"My lady," Bodil inquired, "Are you all right?"
Hilda gave her a sidelong glance but did not respond. To be more specific, she didn't know what to say. Last night was absolutely insane.
Rhea, the seemingly innocent and weak girl, had forced her to copulate four times in a row. They both enjoyed it a lot for the first time.
Hilda couldn't stop herself for the second time. And Rhea obeyed without saying anything. Naturally, when Rhea asked to go for the third time, she had to oblige. Still, it was insufficient.
'It was a lot of fun.' However, it was not a cause for concern. Wolfy was the one who worried her the most. Hilda felt Wolfy's attitude had changed, and she wasn't sure why.
It had never happened before that Hilda went somewhere, and Wolfy did not accompany her. She would always follow Hilda without saying anything as long as the law allowed it. But things were different this morning.
"I need to look after the princess," Wolfy said this morning.
"And what about me?"
"My lady was capable of looking after herself. She already knows what she should and should not do." Wolfy walked away without hesitation after saying her final words.
It wasn't that Hilda couldn't come up with an explanation. However, it sounded so petty to Hilda that she didn't think it was a viable option. She needed to talk to Wolfy more to figure out why, but she didn't have the time.
As a result, Bodil followed her to the barracks. Fiona had also followed her, as she had planned.
"They are expecting you, my lady." Bodil's words jolted her out of her reverie. She walked away with a nod. The escort knights were following her as she made her way to the training grounds.
"My lord," her army's deputy commander, the middle-aged general, had greeted her quickly. Hilda responded with a nod, but one look at his face told her something wasn't right.
"What is the matter, general?"
"Your Majesty!" The general paused.
"Report the situation." Hilda's pace increased rapidly.
"The knights' squad isn't willing to follow the training regime that you have designed," the general reported as he increased his speed to catch up with her.
Hilda had predicted it. Understandably, they would question a training regimen developed in the twenty-first century in a world where the most advanced study of science is referred to as witchcraft.
That, however, should not be a cause for concern. The soldier would follow as long as their commander ordered them. The knights, on the other hand, had a different dynamic.
The knights, unlike the poor peasant, were members of the nobility. Knights, whether poor or wealthy, would never give up their pride.
If they had the support of a noble family or a strong knight's school, it would be easy to understand why they would defy a direct military order. Even so, it shouldn't be a cause for concern.
However, based on the general's reaction, she deduced that the problem was not so straightforward. The general explained his reasoning just before she arrived at the training grounds. "The knights were causing havoc at the training grounds."
Hilda's feet came to a sudden halt. As she tried to reason their action, her face darkened. In the end, she could think of only one reason. 'There must be someone who is trying to disrupt the order of her army.'
Hilda wasn't worried whether it was just one knight or a group was trying to stir up trouble. After all, they were just pawns. The most important thing right now was how to control the situation. And to send a powerful message.
"General, what is the punishment for not following the order?"
"My lord!" The general had no problem understanding her intention. He dutifully reported, "It is punishable by beating, whipping, and restating pay. If the reason is severe enough, they could be dishonorably discharged."
"Then what about striking a commander?"
Those words sent a shiver down his spine as he reported, "Death. Attacking a commander is punishable by death."
"Good." Hilda smiled and ordered her escort knights, "Don't stop them." Naturally, the knights were hesitant to follow her words. So she didn't forget to add, "that's an order."
They arrived at the training grounds in no time. Things, however, were more chaotic than she had anticipated. A few knights were practicing with all the dummies available in the dummy field.
About fifty knights were galloping across the ground on their horses. Despite the vastness of the terrain, the calvary did not allow the infantry to train peacefully.
"We tried to stop them," the general explained. "They didn't hesitate to injure us. They even critically injured one of my centurions."
"What about Lydia?"
Even though she appeared to be calm, the general had a feeling a storm was brewing beneath the surface. He explained, "Dame Lydia had returned to her family."
"When?"
"It was the day my lord returned to his manor."
"Who had authorized her to leave?"
The general had no response to this question. Hilda had anticipated as much. Her gaze never left the chaotic training ground as she said, "Issue an arrest warrant. Issue: she left her post without the commander's permission."
"My lord," he says. The escort knight was the one who opened his mouth. "Dame Lydia is a lady of nobility. Her ancestors hold the title of viscount."
"I am the third imperial prince." Hilda refuted, "Won't that be enough?"
"Yes, my lord." The escort knight took a step back.
