An Unexpected Ambush
I woke to my father’s command the next morning: “The weather’s lovely today. Why don’t the two of you go inspect the fief together?”
Following his order, Aria and I had climbed into the carriage at dawn and left the estate grounds, heading toward the city. This was only the second time I had ridden in a carriage with her, yet… just as I expected, an unbearably awkward atmosphere hung between us.
Or perhaps I was the only one who felt that way. The woman sitting across from me looked strangely exhilarated.
“Hmm~ hmm-hmm~♬”
Her soft, absentminded humming reached my ears. I wondered what had put her in such a good mood. Though I hated to admit it, she looked infuriatingly beautiful even now.
Her silver hair, which she had let fall naturally, was neatly parted along a side part that gave her an effortless, natural charm. For the purpose of a fief inspection, she wore a modest sky-blue and white dress with long sleeves and a long skirt—an exquisite combination that made her look pure and delicate. Yet the generous volume of her chest, which the fabric couldn’t fully conceal, only heightened her feminine allure. Her hands rested demurely in her lap, and every time her elegantly shaped eyes blinked, a subtle sensuality seemed to spill from them.
“……”
No. Get a grip.
I lightly tapped both cheeks with my palms so she wouldn’t notice, then deliberately turned my gaze away. No matter how prim and proper she looked right now, this woman was a villainess. The wrongs she had committed in the past would never disappear. Neither would the wounds she had left in my heart. I scolded myself harshly and steadied my resolve.
The carriage crested the hill of the Stuart estate and headed toward the village where the fief’s residents lived. The Stuart fief was quite large; it took more than twenty minutes by carriage to reach the bustling center.
Inside the carriage, where the faint clop of hooves could be heard, Aria and I sat facing each other in silence, both staring out the windows—just like last time. Occasionally she would steal a glance in my direction, but I made a point of ignoring her.
I will have nothing more to do with that woman.
I repeated the mantra to myself over and over.
The carriage entered Carlin Forest, the dense woodland that led to the largest town in the fief.
“……”
It was then that I sensed hostile movement around the carriage. Aria must have noticed it too; her expression grew deadly serious.
The carriage came to an abrupt halt. Unfamiliar figures surrounded us in a tight circle. They all wore identical outfits—pale beige tunics cinched with dark sashes, black hoods covering their heads, and only their eyes visible through black masks. Each of them gripped a weapon: swords, spears, clubs, whatever they could get their hands on.
Bandits.
I had heard of this particular group. The Black Hood Bandits. A notorious band of outlaws that had been frequently sighted in the Carlin Forest lately. The name probably came from the black hoods they wore… but that wasn’t important right now.
“My lady, please remain seated inside the carriage. I will go speak with them.”
As I rose from my seat, Aria suddenly panicked and grabbed my arm.
“No! They’ll definitely hurt you!”
She reached out with both hands and seized mine, her urgency so strong that I half-stood, then awkwardly sat back down.
“My lady…?”
Sensing something was off, I studied her with a puzzled frown. Aria met my gaze with a hardened expression.
“I’ll go. Lord Leo, you stay right here and don’t move.”
“That’s ridiculous—”
“We know you’re in there, Leo Stuart! Come out and show your face right now!”
The booming voice from outside cut our argument short. We both turned toward the carriage window.
They’re shouting my name like I’m some kind of wanted criminal.
If anyone overheard, they’d think I had committed a capital offense. I let out a small sigh and tried to persuade her.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
“But…!”
“If even a single hair on my head is harmed, I’ll do whatever you ask, Lady Aria.”
“……”
Aria fell silent for a moment. But she clearly wasn’t convinced. Her face said, What nonsense is this man spouting? She looked utterly dumbfounded.
Regardless, I prepared to step out of the carriage. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid. Rumors had been circulating lately about bandits in neighboring territories kidnapping noble children for ransom, so I had a fairly good idea what these men wanted. They probably intended to abduct me and demand money from my family. There was even a chance I could lose my life.
Still, I had no intention of going quietly. While I pitied the circumstances that had driven them to become outlaws, my sense of justice would not allow them to use violence to make others miserable.
I bent down and reached under the seat. My fingers brushed against the scabbard of the sword I had prepared in advance—just in case. It was a plain, utilitarian blade with a simple black sheath and an unadorned edge. A standard shortsword meant for self-defense.
When Aria saw me pick up the weapon, her face went completely white.
“A-are you going to fight them?”
“It’s only for protection. I have no intention of fighting.”
“You can’t. Don’t go out there.”
“But still…”
I looked troubled, yet Aria remained stubborn.
“Absolutely not. If anyone’s going, it should be me.”
“……”
Why is she going this far?
It didn’t seem like this standoff would end anytime soon, so I finally offered a compromise.
“Then let’s go together. I can’t agree to sending you out alone while I stay inside.”
“…Fine.”
“Hurry up and come out! If you don’t show yourself right now, I’ll smash the entire carriage!”
Someone’s impatient.
In the end, I opened the carriage door with Aria and stepped outside. The middle-aged coachman, who had only recently been hired, was trembling violently in his seat, clearly terrified by the sudden turn of events.
I glanced up at the sky. Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, dappling the ground in patches. The weather really is annoyingly nice.
Lowering my gaze again, I took in the scene: Aria and I standing side by side after exiting the carriage, surrounded by more than a dozen bandits aiming their weapons at us. I studied their vicious faces for a moment, then let out a small sigh and spoke.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“Are you Leo Stuart?”
“I am.”
I had addressed them politely at first, but they responded in crude speech, so I dropped the formalities as well.
“You’ll have to come with us for a while.”
“Unfortunately, as you can see, I’m on a date with my fiancée right now.”
“……!”
At the word “date,” I saw Aria’s shoulders flinch beside me, but I pretended not to notice.
“Then we’ll just have to take your fiancée along too.”
“……”
I stole a quick sideways glance at Aria. Whether she was pretending to be calm or simply hadn’t fully registered the danger yet, she wore an unreadable expression and simply stared straight ahead.
I looked away from her and focused once more on the bandit leader standing at the front. It didn’t seem like words would work on these men. Still, I tried my best to resolve the situation like a gentleman, patiently attempting to negotiate with the apparent leader.
“What is it you want?”
“……”
The bandit leader didn’t answer. He simply turned his head and exchanged glances with his comrades. It looked like negotiations had failed.
Right after that, the eyes of the bandits surrounding the carriage changed completely. The air grew thick with the promise of imminent violence.
Sensing the hostile shift, I swallowed hard and slowly moved my hand toward the hilt of the sword at my waist.
“Get them!”
At the bandit leader’s thunderous shout, the outlaws surrounding us charged forward all at once.
So it’s come to a fight after all.
“My lady, please step back for a moment.”
I spoke to Aria in what I hoped was a suitably manly tone, then gripped the sword hilt tightly, preparing to draw the blade.
It was at that exact moment—
A violent explosion of sound split the air.
-BANG!
-CRASH!
For a second, my brain couldn’t process what had just happened. With a deafening crack I had never heard before, the bandit leader—who had been charging at us from the front—was suddenly hurled backward as if struck by some invisible force. He performed several flashy backflips in midair before slamming into a thick tree trunk. I hadn’t even drawn my sword yet.
I glanced toward the coachman’s seat, wondering if he had done something, but the man was simply shaking in terror.
“……”
My gaze naturally shifted to the person standing beside me.
Aria had one hand extended forward in a casting stance. A chilling expression I had never seen on her face before now dominated her features, and a faint white aura—the residue of magic—hovered around her body.