Chapter 21
21
It seemed a thief had hidden inside the carriage. The cold sensation of a blade against her neck sent a chill down Maria's spine.
"Stay quiet, and I won't kill you."
The robber threatened Maria from the shadows. But the voice was very young. It was definitely not an adult man, but a boy. Maria nodded obediently. There was no use resisting in this situation. Even in the deep darkness, she could see the thin wrist holding the knife. He wasn't a burly figure, but a still-growing body. If she played her cards right, she might be able to subdue the boy. Having learned swordsmanship and basic self-defense, she was confident, even if she wasn't very skilled.
"Give me everything you have!"
Maria set down the spice jar and rummaged through her clothes. She busily pretended to take out the money pouch she received from working in the mine. That's when it happened. Maria grabbed the boy's wrist and twisted it outwards.
"You wanna die!"
The boy slashed Maria's arm with the knife in his other hand.
"!?"
'He was holding knives in both hands.'
Thump! A scuffle broke out inside the carriage. As things escalated, the boy twisted his body as if to jump out of the carriage. But Maria grabbed the back of the boy's neck and wouldn't let go. As a result, the two of them were thrown out of the carriage at the same time.
"Let go!"
As the panicked boy shouted, people stirred from the barracks. But Maria grabbed the back of the boy's neck and didn't let go. Then, the boy kicked Maria in the stomach.
"Ugh!"
Maria collapsed to the ground. It was natural for her stomach to hurt from the blow, but the strength in one arm drained away. At that moment, a wooden stick that had fallen to the ground caught her hand. Maria quickly grabbed the stick and got to her feet.
"Ugh... Ugh!"
Her arm, grazed by the knife, felt wet with blood.
'My arm hurts.'
Maria clutched her arm, stood up, and swung the stick at the boy.
"!"
The boy seemed surprised and began to back away, and Maria attacked mindlessly. If this wooden stick were a real sword, that boy would already be dead.
Thud! Thud! With Maria's quick movements, the knife the boy was holding flew into the air. She didn't miss the opportunity and continued her assault.
"Ugh!"
The moment the boy stumbled and fell to the ground, Maria ran over and pressed her foot firmly on his neck. With this, she subdued the boy who was trying to rob her.
"L-Let... go!"
The boy, with his neck pinned down, struggled to get away from Maria, but it wasn't easy.
'Whether it's a person or an animal, if you compress their windpipe, they can't do anything.'
Maria glared at the boy with a fearsome expression. Just then, a rustling sound came from the dark bushes, and a woman holding a baby appeared.
"Jamie!"
The woman sobbed as she looked at the fallen boy.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive us just this once, we won't do this again."
The boy's mother pleaded with Maria, crying. But Maria's agitation didn't subside easily. Maria was curious as to why a young boy was committing robbery.
"Please forgive us just this once. We haven't eaten for three days since coming here. So the child lost his mind and..."
She understood the situation, but even so, he was too young to be committing robbery. If she let him go easily, he would go elsewhere and hold a knife to the throat of an innocent person. But when Maria heard the story the baby's mother tearfully revealed, she was breathless.
"We fled from Lastonia. After the Empress was deposed, the lords of each region raised taxes. If we couldn't pay the taxes on time, we were severely beaten, and sometimes we couldn't escape death. So my husband also..."
'They were from Lastonia?'
Maria instantly lost her will to fight, like a soldier who had lost the war, and took her foot off the boy. The boy quickly ran to his mother's side. Maria fell into deep contemplation for a moment. Then, she took out the money pouch from her clothes and placed it in the baby's mother's hand.
"Why are you giving us this?"
Maria gestured for the boy's mother, whose eyes had widened in surprise, to leave quickly. It wasn't out of sympathy for their actions. She couldn't turn a blind eye because she, as the former Empress, was also responsible for the suffering of the people of Lastonia.
"Thank... you."
The boy stared at Maria with a dumbfounded expression, and the baby's mother repeatedly bowed her head in thanks. But Maria urgently waved her hand, telling them to run away quickly. If these two were caught by Gunther, she really wouldn't be able to save them then. Soon, they understood Maria's intention and quickly fled into the forest.
* * *
When Maria appeared bleeding, the barracks were turned upside down. Nora and Ero rushed over and supported the staggering Maria, and soldiers with torches chased after the boy. Naturally, the two asked Maria what had happened. Maria gestured that she had encountered a robber and fought with him.
