Blood Princess, Kill them All

Hunger Remains Even by Flesh

After the attack on the Slaver’s mansion, Mary temporarily left the capital city of Captis due to the overwhelming presence of soldiers, causing a significant disturbance.

“I made quite a scene. I’ll have to be more discreet next time.”

Ultimately, Duke Slaver was not found in the main mansion. While Mary didn’t have high expectations, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Moreover, facing thousands of soldiers each time she hit a dead end was unsustainable.

It was frustrating not being able to capture the Duke’s head, but gathering information became the top priority without knowledge of his whereabouts.

For the time being, Mary ventured to a nearby village close to Captis. From there, she could see the towering building where she had slain Romeo.

She gazed at the scenery of the town, observing small houses made of flimsy wood scattered about. It was difficult to believe that it belonged to the same territory she had known. However, even in this rural village, soldiers from the Slaver Army were already stationed.

“To deploy such a large number of soldiers in less than a day. Truly fitting for Duke Slaver’s renowned army.”

Mary hid in the shadow of a house, observing as several soldiers passed by. Each one was armed with the latest models of magitech firearms.

“Considering this is the hometown of Marjoram Technology, it’s no surprise their equipment is top-notch. I may not worry about firearms of that caliber, but they’ll likely bring out heavy weaponry as well.”

The Slaver territory relied on its mines within the region and Marjoram Technology for its economic sustenance. As the second princess, Mary had met some of their executives on a few occasions.

“I cannot simply flee. I won’t allow myself to retreat until I erase the one who took my sister’s life from this world…”

The soldiers passing by Mary were, in a sense, Duke Slaver’s extensions. The more she looked at them, the stronger her hatred grew.

Mary nervously nibbled on her thumbnail, crushing flesh, scraping bones, and smearing her lips with blood. However, the wounds she inflicted quickly regenerated through the power of Arcana.

One might think that by biting like that, her hunger would be satisfied, but her stomach growled. Unfortunately, her body seemed unwilling to accommodate.

Mary sighed as she rubbed her stomach. “…I’m hungry. Even at a time like this… consuming a corpse won’t appease my hunger.”

Since killing Romeo, she hadn’t taken a single bite. Moreover, since awakening as an Arcana user, she had noticed an intensified energy consumption in her body.

Previously, she was accustomed to eating very little, and even if she skipped a meal, she never experienced such strong hunger. The assault on the mansion had undoubtedly drained a significant amount of her energy.

One of the reasons Mary had come to this location was in the hope of procuring some food.

“With so many soldiers around, it’s impossible to search for food. Perhaps I should reduce their numbers…”

She had no intention of eliminating those who posed no threat. However, on the other hand, she had no interest in preaching about cherishing life or engaging in trivial ethical debates. Minimizing the need for bloodshed was her goal, but it ultimately boiled down to efficiently killing Duke Slaver.

“If I’m going to kill, I’d rather do it without anyone noticing. Can I pull it off successfully?”

The ominous aura of murderous intent grew stronger once again. The predator’s eyes caught sight of soldiers in the distance.

There were two of them, sturdy men exuding an intimidating presence, engaged in casual conversation as their guns swayed in their hands.

“Well, you know, we’re not exactly hiding out in the countryside. The mansion attack happened just a while ago, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s alright. We’ll be compensated.”

“I wouldn’t mind catching a glimpse of her. She’s an Arcana user, right? There might be some perks.”

“Are you sure about that? You might end up dead.”

“Just because she’s called the Death God, doesn’t mean you’ll die just by watching her… huh?”

“Ow!”

A young girl came running and collided with one of the men. She had messy brown hair and appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old, falling on her backside.

“Ouch… Sorry, mister soldier! I’m in a hurry!”

“I see. Come on, get up, kid.” The soldier extended his hand. As the girl grabbed his hand, he pulled her up but used the momentum to abruptly knee her in the face.

“Aaagh!”

“Hey, clean hit!”

The girl was sent flying and fell to the ground. Mary, who had been observing the scene, widened her eyes in shock.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?!”

“Just relieving some stress. After all, everyone here is just civilians, right? Even if we accidentally kill one or two, no one will be mad at us.”

“That’s true… I mean, we can just say we mistook her for Mary Pulcherrima. They’re both girls, after all.”

The two men were playfully tormenting an innocent girl.

“Ah… Ahh… Ah…” The girl retreated, holding her cheek.

As the soldiers approached her, they aimed their guns at her face. “So, how about playing with us, little miss?”

“Don’t worry, we won’t kill you right away.”

“But in the end, we will kill you!”

“N… No… Nooo!”

The girl stood up and started running forward. The soldiers laughed and targeted her legs with their guns, pulling the triggers.

Bang!

The magical bullet they fired approached the girl’s legs but was deflected by Mary’s dress, standing in its way.

“What…? Who are you?!”

“Wait, that face… Could it be Mary?”

Mary tore through the skin on the back of both her hands, sprouting bone needles. She kicked the ground, swiftly closing in on the two.

“To kill without leaving any traces…”

She thrust the needles into their chests.

“Wha… Wai…”

“Ugh!”

The needles shot out, piercing their bodies and lodging themselves near their hearts.

“To spill as little blood as possible.”

Then, inside their bodies, the needles bloomed, taking root and obliterating their organs, including their hearts.

“Ah… O… Goh… Pu…”

The soldiers gasped, their eyes losing their light as frothy blood and saliva spilled from their gaping mouths.

“Before they drop dead, it’s best to eat them up nicely.”

Mary transformed both her hands into a giant, monstrous maw made of bones, swallowing the bodies starting from their heads, as if gulping down them whole.

Within her mouth, she chewed and consumed the bodies, ensuring not a single drop of blood was wasted. The sound of crunching bones and flesh echoed as Mary feasted upon the corpses, causing the girl who had stopped in her tracks to pale.

While eating, Mary turned back and smiled at the girl. “That was unfortunate. It’s best for you not to wander around while there are soldiers.”

“You… Who are you?”

Asked that way, Mary attempted to lift the edge of her skirt to greet her, but it was difficult with her current condition.

She gulped down the crushed corpses and fully assimilated them into her body, erasing the bones. Then, she regenerated her completely destroyed arm and once again, picked up the edge of her skirt.

“I am Mary Pulcherrima. Perhaps you already know without me saying.”

“Aa, I… I know!”

The girl stuttered, causing Mary to laugh involuntarily. In response, the girl’s tension eased, and she showed a smile in return.

“I showed you such a frightening appearance shortly after we met. Aren’t you scared?”

“I’m scared, but… more than that, I’m happy. Because Lady Mary is our hero!”

“Hero?”

“Yes! You’re the hero who’s gonna save us from Duke Slaver!”

The unexpected turn of the conversation furrowed Mary’s brow. Nevertheless, the girl didn’t mind and tightly held onto her hand. “Those soldiers might come back again, let’s go, come to my house!”

“Well, that’s… uh…”

“It’s almost lunchtime, let’s have a meal together. Everyone will be thrilled to know that Lady Mary has come!”

Mary happened to be famished, so feeling bewildered, she allowed herself to be led by the girl to her house.

***