Blood Princess, Kill them All

Heavy Metal Waltz

Inside Marquess Fidelis’ mansion, two men conversed with a maid near the entrance. Fidelis, a slightly overweight man, scrutinized the maid with a critical eye. “So, you’re the mercenary, huh…”

The maid casually brushed back her long black hair and responded nonchalantly, “What? Got any complaints?”

Fidelis snapped, “What’s with that insolence? Who do you think I am?!”

“A client, right? I couldn’t care less about your status. My approach stays the same. If you prefer a more traditional maid demeanor, be prepared to cough up some extra coin.”

“What?! Do you truly believe that your employment by His Grace the Duke grants you the right to look down on me?! You… Calaria, was it? Can you even perform your job competently?!”

“All I have to do is kill the princess, right? I heard she’s a mage, but I’ve got my payment and weapons, so I’ll get the job done. It’s as simple as that.”

“Fine then. We’ll wait at a different location. Listen carefully, ensure that you accomplish the job without any mistakes. I mean it, without a doubt!”

“Well, aren’t you just obnoxiously loud?”

“What did you say?”

Fidelis’ indignation was cut short by the elegant man standing beside him. “Now, now.”

With his long hair and round sunglasses, he exuded a suspicious aura. Calaria, or so they called her, narrowed her eyes as she stared at him.

“I can’t compete when you’re glaring at me like that. Come on, Marquess, let’s leave quickly.”

“Hmph… Very well.”

The man, attempting to appease Fidelis, escorted him out of the mansion. As their figures disappeared from sight, Calaria let out a deep sigh.

“Sigh… I’m stuck serving such dubious people, all for the sake of currency,” she tightly clenched her palm as she gazed into it. “Hey, Yuri, is this really the path I should tread?”

Lost in contemplation about someone far away, Calaria suddenly sensed an approaching wave of murderous intent and swiftly shifted her focus.

◇◇◇

Mary dashed through the darkness, quickly arriving at Fidelis’ mansion. She made her way towards the back of the premises, feeling slightly more composed this time. The thought of reuniting with Ami, who eagerly awaited her return, and Cassy, with whom she could share her wounds, seemed to provide a sense of comfort.

Instead of launching a brazen attack like before, Mary skillfully eliminated the patrolling soldiers one by one, preying on them. As their numbers dwindled, she knew it was only a matter of time before someone would realize they were under attack. Anticipating this, she leaped over the fence and silently infiltrated the building through a window at the back of the mansion.

“It’s so quiet…” Mary unintentionally murmured, sensing the stark contrast between the bustling soldiers outside and the eerie stillness inside.

She cautiously entered what appeared to be a guest room. She wasn’t yet so accustomed to the battlefield that she could sense people’s presence, but an unnerving, cold atmosphere hung in the air here.

Opening the door cautiously, Mary peeked into the corridor. It stretched long, adorned with a red carpet, and though the lights were on, there were no signs of people. She spotted a hidden corner where she could conceal herself, lowered herself down, and moved silently.

After repeating this process several times, Mary once again confronted that unsettling feeling.

I don’t expect the Duke to be here since my goal is to cut off his escape route… But there’s no trace of Fidelis either. Did he sense something and escape? But there are soldiers positioned outside. What’s their purpose? Are they hoping to lure me in…?

If this mansion turned out to be empty, Mary planned to quickly destroy the building and make her retreat. But then, in front of a certain door, she sensed a presence and halted in her tracks.

Given the location, is this the entrance…? There’s someone inside. Should I swiftly take them out to gain the upper hand…

At that moment, as Mary stopped, she felt an intense hostility emanating from behind the door. From beyond the wall, she heard a thud, as if something was being swung through the air.

Whiiirrrr—And something mechanically made began to spin rapidly.

“An ambush?!” Mary quickly took a step back.

In an instant, a barrage of explosions reverberated through the air as magical bullets tore through walls and doors, mercilessly assaulting her.

“Ugh! Magic… no, is it a high-powered magitech gun?”

