitely try to solve it in the shortest time and with the least cost."

Their eyes met, and the girl casually twirled a strand of hair with her fingertips, smiling slightly as she said, "But according to King Perinoa, His Highness knows the situation is serious, yet he has been reluctant to lend the Trident of the Sea God. The reason for this makes one wonder. Could it be... that there's something wrong with the Trident of the Sea God?"

After he finished speaking, the room suddenly fell silent.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and a flash of cold light appeared on the giant axe leaning against the wall. The red-haired woman patted her knee: "You are very lucky."

She seemed to be smiling, but there was no smile in her eyes: "If you had asked this question three days ago, I would have immediately sent someone to kick you out. But in these three days, someone almost convinced me—even though he didn't succeed—and made me change my mind, for example, to give you a chance."

"Want to know why I refused Uncle Perinoa? Fine. Want to use the Trident of Poseidon to purify Avank's venom? Fine, that's fine too, as long as you..."

The words have not yet fallen.

The red-haired woman suddenly pushed herself up on her knees, her other hand already gripping the axe handle. The moment she rose, a whooshing sound filled the air as she slashed down at him—

boom!

The sound of metal clashing suddenly rang out. Guinevere stood still, not moving an inch, while Lily had already stepped in front of her, raising her sword with one hand and steadily blocking the downward slash of the giant axe.

They didn't retreat an inch either.

On the contrary, the red-haired woman was shaken so badly that her whole body swayed. Although she didn't drop her weapon, her fingers, which were also holding the weapon with one hand, began to tremble slightly as she gripped the axe handle.

That strike was executed incorrectly...

Sensing something amiss, Guinevere frowned almost imperceptibly, only to see the red-haired woman raise her arm and slam the giant axe in her hand onto the floor with a dull thud.

With that same haughty and arrogant gaze, she looked at the two men: "Win this axe, and I'll not only agree to your demands, but I'll even help you persuade Fisher—you know, the one truly opposed to this isn't me, but my brother." She paused. "So, which of you two will do it? This prized student of Merlin?"

Lily bit her lip gently, about to speak, when suddenly she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around in confusion and saw Guinevere smiling at her: "I'll take care of it... After all, we need her help, so we have to give Her Highness some face."

This statement may sound reasonable, but saying it to the other person's face at this moment is tantamount to a blatant provocation.

The red-haired woman snorted but didn't reply. She didn't notice that Guinevere was secretly writing a few words on the white-dressed girl's shoulder with her fingertips while she was speaking.

The latter realized what was happening and nodded, "Okay." He was about to hand her the sword when Guinevere continued curling her hair, tightening and loosening it repeatedly, seemingly quite pleased with herself. But when the sword was presented to her, she pushed it away.

"Need not."

"Ok?"

Both Lily and the red-haired woman a little further away were taken aback upon hearing this.

"Your Highness's terms are so attractive, in exchange, I should also impose some restrictions on myself to be fair."

Guinevere's gaze swept across the room, past the giant axe, the shield, and the two dice on the bed, before finally settling on the red-haired woman. She smiled gently and said, "How about this? If I don't hold the sword in my hands and keep my feet on the ground, I can make His Highness admit defeat within five rounds..."

“If you have that kind of ability—” The red-haired woman gave a provocative smile and slammed the giant axe onto her shoulder.

Lily looked back and forth between the two of them, then sheathed her longsword, took two steps back, then two more, until she was outside the door, leaving Guinevere alone, standing empty-handed in front of the red-haired woman carrying a giant axe on her shoulder.

The contrast between the tall and short figures made the blonde girl appear even smaller, suggesting that the upcoming fight was a foregone conclusion.

"Your Highness, you can begin."

In response, the red-haired woman took a deep breath.

The atmosphere around them suddenly became solemn.

In the next instant, in a space where even the wind seemed to stand still, a cold glint flashed, and a great axe slashed fiercely!

P.S.: It's been almost a week, but I finally managed to finish this part... Well, it's been a while, so I'm asking for votes!

