Chapter 4: LRPVL

The First Prince of the Bertel Empire, Albert Federka.

He had been Ariletti’s first master.

A trash-like bastard who sucked every last drop out of her before ruthlessly throwing her away.

“It seems they targeted the route Young Lord was taking back to the territory! Orders are for everyone at the inn to prepare immediately and cross Gringhen Gorge!”

“Where is Young Lord right now?!”

“He and Sir Tombel are shaking off the pursuers. He says he’ll lure the enemies as far from the entrance of Gringhen Gorge as possible, so we’re to load the supplies and cross the bridge first. He’ll follow right behind us!”

“Damn it all!”

Dunken yanked the tablecloth right off the table. He wrapped Ariletti up in it like a bundle and tied the ends behind his neck. Suddenly, Ariletti was hanging onto him like a cicada clinging to a tree trunk.

Huh? So they’re taking me along too?

“Roel, protect Doctor Sergio. Tanesa, take the gold chest and run in the center. Everyone, full speed toward Gringhen Gorge!”

What’s a gold chest?

The knights who had been lazily relaxing just moments ago sprang into action like lightning.

As the knights led by Dunken burst out of the cabin, Ariletti spotted Glenn Hezeit fighting enemies in the distance.

She forgot the urgency of the situation and stared with her mouth slightly open.

Transparent, pure sword aura beautifully embroidered the snowy field.

Beautiful…

The black-haired young man swung his massive greatsword as lightly as if it were a pen, cutting enemies down. Blood sprayed into the air and scattered across the snow.

Glenn Hezeit wiped the blood splattered on his cheek with the back of his hand and glanced this way.

Ah, our eyes met.

Ariletti froze for a moment, and the corners of the young man’s eyes curved slightly.

…Did he just smile at me?

“You should wrap her up more, Sir. The kid’s gonna see something nasty.”

Even from that distance, Glenn’s voice rang out clearly.

Ariletti could sense the aura carried in his voice. At this point in time, he had either already reached the level of Sword Master or was right on the verge of it.

“Even if we have to abandon the supplies, not a single person is to fall behind. Understood?”

“Abandon the supplies, Young Lord?! If we throw these away, our people will starve to death! We can’t give up either side!”

Dunken shouted thunderously and cracked his whip.

Soon, terrifying icy winds began slamming into the back of their heads.

Before she realized it, Ariletti was racing across the snow-covered wasteland at the head of the group alongside Dunken.

Judging by how coordinated everyone was, this clearly wasn’t their first ambush.

Well, of course. The Hezeit knights were rangers hardened by brutal cold and harsh conditions.

Overwhelming military strength.

That was the true power of House Hezeit.

And it was precisely why Ariletti had constantly feared them in her previous life.

But something felt strange.

This is at least ten years earlier than when I seriously started keeping Hezeit in check. And if I’m five years old right now, then Albert’s still just a kid too, isn’t he?

There was a seven-year age gap between them, which meant Albert was only twelve now.

Sure, Albert was sly and cunning, but it was hard to believe a twelve-year-old had personally mobilized imperial troops and ordered this ambush.

Which meant there was someone else pulling the strings.

The Empress.

Lorelline Federka.

Albert’s biological mother and the Empress of the Bertel Empire.

In her first life as Albert’s strategist, she had been the person Ariletti struggled against the most.

The Empress had despised Ariletti, who had received Albert’s favor. The conversation between mother and son when they visited Ariletti in prison resurfaced vividly in her mind.

“We’ll soon force Aril to surrender, Mother. I’ve already selected candidates to inherit the Sage’s power. You no longer need to harbor unnecessary suspicions.”

“You’ve made the right decision, Your Majesty. How could such a vile and lowborn woman ever deserve to become Empress of Bertel? Now that you’ve finally come to your senses, this mother can rest easy.”

“…I want to kill them. Seriously.”

“You cold, little one?”

While vigorously whipping the horse onward, Dunken took off his fur beret and pulled it snugly over Ariletti’s head.

“Just endure it a little longer. Once we cross Gringhen Bridge, the northern territory opens up.”

It backfired.

The warmth on the top of her head only made her anger flare hotter.

Empress Lorelline and Albert, wrapped tightly beneath her skirts, had tortured Ariletti until she agreed to surrender the Sage’s power.

