Chapter 5 gmr

Just as Hecate was about to speak, a sharp voice interjected, "You wench!"

Iris looked at the source of the voice, and there stood a tall man wearing red armor. An insignia, 'Flower pierced by knife,' was on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Hella looked just as confused as Iris.

"You're under arrest for harassing Mercenary Federation's employees, as well as trying to sabotage their recruit," the man said, his voice turning professional.

"That Lesley, is she begging Knights Security to save herself?" Hella muttered under her breath. "Whatever you mean, I have no idea."

"You don't need to. Get in the carriage. You'll be escorted back to the castle where you'll be under house arrest."

Lesley, Iris remembered that name. She also remembered Hella trying to stop her from joining the Mercenary Federation.

"Arrest warrant?" Hella asked suspiciously.

"... I have no need for that. Lesley has provided enough evidence for a direct arrest," he said hurriedly, almost stumbling over his words.

"No, she did not. She's too proud to do that!! I get it, you're Laurent's dog." Iris didn't understand. There were two characters involved, and she had no information about either of them.

"I said come with me," he stepped forward, his sword bursting with mana.

"Rude." Iris halted him immediately. His body armour fell apart, and purple strings dug into his flesh, not enough to cut it open but enough to make him feel pain. The strings tightened around his neck and nose.

"You lack the virtue of the blessed, striking an unprepared opponent. Even intelligent monsters have more honour than that. Are you truly human?" Iris asked, pissed. She rarely felt emotions this strong, yet she was having a pleasant conversation— with someone of her age, for the first time in her life. Yet, this man rudely interrupted them, and it wasn't Hella's fault if she understood correctly.

"Wait!" Hella shouted at her, in a panic.

Iris let go of the strings, and they vanished like a flicker of light. "Is he not wrong?" Iris asked.

"That does not matter; if we harm him now, it will create more trouble for Lady Diantha."

"In that case? Leave before I slaughter every single companion of yours."

"You saw them too?" Hella asked.

"They are not very adept in the art of hiding," Iris directed her attention back to the knight. "What shall we do with them? They appear reluctant to leave."

"We have a treaty. I or anyone of Lady Diantha's vassals cannot harm any of the three houses." Treaty? It didn't seem right; the knight was very ready to strike her. He wasn't pretending, though Hella could've easily saved herself. Was it one-sided? Iris didn't know what the Three Houses were.

"I am not bound by any such treaty," Iris spoke to the knight. "I have been hired to kill anyone who approaches Miss Hella, just a mercenary. I would advise you to mind your behaviour."

The knight almost ran away. She didn't know what did it for him, but he might have shat his pants. She wouldn't know; only his armour cleaner would truly know.

Hella looked at her with wide eyes. "Pfft!" She laughed, slapping Iris on the back. Iris wondered if this was a gesture of sorts because Hella didn't seem violent. Iris did, however, feel some pain. She was physically very weak.

"You're so bad at lying, and he even fell for that. What a retard."

"Bad? How so?" Iris remembered to keep her speech normal.

"Your presence, it flickered like you ate something bitter. How did he even fall for that?" Hella continued to laugh and almost slipped off.

"I am not very good at lying, and he was too afraid for his life to sense my presence."

"That was a weird interruption; I wonder why?" Hella mused after she stopped laughing, her brows scrunched.

"Hecate! There you are. I've been looking for you all day." A familiar voice, Iris saw Felix almost running toward them, his voice filled with exasperation.

"Oh, Felix!" Hella waved at him, her whole body moving from side to side. Iris found all her actions used so much more energy than efficiency. "Look! I found that super-duper strong person I was telling you about." Super-duper strong? Iris almost thought it was a new way to say Level 6, but then realized it was something only Hella might say.

Felix's face lost color as he saw her.

"Hello thrice, Mr. Knight Commander," Iris greeted respectfully.

"Mr. Knight? That's a funnily accurate name. I shall from today onwards call you as such," Hella looked at her, then him, then her again. "You two know each other?"

"We met this morning," Iris replied.

"Oh, wait a minute," Hella's eyes widened in surprise, and a mischievous smile spread on her face. "Felix... Are you trying to court her behind my back?" She feigned an overtly hurt expression, her lips twitching to smile.

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"W-what are you saying? It was only related to a case," his expression tightened.

"Tripping over words, lack of strength in your statement, My Lord, I detect a lie," Hella dramatically brought her hand in front of her and bowed while sitting, which looked weird. Like she was having a stomach ache.

"Wha..."

"Ahahahaha!!"

Before Felix could speak, Hella burst out laughing. "Hella..." Felix mumbled in exasperation.

Iris found their interaction warm.

"Anyways, why were you looking for me?"

"Yes, Lady Ilona is looking for you. She asked me to bring you back immediately."

"Lady Ilona? Have you talked to her?" Iris interjected. She would very much like to meet her soon. She did take advice from Old Han and did not try to find the fairytale Lady herself. Mostly to avoid conflict and in a rare case of her being not strong, to not die. She could not die, at least until she gave Winny back her identity.

