The Poet and the Princess Seek Warmth Together

Chapter 181 The Poet and the Princess Seek Warmth Together (Part 2)

After an unknown amount of time, in a small grove of trees far from Tieyuan City.

Richard slowly opened his eyes.

"Ugh, my head hurts so much, and my body aches so much. Damn it, what's going on?!"

He rubbed his temples, trying to recall what had happened not long ago.

"That dagger—oh no, I've been caught in a spatial turbulence! So this isn't the capital? Where am I? Am I being transported to another world again?"

He quickly got up from the ground and looked around.

Suddenly, he noticed a person lying unconscious among the tree roots not far away.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Isabella!

However, the latter's condition was even worse than his.

Affected by the spatial turbulence, many of the princess's wounds reopened and continued to bleed. The armor that was originally used to protect her body was also partially dented inward, causing her left arm to be stuck at an angle that no normal person should have.

Isabella————

Richard quickly stepped forward, intending to take out his dimensional bag to retrieve the healing potion.

However, the bag failed to open smoothly; instead, an electric arc shot out, numbing Richard's right hand.

What's going on?

He examined the bag curiously, and it took him a while to remember that Grace had told him that dimensional bags, as spatial artifacts, are easily damaged by spatial turbulence and must be repaired by a specialized mage before they can be reopened.

Damn it, of all times, my backpack got sealed up!

Richard stomped his foot in annoyance, had no choice but to put down the bag, and instead squatted down in front of Isabella, humming a lullaby.

The little bit of magic power that had just been restored in his body was completely consumed in an instant.

Fortunately, the bleeding from Isabella's wounds was successfully stopped.

"Phew—thank goodness—"

Richard breathed a sigh of relief.

"Richard?"

Isabella, having heard the music, slightly opened her eyes and called out to the poet before her in a weak voice.

Richard quickly replied, "It's me, Isabella, I'm right here beside you."

Isabella whispered again, "Where am I? — Ouch, that hurts!"

She seemed to be trying to stand up, but with a struggle, she frowned and lay back down on the ground.

"Don't move!"

Richard held the princess down, glanced at her armor—so damaged it was practically jamming against her body—his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and said, "I don't know where we are either, but right now we need to save our lives—I need to take your armor off, okay?"

Isabella nodded slightly.

Richard then began removing his armor.

Having spent so much time by Isabella's side and then wandering around the military camp for over a month, he was quite familiar with how to put on and take off armor.

Although many of the armor's joints were damaged, he still managed to remove it thanks to his 20 points of strength and 20+ points of agility.

However, the moment he finished his work, an embarrassing thing happened.

Logically speaking, Isabella should have had many other clothes underneath her armor, such as a military uniform, riding breeches, and linen underwear.

But now, all that was hanging on the other person's body were some charred and blood-stained rags. Without the cover of armor, they were scattered everywhere when the wind blew, revealing large areas of fair and delicate skin underneath!

Richard's eyes were instantly captivated by her shapely, powerful legs, her slender breasts, her fair and smooth ankles and collarbones.

Wow, he even has six-pack abs!

His face flushed slightly, and he immediately took off his shirt and draped it over Isabella, explaining, "I'm sorry, I didn't know—"

"No need to apologize, it's not your fault."

Isabella said softly, "I was previously struck by a cultist's possession fire. Although my body was protected by a blessing and I was unharmed, most of the cloth under my armor was burned away."

"This wasn't your fault, and now is not the time to worry about that, besides—"

—And even if you see it, it doesn't really matter.

When she spoke the last half of her sentence, Isabella's already weak voice was so soft that it was almost as quiet as the flapping of a fruit fly's wings, so much so that Richard couldn't hear her at all.

So he pressed, "What did you just say?"

Isabella blushed slightly, shook her head, and indicated that she did not want to talk anymore.

"Awoo!"

Suddenly, a wolf howl echoed from the depths of the forest.

A cold wind blew by, making Isabella, who was only wearing a thin shirt, shiver.

