Chapter 109: Stranded (3)
Chapter 109: Stranded (3)
A bird of prey maintained its elegance even when rolling in the sand.
Even among the warrior women who looked like beggars after the grueling siege, Cassandra exuded a special presence.
The tall beauty striding toward them with her back straight and long legs carrying her forward reminded Eugene of a snake eagle.
Her arrogant bearing suggested she would fight with a sword but execute with her foot. She was a young lady whom that haughtiness suited better than anyone in the world.
"Thank you for the rescue."
"I came as soon as I heard the chieftain's request. I am glad I was not too late."
Her amethyst-like eyes quivered faintly.
Dark elf tribes that chose a settled life were particularly hostile toward humans. Cassandra, who inherited that blood, was no different.
Being rescued by a human she had always looked down upon, and a knight who was the root of the faction opposing her own, left her mind in turmoil.
And to think this rescue had been arranged by Alessa, whom Cassandra privately regarded as a rival and often challenged.
But it was clear she now owed a great debt, so this was the time to show courtesy. Cassandra bowed her head respectfully and placed her right hand over her chest.
"You are Sir Eugene, yes? I have heard much about you."
"And you must be Cassandra. I have heard much about you as well."
"That would be from Rex behind you, I take it."
She bit her lip. She looked as though she could barely endure having failed, fallen into a trap, and shown such a disheveled state.
She would rather have been seen stark naked than in such a disgraceful state. That was the kind of woman Cassandra was.
"I do not know what you have heard, but please do not believe all of it. If there is anything you wish to know about me, ask me directly. I will tell you whatever you like."
Rex looked at Cassandra with an intrigued expression.
Even though her life had been saved, she was the most contemptuous toward humans in the tribe. Her attitude was far more courteous than Rex had expected.
Homi approached carrying a chest filled with ice and cups. Eugene filled a cup with water from his canteen, floated ice on top, and handed it to Cassandra.
The sight alone was so refreshing that she swallowed hard.
"We can talk later. Drink first. You have been through enough."
"...Thank you."
Cassandra did not raise her own cup until she saw that her subordinates were being given water as well.
"What of Orial? If she is unharmed, I would like to tend to her quickly."
Once she had finished drinking, Rex cautiously asked about Cassandra's warhorse.
"She is dead. I killed her with my own hands."
"I thought as much. I am sorry."
Cassandra glared with burning eyes at the few Condor mercenaries who had been taken prisoner.
Besieged with no way to procure food or water, killing the horses for meat and blood had been an unavoidable choice.
As commander, she had ordered the slaughter. As Orial's owner and friend, she had killed the horse with her own hand.
Cassandra had been present when Orial was born. They had grown, trained, and fought together; the horse had been family to her. Her anguish was beyond words.
Grrrrrrrk.
Just then, a loud growl from her stomach shattered the mood.
Homi's ears perked up, and Cassandra's sculpted face flushed with shame.
"Shall we start with a meal first? And I shall give you those prisoners as a gift to mark our first meeting."
"...!"
"Why? I thought you would be delighted."
"You have already saved my life. I would rather not owe you too much."
"As I said, it is merely a gift. I do not consider it a debt."
"If that is the case, then I accept with gratitude."
A man had saved her from certain death, and that man was a powerful warrior who kept treating her with kindness. Cassandra could not help but soften toward him.
"There is no need to hurry now, is there? You are safe, and the prisoners are yours as well."
"That is indeed so."
"Revenge is an indulgence. It tastes better when you enjoy it with your body and mind at ease. Fill your stomach first."
"Revenge is an indulgence..."
Had the words pleased her? The corners of Cassandra's mouth lifted and her shoulders shook slightly.
"That is a fine saying. No one in the tribe ever put it that way."
Cassandra repaid Eugene's kindness with a smile. Beneath her beauty, there seemed to be a strong whiff of serpent venom.
The aroma of chicken soup cooking over the fire drifted toward them.
GRRRRRR—!
The sound of thunder rumbled again, but both Eugene and Homi pretended not to hear.
"I will serve you better food at the castle. You have gone hungry for a long time, so it would be better to settle your stomach with something light first."
"The Wandering Castle. Did you come by the castle's magic?"
Cassandra swept her gaze over the warhorses filling the area.
"There is no other way to bring a cavalry force all the way here. Most of them would have died before even arriving."
"A formidable power, just as I had heard."
When Eugene personally handed her a bowl of finished soup, Cassandra accepted it without hesitation. As she began eating, Rex whispered.
"I was right, was I not? I told you that you would handle Cassandra well."
"Handle her, you say..."
"If I had offered her a meal, she would have slapped my hand away and tried to deal with the prisoners first. I know her temperament well."
"She seems more docile and reasonably courteous than you described, though?"
"That is only because she is standing in front of you, Sir Knight. You will see soon enough."
After finishing her meal, Cassandra stood before Jerico, captain of the Condor Mercenary Company.
"Damn it."
Stripped naked, Jerico wore a dog collar around his neck while two warrior women held his arms.
