dognovel Chapter 744 Assassination
Chapter 744 Assassination
Princess Charlotte's eyes held an unyielding melancholy as her gaze remained fixed on the fox being chased by the hunting party ahead.
The little creature fled frantically through the forest, pursued relentlessly by hunting dogs and armed hunters. Each escape was filled with the panic of being on the verge of despair, making the princess's heart clench with anxiety.
She even unconsciously softened her breathing, her heart filled with pity for this weak life, completely devoid of the excitement and fervor of the noble children hunting beside her.
Just as she was immersed in this oppressive emotion, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly rang out, and an arrow shot straight toward the fleeing fox with fierce momentum.
Princess Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, she instinctively closed her eyes tightly.
She couldn't bear to look at the cruel scene of arrows piercing living beings; her fingertips unconsciously clenched, and she silently prayed that such a tragedy would not happen.
Time seemed to stretch out at that moment; the brief wait felt incredibly long to her.
Only when the expected screams did not come, and there were no cheers of a successful hunt from the surroundings, did she slowly open her eyes and see that the arrow had just grazed the fox's fur and embedded itself in the soil. The fox took the opportunity to dart into the dense forest and completely disappeared from sight.
Princess Charlotte breathed a long sigh of relief as her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and the melancholy in her eyes faded, replaced by a barely perceptible sense of relief.
She could clearly feel her heartbeat gradually calming down. The panic and fear she had felt just moments before still lingered in her body, leaving her unable to recover for a long time.
"Does the princess not like hunting?"
A steady voice came from beside him. Griffith's gaze fell on the princess's face, quietly watching the changes in her expression.
Princess Charlotte snapped out of her daze, turned and met Griffith's gaze. Their eyes met briefly in the air, and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing slightly, and her voice carrying a hint of shyness and unease.
"Hmm... This is my first time at the hunting grounds. My father asked me to keep him company, but I don't like hunting. It feels cruel."
After saying this, Princess Charlotte raised her eyes again to look at Griffith, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment, and spoke softly.
"War, too, why do men like things that involve bloodshed and sacrifice?"
Griffith fell silent upon hearing this, gazing at the hunting crowd in the distance. He didn't respond immediately, but after a moment, he slowly spoke:
"It depends on one's attitude toward war. Some people think it brings suffering, while others think it brings benefits. For me, war is just a task given to me by His Majesty the King. I neither like nor hate it. Sometimes I also like to read books and appreciate art."
As soon as he finished speaking, Griffiths raised his hand, plucked a bright green leaf from a branch extending down from above, pinched the edge of the leaf between his fingertips, gently placed it to his lips, and blew on it softly.
A crisp, melodious whistle emanated from among the leaves, its light and gentle tune breaking the oppressive atmosphere of the hunting ground and easing the confusion in Princess Charlotte's eyes.
"For example, like this."
After Griffith finished playing a piece, he looked at the princess and gestured for her to try it too.
Princess Charlotte's eyes lit up with curiosity. She imitated him, plucked a similarly shaped leaf from a nearby branch, carefully held it in her hand, and, mimicking Griffith's action, brought it to her lips and blew on it forcefully.
No matter how hard she tried, she could only produce a faint whistling sound and couldn't whistle properly. Several attempts ended in failure, which made her pout slightly and show a frustrated expression.
Griffiths watched her clumsy movements, a faint smile playing on his lips. He stepped forward, stood beside her, and began to teach her slowly.
"Hold the leaf like this, then put it to your mouth and blow air on it."
He made no unnecessary movements, simply guiding her in the most basic way, with a gentle and patient tone.
Princess Charlotte listened attentively, adjusted the position of the leaf according to his instructions, and then held the leaf to her lips again, gently blowing on it.
This time, a crisp whistle finally came from his lips, though not perfectly fluent, it was undeniably loud.
The princess's eyes lit up instantly, like a child who had found a new and wonderful toy, her heart filled with joy. She turned to look at Griffith, and their eyes met again, exchanging a knowing smile.
A loud crash came from the bushes nearby, the branches and leaves were violently knocked aside, and a huge wild boar roared and charged out, its tusks bared, looking ferocious.
The sudden appearance of the wild beast completely startled the horse beneath Princess Charlotte. Startled, the horse neighed, reared up on its hind legs, and instantly became uncontrollable, carrying the princess and galloping wildly into the depths of the forest.
The princess was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that she froze, gripping the reins tightly but unable to control the raging horse.
The wind whistled past her ears, and her body was violently jolted by the horse's gallop. Fear overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. She had never experienced anything like this before, and her mind went blank. She could only let the horse carry her forward.
"Princess!"
Upon seeing this, Griffith's expression changed slightly. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately urged his mount to chase after the direction in which the princess had fled.
Two horses galloped through the woods, one after the other, their hooves shattering the tranquility of the forest and kicking up a trail of dust.
Griffiths chased after them with all his might, keeping a close distance from the horses ahead, his eyes never leaving Princess Charlotte's figure, for fear that she might fall off her horse.
After running for an unknown amount of time, the two arrived at a pool of water, one after the other.
The princess's horse rushed into the shallow water. The resistance of the water gradually slowed the galloping horse down, and its struggling strength also weakened.
Upon seeing this, Griffith immediately pulled on the reins, dismounted, strode forward, firmly grasped the princess's horse's reins, and with a forceful pull, gradually calmed the still restless horse.
Princess Charlotte only recovered from her extreme panic after the horses had completely calmed down. She was trembling slightly, and every second of the gallop had made her feel like she was on the verge of death.