"I think we'd better find a place to rest first."

Thanks to his 20 points of physical strength, Richard had regained some power. He said to Isabella, "You still can't stand up, right? Then—shall I carry you?"

Actually, after removing the armor, he was able to stand up with difficulty.

Isabella thought this to herself, but didn't say it aloud.

She gazed at Richard's current figure.

The poet who once had to hide behind her to cast spells is now powerful enough to lift her up in times of crisis.

Driven by some inexplicable emotion, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she said, "Yes, please, Richard."

Richard felt that the princess's expression was a little strange.

Without thinking much about it, he bent down and put his hands under Isabella's body.

The moment his fingertips touched that skin, he couldn't help but stiffen slightly.

That was a completely different sensation from Grace and Zoya's—

It lacks the fiery heat of Red Dragon, instead possessing a delicate and slightly cool quality.

Its surface is soft, yet you can feel the muscle when you apply a little pressure; it can be said to combine the delicate beauty of a princess with the firmness of a paladin.

Looking again out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the color was also unusual.

It must have been afternoon. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows that fell on Isabella, giving her golden hair and fair skin a soft glow.

This delicate, girlish demeanor, as if she could be squeezed to release water, is a stark contrast to her usual armored, heroic appearance.

Who knew Isabella could have this side to her?

cough.

The poet shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the present, and focused intently on continuing his journey.

More than an hour later, they discovered a cave, and just as they were about to approach it, they heard a fierce bear roar coming from inside.

Richard blinked.

Ah, this—

This is a good thing!

Not only did they provide a natural campsite, but they also threw in food and furs, right? Mother Nature, you're so kind!

He put Isabella down, then drew his longsword. His one-dimensional pouch was sealed, but his one-handed sword was fortunately left at his waist.

Isabella said somewhat worriedly, "Richard, be careful—"

Richard nodded and smiled: "Everything will be alright."

Although his magic power had not recovered much, with his strength, constitution, and agility all above 20, as well as his combat skills, killing a bear was still no problem.

And indeed, Richard's prediction came true.

Not long after he entered the cave, he slew the brown bear, which was over two meters tall when it stood up, with his sword.

After tidying up a bit, he carried Isabella inside as well.

Then he used his magic to light a campfire at the cave entrance, and recalled the skills he had learned when he was an adventurer. He skinned the brown bear, took the meat, skewered it on tree branches, and soon started grilling meat skewers.

To be honest, the poet's cooking skills were not very good, especially since the bear meat was so gamey and there were no seasonings. He was a disgrace to his predecessors who had traveled through time.

Fortunately, hunger made up for his shortcomings.

After nearly a day of wandering, neither Richard nor Isabella cared about the taste of the food anymore.

As soon as the meat was cooked, they began to devour it, focused solely on filling their stomachs.

They ate for a full half hour, and both of them felt much more energetic.

With that energy restored, we can then get down to business.

"We should still be within the Empire's borders."

Seeing that it was completely dark outside, Isabella had Richard carry her out of the cave again. She glanced at the stars and then said this.

Richard gently placed the person back into the cave, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, not having to time travel a second time means it was a success.

Since they are still in the Empire, they only need to wait for the two of them to recover before they can easily leave the forest, find human habitation, and eventually return to the capital.

Now, what they need is a good rest.

Hopefully, the empire's situation won't deteriorate too much during this time.

Those soldiers and civilians who successfully escaped the city must not be caught, Ludwig's army must not be outmaneuvered, and Grace...

Amélie and Clara —

Richard thought about it for a moment, then realized it was all a jumbled mess. He scratched his head and gave up, turning to Isabella and asking, "Speaking of which, who exactly is your teacher?"

Isabella sat up slightly and confessed to Richard, "Her name is Seraphina Beaumont. She was once a great harpist, but at the same time, she was also a wanted criminal for killing many nobles of the Empire—"

"what?"

Richard raised an eyebrow, not expecting this turn of events.

