'BANG!'
With a deafening crash, the carriage door was ripped out from the hinges.
"You– you are…!"
"I'll give you all the money you want, please just let me and the coachman go!" A young man, dragged out from the carriage by a strong grip, pleaded desperately. It was only returned with a loud chuckle.
"You are one foolish son of a noble, aren't you?"
His expression abruptly changed upon hearing the word 'noble'.
"You are all a part of them?"
He crawled back off the ground, and began to rummage inside his bag as though he was preparing to retaliate.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
A man with a narrow jaw and curled-up moustache asked mockingly. He then held out something to the young man, whose face shows nothing but frustration upon seeing the object.
"Give it back."
"What if I don't want to?"
The air was filled with a ridiculing laughter. The young man reached out for the hilt of the sword, which was then brought back slightly as if to mock him even more.
And in that very instant…
"How atrocious!"
A loud voice struck the air. Everyone in the vicinity, including the troubled young nobleman, turned their heads back and forth frantically to find where the voice came from.
"How dare you trespass the grounds of Lautrec just to rip off a tourist?"
Loyna clicked her tongue as she yelled.
'Yeah, that's what I thought.'
The whole commotion happened as they followed the Lautrec gang as they were approaching the front of Eiloon station. Notorious for their manpower, the knights of the Duke of Lautrec were seen in disguises, some as a drunkard from a bar and others as horsemen wandering around empty carriages, as though they were waiting for something.
It so happened to be the time for the freight train (an invention that was highly praised for its contribution to the development of commerce and trade, but because it required a huge number of mana stones to operate, the wise emperor limited its operation to once per day) to return, so they could be trying to smuggle something in, but…
'What's that?'
The men began to move towards the young man who barely managed to crawl out from the compartment.
She was familiar with how men looking for a job would pay extra to board the luggage compartment, since that would still be cheaper than the carriage fare. Judging from his ragged appearance, he seemed to have taken such inconvenience to save a penny.
'What do they want from that country bumpkin?'
What would the Duke of Lautrec, literally known as the 'Right-Hand Man' or the 'First Noble' of the Empire, want from that country kid so much that he even sent his men out to get him?
Her question was answered the moment she saw the sword, over which the young man and the gang were scuffling a moment ago. Blue Crystal, dubbed the 'Core of the Mana Stone' was flashing a darker shade of blue in the centre of the hilt.
The sword, known as the heirloom of the Seagrave family; the fact that it was held by that young man meant that he was the 22-year-old only son of the Duke of Seagrave, the only heir to the name.
Loyna mouthed his name under her breath.
'Duke Aronad of Seagrave.'
The son of the only family that could keep the Lautrecs at bay has returned to Eiloon, the town they left years ago, all by himself!
'But I haven't heard anything about Aronad coming back to Eiloon.'
Her eyes scanned the confused expression of the young man.
Smooth silky navy-blue hair, sharp nose, diamond-cut jawlines, and blue eyes that were as clear as glass beads…
Blue eyes, blue eyes. blue eyes… The eyes so clear that they could capture anyone looking at him whole.
Three years, it did not seem to be a long enough time to change a person. The features of his face that she vaguely remembered started to slowly come back.
'He's still not chosen as the rightful owner of the sword?'
Not only did the Sword of Seagrave, which was supposed to react to its owner's will and return to his hand on its own, not show any response, there was no mark of ownership on the back of his hand that the sword should have left should it have chosen him as the owner.
As he tilted his head in confusion, the blade that was pointed at him changed direction and turned towards her.
"Who are you? Who, who are you to say we trespassed the grounds?"
"If this isn't trespassing, am I to believe that petty criminals like yourselves are part of the Lautrec family?"
Loyna actually liked her voice distorted by the mask she wore for night raids.
Barely a word came out of the big muscular man's mouth. If he said yes, that would be their admitting that Lautrec's retainers were trying to commit a crime; if he said no, that would be their confessing they did indeed trespass the Duke's grounds… of course he could not say anything.
'Well, I wasn't expecting an answer, anyway..."
Loyna gave out a snicker.
"If you aren't going to answer me, you might as well leave here now!"
With a metallic screech came out her plain, unembellished rapier. With a sound of the blade cutting through the air, one of the men held his separated wrist and began to scream.
As the rest of them hesitated in fear, Loyna grabbed Aronad by the wrist.
"What are you doing, aren't you going to run?"
"But my sword…"
"You mean, this?"
From her other hand was the crystal-embedded hilt that came from nowhere.
"When did you – "
"When I chopped off that rat-looking guy's wrist, and the rest of them."
Upon taking the handle, Aronad's eyes were directed on her smooth, white hand. It was elegant, with long fingers and well-trimmed nails; it did not look like a hand that has ever held a sword. Nonetheless, he wrapped the sword in its holster around his waist and his face brightened up.