Mary swiftly shielded herself with both hands. Simultaneously, arms sprouted from her back, offering additional protection. The sheer force behind those bullets surpassed anything she had encountered before, surpassing both the magic guns wielded by soldiers and those integrated into powered suits.

Though her bones deflected the bullets, the relentless impact gradually wore them down, sending jolts of pain through Mary’s body.

Frustration consumed her as she had no choice but to defend against an unseen enemy’s attack. If it was gunfire, there had to be an enemy at the other end of the trajectory.

With determination, Mary thrust her right hand forward. Despite her flesh being blown away, she transformed the corpses within her body into projectiles and swiftly launched them. “Ugh… huff… Ten Corpses Burial Cannon!”

Bone fragments pierced through her palm, hurtling towards her opponent at lightning speed. The remaining walls crumbled, and the ground was gouged as the impact of her attack shook the surroundings.

“―Huh?!”

The sound of gunfire abruptly ceased. It seemed her opponent had reacted to the incoming bullets and focused on evading rather than shooting back.

“Now… Hundred Corpses Burial Scythe!”

Mary’s acceleration intensified as bones emerged from her heel. She darted through the opening created by the previous exchange, storming into the entrance. In the midst of her sprint, she spotted a figure on the staircase.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she transformed a long bone pulled from her arm into a menacing scythe. Swinging the blade overhead, she readied herself for the approaching enemy.

The opponent turned out to be a woman dressed in a maid outfit. Her fox-like, slender eyes glared at Mary with intensity. She held a pair of massive gatling guns, resembling chunks of iron, firmly in both hands, pointing them towards Mary.

Realizing that countering with gunfire was futile, the maid adjusted her grip. Then, with finesse reminiscent of wielding tonfas, she skillfully parried Mary’s scythe.

The clash of their powers resounded through the entrance, accompanied by a piercing metallic sound and a shower of intense sparks.

“What? It won’t cut through?!”

“Will it shatter like this?!”

Both of them were taken aback by the turn of events. They pushed each other away, creating some distance. Upon landing, they locked eyes once again, facing each other anew.

“Mary Pulcherrima… An Arcana user with a magical evaluation over 15,000… I should charge Fidelis an extra fee.”

“Using two gatling guns and handling them with just hands is no ordinary feat for a human. Are you an Arcana user yourself?”

“Unfortunately, I’m nothing of the sort.” Calaria readjusted her grip on her guns, pointing the multiple barrels arranged in a circular formation directly at Mary. “I’m just an ordinary person. Not even a mage by any means.”

Judging from the shape and output, they appeared to be custom-made weapons.

Typically, magitech gatling guns like this are designed with the assumption of using mineral stones or batteries as an energy source. Even if an average mage were to try using it, their mana would be drained in an instant. These types of weapons are typically installed on vehicles or fixed locations since they can’t be wielded barehanded. However, Calaria was casually handling two without breaking a sweat.

She must have a ridiculous amount of mana, And yet, she chooses to use magitech guns?

Mary quickly activated her analysis ability and was taken aback by the displayed numbers.

Magical evaluation: zero?! How is that possible when she can handle such weapons?!

Magical evaluation is calculated by multiplying the output and capacity of mana. In other words―

Because the output is zero, no matter how much capacity she has, it won’t contribute to the evaluation. So, she’s like a living mana battery, is that it?

Essentially, she had a unique constitution. Her ability to wield the gatling gun with one hand made her an extraordinary being. Despite claiming not to be an Arcana user, she might be an even more formidable opponent.

“Did you use Analyze with that expression? How pitiful it must be,” Calaria remarked.

“And that’s what makes it terrifying,” Mary replied.

“I’ll take it as a compliment. The name’s Calaria Turquoise. I make a living as a mercenary, despite my appearance.”

“Thanks for sharing. But isn’t it risky for someone in your line of work to reveal your name so easily?”

“I don’t mind. I’m currently available for hire.” she declared.

And once again, the triggers were pulled, and the gatling guns unleashed a barrage of bullets. Mary readjusted her grip on her scythe and pressed forward, deftly maneuvering through the rain of projectiles.