Shortly before they were to go to sleep Charles excused himself from the room so that he could do his business before bed. Maxine had no objection to this but there was still some tension between them. There had been no reading lesson that night as there had simply been too much that had taken place that day. The muscular giantess was still very annoyed, and it was clear that she was in no mood to learn how to read tonight.

Charles's intensions were a half truth. It was true that he did indeed need to relieve himself but after he had done that, rather than going back to Maxine straight away, he proceeded to the room that was occupied by Asla and Taiyun. On their walk to this inn, not too many words had been exchanged since they had discovered that she was a princess. This again caused some tension and all they were able to do was to try and get through this journey of theirs.

Once he was ready, Charles did knock on the door and slowly it opened. Rather than opening the entire way, it instead on opened enough for a person to look and see who their guest was. He couldn't see exactly who had opened the door at first but from where he could see the eye, he thought that it was likely to be Taiyun. This was confirmed when he asked a simple question.

"What do you want?" asked Taiyun. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice as it was clear that he wasn't happy with what had happened. There was also some sorrow as that day, he had lost a dear friend of his.

"I-I wish to speak with the princess," replied Charles. His voice was little more than a whisper as he didn't want Maxine hearing him. She was in the other room and if she knew that he was there, she would likely be annoyed.

"She doesn't want to talk, go back to your room." Suddenly both of them heard a voice and Taiyun turned to Asla. Both spoke in their native language and eventually the door to fully open. He still stood there and looked at Charles before gesturing to come inside. "Please make it quick."

"Thank you." With that Charles quickly stepped into the room and he saw Asla sitting on the bed much like Maxine had done in her room. Immediately upon seeing her, he bowed as a sign of respect. She was a foreigner but she was still royalty and thus, deserved a lot of respect. "Your majesty, I am so sorry about today."

"Please, you don't need to do all of this your majesty business," replied Asla. She got up to his feet and took a couple of steps towards him. "And please remain calling me Asla. I know I have told you the truth, but I prefer using that name right now."

"As you wish." He was about to say Princess but he stopped himself and simply bowed again. "First of all, I would like to give you my condolences on the loss of your bodyguard today."

"Thank you, Jinshu was more than my bodyguard. He was my friend who had been loyal to me and my family for countless years. I will think of him every day until the end of my own days." It was clear that she did think highly of the now deceased man and she seemed to appreciate Charles saying those words.

"And second, I want to apologise for the actions of Maxine. She probably didn't mean most of the things that she said, she was just very angry." Angry was an understatement as her annoyance had gotten to the point that he actually feared her for the first time in a good while. His own safety was not his concern but instead that of Asla and Taiyun. He didn't think that Maxine would harm them but when a person was angry, more or less anything could take place.

"I understand her frustration. To tell you the truth, it should be me apologising to her. I thought that it was best to hide the truth from her. It's just that if I went around telling people that I'm a princess, then you can imagine the danger that it would put myself and my companions through."

"That is understandable." He thought that she could be kidnapped and then ransomed. Such things had happened numerous times in the past. At that moment in time, he couldn't remember how many times he had heard about a high born being ransomed off. Their name normally commanding a high price. "But right now, I would stay away from Maxine. I've seen her when she's like this and it can take a little while for her to calm down. She didn't mean everything that she said, she was just angry."

"A-Alright then…" She didn't want to admit just how scared she had been of Maxine earlier. Seeing a woman of her size and strength in a less than pleasant mood was more terrifying than many could comprehend.

"Any I have to go now before she begins to question where I am. Again, I apologise for what happened."

With that, Charles quickly made his way back to the room that he was sharing with Maxine. He knew that he had been longer than he should have been but he hoped that she wouldn't be asking any questions. She hadn't banned him from speaking to Asla and Taiyun but he thought that she wouldn't want him to.

As far as she was concerned, she saw the pair as being dangerous. One of their had already been taken down very quickly by an enemy that they couldn't see and they could strike again at any moment. Charles might not be their target, but he could get caught in the middle and be killed. This was something that Maxine didn't want to imagine happening and yet there was a huge threat of such a thing taking place.

When Charles opened the door, he could see Maxine still sitting on the bed. Unlike before, she had taken off most of her clothing and was down to her undergarments. This was what she would normally strip down to before going to bed and she sat there and looked towards him.

Thanks to her size, the bed looked as though it was made for a child rather than it being normal size. She seemed to have a talent of doing this with everyday objects and furniture but that wasn't what Charles had noticed. Instead it was the unhappy look on her face which sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't fear for his physical health but she could still berate him unlike anyone else.

