Herban Kingdom (3)
Tiar slipped out of the village through the secret passage Ray had told her about. Without hesitation, she sprinted westward. Her usual training seemed to be paying off; she felt faster and more resilient than ever before. Hours blurred together as she ran desperately, stumbling, falling, and pushing herself back up while gasping for air. By the time she reached the city, she was a complete wreck.
The moment she arrived, she raced to the guard post and seized the first soldier who crossed her path.
"What the—?" The startled guard stammered, clearly thrown off balance.
"It's an emergency! The Black Swan Knights have invaded Hartman village! We need reinforcements right now!"
"The Black Swan Knights?" The guard stared at her as if she were spouting nonsense and tried to brush her aside.
Thud!
Tiar slammed her foot down hard on his instep.
"Ow!"
"Why are you ignoring me? Gather your men and help immediately! People are dying!"
The guard looked at her with utter disbelief. "You little brat... Listen here. It's been less than a week since His Majesty announced the peace treaty with the Herban Kingdom. And you're claiming their elite unit slipped in to conquer some no-name backwater village?"
"I saw it with my own eyes! Why won't you believe me? I don't have time to argue! Take me to the lord right now!"
"Shut your mouth! His Lordship is in the middle of his meal. If you have business, come back tomorrow and ask politely."
"This is impossible to get through to you! Then at least point me in the right direction to find him!"
"As if I'd tell you!"
The commotion near the guard post brought the captain out of the building.
"What's all this noise?"
"Captain, this girl from Hartman village is causing a scene. She claims her village has been overrun by the Black Swan Knights."
"It's true! Why won't anyone listen? There's no time for this!"
"Hmm." The captain looked her up and down. Her hair was matted with sweat, yet even in that state her beauty stood out sharply—something rare in this city. She might be worth presenting to the lord.
"Very well. I'll introduce you to him."
"Really?!"
"Follow me."
"Finally, someone who actually listens. Unlike that baldy. Bleh." Tiar stuck her tongue out at the guard.
"Y-you bitch...!" The guard, whose sore spot had been jabbed without warning, shouted after her.
Tiar ignored him and followed the captain. After walking some distance, they rounded a corner and she caught sight of the lord's castle—taller than anything she had ever seen. Her eyes widened. The captain, catching her reaction, sneered to himself. As expected. A country bumpkin. That sword sheath at her waist is probably just for show.
Once inside the castle, the captain knocked on the dining hall door. When permission came from within, he opened it and stepped through.
"What is it? I was just beginning to enjoy myself. If this is nothing important, expect a pay cut."
A plump man leaned back in his chair, clothes hanging loose. Women with exposed skin flanked him on both sides, feeding him food and wine.
"My apologies, my lord. There's a young woman who wished to see you, so I brought her."
"Oh? Me?"
Tiar stepped out from behind the captain. The obscene display of indulgence made her seethe with irritation, but she held it in.
"I come from Hartman. Right now, Hartman has been taken over by the Herban Kingdom's Black Swan Knights! If we delay even a little, everyone's lives will be in danger! We must also inform the kingdom of this! But first, we need to gather horses and soldiers immediately!"
Listening to her desperate plea, the lord accepted a wine glass from the woman beside him and drained it. He swirled the dregs and nodded.
"I see. Yes, yes."
"You believe me, then?! Then quickly—"
"I like you. What's your name?"
The lord's gaze traveled over her body. Tiar froze at the sudden shift.
"Pardon?"
"I said I like you. Even if you added up all the women around me, none could match you. Well done bringing her. I'll raise your salary."
"Thank you." The captain smiled with smug satisfaction.
Crack.
After her painful past, the long peaceful days in the village with good people had let her forget this feeling. Now that sense of reality was waking up again. The days of being dragged around as a slave, the disgusting eyes of human trash appraising her. The same foul stench filled this room.
Ah, these are the kind of people who won't listen.
Tiar closed her eyes. Fierce anger surged through every inch of her body. The only way to make people who refused to listen understand was through overwhelming force. She had trained all this time for exactly this.
