Chapter 4
The 1st Prince of the Bertel Empire, Albert Federka.
He was Arilleti’s first master. A garbage of a man who sucked her dry and then threw her away brutally.
“It seems they targeted the path our Junior Lord is taking to return to the Hezeite territory. The instruction is for everyone at the inn to prepare immediately and cross the Gringen Gorge!”
“Where is the Junior Lord now?!”
“He and Sir Tomvel are trying to shake off the pursuers. He ordered us to lure the enemies away from the entrance to the Gringen Gorge as much as possible, load the supplies, and cross the bridge first. He said he would follow right after!”
“Damn it!”
Dunken ripped the tablecloth off the table. He wrapped Arilleti in it and tied the ends of the cloth around the back of his neck. Arilleti was now clinging to him like a cicada on an old tree.
Oh? It looks like they’re taking me, too!
“Roel, protect Dr. Sergio. Tanesa, grab the gold chest and ride in the center. Everyone, full speed towards the Gringen Gorge!”
What’s with the gold chest, too?
The knights, who had been relaxed and friendly moments ago, moved like lightning.
As the knights, led by Dunken, charged out of the cabin, they saw Glenn Hezeite engaging the enemy far in the distance.
Arilleti, forgetting the urgency of the situation, gasped.
Transparent, high-purity sword energy beautifully decorated the snowfield.
‘Beautiful…’
The black-haired young man wielded a heavy greatsword like a pen, slicing down an enemy. Blood spurted into the air and scattered across the snow.
Glenn Hezeite wiped the bloodstain off his cheek with the back of his hand and glanced over.
Ah, their eyes met.
When Arilleti flinched and froze, the young man’s eyes narrowed slightly into a smile.
Did he just… smile at me?
“Wrap her up tighter, Sir. Don’t let the baby see anything nasty.”
Even from a distance, Glenn’s voice was clear. Arilleti sensed the aura in his voice. At this time, he must have already reached the rank of Sword Master, or at least be on the verge of it.
“No one is to be left behind, even if it means abandoning the supplies. Understood?”
“Abandon the supplies, Junior Lord?! If we abandon this, all our people in the territory will starve! We can’t give up either!”
Dunken, whose voice was booming, whipped his horse.
Immediately, a terrifying icy wind started hitting their backs.
When Arilleti came to her senses, she was running through the snow-covered wasteland at the head of the group with Dunken. Seeing their coordinated movements, it was clear that this was not their first ambush.
After all, the Hezeite knights were hardened rangers, seasoned by the cold climate and harsh environment. Unyielding military power. That was the strength of Hezeite. It was also the reason Arilleti had constantly kept them in check in her past lives.
But something was strange.
‘This is at least 10 years earlier than when I seriously started checking the Hezeite family. And if I’m five, that means Albert Federka is still a little kid, too.’
Since he was seven years older than her, Albert would only be twelve now. While Albert was clever and shrewd, it was unlikely that a twelve-year-old personally ordered an imperial military unit to launch a surprise attack.
That means there is someone else behind this.
‘It must be the Empress.’
Laureline Federka, Albert’s birth mother and the Empress of the Bertel Empire. She was the person Arilleti found most difficult to deal with in her first life, when she worked as Albert’s strategist. The Empress regarded Arilleti, who was favored by Albert, as a major thorn in her side. Arilleti vividly recalled the conversation between the mother and son who visited her in prison:
“We will soon receive Aril’s surrender, Mother. I have also already selected candidates to inherit the Sage’s power. You no longer need to worry.”
“You’ve made the right decision, Your Majesty. How could such a wicked, low-born girl ever be the Empress of Bertel? Now that you have made the correct choice, this mother can rest easy.”
“…I want to kill them, seriously.”
“Are you cold, baby?”
Dunken, who was vigorously whipping the horse, took off his fur beret and placed it snugly on Arilleti’s head.
“Just hang on a little longer. Once we quickly cross the Gringen Bridge, we’ll be in the North’s territory.”
It was counterproductive. The warmth on her head only made the fury surge. Empress Laureline and Albert, who was under her sway, had tortured Arilleti until she agreed to surrender the Sage’s power.
“Please save me, Your Highness, please, Your Highness, sob, cough…”
“Stop being stubborn, Arilleti. Do you want to part from me in a state worse than a beast?”
