Clubk, clunk.
At the top of the ten-person carriage that shook as it moved through the streets, there was an out-of-place presence among the solemn-looking grown men: a fourteen-year-old girl staring into space with expressionless eyes. Her calm expression did not reveal how nervous Amelia Rainwales felt at that moment, except for her sister, Laura.
Slide.
Amelia was startled as she got up from where she was sitting, tense, with her hands on her knees. His sister's hand was folded over them.
«What's wrong with you? Are you really worried?».
Introvert Amelia nodded. Not only was there no point in lying to her older sister, who knew her as well as a father would, but Laura would have realized how much she was shaking right now, no matter how moving the carriage was.
«...Okay, nothing bad will happen».
When she felt her sister's warm hand on her skin, Amelia felt her tension release little by little even though they were practically being dragged onto a battlefield. When she closed her eyes, the conversation between the adult men began to enter Amelia's ears.
«What about Iron Mask and Emily?».
«I heard that the lord of the castle is going to send someone to his inn, but I don't know if they will get the message given what is happening».
«Hah, what a mess. If they were planning something like that all the time, at least tell us in advance, right? What is this, in the middle of the night?».
«That's how top secret it was. I never thought that the lord of the castle would ally himself with the palace to attack Orcules».
The sisters had been working in their adoptive father's tavern like any other day when they were summoned by Felic Barker. He seemed to be in a hurry, he didn't explain anything to them and told them to prepare for the fight. As soon as they gathered their equipment, he loaded them into a military carriage with their clan members who had arrived.
«Wait, attack Orcules? I haven't heard anything about that. I only heard that they were sending us as reinforcement for a revolt in the east. And the palace? What nonsense is that? How could the lord of the castle work with the palace?»
«It seems that the palace contacted the lord not long ago. I didn't know at the time what was discussed at that meeting... but I think we all have a decent guess now».
«Well, those bastards from Orcules would also be a thorn in the side of the palace. I guess your interests aligned».
«Mhm, if it weren't for that, what reason would the knights who were sent here from the palace be fighting Orcules?»
«...That must be why the Lord did not tell us until the day of».
«That's right. Because they will be the main troops anyway. We just have to focus on getting out of here alive».
«Ha, if I had known this would happen, I would have made sure to sleep outside the castle as Iron Mask. Staying in the castle only dragged me into this».
«Durbon, be careful what you say.»
«Ah... forget what I said.»
«And you, stop complaining so much. Once this is over, we will receive adequate compensation.» Clan leader Felic Barker eased the tension. A long while later, the carriage finally stopped at the entrance to the eastern district of Noark.
«I guess we'll have to walk from here».
The eastern district seemed to have already been the scene of several battles. Starting right at the border, the smell of blood was thick and the remains of crumbling buildings and tattered corpses filled the streets. Explosions could be heard everywhere and the air was filled with human screams more desperate than those of the banshees.
«What are you doing?! How long are you going to block the road? Get off quickly! Don't you see that there are more carriages behind you?».
Amelia followed them. His body, which had calmed down during the trip, was shaking again.
Her sister affectionately took her hand. «Don't worry too much. I will protect you».
His trustworthy sister never broke a promise. Still, Amelia was not able to calm down so easily.
He pressed.
The harder her sister squeezed her hand, the more Amelia shuddered.
***
Amelia finished remembering and opened her eyes slowly. It was clear where he had to go: the eastern district of Noark, which had slowly escaped the influence of the castle and its lord once Orcules made it his base of operations.
«¡F-Fuego!»
Today, most people simply assumed that a fire had broken out in the area, but in reality, a war was being fought there.
We're probably traveling east by carriage right now.
Although it was a memory from twenty years ago and the first large-scale battle she had experienced, Amelia even remembered the trip. It wasn't a memory I could forget even if I wanted to. It was no exaggeration to say that his life over the past twenty years had been one in which he had looked back and lamented this day countless times.
Run.
Amelia quickened her pace and headed towards her destination. The eastern district, towards which he had been running for a long time, was occupied by hundreds of clueless adventurers who had been summoned that day. Searching the area, he soon found the person he was looking for.
"Meet you".
«Who... huh, Emily?». When Amelia struck up a conversation, Felic Barker, who was prepared for battle, gasped. «How are you here?» Although he was happy to see her, he seemed a little distrustful.
«I went to the castle when I saw the commotion and they sent me here. I found out about the situation from other people on the way».
«Ah, I see... But where is Iron Mask?».
«He's drunk and asleep, so I left him».
«Hmm, still... how could you leave such a valuable military asset behind?».
