Capturing the Queen's Shadow
"Sigh..." The warm water seeped into every corner of my body. It felt as if the tension in my muscles and nerves was melting away. The hot spring water was wonderfully soothing.
Yet, despite having this magnificent bath entirely to myself, my mood was far from pleasant. The reason, of course, was Carmel. Her provocation just before I left the royal capital still seemed to ring in my ears. If her goal had been to rile me up, she had succeeded spectacularly—though probably not in the way she had intended.
"Phew..." I submerged myself up to my nose, blowing bubbles in the water. My energy drained at the thought that Carmel might currently be wrapped in the arms of an old codger like Pehart. Well, they were husband and wife, so it was only natural. They had probably done it on their wedding night, too. But judging by what Carmel had said, she might be planning to seduce the King even more aggressively this time. Just imagining Carmel wearing clothes designed to arouse a man's desires, whispering sweet temptations to Pehart, made something hot and turbulent churn deep within my chest.
The more things are like this, the more aggressively I must act. Now that it had come to this, I absolutely had to capture Rika alive. If only to thoroughly punish Carmel for her provocation.
When would Rika strike? I still didn't know how Carmel and Rika communicated. There was a high chance that information hadn't reached her today. Or perhaps she was in another region and it would take time to reach this village. I wish she'd stop dragging her feet and just show up already. With a deep sigh, I sank further into the hot spring.
Two days passed. The attackers had still not shown themselves. Though I knew I shouldn't be impatient, anxiety was beginning to gnaw at me. And it seemed my restless mood had rubbed off on Filgret.
"May I have a word, Your Highness?"
"What is it, Sir Filgret?"
"Even I can tell that you did not come here simply to rest, Princess. And though I do not know your true objective, it is clear you are frustrated because things are not progressing as planned."
"Did it show that easily to the knights? I still have a long way to go, then."
"Which is why I must ask—would you be willing to share your true purpose with me? If you do, we might be able to act in a way that better serves your goals."
"Hmm..." Naturally, I hadn't revealed the true purpose of this vacation to the escort knights. In the first place, they didn't even know of the existence of Rika's unit. I couldn't just tell them that my goal was to capture them. However, it might be fine to give Filgret a small hint. He was someone I could trust to a certain extent.
"Very well, Filgret. My purpose in coming here... is to draw out and capture the Kakas Tribe forces that have infiltrated the Rustie Kingdom."
"The Kakas Tribe..." Filgret didn't ask the obvious question, such as how they could have bypassed the Third Fortress and come down here. Instead, he skipped several steps and grasped what I had left unsaid. "Then, this must be related to Queen Carmel."
Only Pehart and Carmel knew I was here. If Pehart wanted to eliminate me, mobilizing the Kakas Tribe would be an excessively convoluted method. Thus, his deduction left only Carmel. Perhaps one day I would have to reveal the truth to Filgret—that my enemy and ultimate target was Carmel. But I felt that now was not the time. I spoke in a solemn, authoritative voice.
"I will neither confirm nor deny that. In the future, please refrain from making hasty assumptions beyond what I have told you."
"Yes, Princess."
"Let us return to the Kakas Tribe who are set to ambush me. There is a high probability they haven't even arrived in this village yet. Personally, I want to capture them as quickly as possible. Do you have any ideas, Filgret?"
"I do not have a clever trick, but... I believe those Kakas Tribe members are already inside this village."
"...How do you know that?"
"A moment ago, when I was patrolling the village, a man brushed past my horse. I caught a faint scent from him—a thick, gamey odor, like an animal that hasn't been properly drained of its blood. It is a scent commonly found among the Kakas Tribe."
That superhuman sense of smell again. But judging by the distance they had to travel, Rika's unit must have entered the Rustie Kingdom at least two weeks ago. Would their distinct scent still linger on their bodies?
"Are you absolutely certain it's the scent of the Kakas Tribe? Couldn't that man just be a hunter, if it's only a gamey smell?"
"No, I am certain. Game processed in the Rustie style does not leave such a distinctive odor."
"Hmm..." It might be a good opportunity to test him and see if Filgret truly possessed the sense of smell of a hound. If they were already in the village as Filgret claimed, they would be waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. In that case, I simply had to set the stage for them—a perfect stage they couldn't possibly resist.
Clip-clop, clip-clop... Four horses walked slowly, each carrying its rider. Their unhurried, leisurely pace made it look as though they were heading out for a picnic. A woman dressed in noble attire, accompanied by three men serving her. This picnic party consisted of myself, Filgret, and two other knights.