"Are you alright, Princess?"
Griffiths looked up at the princess on horseback, his tone tinged with concern.
Before he could say anything more, Princess Charlotte dismounted and rushed forward to hug him.
Her body was still trembling slightly, and she first buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed softly, her tears soaking his clothes. All her fear and helplessness were released at this moment.
After a moment, she slowly calmed down, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, raised her head, and gave Griffith a smile that seemed to indicate she had survived a close call.
"I was very scared when I was riding the horse just now because I have never ridden so fast before. Thank you for your help."
Her voice trembled slightly from crying, but it was full of sincere gratitude.
"Damn it."
Not far from where the two could not see, the assassins lying in ambush in the shadows of the dense forest watched this scene with a heart full of irritation and displeasure, and began to curse inwardly.
He had been lying in wait here to assassinate Griffith, planning to aim for Griffith's unarmored neck and kill him with a single blow.
But now Princess Charlotte was clinging tightly to Griffith's neck, the two of them so close that he couldn't shoot accurately at all, and if he missed, the arrow could very well injure the princess.
"Luckily, I had a backup plan."
The assassin gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes. At this point, ordinary arrows were no longer usable, and he had to switch to Heldran's armor-piercing arrows.
These arrows have extremely high penetrating power; they can pierce even Griffith's armor. If they are also poisoned, aiming at the heart will ensure a fatal blow.
He quickly changed arrows, held his breath, aimed at Griffith's heart, and slowly tightened his grip on the bowstring, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar. Guts and his men rode up on horseback, their voices carrying far and wide.
"Griffiths!"
Upon hearing the sound, Griffiths instinctively turned to look at Gus, who was rushing over, his body slightly turned to the side, completely unprepared.
The ambushing assassin seized the moment, yanked the bowstring hard, and a gleaming Hilderan armor-piercing arrow shot through the air at incredible speed toward Griffith's heart without missing its mark.
The next second, the arrow struck Griffiths hard in the chest. Before he could even react, the force of the impact sent him crashing to the ground.
"Commander!"
The accompanying mercenaries gasped in surprise. Guts's expression changed drastically, and he immediately spurred his horse forward. The group quickly surrounded Griffith, forming a protective wall around him to prevent the assassins in the shadows from firing arrows at him again.
Gus dismounted and strode quickly to Princess Charlotte's side, grabbing her arm and speaking urgently.
"Hey! Did you see that arrow coming from?"
Princess Charlotte had just snapped out of her reverie when she saw Griffith fall, wounded by an arrow. She was thrown into a panic once more, her mind going blank, unable to think straight.
Suddenly, Gus grabbed her arm tightly, and a sharp pain shot through her. She snapped back to reality and couldn't help but cry out.
"Let go...it hurts!"
Her voice was filled with panic and grievance, and her arm was gripped painfully. But more than the physical pain, the sight of Griffith falling after being shot by an arrow made her panic, and tears welled up uncontrollably once again.
Casca rushed to Griffith's side, knelt down and gently hugged him, her voice full of urgency.
"Griffiths, hang in there, we'll take you to a doctor right away."
Her heart was pounding. Looking at the arrow in Griffith's chest, she felt her hands and feet turn cold and was filled with unease, fearing that Griffith would be fatally injured.
Just as everyone was in a state of panic and anxiety, Griffith, who was lying on the ground, slowly raised his hand and waved it gently to indicate that he was alright.
Then, he raised his hand, grasped the arrow in his chest, and slowly pulled it out of the gap in his armor. There wasn't a trace of blood on the arrow, so it didn't seem to have pierced his body at all.
Everyone was stunned by what they saw, their faces filled with confusion and shock.
Griffiths slowly sat up, supporting himself on the ground. He took out a red stone from the inside of his chest armor and held it up to the crowd.
"I wasn't hit by the arrow; this thing blocked it for me."
Upon seeing this, the surrounding mercenaries exclaimed in amazement and gathered together to discuss it.
"No, such a small stone actually blocked it."
"I knew this thing was good for warding off evil spirits, and I was right."
Amid the clamor of discussion, a suppressed sob came from behind the crowd.
Princess Charlotte broke free from Kegos's hand, walked to the back of the crowd, and looked at Griffith, who was unharmed. Tears streamed down her face, and her voice was filled with self-blame and guilt.
"It's all my fault... It's all because I don't know how to ride a horse."
Seeing her remorseful expression, Griffiths slowly stood up, walked over, and gently comforted her.
"Protecting the princess's safety is our job."
His tone remained calm, without the slightest hint of blame.
Upon hearing this, Princess Charlotte's sobs subsided slightly, but the self-reproach in her eyes remained.
The mercenaries nearby were still whispering among themselves, their brows furrowed, trying to guess the assassin's target.
"Who exactly wants to assassinate the captain?"
"I think they're here to assassinate the princess. After all, the princess is of noble status, so they must be Yoda's assassins."
Gus listened to the surrounding discussions with a serious expression, then turned to Griffith and spoke.
"I'll take some men to search the surrounding bushes for any trace of assassins."
After saying that, Guts immediately called his men, who took their weapons and dispersed into the surrounding dense forest and bushes. Griffith watched Guts and his men leave without stopping them, but slowly turned his gaze toward the hillside to the side.
His gaze passed through the gaps in the forest and landed on the hillside not far away, where Count Yuris stood, staring straight at him with undisguised disgust and hatred on his face. His gaze was cold and sharp, falling directly on Griffiths.