Inside the bustling city of Lenine, Nosil began his search. Separated and alone, he noticed many people staring at him, leaving him no choice but to steal a cloak for himself to hide his strange appearance.
As he walked through the streets, trying to figure out where to start his mission, his feet led him to a market brimming with people and buzzing with activity.
Among the usual market chaos, a fancy golden chariot made its way through the crowd, carrying Victor's daughter, Sophy, accompanied by her guards, headed towards the southern palace to join her mother.
"It's Lady Sophy… what brings her here?" whispered the people.
"Quiet, let's welcome her," someone urged.
All the people bowed to her as the chariot passed by, their eyes fixed on Sophy. Suddenly, a commotion erupted as kid, wearing a black cloak, walked down the middle of the path.
"What are you doing? Move aside!" the people shouted at him.
Nosil, confused and unaware of the significance of the situation, continued walking straight ahead.
"You there, move quickly! It's the ruling family's chariot!" another voice cried out.
Nosil didn't understand why he was being yelled at and felt confused but kept walking, oblivious to the growing tension.
"Leave him be... it's already too late," someone muttered.
"He will be hanged, no doubt… I feel sorry for him," another voice sighed.
A guard yelled at Nosil, "Move aside, or else..." the threat clear in his voice.
Nosil ignored the order and kept walking, murmuring to himself, "Else? Else what?"
The chariot came to an abrupt halt in front of Nosil as he stopped, the horses' hooves mere inches from him, yet he never moved. The guards quickly surrounded him, and their captain advanced with a stern expression.
"Blocking the way of a ruler's chariot is punishable by death... I shall behead you right now," the captain declared.
The guards ordered the onlookers to clear the area. "Everyone, move away unless you want to be executed too!"
The people pleaded with the guards, "Forgive him, sir… he looks like a stranger, he doesn't know..."
Nosil, still confused, asked, "Are you talking about me by any chance?"
The captain, a seasoned hunter, addressed Nosil with disdain, "Any last words, kid?" He unsheathed his sword, preparing to strike.
Annoyed, Nosil retorted, "Get lost."
Sophy, feeling uneasy as the chariot halted, descended to see what was causing the delay.
The captain, incensed by Nosil's defiance, swung his sword with a fierce cry, "it's over for you…"
Nosil didn't flinch. He swiftly bent backward, dodging the blade, then delivered a powerful punch that sent the captain flying across the street.
"Is that all you got? And you call yourself a captain?" Nosil taunted.
The guards, shocked by their captain's defeat, readied themselves to attack. But Lady Sophy intervened, having witnessed what just happened.
"Who are you?... Why are you attacking my guards?... You know this won't be tolerated by my father," she demanded.
Nosil paused, contemplating her words. Then, with a calm demeanor, he spoke, "Now I understand… makes sense."
Captain shouted from where he was lying down, "Stay away from him, my lady!" He then yelled at his men, "What are you doing? Finish him"
The guards were about to attack all at once, but something stopped them.
Nosil swiftly grabbed Sophy, wrapping his arm around her neck. "Don't move unless you want her dead," he said, holding her captive.
All the guards froze in their places, fearing any harm to their lady.
Sophy was terrified by what this man said, but she acted tough. "Dead? So funny… If you don't kneel now and beg for my mercy, I will make sure my father cuts you into pieces," she threatened Nosil.
Nosil found her bravado amusing. He smiled and said, "kneel to you? Good one."
Sophy continued her threats, trying to assert her authority. "I am Lady Sophy, daughter of the mighty Victor... Everyone kneels to me when I say so."
Nosil questioned her, "Why exactly?"
With a frustrated look, sophy answered, "Because, like I said, my father is the ruler... Hello!"
That left no impression on Nosil whatsoever. "You and your father aren't worth even a pair of shoes to me… Get lost." Then Nosil released Sophy and pushed her away.
Shocked by his words, Sophy, the captain, and everyone else were speechless; no one had ever insulted Victor before.
Nosil extended his hands, untied the two horses from the chariot, and set them free.