"If you're going to kill me, kill me quickly."
Jerico was a man who had been through every hardship and harbored every kind of malice.
-Someday I'm going to die a miserable death.
Even when he acted tough in front of his men, when he was drunk and buried his face in a whore's bosom, he would often let slip those weak words.
And now he accepted that this was the moment of that fate. His life was already forfeit, so he meant to at least preserve his pride as a warrior.
"As you wish."
Crack, crack.
Cassandra cracked her knuckles and grinned.
SMACK!
She struck him with the back of her hand and Jerico was sent sprawling to the ground.
"Up you get."
"Go to hell."
Cassandra's foot, clad in a leather sandal, pressed down on Jerico's abdomen.
"Aaaagh!"
"Oh, my!"
She pulled her foot away and balanced on one leg like a crane, then frowned as she looked between the sole of her sandal and Jerico's hairy belly.
"You humans have far too much hair. Even the sensation felt through my shoe is revolting. If I had to live with such a hairy body, I would sooner hang myself."
Cassandra kept hurling insults with one eyebrow raised, then subtly glanced aside.
She seemed conscious of Eugene, who was directing the collection of spoils and prospecting for oil a short distance away.
Ptooey!
Jerico spat out blood-tinged saliva and grinned.
"Hah! Look at the bitch who's busy watching that lowly human's every reaction while pretending she's so damn haughty."
"Even with death in front of you, that mouth of yours keeps running."
Cassandra surveyed with satisfaction the Condor mercenaries' heads that had been cut off in every direction while begging for their lives.
"Between a smooth domestic pig and a hairy wild boar, I prefer the boar. It's more manly. At least it doesn't beg for its life, does it?"
"I also prefer fragrant women over stinking ones like you."
Even in her ragged state, Cassandra was still beautiful, but when it came to smell, there was nothing to be done.
Sniff, sniff.
She pressed her nose to her own arm and a foul odor rose. She too could not help but laugh.
"Heh heh heh. Hahahaha!"
Her looks, temperament, and skill all belonged to a mature warrior, yet somehow her laughter alone sounded almost girlish.
Cassandra clenched both fists.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Then she rained blows on Jerico like an artillery barrage. His nose caved in, teeth broke, and blood sprayed in every direction.
"Aaaak!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
"Please, just kill me! You fucking—"
"I am doing just that, am I not? It is merely taking some time."
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
"Ahahahahahaha!"
In the silence after the battle, the sound of a man being slowly broken apart mingled with cheerful laughter.
"So that is what her personality was like."
"Didn't I tell you? She was only behaving herself because she was in front of you, Sir."
Rex scratched his head as Eugene looked at him, appalled.
"You're letting us go?"
"B-because you promised."
The prisoners serving as guides stared at Eugene with pleading eyes after witnessing the scene.
It was because the gazes of the female warriors that were gradually turning toward them one by one were terrifying enough to make their skin crawl.
The female warriors led by Cassandra had been thoroughly trained as infantry skirmishers.
They could endure on less water and food than men, and their light yet flexible bodies allowed them to overcome even the worst terrain and locales.
Because their training focused on mountain warfare, they were the clan's finest at crossing rough terrain, ranged attacks, and a wide variety of practical field skills.
"Sorry. Taking a warrior's horse like this."
"Save that for later. Let's get home first."
The horse archers who had yielded their mounts to the weakened women took hold of the reins and led them.
"Are there rooms for everyone to stay in?"
"Rooms?"
The male dark elves laughed without thinking.
"Whatever you imagine, a bigger and more comfortable refuge is waiting for you. Trust me."
"Th-that much?"
The women listened intently, their faces a mixture of surprise and anticipation.
Their long ears, which had drooped constantly from harsh fatigue and hunger, were now gradually perking up.
"It's true. Whether the destruction the prophecy speaks of is an army of a million, a fire-breathing dragon, or a rain of fire that destroys the world — none of it matters. That castle will keep us safe from every danger in the world."
The tribal warriors, who now regarded the castle as entirely their own home, spoke with voices full of pride.
Cassandra rode the horse Rex had given her and drew abreast of Eugene at the head of the column.
Haind, who considered it insolent, glared at her disapprovingly, but she did not so much as blink.
"Have you sufficiently worked through your pent-up rage?"
"Thanks to you. I feel completely refreshed."
Cassandra had finished her revenge swiftly. It was because she could not allow personal grudges to make her saviors linger in the wilderness while she was deeply indebted to them.
"I will repay this debt without fail."
"After what I just saw, hearing you say that makes me more nervous than pleased."
-Sir Knight! You promised to set us free!
-I certainly did.
-Aaaagh!
The warrior women had skinned the soles of the few survivors' feet with poisoned daggers, then left them in the desert.
"What could a warrior as powerful as you possibly have to be nervous about?"
Despite her words, Cassandra wore an expression that showed she was pleased by Eugene's banter.
-Captain! It's the tribe's relief force!
-We must respond in kind...
