An Explosive Welcome
“Welcome, Princess Sera, and your escort knights. From here on, I, Tina Lorencia, shall be your escort.”
Tina Lorencia was already waiting to greet us the moment we passed through the gateway into the Lorencia territory.
Malice dripped from her deliberate disregard of William Roberts, who was traveling with us. Her bright, radiant smile never once turned in his direction.
“Now, the carriage is ready. Please, come this way.”
Tina approached me and naturally slipped her arm through mine. Beaming with a sweet eye-smile, she seemed genuinely delighted by my visit.
The escort she brought with her was small. Even then, they looked more like a ceremonial parade than a force prepared for actual combat.
I looked at Filgret and gave him a slight nod.
The carriage Tina had prepared was exceptionally luxurious. But the moment William tried to follow me inside, Tina blocked his path.
“What do you think you're doing, trying to get in? This carriage is reserved solely for the Princess and myself. You can walk or crawl for all I care; figure it out on your own.”
Compared to the sweet tone she used when clinging to me, her voice was now as cold as thin ice. So this is the voice she uses for those she deems beneath her.
William looked down at Tina with a crooked, amused expression.
“Excuse me, but I am also a formally invited member of the Princess's entourage. Treating me with such disrespect is tantamount to throwing mud in Her Highness's face. It seems the Lorencia family's etiquette lessons for their young ladies are a complete joke.”
“W-What...! You... you lowly peasant...”
“Lowly? If I may correct you once more, no matter how much of a Duke's daughter you are, I hold the official title of Baron. According to the kingdom's peerage, I believe I outrank you.”
“I-I'll kill you...! How dare you... to me, a Lorencia...!”
“Did you hear that, Princess? She threatened to kill me. Since this Lorencia region borders the western frontier, it seems they've been tainted by the Empire's barbaric customs.”
The bickering was escalating. But to be honest, Tina's reactions were so incredibly satisfying to watch that I couldn't help but just stand back and spectate.
Even the Lorencia guards didn't bother to intervene, simply watching the scene unfold. Perhaps Tina's usual behavior was so atrocious that they were secretly finding this therapeutic.
“Shut your mouth, William!”
“That's 'Baron' to you. As I just mentioned, I possess an official title bestowed in the name of His Majesty the King.”
“Y-You...!”
Shaking with absolute rage, Tina turned to me and cried out.
“P-Princess, please say something to him! This... this fake noble is saying such horrible things to me...!”
Horrible things... Technically, the one spewing horrible things was Tina herself, calling him lowly and threatening his life. Yet, she genuinely seemed to believe she was the victim here. It seemed she had been far too spoiled in the Lorencia household.
I had no choice but to speak up.
“Pardon? Ah... William, apologize.”
“Haha, my apologies. Since I am still a student, I am somewhat clumsy when it comes to humoring a wild, untamed lady.”
“Aaargh...!”
Watching William smirk at her once more, Tina looked as if she might faint right then and there.
Ignoring her, William stepped into the carriage and politely offered me his hand.
“Please watch your step, Princess.”
“Thank you.”
I took William's hand and boarded the carriage. Tina, who had been staring blankly, quickly scrambled inside after us.
“Y-You...! William...! I will never forgive you for this...!”
“As you wish.”
“Grrr...!”
Even though his reply wasn't particularly sarcastic, Tina seemed utterly triggered by William's every breath. It was understandable, given how thoroughly he had just rattled her.
Despite the minor commotion, the Lorencia coachman silently went about his duty. The luxurious carriage carrying William, Tina, and myself slowly began to roll forward.
Even after traveling for quite some time, the atmosphere inside the carriage remained hostile.
Tina clung tightly to my side, glaring daggers at William, who sat directly across from us. William, however, didn't seem to care in the slightest.
Outside the window, vast fields swept past. This was the golden plain of Lorencia, the most fertile land in the entire Rustie Kingdom.
Gazing out at the scenery, I suddenly asked,
“Tina, are we heading to Senain Castle right now?”
“Yes, that's right! Mother is waiting for us there with a grand banquet prepared! You can look forward to it, Princess!”
“Fufu, I shall certainly look forward to it then.”
