Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 781 - 490 The Strongest

Chapter 781: Chapter 490 The Strongest

"Are you alright?"

The grave voice emerged from beneath the sealed iron armor as Xiulun gently set O’Reilly down, looking at the cuts on her neck and face with a tone of some guilt, "Do you need me to use holy magic to heal you?"

"It’s nothing, he held back his strength."

O’Reilly gave a faint smile, patted the heavy shoulder of Xiulun to indicate putting her down, and looked towards the brothers who were communicating telepathically, "After all, it seems he wanted to use me as a whetstone for his younger brother."

Standing back on the surface of the paddy, her amethyst boots caused ripples to spread across the water, O’Reilly focused on the young man in green not far away, and asked in a soft voice:

"Xides, did you use all your strength just now?"

"....."

Faced with this question, Xiulun was silent for a moment, but offered no excuses, simply saying in a lowered voice:

"Your subordinate is incompetent."

The man in green from Dayan was very strong, so strong that Xiulun was certain he was no match for him in direct combat.

Yet the man chose to desecrate their duel, desecrate an opponent of different standing, by restraining his prowess to fight him.

As a knight, Xiulun felt he should be dissatisfied, should condemn the other’s sacrilege, but worry for his lord’s safety suppressed this thought, even bringing a shameful sense of relief to his heart.

Because this was Xiulun’s only chance to prevail over the man in green from Dayan.

He needed to create an opportunity while the other was restraining his prowess, then strike a deadly blow to seriously injure—or even kill—his opponent.

But the result was his failure.

Before he could create an opening, the other had already approached his lord and insulted her, the Empire’s third princess, in a disrespectful manner.

When dereliction occurs, any explanation is but an excuse for one’s own incompetence.

O’Reilly glanced at her guardian knight, raised her jade hand slightly, and the long, fair fingertips brushed gently over her swollen, painful cheek, saying indifferently in a soft voice:

"There’s no need to blame yourself. The only person I’ve seen who could have done what you did under equal power is that monster, the Crown Prince. Your failure doesn’t surprise me."

"....."

Her words cut like a knife, and the shame in his heart made Xiulun instinctively grip the five-foot-long treasured sword in his hand, with a heavy metallic friction sound his tone became more weighty:

"Your Highness, I request that you flee immediately. I will lay down my life to hold them both off."

"Flee?"

O’Reilly’s slender figure turned slightly, her long forefinger touching Xiulun’s breastplate, her red lips curving up with a smile as chilling as a blood rose on a winter night, "Why should I run away?"

Upon hearing her words, Xiulun’s calm and steady voice became urgent for the first time:

"Your Highness, the situation is critical, please don’t act impulsively..."

"Be quiet."

O’Reilly’s smile remained, but the light in her azure eyes grew a bit colder:

"Xides, since he wants to use me as a whetstone for his younger brother, he must bear the consequences of that confidence,

"No matter what, help me hold him off for fifteen minutes, okay?"

"....."

Silver-white snowglow scattered across the boundless field ridges, silent and still.

Xiulun’s sword blade dipped slightly, touching the surface of the paddy and causing a fine ripple, his right hand touching his chest in a knightly salute:

"Where your heart desires, there my sword points, Your Highness."

"Is that the end of the discussion?"

Xu Yuan’s voice, warm and smiling, reached them at just the right moment: "Even now, you remain composed. I acknowledge the dignity of your Xi’en Imperial Family.

"Here’s the deal. After you are captured, as long as you’re willing to disclose the vile intelligence we wish to know, I can promise you a dignified treatment."

O’Reilly turned her gaze, standing against the moonlight, her azure pupils deep as the abyss:

"Changtian, eavesdropping on a lady’s private conversation is not something a gentleman should do."

Dragging the Willow Ghost Blade in the water, Xu Yuan walked across it, laughing as he did:

"Did I ever say I was a gentleman? Besides, you should know my reputation within Dayan Territory from the intelligence you’ve gathered, right?"

O’Reilly responded with a smile:

"That’s true. A rogue like you could hardly be a gentleman....

"Xides!"

"Bang!"

As soon as she spoke, a large splash erupted behind O’Reilly, and the knight who had stood behind her like a tower had vanished.

Xu Yuan made no extra movement, still walking unhurriedly forward.

Since Xu Changge said he would handle this princess from Xi’en, he wouldn’t allow anyone else to disturb him.

Just as he expected,

After the disappearance of Xiulun, a deafening roar suddenly exploded between him and O’Reilly.

As Xiulun lunged for Xu Yuan, Xu Changge almost instantaneously blocked his path.

With the absence of restrained prowess, their renewed clash completely reversed.

With the Mingyuan Sword still sheathed, Xu Changge used the hilt to parry Xiulun’s mountainous strike, its force diverted into the ground, creating a deep crater several feet wide in the paddy field and causing a momentary forward imbalance in Xiulun’s form.

For people of Xu Changge and Xiulun’s caliber, such a fleeting gap was potentially fatal.

However, Xu Changge did not use his sword, still opting for his leg.

A lash of his leg, swift as lightning, struck Xiulun on the iron armor of his neck!

"Boom!"

A gust of wind lifted the unbound hair of Xu Yuan, as well as O’Reilly’s purple dress, spangled like the night sky with stars.

When the dust settled at the heart of the collision, Xu Yuan saw a scene that caught him slightly by surprise.