Her eyes snapped open. Her hand moved to the sword sheath at her right hip. Recalling the grueling training and every lesson Ray had taught her, she drew her blade.
Then—
Rumble. Crash. Boom!
The chandelier above came crashing down. Delicious-smelling food tangled with the collapsed table and scattered across the floor. Glass bottles shattered. Luxurious furniture was sliced apart in a single stroke.
Tiar had cut down everything in the room except the people themselves. It had all happened in an instant.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Mother!"
"Wh-what is happening?!"
The women beside the lord screamed and fled the room in panic. The lord looked around in a daze before spotting the captain and shouting desperately.
"S-subdue her at once!!!"
"Ah... aah..." The captain's legs trembled. His hand hovered over his sword, but he couldn't bring himself to draw it. She could have killed him but had chosen not to. Pointless resistance would only bring death.
"U-uaaaaah...!!" The captain's legs gave out completely. He fell hard on his backside and scrambled backward, staring at Tiar as if she were a monster.
Tiar was stunned by the pathetic display. If I'd known they were this useless, Ray wouldn't have sent me here.
But Ray had sent her for another reason as well. Tiar took a light step forward and gazed coldly at the trembling lord.
"Send a message to the kingdom immediately. And if you don't want to die, call your troops. You need to earn the food you've been gorging yourself on, don't you?"
Crushed by her overwhelming presence, the lord nodded with difficulty, as if struggling to breathe.
It was then that a voice spoke from behind her.
"There's no need for that now that I've arrived."
Tiar spun around. A golden-haired man stood there, surveying the ruined room. The moment the lord saw him, he crawled forward and clutched the man's trouser leg.
"P-Prince!!"
His face shone with joy. Then, as if the previous chaos had never happened, he stood and roared at Tiar.
"Stand down at once!! You wench. Do you not know who this person is?!"
"...Are you going to shut up?"
"Hiiik! Y-Your Highness, this woman is extremely wicked! You must get away from her immediately!!"
"Hmm. I've only just arrived, so I don't fully understand the situation. But since I'm here in person, you may report directly to me instead of sending a message to the palace. However."
Rafael Vaster looked at Tiar as he continued.
"No one should cause a disturbance like this. No matter how displeased they might be."
With her sense of reality fully awakened, she was calmer and colder than ever. Tiar met Rafael's eyes and answered frostily.
"The Black Swan Knights have launched a surprise attack on Hartman village."
"...What?"
"Organize a unit immediately. As the prince, you can take charge in place of that pathetic lord, can't you?"
The lord, who had been listening, glared at her in disbelief. "Th-that's a lie! Why would they come all the way here in the first place?! Don't listen to that strange woman..."
A sharp glare.
"Hiiik!"
The lord flinched at Tiar's gaze and hid behind Rafael.
Then the sound of footsteps echoed from afar.
Click. Click.
As the sound drew closer to the room, its owner appeared.
"S-Sister..."
Tiar's maintained composure broke. She threw herself into Katia's arms.
Katia couldn't hide her own expression either and gave Tiar a small, gentle smile.
"It's been a while. Have you been well?"
"Sister, this isn't the time.... The village—Ray is in danger...!"
"......"
Seeing Katia melted the tension in both Tiar's body and heart. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"The Black Swan Knights ambushed us! Ray sent me away and stayed behind alone! We have to save him.... If we don't..."
"......"
Katia's pupils trembled. Her gaze shifted to Rafael.
"When will the carriage be ready?"
"In about ten minutes..."
"We must leave now."
"Ah, y-yes. Then I'll prepare right—"
"Your Highness, please remain here. The two of us will go."
"But that's not..."
Katia ignored Rafael's words and quickly left the castle. Tiar followed right behind her.
Finally grasping the severity of the situation, Rafael ordered the lord.
"Send a message to the palace immediately. Bring paper and a quill."
"Yes? You're believing that girl's story...? Without even confirming..."
"Now!"
"Ah, y-yes! Understood!!"
At Rafael's sharp command, the lord scrambled away in a panic. While the lord was gone, Rafael stared at the empty doorway where Katia had disappeared, his eyes lingering as if tracing her retreating figure.