“What’s going on?”
Byron, who had been sleeping in the carriage, opened his eyes as the carriage door opened. He assumed it was his subordinate who had opened it, but his eyes widened when he saw it was an unfamiliar Imperial soldier.
“...Who are you?”
“This is a security checkpoint. I need to verify your identity, so please show me your ID.”
Byron, momentarily flustered by the sudden turn of events, nonchalantly pulled a forged ID from his pocket and handed it over. He simply hoped to get through this situation safely.
“...Are you left-handed?”
But things didn't go as he'd hoped. The soldier, suspicious that he'd presented his ID with his left hand instead of his right, asked if he was left-handed.
“What good does it do you to know whether I’m left-handed or right-handed?”
Even in the most desperate of circumstances, Byron's arrogant temper was unwavering. When he questioned him, the soldier, instead flustered, thrust his sword at Byron's throat and shouted urgently.
“Take off your gloves and show me your right hand!”
By this point, Byron couldn't help but realize that this checkpoint was meant to find him. Unable to show his wooden prosthetic arm, he simply stared at the blade draped around his neck.
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, the soldier who had been holding a sword to his neck collapsed, spitting up blood. The sword was stuck in his back.
"Sir, you must escape immediately. We will buy you time, so run as far as possible."
It was Cloud. Cloud, drawing a sword from the body of a dead soldier, was standing at the carriage door.
"...Yes."
"The carriage I'm riding in is smaller and lighter than this one, so it'll be faster. Let's go that way."
Cloud grabbed his arm and helped him up. His touch was rough, a gesture that belied his master's, but the situation was dire, and he had no other choice.
“...What’s going on?”
As Aila opened the carriage door, Capella asked with a puzzled look on her face.
“We’ve been stopped at a security checkpoint. You need to run away quickly.”
Cloud said urgently.
Byron seemed uncomfortable with having to ride in a small carriage with so many people, but given the circumstances, he sat down next to Aila without saying a word.
"Miss."
“Uh, huh?”
Aila blinked rapidly, startled by the sudden turn of events, and Cloud stared at her blankly for a moment, as if hesitating about something.
Then, as if he had made up his mind, Cloud placed a sharp dagger in her hand.
“If something happens, you must protect the master, Capella, and Laura.”
The situation was so urgent that he had no choice but to give her the knife, even though he suspected she might know his true identity.
If she knew everything, it would be extremely dangerous to give her a weapon. But since he had a knight accompanying her to watch over her, it would be fine.
“...”
Before she could respond, Cloud slammed the carriage door shut, and the scenery outside the window began to pass by quickly. It was because they were fleeing at incredible speed.
Aila looked at the dagger in her hand.
Byron was sitting right next to her, a weapon in her hand. Cloud wasn't there to protect him.
'Should I kill him? Now.'
It was a situation where her revenge could be ended in an instant.
But Aila swallowed her murderous intent as she looked at Byron's profile, anxiously looking out the window.
Even if Byron was killed now, there was no guarantee that she would be able to return to her parents.
Even if she succeeds in killing Byron, wouldn't it be the end if she were caught by that knight who is very alert and has his hand on his scabbard?
'And, he can't die so easily.'
The revenge she wanted wasn't just about killing Byron.
Because she wanted to thoroughly trample on everything Byron had done, and make her feel the despair and betrayal she felt.
She had to endure it now.
“Catch that carriage!”
As she suppressed her murderous intent, a commotion was heard outside the carriage.
A group of imperial troops was quickly pursuing the carriage.
There was no way Cloud had already been hit. It seemed like he was a special unit.
"Shit!"
Byron gritted his teeth and spat out harsh words.
“...I will protect you with my life. Don’t worry.”
The knight who rode with him spoke in a rather dutiful voice, but it did little to calm the frightened Byron.
Byron was still biting his nails with an anxious look on his face.
With a harsh neigh, the carriage stopped. The special forces had already arrived in front of the carriage.
At the same time, the carriage door opened and blades flew. In an instant, a knight drew his sword and parried their attacks.