"Did the robber run away?"
At Nora's question, Maria nodded with an awkward expression.
"Oh my! What's going on! You're bleeding a lot."
Ero quickly took out a handkerchief and applied pressure to stop the bleeding.
"Oh dear! What's all this about? They say highway robbers are running rampant."
"They say a lot of people have fled from Lastonia."
Ero said in an excited tone.
'From Lastonia? What's going on?'
Maria couldn't hide her bitterness at hearing the news that her country had become a mess. After a while, a huge figure appeared from the darkness. As the figure became clearer, its identity became clear.
"Great King!"
It was Gunther and Solskjaer. But in Gunther's hand, the boy who had attacked Maria was hanging like a hunted rabbit. Not only that, but next to him stood a woman holding a newborn baby.
"Did this guy attack you?"
Gunther threw the boy down in front of Maria, and a blood-stained knife fell to the ground from his arms. Maria looked sadly at the boy and his mother, who had been caught after all. She had told them to run far away, but they had ended up being caught by Gunther. What was even more surprising was Gunther's quick grasp of the situation and his observation. Really, she thought he wouldn't know.
"A greenhorn like you, where did you learn to rob?"
Nora shouted. Indeed, the boy looked even younger than expected. Those who were surprised swallowed their rising anger. The reality that such a young child was trying to kill someone.
"Let go! I was hurt by that woman too!"
The boy shouted, showing his bruised neck. But Gunther only saw Maria bleeding from the knife wound.
"Solskjaer."
Gunther's voice was cold.
"Kill him."
"Yes."
Solskjaer took the boy from Gunther's hand and tried to take him somewhere. Maria immediately got up and approached Gunther.
"N-No... don't."
It was true that he had done something very wrong, but killing him was too cruel, so Maria desperately stopped him. He was a young boy with a chance to reform, so there was no need to kill him. Underdeveloped boys would listen if they were given a stern lecture.
"You're saying not to kill him?"
When Maria nodded at his words, Gunther looked at Solskjaer and said.
"Don't kill him. Instead, gouge out his eyes and cut off both his wrists."
"Yes, Great King."
"N-No! Don't!"
Maria shouted fiercely. If he was the King of a country, he could show mercy to such a petty thief. She couldn't understand why he was trying to inflict such a cruel punishment. He was a boy who looked immature to anyone. Maria looked at Nora and Ero for help, but they also turned a blind eye. Then, Nora opened her mouth to Maria.
"I understand how you feel, Maria, but there are so many kids like that in the world. And you could have been killed."
She spoke as if she was very familiar with this kind of thing. It seemed to mean that those kinds of kids would grow up to do worse things.
"A person who commits robbery from a young age will grow up to slaughter more people."
Just then, the sound of a newborn baby's cry struck the night sky, silencing the noise of the murmuring people. Then, the woman holding the baby approached Gunther and pleaded.
"It was because it was too hard to live any longer. Please forgive us."
Gunther scanned the boy and the baby's mother. Judging by their attire and accent, they were definitely people who had fled from Lastonia. So that's why Maria had let them go.
"Every robbery and murder has its reasons."
But he couldn't just let them all go. Gunther coldly rejected the woman's request. He seemed emotionless, as if he was used to this kind of thing. Maria was stunned by Gunther's refusal, which left no room for compromise.
Then, the woman approached Maria. In the current situation, the only person who would take her son's side was this silent woman.
"I don't care about your circumstances."
Gunther said to the woman in a cold tone.
Maria's face darkened, overwhelmed with despair. It seemed that even if she had let the boy escape, it would have been impossible for him to escape Gunther's sight.
"Why, are you upset?"
Gunther looked at Maria and asked with a cold face.
"Do you still think you're the Empress of Lastonia? So you're writhing with responsibility?"
At his words, the soldiers, including Nora and Ero, stirred. They had thought she was a fallen noblewoman, but Maria was the famous deposed Empress of Lastonia. But Maria shook her head at Gunther.
'No. I'm not foolish enough to be tied to the past of being an Empress. But... he's still a child. He should be given a chance to live properly.'
Gunther would never know what she was thinking. But Maria had said everything she wanted to say in her heart. Gunther stared at Maria with a serious expression. He could call Stone to hear her words, but he didn't bother to do so. Because her face was full of anger, as if she strongly disagreed with his words.
"Solskjaer."
"Yes, Great King."
"Take care of it."