Chapter 82: Leaving the Royal City
Before the chariot even came to a halt, I lifted the curtain and jumped down, craning my neck to look at the towering city walls on my left.
Atop those walls, there were still some embers flickering in view. Thick plumes of smoke rose lazily into the sky, swirling about as soldiers rushed back and forth, shield and sword in hand. They shouted insults toward the outside—what exactly, I couldn’t tell from afar, but it must have been some pretty bad stuff! I even heard someone laughing loudly, trying to provoke the enemy to the best of their abilities, their raucous voice nearly drowning out the occasional soft sob drifting in from who-knows-where.
Outside the walls, all seemed quiet, and I didn’t see anyone drawing a bow or letting arrows fly.
Taking a deep breath, I caught a whiff of something burnt.
“Ah! Ahhhhhh—”
A heart-wrenching scream startled me, causing me to jump a little.
Turning around, I saw a few helmetless soldiers carrying a person whose left side… well, let’s just say, half of their body—and even half their head—was charred black, as if they had just come down from the walls. They were hurriedly sprinting away. The leading guy had wide, furious eyes as he waved his hands and shouted, “Make way! Clear the path!” Then he brazenly shoved past a squadron that was about to head up the walls and continued running into the distance.
Moments later, more injured people were being carried down, rushing right by me.
Down the right alley, many soldiers were hard at work evacuating civilians door by door, forcefully ushering men, women, and children out of their homes, pushing them away from the area like they were cattle. Those who resisted were quickly pinned down by the soldiers.
A few sparks, glowing embers, floated past, soaring up into the bright blue sky.
Margaret stepped up beside me and spoke to a knightly-looking man who was approaching before turning to me and saying, “Her Majesty the Queen is still up in the tower, but she’ll be coming down shortly. Let’s wait here for a bit.”
“Okay.”
I nodded gently at her, then turned to the unfamiliar knight and asked, “What’s happening on the walls?”
It didn’t seem like there was an ongoing battle. What were the armored folks outside doing?
The knight seemed surprised by my question, looked at me a bit slack-jawed, and then suddenly froze, an expression of admiration flashing in his eyes for a split second.
I was no stranger to this kind of look. I tilted my head slightly back, locking my gaze onto him with a calm demeanor.
After a brief moment of distraction, the knight quickly snapped back to reality, instinctively puffed out his chest, and answered honestly, “The Iron Guard retreated after a volley of long-range attacks. They’re testing the Royal City’s defenses, but obviously, the walls are way sturdier than those clowns equipped with nothing but shiny toys think. They’re outnumbered and chicken to charge in; they probably don’t even dare to let a single arrow loose—maybe they’re hiding far away and peeing their pants, ha ha—uh, apologies, Miss, please forgive my crudeness.”
The knight seemed embarrassed for his inappropriate choice of words in front of me, but I wasn’t one to hold a grudge over that.
“So, in the short term, there’s no danger of the walls being breached?”
That was what mattered most to me.
“Breached walls?”
The burly knight blinked in surprise, and soon a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes, a strange smile spreading across his face.
“Oh, beautiful lady, you jest. That bunch of softies wants to break through? The brave defenders of the Royal City would tear them to shreds! My soldiers even demanded I ask Her Majesty for permission to open the gates and crash into the enemy’s ranks, crushing them in one fell swoop, making that greedy Clive family pay for their foolish actions… I’m currently considering it.”
Oh…
I nodded my head, my right thumb wedged in my mouth, gnawing away.
Who knows if this knight is puffing up his chest to show off… but judging by the current situation, the enemy hadn’t attacked yet. Otherwise, the soldiers on the walls wouldn’t be busy shouting insults.
With both sides being evenly matched, the attackers would surely be at a huge disadvantage… I knew that much. Without some sneaky tricks, the Iron Guard would definitely struggle to win… but what worried me was their underhanded tactics against Victoria, as that was their specialty.
But at least for now, they probably wouldn’t breach the walls… not quickly, and the Iron Guard didn’t seem to have too many soldiers…
That was enough for me.
I barely got to chat with the knight before fresh casualties were sent down from the walls. Margaret stopped them, placing her delicate hands on the forehead of an injured soldier, closing her eyes. A soft golden light blossomed from her palm, and the young, charred body gradually ceased to tremble, peacefully slipping into a serene sleep, his breathing evening out.
“Thank you, esteemed Saint…” the soldier’s comrades kept expressing their gratitude toward Margaret, who simply smiled gently, saying nothing in return.
I quietly gazed at the city walls, watching the flames burn smaller and the smoke rise high, where it thinned and gradually dispersed.
The knight beside me wouldn’t stop rambling on about his bravery, belittling the Iron Guard. He couldn’t have been older than twenty, doing everything he could to catch my attention, but my mind was too elsewhere to care. I just gave half-hearted responses.
Once Margaret had healed the seventh soldier, the proud queen strode over, surrounded by her entourage.
“Victoria!”
I called her name softly, running up to stand before her, my brows furrowing in concern.
“Why aren’t you wearing armor…?”
At a time like this…
Victoria was actually dressed in a light, flimsy outfit that looked like it could be sliced open by a mere touch of a sword! The large white cloak draped over her back also appeared thin, definitely not the type of garb worn by a Pope Knight, seeming to hold no protective ability at all…
I was a little angry, but I didn’t want to show it. So I tried to maintain a neutral expression while glaring at her.
