I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Snow White (5)

Ugh, I never get used to scenes like this, no matter how many times I see them. Slicing through an actual person isn’t a pleasant thing. But there’s no helping it if I want to survive. I swallowed hard, keeping a wary eye out for any other soldiers charging in.

But contrary to my expectations, the soldiers, already massacred by Alice and Ariel, were panicking and outright fleeing.

“aaah!!”

“M-monster! We can’t win!”

They’re running away in a right fuss. Well, I wouldn’t be able to hold it together either if I saw my comrades getting impaled by giant forks and having their heads burst like fireworks, spraying bits of flesh everywhere.

“Aww~? Where do you think you’re going~? We’re just getting started!”

Alice, a sinister smile plastered on his face, red light gleaming in his eyes, pursued the fleeing soldiers like a blood-crazed murderer, mercilessly bringing his mace down upon their heads. The traumatized soldiers became even more agitated, screaming horribly and running away in utter disarray.

But there was a figure blocking their path.

“Where… do you think you’re going?”

“C-c-cough! L-Lord Wilhump…!”

One soldier was held by the neck in Wilhump’s hand, his feet dangling off the ground as he struggled. At this, the other soldiers flinched, halting their flight and staring at him. As if facing another terror, similar to Alice.

There was something strange about Wilhump’s eyes. They didn’t have normal round pupils, but vertical slits, like a cat’s or a lizard’s. He licked his lips with a thick tongue and spoke.

“I told you. Cowards who flee during battle are executed on the spot.”

　“Kgh! I, I’m sorry, Mr. Wilrump! Please, just show me mercy once!!!”

The soldier pleaded for his life, tears welling up in his eyes. But Wilrump’s response was icy.

“No.”

*Crack.* What? I was horrified by the scene unfolding before my eyes. A scene I’d only ever seen in movies was now happening in reality. Wilrump bit into his own subordinate’s neck with his thick fangs.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, as if gulping down water.

“Ugh….”

A faint moan escaped the soldier caught in Wilrump’s grip. His robust physique gradually withered, until he was a ghastly sight, just skin stretched over bones. All life drained out of him, the soldier was flung to the ground to meet a gruesome end.

“Listen up, everyone! From now on, if anyone tries to run, I’ll make them into the same damn trash as this b*stard!”

Wilrump roared at his men, and then crushed his mummified subordinate’s head under his foot. The soldiers swallowed hard, turning their backs from their escape and facing the other way. Now, they were consumed not by the fear of Ellis, but by the fear of Wilrump.

“Crazy…”

[Shock! Totally disgusting!]

Ariel and I scrunched up our faces, but Ellis grinned as if she’d just seen an enjoyable show.

“Oh my, you’re a vampire? Does blood taste sweet when you become a vampire?”

Wilrump wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his arm, flashing a chilling smile. His sharp fangs gleamed.

“How dare you prattle so carelessly, woman. No matter how strong you are, you’re no match for me as I am now.”

“Hee? Wanna try me?”

Ellis bent her knees slightly, then leaped with impossible power, exploding forward and appearing before Wilrump in an instant. Ellis immediately swung her warhammer.

*Clang!!!*

Wilrump parried Ellis’ warhammer with his sword. Or, more precisely, he deflected it. Ellis’ warhammer slammed into the blade at an angle, deflecting it downwards. After all, no matter how famous his sword is, it couldn’t possibly survive a direct hit from Ellis’ thick warhammer. And considering her brute strength.

Anyways, that’s something. Calmly letting all of Alice’s attacks pass by. But Willump’s face is growing more and more distorted.

“Kuh!”

“Kyahahaha! You’re doing well? Then shall I pick up the pace a bit?”

The speed of Alice’s mace increased sharply. Willump was gritting his teeth to block them, but his actions no longer had composure, rather, a sense of urgency. Like he knew that a single moment of carelessness would mean his doom.

Nobody dared interfere in their fight. It was on a completely different level than us. And so, the soldiers who couldn’t just stand there gaping, began to do what they had to.

“Die!!!”

