WDWAE 06

 Chapter 06

The sound of clashing metal shook the silent forest. Arsak tore off the cumbersome fluttering hem of her dress with the tip of her blade, then struck the nose of a bandit charging from behind with the sword’s hilt.

As he clutched his blood-soaked face and rolled on the ground, she drove her sword straight into his body, and bright red blood splattered all over Arsak.

‘His Majesty Erich will absolutely never be able to seat this woman as empress.’

Watching Arsak swing her sword with astonishing speed, drenched in blood from head to toe, Theodor thought this.

Even he—who had grown up treating weapons like toys and had few who could match him in swordsmanship—was not confident he could easily win if he faced Arsak one-on-one.

Arsak’s movements were unpredictable. There were no rules. Yet they were terrifyingly precise and fierce.

“Get up!”

Theodor shouted as he swung his sword. The panicked soldiers came to their senses and straightened their formation. Even as this happened, Arsak was cutting down enemies rushing from all sides with movements that had not a single wasted motion.

‘Is she really the chief’s daughter? Not an assassin Torggal raised with all their might?’

Whether he wanted to or not, Theodor kept losing focus because of Arsak. The number of bandit groups hiding throughout the area surpassed imagination, but Arsak—who wove through them, cutting them down swiftly without even a single break in her breathing—was even more unexpected.

When her face briefly flashed past, Theodor was horrified to see a smile resembling delight rising at the corner of her mouth.

‘This woman—is she actually enjoying this situation?’

Theodor thought.

At that moment, Arsak’s body leaped nimbly upward.

Stepping on the shoulder of a bandit whose legs had been cut off below the knee, Arsak sprang up and savagely kicked the head of the one behind him. Not with her toes, but precisely with her heel.

As the massive body of the bandit kicked in the temple staggered, Arsak drove her sword down into his shoulder blade as if impaling him, then used it as a support to leap up once more.

These were movements that simply could not come out of anyone not completely insane.

Theodor, who had been staring blankly at Arsak drenched in blood from head to toe, swung his sword at a bandit charging at him.

The bandits’ numbers rapidly dwindled. After the few remaining stragglers fled screeching unpleasant screams, Theodor looked down at the corpses strewn across the road and the streams of blood flowing like a crimson river with empty eyes.

“…Confirm the number of dead and gather the wounded.”

“Understood, Sir Theodor.”

After the soldier withdrew with a bewildered expression, Theodor finally raised his head and looked at Arsak. She was surrounded by corpses.

Her beautifully styled hair had long since become a tangled mess, and the dress made of fine fabric was completely torn, revealing her undergarments.

“Sir Theodor! The luggage…!”

“What?”

A soldier who had run over breathlessly bowed with an ashen face. Most of the luggage loaded on the carts had been stolen during the chaos of the battle.

The carriage Arsak and Rosanna had been riding in also had its wheel axle completely broken and could no longer move. While the soldiers struggled to calm the surviving horses that were running wild, Theodor looked once more at Arsak’s appearance and made a despairing expression.

“Feels refreshing.”

At Arsak’s words, not only Theodor but even the soldiers flinched and stared at her with horrified expressions. But Arsak paid them no mind and lightly swung the greatsword in her hand to shake off the blood.

“What are you looking at?”

“…Lady Arsak, are you… not injured?”

“I’m fine. Where’s Rosanna?”

There was a rustling sound from the bushes. Rosanna, pale as death and trembling, appeared with a soldier.

“Rosanna, are you all right?”

“……”

Arsak asked, but Rosanna could not speak, her frightened lips trembling. Theodor said,

“She seems shocked.”

“Well, that’s understandable. That bastard’s breath was no joke. Even just opening the door, the smell was so bad.”

Arsak nodded with a calm attitude. Theodor, about to retort that bad breath was not the important matter right now, shook his head with a tired expression.

“…Please mount the horse. The carriage can no longer be used.”

“That’s why I told you to let me ride a horse from the beginning.”

Arsak said. Theodor, wearing an expression of inexplicable irritation, watched Arsak leap lightly onto the horse’s back. Beneath the torn dress hem, within the undergarments revealed, her long straight legs kicked vigorously at the horse’s flank.

“There’s a valley a bit further up. Wash off the blood there.”

Theodor could not even bring himself to look directly at Arsak. Indeed, the sound of flowing water could be heard—perhaps there was a waterfall. Arsak, casually pushing back her blood-matted, sticky hair, glanced sideways at Theodor.

