1 week later
"Assemble ranks!" Axer yelled. The fifty knights behind him went from an unorganized cluster to ten rows of five knights in a flash. Their horses donned in gleaming armor, and their swords raised high, the cavalry began its march.
In the far-off distance was the silhouette of a town – Ambrose Town. They had only just exited the forest of Misty Woods – an aptly given name for the fog permeating the tree line. The Vasilios Estate was a day and a half's march from Ambrose Town, but to Axer, the time couldn't be any more excruciating.
Somewhere in that town, Indu resides. Will she be surprised to find me? Will I even get to see her in the first place? I don't know anything about her except that she lives there.
"I just need to get through the tedious process of meeting the Town Chief, and then I'll be free to find her," Axer muttered under his breath.
"My lord, who is this 'her' you keep referring to?" Elfsige quietly asked, riding directly behind Axer. He held the banner of the Vasilios family in his hands.
"You will know soon enough, Elfsige. All you need to worry about is carrying that banner high and showing the world the Lunar Knight's might."
"Yes, sir!" Elfsige shouted.
Axer smiled. He's such an enthusiastic guy. I did well recruiting him.
He had found Elfsige Grey a year ago. Back then, he had been a scrawny beggar looking for his next meal. Abandoned by his family, he roamed the streets of Vrago, the capital of the Xivalon Empire, for years. But no matter how hard life put him down, he never let his thirst for knowledge or will die out. It was an admirable trait and one of the many reasons Axer recruited him.
A little less than half an hour later, the cavalry stood before the walls of Ambrose Town.
"Count Vasilios, vassal of Emperor Saulomo Xivalon, has arrived!" Royce Ainsleys strode forward on his horse and yelled, his voice booming.
The five-meter tall, wooden town gates opened inward with a screech. All the town's guards lined the side, their swords pointed down. None wore their helmets as it was considered rude to cover your face before a noble, so Axer saw their faces clearly. However, the face of a shoulder-length, green-haired woman caught his interest in particular.
That woman, isn't she…? Axer smiled. I should check up on The Snake after I find Indu.
A crowd of people stood behind the line created by the guards. They cheered and roared his name, and seeing his smile, they roared even louder.
"Long live Vasilios!"
"Glory to the slayer of Sobek!"
"May the Human Guardian protect our peace for eternity!"
Axer raised his hand and waved. He didn't particularly care for their praise, but he had an image to keep as the savior of humans. Well, being praised is better than being scorned.
The cavalry walked a hundred meters before a group of men riding horses greeted them. The man leading them wore a suit of light, shining armor, his eyes shining with a smile. He stepped off his horse and knelt on his knee.
"Mr. Casalus Ambrose greets the Human Guardian Count Vasilios."
"I hope you're in good health, Town Chief," Axer asked as he motioned him to stand.
"I'm grateful for your concern, my lord. I am healthier than an ox." Mr. Casalus laughed as he stood. He pointed behind him with both hands. "We have prepared a feast for you to partake in, lord."
"Then I shall happily indulge."
A couple hours later, Axer, along with his cavalry, sat in a giant hall with multiple long, white-cloth-covered tables. Intricate patterned gold chandeliers lined the tables, lit with dim candles. They smelled pleasant – not too overpowering but not unnoticeable. Various types of meat lined the table, some roasted, some baked, and others mixed into a pie. Some were accompanied by vegetables, others alone, but fruits of all kinds existed where the meats didn't. Beautiful, smiling maids stood by the walls, platters in hand, ready to serve the knights at a moment's notice. Mr. Casalus had gone all out with his preparations, something Axer wasn't displeased with.
He sat at the head of the table, Mr. Casalus to his right and Royce to his left. As Axer cut open a steak with his knife, Mr. Casalus spoke.
"My lord, serving a noble presence like yourself brings me great pleasure." He wiped the edge of his mouth with a rather expensive-looking golden napkin. "However, I can't think of why your noble self decided to visit our town at this time of year. Perhaps…has a person of our town gravely offended the lord?"