"We don't have much time. Their friends will be here any moment."
Pulling the delirious Duke towards with her, Loyna began scolding him with a harsh voice.
"Do you really just board any carriages you see?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't you being too naïve?"
"Oh, I was just feeling sorry for the coachman. I was worried his family could be starving."
He then came to understand the intention of her words and began to ramble on with excuses, but only after Loyna's eyes had turned cold as ice.
The Duke of Lautrec is not cheap to those who are willing to get their hands dirty on his behalf, and the rewards for their loyalty would be massive.
'Yeah of course. Some were acting as pickpockets, others as horsemen, even.'
Even Loyna, who were observing them in hiding, had thought 'Are these greedy bastards getting into the whole side job trend or something?'
"You can't fool a kid with that lie."
"What?"
"Do you really think a coachman would starve if he didn't get any customers for one day? In Eiloon? Even a passing dog could pick up pennies here."
His words don't make sense, at all.
"I really didn't realise there'd actually be anyone fooled by this kind of trick, ever."
Even more so, that very idiot happened to be the precious heir of the Seagrave family.
"Damn."
As they got closer to the horse, Loyna let out a quiet sigh.
What she was worrying about the most was indeed happening. Even those patrolling the area were gathering to surround Loyna and Aronad. In the distance, lights from the drill hall of the Duke's house were lit, followed by the consistent thumping of the drums alerting of intruders.
"We aren't getting out quietly, are we."
One hand holding on to the reins and the other tightly gripping his hand, Loyna slowly stepping backwards.
"You, get on this horse and go to the Imperial Police."
The Imperial Police is an agency established by the late Emperor for the security of the capital. With the legal right to investigate all crimes regardless of anyone's social statuses, even the nobles are not free from its jurisdiction should they try to abuse their power. It really is a pro-Empire organisation.
'They could at least protect one noble.'
"But, what about…"
Aronad was hardly getting his words out as he got on the horse. Just as he was about to say another word, Loyna gave her horse a hard kick on the butt, signalling it to start running.
"Wa, waaaaaaiii – "
His indistinguishable words were gradually absorbed into the dark.
'Does being nice run in his family or something? Who is he worrying about."
The hostile air slowly began to creep up on her.
'Seven? No, eight of them?'
What should have been a tense situation for her, was actually rather relieving, as her lips were widening into a relieved smile, feeling free from getting him out of the way.
"Hey there! Nice to meet you all. Now…"
Let's go for a run, shall we.
As she cut the bracelet on her wrist and put it in her back pocket, a faint white aura slowly appeared from behind her back.
Witnessing something they had never seen before, the guards with their swords in hand were stunned for a moment. The air spread and enveloped her whole body, growing darker and darker.
As the aura, now as red as rose petals, flowed through her wrist onto the sword, Loyna held up her arm into the air. She then ran the blade, glowing in scarlet as if it was burning, across the air in front of her.
The rapier, a sword usually used only for stabbing, cut through the bodies of the armed guards as if it was chopping vegetables. Struck with fear, the rest of them surrounding her hurriedly scattered; they had never seen such power in their lives.
A river of thick red liquid ran across the thin blade.
"That power, you… you're a Sword Master!"
"Huh, what?"
Out of all there is, it had to be the Sword Master? Seriously? Well, it could have been worse.
Loyna let out a bitter laugh.
"Kill all those who have witnessed this power."
Expressionless, she whispered as she swung the blade one more time, separating the necks of three more swordsmen from their bodies. Then she stuck the blade on the back of one who, scared out of his mind, tried to make a run for it.
As she saw the rest of them scattering away, Loyna ever so slowly stepped back without their noticing. She had to buy as much time as she could for Duke Aronad to escape the premises. As she was gathering herself back up, she could hear something and stopped for a moment.
Sound of hooves from a distance, a lot of them. Chasers.
'Tch, more unwelcome guests."
She pouted her lips. More gallops from the other side.
"Huh?"
Loyna automatically paid attention to the sound. It was getting closer, and the running pace sounded familiar.
"It can't be…!"
Yes, it could. It was the sound of her horse 'Black Bean' coming back for her.
"The Seagraves do not betray!"
Immediately turning around to see who it was, Loyna automatically rolled her eyes. Aboard the horse as black as the darkness itself, Duke Aronad was shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Matters not a person, an animal, a mundane object, even a soul without a life! We do not dishonour their kindness!"
Ugh, this guy!!
Jumping off the saddle, he opened his shoulders wide.
As he straightened his posture, his well-toned muscles all over his tall, masculine body were showing. It was as if a hero or a male god from some kind of mythology came into reality.