"You took your time," said Maxine as she looked at him. She crossed her arms and continued to look at him. She waited to see what his answer would be. As far as she was concerned, there was only one correct answer.

"I'm sorry about that," replied Charles. He smiled at her and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I was a little longer than I expected."

"You went and spoke to them didn't you?" Her tone was harsh and in a way, it almost sounded like a wife accusing her husband of cheating on them. Although their relationship wasn't romantic, he knew that it was best not to lie to her. Not only was she in a foul mood but she he also knew how much she hated people lying to her. It was the cause of her temperament at that moment in time.

"Y-Yes I did. I just wanted to see if they're alright."

"I told you to stay away from them while we're here."

"You needn't worry. It's not like they are trying to hurt me or anything." He was trying to brush it off as nothing and this only made her stand up to her full height. As usual, the ceiling was too low for her to stand up straight. Her head struck the ceiling and a soft thud could be heard. She didn't react to it but Charles did become quite worried upon seeing this and he took a step back.

"It's not them hurting you that I'm worried about. It's whoever's trying to kill them. They might not be after you but I can't imagine that they would hesitate to take you out if you got in the way."

Charles could see the look of concern on her face, it made him forget for a moment about her actions earlier that day. Although she had acting in a way that he didn't appreciate, he could see that it was her concern for him that that caused such an outburst. In a way it did seem quite comical when he stopped to think about it.

When they had first met, he didn't think that Maxine cared too much about him. If anything he thought that he was a burden to her. Now he could see that he was more important to her than he realised. He didn't even say much as she went down to one knee and embraced her arms around him. It was something that he hadn't been expecting to say the least.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you," said Maxine as she embraced him. This was something that she rarely did and her own worry was getting the better of her. She did feel him hug her back although he struggled to wrap his arms around her large and muscular body.

"It's alright Maxine," replied Charles. He wasn't exactly sure what to say in this situation and he just wanted to reassure her. "I promise that I'll do everything I can to stay safe. But I can't simply turn my back on Asla and Taiyun. They need my help."

"I know Charles and that's why you're a better person than I. Despite learning about Asla and the danger that you're in, you still want to help. The only reason why I am still going along with this is to protect you. If you weren't here, I'd walk away and leave them to their fate."

"Well, maybe try putting yourself in their shoes." The hug did end and he took a few steps back as Maxine sat down on the bed where she had been before. He had her full attention and he wanted to use it as best as he could. "You're a mountain of a woman whose strong enough to lift a horse and you're of low birth…" He paused for a moment as he realised that she might not like what he had said. "No offense of course."

"None taken." She wanted to say more but instead simply wanted to hear what he had to say. Although she was sure that she wouldn't like it.

"Asla is an exiled princess from a faraway land in an unfamiliar place. Not just that but she has people out trying to kill her. Something that I don't think you need to worry about." He watched as the muscular giantess folded her arms.

"You'd be surprised." Charles did realise that this was likely the case as she had gained some enemies during her time on the road.

"Ok, you got me there but unlike you Asla doesn't have the physical might to protect herself. If I was her, I'd be absolutely terrified. I understand why she wanted to keep the truth from us but all I ask of you is to try and understand her. Try not to be so short with her and please try to protect her."

"I…" She gave a sigh as she was still annoyed about the situation, but she wanted to do what Charles was asking her. However, her own stubbornness was keeping her back. She was still angry over what had happened and her fear for Charles's safety was prevalent in her mind. "I'll try."

"That's all that I can ask. Now I think we should go to bed now. I have a feeling that we're going to need all the energy that we can tomorrow."

Maxine simply nodded to him and lay down in the bed. She waited for Charles to undress until he was down to his undergarments as well. When he was ready, he climbed into the bed, and he was more than ready to go to sleep. He could still remember when he was forced to sleep on the floor but now, she welcomed him into her bed.

From what he could see, this wasn't romantic but instead simply because he wanted to be warm and comfortable. To her, not only did it keep him warm but now it was also a way to protect him. By keeping him in her arms while they slept, this allowed her to make sure that he was as safe as possible.

Charles knew to not try and break free during this time. Doing such a thing would most likely cause further tension and he knew that she wouldn't harm him. Although he was slightly worried that she would begin to crush him while she slept, he still thought that it was unlikely.

