"Crack!"
The trigger was pulled fully.
"Whoosh!"
The crossbow bolt transformed into a streak of black light, hurtling straight towards Richard.
"Die!" The woman hissed coldly, her face as frigid as ice. At this moment, she had shed all pretense of being a mere farmer's daughter, revealing herself as a trained assassin.
Watching the bolt nearing Richard's body, she envisioned his poisoned demise, unable to suppress a cruel smile curving at her lips.
Yet in the next instant, the woman's smile froze in place—for it had missed.
Had it veered off course?
No!
Within the briefest of moments, utilizing the heightened perception and reflexes honed through meditation, Richard had deftly shifted his body, allowing the bolt to zip past him, barely grazing his clothing.
How could this be!
The woman stared at Richard in disbelief, as if gazing upon a monster. Richard, however, narrowed his eyes in response, his look laden with danger.
Realizing that her assassination attempt had failed, and that she was now the one in peril, the woman quickly turned to flee.
"Damn it!" she muttered under her breath. In the next heartbeat, she dashed away.
But Tuku, with his fiery temper, would not let her escape so easily! Besieged by rage at the near-fatal attempt on Richard's life, he unsheathed his knight's sword at once and pursued the fleeing woman.
She fled ahead, while Tuku thundered after her. Clothed in simple linen, the woman bore no heavy burdens save for the half-arm crossbow, which she hastily discarded as she fled, weighing her down no longer. In stark contrast, Tuku donned heavy armor and wielded a knight's sword weighing dozens of pounds. While his presence was formidable, his speed was hampered considerably.
In this race, it was clear who would win.
The answer was obvious… the one on horseback would prevail.
Not one to be foolish, Tuku quickly halted, spinning back to mount a horse. With a swift crack of the whip, he galloped forth on the steed, like the wind chasing after the prize.
Two legs could never outrun four.
Within moments, Tuku caught up to the woman, delivering a powerful kick that sent her sprawling to the ground.
When the remaining members of the first guard arrived to protect Richard and the young maid Lucy, they found Tuku standing over the woman, the knight's sword poised against her neck, contemplating the quickest strike to behead her.
"Hold on, don't act yet. Leave her alive; I have use for her," Richard interjected.
"Huh?" Tuku blinked, a trace of displeasure flickering across his face. Yet, knowing better than to disregard Richard's words, he reluctantly sheathed his sword. However, to relieve his ire, Tuku delivered a forceful kick to the woman's abdomen, eliciting a muffled groan as she crumpled to the ground once more. Satisfied, he stepped aside with a huff.
After a moment, the woman struggled to rise, surveying the vigilantly poised guards surrounding her. With a glance at Tuku's hostile expression, she came to terms with her reality—there was no escape for her. Yet she retained her bravado, lifting her chin as she set her icy gaze upon Richard, boldly declaring, "Do not think for a moment that I will divulge anything! Even if you kill me, I will remain silent!"
Instead of addressing her defiance, Richard turned to Tuku, asking, "Is there a place nearby suitable for an interrogation room?"
"An interrogation room, well…" Tuku, initially mulling over his frustration at having missed the chance to take a head, perked up at Richard's inquiry, brows furrowing in thought. However, after a lengthy silence, it was clear he could not think of a suitable location.
Just then, an ordinary knight from the guard spoke up, addressing Richard. "Master Richard, if you ride west for another half hour, there's a village. My sister has been living there alone since I moved to the castle two years ago, and I only visit her every couple of weeks. The house has plenty of vacant rooms; we could empty several for interrogation or other purposes."
Richard turned his gaze to the speaker. He noticed the man, roughly twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with golden hair that barely qualified as handsome. However, several scars marred his face, diminishing his appeal. At this moment, he looked excitedly at Richard, eagerly awaiting his response.
Richard recognized the man as Hughes, an adept among the guards, his combat prowess second only to Tuku's, though he possessed a temperament considerably milder than Tuku's spontaneous rage.
Knowing he had little choice, Richard pondered the options and finally nodded in assent. "Very well then."
"Yes," Hughes replied eagerly.
In an instant, the group mounted their horses and rode westward, the would-be assassin tightly bound on one of the steeds.
As Hughes had described, approximately half an hour of riding brought them to a village that emerged before them.
From an overall view, the village was quite decent. Along the road, houses lined the sides uniformly, with a few trees interspersed, and at the heart of the village stood a mill and a well.
As Richard and his entourage entered the village, the curious villagers cracked open their doors, only to slam them shut again upon spotting a group of fully armed knights escorting a bound woman, wary of any trouble.
Richard paid little heed to such trivial concerns and instructed Hughes to lead the way as they proceeded.
Hughes guided them forward a few more minutes, stopping at the entrance of a yard on the village's western edge.
With a loud thud, Hughes leaped from his horse and began pounding on the door, calling inside, "Alyssa, open up! I'm back!"
"Brother!" a surprised voice called out, recognizing Hughes's voice. A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed within before the gate creaked open.
A girl of roughly seventeen or eighteen emerged, her golden hair mirroring Hughes's tall stature, though she stood half a head shorter. With her fair skin and delicate features, she could be considered a rare beauty in the barony.
As she rushed out, ready to embrace her brother warmly, the moment she laid eyes on Richards's company, her intentions faltered. Slowly, she turned to Hughes and quietly asked, "Brother, who are these people…?"
"Uh, this is Master Richard," Hughes quickly pointed to Richard before gesturing to Tuku and the others. "They are all subordinates of Master Richard, just as I am."
"Uh…" The girl blinked, seemingly baffled as she looked at Richard perched upon his horse, momentarily dumbstruck that the barony's second heir stood before her.
"What are you doing here…?"
"Uh, well, Alyssa," Hughes explained, "Master Richard has some urgent matters nearby and needs a few rooms, so I brought him home." Uncertain whether to keep the identity of the assassin confidential, Hughes omitted crucial details for safety's sake.
"Uh, uh…" Hearing this, Alyssa nodded, only halfway comprehending, muttering, "Oh, I see… I see…" Yet her mind still appeared slightly dazed.
After a prolonged moment, Alyssa suddenly seemed to snap out of it. She pivoted and dashed into the yard, exclaiming, "Then… then… I'll go tidy up the house!" leaving the group outside, glancing at one another in confusion.
Hughes rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, casting a sidelong look at Richard as he muttered, "Please excuse my sister; she hasn't seen the wider world and can be rather oblivious…"
"Ah, it's nothing," Richard shrugged nonchalantly, dismounting and stepping into the yard.