If the enemies, who were already right under our noses, were hesitating to attack, there could only be one reason: we were still within the village. If even a single villager witnessed the assault and survived, their infiltration into the Rustie Kingdom would be exposed. If it were me, I would have prioritized eliminating the target even if it meant exposing ourselves. Well, since Carmel couldn't afford to lose Rika, she had no choice but to make such a cautious decision.
Now, the village appeared as a tiny speck in the distance. I took a spot under a large, spreading tree. One of the knights unloaded a folding table from his horse and began to brew tea. Now then, when and where will they come from?
Suddenly, Filgret sprang to his feet, his expression deadly serious. "...Where are they?"
"What is it, Filgret?"
"It's them. The stench is overwhelming, but where on earth are they coming from?"
I looked around at his words, but there was nothing in sight. Only a peaceful, open meadow stretching out before us. Yet, Filgret's reaction was undeniably genuine. He was completely tense, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Prepare for battle, both of you! Quickly!"
The two knights exchanged puzzled glances, but they obeyed the command, placing their hands on their hilts and scanning the surroundings. Still, there was absolutely nothing to be seen.
"Uh, what is going on, Commander? There's nothing around—" The moment the young knight spoke, the ground burst open. Out surged the Kakas Tribe, armed with spears, axes, swords, and bows. The sheer number of enemy forces emerging all at once far exceeded my expectations.
I had estimated that the maximum number of people who could evade surveillance and make it this far would be twenty at most. Yet, the Kakas warriors bursting forth before my eyes were more than double that number. The secret to how such a large force had arrived undetected was likely... that. "...From underground...?"
Naturally, no matter how barbaric they were, they couldn't just pop out of the earth like that. Moreover, they were completely clean, without a single speck of dirt on them.
"A pleasure to meet you, Princess Sera." A red-haired Kakas woman stepped forward from among them. Her exposed midriff and legs were sculpted with beautifully defined muscles.
"Are you Rika?"
"You even know my name? Impressive. Though I suspect that very cleverness of yours is what's cutting your life short."
On her right hand, she wore a gauntlet embedded with a yellow gemstone. It was clearly no ordinary object. Perhaps their sudden appearance from beneath the earth was the effect of that very item.
Filgret barked urgently at his stunned subordinate. "What are you doing! Call for backup, quickly!" The young knight hurriedly reached for the horn at his waist. However, an arrow shot from among the enemy struck his right hand, forcing him to drop it.
Seizing the opening, Rika thrust her gauntleted fist into the air and shouted, "Strike!" The Kakas warriors charged forward silently, but with terrifying momentum.
"Jack, Luther, guard the Princess's flanks! I will take the center!" With their backs to the tree, the three knights formed a defensive wall around me. They fought desperately, slashing, shoving, and kicking back the rushing Kakas warriors. But there were only three of them. The disparity in numbers was stark. They couldn't hold out forever.
Just in case, I pulled out another horn I had prepared and blew into it with all my might. A long, low-frequency sound, resembling the cry of a whale, echoed across the plains. It was the signal to summon the remaining nine knights waiting in the village.
Scowling as she saw the dust clouds kicked up by the approaching knights from the village, Rika screamed at her subordinates, "What are you doing, you fools! There are only three of them! Kill them already!"
But screeching orders wasn't going to magically improve her subordinates' combat skills. Breaking through the desperate defense of royal guards who had trained in martial arts their entire lives—possessing the absolute peak of skill and mental fortitude—was no easy feat.
"Princess!" The mounted knights arrived. Swinging their maces, they literally crushed the rear of the Kakas forces. Caught in a pincer attack, the enemy's momentum began to crumble.
In the meantime, Filgret broke through the center and lunged straight toward Rika. "Urgh...!" The gemstone on Rika's right gauntlet began to glow. Was she planning to escape underground again?
"Filgret!" As if responding to my voice, Filgret's sword drew a swift, sharp arc through the air. His blade struck Rika's gauntlet. With a sharp crack, the gemstone shattered, losing its light.
Filgret seized the disarmed Rika, pressing his sword against her throat as he roared, "Your commander has been captured! Surrender!" "C-Commander Rika is...!" The Kakas forces disintegrated rapidly. Most surrendered, and while some tried to flee, they couldn't outrun the mounted knights.
Once the situation settled, I realized I was drenched in sweat from head to toe. The knights were likely in an even worse state. But taking such a risk had been entirely worth it. I had captured Rika—Carmel's irreplaceable, most precious subordinate. Looking at Rika, bound and gagged, an uncontrollable ecstasy surged through me.