Although he hadn't admitted it to her. His nightmares of what had taken place at the cult inn was taking place every night. Every time he went to sleep, he would find himself in the same cellar where he was surrounded by the cult who were all determined to sacrifice him. He wouldn't have Maxine to protect him and whenever he attempted to escape up the stairs. It would extend infinitely and no matter how many he climbed, he came no closer to the top and it only showed him the hopelessness of his situation.

Maxine on the other hand was having a dream that was the polar opposite to Charles's. Rather than reliving a traumatic event, she found herself in a field that contained pies as far as the eye could see. It also contained every flavour that she could possibly think of and as expected she began to gorge herself.

The muscular giantess was able to taste every single flavour and each was like she it had come from the heavens itself. One thing that she thoroughly enjoyed was the fact that no matter how many she ate, there were always more. Better still was that every single pie was for her and no one else.

What Maxine didn't realise was that he was beginning to bite down on Charles cheek. During their sleep, he had moved up in hr arms and was now at her level. The biting wasn't anything that was causing him any harm but it was enough to wake him up from the nightmare that he was having.

It took him several moments to realise where he was and that he was safe from any cultists. Even in the darkness, he could see the outline of the sleeping giantess. Slowly he moved his cheek from her mouth and he was still feeling tired. Unfortunately, sleep wasn't something that he could do.

Once more, his bladder was full and with great care Charles did manoeuvre himself out of Maxine's arms and got up to his feet. He heard a groan from her and he quickly grabbed a pillow and placed it in her arms. No sooner had he done this, he saw Maxine hug the pillow tightly and a smile appeared on her face.

It was hard to believe that this woman sleeping in the bed was as powerful and potentially dangerous as she seemed. From what he could see, she was adorable as she slept and thus waking her up was the last thing on his mind. Instead, he quietly made his way out of the room so that he could relieve himself.

This motion was relatively straight forward and he even walked by the room that was being used by Asla and Taiyun. He imagined them in the room asleep and he could only imagine what both of them had been through. It was likely that it was unlike anything that he and Maxine had been through. They had both been in life threatening situations and could likely tell each other stories about such incidents.

Charles didn't waste too much time in using the lavatory and when he was done, he began to make his way back to the room. He felt better after relieving himself and he didn't particularly look forward to going back to sleep. The nightmare that was waiting for him was evident and it was something that he wanted to afford. Unfortunately, sleep was something that he couldn't do without.

Suddenly he noticed something as he was travelling back to his room. There he could see a figure at the door that led into Asla's room. At first, he thought that it was the woman herself but realised that they were too big. They were also too small to be Taiyun and this made him worried.

The memory of Jinshu's sudden death was still prevalent in his mind. None of them had seen the person responsible for his death and he knew that they could be anywhere. This included being inside of the inn where they were and currently trying to get into the room. Charles's heart skipped a beat as he thought about what he was going to do.

One that did come to mind was that he tried to engage with the intruder, but he didn't think that it would work too well for him. Unlike Maxine, he wasn't a physically powerful as she was and if he tried to fight this intruder, he thought that it would end poorly for him. Plus, there was always the chance that this wasn't an assassin but rather someone who worked at the inn.

Another idea was to try and sneak by them but once again, this was something that he thought couldn't happen. There wasn't enough room in this corridor to get to his own room without being noticed. Other ideas included staying where he was and simply waiting until the coast was clear. By then, the intruder could have gotten into the room and killed Asla while she slept.

Only one other option seemed to present itself to him and Charles knew that it was a risk. However, to him it was better than standing by and doing nothing. It took him a moment to compose himself as he acted out this option and hoped for the best.

"Is there someone there?" asked Charles as he pretended that he hadn't fully noticed the thought to be intruder.

Before Charles could see what was happening, he felt himself get tackled to the ground and he landed relatively hard. Whoever the person was, they were taking immediate action against him, and it he thought that he could see a knife in the darkness. He wanted to shout for help but found a hand over his mouth. This muffled his voice and made it impossible for him to call out.

By this point in time Charles was doing everything he could to try and save himself. He punched and kicked whatever part of the intruder that he could come into contact with. His swings were wild and made more out of desperation than anything else as he simply wanted this person to stop attacking him. He was able to grab onto the wrist of the person as he could see the silhouette of the knife in the darkness. If it came down on him, it was likely that he wouldn't survive the encounter.

Suddenly Charles felt the intruder get lifted off of him. Behind them was a huge figure that had been able to pick them up with very little effort. Charles didn't need more than a moment to realise that this figure was Maxine who seemed to be doing what she had promised to do earlier that day.

There was a grunt from the Intruder and there was the sound of them trying to free themselves from her grip. She had been able to grab them by the back of the neck and with her mighty strength was able to strike them against the wall. The blow was so powerful that quickly the Intruder landed on the ground and ceased to move.

