Less than half an hour later, in the royal bedchamber…

Will enters the room and approaches the enormous bed. He adjusts his glasses as Cycelia turns her sullen emerald gaze to him, sitting on a chair by Straf's bed.

「Will?」

She tilts her head while looking at the young mage.

「Your highness, the assassin's accomplice has been found. I placed him under arrest on your authority yesterday. It was the armorer responsible for covering the night shift.」

Will explains as he leans onto his staff a little.

「The armorer?…」

Cycelia echoes back, furrowing her brows.

「Yes. From the Ministry of Security. He was paid a little over 77 imperial dragons to steal the Flashlight from the Ministry's armory… An easy task for someone in his position.」

Will nods his head and explains further, then calmly adjusts his glasses while speaking with a serious face.

「And what happened to the money?」

She tilts her head, before briefly glancing at Straf.

「Niklaus from the Ministry seized it as evidence, your highness… Though he had already spent some of it. There were roughly 60 or so dragons left.」

Will continues, before shrugging his shoulders with a little tilt of his head.

「Hmmhh…」

Cycelia lowers her chin into her thumb and index finger, thinking intensely with her eyes lowered.

「…I'd like that money to be used for the public benefit. Not just for humans, but vampires too. I'll have to discuss the matter with Lily…」

She declares after a short sigh, then turns her emerald gaze up to Will's serious face.

「…Why did it happen? Was it a conspiracy? Both of them are human, aren't they?」

Cycelia asks with her brows gently furrowed in concern.

「No, your highness, it was just the two of them. It's no conspiracy at all…」

Adjusting his glasses, Will shakes his head as he slowly lowers it.

「…It was just a man raging for a revenge, and another willing to oblige him for some money. I sympathize too, but justice had to be done. What an overall terrible situation.」

He adds in a grim tone, returning his gaze back to Cycelia's with a shrug of his robed shoulders.

「Thank you, Will. I knew I could count on you. That should douse the smoldering embers before they can start a fire.」

She replies with a warm smile tinged with sadness.

「No, you praise me a little too much, your highness…」

Will bashfully lowers his gaze and adjusts his glasses on a reflex.

「I don't think you're nearly receiving enough praise for all your work, Will. I'll arrange a reward for you. For now, get some rest.」

With her dainty hands resting in her lap, Cycelia shakes her chestnut head, still smiling towards Will.

「Ahh… Actually, I have to meet up with Greaves and the rest. They're getting ready to help a village with their monster problem. They should be already well on their way.」

Will replies with an awkward smile and a shrug. Her head perks up.

「…From work to work? So soon?」

She asks with her brows furrowed in concern.

「…The investigation might be over, but that doesn't mean that the people no longer are troubled by anything, your highness. It's dangerous to be an adventurer without a mage around.」

He explains with another, more resigned shrug.

「That may be so… But don't overwork yourself too, Will. The last thing we'd need is-」

「I know, your highness. Don't worry. I know my limits, unlike Greaves… I don't intend to overwork myself. We can help more people if we keep ourselves in a good shape…」

Will softly interrupts Cycelia, cutting in with a light shake of his head while holding up his palm towards her.

「…I wouldn't want to overwork Alicia either. I know when to rein him in. You can leave the trivial peasants' issues to us, your majesty.」

He adds, shrugging his free arm.

「Very well. I will have the steward speak with you later. Thank you again, Will.」

「My pleasure, your majesty.」

Cycelia nods, and Will returns a polite bow before turning to the exit and leaving.

When she's alone again, Cycelia lets out a large, long sigh and turns her sullen emerald gaze to Straf's sleeping face.

「So many things are going wrong without you keeping an eye on things, Straf… Everyone's doing their best, but I feel like I'm balancing on a needle…」

Cycelia makes a quiet, gloomy complaint to Straf while leaning a little onto his bedside.

「…I'll go get something to eat. I haven't had anything for a few days now.」

She informs him, then stands up. Cycelia momentarily loses her balance, wobbling on her feet, before grabbing onto her chair's backrest.

After regaining her balance, Cycelia takes a large breath and lets out a quick huff, then heads out of the room…

…

Less than fifteen minutes later, in the eastern peripheries of the empire…

A carriage speeds along a snowed-over imperial highway. Hooded, black-masked men sit at its front, followed by two similarly masked horsemen trotting behind it. Their heads swivel left and right, and the passenger is holding his sheathed sword by its hilt. A muffled, indistinct discussion of male voices comes from within through the driver side wall.

…Fwwwwwwopfffffff… Fwwwwwwwopffpffffff…

「…The fuck is that sound?」

The masked driver asks, narrowing his eyes at the lightly cloudy sky.

「I think it's that thing makin' 'em.」

「What thing?」

The passenger replies, causing the driver to ask for clarification. The masked man beside him then takes his hand off his sword, and points up at a black shape in the sky above them.

「…The fuck is that? A dragon?」

The driver glances at the passenger with concerned eyes.

