An Archer's Promise

Chapter 39: Thrown

Beta read by Shigiya, Fluffy Slayer and DOOMRAIDER

So, this is the final chapter before we loop back to the prologue timeline. So y'all be prepared, because everything after this is gonna be crazy!

Next update: Broly

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-Cave, unknown location-

The rain was incessant, lasting longer than expected.

It had been some time since the downpour began. The sky had become a cacophony of nimbus clouds and thunder. Beyond that, there was nothing much to see, no less the constellations. Yet it didn't damper Archer's mood one bit.

For one thing it was quiet, a godsend for him after all the chaos he went through. Not to mention the musty, earthy odor from the mold growing in the caves blended well with the crisp sizzling of the campfire, providing a momentary sensation of relief for him.

Free of the despair and trauma within his heart, it was in these moments that he could truly experience contentment. He wasn't going to reminisce about his mission nor the past he had long forgotten, including the faces of the people he once knew.

Scouting the area before the rain settled in, he made sure to seek out her trail and the location of her previous encampment. Following the river towards the West, he found a larger body of water connected to a waterfall. That was roughly the same route he was going to take tomorrow, so dropping her off there would kill two birds with one stone.

"..."

Distracted from his thoughts, he opened one eye to see a warm blanket being placed over his body. Gazing over, Archer saw a certain timid pink-haired Princess Knight looming over him while still soaking wet in that revealing dress of hers.

"What are you doing?" He said, scaring the girl as she probably thought that he had fallen asleep.

"A-Ah, I... I th-thought you would c-catch a cold..." she stuttered, not knowing what to do under his scrutinizing gaze. "I-I'm sorry!" Prim bowed her head, a gesture that made him sigh exasperatedly.

From every Princess Knight he met so far, including Maia and Luu-Luu, his initial impressions were that they were quite forward and audacious with the way they talked to others. Since this girl mentioned that she was one herself, he expected a similar personality, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. She was adamant about not being a nuisance even though her hands were shaking from the cold. The thought of taking off her clothes in front of him embarrassed her to no end. Still he wasn't her guardian, so whether she complied or not mattered little to him. There was also the possibility that Princess Knights couldn't get sick due to their nature, but that was just a theory.

"I'm not the one wet and injured, you need to look out for yourself first instead of me." Raising his hand, Archer projected another blanket twice as big and dropped it on her head. "I'll be fine, so focus on healing your wounds... or what remains to be healed."

Her bones had partially healed by now, something that shocked him as he just performed a Structural Analysis scan an hour ago. It wasn't outright regeneration, since it still required another day to fully mend. But the cuts all across her body had disappeared after a full meal, face all rosy with a healthy glow as well. From what he saw with Maia, even she couldn't recover this swiftly. Same goes for Luu-Luu who was very durable - even becoming his punching bag without getting injured for a bit.

"I'll be fine," she said. "We Princess Knight have the blessing of our goddess to keep us protected from such things. I couldn't have my savior suffer while I just sit here!"