The morning after spending a night at Antares’ camp, Lieselotte awoke to sunlight streaming through the gaps in her tent. She felt surprisingly refreshed, with little fatigue remaining, as if she hadn’t just spent the night outdoors.
“It must be thanks to the fragrant wood. I must express my gratitude to Sir Antares again.”
While speaking to herself, Lieselotte glanced at Chris, who was seated next to her with her eyes closed. She had been so tired that she had fallen asleep almost imdiately upon lying down. But just before she did, Chris had entered the tent and placed a drawstring pouch filled with fragrant wood beside her pillow.
She had learned at that ti that the fragrant wood was a gift given to Chris by Antares. Not only had he treated Weiss’s injuries, but he had also provided them with a warm al and a safe place to sleep. Moreover, the fragrant wood ensured them a peaceful sleep. Lieselotte was far from an arrogant noble, and she was always mindful of the kindness she received from others.
“Young lady, are you awake?”
“Oh, did I wake you? I’m sorry.”
The sound of Lieselotte stirring had awakened Chris as well. She apologized for waking her, but Chris didn’t mind at all.
As a guard, she was trained to wake up instantly at any sign of disturbance. It was a natural response for her to wake up to the sounds and movents of soone nearby. Besides, it wouldn’t be acceptable for a guard to indulge in deep sleep when their master was awake.
“Is Hilda outside?”
“Yes, she should be on night watch.”
As guards, Chris and Hilda didn’t believe Antares and his group harbored any ill will against them. However, they felt more at ease being vigilant than not. Driven by an impulse that could be described as a kind of occupational hazard, they took turns standing guard outside the tent.
As if sensing that the two of them were already awake inside the tent, Hilda peeked her face through the tent’s entrance, which had been rolled up. She then entered while yawning widely.
“Yaaawn… Good morning, young lady. You seem to have slept well.”
“Yes, I’m feeling much better.”
Once inside the tent, Hilda had only her sword slung at her waist. She had removed her heavy armor and wasn’t carrying her large round shield. The night watch was rely a formal precaution.
And the sa was true for Chris. Although she hadn’t removed her large gauntlets that covered both arms and her weapon, she had taken off her chestplate.
“That’s great. So, what ti shall we depart? Weiss’s injuries are mostly healed, so we can leave today.”
The first thing Hilda asked Lieselotte upon waking was about their departure ti. Leo’s mother, Sharl, was skilled in healing spiritual arts, and Weiss’s wound had already closed. The horse had actually even recovered enough to walk the day before.
While it might not be a full recovery, Weiss could probably manage to pull the carriage until they reached the royal capital, Gaelia. Hilda honestly explained the situation and sought Lieselotte’s decision.
“In that case… no, let’s stay until Weiss is fully healed. It would be counterproductive to rush and risk her wounds reopening.”
At first, Lieselotte thought they should set out as soon as Weiss was able to move. She needed to check on her great-aunt’s condition and return to the Kingdom of Harlasia as quickly as possible.
However, healing spiritual arts were not omnipotent. Even the most skilled healers needed to observe their patients for several days, as complete recovery might appear so but not be fully realized.
While warriors could enhance their natural healing by raising their fighting spirit, this was difficult for Weiss, who was a horse. Lieselotte decided they would depart only once Weiss was fully recovered.
“Alright. Then we need to talk to Antares. We have to negotiate the cost of our extended stay too.”
“Yes, let’s go to him.”
After Lieselotte got dressed, the three stepped out of the tent. Many people in the camp were already awake, chatting and laughing together. Noticing Lieselotte and the others, they greeted them with smiles and waves.
“Hey, you three! Did you get so good sleep last night?”
The first to address them was Tgar, the large man with fierce-looking eyes. He was busy tending to his huge sword, which was almost as tall as he was. Beside him were the two young boys and one girl who had avoided Lieselotte the day before.
They were about to rise when they noticed Lieselotte, but since they were in the middle of maintaining their weapons and unable to leave their task unfinished, they reluctantly stayed put.
“Yes, thank you very much. I believe I haven’t t the three of you before. My na is Lieselotte.”
“Heh, we aren’t looking to cozy up to nobility… Ow! That hurtsl!?”
“You, idiot Julius! M-my apologies; please forgive him!”
The boy nad Julius spat out his words venomously. Before Lieselotte could even process his rudeness as disrespect, she was taken aback by the sudden action of the girl. The girl, who had been maintaining her weapon, punched Julius on the head and then bowed repeatedly. Simultaneously, she grabbed Julius’s head, forcing him to bow as well.
Lieselotte knew that many commoners both feared and hated the nobility. She was aware that there were indeed nobles who ruthlessly exploited the common people.
She herself, to ensure her uncle didn’t lose his position as her guardian, had been implenting policies to prevent her people from falling into poverty. Therefore, the number of her subjects who hated her was likely minimal. However, in the royal capital where she usually lived, there were countless people who had co from their impoverished hotowns. Though they didn’t verbally or physically express it, Lieselotte had often experienced their baseless resentnt.
