Netori SSS-Emperor: All Queens Shall Be Mine!-Chapter 43: An Unfair Battle To Come

Note: I wrote these two Chapters while really sick, didn't manually edit it so please point out any mistakes I'd really appreciate it!

While still busy healing the reptilian woman, Kanna heard the echoes of the queen's voice rumbling down into the basement. Her name was called, and so was Wolf's. The two were to be each other's opponents, and although it mattered little to her, to be pitted against the prince wasn't exactly what she'd expected to happen so quickly.

"The queen's full of surprises, isn't she?" Plucking yet another burnt scale from Kukei's body, she looked the reptilian in the eye, smiling. "Most of your flesh has burnt, the scales made it worse."

Looking down at the descaled legs that now appeared as featherless chicken legs, the priestess held the urge to gag for the numerous holes from plucking the scales, were bleeding pus out of Kukei's body.

"Thymedia..." Healing her gut, she turned her attention back to the nonverbal reptilian. Placing a hand on Kukei's head, she whispered. "Keep the wounds open and let the infection come out. I'll come back to heal you, in the meantime I suggest you eat something to boost your blood."

Barely blinking at the priestess, Kukei showed her that she was still there and struggling. Having injected her body with severe medicine, Kanna expected her to be unconscious, and yet the young woman was persisting.

"As for your left hand," grabbing the charred left hand, the one that was spared being cut off, Kanna lifted it up and let go of it. Falling to the mattress, the arm as dark as coal was beyond saving. "We'll have to cut this off before nightfall, or else your body will be infected even more."

"C-can't she just heal her hand like she did the other one?" Asked one of the other reptilian women standing inside the veil with Kanna.

Giving her a quick look, the priestess shook her head.

"The reason her body burned so severely is because of that transformation and only after transforming did her arm grow back, now you tell me, should we allow her to transform again knowing she'd gonna burn herself even more? In this condition of all things?" Flinching to the explanation, the woman quickly shook her head in disagreement. To see their late chief daughter worse than she already was? There was no way their people could allow that to happen. "At least let her heal first, and after that, we'll see how to get her hand back."

Doing as much as she could given the circumstances, Kanna finally turned to the veil, parting the room in two. Taking the rubber gloves off of her hand, she set them to the side and made her way outwards. The moment she walked outside, however, she was met with curious gazes from all sides, but one, in particular, caught her attention.

"Have you come to check on the girl too, prince?" She asked, wearing a gentle smile.

"I had yeahhh, but..." Having heard the announcement as well, Wolf couldn't help but ask. "You're gonna forfeit, right? I don't wanna hurt you too badly."

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Chuckling in response, Kanna covered her mouth behind her long blood-soaked sleeves. Being underestimated wasn't too uncommon for the priestess, being the youngest servant of the church with that title, she often tried to find humor in what would otherwise be considered indignation.

"Ohhh~" Heaving a sigh, she moved her sleeves back to her sides. Looking up at Wolf's face, she waved her free hand in front of her eyes. "Eventually if you can prove your worth as a deserving lord for Mother Madia's kingdom, I will forfeit but let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay? We've already seen one unexpected battle after the other to be underestimating anyone."

With yet another chuckle, she moved past Wolf. Watching her walk away, Wolf decided to grab his axe and head to the arena as well. Following right behind the priestess with Renee and Sola beside him, the young prince wondered what kind of tricks this servant of their goddess could be hiding.

'Light magic and healing are a given, but what else could she be hiding?' At a glance, a priestess going against a barbarian would've been laughed at. For the former relied entirely on their party to do any damage while the latter was a powerhouse doing the work at the front lines. 'So she's not gonna fight at close range or by herself, maybe summons then? That would make the most amount of sense.'

Glancing at her wand with the threaded portrait of the goddess, Wolf was further made to wonder exactly what kind of powers that weapon must be granting the priestess. A sacred sigil only ever given to the most devout of priestesses. He'd seen one such wand hanging inside his mother's room but never dared to touch it as it obviously held a special place in Astoria's heart.

"Daydreaming again?" Being nudged in the side by Renee, Wolf was roped out of his thoughts. Smiling at him with her head slightly tilted forward, the faunan placed a hand on his shoulder to calm his anxious heart. "Just aim for the not-so-lady-like parts. She'd been fine with a broken shoulder or back, but try and avoid her face if ruining her looks have you worried."

"Oh geez, I forgot I have to fight someone soon too! What if they break my nose or something?!" Before Wolf could even digest what Renee had said, Sola began to complain about potentially getting her face ruined.

At first, Wolf wanted to tell her not to stress too much, but then he remembered something crucial that their group hadn't realized yet.

"If I'm fighting the priestess, then that means..." Turning to face Sola, he dropped the bomb. "William and you will be next, Sola."

Chilled to the core by Wolf's words, Sola stopped in her tracks and squeezed around her chest. Her heart was pounding faster and faster as the realization was setting in, and the moment her mind caught up, a gasp from her lips echoed down the hall.

"I-I just need to forfeit, right?" She whimpered through quivering lips.

Placing a hand behind her, Wolf made her continue moving alongside him.

"Yeah, don't even wait for the fight to begin. The only reason you joined the competition is so that Robert couldn't kill you without raising suspicion about where you went, remember?" Rubbing her back as they continued walking, Wolf comforted the maid and the tension in her heart eased a little, she leaned into his shoulder.

"Enough with the clinging, we're at the entrance so let him go..." Feeling jealous at the mere sight of Sola hugging her man, Renee quickly separated the two. Pushing Wolf forward into the arena, she turned to the maid with a smile. "They say my ancestors used to eat your clan."

"What?" Beyond confused by the sudden statement, Sola blinked at Renee feeling utterly lost about what she'd done wrong.

"Nothing, just don't get too close to him for now..." Smiling still, Renee rubbed the bunny's back, her eyes bloodshot behind closed eyelids and her fingers quivering to dig into her back.

However, just as deranged from being the executioner of whores, Sola pushed Renee away. Seemingly unbothered, the two decided to turn towards Wolf and settled things between them later. The queen had already walked to the window, so it wasn't like they had much of a choice.

"Let the battle, commence!" And with that, the third battle began.