Late in the afternoon as evening approached, Livia peered through the brush in the forest near Toreno Castle. Hugo and Valen were right beside her, tracking every movement at the fortress. Behind them stood a force of three hundred fierce-looking bandits, weapons ready and eager for blood.
The castle gates swung open, and a massive unit of cavalry and infantry began to march out in a hurry, heading east toward Farport, a city in the southeastern region.
"Hmm... looks like Leon is keeping them busy. Good," Livia muttered with a smirk, watching the castle through her telescope.
"Yep, looks like it," Valen agreed.
"So, when do we go in, Livia?" Hugo asked.
"As soon as that line of soldiers clears out, we head straight in," Livia answered.
"You guys hear that?" Hugo asked, turning to the bandits.
"Loud and clear, Boss," a few of the squad leaders replied.
They continued to watch the seemingly endless stream of soldiers. Suddenly, a rustle came from the brush. A scout who had been watching the interior returned to report.
"The whole army is heading out, Boss. There are probably only about 500 to 1,000 men left guarding the fortress," the scout said.
"Huh... that's it? They really seem to be underestimating us," Livia said casually.
"Even if it's a small number, we're still outnumbered," Valen countered.
"No... we have more than they do," Livia replied confidently.
Valen and Hugo looked at each other, confused by her words, but they didn't dare question her—she was their queen, after all. Livia lowered her telescope and sat down, closing her eyes and folding her arms.
"Livia? Are you okay?" Valen asked.
"Let me rest for a moment. Once they've all cleared out, let me know," Livia replied.
"Alright, go ahead and rest," Valen said.
"Boss, and the Lady Boss too—if you want to rest, go for it. We'll keep watch. You guys haven't slept all night," one of the bandits added.
"Hey... what did you just call us?" Valen asked, grabbing the bandit by his shirt.
"Take it easy... he's right. We should rest, or we'll be too weak to fight when we attack," Hugo interrupted.
"Sigh... fine, you have a point," Valen muttered.
Hugo and Valen sat on either side of Livia and closed their eyes. Three hours passed. Night had fallen, and torches now illuminated the castle. Finally, the last line of soldiers marched out, and the gates groaned shut.
"Boss, it's time... Boss," a bandit said, shaking Hugo awake.
"Okay, thanks... hey... Livia... Valen... wake up."
Hugo turned to see Livia already standing beside him, looking refreshed, while Valen was slowly getting to his feet.
"Hmm... I guess I'm the last one up," Hugo thought as he stood.
"Let's move out," Livia said.
"Yeah," Valen replied, preparing to step out of the bushes.
"Wait... where are you going?" Livia asked.
"Uh... forward? To attack?" Valen asked, confused.
"We move using siege towers. We can't just walk up to the castle. There are still archers on the walls ready to pick us off if we just charge in," Livia said.
"Huh... siege towers? We don't have any," Hugo noted.
"We do. Watch this."
Livia summoned her twin axes and slammed them into the ground. As the blades began to glow with a blinding light, she hoisted them upward. "Grrrrk." An earthquake suddenly erupted. Hugo and Valen's eyes widened as the very ground beneath their feet began to rise. Their mouths hung open as they found themselves standing higher than the castle walls. Then, Livia pointed her axes forward, and the massive platform of earth began to glide toward the fortress.
"Whoaaaah," Hugo gasped.
"So... this is what she meant by a siege tower," Valen whispered.
"Don't talk... unless you want to bite your tongue off," Hugo replied.
***
Meanwhile, atop the battlements of Toreno Castle, the guards on watch turned deathly pale. They stared in horror at a massive hill "walking" toward the palace, carrying an entire section of the forest along with it.
"Th-this is insane! What is that... what the hell is that!?" a soldier stammered, panicking at the impossible sight—and certainly regretting his life choice to become a soldier.
The war bells began to toll, echoing throughout the castle. Other soldiers scrambled up to the walls, but as soon as they saw a giant mountain moving toward them, most went pale and froze in their tracks. Suddenly, hundreds of arrows shot through the air like rain from atop the hill, showering the entire palace.
"Take cover! Take cover! Arrow rain!"
The soldiers immediately raised their shields, desperate to save themselves from the rain of steel diving down at them. "Thump... thump," they could hear the arrows slamming into their shields, occasionally piercing right through. When the rain of arrows finally stopped and they lowered their guard, their eyes went wide.