She wanted to slice his throat. She wanted to slap his annoying face until it exploded.
That human scum. That trash bastard. A piece of waste too awful to be compared to trash.
“You f**king bastard…”
“Oh? That was quite accurate just now.”
Dunken looked down at Arilleti with a confused expression. His brown hair, exposed because he gave her his hat, was freezing in the wind.
Arilleti turned her head to look forward.
The Gringen Gorge. A familiar name.
“Uncle, don’t go there.”
“What did you say?”
“You’re going to cross the Gringen Bridge in the gorge, aren’t you? Don’t go there. The army will already be lying in ambush.”
The person who had devised all sorts of schemes to keep the Hezeite Count family in check when she was Albert’s strategist was Arilleti herself. Although this period was much earlier than when she was active, she remembered a fact Albert had told her when they planned an attack on Hezeite:
“Isn’t there a bridge in this Gringen Gorge? It seems like a good place to lure them in, isolate them, and then cut the bridge.”
“They won’t fall for it. They were ambushed by Sir Bodapeti in the Gringen Gorge a long time ago.”
“So it’s a method that has already been used once.”
“Exactly. The Vice-Commander, who was his left-hand man, died then, and Glenn Hezeite himself miraculously survived after almost falling to his death. They aren’t stupid enough to fall into the same trap twice.”
She realized immediately.
‘The ambush he mentioned that happened a long time ago is happening today. It was the Empress’s plot.’
Given that Sir Tomvel and Glenn Hezeite survived, but the Vice-Commander—Dunken—died, it means that the people who arrive at the gorge first will be wiped out.
Arilleti stared up at Doris Dunken.
The fur hat he gave her was warm. This bundled cloth that held her tight was also warm. The sesame bread Tanesa handed her earlier was warm, too.
Everything was warm.
She shouldn’t trust warm things.
“An army is lying in ambush… Where did you learn to say things like that?”
“…”
“There, there, don’t worry, Little Sage. Uncle will protect you.”
Even as he spoke baby talk to Arilleti, Dunken’s eyes, watching his surroundings, were sharp.
Idiot. With such sharp eyes, why are you running towards your death?
They would never believe a five-year-old, no matter how much she babbled. That left only one option.
‘Needle (Baneul).’
A long, pointy object slipped out through the gap in the cloth wrapping Arilleti. It was an ornate needle, pointed at one end and round at the other.
The conceptual being, visible only to Arilleti, yelled sharply:
– Why are you calling me so much!
‘I need a favor.’
– A favor? What favor?! Huh?
The three needles trembled and then froze. The highly annoyed voice immediately softened.
– Not a command? Why are you asking so nicely, Master?
Arilleti’s companion needle was very simple.
Arilleti motioned with her chin towards the galloping horse.
‘Do what you do best. Do that for me.’
– That’s all I have to do? Then you won’t die?
I’ll think about that.
The Needle, delighted by just that, zoomed through the air. It struck the right flank of the horse with the blunt end, putting physical force into the hit. It made a solid smack sound.
Neigh!
The startled horse reared up on its hind legs.
“Whoa! What’s wrong with you, you idiot?”
Dunken was flustered and pulled the reins.
The horse, hit a few more times by the vigorously dancing Needle, violently swung its neck to the left, changing direction.
That’s right, that’s right. Good job!
“Sir Dunken? What are you… where are you going!”
“How should I know! Damn it, the rest of you hurry to Gringen…!”
Not a chance.
Two Needles flew toward Tanesa and Roel and struck the sides of their horses.
Smack-smack-smack-smack!
‘Good job, my Needle!’
The horses all simultaneously changed direction. The path shifted to the west in an instant. The Gringen Bridge, which had been faintly visible in the distance, moved farther away diagonally.
Dunken cried out in despair.
“No, if we go this way, we won’t be able to cross the gorge…!”
No, Uncle, you are going to safely cross the Gringen Bridge and reach the North.
Simply avoiding a trap isn’t always the smart move. Sometimes, the way to solve it is to run at full speed and jump over the trap. And as long as I’m here, the chance of success increases exponentially.
Arilleti pulled Dunken’s scarf and shouted sharply, “Run, Uncle! We’re going around to attack them from behind!”