The whole incident was over within moments and Charles was quite shaken as he saw the outline of Maxine kneeling down towards him. Her hand extended to him and she was worried about his condition. Although she had acted quickly, there was still a chance that she was too late to prevent injury.

"Are you alright Charles?" asked Maxine as she continued to extend her hand to him. She felt him grab onto it and to her, this was a good sign.

"Y-Yeah I'm alright," replied Charles. He was relatively unharmed but was still shaken by everything that had taken place. "Thanks to you?"

"Thank the gods." Quickly he felt himself get hugged by her and it was obvious that she was concerned for him. "I don't know what I would have done if you had gotten hurt." The concern in her voice was evident and it felt a little funny to hear someone like her speaking with such a tone.

"Thank you again, but did you just kill that person?" He looked towards the person who had just attacked him. They were still lying there motionless and at first he thought that they were dead. However, this wasn't the case as he could hear them groaning and he realised that they were still alive.

Before Maxine could answer his question, they suddenly heard the movement of a person and at first they feared that this intruder hadn't come alone. The noise was coming from the door that they had tried to open and quickly it did indeed swing open. In the darkness they could see another figure but this one was familiar to them both. It was Taiyun who had heard the commotion that was taking place outside of the room.

Fearing for Asla's safety, he had gone to investigate and even made sure to have a source of light along with him. In the light he did see Maxine and Charles on the ground which did surprise him and at first, he didn't notice the Intruder since they had been flung a fair distance by the muscular giantess.

"What's going on?" asked Taiyun with a slight hint of impatience in his voice. He was beginning to think that the whole thing had been them acting up in some way and waking them up.

"We had an uninvited guest," replied Maxine as she looked up to Taiyun. This only lasted a few moments before she stood back up to her full height and allowed her head to press against the ceiling.

"W-What are you talking about?" His impatience was beginning to fear as he saw her pointing towards where the unconscious intruder was. When he brought the small flame torch that he was carrying, they could see what the intruder looked like. Rather than seeing a person who looked as though they fit into Angleland, they instead saw a person who was likely from the lands to the East. They were a man with a relatively large build and was wearing dark clothing so that it was more difficult to see him in the darkness. He was still lying where he had fallen and had barely moved.

"Someone you're familiar with?"

"No, I've never seen them before in my life. What happened?"

"I-I saw him trying to break into your room," answered Charles as he got up to his feet. He was shaken by the events that had taken place but he was physically unharmed. "I made my presence known and he attacked me. If not for Maxine, I most likely would have been killed."

"Then it's best that we put an end to him. He's too great of a threat. Let me get my knife and I'll do the deed myself."

"No, please no killing!" There was a slight hint of desperation in his voice. He had already seen too much death during his journey with Maxine. Due to this, he didn't want to see anyone else dying, even someone who had just tried to kill him. He did feel Maxine's hand come down onto his shoulder as she wanted to show that she was there for him.

"B-But he wants to kill her majesty. We can't allow him to live."

"If Charles doesn't want him to die then he won't die!" replied Maxine in a stern voice. Her size and presence made it clear that she wasn't backing down on the subject. Although she leaned more towards his way of thinking, she couldn't turn her back on Charles and she remembered the promise that she made to her mother. "Besides, he might hold valuable information."

"F-Fine!" He wanted to argue the point but he could see the look of determination on her face. Also since she was dressed in only her undergarments, he could see all of her muscles. He was impressed with her physique but also he wanted to make sure that he wasn't on the receiving end of her wrath.

There was still a lot of tension in the air as there was still the threat that this intruder wasn't working alone. But now at least they had one of them and it was likely that he was responsible for the demise of Jinshu as well.

Charles remained close to Maxine as it was clear that he was still shaken by what had happened. If not for her quick actions, he thought that he could have died. Thankfully his giant guardian had come to the rescues and he didn't think that he had picked up any serious injuries.

Taiyun still thought that this man was a threat but while Maxine was there, he knew that he couldn't do anything about it. He wanted revenge for his fallen friend and now he simply had to wait and see what happened in this situation. There was no doubt that they would get some information out of this assassin but whether it was worth it was another matter entirely.

All that was important to him was getting Asla back to her home country so that she could take her rightful place on the throne. Getting her there was another matter entirely and if she were killed, he shuddered to think about the suffering that could happen. Jinshu had already given his life for her and he was willing to do the same. Although he did prefer to get through this situation with his life.