Although not as skilled as Cloud, Byron's knights were quite skilled. They managed to hold on. However, the sheer number of Imperial troops made it difficult to avoid defeat.
“I will fight too.”
Then, Aila stood up, holding her dagger, to get out of the carriage.
“...!”
At her words, Byron looked flustered. But it seemed he couldn't bring himself to tell her not to do it.
It was because the situation was so urgent.
“Take care. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Byron spoke with a tense voice, seemingly worried that his hunting dog might be hurt.
“...Yes, Father.”
When she stepped out of the carriage, clutching her dagger, the Imperial soldiers were taken aback. They hadn't expected a small girl like her to join the battle.
But that was only for a moment. The small girl, whom they had underestimated as a young girl, quickly weaved through the bewildered Imperial soldiers, swinging her dagger.
Of course, she had no intention of harming innocent people, so she simply struck their vital points with the back of her blunt sword, rendering them incapacitated for battle.
“Kill them all and shut their mouths!”
Byron shouted, as if he'd never been so frightened before. With Aila's arrival, the tide of battle had quickly turned in his favor.
The battle on Cloud's side had already ended, as Cloud and his men were riding towards us.
‘...I don’t want to kill you.’
Aila thought so, and gracefully dodged the sword that was flying at her. She thought she had done it with agility, but the tip of the sword caught her fur hat slightly, and it fell off.
She gritted her teeth and stabbed the Imperial soldier in the shoulder, avoiding the vital point. The feeling of the blade piercing his skin was excruciating.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Aila pretended to check on the fallen imperial soldiers and whispered something in his ear.
“Pretend to be dead. That way you can live.”
She couldn't save everyone, but she still wanted to save at least a few people.
She walked among the fallen, whispering the same words in their ears.
“Miss. Are you okay?”
Cloud, covered in blood, walked toward her and asked. Judging by his upright, powerful stance, he appeared uninjured. The blood he was covered in must have belonged to someone else.
"...I'm okay."
"There was absolutely no injury," Aila said with a shrug. Cloud, feeling a strange sense of relief, said, "My disciple was stronger than I'd expected."
"We need to leave quickly before reinforcements arrive. Get on the carriage. You, over there. Make sure all the soldiers over there are dead..."
"I! I confirmed it. They're all dead, so let's go quickly."
At Cloud's words, Aila shouted urgently.
At her words, Cloud nodded with an unreadable expression. There was no further questioning. That was the end.
Their carriage, which had dyed the pure white snowfield red, left the place in a hurry.
The incident in which soldiers at a checkpoint set up on a deserted road were annihilated turned the entire Peles Empire upside down.
This was because it was a major incident that revealed traces of the traitor, Byron Lionel Vito Peles, who had not even been found with a single clue for over 10 years.
Although no one who directly witnessed him has died, a synthesis of the survivors' testimonies leads to one conclusion.
It was a fact that Byron, who had been rumored to be dead, was indeed alive.
The people of the empire trembled in fear.
The fact that the heinous traitor who had attempted to kill his father but failed still roamed freely within this empire was so terrifying that parents of young children were forced to forbid them from going outside.
Rumors of a tragedy in the snow-covered plains spread wildly, but not all of it was true.
A rumor that didn't spread because the survivors' mouths were shut from above.
It was a story about a mysterious girl who was right in the middle of the battle.
A beautiful girl with silver hair and blue eyes, like a fairy of the snowy fields.
A child who flew around like a dance among men twice her size, disarming the soldiers one by one, and then disappeared after telling them to pretend to be dead if they wanted to live.
The one who silenced the survivors who witnessed the girl was none other than Alexia Dexen, a member of the Imperial Guard.
The soldiers put padlocks on their mouths at Alexia's words that if the child was captured by the rebels for some reason, it would be troublesome if rumors spread that the child had saved the soldiers' lives.
Because they shouldn't have put the benefactor who saved their lives in trouble.
There was a reason why she had told the soldiers, but the biggest reason why Alexia had kept their mouths shut was because of a request from her friend, the Duke of Weishaffen.
'I really thought Aila was being held captive by Byron.'