"I have yet to have a chance to talk with Lady Ilona myself."

"Meet my master, why?" Hella questioned.

"I'm in search of a blade called Edeath, and I have received information that Lady Ilona might have a clue where it is."

“Then, Let’s go.”

"But, we've not made an appointment yet," Felix pointed out, not very open to the suggestion.

"She wouldn't mind," Hella stood up and pulled Iris by her hand. "Come on, let's go."

Iris nodded. "Please wait a moment." Hella let go of her hand, and Iris picked up Winny and placed her on her head. They began to walk down the stone path between the well-maintained bushes and flowers.

"Wow," Hella stared at Winny. "How does she balance in that small space?"

"It's a cat," Felix muttered.

"So..." Hella turned to him.

"Cats never fall."

"What!" Hella let out a horrified shriek, attracting everyone's attention. "I need your power," she muttered, unconcerned about the attention she had gathered.

"You sure do," Felix added. As if on cue, Hella stepped on the edge and almost fell, except Iris stopped her with her strings.

"How did you even manage to fall on a straight path?"

"Geniuses have their quirks," Hella proclaimed, yet she didn't sound proud of her words.

"I need that spell as well; can you teach me?"

"After you've become Level 6, I will. Right now, I might slip up and doom your destiny."

"Doom your destiny, that sounds so cool, how did you come up with that."

"I just said that... there was no thought behind it."

"Does that mean when I become Level 6, I might be able to come up with cool lines like that? Just imagine dropping that line before fighting my opponent. That would be so good." Iris had no idea what kind of coolness Hella thought it was.

"Can I hold Winny?" Iris nodded, and Hella picked up the lazy cat off her head and ran ahead, spinning in joy. "She's cute."

"She is," Iris agreed. "Mr. Knight Commander, a knight came earlier trying to fight Hella." She hoped to understand the situation a little better.

"Red armour?"

"Yes."

"They are Laurent's, like my lady. Laurents are one of the three high nobles of Gracia. Hella's presence has been a thorn in their side, so they are trying to make her lose composure before the tournament begins."

"I see." Casters were at a disadvantage in close-range fights, and if they lacked a calm state of mind, they might even lose against a weaker opponent.

"Why, though? She is relatively not that strong in the grand scheme of things."

"She may appear that way to you, but by normal standards, she is a prodigy. One that might be born once in a millennium. She is the youngest Level 4 in the empire, an apprentice of Roundtable Rival's member. She is mythical in most senses. If the prediction goes right, Hella will face a Level 5 knight who is twice her age in the tournament finale, and they are still not sure if they can win, so they try to externally influence her mental state. That's also the reason I came looking for her."

"I see—"

"Come on!" Hella shouted in front of the carriage, which was huge and luxurious.

"Is that your transportation?"

"Yup."

Iris stared at the horses. "It's too slow."

"Huh, what do you mean? These are the fastest horses in the duchy."

"Yet they are slow."

"Then what, do we fly?"

That's how Iris had thought they were going to travel, but she realized that flying with three people would be tiresome, not to mention Hella's curiosity.

"Nope, let's go."

"You're weird."

…

They rode the carriage to a huge mansion to the side of the castle. Felix did not accompany them, as he had other matters to attend to. During most of the ride, Hella chattered about her familiar, which was a creature that had recently hatched. She was excited to show Iris.

The mansion was massive, with a sprawling garden. Iris looked at everything in awe, like a child. In a way, she was still a child in all senses.

"Hehe, is this your first time seeing a house this big?" Hella said proudly. She didn't come across as arrogant about her wealth; she seemed genuinely happy.

"Yes, I haven't been to many houses to begin with," Iris replied.

"Then where did you live?" Hella's attention shifted to a maid who was pushing a trolley filled with food.

"In the forest."

"Was it fun? Did you get to see those weird animals with four eyes, or eight-legged snakes, or the horse-human, or..." Hella paused and dashed forward, her target being the cart. She snatched up a plate of food before the maid could react. "Gotcha. I've asked Victor twenty times since morning, and he denied having any chocolate cake," she accused the shocked maid, pointing her finger in indignation.

"I..." The maid tried to respond but was frozen stiff, unable to form coherent words.

"Hah! You're not getting this back. Tell Victor he's going to pay the price for hiding my sweet cakes," Hella declared, half-jumping and half-walking back to Iris's side.

"She was weird," Hella muttered. "AH!! I forgot to take another plate for you." She looked down at her plate and then at Iris, her face reflecting deep conflict.

"I'll get you another plate," she finally said in a small voice. Iris smiled; Hella was indeed like a child.

Hella continued, "How was she weird? I was expecting her to try and take back the plate or threaten to tell my master—like they always do. But she didn't do anything."

"She was scared," Iris observed.

"What?" Hella almost shouted. "Why?" She gave it some thought, and her expression eventually turned tired. "Well, I'll ask Victor what this is all about. Anyway, my master is up in that tower. Let's go." Hecate pointed at a high-rise tower behind the mansion. It was visible from the veranda.