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Bet

An inch longer, an inch stronger. Like the giant axe in the red-haired woman's hand, it is nearly two meters long, with a wide and thick axe head. A single sweeping blow can cause damage that is no less than that of a regular iron hammer.

But a weapon this heavy is undoubtedly a burden to the person wielding it. The red-haired woman stood up, gripped the handle with both hands, and brought the giant axe down on Guinevere's head again. Even halfway down, the force of the wind it generated caused a stinging pain on Guinevere's skin.

She stood still, her feet motionless, and with a simple movement of her right hand, a vibrant green light shimmered on the back of her hand, and a whirlwind shot out from her hand, hurtling towards the wall.

With a soft thud, the shield was sent flying into the air, spinning as it hurtled toward the center of the room!

If left unattended, in just a second or two, his axe would cleave the girl in two, but that shield would also smash solidly into his head...

Hearing the whistling wind approaching her, the red-haired woman hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to step aside and avoid the spinning shield flying towards her.

boom!

The shield was deeply embedded in the wall on the other side.

The axe's attack missed its mark and crashed to the ground, shattering several planks in unison. Wood chips flew like butterflies. The girl noticed the opponent's hands holding the axe; his wrists had trembled slightly for a moment.

Sure enough.

A sense of understanding flashed through her mind, but this also gave rise to more questions. At the same time, she reached out and grabbed at the door from the outside. Driven by the wind, the half of the door that had been smashed earlier suddenly flew towards her.

Guinevere grabbed the door frame with her left hand and hurled it at the red-haired woman in the next instant. The latter had just raised her axe, turned the handle to block, and shattered the last half of the door frame. Just as she was about to attack, the girl pointed forward with her right hand, and the shield embedded in the wall seemed to be manipulated by invisible threads, spinning and rushing towards her once again.

The red-haired woman had no choice but to dodge again, allowing the shield to land steadily in Guinevere's hands. The girl then raised the shield and struck the axe. Although the round shield was made of wood, the way she struck it was tricky. Even without using much force, the impact still made the red-haired woman's wrist tremble, and the axe she was about to swing veered off course once again.

She loosened her grip.

The cracked round shield clattered to the ground at her feet, but instead of falling, it rolled sideways. At the same time, the girl reached out and grabbed the tip of the great axe, the part she was about to use for thrusting, and gave it a gentle shake—

"Well!?"

The massive axe, which was more than two heads taller than the girl, slipped from the red-haired woman's grasp in a flash and was snatched away by her with one hand, held high in the air!

"what?"

Guinevere was also taken aback.

Despite her preparations, she still underestimated the weight of the giant axe. As she snatched it, she leaned back, barely managing to stand. As she released her grip, the remaining force on the giant axe, which had not yet completely dissipated, suddenly roared out, about to smash through the wall.

But it seemed as if it had suddenly bumped into an invisible wall, its momentum slowed, and it gently leaned against the wall.

And in the next moment.

The shield rolled to the wall, lost its support, and fell over, landing right to the right of the great axe.

From the moment the red-haired woman picked up the axe to the moment she dropped the weapon, exactly five rounds passed.

Apart from the cracks on the round shield and a few collapsed wooden planks, everything in the room seemed to be exactly the same as before.

The red-haired woman gave Guinevere a deep look, about to admit defeat, but before she could speak, the girl shook her head: "That's too strange."

Although she had undoubtedly won the "bet," Guinevere showed no joy on her face; instead, she frowned slightly. She looked up at the red-haired woman: "I know a few strongmen who also use axes and hammers. So I understood at a glance... you're using the wrong method."

“Most people might think that this type of weapon is just about brute force, but it actually demands a high level of arm strength and skill from the user. Using the wrong method like you are not only significantly reducing the power, but more importantly… it puts unnecessary strain on your body. That’s why I’m confident I can take the weapon from you…”

“If that were all, I would assume you were just born with superhuman strength, or that you used some method to increase your power and then used this huge thing to scare laymen. But…”

She looked at the red-haired woman's calloused hands and knew that it would take more than ten years of hard practice to produce such hands.