“You look like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have.”

‘She knows.’

“…I was surprised. Where did you learn such swordsmanship…”

“Living as a wanderer is more dangerous than you’d think. Different from hothouse flowers like you.”

Arsak said mockingly. Theodor briefly looked affronted, but by her standards, he was indeed a hothouse flower. Though he was the Emperor’s guard, he had never properly been to war.

“…Do you only handle the sword?”

“The sword is what I handle second best.”

Second best. He didn’t even want to know what was first.

“The bow is better than the sword. But in a situation like just now, it’s more advantageous to use a sword than a bow.”

“Within the palace, no one except trained soldiers is permitted to handle a bow.”

“Why, are you telling me because you’re worried I might assassinate the Emperor from the rooftop?”

This person would absolutely do it. Theodor resolved to strengthen the security around Erich the moment they returned.

—

“Y-Your Majesty.”

“What? Stop trembling.”

At Erich’s cold tone, the chamberlain’s face turned pale.

He had run down the long corridor praying for the Emperor’s good mood, but apparently the gods had no intention of taking the chamberlain’s side today.

Whatever the Emperor’s mood, catering to him was the chamberlain’s role, but dealing with a displeased Erich could not be easy for anyone.

“P-please, j-just, …just a moment.”

“What is it?”

“Sir Th-Theodor has a-arrived. He will be p-passing through the palace gates s-soon…”

“And? What? Why are you trembling like that? Do you owe Theodor a debt?”

“Th-that’s not it… it’s just that the c-candidate bride that Sir Th-Theodor brought, that is…”

Erich’s body shot up. The chamberlain, looking as though he might foam at the mouth and collapse, could not even move and kept his head bowed.

“Did he fail to bring the candidate bride?”

“N-no… not that. He b-brought her.”

“Then what’s the problem? If you stutter one more time, I’ll cut out your tongue.”

“Your Majesty must see her d-directly…”

The chamberlain’s voice trembled. He was on the verge of bursting into tears. Erich, with an expression of rising irritation, passed through the corridor and went outside.

The gate entering the imperial palace opened, and a procession approaching from afar could be seen. Besides Erich, people had gathered here and there.

“There’s no carriage.”

Erich’s voice lowered. The chamberlain kept silent, not daring to raise his head. The sound of hooves drew closer, and a torn flag entered his field of vision first. Then Erich’s eyes widened greatly.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

The moment he dismounted, Theodor bowed deeply toward Erich.

But Erich had no presence of mind to receive Theodor’s greeting. He was staring intently only at Arsak, who sat atop the horse—her hair completely disheveled and wearing rags.

She had at least covered her exposed undergarments with dirty cloth, but it was obvious even without looking what state the clothing beneath was in.

“Explain.”

Erich said in a low voice. Theodor clenched his cold hands tightly, then answered with his head bowed.

“We were ambushed by a bandit group on the mountain path. It was a surprise attack and they were numerous, so several soldiers died, and we lost the carriage and luggage.”

“And so you came all the way here looking like that?”

“…There was no choice due to time constraints, Your Majesty.”

“No choice due to time constraints. That could be so. But that woman doesn’t seem to feel any shame about this situation.”

Erich glared directly at Arsak’s face. Even though she must have known he was the Emperor, she was still mounted on the horse, looking down at Erich.

“Did you go blind from being attacked by bandits?”

“Pardon? N-no… Rosanna, hurry and assist Lady Arsak.”

Theodor, finally realizing the situation, gestured urgently. Rosanna, frozen pale as death, hurriedly approached Arsak.

But Arsak, as if she needed no help from Rosanna, lightly leaped down from the horse still wrapped in the dirty cloth all over her body. Small horrified gasps burst out here and there.

“Take her to the detached palace immediately. Wash her clean and make her come to her senses.”

“I am in my right mind, Your Majesty.”

Arsak’s voice caught the back of Erich’s neck as he turned away.

Theodor felt like rushing over and covering her mouth. In fact, everyone present must have felt that impulse.

Erich slowly turned his head. Even before the Emperor glaring at her with a chilling gaze, Arsak’s attitude was not just confident but downright shameless.

“To subordinates who drove out the vermin gnawing away at the empire’s subjects, your praise is far too stingy.”

Arsak said. Rosanna, her head bowed, closed her eyes in despair.

“I’ll give you one chance.”

Erich’s voice rang out coldly.