The battle still raged when Lambert came to his senses.

Even with the best barrier he could raise, that monster swept him together with his horse.

He couldn't imagine anyone or anything that could stop a force like that.

And yet, all he saw was three dead wyverns on the ground.

Cath wasn't someone to mess with.

Temper tantrums or not, she was still the strongest the Guard had to offer.

It's no wonder everyone courted her to be their Standard Bearer at the tender age of sixteen.

This has remained the same in the last few years.

And yet, she never folded to anyone, staying in the Guard, until she reached the highest ranks.

This made her many enemies, and Lambert felt lucky he wasn't one.

There were others around.

A goblin caught his eyes first, then a much larger beast. It had to be an Ogre.

It was way above his pay grade, even if he came to banish a literal deity.

Not that they stood a chance, he knew this from the start.

Behind him, the paladin was at an impasse with a wolf-type Beastman.

He held the Princess hostage, threatening to harm her if Cath made a hasty move.

She glanced at him, then noticing that he was awake, barked an order.

"Take care of the other two, will ya?" She should have known better.

He had zero offensive spells.

Even his defensive ones were lacking, all he could do was heal and banish.

At least he was an expert in both, but it mattered little in the current situation.

The Ogre only woke up, looking drowsy like him, except way more menacing.

"Go help Fang." The goblin urged him to stand up. "I'll deal with the caster."

Even if it was a mere goblin, his stomach churned.

Did he know he was weak or was he that confident in his abilities?

He wanted to run away, but once Cath took care of the rest, she'd come after him if he did that.

He didn't doubt she could kill all three, though things got more complicated as the Princess was in her way.

He couldn't add anything to the fight, he'd only get in the way too, but unlike Elizabeth, he wasn't important. The paladin wouldn't hesitate to slice him in half if it gave her the advantage.

Before he came to a decision, the Ogre had already run past, and the goblin dashed toward him with fists raised.

He held a small buckler in one hand and a dagger in the other. Not much, and he was still scared to meet it. He summoned another barrier but its walls flickered before the fiend reached him.

Once a single blow shattered that puny spell, he gave up and ran.

***

Dioneras couldn't believe that his bluff worked.

He hoped to buy some time for his two fighters by tying down the wizard, but he up and ran the moment he got close.

Now the tables have turned again.

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They had the Princess and surrounded that blue devil. She couldn't swing to her heart's content without injuring the price.

The battle was as good as won, although an arduous journey awaited them without the flying mounts. Still, the paladin showed no signs of backing down.

She didn't flinch when she saw the eight-foot-tall Ogre either.

"Lower your weapon." Dioneras tried to reason with her.

"You fought well, causing no small damage to the Demon Lord. But you can't win against two of his best Champions."

"How did he conquer the Continent if these are the best?" She shot back, holding on to her falchion. "Go tell the Thirteenth Bride I'm not afraid of her either."

This confused him a little. What did that woman have to do with anything? Didn't these humans know that the Demon Lord declared her a traitor too?

Like the First Bride, their current guardian deity, if you can call her that. While Alexandra didn't turn on her Master like Ghisella, her part in him getting sealed away was too great.

She only avoided punishment because nobody had seen her in the last decade. Well, it didn't matter what this blue devil believed.

She could spout any nonsense she wanted as long as they could neutralize her and take the Princess. If anything, as long as she talked, she didn't fight his men.

"What kind of beef do you have with her?" Dioneras asked to stall for time, though he was curious about her answer too.

"What do you mean what beef? She fought the First Bride and allowed the Demon Lord to escape." She scoffed without taking her eyes off Fang. The Ogre didn't bother her so far.

"So that's your version of how things happened?" It was fascinating to talk to the enemy. What kind of lies did the First Bride feed to the humans? "Well, have it your way. If I ever see her, and you're still alive, I'll tell her."

Did she waver? She lowered her blade for only a moment, but unlike that wizard boy, she stood her ground.

Bastion looked over me, scratching his head while holding a huge club.

I shrugged and nodded towards the girl, so he struck her down. Her blade blurred again, and the next moment the club's head she cut off flew by my head, only missing it by an inch.

This didn't look good, but she could only face one enemy at a time. Fang didn't need specific instructions. He grabbed the Princess by the waist and jumped almost ten feet high.

As they disappeared into the forest, the girl forgot about the Ogre too and dashed after them.

"Slow her down." I barked at Bastion, running toward the only remaining horse. Even if it wasn't a wyvern, it was the best means of transportation we could get.

Knowing that I couldn't affect the outcome of their fight, I jumped into the saddle and decided to ride ahead. The highest point of the pass was about a mile to the east.