“It doesn’t bother . I am aware that there are those who despise the nobility.”
“The young lady is kind, but if you behave like that towards other nobles, you may lose your head.”
Contrary to Lieselotte, who forgave him with a laugh, Hilda, with a vein popping on her forehead, sternly warned Julius. Her voice was noticeably lower than usual. Chris said nothing, but her gaze had beco sharper.
It didn’t seem like Julius felt intimidated, but he appeared to have realized he was at fault. He then snorted and sheathed his weapon before walking away. The girl, who had made Julius bow, gave one more quick bow before following after him.
Contrary to their expectations, the last boy didn’t follow after them. He continued to maintain his weapon. It seed like he didn’t always accompany the boy and girl.
“Sorry about that. He’s got so bad mories with nobles, it seems.” Tigar said.
“And what about you? You don’t seem to hate nobles that much…”
“? For us, whether they’re nobles or commoners, it doesn’t make much difference. After all, we were lower than that.”
“What…!?”
Tigar apologized for Julius’ behavior with a wry smile, which caused Hilda to ask him about his thoughts. Then, Tigar dropped a bombshell casually, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
He claid that they were not just below nobles but even lower than commoners. This ant that Tigar and his group were essentially slaves. Furthermore, since they didn’t seem to be serving anyone currently, it was almost certain that they were runaway slaves.
“Surprised? So, do you despise us now?”
“I would never do such a thing.”
Tigar’s question seed like a test, but Lieselotte responded without hesitation; she was clearly stating her genuine feelings. Her gaze as she looked at Tigar was so straightforward that everyone present could understand her sincerity.
“It’s not a lie. Because… right?”
“Yes, indeed. I was once a slave myself.”
“What?”
Tigar was now the one caught off guard by Chris’s unexpected revelation. He hadn’t anticipated that a noble lady’s guard could be soone of such humble origin.
The practice of judging individuals for who they are, regardless of their low status, is easier said than done, and very few actually do it. The others around couldn’t help but be impressed.
“You too, huh? I guess there are surprisingly many people like that.”
“Are there more people out there who are as strange as the young lady?”
“Yes. Later I will…”
“Good morning, Liese.”
When Tigar was about to speak, Lappy hopped over to Lieselotte’s side. Until that mont, Lieselotte’s face had been tense, but upon seeing Lappy, it softened into a gentle expression.
Since the serious atmosphere had faded, Tigar stopped the conversation and focused on maintaining his weapon. Lappy, who had been frolicking with Lieselotte, suddenly stopped and began to gaze up at Chris intently.
“What’s the matter?”
“What’s that?”
Chris knelt to et Lappy’s eyes and asked her that question. In response, Lappy pointed at her chest. Upon a closer look, there was a string around Chris’s neck and a round-shaped protrusion at the chest area of her clothing. It was clear that she was wearing sothing around her neck.
Faced with Lappy’s innocent eyes that were sparkling with curiosity, Chris smiled gently and drew the string around her neck closer before taking sothing out of her chest to show Lappy. It was a small bracelet made of a black, glossy, yet non-tallic, mysterious fiber.
The bracelet, although uniquely lustrous, was solely black in color and not adorned with jewels or precious tals. The only decoration was a small scorpion figurine perched atop it. To be frank, it was rather plain, and it didn’t seem like sothing that would appeal to young girls.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Hehe, thank you. This is very important to .”
“Is that so? May I touch it?”
“Yes, but please be careful not to break it, okay?”
Yet, in Lappy’s eyes, the bracelet seed beautiful. There is no one who would not be happy to receive complints on sothing they own, especially if it is sothing very important to them. Chris who was happy, stroked Lappy’s head and brought the small bracelet closer to her as requested.
Perhaps because she was warned not to break it, Lappy touched the bracelet very carefully. She ran her fingers over its surface and held it up to the sunlight. Although Lappy was usually expressionless, it was clear to everyone that she was very happy with the bracelet.
“Thank you. It was beautiful.”
“You’re welco.”
“Mmm… Chris, you’ve stolen Lappy from .” Lieselotte said.
“What do you an I’ve stolen her, young … lady!?”
At that mont, while this gentle and heartwarming exchange was taking place, a chilling aura of killing intent enveloped the entire campsite. The violent aura and spiritual power were so intense that they created a physical pressure, rendering Lieselotte, Chris, Hilda, and even Lappy montarily unable to move.
Amidst this fierce aura, Tigar stood up, wielding the great sword he had just been maintaining. All traces of ease had vanished from his face. His gaze was fixed intently on one point.
“Hey, hey… this is not a funny joke, Boss.”
The focus of Tigar’s gaze was a person radiating an aura of fighting spirit and spiritual power so intense it seed to warp the surrounding scenery. That person was Antares.
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