Mr. Casalus's eyes narrowed as a grim light filled his pupils. A dangerous aura permeated the air. Axer merely smiled without saying anything. However, that seemed to confirm something for Mr. Casalus.
"Aha, how silly of me; how could someone of our meager abode hope to insult someone of such noble personage." Mr. Casalus smiled. "I'm sure we can discuss some countermeasures to such a dreadful action, heaven forbid it ever happen, in great detail later."
Mr. Casalus is as adept with his words as ever. Ambrose Town will never find itself in dire straits with him at the head.
"My my, the atmosphere has become far too dreary. Have some of our specially brewed dragon fruit wine, my lord." He beckoned for a maid, who quickly appeared carrying a corked, dark-purple bottle. Even while corked, Axer could smell its subtle, tangy fragrance.
Mr. Casalus poured the wine in the pure-gold, gem-covered chalice specially reserved for Axer. He then poured some for himself.
"To the eternal prosperity of the Xivalon Empire." Mr. Casalus clicked his chalice with Axer's.
"To the eternal prosperity of the Xivalon Empire." Axer reciprocated the move and slowly tipped the drink down his throat.
Delicious. It's worthy of being Ambrose Town's signature drink.
Right at that moment, the doors to the banquet room opened. No one paid it any attention as the maids had ferried empty plates and new dishes back and forth. Axer himself only glanced at it slightly and went back to drinking his wine when Mr. Casalus laughed.
"There she is." He stood up and waved. "Over here!"
His action drew Axer's interest. Axer jadedly glanced at the figure merely ten steps away when he froze. His eyes widened as he sat up straighter. A terrible, burning desire filled his rapidly beating heart. His body involuntarily began trembling, and that was when he knew it.
"Indu…" Axer's mouth hung open.
"Axer…" The girl also froze, her mouth open in shock. She wore a sky-blue dress that covered the skin from the base of her neck to her wrists. It extended to the floor, almost touching it. Her hair covered her left eye, the way it had when he saw her a week ago. Her other eye was wide open, her amber pupils trembling, seemingly shocked.
She's beautiful…so beautiful…how can I hope to court someone like her…
When Axer met her in the mountains, her face had been flushed and dirt marked, her clothes soiled and destroyed – she was a mess, but it gave her a rugged beauty he would never find anywhere else.
But now, she looked like the goddess of love descending from heaven. He wanted her so badly it made him shake, but could he? Would she like him? He had some good qualities – decent-looking, strong, lots of wealth – but was it enough for her? What if she liked weak men she could dominate over? What if she was intimidated by his wealth? What if he was ugly in her eyes? What was he to do then?
As doubts plagued his mind, Mr. Casalus spoke.
"Do you two know each other?" He looked at them back and forth, his eyebrow raised.
"Umm…father, the thing is…." Indu stuttered as she tried to formulate a response.
"…we became acquainted in a unique situation." Axer cut her off and answered. I should explain the situation to him later.
"I see. Have a seat, Indu." Mr. Casalus cast a knowing glance (or at least what seemed like one) at Indu and suddenly stood.
"Father?" Indu's eyes widened as she turned to look at her father. Axer raised his eyebrow as Mr. Casalus pointed to his old seat.
"Sit right there."
"B-But why here…"
"Do you not want to?"
"Oh no, that's alright; I'm fine with this seat. No, I would be honored to sit beside the admirable Count." Indu blushed and took a seat as she straightened out her dress.
She gracefully grabbed a pair of utensils, helping herself to small portions of food. Everything about her movements were graceful – the way she ate, the way she cleaned her mouth after a few bites, the way she gently smiled and answered questions, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle with each word, the way her cheeks flushed when her tongue tasted spice, the way-
"My lord!" Royce fiercely whispered from across the table. "Stop staring at her; you're making everyone uncomfortable!"
Only then did Axer realize he had been intensely staring at her, so much so his food had gone cold and his wine warm? Though they tried to be discreet, almost everyone in the room was side-eyeing Axer as if questioning his actions. Even Mr. Casalus was looking at him weirdly.