They swung their swords wildly towards us. Their eyes weren’t normal. Still, gazes ridden with extreme fear. They looked like they’d rather die here than what they were experiencing.

[Where do you think you’re going!]

Aerial began to dispatch the remaining soldiers quickly. Her water blasts engulfed the soldiers, the water pressure crushing even their armor, bursting their bodies. But even then, as if Willump was more terrifying than the fear of dying crushed, the soldiers screamed chillingly and attacked, injury be damned.

“Kuh!”

I was also quite flustered by the soldiers pouring out not just for Aerial but also for me. There were so many! I could maybe manage if there was just one, but there were more than five going for me alone. Even Aerial was struggling to hold back the remaining forces.

Whoosh-!

A sharp blade grazed right past my neck. But it didn’t completely miss, a horizontal cut on my neck oozed blood.

“Ughhh! Die, die!!!!”

This is insane! I was just busy dodging the soldiers’ attacks. The soldiers were like zombies, blindly charging forward to kill me. A scene straight out of a horror movie. With my current skills, I can’t beat them. But even so!

“Haa!”

I swung my scythe with all my might. I managed to cut through the armor and weapons of some of them. Some of the guys were injured but, whether hurt or not, they were still clinging on to me, trying to stab me with even broken blades.

“Ughhh! Get away!!”

That’s it, I have to hold on. Until Aerial finishes off the remaining troops and can help me! So my plan is to run! I quickly started running away. But that didn’t last long.

[Your Highness, danger!!!]

A frantic voice, Ariel’s, from the side. Danger? I felt a dark shadow fall over my head. Lifting my gaze, there it was – a blade, crashing down like lightning to split my skull.

Everything seemed to slow down in that instant. The minute movement of the blade. Soldiers roaring as they charged at me. Even the blinking of my own eyes.

Only one thought came to mind then.

I can’t dodge this.

In that moment when I sensed death.

“Ughhh!”

A groan of life ebbing away, and the black blade that had been about to crush my head fell weakly to the side. A fragile silhouette of a girl appeared behind the fallen soldier.

“Haa, haa… Are, are you okay?”

Sweat beaded on her face, the girl’s breath came in ragged gasps. Snow White, with her pale skin, was trembling all over. The blade clutched tightly in her hands was dyed crimson with the soldier’s blood.

“I, I came to he, help you. Ugh….”

She was shaking. Her already white face turned ashen. In Snow White’s eyes, the soldier she’d killed was reflected. Seeing Snow White, sobbing, after having helped me, I looked at her anew.

“Th, thank you for saving me. But… are you alright?”

“I, I’m fine. Ugh….”

I was about to go to Snow White, whose trembling wouldn’t stop, when it hit me. I’d forgotten about the five soldiers who had been after me.

“You b*stards!”

“We’re here!!!”

And then, behind her, the dwarves burst out. The seven dwarves charged at the soldiers who had been after me, and started fighting them.

“Haha! Don’t worry! We’ll help too!”

Adel said, looking confident. I burst into a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

“You guys sure took your time. You only came out after the enemy forces were mostly dealt with, didn’t you?”

“Hahaha! You damn trash! Trying to target our heroes, are you?!”

Adel pretended not to hear me, focused on the soldiers. The seven dwarfs were a well-oiled machine. Their small stature made it hard for the soldiers to swing their swords effectively. All they could manage were vertical slashes. The dwarfs easily dodged their attacks, taking them down one by one.

Some drew the soldiers’ attention while the others attacked their blind spots.

They didn’t go for the kill immediately, targeting the joints unprotected by armor, slashing with their daggers. From all sides, the ceaseless flurry of blades severed tendons, and soldiers, losing strength, began to fall one after another. Adel finished them off, shoving daggers into their necks.

A methodical, chipping-away kind of fight. Their teamwork was seamless, as if they were one body.

They could’ve come out to help earlier. Aish.

[Prince, are you okay!?]

Eriel, after dealing with the soldiers, came rushing over belatedly and threw herself into my arms. Her teary eyes looked up at me.

“Haha, I’m fine. Anyway, looks like it’s almost over.”

I said, watching Ellis push Willump back. She was smiling brightly, toying with him.