“Look carefully, you small fries.”
Yisela stood in the middle of the camp, hands on her hips, chin held high, with a trace of leftover oil still on her mouth, putting on a domineering expression that looked down on the world.
“This princess is in a good mood today, so I’ll show you all my true power.”
She lifted her right foot and lightly tapped the shimmering boots on her feet—the Sacred Spirit Boots.
“Lina, move back a bit.”
“Yes!”
“Princess!”
Lina obediently nodded, like a well-behaved little bunny, backing all the way to the outermost edge of the crowd, but her big eyes were still fixed on Yisela, filled with admiration.
Yisela took a deep breath and willed it.
‘Sacred Spirit Boots, full power—activate!’
Boom!
The next second, a fierce wind suddenly swept through the square, which had been perfectly clear moments before.
The seemingly ordinary short boots instantly erupted with a dazzling pale blue aura, as if countless wind elemental spirits were roaring beneath the soles.
Yisela’s figure vanished right before everyone’s eyes.
No, not vanished—she was too fast!
Only when she appeared beside the withered tree a hundred meters away did a belated sonic boom explode in the air.
Bang!
That withered tree, which two people couldn’t wrap their arms around, was lightly kicked by Yisela. It exploded into a cloud of sawdust.
Dead silence fell over the crowd.
Then cheers erupted like thunder.
“Oh my god, was that magic?”
“Too fast!”
“I didn’t even see how Her Highness moved!”
“Is this the power of Lady Silver Dragon?”
“So cool!”
Listening to the cheers, Yisela couldn’t hold back the smile tugging at her lips.
With a thought, the light of the Sacred Spirit Boots slowly faded, and she returned to the center of the square as if teleporting.
“Not done yet.”
She raised her left arm, revealing the silver holy light armguard.
“Watch closely, this is…!”
“The Art of Explosion!”
Imitating the poses of some villains in her mind, Yisela aimed the armguard at a large rock in the distance.
Hum.
The magic patterns on the armguard flashed wildly. The originally gentle holy light was compressed to its limit, forming a blinding sphere of light.
“Give me…!”
“Break!”
Rumble!
A thick beam of light shot out violently, slamming directly into the large rock.
With a deafening roar, not even gravel remained of the rock, leaving only a charred pit in its place.
That attack was almost as powerful as a Gold Rank mage’s blow.
“Wow!!!”
This time, not only the villagers, but even the knights who had been a bit worried were dumbfounded.
“Too strong!”
Lina’s face flushed with excitement, and she was the first one to rush forward, still clutching the half-eaten roast chicken and a large bag of water in her hands.
“Princess!”
“Princess must be tired after showing off her power, right?”
“Quick, eat something first!”
Standing on tiptoes, Lina pushed the chicken and water bag toward Yisela’s mouth, her eyes shining as if she were looking at a true god.
Yisela looked at the little girl whose eyes were full of her, and the fleeting vanity inside her turned into a warm current.
She took the water bag, drank a sip, then reached out her small hand—still wearing the armguard—and gently patted Lina’s head.
“Lina, although you’re a small fry, your eyesight isn’t bad.”
Yisela put on a stern face and spoke in an old-fashioned tone.
“Since you’re so loyal, this princess promotes you to—‘Chief Royal Guard’!”
“Really?!”
Lina was so surprised she almost jumped.
“Of course.”
Yisela patted her chest and began to draw a pie with confidence.
“This princess will have your back from now on.”
“When you’re in danger, just listen to me and hide behind me.”
“Whoever dares to touch a single hair on your head, I’ll blast them with this armguard!”
“Mm!”
“I will follow the Princess forever!”
Lina was moved to tears.
The group of kids nearby panicked and crowded around all at once.
“I want to be Chief Royal Guard too!”
“Princess, Princess, pick me, pick me!”
“I can run really fast!”
“I can fight too!”
Yisela looked at these runny-nosed little shortstacks and couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
“What’s the hurry?”
“This princess’s guards are an elite unit—not just anyone can join.”
She paced in front of the children with her hands behind her back, lecturing them like a little adult.
“You little idiots, your current strength can’t even beat a slime.”
“If you want to protect this princess, first get stronger!”
“And…!”
Her voice suddenly dropped a bit.
“Live well, okay.”
“Don’t end up as a snack for magic beasts.”
Though disappointed, the children still replied loudly.
“Yes! Princess!”
“We will get stronger!”
Watching these lively small fries, Yisela felt overjoyed.
For the first time, she realized how wonderful it was to have the power to protect others.