The towering hill was now right against the castle wall. The earth settled slightly and shrank, but suddenly—"thump"—a girl carrying a pair of beautiful twin axes landed right in the middle of the stunned soldiers. With a single, powerful spin, she sent the soldiers flying backward.
Then, a woman with a massive greatsword and a man in red armor carrying a spear landed beside the girl, immediately tearing into the enemy ranks. Seconds later, a "rain of bandits" began to fall onto the castle battlements. Battle cries and the screech of clashing steel filled the air, shattering the silence of the night.
Livia led the charge down the stairs, with Valen and Hugo right at her heels. She slammed her axes into any soldier who dared block her path, showing no mercy. As a fresh line of troops tried to rally in the castle courtyard, Livia struck the ground again, splitting the earth open with a violent tremor.
The front line instantly scattered, with many falling into the growing fissures as they lost their balance during the quake. Hugo spun his spear, moving with lethal grace to finish off the soldiers around him, while Valen swung her greatsword as if it were light as a feather, sending dozens of men flying with a single arc.
"Okay... now I believe we're not outnumbered," Hugo said, pressing his back against Valen's.
"Agreed. I'm a believer now too—and this is actually fun," Valen added, leaning her back against his.
Hugo stabbed a foe behind him to protect Valen, and she returned the favor, skewering an enemy in front of her to keep him safe. They pushed forward together, smiles plastered on their faces, followed by the mountain bandits who continued to drive the enemy back into the end of the courtyard. Meanwhile, Livia was at the front, a one-woman wrecking ball with her twin axes.
A few hours later, just as almost every enemy soldier had surrendered and tossed their weapons aside, the castle bells began to toll. Livia, Hugo, and Valen whipped their heads toward the tower, where a bandit was frantically ringing the bell.
"They're coming back! The enemy army is coming back!" he screamed.
"What?"
Livia, Hugo, and Valen sprinted up the stairs from the opposite side to get a view from the ramparts. Sure enough, a large portion of the troops that had just departed earlier were charging back toward the castle at full speed. Livia glanced at Hugo and Valen, who were both out of breath, then looked down at the bandits in the courtyard—their numbers were thinned, and they looked exhausted. She turned her gaze back to the army sweeping across the fields toward the palace.
"I miscalculated this time. Did Leon lose? No, that's impossible. They must have heard the commotion at the castle, or someone escaped and warned them," Livia thought to herself, her expression clouded with anxiety.
But as Livia racked her brain for a solution, a thunderous cry of "Charge!" erupted along with the pounding of countless hooves. She looked to the side and saw the Mirriad cavalry racing past the palace, slamming head-on into the returning enemy forces. Livia felt a massive wave of relief. She spotted five riders approaching the palace gates, but suddenly—"tuck"—someone tapped her on the shoulder.
She spun around instantly, pressing the edge of one axe against the throat of a man dressed in all-black gear and a face mask. The man threw his hands up and pulled down his mask.
"Wait... wait! Don't kill me! I'm here to tell you the border has been breached and we're here to help... Dustin asked me to get the word to you," the man stammered.
Livia took a good look at the man in front of her. Even though he was dressed all in black, he was handsome, and those green eyes of his were striking. She lowered her axes and tossed her hair back. Letting her weapons vanish, she reached out and grabbed the man's clothes, jerking him forward until his shocked face was inches from her own.
"Thank you for putting my mind at ease. What's your name?" Livia asked.
"Um... Cyrill," he replied.
"Hmm. Alright, Cyrill. My name is Livia, and from this moment on, you belong to me," Livia declared.
Before Cyrill could even get a word out, Livia suddenly pulled him into a kiss. Cyrill's eyes went wide, and his mind went completely blank. Meanwhile, Hugo and Valen, who were standing right next to Livia, let their jaws drop in pure disbelief at the scene unfolding before them. Hugo, after taking a closer look at Cyrill's face, clearly recognized Cyrill from his visions, the assassin whose fight beside him.
"Damn it... that bald guy played me again. He sent me here without explaining a thing, only telling me to give a message to a girl in barbarian tribal clothes... and this girl, the one he called the Queen who is currently kissing me... she's the girl from my dreams... I seriously hate that damn old man," Cyrill thought as he began to kiss Livia back, wrapping his arms around her waist.