Chapter 143: The Warning
“Sir, w-what are you doing here…?”
The knight stood respectfully before me, thumping his chest as he spoke. In that instant, the surrounding area went silent.
The drunken soldiers halted their loud ruckus, a few youths also quieted down, and even those gathered nearby fell silent. Everyone’s eyes were now focused on the tall and imposing knight, who was standing straight as a rod and bowing to the petite girl before him — a gesture reserved for subordinates showing respect to superiors or soldiers honoring heroes. It was a well-known sign, and yet…
No one expected a knight to bow so solemnly to such a young girl.
“What’s going on…?”
“Things seem to be… getting strange…”
Those who were closer heard the word “Sir” and were plunged into confusion, some even began to get excited, thinking there was a show to watch. Meanwhile, those further back couldn’t catch the knight’s words and were craning their necks, whispering inquiries to those nearby.
After a brief silence, a flurry of whispers erupted from all around.
“Who is that little girl…?”
“She can’t be the child of some noble in the capital, can she? She doesn’t look the part…”
“Who cares who she is? The show hasn’t started anyway; I’m just here for the fun…”
“Looks like those drunks are in trouble…”
Amidst such murmurs, I looked up at the knight, frowning slightly. “You… know me?”
I stared at his face for a moment but couldn’t place him; it seemed like a first meeting. But his shiny golden armor was a dead giveaway — he was from the First Knights Order! The emblem of the Judgment Fist was emblazoned on his cape, but I hadn’t seen it clearly before…
The knight seemed a bit nervous. Upon hearing my question, he adjusted his armor awkwardly. He nodded and was about to speak when I interrupted, “You’re from Isaac’s company, right?”
“Uh, yes. I’m the deputy captain of the thirty-sixth squad of the Judgment Fist. During Lord Isaac’s trip to the Southern region, I was ordered to oversee the security in Stag Town…”
He paused, a confused expression crossing his face. “Um, Sir… you’re not…”
He probably wanted to ask why I wasn’t out with the Pope on a campaign, given my appearance here. The knight was clearly quite sure of my identity; perhaps he had seen me somewhere before his departure.
I had no recollection of him, but since he recognized me, I didn’t want him to blurt out anything embarrassing. So, I promptly patted the captain’s arm, said nothing, and subtly shook my head.
The captain looked momentarily stunned but quickly put the pieces together, closing his mouth. Instead, he scanned the area, his expression turning stern as he focused again on the few soldiers, asking in a deep voice, “Are you the Republic’s grain movers?”
As he spoke, he waved to the knights standing by, ready to deal with these guys — the drunken soldiers were already dumbstruck by the bizarre situation, frozen in place and avoiding my gaze, burping nervously and even forgetting to respond to the captain.
Afraid the captain might misunderstand, I quickly chimed in, “Those guys are just drunk. It’s a minor issue; a simple apology will suffice, no need to make a scene.”
“…Alright.”
The captain nodded, though his expression was still dark as he stepped toward the soldiers —
I thought about it and hastily grabbed his arm again. “Make them… buy me sweet cakes.”
The captain turned back, his expression shifting from stern to perplexed, looking at me with confusion.
I met his gaze, blinked, and pointed to the remnants of sweet cakes on the ground not far away. “They knocked over… uh, no, forty of them.”
Yep, you understand me, right?
“……”
He got it.
So, I said nothing more and turned back to Ryan and the others.
Forty sweet cakes should be just right. Any more and the bag might be too big for me to carry… Yep, letting these drunks buy me sweet cakes is just a fitting form of punishment…
This isn’t extortion.
“Hey, Hil…”
Ryan and a few youths were gathered together, nearby stood a little boy with red-rimmed eyes who was staring at the sweet cake remnants scattered on the ground, hesitatingly reaching out for them, but his hand was pulled back by Ryan.
Seeing me approach, he instinctively opened his mouth to call my name, but I quickly shut him down with a gesture, smoothing my skirt as I walked up to him, and softly said, “It’s alright.”
My gaze swept over the clueless faces of the young men, finding it amusing. I then asked, “You all doing okay?”
“N-no problem…”
“Miss, you… know the knight, huh?”
Ha! Just asking a question, and they turned as red as beets!
Oh, village boys are adorably innocent…
Unlike those obnoxious brats at the Royal City Academy who are unbearable.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You guys remember to stay far away from drunkards next time.”
“It’s not like we did anything; they were the ones causing trouble…”
“Psh, if they weren’t wearing armor…”
“Hey, Ryan, Ryan!”
The red-haired youth who had just been smacked rubbed his face, probably not wanting to mention the earlier incident in front of me. Instead, he playfully draped an arm over Ryan’s shoulder and punched his head lightly, saying, “So you know this miss?”
“Not just know her…” Ryan sniffled, shaking off the red-haired youth’s hand. “She’s, she’s my… you let go first!”
“Ryan bro, she’s so awesome!”
The little boy sighed, looking up to see Ryan grappling with the red-haired youth, then turned to me, excitedly clenching his fists. “Sister, you’re amazing! Not only are you amazing, but you also have sweet cakes… even the knight listens to you! Why are you so awesome?”
I scratched my face.
“Ryan, you sly dog, keeping your skills hidden…”
“What is she to you, tell me the truth!”