「Nah. Doesn't look like it. It's weird. It's like… Leaving a trail.」

The masked man shakes his hooded head in response, furrowing his brows at the noisy object high above.

「Ah. Isn't it falling?」

The driver remarks while watching the black object dive rapidly.

「…Looks like it is. I guess what comes up must come down.」

The passenger nods in agreement, then shrugs.

…Fwwwwwopffffffff!… Ffffffwwwwwooooopfffff!…

The two watch the object rapidly descend, becoming louder and louder, before suddenly leveling off.

「Wha-?」「It's flying?…」

To their surprise, instead of crashing into the ground as expected, the black object flies far ahead of the carriage along the highway, blasting the snow away with powerful gusts of air beneath its bird-like belly. Just like a bird, the object extends legs from beneath itself… All four of them.

「What the fuck. It's landing?… What do we do?」

The driver asks the equally confused passenger, both furrowing their brows at each other. The horsemen also exchange worried glances.

「I don't fucking know. Maybe slow down and try riding around it. I don't want to get pinched with the goods because of some shitty animal-」

The passenger helplessly shrugs his shoulders, and the two turn their eyes back to the black object landed on the highway. The wind around it dies down, and its tail seems to split open.

….Ffffwoooooofffwwwwwmmmmmmmmmmm…

「Ah.」「Eh?…」

The driver slows down, and the two utter out in surprise when they see men in white armor run out from the black object.

「Ah!」「Shit!-」

Fwip! Fwip!…

Their eyes widen in panic when they notice loaded crossbows in their hands. The driver quickly whips the horses with the reins.

「Get 'em Julius!」

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One of the armored men screams towards the other while both take aim at the carriage.

Tfwap-tfwap!

「Hrk!…」「Fuck!」

Two crossbow bolts fly straight into the driver's chest, one right below his collarbone, and the other dead center in his heart. The driver flinches, briefly clutching at the crossbow bolts before his arms lose strength. A man with a large tower shield stomps his way out onto the highway, followed by two more men in white armor, and a handful of imperial infantrymen behind them.

…Thud!

The driver falls out of of his seat onto the snow-covered highway, while the passenger clumsily jumps out as the horses panic and speed up.

「Go! Fuckin' kill 'em!」

The armored crossbowmen hastily discard their crossbows onto the ground, instead drawing their swords.

They charge at the passenger, while the man with the tower shield runs to intercept the horses.

「Woah there!…」

The large armored man exclaims, spreading his arms in hopes of stopping the charging horses. It only seems to frighten them further. Regardless, he remains in their path.

Thunk-thunk!… Krrrrrkkkkkkkk!…

The horses slam into his shoulders, sliding him backwards as he wrestles them and the carriage to a halt.

「…Hnrrrghh! Eaaaasy! Easy!…」

Pat pat pat…

With his arms wrapped around their necks, he pats them gently with his armored hands. They let out multiple agitated huffs of vapor from their noses, before finally calming down.

「Fuck!…」

The passenger curses under his breath in panic when he sees two heavily armored men charging at him. The one closest rears his arm back for a horizontal slash.

The masked man moves his sword's flat in the way to block the incoming attack, and prepares to riposte before the other man in white armor can reach them.

CLANKKrrrrrk!…

「Hurk?…」

He lets out a confused bloody gurgle through his black mask when he sees his sword shattered in half, and everything above his ribs detached from the rest below.

Thud!…

The bisected body drops limp to the snow. The horsemen panic at the sight of the bloodied swordsman, and the infantrymen behind them aiming their crossbows.

「Fuck!…」「…Run!」

Fwipfwipfwipfwip!… Thwap!

One of them pulls at his reins in an effort to quickly turn his horse around, but a crossbow bolt flies in under his elbow and strikes him in the heart from the side.

Thud!… Badadambadadambadadam…

The struck horseman drops limp off his horse, while the other one manages to turn around and ferociously kick his horse in its sides, galloping away with a thumping of hooves.

…Fwap!

One of the infantryman takes aim, and shoots at the fleeing horseman. The bolt makes a slight arc, before striking him in the back of his head. In the distance, the horseman slumps limp over the side of the fleeing horse, then drops to the ground, violently rolling in the snow before coming to a stop. The unburdened horses continue galloping with only their saddles on top.

「…Nice fuckin' shot!」

Thunk!

One of the nearby infantrymen is quick to congratulate the sniper crossbowman with a forceful pat on his armored back. The carriage door swings open with force, slamming against its side.

「What the fuck is going on there!?」

Masked men jump out, quickly glancing around with swords in their hands. Before they can even react, the already bloodied swordsman swings his sword at the three, slashing apart the throat of one of them. A panicked scream of a terrified woman comes from within the carriage.

「Fucker!」「You son of a bitch!-」

The two remaining men shout in fury, jumping over the fallen man, wildly flailing their weapons at the swordsman. The rest of the footmen and the white-armored men swarm the proximity of the carriage, blocking any and all escape paths. The armored man following the bloodied swordsman jumps in, parrying the sword for him, and running his weapon through the hooded man as if he was made of melting butter.

