RXN 02

Chapter 2

“My lady, you must hurry. We need to get to the port as quickly as possible.”

Jacob urged Roxanne, who hesitated, unable to tear herself away. Finally, Roxanne steeled her heart and mounted her horse. Jacob took the lead and began to gallop forward.

“My lady, the castle…”

At Anna’s voice, Roxanne turned around and saw Shengart engulfed in flames rising here and there. Tears welled up in her eyes, making the sight of the burning castle appear distorted. This forest was called the Forest of Darkness because even during the day, the tall and dense trees prevented light from penetrating, but tonight, it was brightly lit by the flames of the burning castle.

She wanted to turn her horse around and return to the castle immediately, but Roxanne gritted her teeth. The treacherous Marquess of Crottin would have already sent a pursuit team to capture her. If she were caught here, she would fall into his hands, and he would surely use her mother as a hostage to manipulate her as he pleased. The best course of action was to reach her maternal family, the Grand Duchy of Altenburg, as quickly as possible, report the emergency in Shengart, and ask for help. Forcing herself to turn her head away from the castle, Roxanne pulled her cloak hood down low.

“Let’s go. We must hurry.”

The brushing branches left scratches all over her body, painful and stinging, but instead of slowing down, she gritted her teeth and spurred her horse even faster. There was no doubt that something had happened to her father, who had gone to the palace for an audience with the King. Otherwise, even Marquess of Crottin, backed by the King, would not have dared to trample Shengart, the stronghold of the House of Marcel, so swiftly.

*’Is Mother safe? What about my brothers?’*

The faces of her smiling mother and kind brothers came to mind. The thought that she might never see them again made the bridge of her nose sting, but Roxanne shook her head, pushing away the complicated thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell on emotions — it was important to escape this place safely. At the port, a ship would be waiting to take her to Altenburg. Once she boarded that ship, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Her maternal grandfather had passed away, but her uncle, who had become the new Grand Duke of Altenburg, would not abandon his sister, her mother.

*’Marquess of Crottin, remember this humiliation well — I will surely repay you for it.’*

By the time she arrived at the port after riding non-stop, the eastern sky was already growing pale.

“There is the ship.”

Looking where Jacob pointed, a small caravel was waiting. Though small in size, the caravel was actually more advantageous for economical and swift movement. As soon as the three boarded, the ship unfurled its sails fully, raised the anchor, and glided out to sea. After a while, when the ship had safely entered the open ocean, the captain came out personally and courteously greeted Roxanne.

“Lady Roxanne, I will see you safely to Altenburg.”

“Thank you.”

“You must be exhausted after riding all night. Please go down to the cabin and rest.”

Even without Jacob’s urging, it felt like a miracle that she was still standing, but the physical fatigue was nothing compared to the emotional shock she had endured. Thinking that she might have lost her entire family was unbearable.

“No! That can’t be. My brothers must have escaped somehow. Their swordsmanship is second to none. They’ll be safe until reinforcements arrive.”

Tossing and turning, trying to shake off the horrible thoughts, and struggling with unfamiliar seasickness, Roxanne finally fell asleep.

—

The Kingdom of Rein was located in the northwest of the Daonia continent. It outwardly occupied vast territory, but most of it was rugged mountain ranges, and the habitable plains and commercial hubs were all in the hands of the nobles. Based on the enormous taxes they collected from their domains, the nobles held power rivaling the throne, and the House of Marcel was at the center of the noble faction.

Shengart, the territory of the House of Marcel, was the only ice-free port in the northern part of the kingdom. Due to the rugged terrain of the north, reaching the south required crossing steep mountains, but using sea routes made travel much easier. Thanks to this, Shengart was nicknamed the Northern Capital, and as the only ice-free port in the north where winter arrived early, it reaped enormous profits from trade.

For this reason, there was no one who did not covet Shengart, but the power of Duke Marcel was so great that no one dared to challenge it. Moreover, the House of Marcel was the closest collateral branch of the Hecken royal family, treated almost like royalty at court, and maintained good relations with the late King. That was why the new King, immediately upon ascending the throne, had sent Marquess of Crottin to eliminate Duke Marcel, the head of the noble faction — it was an unexpected surprise attack, driven by the young King’s will to consolidate royal authority. The Kingdom of Rein was entering a new phase with the young King’s reformist will.

Several duchies or grand duchies formed a coalition along the borders of the Kingdom of Rein, and one of them was the Grand Duchy of Altenburg. Unlike the other duchies that accumulated wealth through transit trade but nominally remained subordinate to the Kingdom of Rein and served its King as their liege lord, Altenburg — though ruled by a Grand Duke — was a completely independent state. The Grand Duchy of Altenburg allied with small nations scattered across the central continent to protect its rights against surrounding powerful nations.

