Chapter: 12
Seria narrowed her eyes, reading the shape of Teodor’s mouth.
“Wait a little.”
Wait? There were at least five visible bandits around them. What did he think waiting would accomplish?
Whether he knew her panic or not, Teodor stayed calm, simply watching the bandits rummage through the carriage.
Seria cautiously shifted, sneaking a glance at the bandit holding her by the neck.
The shabby-looking man had no weapons at his waist or in his hands.
It seemed the only ones with weapons were the bandit holding Teodor and the one searching the carriage.
Does Teodor know this too?
If he does, he could create an opening to escape all by himself.
Of course, it might be better for her to act rather than wait for a plan she didn’t know, but Seria hesitated.
While she pondered, another bandit rummaging through the carriage jumped up and said,
“Boss! There’s nothing to steal! Totally useless!”
Inside the carriage, there was only Seria’s diary and some books—hardly things bandits would covet.
At the words, the bandit holding Teodor’s shoulders frowned.
“What? Look at this face! He’s a well-dressed young master—there must be something valuable! Search properly!”
“There really isn’t… but okay!”
Scratching his head, the bandit returned to the carriage. Teodor, watching silently, finally spoke in a low voice.
“Futile effort.”
“Don’t move. Want to die?”
The bandit leader growled, pressing a dagger against Teodor’s side.
Though the blade was blunt from lack of care, it looked capable of killing him.
Yet Teodor remained unfazed.
“You think that will kill me…?”
He glanced at the man pressing the dagger against his waist. His gaunt frame barely protected by tattered armor, eyes lifeless.
The others were no different.
He had heard reports of bandit activity increasing in the north recently. These were likely ordinary citizens turned bandits out of desperation.
Growing impatient with Teodor’s calm, the leader shouted toward Seria.
“Damn it! Then tear that woman’s hood off! Young women and children fetch a good price!”
“Yes, sir!”
The bandit holding Seria roughly yanked her hood off.
Beneath it, her bright golden hair shone, and for a moment, everything went silent.
Could it really be my hair? They saw my golden hair and recognized me as from Argentaine?
The sudden quiet felt unnatural.
“Boss! This woman is from Argentaine!”
The bandit holding her grimaced, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t.
Seria frowned at him in return.
Argentaine?
The bandits around them all wore uneasy expressions.
“Tch… she’s still pretty, so she could fetch a decent price… ah!”
At that moment, Teodor grabbed the leader’s arm holding the dagger and slammed it down to the ground.
The leader tumbled, and Teodor snatched the dagger from his hand.
“To think you’d even consider human trafficking. Nerve, isn’t it?”
Brushing the dirt off his clothes, Teodor spoke calmly.
“Boss!”
“You bastard!”
“Grab him!”
The remaining four bandits lunged at Teodor.
He adjusted the dagger in his hand, then his eyes turned fierce, killing intent blazing.
Seria instinctively rose to her feet at the sheer murderous aura.
As Teodor lunged toward the nearest bandit with his dagger, Seria whipped up a gust of wind.
Whoosh!
The bandit flew through the air, crashing into a tree.
The others were lifted off the ground, then fell one by one.
Teodor stood tall, turning to Seria. She was helping the coachman up.
“Are you okay?”
“You mustn’t use your power recklessly. Especially if it can harm someone. You need to understand the weight of life.”
Her father’s voice echoed in her mind.
Seria’s wind power was incredibly strong—and dangerous.
That’s why the King of Argentaine had always worried about her. At the time, she thought he was just overprotective.
Now, seeing it firsthand, she understood. He had been right.
Shaking, she helped the coachman to his feet. He blinked in confusion, clearly unsure of what had just happened.
“You didn’t need to intervene; it would’ve been handled anyway,” Teodor said, dropping the dagger to the ground as he approached her.
“If I had stayed still, the bandits would all be dead.”
“Regardless, bandits who attack nobles face the death penalty. Besides, these ones tried to sell you—there’s no room for leniency.”
“…That still doesn’t give you the right to decide over their lives,” Seria said calmly, though her heart pounded.
Not because someone had been hurt for the first time—but because the power it took to hurt someone was absurdly small.
She could toss a person effortlessly. That terrified her.
She would never get used to this sensation. And she shouldn’t.
Seria blinked, then moved to climb into the carriage.
“Ah!”
“Ugh… my waist!”
“My legs won’t move. Ahhh…”
The bandits’ groans echoed everywhere. They struggled but could not move.
“You… cursed woman!”
One bandit lying near the carriage grabbed her skirt with all his strength.
Seria staggered backward from the sudden pull.
“Ugh.”
Just as she was about to fall, Teodor kicked the bandit away and caught Seria with one arm.
“This is why you shouldn’t show mercy, Seria. There are plenty who repay kindness with treachery,” Teodor said, helping her steady.
“You…!”
“I’ll let it slide this time, but next time, it might be troublesome,” he added, smiling faintly.
A warning, or so it seemed. Though smiling, he clearly disapproved of her actions.
Seria’s face tightened uneasily.
By the time Seria and Teodor arrived near the capital, Taran, it was still pre-dawn.
The carriage stopped in front of a large estate on the outskirts.
The coachman hurried over, bowing repeatedly, shaking with nerves.
Seria grabbed his shoulders and lifted him, though he was nearly bowing until his forehead touched the ground.
“That’s enough. You didn’t expect bandits either,” she said.
He nodded quickly, but the force made his wound bleed again.
Seria took a handkerchief from her pocket, pressing it gently against his neck.
“Hold this. Your name is… ah, never mind.”
She had almost said something she shouldn’t.
The coachman crouched, scratching something onto the ground with his finger. Looking closely, it was writing—more like a rough sketch of letters.
Apparently, he had learned to write his name from someone who could read.
“Pi…ter? Your name’s Peter?”
Peter smiled and nodded happily.
“Take this.”
While Seria exchanged greetings with Peter, Teodor handed him a pouch.
Peter’s eyes widened at its weight. He returned it awkwardly.
“You’d better take it willingly,” Teodor said, raising an eyebrow.
Peter hesitated, then removed a single silver coin and returned the pouch.
Teodor did not look at the pouch, his expression cold.
Seria quickly took it from him, handing it to Peter.
“Take it quickly. And never come to the capital. Understand?”
Before this, Teodor had said Peter didn’t need interference, but Seria couldn’t fully trust that. She wished the boy could hide for a while, but most children like him had to go out to earn money.
She only hoped he stayed safe.
‘Please, make it back safely.’
Peter hesitated, bowed once more, and climbed into the carriage.
Teodor watched until it disappeared from view, as if contemplating what to do with him.
Seria’s anxiety grew as she watched Teodor.
“I won’t touch him, so don’t look at me like that, Seria Velbat.”
Seria’s expression stiffened at the use of her full name.
Seria ‘Velbat’…
A wave of unease washed over her.
I’ve really shaken hands with an enemy.
Teodor’s face was arrogant, as if to say, See who you’ve allied with.