«And? He's so drunk he can't even wake up».
Felic seemed disappointed, but didn't argue. His excuse itself did not seem strange to him, thanks to the fact that that barbarian used to give the excuse that he had drunk too much the night before whenever he was late. «Well, I'm sure that guy didn't imagine something like this would happen today either. Then you better assume he's not coming».
After that, Amelia stood next to her younger self and older sister.
The sisters greeted her awkwardly. «Hello...»
Unlike the barbarian, with whom they were both familiar, Amelia had not interacted with these two beyond what was strictly necessary during the last few months. For some reason, every time he was in front of them, he didn't dare to speak.
This time, he forced himself to open his mouth. «Stay close to me».
«...Sorry?»
«This way I can protect you».
«Oh, sure...!» The sisters were not very close friends with Amelia, but they knew that she had extraordinary abilities, so their faces lit up when they heard her words. Although they also seemed to wonder why he was suddenly being nice to them.
«Prepare for battle!»
Once the formation was established, it wasn't long before it was his group's turn to go to the front lines. Divided into dozens of teams, the idea was that they would take turns on the front line and alternate breaks. There was no imminent danger. The castle lord's palace troops and elites, who had been informed in advance of today's plan, were carrying out sweeps.
«The bastards try to escape! Kill them!»
The objective of the troops gathered in this specific place was not to sweep, but to capture. How strong could those escaping the burning neighborhood be? A unilateral massacre followed.
«The lord of the castle seems completely resolved».
«It seems like 70 percent of these people are ordinary citizens; is it really okay to kill them all like that?»
«Ugh, idiot. We can't go one by one to check who they are. What if a member of Orcules escapes in civilian clothes?».
«That's true, but...»
Some expressed skepticism about the unilateral battle, but were only a minority. Everyone here specialized in killing people.
«Does anyone remember what the commander said before? How much was it for two?»
«The truth is that I don't remember, but at this rate, I think this is worth more than going on another expedition».
«Hey! Have you heard? Shepherds! Stop fighting and pick up! Oh, and if anything they carry seems expensive, strip it!»
Most were delighted with the opportunity to earn a high income for an easy job, but upon hearing this, Amelia's expression hardened. Although he had been born in this city and grown up with these people, not only was he disgusted by this way of thinking, but he knew that this festive atmosphere was only temporary and that hell would soon break loose.
«What the hell...? Someone is walking by». Even amidst all the noise, that murmured comment seemed overwhelmingly loud.
Amelia hurriedly turned her head. «...Has he gone crazy?».
A lone man walking straight towards them caught their attention. Considering the hundreds of escape attempts that had occurred so far, it was a very strange sight in comparison.
Step.
As the man approached, those who saw him approaching began to feel uncomfortable.
Step.
He was wearing a black military uniform soaked in blood. However, even though it was wet, there was not a single scratch on his clothes. Judging by the fact that they were dyed red with blood, it seemed that he had not been lucky enough not to encounter problems on the way here.
Step.
The sword at his waist was also peculiar. This crowd was made up of looters who could recognize the value of an object. Therefore, the closer they got to it, the more they realized that it was no ordinary weapon. The sword itself was very simple, but the name of the man who carried it was very famous in this city.
«...Hey, this isn't what I'm thinking it is, is it? Please tell me there is something wrong with my eyes».
«Does anyone know his face?»
There was a stir among the waiting adventurers. Some let themselves be carried away by their instincts and backed away, while others took care to deny it.
Step.
The man reduced the distance to fifty meters.
¡Zas!
A bonfire thrown by a fire-type expert crackled and died before even reaching the man. Then there was silence. This was a very famous skill.
«Cancellation...»
Annulment was the sole power of the Lord of the Fifth Floor, the Lord of Tranquility. This incomprehensible power nullified the special abilities and skills, which were the basis of every adventurer. It had been owned by fewer than ten people in all of history, and as far as they knew, only one in the current era.
«T-Traitor…»
He was an unparalleled criminal with the nickname Traitor, the man who founded the group called Hercules with his own hands, and an undefeated swordsman: Ricardo Lüchenprague. The appearance of this man caused chaos.
«Why this man...?»
«Palace! They said that the palace soldiers would fight him».
The man did not answer any of his questions. He simply raised his sword silently, totally disinterested.
«¡C-Run!»
From there, the assembled adventurers turned their backs on him and began to flee. However, the moment they brandished the sword, there was a flash of light.
¡Good! ¡Raja!
The memory that Amelia had reproduced countless times over the past twenty years began to develop once again.