Chapter 54
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t heard all the things being said about her until now.
Any other child would have burst into tears or turned red with anger in such a situation, yet Ariel’s crimson eyes, fixed calmly on the knights, betrayed no such emotion.
Meeting that gaze, which gave no hint of what she was thinking, sent a chill down the back of their necks for some reason.
However, the knights shook their heads, denying the strange sensation creeping over them.
What the hell? Did I just flinch because of a kid? What am I, a monster?
Is she even a kid? What kind of child has eyes like that? Gives me the creeps.
Ariel looked at the knights of House Clasta and spoke.
“It’s just a story from a novel anyway, right? Don’t mind me—keep talking.”
At Ariel’s words, the knights of the Reben Order burst out laughing.
“Haha, exactly. Just some cheap, popular tale floating around the market.”
“Of course. Nothing the young lady should concern herself with.”
The Reben knights sneered inwardly at Ariel.
Guess a kid is just a kid after all.
Got tense for nothing. Still… those eyes are the problem.
Upon closer inspection, Ariel looked like an ordinary girl.
With the small, pale face holding the bouquet of flowers they’d given her, they couldn’t help but smile.
Thinking they had been scared for nothing, the knights raised their voices even more.
“So then, the story goes that…”
At that moment, something sharp grazed the cheek of the knight who had just opened his mouth.
“What the—?”
When the knight touched his cheek, crimson blood smeared his fingers.
He turned his head and saw a flower embedded in the wall beside him.
…A flower?
The stem of a flower was so thin and fragile that even a child could snap it, and it would sway in the gentlest breeze.
Yet this flower’s stem had sunk deep into the stone wall—almost as if the flower had bloomed out of the wall itself.
When he turned toward the direction it had flown from, he saw Ariel twirling a flower between her fingers as she asked:
“What’s wrong? I told you to keep talking.”
Seeing that, the Reben knights felt a surge of stubborn pride.
So the martial arts tournament winner has a few tricks up her sleeve, huh?
Even so, she was still a child.
No matter how skilled a child might be, there was no comparing her to grown men like them.
Fine then. You wanna play? Let’s play.
One of the Reben knights ground his teeth.
Her attitude only made him more determined.
“So anyway, that commoner girl in the novel had no sense of manners at all…”
All their attention focused on Ariel.
Just a flower?
No matter how many she threw, it was meaningless if they blocked them.
Ariel flicked the flower she was holding like a dart.
Here it comes!
The knight heightened his senses with mana, sharpening every nerve in his body.
His hand brushed the stem of the flower.
He was ready to snatch it out of the air and crush the arrogant brat’s pride—
Whoosh!
But contrary to his expectations, the flower Ariel had thrown sliced his hand as it passed.
“Argh!”
Blood dripped from his fingers as though he’d grabbed a blade.
Ariel, still perfectly calm, twirled another flower between her fingers.
“Why’d you stop talking? I said keep going.”
The knights now looked at her with wary eyes, a stark contrast to before.
What kind of kid is this…?
Was the martial arts tournament winner always this strong?
“Don’t feel like talking? Fine, forget it.”
Whish! Whish!
Flowers shot from Ariel’s hand, grazing the knights’ cheeks and arms.
They tried to block them, but it was useless.
The more they flailed trying to avoid the flowers, the more ridiculous they looked.
The knights of House Clasta, watching the scene, burst into laughter.
“What’s this? Are they seriously dodging flowers?”
“This is killing me. If they’re scared of flowers, how did they ever fight monsters?”
The Reben knights’ faces flushed bright red.
They knew how ridiculous they looked, flailing to dodge flowers.
But with the flowers embedding themselves deep into the walls every time they hit, how could they dismiss them as mere flowers?
“Lady Clasta! What do you think you’re doing! How can you attack our knights like this?”
Finally, one of the Reben knights shouted, unable to hold back any longer.
“Attack? I just threw some flowers.”
Ariel’s expression was utterly composed as she replied.
“How could throwing flowers possibly be considered an attack? Are Reben knights really that fragile?”
The Clasta knights nodded in agreement.
“Of course, of course. Throwing flowers isn’t an attack. It’s not like she threw knives.”
“Exactly. Do flowers even hurt if they hit you?”
“Guess next time people throw flowers in celebration, these guys better run for their lives.”
“If flowers are that threatening, how do they even walk outside without being terrified of the wind? At that point, they should retire and spend the rest of their lives in bed.”
The situation flipped in an instant.
