TYBMB 20

Chapter 20: The Carriage Sent by the Emperor
January 20, 2024

The captain used his ability after those final words.

At first, I tried to stop him somehow, but I quickly realized I couldn’t.

The air around him had become scorching hot, almost painfully so.

That this was the power of a single human being was hard to believe.

The air, already hot, now felt as if it were laced with flames.

Feeling like my skin would cook, I hurriedly spread cold energy to protect both Karl and myself from the heat.

I continued drawing on my ability to maintain the barrier, but it wasn’t enough to completely block the captain’s heat.

Dripping sweat, I thought:

This doesn’t feel like something a human could cause.

It was more like a natural disaster.

The flames were powerful, like a wildfire devouring vast lands, boiling the water continuously.

The grass near the shore had long since shriveled into dust, and steam was rising from the surface of the water.

Then, all of a sudden—

Grrrrrk—!!

A monster, hiding beneath the water and waiting for us to enter, raised its head above the surface.

Unable to withstand the rapidly rising water temperature, it emerged.

I shouted urgently to the captain, who had been focusing his energy.

“Captain! The monster…!”

“I’ll handle it! Fall back!”

I knew full well that the captain wouldn’t be taken down by a half-cooked snake.

So instead of rushing to him, I strengthened the cold energy shielding Karl and me.

Meanwhile, the captain, wielding his halberd, leaped at the monster.

Slash—

All I had managed earlier was barely piercing the monster’s thick hide with a sword.

But the captain’s massive halberd easily sliced through its thick hide and flesh.

Splash—!

The severed monster head dropped into the steaming water.

Its now-headless body thrashed wildly in its final death throes, splashing scalding water in every direction.

I quickly raised an ice wall from the ground to block the splashes.

Then I shouted toward the captain:

“Captain! Are you alright?!”

The steam was so thick I couldn’t see anything.

A sudden ominous thought crossed my mind.

What if, while the monster thrashed, the captain was struck by its body?

Or perhaps he fainted immediately after using too much of his power to behead the monster?

If that were the case, he would be sinking unconscious into the boiling water.

“Captain!”

Just as I was about to rush to the water’s edge—

Someone grabbed the back of my neck again.

“Trying to jump in again? You’re really hard to keep an eye on.”

Of course, it was the captain.

He had silently approached through the fog of steam and grabbed my collar.

He glared briefly at me, dangling from his grip, and then slowly let go of my clothes.

“If you go into that water now, you’ll be cooked. What were you thinking?”

“I thought you’d passed out and sunk beneath the surface.”

“…Needless worry.”

As always, the captain replied in his gruff tone and turned away.

It might have looked like he was scolding me, but having spent about six years with him—including before my regression—I could tell:

He wasn’t in a particularly bad mood.

As I observed the subtle expression on his face, Karl bowed his head to the captain.

“I’m sorry to have worried you, Captain. But now that the Queen has been dealt with, perhaps you should return first? Destroying the mana stone will take time, as we need to wait for the water to cool.”

“That’s unnecessary. I’d be uneasy leaving you two here alone. We’ll destroy the mana stone together and return together. More importantly—”

The captain paused, then looked directly at me as he continued.

“No need to sit around waiting for the water to cool, right, Vice-Captain?”

“Yes, just a moment. I can’t cool all that water completely, but making it lukewarm is easy.”

I crouched at the water’s edge like the captain had done earlier and dipped my hands into it.

Then I used my ability to spread cold energy into the water.

From my hands, the chill slowly radiated outward, cooling the once-hot water.

Once the temperature reached a level safe enough for a person to enter, I stepped into the water and shattered the mana stone myself.

Crunch—!

With that, we safely sealed another rift.

* * *

When we emerged from the rift, the sky was pitch black.

We mounted the horses we had tied nearby and slowly traveled through the night, returning to camp just as the sun rose.

Though my body longed for rest after the exhausting battle, that wasn’t going to happen.

A carriage, likely sent by Ernant, was parked in front of my tent.

Imperial attendants and knights, who hadn’t slept and were loitering near the carriage, bowed deeply when they saw me.

“By imperial command, we have come to escort Lady Yullia to the Marquis’ residence in the capital. Are you ready to depart?”

As expected, they had been sent by Ernant.

Worried I might delay or disobey his order, he had dispatched them ahead of time.

I sighed at his thoroughness and replied,

“There’s nothing I need to pack. I can leave as I am.”

“Then please board the carriage. His Majesty eagerly awaits your arrival in the capital.”

With an imperial decree issued, I had no right to refuse.

Whatever the reason, I had to head to the capital, wear the dress Ernant had sent me, and become his partner.

As I sighed, feeling a tinge of helplessness, the coachman opened the carriage door.

He even tried to help me up, but I refused and was about to board on my own when the captain’s voice came from behind.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes. His Majesty wishes to see me as soon as possible, so I must move swiftly, as a loyal subject.”

Though I hadn’t meant it, there was a sharp edge to my voice.

It sounded almost like I was mocking the emperor, which made the coachman and knights flinch.

Ignoring their reactions, I bowed to the captain.

“I’ll see you at the palace. Please stay well until then.”

“…If you’re going, just go already.”

“Yes, I’ll leave now.”

Our conversation was painfully dry, but I had nothing else to say.

I couldn’t suddenly throw a tantrum, saying I didn’t want to be Ernant’s partner.

And so, I boarded the carriage he had sent and left the camp behind—

Without ever knowing what kind of expression the captain wore as he watched me leave.

* * *

The people Ernant sent were extremely polite.

They constantly asked if I was uncomfortable and made sure I had proper meals.

They treated me as if I were a noble lady.

As someone used to rough life as a knight, their hospitality was a bit overwhelming—but thanks to it, I arrived in the capital comfortably.

More precisely, at the vacation estate owned by the House of Schunestern.

Upon arrival, about twenty servants, who had come to greet me, bowed in unison.

“Welcome, Lady Yullia! We will do our utmost to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible!”

Their greeting was, once again, quite overwhelming.

I suspected it was Johannes’s doing.

Johannes—head of the House of Schunestern, border marquis of the empire, and my one and only younger brother.

Since our parents passed away, he was the only family I had left.

Every time I visited, he gathered everyone to greet me like this. Though to be fair, I was partly to blame.

His stiff formality was likely the result of my strict upbringing.

Just then, a butler among the servants approached me.

“Shall I escort you to His Excellency? He is here at the villa to attend the event and has been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

“Yes, I should see Johannes first.”

“Please leave your luggage to the attendants and follow me.”

My only luggage was my sword, which I handed over before following the butler.

He led me to the study, where I was finally reunited with my long-missed brother.

A face that looked just like mine. The same silver hair. The same violet eyes.

My little brother stood up in a fluster the moment he saw me.

“S-Sister? You’re already here? I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you properly—I’ve just had so much work to do…”

As he said, his desk was piled with documents.

As the head of a great noble house and a pillar of the empire, his duties were endless.

He must have intended to greet me, only to forget because of work.

It was completely understandable—but he still seemed flustered, fussing with the papers on his desk.

“I’m sorry for showing you such a mess. I’ll clean it up right away—”

“Johannes.”

“Yes?”

“It’s alright. Take your time. I’ll wait.”

He froze mid-motion.

Then, as if he’d just heard something unbelievable, he looked at me with trembling eyes.