"So, what are you waiting for?" Hilda stepped towards the training ground, adding, "I want her in the barrack cell by the end of the day."
Hilda didn't pause for a response and walked right into the ground. She soon found herself directly in the path of charging cavalry.
"Hey, move out of the way." A few infantry soldiers on the other side of the ground attempted to warn. They didn't recognize Hilda from a distance and continued to yell.
Unlike them, the knights were closer to Hilda. Even though they were fully armored and wearing helmets, they could tell it was Hilda. However, instead of slowing down, their speed increased.
'How about we see what you've got?' Hilda murmured and released her aura. The surrounding air became turbulent. It was difficult to notice on such a bright day, but they could still feel the increase in pressure around Hilda.
The knight in front was the same knight who had been beaten by the Hilda, and he was no exception. He, too, detected Hilda's oppressive aura.
'They trained these horses to be able to withstand the knight's aura. If you think you're going to scare them, you're mistaken.' He laughed in his heart as he released his blue aura and tightened the rein of the horse.
However, as he got closer, he realized there was a problem. Hilda's aura had a distinct quality to it. To make matters worse, he was having difficulty controlling his prized war-horse.
A smile appeared on her lips as soon as she noticed the horse's movements were becoming erratic. Nobody paid attention to her little overgrown canine or extra-long claw as she yelled.
"Stop now, or you will be judged by imperial law." Hilda's voice resounded through the open air.
The knights had no chance of keeping their horses under control, much less paying attention to her. In addition, the distance between them was only a few tens of meters.
The more they tried to keep their horse under control, the more erratic he became. The horses had no intention of approaching Hilda. As if there was something truly terrifying in that direction.
It was Hilda's bestial intent. She was carrying the blood of the wolf tribe's chief, and she was an alpha. Even if they had been trained, those horses were still beasts.
They didn't have the blood of a magical beast or a sacred beast, so they cowered in the presence of Hilda's demihuman aura.
Hilda deactivated her aura when they were only a few meters apart. And then the cavalry slammed into her.
"My lord," the general cried out and dashed over to Hilda. The other soldiers on the opposite side of the field also came running. With a smile on their faces, the knights of the dummy field followed.
"Ignoring the commander's orders and attacking the army's commander." As the dust settled, Hilda stood up. "This is treasonous behavior. It should be a capital offense. Right?"
"My lord," the general couldn't help but shudder when he looked into those silver eyes. Her left cheek had a deep cut on it, and the blood had turned her face red.
Hilda wiped her hand across it to clean it. Naturally, this was insufficient to slow or stop the flow of blood. Yet Hilda smiled and drew the pair of katars from her belt.
"What should be the penalty for attempting to kill an imperial prince?" Her smile had become terrifying as a result of the blood inside her mouth.
Before the general could respond, a fully armored knight dashed towards Hilda and yelled, "You. Why are you…"
He couldn't finish his sentence before his helmet was sent flying. And the fact that his head was still inside the helmet was terrifying. The knight's headless body collapsed under its weight, splattering blood all over the place.
The feet that were running towards her came to a complete stop. Even the general, who had guessed her plan, took a step back in terror.
However, once the initial shock wore off, the knights roared in unison. To begin with, this person was a centurion, and the knights who charged at Hilda were members of his squad.
Naturally, they were attached to him. Alas! They chose the wrong opponent.
Hilda's body shone green, and her eyes sparkled silver.
"Your commander disobeyed military order. He dared to attack a high-ranking officer, let alone an imperial prince. As a result, he was sentenced to death." Hilda roared.
But a couple of knights were too close to her and had already swung their swords at her. Hilda smirked and parried. She took a step closer and delivered an uppercut.
The one-foot-long triangle-shaped blade of her katar had slashed through the jaw like butter. The lifeless body fell to the ground as soon as she pulled it out.
The other two attackers stopped at their track. They were also sent to meet their friends before they could say anything.
The silence was deafening. It was as if the wind had also stopped blowing. A few knights still had their weapons in their hands, but none of them dared to move forward.
"This is your final chance." To clean the excess blood, Hilda swung her katar. "Drop your weapon and surrender," she added, looking at their expressions of trepidation. "It would be considered mutiny otherwise."
It wasn't enough to persuade them to give up. However, as soon as one of the weak-willed dropped his weapon, the other did the same.
"Put all of them in the cell," Hilda ordered without even looking at them. "For three days, don't give them any food or water. I will decide after that."