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Authors Note: This chapter features some grotesque depictions of violence.

T/N: Today Id like to thank my Cookie Donor, Marleen! Thanks for the sweets~!

Alicia suddenly seems like a stranger to me. Her eyes are so bloodthirsty. Ive never seen such a murderous look before. It makes me feel like my blood has been replaced with ice in my veins.

F*ck. This b*tch! bellows the leader-like thug as he takes a swing at Alicia.

..Wait, Ali? Shes gone. I was staring right at her but she just vanished.

I look around wildly but then I see her. Somehow, in that instant, she managed to circle around the leader and is now standing right behind him. I lost track of her for literally a second. I dont know how she was able to move that fast.

The other two thugs seem to be just as amazed as I am. Theyre frozen in place and dumbly staring at her. They dont seem to understand what just happened either.

Ill kill you last, Alicia murmurs sadistically into the leaders ear from behind, the corners of her mouth raised in a vicious smirk.

That smile sends shivers down my spine. Its a smile devoid of reason. And those eyes. Theyre crazed and locked on her prey.

Before the thug can turn to face her, she jumps lightly, gracefully, and smashes him with a roundhouse kick. Her foot connects solidly with the back of his head. Despite her small frame and the move being midair, the kick carries an incredible force. The man staggers forward as Alicia lands nimbly on the ground.

Her movements are lithe and smooth, just like a cat. I cant believe how good her balance is even with her arms still tied behind her back.

Gilles, can you untie these ropes? Alicia asks, darting over to me. She turns around and presents her arms.

Somehow I find the strength to struggle into a sitting position and then I hastily grab at the rope to start working on the knots. The rope binds her arms tightly from elbow to wrist, wrenching her shoulders backward and digging into her skin. They must have tied it in this crisscrossing pattern because it makes it impossible for her to move her arms..

My fingers fumble clumsily at the ropes, pain cascading down my arms each time they move But I ignore it. I just keep pulling and pulling, ramping up the pressure until I can barely tolerate it anymore.

..These knots are so tight! But I need to get them undone. Its not my life on the line right now; its Alicias.

Alicia could die.

As I think that, an overwhelming wave of terror shoots through me.

I cant let Alicia die here. I just cant!

Fear and adrenaline course through me, pushing my strength to the limit. I pull with everything I have and nearly cry out in relief when I feel the ropes loosen slightly.

Dont get cocky! You stupid b*tch! roars the biggest man. He lunges towards Alicia from behind, brandishing his sword.

Alicia!! Look out!! I screech.

But Alicia merely turns her head casually to look behind her. Almost as if in slow motion, I see something fly out from her mouth.

And then a moment later the man is crying out and scrabbling at his eye.

Blood is oozing out between his fingers. It almost looks like tears as it flows from his eye and down his face in a thick red trail.

The man wobbles, his head bobbing around like hes lightheaded while he continues to claw at his eye. After a moment he pulls a small object out of it and then whips it to the ground.

What is that? Its dyed completely red with blood, but as it rolls across the floor I get a clear look at it. Its a tooth.

Did Alicia break a tooth?

You mother f*cker.!!! the thug howls, gripping his sword in both hands as hard as he can and glowering at Alicia. His muscles bulge and twitch, the veins protruding, snakelike. His arms are at least three times bigger than hers.

When I was being beaten, his blows were the ones that hurt the most.

The other two. wait, where did the third thug go? I dont see him

..Hss.

At the sound, my head whips back toward Alicia just in time to see her grimacing slightly and forcing her arms apart. I hear a snapping and then the ropes fall to the ground. In their place, angry, bloody lacerations line her skin.

From the amount of blood and the purple-ish discoloration, I can tell just how tightly they must have been bound. But Alicia doesnt seem to care. With her arms now free, she just rolls her shoulders a bit, one side of her mouth quirking up in an ominous smirk.

Seeing her smiling in this sort of situation. sends a cold sweat dripping down my back.

The thugs must be feeling apprehensive as well, since they dont hesitate anymore. They just charge straight towards Alicia. Its literally the most idiotic thing you can do when youre backed into a corner. But what was I expecting? These goons definitely arent the brains of the operation.

As the men rush forward, I train my eyes on Alicia. I strain to see her movements this time.

But even so, I see nothing. She vanishes in an instant, and the next thing I see shes standing behind the two men and holding one of their swords.

.Is she trying to utilize her physique to the best advantage I wonder? Her stature is already quite small, but shes lowering her body even further towards the floor and seems to be using that to stay in the thugs blind spots.

Both speed and skill are overwhelmingly in Alicias favor. Like this, those men dont even stand a chance.

I always knew that Alicia had good reflexes, but I never imagined that her physical abilities were this good.

Her battle sense is simply unbelievable. Using the the blind-spot created by maiming the biggest thugs eye, she was able to dodge around them and even draw the leaders sword from its sheath at his waist as she went. Thats not the sort of thing I would expect from a villainess. Thats the move of a queen. A warrior queen ready to lead her troops into battle from the front lines.

She can adapt to any situation and calmly make good judgments. on top of having unparalleled physical prowess, exceptional beauty, and uncanny magical abilities. Shes simply remarkable.

Shes going to become a legend. I can say that with utter conviction.

Despite being in somewhat of a dire situation here, I can feel my tense muscles relaxing a bit. I think I might actually be smiling right now.

To think that Im the assistant of such an amazing person.

As Im sitting there in awe, the two thugs are also standing there frozen. They must be at a loss for what to do.

But then a shadowy figure appears behind Alicia. The third thug. He tears through the door, brandishing an ax above his head as he barrels straight towards her.

Alicia had noticed his bloodlust even before I saw him. She deftly executes a back handspring, narrowly avoiding the axs blade as the man surges past. She spins around just as the man regains his balance but before he can fully raise his ax, a blade is sticking out of his chest. Alicia had stabbed him right through the heart.

Im completely rapt. Her movements are so graceful, so beautiful, that I cant take my eyes away.

That man hadnt been able to defend himself at all. He just made a surprised, choked gurgle and then collapsed on the ground.

Its a shame, really. Hed gone through all the trouble of going to get that ax from somewhere, but it was absolutely no help at all.

It seems that Alicia was able to pierce his heart in one go.

Unbelievable. Thats something that even professional killers have difficulty doing, but a 13-year-old girl was able to succeed on her first try.

All my pain is seemingly gone as I focus all my attention on Alicia.

With blood spattering her face and clothes, she leisurely stoops to take the ax from the dead mans hands and then she turns to face me.

My heart stutters as her madness filled eyes meet mine and she grins at me.

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With blood spattering her face and clothes, she leisurely stoops to take the ax from the dead mans hands and then she turns to face me.

My heart stutters as her madness filled eyes meet mine and she grins at me.

T/N: What a chilling rendition of Alicia by 0t0nai! I can feel the madness in her gaze >.< Isnt it just perfect!? It completely captures the bloody madness from this chapter!! Im in total awe~!

Switching gears here a bit. There seems to have been a lot of discontent when Alicia was captured. so? What do yall think? Did this not make up for it?

I for one absolutely loved this chapter! I seriously think this might be my favorite chapter so far. which makes me curious. What do you guys look forward to most with this series? The boys/romance? The politics? The villainessy antics? The darkness? Let me know in the comments below~

P.S. Sorry to you guys who arent a big fan of gore. Ive always wanted to try translating something actiony! So I might have gotten caught up in the moment and had a bit too much with this chapter I think I might have made things a bit more explicit than they needed to be haha. Hopefully that didnt ruin this epic chapter for you!