"Ah, my apologies." Axer smiled at Indu. "It's just that the lady was so beautiful that I was unknowingly mesmerized. Please forgive my impudence."
Indu, her neck was bright red, turned back to him. Though she tried to hide it, the fierce blush on her cheeks couldn't be mistaken.
I took it too far this time.
"I-It's alright, my lord. Thank you for the compliment." She immediately looked at her lap, but Axer could see her face reddening even more.
…I hope I didn't creep her out too much.
For the rest of the banquet, Axer controlled himself, but he still shot occasional glances at her. It carried on normally, and everyone seemed to forget his blunder. At least they didn't speak of it out loud. But Axer knew his knights would bombard him with questions as soon as they made it to their lodging.
"My lord, there seems to be something you need to say to my daughter. Would you like some alone time together?" As they were exiting the banquet hall, Mr. Casalus spoke. He put a hand on Indu's shoulder.
"Father?!" Indu's head snapped up as her eyes widened.
"Yes, if you would kindly allow that." Axer lightly dipped his head.
And like that, the two found themselves on a bench at the opposite end of the hall. The sun was low in the sky, not quite the afternoon but not quite the evening – the perfect placement, if Axer were to say so himself. He was laid back against the bench, one leg crossed over the other, his hands outstretched over the bench's backboard. Indu was hunched over with her arms in her lap, staring at the ground. She nervously tapped the ground with her white, short-heeled footwear.
"I didn't think you'd be the Town Chief's daughter. I never expected someone of your status to venture the mountains late at night."
"I-I was concerned about the town's safety," Indu said barely audibly.
"That's quite a noble reason."
"Thank you…."
They remained staring into the distance for minutes, an awkward silence between them. Axer took peeks at Indu's figure, but she was still staring at the ground. Pedestrians took curious glances at them, but it was only to be expected. A gorgeous woman like Indu wearing a beautiful dress – a dress that couldn't hope to match her beauty – and an above average looking man like Axer wearing a tight-fitting, light-gray, long-sleeve shirt with dark-gray pants sitting together looked like a peasant boy hitting on a nobleman's daughter.
His clothes accentuated his muscles to where even his vascularity could be seen. It wasn't the most appropriate clothing, but thanks to Axer's raw battle strength, he didn't follow clothing etiquette strictly.
Royce always gets onto my case when I don't follow proper etiquette. I'm sure he'll rip into me when we return for not dressing in a breech and waistcoat.
"So, how's the blanket?" Axer turned and began blatantly looking at Indu. It seemed to make her even more uncomfortable, but he couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to gaze at her, to devour her with his vision.
"I-Its good. It's warm. I like it."
"Well, that's good because I only learned today that that blanket was originally meant for you." Axer chuckled. It was quite a funny thing. Though it was an eccentric hobby, Axer occasionally delivered his merchant business's orders to customers. It just so happened that Mr. Casalus had ordered a blanket for Indu, and it also happened that he was in the mountains when servants of his castle had passed through. He needed to exit the mountain someday, and using the blanket was a perfect excuse. But he never expected Indu's sudden appearance, and it threw his whole plan off.
But I'm not unhappy with it. I'm glad I found her, even though it's ten years later.
"Really!" Indu finally looked up from her lap, staring at Axer. However, in doing so, the left side of her hair was parted away from her eye, and he saw the vertical scar running through her eye as clear as day.
Axer's face immediately darkened. Those damn bastards, how dare they do that to her…I should have splintered their bones and rendered their flesh into paste. Killing them was too easy of a punishment. To Indu…to my Indu they dared…. He clenched his fist so hard he drew blood.
Unfortunately, it seemed Indu misunderstood Axer's darkened face. Her eyes widened horribly as deep-rooted fear appeared in them. She hurriedly covered her eye again and said,
"W-Well then, I have to go." She got up and quickly walked away. Axer, stunned, remained sitting. Then, his expression darkened even further.
Damn it, she thinks I'm disgusted with her scar!