Two Shadows: Lapilwood Subjugation (1)
Yes. That’s right. In the end, we crossed the line. Right there among five horribly murdered corpses, we made sticky, filthy love. As if nothing else existed in the world but the two of us. It was the first time in my life I had ever held a woman. It was sweet, electrifying, and the thrill that came from the sheer immorality of it was beyond words. It felt so good that…
I snatched one of the snacks that had come with the beer and hurled it at Mateus’s face.
“We don’t need the play-by-play. Just give me the conclusion.”
Mateus laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
“Sorry. I must have gotten carried away. I almost started spewing every embarrassing detail. What I wanted to say is that my secret relationship with the lady began that very night. Completely by accident. That’s all.”
“Well, it doesn’t sound so bad. Actually, it sounds like it worked out well. You comforted each other. What’s wrong with that?”
I answered casually and rose from my seat.
“You seem calmer now, so shall we get back to work?”
Compared to the things I had experienced while living with the bandits, Mateus’s story was downright cute. More like a romance novel, really.
When we returned to the mercenary company office with Mateus, everyone was already waiting in full gear. Even Epibia, who was supposed to stay behind, had prepared to leave.
“You’re coming too, Epibia?”
“Epibia goes too!”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“Even if looks like this, Epibia very good with hammer. And Epibia finds hidden treasure super fast.”
To prove her point, Epibia swung a hammer that looked like a war maul lightly from side to side. For such a small girl, she had surprising strength. I had planned to leave her behind because I knew she wasn’t deeply trained in martial arts, but she stubbornly refused to back down. Then she suddenly shoved a one-handed sword at me—goodness knows where she had gotten it—and begged me to wear it at my waist.
“If you use this one for now, later Epibia will personally make you a real sword! Please use it until then! It is Epibia’s wish!”
She kept pestering me, so I finally sighed and said I understood, buckling the sword at my hip. Epibia’s eyes sparkled as she repeated, “So cool! So cool!”
“Human men really look best with a sword!”
I hoped she wasn’t satisfying some strange fantasy about human men through me. The uneasy feeling that she was treating me like a dress-up doll—just the way little girls played with princess dolls—kept nagging at me. I decided I would secretly take the sword off at the right moment. Carrying a weapon I wouldn’t even use would only get in the way.
Anyway, according to Epibia, one of her specialties was locating treasure. I decided to trust her and bring her along. There was a good chance the lord had hidden secret ledgers or records somewhere near his valuables.
“Everyone please be careful! Epibia will wait at the office until you return!”
With Kelly’s farewell ringing behind us, we headed for the stables. The horses we would ride were already saddled and waiting. Pasvachio and Mateus mounted their own horses, while Unia took Epibia up behind her. As always, Dana would ride with me.
“My lady, would you kindly offer me your right hand?”
I spoke with exaggerated elegance, bowing at the waist with the refined manners I had learned from Jude, and said it playfully. Dana tilted her head, then unconsciously extended her right hand. I kissed the back of it. She flinched in surprise, but her face soon bloomed into a bright, happy smile.
“Happy.”
Pasvachio and Unia, who had been watching from the side, burst into loud laughter and started jeering.
“What the hell was that?”
“I learned it at the brothel,” I answered with a shrug. “You two aren’t nobles, so you wouldn’t understand. This is noble culture. Watch and learn.”
I helped Dana mount, smiling with satisfaction. Kissing the back of her hand felt surprisingly good. I would have to do it again later.
Epibia clasped both hands over her chest and spoke with open envy.
“Ah! If Epibia had a man like that…! So jealous, Lady Dana!”
I mounted behind Dana, seating her in front of me. It was nice when she wrapped her arms around my waist from behind, but holding her like this—giving her a back hug from the saddle—was just as pleasant. Our hearts had grown so close that casual skinship felt completely natural now.
The first thing I did after mounting was bury my nose in the sweet scent rising from Dana’s neck. I pressed close and inhaled deeply.
“Mmm~ Haa…”
Dana’s scent worked on me like pheromone perfume, stirring excitement and energy in equal measure.
“Kiss my cheek.”
Dana tugged playfully at my collar, acting spoiled. I gently kissed her cheek. Then I whispered sweet nothings into her ear, making her cheeks flush beautifully. I didn’t say anything vulgar—just tender words like lovers do.
Taking the reins and leading the way, I called back to the group.
“Let’s hurry. We have a lot to do tonight.”
We rode swiftly toward Lapilwood’s territory. Even though it was late, the village was in an uproar. A huge bonfire of stacked firewood blazed brightly in the center of the square, illuminating the surroundings. The gathered villagers clicked their tongues in pity as they watched something.