“Please save me… save me, Your Highness. Your Highness, ngh… khk…!”

“Stop being stubborn, Ariletti. Do you really want to part from me looking less than human?”

I want to slit his throat.

I want to smack that smug face until both cheeks burst open.

Human garbage. Filthy bastard. Waste that doesn’t even deserve to be compared to trash.

“You son of a bi—”

“Huh? That sounded surprisingly accurate just now.”

Dunken looked down at Ariletti with an odd expression.

The brown hair revealed after removing his hat was freezing in the cutting wind.

Ariletti turned her head forward.

Gringhen Gorge. A familiar name.

“Mister, we can’t go there.”

“What?”

“You’re going to cross Gringhen Bridge, right? Don’t. There’s already an army waiting in ambush.”

Back when she served as Albert’s strategist, Ariletti herself had devised countless schemes to suppress House Hezeit.

Of course, this was far earlier than the era in which she had been active, but there was one thing Albert had once told her while planning an attack on Hezeit.

“Is there no bridge over Gringhen Gorge? If we lure them there, isolate them, and cut the bridge, wouldn’t that work?”

“They won’t fall for it. They were ambushed there once before by Lord Budafeti.”

“So it’s a tactic that’s already been used.”

“Exactly. Their vice-captain died then, and Glenn Hezeit himself barely survived falling off the cliff. They aren’t stupid enough to fall into the same trap twice.”

Ariletti realized it instantly.

So the ambush he mentioned from long ago… it was today. It was the Empress’s scheme.

Since Sir Tombel and Glenn Hezeit survived while the vice-captain Dunken died, that meant the group arriving at the gorge first would be completely wiped out.

Ariletti quietly looked up at Doris Dunken.

The fur hat he had placed on her head was warm. So was the cloth bundle wrapped around her. Even the sesame bread Tanesa had given her earlier.

Everything had been warm.

But warm things were exactly what she shouldn’t trust.

“There’s an army hiding there… where’d you even learn something like that?”

“……”

“There, there. Don’t worry, little Sage. Mister’ll protect you.”

Even while cooing at her in a childish tone, Dunken’s sharp eyes vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

Idiot. With eyes that sharp, why are you running away?

No matter how much a five-year-old shouted, nobody would believe her. In that case, there was only one option left.

Needle.

Something long and skewer-like slid out from the gaps in the cloth wrapped around Ariletti.

A fancy needle with one sharp end and one rounded end.

The conceptual being visible only to Ariletti shouted irritably.

—Why’re you calling me?!

I need a favor.

—A favor? What kind of— huh?

The three needles trembled before suddenly freezing.

Their angry voices instantly softened.

—Not an order? Since when are you asking so nicely, Masteeer?

Ariletti’s companion needles were remarkably simple-minded.

She jerked her chin toward the galloping horse.

You know that thing you’re good at? Do it.

—That’s all? Then you won’t die, right?

…I’ll think about that later.

The needle brightened immediately and zipped through the air. Then it smacked the horse’s right flank with the blunt end while infusing it with force.

Smack!

Hiiiiiing!

Startled, the horse reared up wildly.

“W-What’s gotten into this thing?!”

Panicking, Dunken yanked the reins.

After getting smacked several more times by the enthusiastically dancing needle, the horse sharply twisted its neck left and changed direction.

That’s right. Good job!

“Sir Dunken?! What are you doing?! Where are you going?!”

“Like hell if I know! Damn it, at least you guys hurry to Gringhen—!”

Not happening.

The other two needles flew toward Tanesa and Roel, smacking their horses from both sides.

Smack smack smack smack!

“That’s my good little needle!”

The horses all changed direction at once.

Their route shifted westward in an instant. The distant silhouette of Gringhen Bridge drifted farther away diagonally.

Dunken cried out in despair.

“No! At this rate, we won’t be able to cross the gorge—!”

No, mister. You are going to cross Gringhen Bridge safely and make it north.

Simply avoiding traps isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, the better option is to charge at full speed and leap right over them.

And as long as she was here, the odds of success would rise exponentially.

Ariletti tugged on Dunken’s scarf and shouted brightly,

“Ride, mister! We’re circling back to attack their rear!”