Artemis arrived in front of the manor's entrance and was pleased with what she saw. Ten knights wearing steel armor stood before her, their posture stiff and rigid. They commanded an unapproachable look, making it hard for anyone to casually approach them. Each of their expressions was stone hard, showing off their strict discipline.
Seeing this, she nodded her head in approval. Just one look from them and she could already guess that they were not called the best for nothing. Behind the knights was an inconspicuous black carriage along with a row of strong horses. It seems like the messenger was quite good. He knew not to attract attention.
"Alright, we're immediately departing to Rushian Forest. Any questions?" Artemis asked while looking at them.
The knights shook their head in sync and she nodded her head. She immediately entered the carriage and ordered the coachman to hurry. In her heart, she just wanted to get this all over with and train more. But for the others, it just looked as if she can't wait to save her lover.
The carriage drove swiftly, passing through the city before detouring into a barely noticeable rough route, trying to not attract as much attention. Trees lined her vision along with the fresh smell of nature which was hard to feel back on Earth. However, Artemis can't help but hold her head, disoriented. She was not used to such crude ways of transportation and the constant shaking of the compartment had her almost throw up a few times. It was a good thing that her seat was lined with expensive material, giving her great comfort as she tried to sleep it off.
The thought of having to use carriages as the main way to transport had her head spinning. Indeed, there were still pros and cons when transferring to this world.
Artemis did not know how much time had passed as she tried hard to calm her dizziness. She looked out the window and saw the surroundings change. The vigorous forest turned into a bleak and bleary swamp that further dampened her feelings. Occasional howls of the wolves could be heard in the distance and the humid atmosphere felt as if it were suffocating her.
This was Rushian Forest, known for its treacherous surroundings. And now, an inexperienced miss was about to enter this in order to save her lover in distress in the name of love.
"You can stop here, Mr. Coachman. We'll ride horses starting from now," Artemis reminded the coachman and took a deep breath, trying to ready herself. In the novel, Artemis was bound to encounter the group of knights that were dispatched by the royal family. The royal knights were in danger when she met them and immediately offered help, believing that Ian was with them. Her knights then sustained severe wounds trying to fight a pack of wolves that appeared stronger and more agile than they were supposed to be.
This was caused by opponents that the royal family had. Who wanted to harm the second prince to show the public people that the royal family was all bark and no bite, whose prince can't even win against simple wolves in the forest.
Artemis opened the carriage door and stepped out; the biting cold immediately nipping at her exposed skin. She frowned and wore her fur coat and watched as her knights prepare the horse she was about to ride. Apprehension clouded her heart as she watched the sturdy horse neigh in front of her. She was not sure if she can ride a horse properly, as only vague memories remained in her mind when she was young. The only thing she can remember was the proper way to ride a saddle and how to control the reigns. In all twenty-two years of her life back on Earth, this was the second time she would be riding a horse. And that was expecting she would also fight.
The knights who were carefully observing Artemis' expression saw her frown and immediately asked, afraid of offending her, "Young Lady, are there any problems with the horse? We could exchange it for a bigger and stronger one. What do you say?"
"No…! I mean, no. I'm fine with this," Artemis was startled and unintentionally raised her voice. She patted her chest and carefully placed a foot on the stirrup pad, her body trembling in the process. Nonetheless, she still gathered her courage and rode the saddle in one fast sweep of her legs. It was fortunate that her body was lighter than it looks and she could afford to be so agile with it.
After taking an unstable sit, she took hold of the reigns and patted the horse, trying to get used to it once more. The horse neighed and she bitterly smiled.
'Dear horsey, my life depends on you. Please do not let this young miss die so early.'
Artemis took another deep breath and her frantic nerves further heightened her uneasiness. The foreboding doom awaiting her and the sense of unpreparedness was something she had tried so hard to avoid in her past life. In all occasions, Artemis had always tried to prepare herself as much as possible, until the feeling of unease left her. Time was too short this time and she was afraid that she will put herself in danger. And she could only blame herself so.
She turned to one of the knights behind her and asked for her sword. The knight immediately presented to her a beautiful white scabbard with linings of gold leading to exquisite patterns. Artemis tightly clasped it to her waist and unsheathed the sword, which was a charming rapier that glistened coldly against the sun.
As expected, even her sword matched the noble and bold Artemis. Not only was she known for her unique element, but also excelled in swordsmanship, not falling in the cream of the crop knights of the country. This was the benefit of being the main character; unbelievable skills that only geniuses could be. Ironically, also the reason why Artemis is currently suffering.
Artemis sheathed the rapier after taking a quick look and ordered her knights, "Let's go and find His Highness."
"Yes!" The knights answered in unison, their hearts brimming with fervent passion.
Artemis nodded her head, approving of their enthusiastic action. At least they were motivated enough. She sighed and hesitantly grabbed the reigns.
"Go," She softly ordered and they quickly took off, the horse neighing in response as it rushed through the wind. Artemis tightly held the reigns, her body constantly swaying dangerously from left or right as she tried to find her balance. She clenched her jaw and her thumping heart was in sync with the horse's gallop. Her start had been too fast that she can't keep up at all.
"Young Lady! A-Are you alright?" One knight asked when he saw how she kept teetering to the side. He was bewildered, afraid that she would fall down.
Hearing this, Artemis forced herself to calm down and slowed down the pace of her horse. Sweat rolled down the side of her face, recalling the anxiety she felt. Fortunately, as the horse trotted, she soon got used to controlling the pace and the reigns and she had no trouble catching up with the knights who went ahead of her.
'That was so close.'
Artemis sighed, relieved that she can somehow properly ride a horse. After that disturbing episode, she heightened her awareness of the surroundings while trying to search for clues of recent attacks and people. They traveled for almost an hour before they came across the sounds of swords clashing along with pained howls of wolves. Her heart clenched and her legs trembled ever so quietly. This was it; she would soon need to engage with beasts; which she had never done in her lifetime. Nevermind killing a wolf with a sword, she can't even kill a damned cockroach without screaming.
"Young Lady, those are the knights deployed by the royal knights. Should we go in and help?"
"Naturally," Her eyes trembled as they went in closer to the scene before dismounting from their horses. The smell of blood immediately hit her nose and she almost puked. The fishy smell suffocated her senses. Never in her life had she experienced such a concentrated amount of blood in one area. Her wavering determination reached its peak and all she wanted to do was ride her horse and escape; to never appear before anyone ever again. The responsibility this time was just too much to bear. She was afraid of her inability to be up against it.
That was her thoughts. However, Artemis was not that foolish to recklessly act on her emotions. She knew better than to whine about her dreadful situation which she had put herself into. There was no one to blame other than her.
"Could anyone assess the situation for me there?" Artemis asked. All she could do now was to use her knights to the best of her abilities.
One knight immediately came to respond, spreading his magic spirit to assess the situation further from them. He closed his eyes, seemingly in deep thought, "Four injured knights, six wolves, and only three knights are fighting. And… somethings wrong with the wolves. They appear stronger than usual and the knights are quickly losing."
"Alright," Artemis nodded her head. Everything was according to the novel so far. If she could just think of something to ingeniously save them without harming her knights, everything would be perfect. She had to think fast as the royal knights could not hold on any longer. She played with her lips. Something clicked on her mind and her eyes brightened, she turned to look at their magic user with a big smile.
"You know the blinding spell?"