Isabella continued, "My story with her begins ten years ago."

"At that time, I was not yet an adult, naive and innocent. I became a paladin by relying on the resources of the royal family, and thus believed that I could easily eliminate evil and uphold justice."

"And then reality gave me a just-right lesson—"

Isabella recalled the past with a self-deprecating smile: "It was a cool summer night, and I was tracking a slave trader who was illegally abducting citizens and elves of the Empire. In the process, I shook off my guards because I found it troublesome and was overconfident."

"Finally, I successfully located their stronghold, only to be surprised to find not only the merchant and his guards, but also a local count and his son who were the buyers of the slaves!"

"Not long ago, this father and son invited me to dinner, which made me think they were good people. I never expected to see them here."

"I immediately flew into a rage and vowed to wipe them out."

"This also enraged them, making them determined to kill me here, regardless of my status as a princess, to prevent future troubles."

"Faced with this unexpected enemy, I was undoubtedly defeated, and even my heart withered and rotted under the curse."

"Seraphina appeared just as I was about to die."

"She killed all the slave traders and nobles present in an instant, and then came to me, but it was too late. My heart, which was soaked in evil magic, could not be saved by ordinary potions."

"And she didn't try to save me; instead, she ripped my heart out—"

Richard: "?"

No, this is beyond what can be described as "beyond saving," isn't it?

This is practically giving you a ride home!

"—I knew you'd think that way."

Isabella blinked and revealed the answer: "But she wasn't killing me. The moment she pulled out my heart, she stuffed her own still-beating heart into my chest."

"Then, she cast a spell that I still haven't fully understood, making her heart beat successfully inside me, while she herself lost her life and transformed into some kind of undead creature."

This sounds a bit like a lich, except the casket is replaced with a heart.

Richard inwardly scoffed, but out of politeness, he didn't voice it. Instead, he asked, "What was her purpose in doing this?"

"After I came back to life, the first thing I asked her was why she would sacrifice her own life to save me, someone she didn't even know. Then she patiently told me about her past."

Isabella said slowly, "She was once a warrior of faith, training diligently and joining the harpists at a young age, fighting until she was in her fifties."

"However, she discovered that as the empire declined, more and more people fell into hardship, and no matter how chivalrous she, the harpist, was, she could not change the course of events."

"Even if I were to ruthlessly kill those powerful and wicked people, all I would do is become a wanted person in the empire and watch in vain as their successors do the same thing."

"She felt tired and lost, and was trying to find other ways to cope, when she unexpectedly met me."

"After observing me, she concluded that I was the perfect solution."

"He has both royal status and a teachable spirit. If properly nurtured, he may one day be able to change this country."

"So, on the night I was attacked, she finally made up her mind and decided to gamble everything on me."

"Given my heart, became my teacher, hid by my side teaching me martial arts and wisdom, and then today, shielded me from Edaen—"

As she spoke, Isabella lowered her head and silently stared at the ground.

Richard pursed his lips, deciding it was best not to disturb them at this moment.

A few seconds later, Isabella shook her head, and Liang Dong broke the silence: "I'm sorry, I got a little too caught up in it. Actually, things aren't beyond repair. My teacher's heart is still beating in my chest. Using that as an anchor, she still has a chance to be resurrected."

She then looked at Richard and said, "Stop talking about me, Richard. What about you? Why isn't Grace with you?"

Richard sighed softly.

Feeling there was nothing left to hide, she told him about Grace's situation and how Grace had been taken away by Zoya's brother.

Of course, this omits the part where he helped the other person heal their soul. Well, that kind of thing is too "serious" to talk about.

After listening, Isabella sighed softly, "So it was these three. Tonight, we've all lost someone very important to each other—"

The two fell silent again.

Outside, the campfire crackled and popped.

Although it was late at night, none of them felt like sleeping.

I don't know how much time passed.

Isabella felt she had regained some strength, so she stood up on her own and sat down next to Richard.

Their shoulders pressed tightly together, seeking warmth in each other.

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