If it needed to be said, those two men from the carriage were absolutely suspicious, almost professionally so.

"What do you think, big brother?" the younger one whispered. "Planning to rob that guy? When they took out their pouch earlier, I saw it was full of gold coins! There might even be jewelry!" His eyes gleamed with greed.

They were, in fact, runaway bandits, skipping town after their latest "job." Their next target was a quiet village down the road. But fate, in its usual poetic humor, had just handed them a robed figure practically sparkling with wealth.

"Tch, idiot," the big brother hissed, "you're talking about killing the golden goose before the eggs hatch. Didn't you see those hands? Those perfectly smooth fingers that have never seen work in their life? She's a noblewoman, no doubt about it."

"What?! A noblewoman?!"

"Shh, quiet! You trying to broadcast it to the whole forest?"

The older bandit scolded sharply, glaring at his overeager sibling before whispering their plan.

Meanwhile, at the front of the carriage, the coachman called back. "You sure you want to drop here? The village is still a bit far off."

The hooded passenger simply shook their head.

"I see, suit yourself," the man said. "Since you paid with a gold coin, I'll give you a word of advice. Rumors around here are that monsters roam those mountains in the distance. Don't go wandering too far alone."

And so, the driver tipped his hat, cracked the reins, and drove off.

The carriage rumbled away, leaving the robed figure alone by the roadside. Slowly, the traveler turned toward the distant village and began walking.

A few minutes later, as she passed an empty stretch between tall grass and sparse trees, two shadows slipped silently out of the bushes.

"Well, well, sweetheart," one purred. "Running off without saying goodbye? Kinda rude, don't you think?"

The hooded figure stopped, her posture tensing. There was something familiar about their voices... and then she realized. They were the passengers who had been sitting across from her in the carriage.

She turned and glared. When she tried to move past, they stepped in front of her again, laughing darkly.

"What do you want?" Finally, as if angered by their antics, she questioned.

Whistle~

"What a voice" Though it only seemed to have the opposite effect. Her sonorous and graceful voice made the two brothers bolder. They started tugging at her clothes, and their advances became more physical.

CHIII… Before she could react, rough hands gripped at her cloak, tugging hard enough to tear the fabric down the middle.

Whistle~

"Damn, she's smoking hot. Look at those voluptuous breasts, that curvy waist and that ass. Hahaha, looks like we struck the lottery here, little brother".

"You are right, big brother. Who knew that underneath that robe she would be hiding such a sinful body? Today is our lucky day, not only can we enjoy such a beautiful thing, but we can strike it rich thanks to her."

The two rough looking men leered at her, their nether regions already bulging. Seeing this, the hooded figure took a step back and immediately tried to run.

However, the two brothers were level 2. It was impossible to run away from them. Within a couple of seconds, they caught up to her and pinned her.

"S-Stop!! What you are doing is a crime," the hooded figure cried out.

"Crime?" the older one laughed. "Lady, you're not in your fancy palace anymore. No guards, no laws out here. The only rule in the wild is the one written by whoever's got the strength."

She tried to struggle, but the brothers only laughed at her resistance. They pinned her down firmly and stripped her clothes forcefully.

"Hoh, so beautiful." When they removed her hood, a beautiful to the extreme face with long lustrous blonde hair, creamy skin, and violet eyes appeared in front of them.

The brothers were instantly mesmerized, then a nefarious fire consumed them, and they became like bloodthirsty wolves, driven by instinct to devour the beauty.

RIIP… RIIIIP… sounds of clothes being torn continuously rang out. Soon, he was stripped down to only her underwear.

"Noo!! S-Stop.. please.. stop! Don't do this… Aaaahh. Somebody help... please," The woman broke down crying. However, in this extremely remote place with only fields and trees, there was no one to here her plea.

The brothers lusted after her body, which was so irresistibly seductive that it was difficult to keep one's reason after seeing it. Their hands reached out in an attempt to defile her and remove her final line of defense when suddenly a shadow fell over them.

The shadow was so huge that for a second, they thought that the clouds covered the sky.

BOOM.

The sound of something massive crashing through the air silenced everything around them.

The next moment, a fist the size of a boulder connected with the older bandit's face, sending his body flying several meters into the air. The other barely turned before a boot met his stomach, the impact folding him like paper and launching him through a tree trunk.

Both hit the ground with a crunch that echoed through the clearing.

"Stoop.. pwease stwoop. Kuh…" The woman flinched at the noise, tears still streaking her face. When she blinked through the blur of fear, a large shadow loomed before her.

He wasn't a bandit. He wasn't a monster.

It was Reinhardt... tall, radiant, and half shining from the divine light still fading around his armor.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" he asked gently, lowering his gauntleted hand. "You're safe now. It's over."

Through her blurry vision, she recognized the face framed by sunlight.

"S-Sir Reinhardt?" she stammered, half in disbelief.

"Yes, Your Highness," he nodded, his tone gentle and calm. "Princess Diana, you're safe."

Realizing what had just happened, that she had nearly been attacked by criminals and rescued in the nick of time, the princess stumbled forward, clinging weakly to his arm as fresh tears spilled from her eyes.

As she was just saved from a very risky situation, she had no mind to pay any attention to her body that barely had any clothing covering it, showing scenes that might be a little too evocative.

"S-Sir Reinhardt?" she repeated again, her voice small.

"I'm here, Princess," he said softly. "You're alright now."

He knelt, helping her stand upright. She still trembled, her cloak torn and her hair disheveled. Reinhardt quickly draped his jacket around her shoulders.

"Thank you…" she whispered, voice breaking. "I thought I was going to—"

There was a faint, awkward pause as her composure slowly returned—and her dislodged hood nearly slipped further, prompting Reinhardt to avert his gaze politely.

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