“Whoa, easy.”
I stopped my horse at the front and signaled the others to wait. Then I dismounted alone and pushed through the crowd surrounding whatever they were staring at. The moment I saw the scene before me, I froze.
There was a girl and her parents. It was the same girl I had met with Adelia earlier that day. She lay on the ground, completely naked, her body covered in bruises. Her parents clutched their half-conscious daughter and wailed in grief. Cruelly, a brand had been burned into the girl’s forehead with a red-hot iron. The word “whore” was seared clearly into her skin.
The horrific sight left me speechless. The image of the girl who had clung to my leg that afternoon, sobbing and begging me to take her away, flashed through my mind.
I grabbed the arm of a middle-aged woman nearby who was sighing in pity and asked, “What happened to her?”
“She was supposed to go to the lord’s residence tomorrow evening and spend the night with him. But the poor thing said she’d rather die than sleep with the lord, so she tried to run away in secret. Someone must have told the lord. The knights swarmed out, caught her, beat her with clubs, burned her with hot iron, and left her like this. Tsk tsk. What could such a frail child have done to deserve having her forehead branded and her whole life ruined… Sigh.”
“The lord and his knights…”
Rage surged through me in an instant. I returned to my companions, closed my eyes, and struggled to suppress the anger. I tried to look at the situation coldly. Adelia’s words from earlier that day kept echoing in my head.
“If we just secure the evidence, we can throw the Lapilwood lord straight into prison.”
“Even the judges tend to be favorable toward nobles.”
“He’ll most likely be found not guilty.”
What Adelia meant was that even if we gathered evidence and arrested the Lapilwood lord, he was a noble, so summary execution was impossible. He would have to go through a formal trial. And the judges were sympathetic to nobles. In other words, even with clear evidence, there was still a chance he would be acquitted.
I opened my eyes. The conclusion was obvious. The thought that a psychotic bastard like that lord might walk free was absurd and completely unacceptable. Waiting for the uncertain outcome of some trial was far worse than settling the matter cleanly with my own hands tonight.
“Everyone, remove your emblems.”
At my sudden order, Pasvachio tilted his head first.
“Huh? Us too?”
“Weren’t you the only one infiltrating the residence? You told us to wait outside,” Unia asked.
I mounted my horse again, took the reins, and answered.
“The plan has changed. Instead of gathering evidence, we’re going to kill the lord.”
“What? Did you discuss that with the Lion Heart Unit?”
“No. This is my own decision.”
“Won’t we get in trouble later?”
“We’re doing them a favor by taking care of a bastard they need to deal with anyway. What’s there to worry about? And if they were going to complain, they should have done it when I killed Orleans. By overlooking his death, they’ve already gotten in the same boat as us. We’re simply doing their job for them. They’ll look the other way this time too.”
I turned my horse toward the lord’s residence. The others followed, each removing their emblems and tucking them into the bags hanging from their saddles. Unia kept asking questions, unable to tell if I was serious or joking.
“They said there are twenty knights over there, right? Can we win?”
“The territory is small. There probably won’t be any mages.”
I wrapped one arm around Dana’s waist, buried my face in her neck, and gave her a light kiss.
“You’re not afraid of mere knights, are you?”
“No. Leave it to me.”
Dana answered with a surprisingly solemn and reliable expression.
“Hyunwoo, just stay behind me. I will protect you.”
A warm smile spread across my lips. I was touched. It made me happy that Dana would follow my words without question.
Unia looked at the two of us and chuckled.
“Well, if Dana’s with us, it might actually be possible. Screw it. It’s been a while since I caused some real trouble. My life was a mess to begin with anyway.”
“Wow, I’m getting nervous. I don’t know if I can fight the lord’s knights properly. It’s my first time going up against real knights…”
Mateus rolled his wrists on horseback, loosening up his body. Watching the tense young man, Pasvachio burst into laughter and teased him.
“This is your chance to get a full set of knight equipment.”
“A full set? How?”
When Mateus looked confused, Unia giggled.
“She means take the gear off the dead knights.”
“Oh, dear god! Then I would become pathetic. I may be a poor knight, but I still have my pride.”
“You’ll change your tune when you see some good equipment.”
“Oh, Lord. Please do not lead me into temptation.”
We decided to take the direct approach. Among our group, I was the only one who could infiltrate the residence without being noticed. Rather than risk getting caught trying to sneak everyone in, it would be better to stride confidently through the front gate.