This chapter is also known as: Guardian Tales Mo Wang: Even if I'm Thrown into Hell, I Will Shout to the Heavens, the Little Princess is the Cutest in the World!
"Now's our chance to finish them off—"
Just as Mo Wang was about to strike, a bolt of magic shot past his ear and vaporized one of the monsters.
"That magic...!" Bob's expression shifted from excitement to dread.
"Guardians, attack!"
At Eva's command, the veteran members of the Guardian Knights swarmed in and, in a matter of minutes, annihilated the remaining monsters.
Wow, the seniors are pretty strong, Mo Wang thought, impressed. They were at least two-star heroes, which was a big deal in the world of Guardian Tales. The Kanterbury Knights were, for a time, practically unbeatable. It was a miracle, really, considering the rest of the world had already advanced to industrial, and even modern, technology.
But, of course, they were no match for the invaders from the sky.
Just as Mo Wang was lost in thought, a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Mo Wang," Eva said, her voice like ice, her eyes burning with rage. "Any last words?"
He actually seemed to consider it. "Well... I hope I get to see you find a boyfriend in this lifetime."
BAM!
An elbow to the gut sent him doubling over.
"Very good," she said through gritted teeth, and bound him in magical ropes. "It seems someone has been living a little too comfortably."
"Ugh, Captain, if you keep being so violent, you'll be single at forty, let alone thirty!"
She gave him a look that could kill, and then dragged him away like a sack of potatoes.
"Everyone else!" she barked. "Clean up this mess and write a report! Everyone gets two extra hours of combat training tonight!"
...
That evening, Eva entered the palace with a heavy heart.
"Eva-neesan!" A small, blonde girl came running towards her and leaped into her arms.
"Your Highness!" she said, catching the girl just in time. "You must be more careful."
"Hehe, I just haven't seen you in a while," the Little Princess said with a sweet smile.
"Alright, my little angel, get down from Eva now," a woman, who looked like an older version of the princess, said with a fond but firm tone.
"Yes, sister," she said, and reluctantly slid down.
"Your Majesty, Queen Camilla," Eva said with a respectful bow.
"Hehehe, Eva, when did you become so serious? Or has a thick wall grown between us?"
"O-of course not!"
"I'm just teasing. But you seem to be in a bad mood today. Is something on your mind?"
"Your Majesty, it's about Mo Wang," she said, her voice filled with despair.
"Oh? What has he done now, to make my dear captain so angry?"
"I can't take it anymore! He skipped training again, and then went and wiped out the Gray Crow Gang! He's undisciplined, has no respect for the knightly faith, and—"
"Eva, I've already received the report," the Queen said with a gentle smile. "The Gray Crow Gang was indeed developing forbidden techniques to turn humans into monsters. Mo Wang's actions, while unorthodox, were beneficial."
"But that's not the point! He used explosives and shattered the windows of an entire shopping street! Now the citizens are saying the Guardian Knights have become a demolition crew!"
"Sister! That wild monkey should be exiled to the border!" the Little Princess huffed.
"Oh?" the Queen said, pinching her sister's cheek. "But didn't someone hold onto the little mechanical bird Mo Wang gave her and refuse to eat dinner the other day?"
The Little Princess's face turned beet red. "Th-that's not true! I don't like the things he gives me! He just forced it on me!" She then gasped. "How did you know he came to the palace?!"
"What?! He came to the palace?! Secretly?!" Eva was stunned.
What is going on? What is their relationship? Don't tell me... he's a secret prince?
"Hehe, my little love, it's late. You should go to bed," the Queen said.
"Okay, sister," the Little Princess said, but then she turned back. "Um, sister... did that guy get into trouble again today? C-can you not punish him too harshly? Maybe... just make him clean the castle toilets for a month?"
"Hehe, don't worry, my love. I won't be too hard on him. But cleaning the palace for a month... that sounds like a good idea."
Eva knew then that her request to have Mo Wang kicked out of the order was a lost cause.
...
"Strange, when did I open the window?" the Little Princess wondered, as she returned to her room.
Suddenly, a pair of strong arms scooped her up.
"Yah! Let me go!"
"Shh—" a familiar voice whispered in her ear. "If the guards hear you, I'll be made into a living specimen."
"You... how..." she gasped, staring at Mo Wang's grinning face. "Eva-neesan said she locked you in the brig!"
"A place like that can't hold me. For you, my princess, I would climb out of hell itself. So, did you miss me?" he said, and nuzzled her cheek.
"Hmph, of course not, you big dummy! I heard you caused a lot of trouble again today."
"Oh? Are you angry?"
"Hmph!"
"My dear princess, are you really not going to talk to me?"
"No! You're a big dummy!"
"What a shame. And I even brought your favorite roasted chicken legs as an apology."
The rich aroma filled the room, and the Little Princess's stomach rumbled. She snatched the chicken from his hand. "That's mine! You promised!"
He laughed and then, as if by magic, produced a pile of snacks.
"...Dummy," she mumbled, but her anger had already subsided. "You... you weren't hurt, were you?"
"Hehe, are you worried about me, Your Highness? Don't worry, a bunch of weaklings like that could never hurt me. You must have faith in your personal knight. For you, I would even slay a god."
"Hmph~! Show-off," she said, and kicked him lightly, but then snuggled into his arms.
"Actually..." she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Eva-neesan came to complain to sister today... and I... I asked her to go easy on you..."
"Thank you for saving my life, Your Highness!" he said, and then, with a flourish, produced a rolled-up drawing. "VIP tickets to the circus next week. I won't break my promise this time."
On the back of the drawing was a series of clumsy sketches: a fire-breathing dragon, a tightrope-walking elf, and in the corner, a Q-version of a girl with a crown, with the words "The Cutest Princess in the World" written beside it.
Just then, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Mo Wang vanished behind the curtains, and she quickly hid the drawing.
"Your Highness, did we hear a noise in your room?" a guard asked from outside.
"N-no! It was... it was the cat! I was playing with the palace cat!"
When the footsteps faded, she turned to find the window open, a small, woven ring sitting on the sill. Beside it, written in charcoal, were the words: "Next time, I'll show you a real dragon. —The trustworthy Mo Wang."
She slipped the ring on her finger and saw a tiny crown engraved on the inside. In the moonlight, the half-eaten honey chicken leg suddenly tasted exceptionally sweet.