There is no doubt that this woman has put in a lot of effort in axe fighting, but what is puzzling is that, based on the force she just used, let alone ten years, her hands would be ruined in just six months.

A warrior who is clearly skilled in this art and makes a living from it, yet when he picks up a weapon, he behaves like an absolute novice.

This is what truly puzzled Guinevere.

When she asked the question, several guesses flashed through her mind, but she just stared at the red-haired woman without blinking, waiting for her response.

After another period of silence, the red-haired woman shook her head, as if she wanted to say something. Her lips moved a few times, her hand clenched into a fist, then relaxed. After a moment, she suddenly laughed.

"Alright. Anyway, this contract is about to expire..." The red-haired woman sat back on the bed, propped her chin up, and let out a long breath.

Seeing that the fight had come to an end, Lily also came in. She didn't say anything, but her gaze swept over Guinevere. Even though she had already seen the whole thing, she still wanted to see it again with her own eyes to make sure that Guinevere was not injured before she could relax.

"As agreed, I will give you the jewel I possess, but you will need to find a way to persuade Fisher to give you the other two treasures—the scepter and the ring… Let me make this clear: even with my help and Uncle Perinoa's assistance, Fisher may not agree to your request…"

The red-haired woman paused, her expression momentarily complicated as if she had thought of something. But she quickly regained her composure. She rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

After a while, her eyes regained focus, and she turned to Guinevere: "Let Dreem arrange a room for you. Tonight, he will give you the orb and also tell you why Fisher, knowing that an adult water-seeking beast is about to awaken nearby, has remained indifferent until now, and... what it really means to restore the Trident of the Sea God."

"Believe me."

The red-haired woman gave a slight smirk, as if in a smile, but her eyes held a hint of mockery: "That's something you'd never want to know—"

……

P.S.: I've been writing this since around 6:30... I'm getting back into the swing of things, so it's a bit short. Please bear with me. Once I'm more comfortable, I'll write like crazy!

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Kingdom of the Underworld

As darkness gradually fell, in a room on the third floor of the hotel, also located at the edge of the corridor, there were no lights on, only a single candle burning quietly on the bedside table.

The dim glow of the fireworks cast two overlapping shadows on the wall. After a moment, the shadows separated, and a deliberately hushed voice rang out: "It's almost time..."

"I wonder what the truth Princess Elaine is telling us."

After tidying up Guinevere's somewhat messy hair and then casually fiddling with her own, Lily sat back down in her chair, her emerald green eyes filled with worry.

The girl by the bed twirled the ends of her hair and let out a soft sigh: "Whatever the truth is, it's definitely going to be a troublesome affair. And that Princess Elaine, she gives me a very strange feeling. It's almost like..."

She turned her head away, thought for a moment, but couldn't find the right words to describe it. The girl in the white dress sat properly with her hands folded on her knees, and nodded when she heard this: "I can't quite explain it, but even though she doesn't seem to be lying, there's always a feeling that... she's hiding something."

"What we can confirm is that the person we saw this morning wasn't the real Elaine. Although we don't know the specifics, at least that red-haired woman should have been a seasoned and fierce warrior... Lily, you should have been able to sense that too, right?"

“She’s killed people. And quite a few, I suppose. The difference in aura between someone who’s seen blood and someone who hasn’t is immense; it’s impossible to hide.” Lily hesitated for a moment, glancing at Guinevere, before continuing, “I initially thought you, Fina, didn’t stand much of a chance against her. It’s not that I underestimated you, but…”

"I see."

Before she could finish explaining, Guinevere smiled and said, "Practical experience is indeed my weakness. Although I've improved a lot with your sparring, it's not something I can make up for in a short time..."

"To be honest, if she hadn't swung her axe first, trying to intimidate us with her aura but instead revealing her weakness, I would never have made such an overbearing demand. So... don't mind it."

She chuckled, then leaned forward. The two of them, one sitting on the edge of the bed and the other on a chair nearby, were not far apart to begin with. She leaned forward slightly, took Lily's hand from her lap, and shook it twice: "I'm sorry for making you worry."

"I don't mind..."