Chapter 21
21. Requiem (1)
As I finished preparing for the funeral and stepped outside, Black had already readied the horses.
“Ah……”
Liene, upon spotting him, paused in her tracks. He was clad in black from head to toe, seemingly intending to accompany her to the funeral. The Tiwakans standing behind him were the same. Seeing their black armor, black cloaks, and black banners, one could understand why they were called the abandoned bastards of the god of death. Liene’s eyes narrowed involuntarily as she met Black’s gaze. …That man, black suits him unnecessarily well. It was a pointless and inappropriate thought to have before attending a funeral, but she couldn’t stop thinking it. He must have been wearing black armor when she first saw him, so why didn’t she notice it then?
“You’ve arrived.”
Black approached her as Liene stood frozen. His eyes scanned the nape of her neck and the area around her shoulders.
“Your dress has changed.”
“Yes. Madam Flambard altered it for me.”
“……Is it better?”
Black muttered to himself for a moment. Liene had no idea that he, too, was thinking about how well black suited him. In the meantime, a mercenary brought Black’s horse. It was a massive Black steed. It was clear at first glance that it was Black’s horse.
“Get on.”
Black extended his hand to Liene.
“Am I riding this horse?”
“We’ll be riding together.”
Liene shook her head slightly.
“I… I have a horse too.”
Riding the same horse was too much. Liene remembered all too vividly what had happened the last time she rode with him. At this point, when she needed to be more wary of him, it wasn’t a good idea to create a situation where something similar might happen again.
“I’ll ride separately.”
“That won’t do.”
The answer was firm.
“Arrows might come flying from anywhere again. If we share a horse, the response will be slower.”
“……”
The culprit who fired the arrow had not yet been officially identified. She couldn’t very well say that the culprit was Laffite, and that he wouldn’t shoot arrows at her.
“……Alright then.”
Liene nodded reluctantly.
“I’ll help you onto the horse.”
Instead of asking for her hand, Black simply lifted Liene onto the horse. She was dumbfounded by how lightly her body was lifted. He hurt his shoulder, didn’t he? The injury couldn’t have healed already. The more she knew him, the less she understood him.
“Let’s depart.”
After gently placing Liene on the horse, he mounted it himself. That movement, too, was so light that it made mounting a horse seem like the easiest thing in the world. This man is too strange. Clop, clop… The sound of hooves rattled in her ears. This man will never look clumsy, no matter what he does. He seemed capable of handling anything skillfully and with ease. Getting her on the horse, riding the horse, and anything else.
“……”
Liene forcibly stopped her thoughts, afraid that she would remember how skillfully he had explored her lips if she thought any further. Don’t forget. Don’t let your guard down. Clop, clop. As the horse picked up speed, the sound of hooves became even louder. Amidst all that, the man’s arm, wrapped around her as he held the reins, felt so reassuring that her heart was in turmoil.
* * * The temple was located at the top of Pillion Hill, across Nauk Castle to the north. The somber and mournful tolling of bells announcing the funeral was already ringing from the temple.
“Wait here.”
Black said, stopping the horse at the bottom of the stairs leading to the temple. As to why, he jumped off the horse first and extended his hand to Liene.
“You can get down now.”
Seeing the large hand reaching out to her, Liene swallowed hard. Why is this man being so kind? If revenge is his goal, he doesn’t need to be kind. Why is he doing this? Why to me?
“……”
Liene ended up taking the man’s hand without saying thank you. But the hand was just the beginning. Black, pulling Liene’s hand, wrapped his arm around her waist as she leaned over. Her feet landed lightly on the ground. At this rate, she felt like she would forget how to get on and off a horse by herself.
“Do we have to walk up all the stairs?”
“Yes. It’s a temple, after all.”
It was an act of reverence towards the gods. There were no exceptions, even for the ruler of Nauk. However, the arduous journey to the temple was also a reason why people continued to distance themselves from it. Those who were unwell or weary couldn’t even think about climbing those endless stairs. Even the young Liene would feel fatigue in her legs after visiting the temple, sometimes even getting cramps.
“Then let’s go.”
Liene started climbing the stairs ahead. Black followed silently behind. But that time was short-lived. As they began to climb the steep stairs, white figures appeared from above, descending towards them. They were priests. The priests, who insisted on wearing white robes in any case, stood in stark contrast to Liene’s group, who were dressed in mourning clothes.
“Why are the priests……”
Liene frowned involuntarily. She had a bad feeling. Climbing the stairs was as much work as descending them, so the priests didn’t move around carelessly unless necessary.
“The Cardinal delivers a message to the Daughter of Arsak!”
It wasn’t just a feeling; it was reality. The priests, rushing down the stairs, shouted at Liene.
“By the will of the great guardian deity of Nauk and the Cardinal, we forbid your attendance at this funeral!”
“……?”
At first, she thought she had misheard due to the distance.
“Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“As long as the Daughter of Arsak is with those who defy the will of the gods, she may not set foot in the temple. This is the message from the Cardinal.”
“Are you referring to my betrothed when you say those who defy the will of the gods?”
“That is correct.”
“…….”
This wasn’t the Cardinal’s message. It was Lyndon Kleinfelter speaking. He seemed determined to isolate Liene in Nauk. Liene said firmly.
“I cannot accept this. Clear the way.”
“We are only following the Cardinal’s orders.”
“I am the Monarch of Nauk.”
“The priests have no Monarch but God.”
