In the past week, Yohana had been following and investigating the married man with a jealous wife. The man, who Yohana came to know as Joern, worked on a farm.
Similar to his wife, who only came home once a week, Joern worked for six days straight. The Lord provided lodging for him and other laborers, which was conveniently close to the tavern.
Yohana discovered that Joern often clashed with his fellow laborers. He always chose the same day off as his wife and stubbornly went home, even during harvest, causing dissatisfaction amongst other workers.
Today was their day off, and Joern was supposed to pick up his wife from Harnisse Castle.
Today was also the day Yohana would plant the seed of her plan.
***
Under the golden sky with scattered clouds, Yohana rubbed her arms as she fought against the cold air. The morning had been warm, but it suddenly took a drastic turn as the day progressed.
She was returning from the town square, heading to the tavern to begin her shift. However, instead of taking the usual shorter path, she chose a longer one.
This path enabled her to pass by a church, where she intended to meet the soldier from the tavern.
Normally, soldiers resided in barracks. Harnisse also had one to house soldiers from across the kingdom.
However, soldiers in Grossfeld were unique, as they didn't stay in barracks. Instead, they lived in churches. That was because soldiers in Grossfeld were also simultaneously Wardens of Sanctus, responsible for the security of churches, missionaries, and all Sanctists.
If the soldier from the tavern came from the capital, that meant that he, too, was a Warden of Sanctus.
Yohana entered the church and pretended to pray. When she sensed a presence nearby, she quickly ended her prayer. She hoped to see the soldier from the tavern, but when she opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar face.
Since she had ended her prayer quite loudly, she had no choice but to turn around and leave the church, doing so ever so slowly.
Another soldier came in, one whom Yohana didn't recognize either. Realizing that the new soldier was staring at her, she struck up a conversation first.
"Good evening, good Sir," Yohana greeted the soldier.
Startled, the soldier suddenly froze. His child-like face was covered in freckles, although they couldn't cover the blush on his cheeks. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Good evening, Miss. I see that you're quite devout, praying outside of the holy mass."
"Yes, good Sir. I pray for the Saints to guide us on our paths. But it seems that my prayers have been answered. I've heard that Harnisse has recently welcomed new Wardens. Pray tell, is this true?"
He smiled with his eyes. "Indeed, it is true. I am one of the newly appointed Wardens."
"Shall there be only one new Warden?"
"No, I am accompanied by another Warden. Ah, there he is. Florian, would you come here for a moment?"
As the soldier spoke, the one Yohana had been waiting for finally appeared. Florian looked back and forth between his colleague and Yohana before approaching.
"Yes?" His voice was hoarse.
"This young lady is a devotee of the Holy Church," Claus said to his colleague and turned back to Yohana. "Please excuse my belated introduction, my name is Claus. This is Florian, my fellow warden from the capital. If you require any assistance, do not hesitate to approach us."
Yohana looked straight into Florian's eyes and made a request, "I am heading to the tavern now. Would you be so kind as to accompany me, good Sir? The daylight has waned, and one can never be too cautious of the lurking dangers in the shadows."
Claus was disappointed that Yohana had chosen Florian over him, but he quickly regained his composure and pushed Florian forward.
"That is right. It is not safe for a comely lady to be wandering about unescorted in the dark. You frequent the tavern, do you not? Surely, you know the way well enough?"
Without a second thought, Florian answered, "My apologies, Miss, but it is impossible for me to oblige your request. For I have been recently entrusted with a duty to aid the troops stationed at the border."
"Has something happened?" asked Claus, worry clear in his voice.
"There was a sudden attack from Kievskaya. We did not expect it, and we have been preoccupied enough with the new monarch's adjustments and affairs that we missed the signs," Florian replied with a serious expression.
He turned to Yohana and said, "The tavern is close. You should be fine if you leave now before it gets too dark."
That won't do, Yohana thought. Her plan included someone who would be the hero in the story. If she did not bring Florian, her plan would fail. Her mind worked quickly to find an alternative.
She realized that she could not bring Florian into the situation she planned for anymore. However, she did not necessarily need Florian—she only needed someone with a strong sense of justice, and Yohana might have just found that person.