He looked at the people watching. "You should leave too… while you can"
Sophy felt a surge of anger and humiliation for the first time in her life. "I will make sure to cut you myself," she threatened, tears brimming in her eyes.
Nosil didn't care. " in your dreams... princess", he replied.
In that instant, nosil felt the presence of two unusual presences coming from the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the market, he focused, trying to pinpoint their sources.
Suddenly, two sharp arrows were launched at Sophy from the rooftops by two masked man.
In the blink of an eye, Nosil grabbed Sophy and jumped high to avoid the arrows saving her. In the Meanwhile the masked man ran away.
As he moved, the rope that had been in the ground under his feet all this time receded, causing barrels hidden within the roofs to fall in the direction of the chariot and explode.
The explosion was massive, shattering the chariot and causing significant damage to the surrounding buildings and severe injuries to the guards.
The captain, watching from a side street, understood why Nosil hadn't moved earlier, as his feet was holding the rope from receding. If it wasn't for him, the explosion was going to hit the chariot while Sophy still inside.
Nosil landed a bit farther from the explosion site.
People began murmuring:
"Are you all right?"
"We are fine... What about Lady Sophy?"
"I don't know... If she something bad happens to her, Victor will be furious."
"But what happened? Was it the kid's doing?"
The captain heard them and interrupted, "Hard to believe it, but Lady Sophy is fine, thanks to that kid," he said, relief evident on his face.
The injured guards on the ground heard the captain and wondered, "What do you mean? Isn't he the one who caused it?"
The captain answered, "I'm not quite certain yet, but those arrows definitely weren't shot by him." He pointed to the burning arrows.
"Is someone trying to assassinate Lady Sophy?" a voice from the crowd asked.
"It seems so," the captain replied. "I assume the exploding barrels were the first plan to kill her without a trace... But when the kid stopped the chariot, they tried to finish the job with arrows..."
"Who the hell dares to do something like this? Gang's doing?" a guard exclaimed.
Sophy instinctively hid her face with her hands when the explosion occurred. After that, she cautiously moved her hands away to see what had happened.
Her eyes fell upon the strange visage of Nosil. He was cradling her in his arms, his face wrapped in old bandages. His cold, unblinking eyes stares sharply, and his silver hair, shimmering in the light, danced around, barely concealing the deep wounds that marked his face.
The captain stood with difficulty and walked towards Nosil, who was now setting Sophy down.
"What was that?" Sophy asked, shaken.
"You're safe now… Get away from me," Nosil replied curtly.
The captain, still in state of pain, said, "I don't know you, but you have my gratitude."
Nosil scoffed, "Look who's talking."
"You could have at least warned us... You put the lady's life at risk… for that, I shall not forgive you," the captain retorted.
"Who cares?" Nosil replied indifferently.
Nosil then walked away, as people began pouring in to see what had happened.
Sophy, gathering her dignity, said, "Thank you for saving me… my father will reward you… please come with me."
Nosil turned his head back and said, "Don't get the wrong idea… I wanted to save the horses… not you."
These words felt like a slap in the face to Sophy. Insulted again, her anger flared up, and she ordered the guards who remained able to move to take her to her father immediately.
Nosil continued walking around the city, asking people if they had heard anything about a certain someone.
Nosil asked a random man he cross passed, "Have you heard of this person before?...."
The group responded, "No, i haven't... Check the bar; maybe they know." Pointing to a bar nearby.
Nosil entered the bar and, as before, inquired about the man he was looking for. However, he found no clues about him.
At the palace, Sophy arrived and went to speak with her father, who was deeply worried after hearing about the assassination attempt.
Victor exclaimed, "my sophy... Thank God you are safe... I was so worried when I heard."
Chancellor Philip, also present, demanded, "How did you let something like this happen, Rimou?"
Rimou, the captain of the guards, responded, "I'm sorry, sir... We were incompetent... We will accept any punishment."
Philip asserted, "You will be punished, no question about that."
Victor interjected, "We will deal with that later... For now, I want to catch those bastards who tried to kill my daughter."