The Reben knights, now the laughingstock, bit their lips in humiliation.
But their pride wouldn’t let them back down so easily.
Their hands drifted toward their swords.
They wanted nothing more than to draw their blades and cut these people down.
“Look at these bastards. Putting their hands on their swords in front of the young lady?”
“They must have a death wish. Go on—draw them. We’ll gladly give you a proper dance of blades.”
Noticing this, the Clasta knights’ hands also went to their hilts.
The tense air was shattered by an unexpected voice.
“What on earth is going on here?!”
All heads turned toward the harsh voice. Standing there was Elta, the lady of House Reben and the person in charge of the fortress.
“Ah, my lady. You’ve returned already?”
The Reben knights instantly let go of their swords and straightened up.
Ariel also looked surprised to see her appear so suddenly.
I heard she went far away on a subjugation mission with her father. How is she back already? I thought it would take at least another week.
Still in armor, Elta strode quickly toward Ariel.
“Are you all right? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“I’m fine.”
Elta glared at the knights and barked angrily.
“What do you all think you’re doing! Lady Clasta is an honored guest who came to aid our fortress! And you dare show hostility to her? Have you all lost your minds?!”
“We’re sorry!”
“Do you think apologizing to me is enough?!”
“We’re sorry! We deeply apologize to the young lady for our grave discourtesy! Please forgive us!”
At Elta’s command, the knights hurried to apologize.
Their attitude had shifted so drastically, it was hard to believe these were the same men mocking Ariel moments ago.
Elta then bowed her head deeply to Ariel.
“I am sorry. It is my failure to properly manage my subordinates that caused you this unpleasant experience. Those who wronged you will be punished according to the laws of our house.”
Faced with such an apology, Ariel couldn’t push the matter further.
“But how did you return so soon, my lady? Did your father return as well?”
At Ariel’s question, Elta shook her head.
“No. I felt pain in an old injury and had to hurry back for treatment.”
“Where were you hurt?”
“My left shoulder, just a bit. Nothing you need to worry about.”
“I see.”
“Then I must take care of the knights, so I’ll excuse myself.”
Elta left with the knights.
As soon as Ariel was out of sight, her expression hardened.
She glared at her men with irritation.
I told them to provoke Lady Clasta and drive her away, but I didn’t think they’d be this stupid.
To be humiliated by a mere child—what a sight.
“Did you not understand what I said? I told you to create an opening, not hand her an excuse to ruin us.”
“We’re sorry.”
“If House Clasta takes the credit and seizes the mines, what do you think will happen to us?”
She let out a deep sigh.
“For now, stay out of sight. We can’t afford any more mistakes.”
“Yes, my lady!”
Once the knights had dispersed, Elta hurried away, her steps tense.
If House Clasta finds out about that, I’m finished.
She had thought getting rid of a lucky, inexperienced heir would be easy.
Looks like I’ll have to bide my time, keep her placated, and wait for the right moment.
That evening, Elta appeared with a pouch full of wild berries, seeking out Ariel.
“I should have delivered this earlier, but I got caught up with work and forgot. The duke asked me to give this to you.”
“What is it?”
“He picked them himself on the road. When he heard I was coming back early because of my injury, he told me to deliver them to you.”
“Thank you.”
Elta studied Ariel with a peculiar expression.
There’s a saying about the Duke of Clasta:
A man who became a monster hunting monsters.
When Elta met him in person, she found even that reputation lacking.
He would charge alone into areas swarming with monsters, swinging his sword like a madman—it was the stuff of nightmares.
The sight of him brushing back blood-soaked hair, smiling as though drenched in monster blood was a perfume, was chilling.
Yet that same man would suddenly stop on the road, saying, Ah, our daughter will love this, and start picking wild berries.
With blood still dripping from his hair.
Honestly, he didn’t seem like someone in his right mind.
Does this child have something truly special about her?
She was young, but her delicate features were strikingly beautiful.
Still, if the Duke of Clasta were the type to go easy because someone was young and pretty, he wouldn’t have the infamous temper everyone feared.
Meanwhile, Ariel stared at the berries, deep in thought.
There’s definitely something going on.
Elta had defended her and scolded the Reben knights.
Seeing how quickly their attitude changed when Elta spoke showed this place had strict discipline.
But if that were the case, the knights wouldn’t have dared to provoke her without Elta’s permission.
The sudden surge in monsters around here is suspicious too. Maybe I can get some information from her.
After finishing her calculations, Ariel spoke.
“If you’re not busy, would you like to share these with me?”
