The Blade Queen's Outing - 4
Living long enough to end up as bait, of all things.
Albert let out a short laugh as he walked the road through the viscount's territory.
The scenery was nothing like the capital—more like a quiet country village. Even with the houses clustered together, the surroundings felt wide open and airy. He finally understood why Beatrix had called this an outlying region.
Night had deepened, and everything was pitch black save for the faint lights leaking from the low houses here and there. The fact that people kept fires burning told him the place wasn't desperately poor. He'd noticed that before.
Still creepy, though.
Even so, it felt far dimmer and more eerie than the capital or any modern city. The hand he'd shoved into his pocket trembled slightly. If the knights hadn't been nearby—or if he hadn't been gripping the ring Beatrix had given him—he might have been shaking a lot harder.
Albert smoothed the ordinary clothes he might have worn back in his merchant-guild days and kept walking the road. The plan was to stroll casually until he reached the warehouse, just as they'd arranged beforehand.
The bandits will be women, right?
Bandits were usually men, so in this world they ought to be women. The obvious thought made the fear and tension gradually ease. Not enough to let his guard down completely—just the right amount. Too much tension would only wear him out faster.
Huh?
Just as the night air grew colder and the chill deepened, Albert looked around in mild confusion. Despite the darkness, a pale, smoky fog—almost like cigarette smoke—stood out clearly. The weather wasn't the kind for fog.
Real magic, then.
He recalled the earlier guess that nothing but magic could explain it and kept walking. His expression of bewilderment looked convincingly natural.
"Wh-what...?"
Albert let out a dazed sound and stopped. The fog thickened until he could barely make out what was ahead. The faint lights vanished, leaving only the dark night and the mist. At least the moonlight still filtered through; if the sky had been completely black, he would have seen nothing at all.
A light tap against his chest—and Albert's eyes slid shut.
"He's here. Shall we take them now?"
As fog gathered around Albert and suspicious presences multiplied, the knights tensed as if ready to draw their blades and charge at any second.
"No."
Beatrix gave a light shake of her head, and they had no choice but to hold their positions. One of them looked ready to protest that they should rescue him immediately—until the queen's freezing gaze made the thought die.
One more word and I'm dead.
Every knight had sharp enough eyes to see Beatrix's expression clearly even from close range.
Before they had come here, the Royal Palace Knight Commander had gathered them and spoken these words.
They had to follow her blindly, like mindless dolls or beasts, if they wanted to live. The knights were certain this was one of those moments. Beatrix's gaze and voice were colder than usual—so cold that even the night wind felt warm by comparison.
"Move."
At last Beatrix's voice broke the heavy silence. The moment someone appeared to abduct Albert, they would strike from behind. Eyes flashing, the knights sprinted outward with everything they had. Fog might hide forms, but it could not completely mask presence.
Beatrix watched the knights dive into the mist, then slowly followed.
Even if it is part of the plan...
How dare filthy bandits lay a finger on him. The look she turned on the fog was murderous enough that an ordinary person might have dropped dead on the spot.
"Aaagh!"
An unfamiliar groan fouled her ears as she reached the wall of fog. Beatrix frowned and swept her hand; the mana sustaining the mist scattered in an instant.
Knights with blades leveled. Someone kneeling. Albert collapsed on the ground. And nothing else but the still-dark night street.
"Just one?"
Beatrix asked, looking at the kneeling woman. The corpses the knights stood on did not even count as human to her—just rotting meat she refused to glance at.
The squad leader standing atop the bodies answered in a stiff voice. Both the corpses and the kneeling bandit were women.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The bracelet this bitch is wearing is presumed to be the magic item that created the fog."
They had already silenced every useless mouth by killing them. Beatrix seemed pleased with the judgment; her furrowed brow smoothed.
I'm sorry.
She looked at Albert with pitying eyes, then knelt herself so she could lift him into her arms. Dirt stained her luxurious dress, but she paid it no mind. All that mattered was the dust on his body.
Her gaze flicked to a nearby knight.
"You. Carry this child to the carriage and lay him down. Take about four others and guard him together."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The summoned knight sheathed his sword and carefully gathered Albert up. He swallowed hard.
"We will keep him safe until Your Majesty returns."
"Not a single hair harmed."
"Understood."
As the knight carrying Albert left, four others who had been waiting for the cue followed.
I can't take him with me.
From here on, blood would spray and heads would roll throughout the bandit den. Beatrix did not want Albert at the center of that—even if he slept soundly until morning. That was why she endured the discomfort of letting another knight hold him. His safety and peace came before her own unease.
"Y-Your Majesty...? Don't tell me... the tyrant...!"
Only then did the kneeling bandit seem to shake off the shock. Her eyes went round as she muttered. She could not understand why the king who should be in the capital was here, or why those freezing eyes were fixed on her.
"Gag her."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The squad leader sheathed his blade, knelt, and clamped a hand over the bandit's mouth.
Thud.
Both of the bandit's arms severed cleanly at the shoulders and dropped to the ground.
"Mmph?! Mmmph!!"
Blood fountained from the clean cuts as the bandit thrashed and made muffled sounds. Blood spattered the nearby knights, yet none of them so much as flinched. The bandit's eyes burned red, her face twisted—clear proof of how severe the pain was.
Beatrix gave a light wave of her hand through the air. A blue light flickered in the dark night and sank into the bandit's body. As if by a lie, the bleeding stopped and the agony gradually subsided. There was not even the searing sensation of a burn.
