After that, I explained the situation to Daisy.
Daisy was understandably surprised, but she took it much better than Iris. As a servant of the palace, she had seen her share of the atrocities perpetrated by the nobles.
In fact, she would have been a victim of such atrocities if not by the fact she was my personal servant. And even like that, she several times was close to being a victim.
The recent incident about the theft of a ring was just one of many.
After we met with Daisy, the group of now three people continued wandering in the forest.
We met with student enemies several times during the way, but we easily manage to avoid them or defeat them.
Just like that, the first day of the expedition ended.
When the sun finally set, and darkness arrived at the forest, we stopped to make a camp using portable magic tents.
Portable magic tents were a kind of magic tool. In their normal form, they were the size of a small block and they were also pretty light, making them easy to carry around. But when you put mana into them, the arrays inside activate and the block expands, turning into a tent with the basic functions to camp outdoor.
This kind of magic tool is a bit expensive, but something even the poorest nobles can afford. Of course, if you want a tent of better quality and with better functions, you need to pay a higher price.
And as a prince, it's obvious my tent was of the highest quality, it was the same for Daisy, who got her tent from me. Iris's was not too shabby, but obviously inferior compared to ours.
After the camp was ready, we set up a bonfire and had a quick dinner, before assigning the night duties.
Daisy offered herself to the first watch, and I, as the only man in the group, took the most difficult second watch. Thus, Iris was in charge of the third and last watch.
Aware that she needed to recover as much energy as possible for tomorrow, Iris went to sleep after eating dinner.
I, on the other hand, remained outside with Daisy.
As soon as Iris left, Daisy smiled happily and seated beside me, leaning her head on my shoulder.
"… It's nice to be together like this, your highness."
I smiled and stroked her head. "I think so too."
"Are you not going to sleep?"
"I think I'll accompany you. Don't worry, losing this bit of sleep will not affect me."
Daisy nodded in agreement. She knew a bit about my true abilities, so she did not doubt my words.
Instead, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment, not even bothering about being wary of a night attack.
After all, with me beside her, she had nothing to be afraid of.
"By the way, your highness, do you have a plan regarding the situation?" Daisy asked.
I nodded. "I do. I'm planning to use it to our advantage."
Daisy looked at me confused, so I smiled and explained to her the gist of the plan.
When I finished speaking, Daisy was astonished.
"… Your highness, you are so bad."
"Girl, you should not speak like that to your husband." I grinned maliciously and hugged her waist.
Daisy twisted her body playfully and blushed. After that, we shared a short kiss, followed by another.
Ten or so kisses later, an out-of-breath Daisy moved away unwillingly.
"Then, your highness, when are we going to meet with the princess?"
"Soon. Dina is already working on contacting the other students with the help of the teachers. I, on the other hand, need to take care of another thing first."
"Another thing?" Daisy tilted her head cutely.
I smiled and looked towards the tent where Iris was sleeping.
An expression of realization appeared on Daisy's face.
"So, you are aiming for Miss Iris, huh." Daisy understood.
I nodded. "Actually, my relationship with Iris is complicated. She actually likes me instead of her fiancée, Bryan. In fact, she hates him. But although she hates him, Iris is a good girl. She doesn't dare to betray her morals and the expectations of her family.
"In normal situations, Iris will never betray Bryan. Instead, she will reluctantly agree to marry him for the wellbeing of her family, sacrificing her happiness for them."
"… And what your highness wants is to make her voluntarily betray him, right?"
"Exactly. Only like that can my revenge to be perfect." I smiled. "On a side, she will see the evilness her fiancée can do just to reach his goals. And on the other side, she will see how I will protect her and the other students. This way, it's just a matter of time before she decides to follow her heart."
"I think I understand, your highness." Daisy smiled mischievously. "My role is to help her to realize what is the right choice faster, right?"
"My Daisy is so smart." I grinned and smooched her lips.
"Mou, your highness." Daisy smiled shyly and returned the kiss.
We then shared kisses and caresses for another while. Unfortunately, I had to stop Daisy from reaching the last step. Now was not the time.
"Rest. You will need it later." I said.
Daisy grinned. "I'll rest here." She then put her head on my lap and closed her eyes.
I smiled wryly and sighed. "What a spoiled maid. Using her master as a pillow."
Then, I combed her hair gently until she fell asleep.
Looking at the beautiful maid sleeping on my lap, I was unable to stop my lips from curving into a soft smile.
How cute.
Then, I sighed and closed my eyes.
Now, I just need to wait.
If I'm not wrong, they'll start to move tonight.
And my thoughts were soon proven true.
Two hours after Daisy fell asleep, I felt four presences approaching our camp.
I did not even need to see them to know their identity.
Daemons.
…
Outside the forest, Evelyn narrowed her eyes while looking at the black-dressed daemon in front of her.
"You look worried, Headmistress." The daemon grinned fiercely. "Could it be you are concerned about the safety of your students?"
Evelyn smiled. "Actually, I was worried about something different."
"Mm? Can I know what it is?"
"Well, it's not a secret or something like that." Evelin shrugged calmly. "I was wondering how long you were going to make me wait before appearing."
The daemon was briefly startled. "So you knew we were here, huh... Then, you also know that my men are attacking your students in this precise instant."
Evelyn nodded. "Yeah, I know about that too. However, I'm not worried about my students."
The daemon wrinkled his brows. Evelyn was calm. Too calm for this situation.
"… A trap?"
"Not exactly, but something like that." Evelyn chuckled. "We are going to use your men as scapegoats to take care of a bothersome bunch. Great, right?"
"Hehe." The daemon smiled coldly. "You look very confident, headmistress. However, do you truly think everything will go according to your expectations!?"
With these words, the daemon's presence erupted.
An oppressive aura filled with malice and killing intent assaulted Evelyn. The aura was so powerful that it seemed to affect the world itself!
It was the aura of a saint!
But Evelyn reacted calmly. With a wave of her hand, her surroundings were encompassed by a dim glow, stopping the daemon's aura.
Then, she released her own pressure towards the daemon.
Instantly, the daemon's expression changed.
"… So you broke through to the fourteenth layer." The daemon was grave. "I understand why you are so confident now. However... There is no way a recently advanced saint is a match for me!"
Evelyn grinned. "Let's fight and see."
...
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