this chapter, we see a sliver of Lilliana’s prowess in battle. And Sana too.
How did it become like this?
My mind ran through a mental checklist, retracing our last movements to unravel the reason behind this strange turn of events.
Sana and I departed from the inn in the early morning, accompanied by the same wonderful weather from yesterday. There was much distance to cover until we would reach the territory, but we carried on without any troubleーthat isーuntil we found ourselves surrounded by these masked ruffians, which now leaves us in our current predicament.
I swallowed an exasperated sigh that nearly burst from my lips. I couldn’t fathom why this was happening to us. Various questions came to mind, but first and foremost, who are these people?
「…and thaーHey! Are you even listening?!」
One of them screamed out in a huff to garner my attention, but I couldn’t be bothered to even muster a shallow, half-hearted ‘apology’ to stroke their ego. However, the angry outburst did tip me offーwere the ones encircling us men? It wasn’t something I considered before, but any insight I could gather on these ‘road blocks’ would be most fortuitous.
Prior to our supposed entrapment, Sana and I trotted along on our horses and came across someone collapsed on the road. We feared the worst and dashed forth to check on their seemingly ailing condition. The two of us decided to send for aid at once as our residence was within close proximity, but when we rounded the corner on the main road, it was still and quietーstripped of all signs of life. And that’s when they made their move.
‘It was a set-up all along?’
I thought we were singled out as targets, born out of convenient opportunity, and not out of malicious intent.
It appears I was wrong.
The one who addressed us before barked for attention.
「Hey! You’re that Lady Lilliana, right? Look, I don’t have any personal beef with you, but it just so happens someone else does. What a shame! It’s bed-time for you ladies. Nighty-night!」
It wasn’t utter despair that made my mouth run dry, but pure disbelief.
Nighty-night?
Does this fool not hear what he speaks?
His childish threat stunned me for a brief moment, but I regained my senses and honed in on our surroundings. In total, there were eight of these masked assailants. I sensed no one else in hiding nor any sense of blood lust emanating from the shadows.
This was all of them.
How should I proceed from here?
Sana stood by my side, unnerved and awaiting my instructions. Our blatant disregard of the whole situation inflamed their already rising ire.
「Do you understand the danger you are in? We are gonna wipe you off the face of the earth! Just how idiotic do you have to be to let a nobleman’s daughter and her maid travel by themselves?!」
He drew a deep breath and shuddered as the tension left his frame. A smile replaced his once twisted expression.
「Well, not that I’m complaining. It makes the job a whole lot easier for me and my men. We’re gonna send you two down to the netherworld. Send my regards to my parents!」
At the end of his spiel, they swooped down to attack.
‘Before I return home, shall I remind them of their place?’
Although they had the benefit of a preemptive strike, I could tell that our opponents lacked proper combat training. It was clear they didn’t utilize their numbers to their utmost advantage. The hodgepodge mess they called a group attack was laughable; there was no unity among them and there were literal holes in their formation as each member stumbled towards us at different speeds and intervals.
I turned my head, and with the slightest nod, I gave Sana the signal to meet their blades with our own.
Let’s show them how it’s done.
With no hesitation, Sana withdrew her concealed weapon. I favored the sword, but Sana’s personal choice was the whip. However, it does have a particular drawback whenever she wields it.
「Plotting harm against Lady Lilliana… how dare you! Grovel on the cold hard ground and beg for forgiveness! Oh, you can be rest assured that I’ll be the reason that makes you dread the day you were born into this world!」
She all but screamed to the heavensーher vehement promise invoking a new, or perhaps, dormant side of Sana.
It’s for the best that I leave her to her own devices whenever her whip lies within her hands.
Unlike Sana, I don’t use such…passionate words to communicate what I want to say. My blade does that for me. I followed Sana’s momentum and went on the offensive, striking one of the masked ruffians in an instant. I left him no chance to parry the blow and he fainted after our one exchange. Rather than an actual duel, this was akin to trimming a lone bush.
And in a blink of an eye, the only one left standingーwho appeared to be their leaderーwas the man who conversed with us since the beginning of this whole debacle.
「Wh-what is this?! This isn’t what we were told! She was supposed to be just a weak nobleman’s daughter…」
He turned on his heels and bolted, abandoning his fellow comrades to save his own hide. But, he was too slow. Sana lashed at his exposed back with all her might.
「GYAH!」
His curdling scream was muffled as he toppled over, face down and motionless.
And another one bites the dust.
Sana’s skill here proves that she has gotten better at handling the whip, but it made me wonder. When did she have the time to practice?
I shook my head. This wasn’t the time to ponder over that.
Our so-called battle came to an end. Who was foolish enough to challenge us?
My eyes flicked to the unconscious bodies littered on the ground.
That’s rightーthem. A mere hindrance that had to be sorted out like cumbersome luggage.
But despite everything, we weren’t able to find out who was aiming for my life. It was troublesome, to say the least. Perhaps our masked assailants’ identities could offer us some answers?
I reached out to remove their masks, but Sana intercepted me.
「Your hand will be sullied if you touch them. Allow me.」
She ripped the masks with such force that I feared she took their faces as well.
‘Uh, Sana? Shouldn’t you use less force? Take a look at their necks. It’s contorting in such an off-putting manner. Is this…because of whiplash?’
My inner thoughts did nothing to tame her zeal and soon enough, their faces were laid bare to us. We stared for a long while, but nothing came to mind. Sana and I had no inkling of who they could be, let alone who hired them.
All of them were unconscious at moment, but it was only a matter of time til they regained their senses and resumed their attack. We wanted to avoid the trouble, so we decided to borrow just enough of their own rope to restrain them. We bound their hands and feet behind their backs, coiling the rope multiple times to ensure its security.
I believed it was a satisfactory safety measurement on my part. However, once I relayed my account to Mother, she became quite angry with me.
Nevertheless, what I needed to do now was arrange their retrieval which meant I had to head directly to our territory.
I finally let out the sigh that I had been holding in for so long.
I endured great pains just to have the opportunity to return to our estate, but I thought it was worth all the trouble for all the joy I would experience on my journey home. Certainly, our trip has been eventful, but only full of superfluous obstacles. What I wanted was to slow down and smell the proverbial roses, but I no longer have that luxury.
Sana volunteered to stay behind and stand guard while I would ride on ahead to send for help. A generous gesture, but not one that I would acceptーshe still held her whip and I worried about the consequences if she were left alone in this state.
Our last minute solution was straightforward: gather all of the ruffians, fasten them to a nearby large tree, and then rush to the territory.
Sana and I pushed ourselves to the limit, and as a result, we arrived in about thirty minutes. We wasted no time alerting the head of the guard of our situation. Together with Sana, the pair rode off towards the scene of the crime.
I remained behind and decided to meet with Mother. I was already here, so I might as well inform her of what happened on our journey.
I started this journey with a heart brimming with cheer and delight, but now that I’ve reached the end, I don’t feel such joy at all.