The City of Peach Fire - (20) The Century's Fairest Who Nearly Bore the Slave Brand
I had always known that Jonita Valhalla-usen would eventually come looking for me here.
“So it had to be tonight…”
That was why, the moment I returned to Yugna Mountain in Dragonai’s body, I ordered Cube to mix every sleep-inducing herb he had—Starfall Powder and Dream Petals alike—into a single glass vial.
—When did you become a master of herbalism?
They were all recipes I had learned while translating this novel. Still, the mixture worked. Thanks to it, I was able to return to Seira’s body far sooner than usual.
And, just as I had expected, Jonita Valhalla-usen arrived at my room.
The reason I had rushed back so desperately was simple: if I had been even a little late, the empire’s greatest mage would have branded Seira with the Mark of Subjugation and then taken his time violating her whenever the mood struck.
Jonita Valhalla-usen could cast teleportation magic at will and instantly locate anyone bearing his slave mark. If he had seen Seira’s beauty tonight and fallen for her at first sight, he would have assaulted her in her sleep, branded her, and then stalked her for the rest of her life—teleporting in whenever he pleased to have his way with her unconscious body.
‘No. Absolutely not.’
I pulled the blanket completely over myself.
“Jonita Valhalla-usen, listen well. By order of the Grand Duke, the Spell Breakers—the mage-hunting unit—are on their way here right now.”
Ordinary armies struggled against mages, so the empire maintained the Spell Breakers, an elite force specialized in eliminating them. I had read about the unit in the novel and decided to use the name now.
“Kh… Understood. Might I at least know the name of the benefactor who has shown me such kindness?”
Since I was already helping him, I might as well give him a reason to feel indebted.
“I am Seira. Seira Hart-singer.”
“Ooooooh! So it was you after all! I have one request—please allow me to see your face, even once.”
I had always kept a hand mirror hidden beside my bed precisely because I suspected Jonita might try to use clairvoyance magic. Right now I was holding that mirror toward him while keeping the blanket raised, so even if he cast the spell, he would only see his own reflection.
“Don’t try to find out anything more. You’ll get hurt.”
Just then I heard something rustling on the roof and spoke quickly.
“Ah, the Spell Breakers are here!”
Whoosh—
The moment he heard my voice, Jonita Valhalla-usen vanished like the wind.
“Nyaaooong—”
Up close, it was just a cute cat.
“There, there.”
I scooped the cat into my arms.
“Butterfly alone isn’t enough to make me feel safe. I wish I could send a cat to Yugna Mountain…”
The cat was Level 50—an absurdly powerful creature. Its stats were all poured into agility and reflexes, so its actual combat strength was low, but right now my own level wasn’t much different.
Lv. 50.
In other words, the Queen’s Command skill only worked on enemies whose level was less than one-tenth of mine—Level 5 or below, basically insects.
I opened the next job awakening quest.
Hidden Scenario —
Clear Condition: ???
Hint: First Experience
Reward: 7th Job Awakening!
This awakening quest clearly required losing my virginity.
“Ugh… Does that mean I can’t give Dragonai his first experience either…?”
I absolutely did not want to share this body’s first time with anyone. Doing so risked shattering my sense of identity.
“I just want to collect those four billion points and go home already… Sob.”
* * *
A short while earlier, when I had seen Seira Hart-singer, I tried using clairvoyance magic. She had been thoroughly prepared, holding up a hand mirror to block the spell.
‘Heh. How adorable. She held it upside-down, so I could see her face perfectly.’
A beauty so breathtaking that merely meeting her eyes made my heart stop. A dizzying, fatal allure.
‘Damn it, I know I shouldn’t… but my loyalty is wavering!!!!’
Having fallen for her at first sight, my heart—now her eternal captive—burned with the flames of love.
‘Still…’
She had saved my life tonight.
Seira Hart-singer.
‘Haa… haa… So I’ll retreat for now. But the next time we meet, I might truly pounce on you. Heh. We’ll meet again someday. You’ll be arriving at the imperial palace soon enough.’
Valhalla-usen, feeling he owed Seira a life debt, departed for the capital at once.
* * *
If the Black Star Knights were called the empire’s greatest weapon, then the Knights of the Emperor were undeniably its greatest shield. While the Black Star Knights recruited only the finest northern elites, the Emperor’s Knights gathered the strongest warriors from across the entire empire. In terms of individual skill, the imperial knights were arguably superior.
Carrying banners of yellow cloth emblazoned with a red dragon, the Knights of the Emperor rode along the highway to carry out the emperor’s secret orders.
Yet their commander did not stay on the cleanly paved road. Instead, he spurred his horse down a steep, uneven dirt slope.
“Commander! We’ve ridden for three days and nights with almost no rest. This road doesn’t lead to the city!”
“This is the road to our destination.”
They had covered a five-day journey in only three. Now they were attempting an unpaved mountain path. Even the finest steeds were exhausted, and the vice-commander voiced his concern.
“We may be fine, but please let the horses rest at a stable for a while. If we keep pushing them through rough terrain like this, they’ll collapse.”
“Don’t worry. There will be stables at our destination. We’re almost there.”
“What? Weren’t we going to escort Her Highness the Princess?”
“We are.”
“Then how could the Princess possibly be in such a remote village…?”
“I wonder the same thing. But it is His Majesty’s command. What can we do?”
At that moment—
“Enough chatter. Move forward!”
The knight who had been riding at the very rear—the plain-looking one in shabby armor—suddenly barked the order in a commanding tone.
“Y-yes! We’ll be there shortly!”
* * *
Two days later, the knights arrived in Puran Village to escort Seira Hart-singer, now officially recognized as an imperial princess—only to be met with thunderous news.
The villagers they had passed along the way had greeted the imperial knights warmly from the entrance and told them everything.
“Oh, knights! Please save our Seira! I beg you!”
“Hurry! Go to Village Chief Puyol’s house! I heard their home has been completely destroyed!”
“What… What?! Hyaah!!”
The same ordinary knight who had been at the rear moments ago now charged at the front of the formation, racing ahead like the wind. Over a hundred of the empire’s finest elite knights followed in his wake, their horses kicking up a fierce gale as they swept past.
It had only been a few days since the villagers had celebrated the rise in property values after Seira’s arrival. Then the Grand Duke’s subordinates had turned the village into a wasteland. As the villagers at the entrance had said, those who could flee had already left. The village was now eerily desolate. No livestock sounds could be heard, and not a single resident was in sight.
“Halt!”
Instead, at the village entrance, a dozen or so elite soldiers of the Grand Duke—armed in black scale armor and chainmail—blocked the knights’ path.
“By order of the Grand Duke, no outsiders are permitted to enter this village.”
“We are the Knights of the Emperor! Clear the way!”