Some may look at him with longing, thirsty eyes, but not for Loyna… A guy awkwardly pulling out the sword from his side was somewhat less welcoming than the chasers.
"What the hell are you doing back here? Didn't I literally get you out of here?"
All the smugness gone in a second, he slightly hung his shoulders and murmured, "I… I came to help." With eyes shaking nervously, he was like a scared little boy.
Loyna, on the other hand, barely managed to swallow a barrage of words to scold him with and frowned.
Wait. To help? Who's helping who? You are trying to help me? Wow, I am so relieved, looking forward to that.
Aronad, threatened by her scowling gaze, replied uncertainly.
"Worry not, for I have the sword."
She thought she had got this handsome thing out of the way. Guess not.
"… Worry about yourself!"
"My, my. My lifesaver is a little harsh with her words."
He seemed quite upset at her response even though he was trying to lighten the tension, but Loyna's words 'Worry about yourself' was truly a genuine advice for him.
The swordsmen they were about to face now were on a whole new level, compared to the first mob, a group of professionally-trained killers. Still, they are no match for Loyna's skills, though.
'Too much for a Duke who just came back to handle, right."
It looked like she had no choice but to try to escape while trying to protect him.
'He really is a handful, isn't he? What am I, his babysitter or something?'
Loyna frustratedly turned her blade. For now, she had to take out those trying to attack the Duke first. She was parrying away the blades from all directions as though she was using a whip, then another force came surging in!
Her blade began to grow hotter, and the enemy was falling one by one like dead leaves. One of them pointed at the blood-red rapier with his now-separated wrist and let out a cry, "The sword…!", but no one was there to pay him any attention.
After quickly dealing with the closest ones, Loyna turned around to check on Aronad. A few steps away, Duke Aronad was fighting the last one of the swordsmen. She had been worried that he wouldn't know how to cover himself, but fortunately that did not seem to be the case.
Loyna watched him interestedly and approached behind him.
"How about we get this over with and go."
But she noticed something odd. If this was a duel between two novices, it would have been a fight to the death. However, the Duke was way more skilled than his opponent, in strength as well as techniques.
But still, Aronad kept allowing his opponent room for counterattacks, by pushing his sword towards the enemy's neck just to let go, and so back and forth. His actions only aggravated the swordsman, who believed that he was toying with him every time their blades struck.
Is he seriously sparring with him? What a weirdo, or is he that full of himself?
"Hello, can we end this and go?"
But then Loyna, who kept pushing him to get it over and done with, realised that her guess was wrong.
The Duke was actually giving his all. It was that every time his sword was close to his enemy's throat, he just froze momentarily.
What is he doing?
"Are you trying to practise swordsmanship?"
As Loyna whispered into his ear, his broad shoulder jerked up and down.
Then an awkward reply out of his mouth.
"I have never in my life killed anyone."
"Wait… what…?"
What kind of 'I know how to read but I have never read a book' reply is this?
He has got to be kidding me!
Loyna moved closer right behind Aronad. With her left arm around his waist and her right hand holding his wrist where he was holding the sword, it now looked as if she was hugging him comfortably from behind.
His shirt collar was giving out a light lilac scent. It was a scent that she had never forgotten ever since she smelt it once before. It was a nostalgic smell.
Wait, I almost blanked out for a minute.
From behind the mask that covered her facial expressions, Loyna moved her mouth in a whisper.
"… A nostalgic scent."
"What, what are you doing?"
Aronad, stuck in an awkward posture with her hugging from behind, was showing an artery along his neck which was beating heavily.
Aronad assumed that this was out of fear; it must be because someone with a face so white as if it was covered in plaster, was holding him tightly from behind to stop him moving another inch.
Nevertheless, he was perplexed with the warmth around his shoulder blades and the soft touch of the grip that was pressing against his vomer.
"Oh, sorry. I never forget the scent of any man once I get to them up close."
The moment the voice, so low and coarse that one could not distinguish whether it was male or female, passed by the back of his ear, he felt the part of his flesh heat up.
This felt strange.
Even if she was merely trying to help him, it would not be normal to be feeling warmth from someone so intimidating that she would send chills down the spine, or to be blushing, even for a moment, from such warmth that was not particularly warm at all.
But before he had the chance to reply "Huh?" and ask that very person what she meant –
"It means, welcome to Eiloon."
Came a soft whisper, followed by a powerful thrust from the hand that was wrapped around his wrist.
"Ah!"
Not even a moment to make a sound, Loyna just pierced the enemy's throat with the sword he was holding in his hand, on which she was holding a firm grasp. Aronad's clear blue eyes began to tremble slightly.
All of this happened even before a drop of sweat from his temple fell to the ground.