Senain Castle was Luna Lorencia's stronghold. A grand banquet... I only hope it hasn't been laced with poison.
Of course, even if they did poison the food, I wouldn't end up consuming it. With my Mana Sight and Filgret's keen sense of smell, we could easily detect and avoid almost any poison.
In the distance, a wide river cut across the plains. The carriage was heading toward a massive bridge built over the water.
Just as we were about to cross it—
“Halt!”
It was Filgret's voice. Yet, the carriage continued to speed forward.
Filgret spurred his horse, pulling up alongside the coachman, and roared once more.
“I said halt! Stop the carriage this instant!”
“Knight Commander? What is the meaning of this? Demanding we stop the carriage carrying the Princess and the young lady so suddenly...”
“Shut your mouth and stop!”
Filgret even drew his sword. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the coachman finally began to slow the carriage down.
I leaned toward the window and called out to Filgret.
“What is the matter, Filgret? So suddenly...”
Just as Filgret was about to answer, a deafening roar ruptured the air, violently assaulting our eardrums.
BOOM—!
An explosion. Massive blasts erupted at both ends of the bridge.
Some of those riding at the front of the vanguard were caught in the blast. A wave of acrid, soot-laden dust swept over us.
The sheer scale of the devastation made it difficult to comprehend the situation all at once.
The bridge had collapsed at both ends, leaving the center completely isolated. If Filgret hadn't stopped us, our carriage would have been trapped right in the middle.
“Princess!”
Filgret ripped the carriage door open. Everyone inside was completely unharmed, though the horses pulling the carriage had been knocked off their feet.
“I am fine. Did you realize because of the smell?”
“Yes. I caught a faint scent of gunpowder... But this won't be the end of it.”
Indeed. Their plan was likely to isolate the carriage carrying the most important figure and then take their time dealing with us. Which meant it was now time for the chefs to show themselves.
Filgret scanned our surroundings and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“Prepare for battle!”
The knights quickly reorganized their ranks and went on high alert. The Lorencia commander, his voice laced with panic, also ordered his men to prepare.
“Tina, what is the meaning of this?”
“I-I don't know! I really don't! Why... why is something so terrifying happening...”
Tina's tearful face looked genuinely bewildered. From what I knew of her, Tina Lorencia was not the type of person who could mask her true feelings in a situation like this.
Besides, if they had planned an ambush from the start, there was no reason to send Tina to greet us. Unless it was a ploy to lower our guard... but would they really sacrifice a member of the Lorencia family for that?
If so, did that mean this attack wasn't orchestrated by the Lorencia family? But who else could pull off such a stunt inside Lorencia territory?
Naturally, if an invited Princess was attacked, the Lorencia family would not escape responsibility. The fact that they carried out this ambush anyway meant they possessed immense confidence. Confidence that they could silence everyone involved—either through death, or something far worse.
Parting the golden fields, armed assailants emerged from our left and right. Their faces and bodies were completely concealed in yellow and black garments.
“B-Bandits?”
“No. A mere band of bandits could never obtain that much gunpowder. Furthermore, they couldn't possibly have known I would arrive at this exact moment. Given the circumstances, we have no choice but to suspect Lorencia.”
“N-No, Princess! Lorencia would never... That's impossible... I really didn't know!”
I watched the sobbing Tina while keeping my mind racing. The fighting was the knights' duty; my only weapons were my thoughts and decisions.
Considering the explosives went off even though the carriage had stopped due to Filgret's intervention, they must have used a delayed fuse. Yet, the timing of the blast was far too precise. It was as if they knew the exact position and speed of our carriage.
It was possible someone within our group had leaked the information. Or perhaps someone had been monitoring us from a distance.
“Arrows!”
The moment the warning was shouted, a hail of arrows rained down upon the carriage and the surrounding troops. Our knights raised their shields in a well-practiced motion to block the volley, but the Lorencia forces suffered several casualties.
“Aaaah!”
At the sound of arrows thudding into the carriage, Tina Lorencia curled into a ball on the seat, burying her face. She was even crying out for her mother in a trembling voice.
Their numbers aren't that great. Though I don't know how many more are hiding...
With that thought, I tightly gripped the horn flute hidden inside my robes.