Chapter 43
âWhatâs going on?â
Byron, who had been dozing inside the carriage, opened his eyes when the door creaked open. He naturally assumed it was one of his men, but instead, a stranger in the Imperial armyâs uniform stood there. Byronâs eyes widened.
ââŠWho are you?â
âInspection. Weâll need to verify your identity, so show me your papers.â
For a moment, Byron froze at the unexpected situation, but he quickly pulled out his forged identification from his pocket and handed it over as if nothing was wrong, praying only to get through this smoothly.
ââŠLeft-handed, are you?â
But things didnât go the way he hoped. Perhaps because Byron had deliberately handed over the papers with his left hand instead of his right, the soldier raised an eyebrow and asked if he was left-handed.
âWhat business is it of yours whether Iâm left-handed or right-handed?â
Even in a desperate situation, Byronâs arrogant nature couldnât die down. His biting retort only made the soldier flustered. The man pressed his blade against Byronâs throat and barked urgently:
âTake off your glove and show me your right handânow!â
By this point, Byron had no choice but to realize that this inspection was aimed at finding him. But he couldnât very well reveal the wooden prosthetic beneath his glove. So he just glared at the blade pressing against his throatâ
âUrgh!â
Suddenly, the soldier coughed blood and collapsed. A sword had pierced his back.
âMy lord. You must flee at once. Weâll hold them off as long as we canâplease run as far as possible.â
It was Cloud. Standing at the carriage door, he yanked his blade from the soldierâs body.
ââŠUnderstood.â
âThe young ladyâs carriage is smaller and lighterâitâll move faster. You should take that one.â
Cloud pulled Byron roughly to his feet. His grip was far from gentle for a vassal dealing with his lord, but there was no time for courtesy.
ââŠWhatâs happening?â
When the carriage door opened, Capella looked up with a startled face.
âWe were caught in an inspection. We need to flee, quickly.â
Cloudâs voice was urgent.
Byron looked displeased at the idea of cramming several people into the narrow carriage, but given the circumstances, he said nothing and sat down beside Ayla.
âYoung lady.â
âY-yes?â
Startled, Ayla blinked rapidly. Cloud stared at her for a moment, as if hesitating about something. Then, as though making up his mind, he placed a sharp dagger into her hands.
âIf the worst comes to pass, you must protect the master, Lady Capella, and Lora.â
The situation was too dire for him to hesitate over whether she might know his true identity. He had no choice but to arm her.
If she did know everything, then handing her a weapon would be a dangerous gamble. But since he was leaving another knight to watch her, it should be fine.
ââŠâ
Before she could even respond, Cloud slammed the carriage door shut. The scenery outside blurred past the windowsâthe carriage was bolting away at breakneck speed.
Ayla stared at the dagger in her hands.
Byron sat right beside her. She held a weapon. And Cloud was no longer there to shield him.
I could kill him right now.
It would be the perfect chance to end her revenge in an instant.
But when she glanced at Byronâs anxious profile, his eyes fixed tensely on the window, she swallowed down her murderous intent.
Killing him now didnât guarantee sheâd return to her parentsâ side. Even if she succeeded in slaying Byron, she would immediately be seized by the wary knight who already had his hand hovering over his sword.
Besides⊠letting him die easily would be too merciful.
Her vengeance wasnât simply about killing Byron. She wanted to trample everything he held dear, to make him feel the same despair and betrayal she had endured.
So for now, she had to endure.
âStop that carriage!â
While she restrained her bloodlust, shouts erupted outside.
An Imperial squad was pursuing their carriage at full speed.
Cloud couldnât have fallen so quicklyâthis must be another detachment.
âDamn it!â Byron cursed through clenched teeth.
ââŠIâll protect you with my life, my lord. Donât be afraid.â
The knight inside spoke loyally, but his words did little to calm Byronâs trembling nerves. Byron only gnawed on his nails with a pale face.