"Remove your hand."
When the knight let go, the bandit's face—smeared with tears and snot—was fully revealed.
"From now on, answer my questions properly. Otherwise your toes will start flying off one by one."
"Y-yes...! Please, just spare my life!"
Bandits were usually tough enough that a little torture would not make them blink. This one, however, was not so exceptional that she could keep her wits after both arms vanished in an instant. Anyone with that kind of mental fortitude would have been doing something other than banditry.
"First—where did you get that magic item?"
Beatrix's gaze fell on the arm rolling on the ground, specifically the silver bracelet around the wrist.
The bandit trembled all over and lowered her head toward her own severed arm.
"Th-that... I just bought it at a magic auction. It's true!"
"Tsk."
Beatrix clicked her tongue and folded her arms. Mages spent nearly the entire year shut away in their rooms. Research required money—food, materials, and plenty more. To earn it they crafted and sold items inscribed with minor magic, through magic auctions. Beatrix herself had attended a few.
"Next. Where is your base?"
"A-about half a day's travel from here."
"On foot?"
"N-no. By horse."
"Horses? Where are the horses?"
Beatrix's brow arched, and the bandit cried out in panic.
"O-outside the western gate!"
"And the inspection?"
"Th-that is... we paid money..."
The gatekeepers had taken bribes. As a monarch, it was enough to make her sigh.
They'll have to die, of course.
Turning a blind eye while people were openly kidnapped and sold, all for money? Beheading was the only answer.
"How many horses?"
"R-roughly five, prepared."
"Convenient."
No need to bring their own mounts. Beatrix swallowed the rest and ordered the knights.
"Get her up. We'll use her as a guide."
The squad leader nodded silently and hauled the kneeling bandit to her feet. The clean shoulder cuts made supporting her awkward. He gripped her waist, stood her up, then looked at the arms.
"Your Majesty. What about the arms and the item?"
"Burn them all. I can't give bloodstained trash as a gift. Or do you want them?"
The squad leader almost asked if that was allowed, then shut his mouth. He suspected Beatrix would casually permit it, yet...
"No, Your Majesty. I'll dispose of them."
"If you're going to use filthy things, they need to be worth it."
"As you say."
"Good."
Snap! Beatrix flicked her fingers. Fire caught on the arms lying on the ground. The heat was intense enough to melt bone if one approached too closely; even the knights had to step back several paces. In moments both arms were consumed, and the bracelet around the wrist melted away without a trace.
"Squad leader. How should we carry this one?"
"Just sling her over a shoulder. She's a cripple without arms—can't ride a horse anyway."
One of the knights already had the bandit over his shoulder and grinned. He'd considered a piggyback but chose the easier method. Despite her decent weight, she looked light in his grip; regular training and mana-enhanced strength made the difference.
"Move out."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I'll take the lead."
With the knight carrying the bandit at the front, the rest followed. They headed for the western gate where the horses had been left—and along the way they beheaded the gate captain and soldiers on duty. Anyone who took bribes from bandits and abetted kidnappings had no right to live. That was the judgment of both the knights and the queen.
"Please! Just spare me once...!"
Thud. As dawn began to break, a storm of blood swept through a hidden cave halfway up the mountain.
It was a cave well enough appointed for people to live in. The many bandits inside screamed and scattered in every direction. At the same time their heads were cleanly severed, sending fountains of blood spraying.
Beatrix stood with her arms folded, freely unleashing her Blade Authority. Her stride was as leisurely as a stroll through the palace gardens. Beneath her feet the bandits' blood flowed like a river and pooled like a lake.
The knights merely guarded her surroundings; they never even swung their own blades. The queen they were meant to protect was single-handedly slaughtering every last bandit.
"In... insane..."
The armless bandit muttered with a vacant expression. It was more cruel and shocking than any sight she had ever witnessed.
"Your Majesty. No more signs of life."
After more than a hundred bandits had been cleanly wiped out, the squad leader returned from the depths of the cave and bowed. She had received prior permission to comb every corner—and had cut down a few more bandits in the process.
"Truly no one left?"
"Yes. I've checked every nook. And..."
The squad leader sheathed her bloodied sword and drew several ledgers from her coat. They were the transaction books recording the people the bandits had kidnapped and sold. Beatrix took each one, scanned them quickly, and handed them to a knight behind her.
"Good work."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am deeply honored."
She brushed past the squad leader, who offered a light military salute, and walked out of the cave.
I... I survived.
Everyone else was dead, but not her. The armless bandit exhaled in the joy of still living—
"Wh...?"
—and that vacant sound was her last. Her head and body parted forever. Once she was no longer useful, cutting her life short was only natural. Especially after she had dared lay hands on Albert's body without permission.
"Haa..."
Refreshing. Beatrix let out a long, thin breath and looked up at the open sky. The reek of blood inside the cave had left her head spinning.
"Have the remaining corpses handled by the viscount, then we return at once—"
She broke off mid-order to the knights beside her.
What is that smell?
The moment her nose, clogged with the stench of blood, cleared, a strange scent drifted in. She had not noticed it when entering the cave. It was faint enough that she might easily have walked past it—especially with her attention fixed on the bandits.
"Wait here a moment."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
She left the knights in place and floated toward the source of the scent. Flight magic let her climb the mountain path without effort, just as she had when approaching the cave earlier.
After flying for a while, near the summit, a pool rising with pale steam caught Beatrix's eye.