I led Carmine into the Portal. She also didn’t wear her armor today, including the new helmet and gauntlet. While those things might appeal to the Paladin Carmine, her princess side wouldn’t wear something like that, even for her protection. Instead, she wore an elaborate dress that seemed to have been provided by the fort. We had only parted for a bit after leaving the safe room, but she had time to find a new outfit, do up her hair, and even apply makeup.

The more I saw Carmine in a dress, the more I was starting to like her displays of femininity. It reminded me of the first time I had ever seen her before she had revealed she was a Paladin. Once I had pushed her into service, she was always wearing her armor. I had a theory that the armor she wore was to protect her from her sister. In full body armor, Salicia couldn’t grab or touch her inappropriately.

Since her sister wasn’t around now, I wondered if her desire to dress up and look pretty was entirely motivated by the princess. This might have been just the only time she could look nice around me without her sister getting involved. I shook my head at that thought. Even if she did want to look pretty around me, her armor was important to her. She was lowering her combat ability by doing what she was doing, and that didn’t fit my image of Carmine at all.

While thinking such things, the pair of us entered the Portal, and on the other side, we were back in a familiar fort. However, this wasn’t the fort of the skeletons, but the fort of the demons! Since I had been in the building, I could naturally create a Portal right into the hallways and past all their defenses. While the majority of their troops were busy preparing to attack our walls, we’d ransack and conquer their fort. This was the perfect way to demoralize their troops and cut off their support.

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Meanwhile, once we’d sent for reinforcements. Even if Bernard did attack and manage to get through the gate, we’d all just escape back to his fort. They’d experience heavy casualties and they’d end up with basically nothing. Once on the other side of the Portal, I could hear distant fighting. The demons who had remained behind were now being routed out of their castle.

“The commander is in trouble!” A skeleton ran up to us and shouted.

I nodded and followed him. The group of us ran down several hallways until we came out into a courtyard. There seemed to be an embanked group of elites still holding out. The commander was fighting against three men, while there was a mage sitting out too. I went to help the commander, but as I was moving, my eyes landed on the mage, and I realized this was a mistake. The princess had followed us into the courtyard, and as soon as the mage saw her, his eyes gleamed happily.

Whatever spell he was casting he completed, but instead of launching it at us, he launched it at her. It was a powerful lighting strike. In her armor, or even with a shield, she’d be fine, but the current Carmine didn’t act with that kind of common sense. She let out a cry and covered herself.

“Princess!”

The commander used some kind of skill that caused him to disappear from his spot and reappear on the other side of the courtyard in front of Carmine. The lightning bolt struck him instead of her, and he went flying against the wall, his body breaking apart as he struck it. The Commander had just received a fatal blow!