But Her Majesty didn’t meet my gaze. She merely waved her hand lightly behind her, signaling for those people to move on, then casually said to me, “Heavy armor hampers my wind.”
Hearing her explanation, it clicked for me.
…It made sense.
I even disliked wearing armor myself… That weight would definitely affect her Power of Order, especially while flying… Just when you care, things get complicated…
“What are you doing here?”
Victoria’s expression was calm, her beautiful features still icy, masking her current emotions.
“I understand the situation in the Abyss; you should now go with Saint Margaret to the canyon…”
At this moment, she noticed Margaret standing a ways off. After exchanging casual greetings with a nod, Margaret didn’t approach, instead turning back toward the chariot.
Victoria watched as the saint stepped onto the war chariot and then turned her radiant golden gaze back to me. She reached out to ruffle my hair, her eyes softening.
“Are we leaving soon?”
“Um…” I nodded.
…Wait, strange.
I had clearly thought of what I wanted to say to her earlier, but now I couldn’t remember any of it…
“Leave the Abyss to you, alright?”
“Mm.”
She was messing up my hair…
“The enemies you’ll face are much more dangerous than mine. I hope you remain calm, don’t act impulsively or recklessly, and avoid doing what you did last time.”
Last time… Ah. She was referring to that time with Teresa when I jumped into the sky… not much I could do about that at the time…
“If… it comes to a critical moment, I hope you don’t worry about anyone else and focus on saving yourself, so you can come back alive.”
Uh…
Is that really okay?
You’re the queen of Ethanbel, for heaven’s sake; what are you saying…
I’m not going to run away in a crisis…
“Promise me.”
“…Got it.”
I muttered a reluctant agreement.
Only then did Victoria appear satisfied and withdraw her hand from my head.
“So, what did you come to find me for?”
What did I come for?
Oh right, I was here to give her something!
My head still spinning from her head-petting, it suddenly hit me what I had come to do. I quickly pulled out two smoke tubes from my skirt pocket and offered them to Victoria.
“This is for you.”
Her Majesty took them, though a hint of confusion flickered in her expression.
“What are these?”
“Smoke tubes,” I explained. “In the Valen Empire, assassins love them. For killing, escaping, you name it. For example…”
I tilted my head, contemplating how best to express the tubes’ powerful potential to her. After a brief hesitation, I raised my hands, stretched out my index fingers, pointed right under my eyelids, and then slowly dragged them down.
“You’ll cry… in danger, use this.”
…That probably wasn’t the most accurate description.
I then rubbed my eyes vigorously while stomping my feet quickly, shaking my head to convey an urgent and painful message to Victoria.
“The enemy is really tough. You have to use it, close your eyes, don’t breathe, and then fly up.”
Performance complete.
But Victoria’s expression seemed a bit dazed… Did she not understand my meaning?
But I couldn’t demonstrate it for her, or else I’d waste one!
“Lady Victoria, Lord Reikmon is about to arrive,” a military officer said, hurrying over.
Victoria nodded, acknowledging the message. Once that officer stepped away, she patted my head with a semblance of a smile.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll keep the smoke tubes safe; you should leave quickly so as not to keep the Saint waiting.”
“Wait! There’s this too…”
Seeing Victoria preparing to leave, I hurriedly pulled out a breastplate from my coat and grabbed her hand, placing it into her warm palm.
“This, my father gave me. Made of Moon Crystal. Wear it… you promise me.”
However, Victoria gently pushed my hand back and shook her head.
“You need this more.”
“I don’t… I have two.”
If I phrased it like this, she might take it, right?
To prove I wasn’t lying, I flashed a triumphant smile and patted my chest—though I didn’t dare do it too hard, fearing she’d catch on that I actually didn’t have a second one.
Victoria hesitated for a moment but ultimately stopped refusing.
“You must wear it properly,” I emphasized seriously.
“Okay.”
Seeing her agree, I let out a relief-filled sigh in my heart.
Honestly… if only my gauntlets and greaves would fit her, I would have liked to give those, too… My body seemed to have fully strengthened in the last battle; I could recover quickly even if I got hurt.
“Well, I’m off then,” I told her.
“Mm.”
Victoria opened her arms and gently embraced me.
“Be quick to return.” She whispered in my ear, making it feel a bit tingly.
“I will…”
“You can’t get hurt.”
“Neither can you.”
The smoky scent faded, replaced by an intoxicating fragrance.
Above in the blue skies, clouds rolled along with the winds, while wild grass continued to flourish under the blazing sun.
Victoria and her supporters gradually walked away while I ignored the knight’s astonished expression, jaw dropped, and focused on smoothing my hair as I boarded the chariot.
“Let’s go.”
The horned horse whinnied and thundered forward, pulling the chariot as it sped along the walls. Soon we reached a side gate on the south side of the city, and we heard shouts from a distance: “Open the gates—!”
Creeeeak…
The heavy gates slowly opened, and the three horned chariots sped out without stopping. I lifted the curtain to look back at the city walls abandoned behind me.
High above, a black bird circled in the sky, spiraling down toward the tower.