Byron, who had been sleeping in the carriage, opened his eyes as the carriage door opened. He assumed it was his subordinate who had opened it, but his eyes widened when he saw it was an unfamiliar Imperial soldier.
“...Who are you?”
“This is a security checkpoint. I need to verify your identity, so please show me your ID.”
Byron, momentarily flustered by the sudden turn of events, nonchalantly pulled a forged ID from his pocket and handed it over. He simply hoped to get through this situation safely.
“...Are you left-handed?”
But things didn't go as he'd hoped. The soldier, suspicious that he'd presented his ID with his left hand instead of his right, asked if he was left-handed.
“What good does it do you to know whether I’m left-handed or right-handed?”
Even in the most desperate of circumstances, Byron's arrogant temper was unwavering. When he questioned him, the soldier, instead flustered, thrust his sword at Byron's throat and shouted urgently.
“Take off your gloves and show me your right hand!”
By this point, Byron couldn't help but realize that this checkpoint was meant to find him. Unable to show his wooden prosthetic arm, he simply stared at the blade draped around his neck.
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, the soldier who had been holding a sword to his neck collapsed, spitting up blood. The sword was stuck in his back.
"Sir, you must escape immediately. We will buy you time, so run as far as possible."
It was Cloud. Cloud, drawing a sword from the body of a dead soldier, was standing at the carriage door.
"...Yes."
"The carriage I'm riding in is smaller and lighter than this one, so it'll be faster. Let's go that way."
Cloud grabbed his arm and helped him up. His touch was rough, a gesture that belied his master's, but the situation was dire, and he had no other choice.
“...What’s going on?”
As Aila opened the carriage door, Capella asked with a puzzled look on her face.
“We’ve been stopped at a security checkpoint. You need to run away quickly.”
Cloud said urgently.
Byron seemed uncomfortable with having to ride in a small carriage with so many people, but given the circumstances, he sat down next to Aila without saying a word.
"Miss."
“Uh, huh?”
Aila blinked rapidly, startled by the sudden turn of events, and Cloud stared at her blankly for a moment, as if hesitating about something.
Then, as if he had made up his mind, Cloud placed a sharp dagger in her hand.
“If something happens, you must protect the master, Capella, and Laura.”
The situation was so urgent that he had no choice but to give her the knife, even though he suspected she might know his true identity.
If she knew everything, it would be extremely dangerous to give her a weapon. But since he had a knight accompanying her to watch over her, it would be fine.
“...”
Before she could respond, Cloud slammed the carriage door shut, and the scenery outside the window began to pass by quickly. It was because they were fleeing at incredible speed.
Aila looked at the dagger in her hand.
Byron was sitting right next to her, a weapon in her hand. Cloud wasn't there to protect him.
'Should I kill him? Now.'
It was a situation where her revenge could be ended in an instant.
But Aila swallowed her murderous intent as she looked at Byron's profile, anxiously looking out the window.
Even if Byron was killed now, there was no guarantee that she would be able to return to her parents.
Even if she succeeds in killing Byron, wouldn't it be the end if she were caught by that knight who is very alert and has his hand on his scabbard?
'And, he can't die so easily.'
The revenge she wanted wasn't just about killing Byron.
Because she wanted to thoroughly trample on everything Byron had done, and make her feel the despair and betrayal she felt.
She had to endure it now.
“Catch that carriage!”
As she suppressed her murderous intent, a commotion was heard outside the carriage.
A group of imperial troops was quickly pursuing the carriage.
There was no way Cloud had already been hit. It seemed like he was a special unit.
"Shit!"
Byron gritted his teeth and spat out harsh words.
“...I will protect you with my life. Don’t worry.”
The knight who rode with him spoke in a rather dutiful voice, but it did little to calm the frightened Byron.
Byron was still biting his nails with an anxious look on his face.
With a harsh neigh, the carriage stopped. The special forces had already arrived in front of the carriage.
At the same time, the carriage door opened and blades flew. In an instant, a knight drew his sword and parried their attacks.
