"Occupied? Are you saying that the Royal Army has rebelled?"
"Rebellion" is a wild word. It's a noble gesture by those who care about the future of the kingdom, to put the country back on the right path.
"Who is the ringleader? You don't think General Kargi...?
I am not here to chat with you. What we really want is the warder. My Lord Linos, you are under strict orders from the Lord to escort him to the palace. My Lord Eryl, the Lord commanded me to take you with me, but he did not command you "alive". If you resist, he will allow you to take extraordinary measures. He also said that it would be enough if you brought back his head.
"I am a slave. If you are under the command of your master, then I cannot accept the invitation of another without his command.
"Don't worry. We will take you to Mr. and Mrs. Barsam. They are in our custody. Don't the slaves have to go back to their masters? As I recall ... aren't we ordered to be back by nightfall?"
"I would like to see proof that you have the master in custody."
The man chuckled, took a cloth package from another soldier, who must have been his follower, and tossed it carelessly to me.
I open the package. What was inside were... two arms. Two arms that had been cut off at the elbow. I recognize those arms.
"No way!"
"As you may have guessed, it is the arm of the great mage Falco."
Though stained with blood, the pattern of his clothes is the same as that of the robe worn by his master. And above all, the ring on his hand was the "gold ring with skulls" that had been his master's favorite.
"Kitto, you son of a b*tc*!
Eryl quickly draws his sword and slashes at the man. It was a high-speed slash, but the man easily avoided it. He is quite skilled. I appraise the man's status.
LUQUA MADOISEN (Swordsman, 41 years old)
H!? H!?
M!? : 103
Swordsmanship LV4
Iai LV4
Physical recovery LV4
Physical Reinforcement LV4
Evasion LV4
High-speed sword dance LV3
Mind's eye LV4
Curse LV2
He is a monster beyond Eryl. He continues to avoid Eryl's high-speed slashes without even drawing his sword.
"His swordsmanship is good. But it's too bad. If you had more training, you could have fought a little better.
The moment Madhuisen put his hand on the hilt of his sword, Eryl was cut down.
"...I knew it...I was warded, wasn't I? It's not impossible to break it, but... we're wasting our time. Good. Eril, we'll take you with us politely."
What if I say no?
Only Bartham and his wife, Master Falco, and His Highness the Regent will die.
"Hmph, Falco... but your aunts and the Regent are protected by the wards of Llinos! You can't kill me!
We'll starve him to death.
What?
"If you leave them without food and water, they will die of their own accord. No matter how strong the wards are, they won't last more than a few days without food or water. If you come with me to the Lord, they will have an easy and painless death. If they flee, they will die in great pain. I do not care either way.
"But you are still a human being! How dare you do this to a man of great national merit! Even if I have to take you with me on the road..."
"My lady, Mr. Madsen is right. We will come together."
"Hey! Linos! You're going to join the ranks of these people!"
"I'm worried about the master and the regent. Master Falco has had both his arms cut off. If we don't go to him soon, we will die.
I understand.
You know what you're talking about. Shall we go? The master is waiting for you.
"I have only one request. I would like to meet my master, my teacher, and hopefully, His Highness the Regent.
Yes, that's fine. I will be sure to show you around.
When we entered the north gate, a carriage was prepared for us and we got into it. There was no hurry, and the carriage just started to drive towards the main gate of the palace.
The front and back of the carriage are surrounded by many soldiers, but inside we are alone, just me and Eryl. Eryl was looking outside all the time and not looking at me. I stare at Eryl, not knowing what to say.
Eryl is crying. He was crying in a muffled voice so that I wouldn't notice. Without thinking, I took hold of his hand.
"It's all right, miss. The enemy wants me. You must save your master's life in exchange for mine. I will talk to the ringleader of the rebellion. We'll do what we can.
"Ugh... Rinos... Hiccup, hiccup, hiccup.
Tears spill from Eryl's eyes as if from a weir. Eryl's painful grip on his hands showed the extent of his grief and frustration.
The carriage continued to drive slowly toward the main gate.