Philip replied, "Of course... We have already dispatched units to investigate the matter... We also closed the gates of the city... We will find them."
Sophy added, "Father, there's someone else I need you to find... I want him to rot in prison."
Victor asked, "Who is he?"
Sophy explained, "I don't know his name, but he insulted me by comparing me to a pariah of chaos... and a horse."
Victor clarified, "Is he the one who saved you? The report mentioned a kid blocking your path."
Sophy admitted, "It's true he saved me, but his intentions were to save the horses, not me... That's what he said."
Victor, confused, said, "you lost me."
Sophy insisted, "It doesn't matter... Just catch him... I want him in prison... He was rude to me."
Victor ordered, "Chancellor Philip, look for this man as well and bring him here."
Meanwhile, Nosil sat at a table inside a bar drinking a cup of water, when a large man approached him.
The man said, "Hey, I heard some rumors about you looking for infos "
Nosil responded, "And why do you care?"
The man smirked, "Well, it so happens that I have some information about the man you are looking for... Are you interested?"
Nosil leaned forward, intrigued. "Oh yeah? Then spit it out."
The man held up a hand. "Take it easy... First, you need to pay me."
Nosil frowned. "I don't have anything... Will this bottle do?" He offered a leather bottle of water he had with him.
The man laughed. "Are you kidding me? Forget it."
Nosil's expression hardened. "You have to tell me... It's important."
The man shrugged. "Nothing for free, buddy."
Nosil's patience snapped. "Then fuck off."
As the man turned to leave, his eyes fell on the sword that Nosil carried. A plan formed in his mind.
"Damn it," the man said. "You, follow me."
Nosil raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was clear... I won't pay you."
The man grinned. "I know... I won't tell you either... But I will give you a clue."
Suspicious but desperate, Nosil followed the man through the narrow alleys between buildings. They finally emerged in a secluded spot, where Nosil found himself surrounded by a gang of thieves. The man was clearly one of them.
Nosil's eyes narrowed. "I don't think I'll find any clues here, do I?"
The man shook his head. "Nah, you won't."
One of the gang members stepped forward, eyeing Nosil greedily. "What does he have? Money? Gold? A bounty on his head?"
The first man pointed to Nosil's sword. "Look at that sword... It's worth something, isn't it?"
The gang member laughed. "Hahaha, what a good sword..."
Nosil, fed up, spat, "Stop wasting my time."
In an instant, Nosil launched into action. Using his unmatched skills, he swiftly incapacitated the thieves, breaking necks and arms with precision. He was moving from one to another like a monster. The remaining gang members, terrified just by looking at him, tried to flee.
Nosil called after them, "Not so fast...You brought me here just to run?"
They stopped in their tails, fear consuming them.
The man who had lured him in begged, "Please don't kill me."
Nosil glared at him. "Give me one good reason not to..."
The man stammered, "The man you're looking for isn't here."
Nosil's interest piqued. "So you do know him... Interesting... Keep talking."
The man nodded frantically. "I heard a rumor about him two weeks ago... He's in the newlands".
Nosil's eyes narrowed. "You're not lying, are you?"
The man shook his head vigorously. "Nah, nah, I'm telling you the truth."
Nosil smiled coldly and released him. "The newlands, huh."
As Nosil walked away leaving the gang, and was about to reach the main street, a group of soldiers spotted him and quickly surrounded him.
One of the soldiers said, "You need to come with us."
Nosil suspicious about their intentions asked, "And why is that?"
The soldier replied, "Leader Victor's orders."
Nosil's eyes narrowed. "What does your leader want from someone like me?"
Nosil begin thinking that he run towards a lot of troubles already, " I told her not to split up... It's always the same... Damn it ".
The soldier responded, "He wants to speak with you."
Nosil, wary but curious, said, "I don't know... I'm in kind of a hurry."
The soldier insisted, "Sir, the ruler's invitation must be honored, or you will face the consequences."
Nosil thought it might be wise to speak with Victor, better than becoming a wanted man which will make his mission harder.
"Fine," Nosil said. "Let's go and see your precious leader".