By now, the knights had finished chewing out the soldiers. A few of them stood there with their heads down, obedient as grandchildren. Seeing this, the youths felt vindicated, growing excited and crowding around Ryan, firing questions in my direction while occasionally sneaking glances at me, only to quickly avert their eyes when I caught them.
They probably wanted to talk to me but felt too shy or scared to approach directly, so they bombarded Ryan with questions instead. A bit annoyed, Ryan shouted, “I told you all before! I said it ages ago! You didn’t believe me, but now you see her, do you believe it or not? Believe it?!”
Uh…
What?
What’s there to believe…?
I didn’t understand what Ryan meant, tilting my head in confusion, but the youths obviously understood him, their eyes going wide as they finally turned their full attention to me.
“No way! Is this for real…?”
“Ryan, are you joking?”
“I might actually believe this…”
“So does this mean… she is… that…?”
“Shhh!”
Ryan shushed them, his face flashing with a smug grin. He inadvertently glanced at me, that smugness vanishing in an instant as he looked away nervously, warning his friends, “Don’t say it! Don’t say it out loud here… knowing the situation in Silgaya and Stag Town, you all understand, right? So be careful not to blurt anything out, or it could ruin everything. Got it…?”
…?
What are they talking about? Is it about me?
The riddle master?
I have no clue what he means.
“Ryan.”
However, I was uninterested in what the young men thought; after all, it was the same old boys-and-girls gossip, those petty bragging matters I didn’t wish to know about.
But since I had run into him here, it was a good chance to ask about the village and check on Grandma Claire…
So I waved him over, saying, “Come here for a sec.”
“Oh, okay!”
Ryan pushed away the red-haired guy and bounced over.
As the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed, those unwilling to leave eventually scattered under the knight’s admonitions, and the noise subsided. I pulled Ryan aside and asked him, “How’s the village? Have you seen Grandma Claire recently?”
“I’ve seen her, she’s doing well!”
Ryan seemed a bit nervous, his voice stuttering and loud. “Grandma Claire is great! She’s healthy, too. I help her fetch water every day, and sometimes when she goes to the fields and can’t pull the cart, I help out… really, I’m not lying!”
It was as if he was trying to earn points for his efforts, rambling on before looking away. “I, I heard you all went south. How did you end up back here… is it because…?”
“Yeah, a few things.”
“W-what kind of things…?”
“None of your business. Also, keep your voice down.”
“Oh…”
“Are you heading back tonight?”
“I’m not going back… I came to watch the show. I didn’t expect to see you here… I saw you at the village entrance the day you returned, but there were too many people, so I couldn’t talk to you… How have you been? I heard…?”
“Just go back.”
“…Huh?”
Ryan looked taken aback, glancing at me then back away. “What’s the matter? I’m just here to watch the performance; my dad let me come…”
“Leave. Tonight, don’t stay here.”
“…What’s up?”
Seeing my serious tone, Ryan seemed to realize something. “Is it…?”
“Stop guessing. Just know tonight, don’t stay here. Listen to me. Don’t watch the show; leave now, go back, find Grandma Claire, and tell her not to go anywhere for now, stay in the village…”
Even if something unforeseen occurs, the village located north of Woodward Forest, a distance from Stag Town, should be safe… No, I won’t let anyone threaten it.
But just in case…
“Ryan. Grandma is elderly, her legs aren’t great, and she’s alone; there are many things… she can’t manage. If… hypothetically, something happens, look after her and get Grandma out of the village, okay?”
If we were to fight here, then from the village,…
We should be able to see flames.
At the very least, they would notice something’s off.
“Once you get back, stay alert tonight, keeping an eye on the direction of Stag Town. If you see flames or hear any sounds… In short, if things seem off, you all leave, gather with Uncle Dol and Grandma, and the villagers. Wake everyone up, and hunker down in the mountains behind, got it?”
“Uh…”
Ryan appeared a bit shocked, his mouth agape as he stared at me blankly. After a moment, he muttered, “What’s actually going on…?”
“Maybe nothing.”
Maybe…
“Just remember what I said, um…”
I tilted my head in thought, worried that he wouldn’t be taken seriously in the village. So I took off the white scarf tied around my left wrist and handed it to Ryan. “Take this. If you need to say something and it doesn’t go through, just show this to Grandma; she will know it’s from me.”
Ryan stared in surprise for a moment before responding, “Oh, okay, okay…”
He glanced at the scarf in his hand, instinctively bringing it to his nose, but I shot him a glare, and he quickly hid his hands behind his back, stammering, “I-I didn’t mean it like that…”
Old habits d*e hard…
I was too tired to deal with him and admonished, “Don’t tell anyone about what I’m doing here.”
“I know, I know,” Ryan nodded vigorously, “Hil… I’m not dumb; I know the seriousness of the situation.”
“Mm.”
At that moment, the knight had finished his reprimand. The soldiers were brought over to Ryan, who seemed somewhat panicked; those who had gotten into a scuffle repeatedly apologized, “I’m sorry, miss! Please forgive our rudeness; we were drunk…”
“Don’t apologize to me.”
I rolled my eyes, pointing toward Ryan and the red-haired youth. “You tell them.”
Thus, the soldiers turned to apologize to the youths, receiving a few snarky comments in return, which they wouldn’t dare retort. Following that, the lead knight said a few calming words, and what wasn’t much of a fuss quietly came to an end.
Soon after, once someone delivered two big bags of sweet cakes, the soldiers left in a hurry, a few knights bowed, and then they took their leave too.
