"Don't just stand there—kill them all! Leave only one!"
Sophia's voice rang out as she hurled Jan's sword toward him.
The blade clattered on the ground a few feet away. Jan lunged, grabbed the hilt, and set to work—finishing off the stunned attackers one by one. Sophia rushed to his side, taking down a couple herself.
Just as she had ordered, only one remained alive. The man tried to crawl away, but Sophia knocked him out cold and bound his hands.
"You did great, Jan," she said, though her eyes were distant.
"Who are these guys?!"
"Elves."
"Elves?!" Jan echoed. He froze, then realization hit him like a stone.
They weren't earless—their ears had been cleanly cut off.
"But why are they here?"
Sophia turned toward Aeris, who was approaching with Maria at her side.
"They're probably after her."
Aeris stopped at the pool of blood, her expression twisting in confusion. Even she didn't seem to understand.
Maria gently patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. It's over now. We won't let anyone harm you."
"But why are they after me?!" Aeris demanded.
Sophia nudged the unconscious prisoner with her boot. "We'll make sure to find out. Don't worry."
"I don't know how they found us here, but I'll have knights guarding the inn from now on," Maria added, then glanced at Sophia. "Are we sure none of them escaped?"
"The two who attacked us upstairs are dead," Sophia said. She gave Jan a wink. "And thanks to him, none got away downstairs."
"It was actually thanks to your warning," Jan replied, flustered.
"Yeah—how did you even notice them?!" Maria said, raising a brow. Sophia wasn't the sensor type.
Sophia gave a helpless smile. "I didn't."
"What?!" Both Jan and Maria looked at Aeris.
Aeris sighed. "Don't worry—I didn't use my magic. It was the door. The man who tried to assassinate me grabbed the handle, but since Crispy broke it earlier, it fell off the moment he touched it."
"So that's the loud sound we heard at the start!" Jan's eyes widened.
"I'm just glad this lunatic sleeps hugging her sword," Aeris sighed. "Otherwise, I might be dead already. I can't believe how low I've fallen—I couldn't even sense an enemy that close."
She turned to Maria, eyes narrowing. "And how did you not sense them, Noodles?"
"I-I must've been tired…" Maria stammered.
"Hmmm…" Aeris's gaze slid toward Jan. "And what were you two doing together, anyway?"
Jan glanced at Maria—she clearly didn't want them to know she'd been crying. "I—I was going outside to train!"
"Train? In the middle of the night?!"
"I couldn't wait until morning to try magic."
"What are you, a kid?"
Jan gave a helpless smile.
"But that doesn't explain what Maria was doing with you," Sophia pressed, suspicion creeping in.
"She was going to help me!"
"Hmmm." Sophia narrowed her eyes. "So you've got time to train with Maria in the middle of the night, but no time to duel me, huh?"
Jan groaned inwardly. There was no way to win this. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Aeris—smirking, clearly amused at the chaos she'd stirred.
He sighed. "Alright… first thing in the morning, we'll have our duel. Deal?"
Sophia's mood flipped instantly. "Deal!"
The clink of armor boots interrupted them.
"Princess Maria, Princess Sophia! We heard noises—are you all right?!"
The patrolling knights rushed in. Their eyes fell on the sprawled corpses, and in an instant, steel hissed from their scabbards.
"What happened here?!" one barked.
"Lower your blades." Maria stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. "It's handled. We were attacked by a group of elves. They've been dealt with, and we captured one alive. Take him to Arcus for interrogation—I'll follow shortly."
"Yes, Princess!" the knights answered in unison. One hefted the unconscious elf onto his shoulder, and the pair marched off without hesitation.
Maria turned back to the others. "Go inside. It's too dangerous to linger. Sophia, stay alert—there could be more hiding nearby. I'll send knights to guard the inn."
"But isn't it more dangerous to stay in the same place?" Jan asked.
Maria shook her head. "No one in their right mind would dare a second attack after the display you just put on, Jan. And if they do—we'll make them regret ever stepping into Valkeries!"
Her expression darkened. "Still, I won't sleep until I know how they discovered Aeris was here. Don't wait for me—get some rest."
"I'll come with you," Jan offered.
Maria shook her head sharply. "No. Stay with Aeris and Sophia. Protect her. That's your duty right now."
Jan, who had been tense until that point, couldn't help smiling.
"What?!" Maria frowned.
"Nothing. Just… Marcus was right," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him.
He turned to Aeris and Sophia. "Come on. Let's head back."
Maria gave a small, grateful smile before striding off.
Sophia, however, was left scratching her head as they walked toward the inn. "What was that about?"
Jan only smiled faintly. He turned back, keeping the answer to himself. But as he did, his face quickly turned grim as he watched the knights carrying away the corpses.
***
Morning came quickly.
Jan stood in the center of the sparring square at the training grounds.
He hadn't slept much, if at all. He'd known this world could be brutal, but nothing had prepared him for what he'd done last night.
Maria hadn't returned during the night—likely still tied up in interrogations with the captured elf. And the moment the sun peeked over the horizon, Sophia was at his door.
Breakfast?!
*Grrrrrr—*
Jan's stomach growled as he took his stance. "Couldn't we at least eat first?"
Sophia drew her sword with a grin and tossed the scabbard aside. "No way. I'm not letting you slip away this time. We're doing this now."
Jan sighed, resigned. "Alright. No pancakes for you tonight, then."