If the Kingdom of Rein was the hegemon of the northern continent, it was the Run Empire that had conquered the south. The ruler of the vast, endless territory stretching south and east across the Daonia continent was the Emperor, the master of the Run Empire. The Run Empire had a culture completely different from the northern Kingdom of Rein, but as the Kingdom expanded eastward and the Empire expanded northward, there was no particular conflict between the two nations. Moreover, the two civilizations were separated by vast seas and deserts, so no direct diplomatic relations or trade took place.

For this reason, since ancient times, nomadic merchants who traveled between deserts and seas, along with the small and medium-sized states located in the central continent, were able to reap enormous profits through transit trade connecting the two nations. However, as navigation techniques gradually developed, ships from the Run Empire and the Kingdom of Rein increasingly encountered each other in the Benetus Sea, and curiosity about each other was gradually accompanied by wariness.

Pirates also played a part in this. Pirates established bases along the coast and engaged in plunder and human trafficking targeting merchant ships of the continent. Unlike the Kingdom of Rein, which had a rigid class system, the Run Empire strictly prohibited by law the enslavement of its own people by one another. Therefore, pirates kidnapped people from the northern continent and took them to the slave market in Cordia, the capital of the Run Empire.

Among those taken to the slave market, most men were sent to row galleys or various labor camps to be exploited, while women were sold as playthings or maids to the wealthy. Many would end their lives as slaves, while some were freed after their master’s death. If fortunate, women might be sold to the imperial palace and become the Emperor’s concubines, living in luxury. Men might be taken to the palace and trained as soldiers, officials, or eunuchs — depending on their abilities, there had even been slaves who rose to the position of prime minister. This fundamental emphasis on individual ability over birth status was the biggest difference from the northern Kingdom of Rein.

The sea journey from Shengart to Altenburg took four full days, and sometimes more depending on sea conditions. The sea, which had been calm as a gentle lamb during the day, suddenly began to rage like a savage beast at night. Unaccustomed to sailing, Roxanne clung to the bed — the heaviest piece of furniture — to steady herself in the rocking cabin. She repeated deep breaths to calm her fearful and tense mind, but it had little effect. Anna, who was beside her, could no longer endure the fear and eventually opened the door and rushed out of the cabin. Thinking that it didn’t matter whether she was in the cabin or on deck — it was equally rough either way — Roxanne eventually chose fresh air and headed to the deck.

The waves were much rougher than expected, and as soon as she stepped onto the deck, her clothes were thoroughly soaked. The feeling of the salty seawater hitting her face was extremely unpleasant, but calming her queasy stomach was more urgent. She had already vomited several times and had nothing left to throw up, but she still felt bitter bile rising, making her frown. At any other time, someone would have worriedly patted her back and brought her medicine, attending to her needs, but now the sailors were all in a state of emergency and had no time for that. After expelling even the bitter stomach acid, she felt weak but at least somewhat relieved.

Wiping her salt-sprayed face and straightening her back, Roxanne was about to return to the cabin when she stopped and narrowed her eyes, staring ahead. Though she couldn’t see clearly, something pale was approaching their ship across the pitch-black sea.

“Anna, do you see that too? Something is coming toward us. And at great speed.”

Anna stared intently at where Roxanne was pointing and tilted her head.

“I see a flag, but it looks strange.”

“What’s strange about it?”

Squinting at the flag, Roxanne’s face turned pale.

> *”Jolly Roger!”*

The black flag with a white skull and crossed swords was unmistakably the Jolly Roger — raising that flag was a declaration that they intended to attack the ship. Beyond the flag, a galleon, incomparably larger than the caravel Roxanne was on, slowly revealed its massive form from the darkness.

“No!”

Startled, Roxanne frantically searched the deck for the captain. The moment she finally spotted him, the ship lurched against a wave, and Roxanne’s body swayed and slipped. Fortunately, Jacob, who was standing next to the captain, firmly caught her waist, saving her from an embarrassing fall.

“It’s dangerous here. My lady should remain in the cabin.”

“Yes, I know. But I have something to tell you. I saw the Jolly Roger over there. It was approaching our ship.”

The captain’s face hardened instantly. He walked to where Roxanne pointed, confirmed it with his telescope, and handed it to Jacob beside him, nodding. Jacob, who also confirmed the pirate ship through the telescope, darkened considerably, but he turned to Roxanne and forced a smile.