“How can you……”
Her fingertips stiffened with shock and anger. This couldn’t be happening. No matter how much the Cardinal sided with Lyndon Kleinfelter, who filled his pockets, he couldn’t openly disregard the ruler of Nauk.
“Then bring the Cardinal here. Tell him to say the same thing in front of me.”
“The Cardinal is presiding over the funeral.”
“Tell him to postpone it.”
“That… However, he said there is a way!”
The priest, who had been hesitant for a moment, quickly changed his words as Liene became more assertive.
“If the Daughter of Arsak abandons those who have forsaken God, all transgressions will be forgiven, and she will be accepted back as a child of God.”
This was the main point. They were telling her to break off her engagement with the Tiwakans and obediently listen. Liene’s ears turned red. She was furious.
“Was breaking off the engagement ever something that could be done with a single word from me? Does the Cardinal truly believe that?”
Only a fool would think so. The forces that had besieged the castle for fifteen days to get her to accept the proposal couldn’t have disappeared in an instant. There was no way Lyndon Kleinfelter didn’t know that. So, this was an act to turn everyone in Nauk against Liene. If Liene ended up turning away from the temple, the rumor would spread like this: Even though God gave her a choice, the princess of Nauk was seduced by the taste of barbarism and forsook God with them. Therefore, she could no longer be allowed to rule Nauk. The right to rule should be taken away. That was the will of God.
“That is what he instructed us to convey.”
“Tell him to come out and say it himself! Instead of hiding cowardly inside the temple!”
Liene, unable to bear it any longer, raised her voice, and the priests glared at her.
“The Daughter of Arsak must be reverent before God! God will not tolerate such rudeness!”
“Who was rude first……!”
She was at a loss for words. She couldn’t accept this. Liene unclenched her tightly clenched fists and instead grabbed the hem of her skirt.
“Fine. Then I’ll go see him myself. I’ll see if he says the same thing in front of me.”
“Wait.”
But Black’s low voice stopped Liene.
“It would be better not to go.”
“Yes……? ……Why?”
With a sharpened gaze, Black stared past the priests.
“They wouldn’t be fools.”
“That’s……”
Liene bit her lip for a moment. He was right. No matter how foolish the Cardinal was, he couldn’t have acted like this. Above all, the temple didn’t have the military strength to stand against the Tiwakan forces. If the Tiwakans wanted to climb these stairs, there was no way they could stop them. Yet, they were openly committing all sorts of impudence. It was something that no fool would do.
“It seems they're trying to provoke us.”
“Why…”
“Perhaps they want us to come up.”
It sounded like something was being plotted up there.
“But I can't not attend the funeral. They'll find fault with that too.”
“Let's handle one thing at a time. It's better not to go up there when we don't know for sure what's up there.”
“……”
Black was right. He wasn't talking about the political situation the Kleinfelter Family was creating. He was making a tactical judgment as the leader of an undefeated mercenary band.
“It would be wise to follow Lord Tiwakan for now. …I understand.”
Princess Liene said with a sigh. Even as she turned and walked down the stairs, Princess Liene looked back up the hill. She could see the priests looking flustered and whispering among themselves. This man was right. They had set a trap and provoked me. A fresh wave of anger surged within her. Lyndon Kleinfelter seemed to be openly disregarding Princess Liene's rule now. This was nothing short of a declaration of war. So, what should I do now? When Tiwakan besieged the castle, the enemy was clear. Tiwakan was the enemy of Nauk. But now, she couldn't clearly identify who her real enemy was.
“Watch your step.”
Complex thoughts became protruding rocks. When Princess Liene almost lost her footing, Black quickly picked her up.
“Ah… I'm embarrassed. I was distracted while walking down the stairs.”
“It's alright, I saw it.”
“……”
Was this man an enemy, or not? Princess Liene wanted to know. What exactly was this man who watched over her so carefully, preventing her from falling or getting hurt? Was revenge originally this tender? Even such absurd thoughts crossed her mind. * * *
“Unbelievable…!”
Lyndon Kleinfelter, leaning over the railing in the temple courtyard and looking down, twisted his lips in annoyance.
“Could he have smelled it? That cunning bastard.”
Standing next to him and responding was Laffite Kleinfelter.
“...It's a relief, in a way. If Princess Liene had died, the Kleinfelter Family would have been driven out of Nauk.”
Laffite, or rather, Lopes Kleinfelter as he should now be called, stared somewhere with a hardened gaze. There, a large rock was precariously tied up. It was a very incongruous object to be in the temple courtyard. Such a rock should have been tied to a catapult.
“……”
Lyndon Kleinfelter turned his shoulder and looked at his nephew, who was uttering these words.
“Are you serious? We missed this great opportunity to kill the leader of the barbarians in one fell swoop?”
The plan was that if the provocation succeeded and Tiwakan came up the stairs by force, they would roll the rock down. Then, everyone would either be crushed flat under the rock, or plummet down the steep hill and explode. Of course, the priests or Princess Liene could have died in the process. But Lyndon Kleinfelter thought it didn't matter.
“Admit it. Princess Liene is loved in Nauk. You can't kill her recklessly.”
“Tsk… you pathetic fool. Could it be that you still have lingering feelings? For such a lewd woman?”
“Watch your mouth, Uncle.”
The eldest son, who had gained the new name of Lopes, glared. A fierce blue rage made his eyes look like blades.
“No one can speak of Princess Liene like that in front of me. If you knew what the princess did to save me.”