Clackrrk!

The blood-spattered swordsman jumps back, blocking an overhead blow from the second masked man.

THUNK!

Before he can even begin to move to parry, his partner backing him reaches for his enemy, grabs him by his shoulder, then simply punches him with his armored fist. The man falls limp to his knees with his eyes rolling back into his head, after his neck lets out a muffled, sickening crack. With panicked panting, the door on the other side of the carriage swings open, and somebody jumps out. The bloodied swordsman rushes around the rear of the carriage to intercept the escaping person.

「Hiiiieeeee!」

A young blonde-haired woman in a beautiful dress lets out a terrified cry when she sees a man dripping with blood block her path. She turns the other way, struggling to keep her balance on the slippery, snow-coated highway. A large man with a tower shield likewise steps in her way from the horses' side.

Thump!…

She tries to stop in her tracks, but her fancy heels are perhaps a level below barefoot on the snow, as far as balance is concerned. She slips and falls backwards into the snow with a pained yelp. The man with the tower shield takes a large and quick step towards her. The young girl crawls backwards in panic with teary blue eyes.

The man with the shield stops, and after crawling away just a few paces, she realizes she's crawling towards the bloody swordsman, who is rapidly approaching her with his bloodied hand outstretched towards her. Her jaw drops and her terrified eyes widen further at the sight.

「Noooooo! Please!」

She drops into the snow, curling up and covering her head with her pale, frostnipped, snow-dusted hands.

「No, I'm- I'm not…」

The young swordsman stammers, taken aback the woman's reaction. The footmen circle around the carriage in a defensive formation.

「Julius… Look at yourself. Haven't you any tact with the ladies?…」

Roland calls out, shaking his head as he approaches the woman burrowing herself in the snow.

「Huh? Ah.」

Julius obliges, turning his gaze down at his body. His head perks up when he realizes just how bloodstained his white armor is. His arms slump.

「Good job, Julius. Show up to your girl like that… He he…」

Thunkthunkthunk.

William chuckles as he approaches behind Julius, and gives him a few pats on his shoulder.

「Shut uuup, William…」

Though his face his covered by his helmet, Julius rolls his eyes.

「…Lady Abelstroff?」

Roland calls out softly towards the terrified young girl, leaning forward with his hand on top of his tower shield.

「H- Huh?…」

She turns her pale face up to Roland's helmet and trying to suppress her sobbing.

「We're going to take you back to your family. We've heard about your kidnapping.」

Roland calmly explains, nodding his helmet a little.

「…You're not bandits?」

The noblewoman asks, blinking her confused and still frightened blue eyes at Roland. He chuckles quietly in his helmet.

「…You'll have to forgive our coarse language, my lady. They're military men and I'm an adventurer, but we're no bandits. We're her majesty's men. Come, get off the snow.」

Roland shrugs his armored shoulders and explains, then holds his armored hand out for the young girl. She looks at his gauntlet, then reluctantly takes his hand.

「…There we go…」

He utters out, his voice echoing slightly in his helmet.

Roland dusts the bulk of the snow attached to the noblewoman with his hand. He then pinches the side of her dress, and shakes it a little to get some more off.

「…You still have some on your behind. You'll have to pat that off yourself, my lady. I don't think you want my hand going there.」

He adds as he straightens out, then turns his gaze to Julius and William standing behind the carriage.

「Y- Yes…」

Her brows rise a little in surprise, and if her cheeks weren't red from the cold already, they likely would be now. She quickly moves her hands behind herself, and clumsily pats away everything below her waist with the back of her dainty hands. When done, she brushes the snow off her reddened hands, and blows some warm air onto them.

「Come, it's warmer inside. We'll have the nearest outpost collect your carriage, and see if they can't recover those horses.」

Roland waves his gauntlet for her to follow, and leads her towards the black aircraft. Still sobbing slightly, she comes along.

He stops when the woman looks over her shoulder, the approaches one of the corpses. Roland tilts his helmet in confusion.

Thump!

The young girl pinches the sides of her fancy dress, lifts it slightly, then delivers a furious stomp to one of the dead men before returning to Roland's side.

「…I wonder if younger girls are packed more densely with anger, my lady.」

He remarks in an amused tone while looking at her angry face from the side, leading her towards the ramp.

「…They've murdered my driver and the guards… And started having lecherous thoughts. They wanted to sell me as a slave, but said they'd like to use me first.」

The young noblewoman clutches at her dress while her pink lips wobble.

After a moment of desperately attempting to maintain a straight, or at least an angry face, the young girl begins to sob again. Tears flow down her reddened cheeks.

「It's alright now… You'll be back to your family in a moment. Come, better sit with the pilot. It's going to be cramped here when we all load back up. You'll have a fancy view there…」

Roland gently brushes her back with his palm, softly calming her while leading her to the cockpit. The rest of the reaction force begin to climb up the ramp…