The horses shrieked, and the carriage jerked to a halt. The detachment had cut them off.
At that same moment, the door burst open and blades lunged inside. The knight drew his sword in a flash, parrying the incoming strikes.
He wasnât on Cloudâs level, but he was skilled enough to hold his ground for now. Still, he was quickly being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
âIâll fight too.â
Ayla rose, gripping the dagger. She moved to step outside.
ââŠ!â
Byron looked at her in alarm, but he couldnât bring himself to stop herânot in this dire moment.
âBe careful. You mustnât get hurt.â His voice trembled with tension. More than concern for her, it was fear that his hunting dog might be injured.
ââŠYes, Father.â
Clutching the dagger tightly, Ayla leapt down. The soldiers faltered, stunned to see a small girl joining the fray.
But only for a moment. The âlittle girlâ darted among the burly soldiers twice her size, slashing with swift, precise strikes.
She didnât intend to kill innocents, so she struck with the blunt side at their vital points, knocking them out of the fight.
âKill them all! Leave no survivors!â
Byron bellowed, sounding nothing like the man who had just been cowering. With Ayla joining, the battle quickly turned in their favor.
Meanwhile, Cloud had finished his own skirmish and came galloping back with his men.
âŠI donât want to kill them.
Dodging an incoming blade gracefully, Ayla thought this as the soldierâs sword-tip snagged her fur hat, ripping it off.
She clenched her teeth and stabbed the man in the shoulder instead of a vital spot. The sensation of steel piercing flesh was revolting.
âIâm sorry. I didnât want to hurt you.â
Feigning a check on his condition, she whispered urgently in the fallen soldierâs ear:
âPlay dead. Itâs the only way youâll survive.â
She couldnât save everyoneâbut at least she could spare a few.
So as she darted through the battlefield, she murmured the same words to each fallen soldier she passed.
âYoung lady, are you unharmed?â
Cloud strode toward her, drenched in blood. His steady gait made it clear none of it was his own.
ââŠIâm fine.â
She shrugged casually, without a scratch on her. Cloud felt a strange unease at just how capable his pupil had become.
âWe must leave before reinforcements arrive. Back into the carriage. You there, check whether all the soldiers are trulyââ
âI already checked! Theyâre all dead, so letâs hurry and go.â
Ayla cut him off hastily.
Cloud gave her a look, unreadable, but then simply nodded. No further questions. That was the end of it.
Their carriage, stained red against the snowy white, sped away from the blood-soaked field.
The annihilation of the soldiers manning that remote checkpoint sent shockwaves through the entire Pelles Empire.
For over ten years, not a single trace had been found of the traitorâByron Lionel Vito Pelles. But now, his trail had surfaced.
Those who saw him directly were all dead, but from survivorsâ testimonies, one conclusion was clear:
Byron, long rumored dead, was undeniably alive.
The people of the empire trembled with fear.
The monstrous traitor who had once tried to kill his own father was still roaming freely. Parents of young children were so terrified they forbade them from even stepping outside.
Rumors of the snowfield tragedy spread like wildfireâyet not every truth was allowed to spread.
Survivorsâ tongues had been silenced regarding one particular story:
The mysterious girl in the midst of battle.
A beautiful girl with silver hair and blue eyes, like a spirit of the snow.
She darted through men twice her size as if dancing, disarming them one by one. And before vanishing, she whispered that those who wanted to live should play dead.
The one who sealed the survivorsâ lips about her was none other than Alexia Dexen of the Imperial Guard.
If the girl was being held against her will by the rebels, word of her saving soldiersâ lives could cause trouble, Alexia explained. So the soldiers locked their mouths.
They wouldnât endanger the life-saving angel who had spared them.
That was the official reason. But Alexiaâs real reason was simpler: a personal request from her friend, the Duke of Weishafen.
To think Ayla truly was in Byronâs handsâŠ
Well you guys arenât a total loss⊠atleast you kept the important matters under wraps