"My sincere apologies, good Sir. I must confess that I have sensed a suspicious presence following me for several days. I do recognize that my imprudent behavior of loitering around at this ungodly hour has only led to such a predicament."
Yohana tugged at Claus' coat sleeve, trying to charm him with all her might as he gazed at her, transfixed by the damsel in distress.
"However, I only came here to pray for the kingdom's prosperity and protection. As your colleague mentioned, the tavern is within close proximity. I beg for your mercy to help me. I pledge to refrain from making unwise decisions henceforth and not to cause any further inconvenience to you."
There was no need for Yohana to go to such length, as she knew Claus had fallen for her. However, she kept up the act to deceive Florian, who seemed to be more perceptive.
"Miss, you need not beg for my mercy as it is the duty of a Warden to ensure the safety of all Sanctists. Please, allow me to walk you to the tavern. Fear not, for we shall arrive at the tavern unscathed."
"Dear Saints, thank you," Yohana breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Florian and said, "Good Sir, may the Saints protect you and your comrades."
Florian bowed slightly, "Thank you. I must take my leave now. May the Saints watch over you both."
As Florian left, Yohana and Claus walked out of the church and headed towards the tavern. Claus was considerate enough to offer his coat to add warmth to Yohana's body. She gladly accepted it as it was not an act that she was shivering.
Yohana glanced at the moon, calculating the time. According to her plan, the incident had already been set in motion by now.
"Kyaaakkk!!"
Suddenly, a loud scream interrupted their walk. The scream came from the opposite direction of where they were headed, causing Claus to feel uneasy.
"What was that?" Yohana exclaimed, adding to Claus' unease. "Shall we see what's going on?"
Claus looked at Yohana, concerned that whatever trouble was happening there could potentially affect the maiden. Yohana sensed his worry and quickly responded, "That lady seems to be in urgent need of our assistance. It might be too late if you take me to the tavern first."
With that confirmation, Claus nodded, and together they rushed towards the dark alley, where the scream had originated.
They saw a woman on the ground, crying beside her bleeding husband. A group of five intoxicated men had formed a circle around them, each wielding a weapon. One of the men, holding a bloodied knife in his hand, stepped forward with a sneer, revealing his yellow teeth. He taunted, "Hand over what's mine, ye thieving scoundrels!"
The woman defiantly shouted back, "Curse you brutes! I don't understand your gibberish. We never owed anything to anybody, let alone to dirty drunkards like you."
Joern, who had been stabbed, was crying and shaking his head while being embraced by his wife. His desperate denial was enough to convince his wife that he had nothing to do with this group of ruffians.
"Let them go!" Claus intervened, unsheathing his sword.
Amidst the chaos, Yohana approached Joern and his wife, checking the wound. "The wound doesn't appear too deep. Let's get him stitched up," she said.
Both women took one of Joern's arms and supported him on their shoulders as they dragged him toward the tavern.
Behind them, Claus handled the ruffians with grace. Rather than fighting back, Claus focused on self-defense and restrained the intoxicated opponents. He skillfully tied their wrists to ensure they wouldn't cause any further trouble in the area.
Afterward, he joined the two women and assisted in carrying Joern.
The sight of them shocked Miksa, who was in the midst of preparing to open the tavern. She swiftly cleared a table to accommodate the wounded Joern.
"Madam, um..." Yohana began.
"Wibke," Joern's wife hastily answered.
"Madam Wibke, please fetch a bowl of warm water from the kitchen. You can find it there. Also, there's chamomile in the drawer—add a handful of it to the water," Yohana instructed. Wibke promptly followed the instructions.
Turning to Miksa, Yohana continued, "Could you please go to my room and retrieve a jar labeled 'comfrey'?"
Miksa nodded and hurried upstairs.
Yohana then turned her attention to Claus. "Please apply pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding." She couldn't help but notice his observation of her calmness and expertise, contrasting with the fear and panic displayed by Joern's wife.
"Have you served in the war?" Claus inquired.
Caught off guard by the seriousness of the situation, Yohana unknowingly revealed her knowledge and experience—a grave mistake. Furthermore, she had underestimated Claus, assuming he was as oblivious as common people like Miksa and Wibke.
Now, she had to think quickly and provide an answer that would allay his suspicions.