At the moment of life and death, cavalry had appeared—and at its head was a single knight crushing every enemy before him. The sight had stopped the warrior women in their tracks.
The black whirlwind he raised as he swung his massive polearm ground up every enemy it swept through.
Shields shattered, men flew through the air, fountains of blood erupted, and the hastily formed square collapsed in an instant.
For a warrior woman of the clan, making such a mighty knight even slightly wary was an honor.
"I had wondered why everyone suddenly switched factions in an instant, but now I see it was only natural."
"It is thanks to the castle, not me."
"Because such a castle is not something just anyone can get their hands on."
"Does the Wandering Castle still displease you?"
"Not in the slightest."
Cassandra placed her index finger against her lower lip and wore a peculiar expression.
"I have learned that what I had been pursuing was garbage. So I must swiftly find the next best alternative. That is the virtue of a leader."
Eugene doubted that when Cassandra said "leader," she meant merely being a centurion or leading part of the opposition faction. It sounded as though she was quietly revealing a much larger ambition.
Cassandra pointed to her own chest with her left hand, and with her open right hand she gestured toward the female warriors following behind.
"We may still be lacking, but would you be willing to accept us?"
"It is exactly what I had hoped for. I guarantee that life in the castle will please you."
Cassandra's eyes lit up as the outline of the Wandering Castle gradually came into view in the distance.
"This is..."
Even Cassandra, who had maintained her composure from afar, could not suppress her admiration now that she faced the castle up close.
A colossal fortress reigning incongruously over an environment uninhabitable by men. Its appearance made one feel the power that stood squarely against the laws of nature.
"The lord of the castle has returned!"
The castle gate opened, and as they passed through the well-armed dwarf guards and stepped inside, all of the female warriors held their breath.
The great hall, the Wendigo trophy, and the newly added taxidermied giant gnoll.
And, as the finishing touch, the imposing plaque that tied the entire hall together.
'No one can predict us.'
The new guests had been utterly overwhelmed right from the very beginning.
"We can postpone the tour and formal welcome. For now, get some proper rest."
At Eugene's gesture, the tribal maidservants who had been waiting in advance hurried over.
"Young ladies. We shall attend you."
Once escorted to the castle's large bathhouse, the female warriors stripped off their armor, garments, and shoes with no one needing to be first.
Shhhhhhh.
They closed their eyes and let the showering streams soak their bodies like rain.
Water and grime streamed without end along the curves of beautiful bodies: straight noses and broad shoulders, deep navels and slim waists, full-moon hips, sleek and firm legs, smooth Achilles tendons, and the arches of their feet.
"Good heavens! It's raining indoors."
"Is it really all right to use this much water?"
The women exclaimed in wonder as they gazed at the water pouring down on all sides.
Even when staying with the tribe, they had washed using water carried in buckets. None of them had imagined bathing beneath running water like this.
"The Castle Lord said not to worry about a thing and to enjoy the cool water as much as you like. This castle stores enough water to fill a small lake."
"Oh my!"
Since this was always the reaction of those visiting for the first time, Eugene had given advance notice of precisely this.
"Ahaha! What's that supposed to be on you?"
"You think you're not funny-looking yourself!"
Laughter rang out here and there throughout the bathhouse.
They had all been black with dust and grime, and as water washed over them, their original skin colors emerged one by one.
It was because there was something strangely comical about the sight.
It stood out even more because dark elves possess the most diverse range of skin colors among the demi-human races.
Droplets of water sparkled upon their varied complexions — silver-gray and pale blue, dark brown and light violet.
"Ooh! When you do it like this, warm water comes out?"
"How?! How?!"
Cassandra quietly watched the noisy scene.
That very morning, these same women had been drinking their own urine and gagging at the stench of their bodies.
-Lady Cassandra. Rather than dry up and die like this, we would rather...
-We will take at least one of those filthy bastards with us!
The despairing, furious faces that had urged one final charge were gone without a trace.
'They've all already been won over.'
Not even an hour had passed since they entered the castle, yet her subordinates already looked utterly captivated.
"Rex... so that's why that insufferable young master worked so hard for this place. Shrewd bastard."
Cassandra stretched with her interlaced hands raised above her head. The abdominal muscles etched like a shield across her belly pulled taut.
She sorted through, one by one, what she would need to do to establish herself here.
"Young lady. Please close your eyes."
Cassandra was attended in the bath by the warriors closest to her. They were maids and bodyguards sent from the kingdom that made up the other half of her heritage.
"How refreshing. I am always grateful."
"Do not mention it."
With the cool streams of water and the touch of her subordinates' hands washing her hair and massaging her scalp, it was all the easier to gather her thoughts.
Cassandra gathered her beautiful hair, which had regained its luster, in her hand and brought it to her nose.
Instead of rot, the fresh scent of soap filled her lungs.
She recalled something her mother had taught her in the royal court when she was young.
-Beauty and fragrance. Do not forget them. My beloved daughter.
The two weapons one had to ready first when beginning anew in unfamiliar territory.