Although not as skilled as Cloud, Byron's knights were quite skilled. They managed to hold on. However, the sheer number of Imperial troops made it difficult to avoid defeat.
“I will fight too.”
Then, Aila stood up, holding her dagger, to get out of the carriage.
“...!”
At her words, Byron looked flustered. But it seemed he couldn't bring himself to tell her not to do it.
It was because the situation was so urgent.
“Take care. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Byron spoke with a tense voice, seemingly worried that his hunting dog might be hurt.
“...Yes, Father.”
When she stepped out of the carriage, clutching her dagger, the Imperial soldiers were taken aback. They hadn't expected a small girl like her to join the battle.
But that was only for a moment. The small girl, whom they had underestimated as a young girl, quickly weaved through the bewildered Imperial soldiers, swinging her dagger.
Of course, she had no intention of harming innocent people, so she simply struck their vital points with the back of her blunt sword, rendering them incapacitated for battle.
“Kill them all and shut their mouths!”
Byron shouted, as if he'd never been so frightened before. With Aila's arrival, the tide of battle had quickly turned in his favor.
The battle on Cloud's side had already ended, as Cloud and his men were riding towards us.
‘...I don’t want to kill you.’
Aila thought so, and gracefully dodged the sword that was flying at her. She thought she had done it with agility, but the tip of the sword caught her fur hat slightly, and it fell off.
She gritted her teeth and stabbed the Imperial soldier in the shoulder, avoiding the vital point. The feeling of the blade piercing his skin was excruciating.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Aila pretended to check on the fallen imperial soldiers and whispered something in his ear.
“Pretend to be dead. That way you can live.”
She couldn't save everyone, but she still wanted to save at least a few people.
She walked among the fallen, whispering the same words in their ears.
“Miss. Are you okay?”
Cloud, covered in blood, walked toward her and asked. Judging by his upright, powerful stance, he appeared uninjured. The blood he was covered in must have belonged to someone else.
"...I'm okay."
"There was absolutely no injury," Aila said with a shrug. Cloud, feeling a strange sense of relief, said, "My disciple was stronger than I'd expected."
"We need to leave quickly before reinforcements arrive. Get on the carriage. You, over there. Make sure all the soldiers over there are dead..."
"I! I confirmed it. They're all dead, so let's go quickly."
At Cloud's words, Aila shouted urgently.
At her words, Cloud nodded with an unreadable expression. There was no further questioning. That was the end.
Their carriage, which had dyed the pure white snowfield red, left the place in a hurry.
***
The incident in which soldiers at a checkpoint set up on a deserted road were annihilated turned the entire Peles Empire upside down.
This was because it was a major incident that revealed traces of the traitor, Byron Lionel Vito Peles, who had not even been found with a single clue for over 10 years.
Although no one who directly witnessed him has died, a synthesis of the survivors' testimonies leads to one conclusion.
It was a fact that Byron, who had been rumored to be dead, was indeed alive.
The people of the empire trembled in fear.
The fact that the heinous traitor who had attempted to kill his father but failed still roamed freely within this empire was so terrifying that parents of young children were forced to forbid them from going outside.
Rumors of a tragedy in the snow-covered plains spread wildly, but not all of it was true.
A rumor that didn't spread because the survivors' mouths were shut from above.
It was a story about a mysterious girl who was right in the middle of the battle.
A beautiful girl with silver hair and blue eyes, like a fairy of the snowy fields.
A child who flew around like a dance among men twice her size, disarming the soldiers one by one, and then disappeared after telling them to pretend to be dead if they wanted to live.
The one who silenced the survivors who witnessed the girl was none other than Alexia Dexen, a member of the Imperial Guard.
The soldiers put padlocks on their mouths at Alexia's words that if the child was captured by the rebels for some reason, it would be troublesome if rumors spread that the child had saved the soldiers' lives.
Because they shouldn't have put the benefactor who saved their lives in trouble.
There was a reason why she had told the soldiers, but the biggest reason why Alexia had kept their mouths shut was because of a request from her friend, the Duke of Weishaffen.
'I really thought Aila was being held captive by Byron.'
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