She’d never trained for covert operations before, so she was on edge, fearing they might notice her.
After she crawled along the ground for a short while, that was when she heard some disturbing things from those unruly officers.
“If we get into a war with the empire, do you think we’ll fight against the Imperial Guard?”
“I dunno. But I hope they show up.”
Mina stopped moving automatically and pricked up her ears.
“The outcome of the Pandelsen Revolt was basically decided once the Imperial Guard was deployed, right? Are they strong?”
“That’s how we lost, yeah. But I don’t know how strong they really were since I’d already been sent to the rear because of my injuries.”
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
“You’re a newbie here so you probably don’t know, but most of us, including our master, were assembled under General Pandelsen’s flag. And we’re the survivors who feel like we never got to ride that war out to the end. Our lust for battle became like glowing embers that continue to smolder in our hearts to this day.”
“That’s why this time, we want to fight on and on until the bitter end—until we burn out, right? I know I feel the same way!”
What’s going on? What on earth are they talking about? While Mina’s gut told her she couldn’t ignore this, she was impatient because she just couldn’t understand what they were talking about. Their voices were distant too, which added to the problem.
She supposed she should get closer to listen better.
Or maybe not. She was torn on what to do...
No, I came here to bring Sir Zen home. She set her priorities back in line. She couldn’t forget Elysia’s pale face as she worried about her father.
So once more, Mina started crawling along the hedge.
Unfortunately, though, for someone who had no foundation in the art of infiltration, this task was too high a hurdle.
She suddenly heard a voice.
“Where are you sneaking to with that dangerous-looking weapon, little lady?”
Another two officers were closing in on her, drawing their swords. She’d been so distracted by those first two sentries that she hadn’t realized there’d been another pair approaching her.
She’d been hiding in the hedges to be in the first two sentries’ blind spots, but she was in full view of this other pair.
This is where my lack of experience gets me! Holding back the urge to click her tongue, she stood up and drew her sword, no longer having any reason to hide.
“What?!”
“An enemy!”
The original two sentries also came closer, and she wound up being completely surrounded.
“It’s one woman. Don’t move!”
One of the sentries blocking her path came at her with his sword. Mina repelled it with her own blade, and they fell into battle. In an instant, their weapons had already clashed ten times. He’s strong...! But...
Determined, she fought back in her dress and dealt a powerful slash attack. With a flash of her blade like it was slicing through the moonlight, it deeply carved a diagonal red line across the sentry’s chest.
“She got Mr. Raffle!”
“You sure know how to put up a fight, woman!”
“Who do you work for?!”
Normally, she’d proudly proclaim, I’m Mina Houck, the guard of His Excellency the Nazalf Prefectural Governor Cummel! but of course she refrained this time.
“I’ll take her next!”
“No, me!”
“You two just sit back and watch!”
Rather than immediately attack her, the remaining three started bickering.
Are they underestimating me because I’m a woman? No, I don’t think that’s it...
If her gut was right, she sensed that they desperately wanted something to pit their full strength against—a desire that was not quite the same as chivalry. She had too little information to know it was the result of their pride as master swordsmen.
“It’s on, lady!” One came to attack, and she rose to the challenge. When she flung that man’s sword far away like she’d torn it from him, another man lunged at her.
She crossed blades with him, and it was a close battle. It was her third consecutive win, but these sentries were leagues tougher than her fellow knights.
But they aren’t as tough as Sir Zen! That thought gave her the strength to keep her head high and fight.
However, there was always somebody out there better than you.
“The moon really is beautiful tonight. It yearns for an offering and entices me to kill.”
The instant Mina heard that voice, a chill ran up her spine. Goose bumps rose along her skin, and her courage instantly withered away, so suddenly that even she didn’t understand why.
“Wh-Who are you?!” she stammered.
“Do not ask. Do not give me your name. Only speak with your blade.” The man emerged from the darkness, appearing in front of her. His right hand loosely held his sword.
He might’ve been in his fifties. His left sleeve had been completely sliced off, and the exposed arm was extremely built. It was hard to believe he was a middle-aged man. And the tattoo of the three-eyed dragon etched onto his left shoulder was staring directly at her.
“My apologies, master! This woman got everyone else, including Mr. Raffle...”
“No matter. I was just in the mood to put some fresh prey to the test.” The tattooed man, who the officers called “master,” released a breath that reeked of alcohol.
Mina was still a distance away from him, but he smelled so strongly of booze that she screwed up her face.
Ngh... What am I hesitating for? It wasn’t like he’d shown her what he was capable of yet, but she was paralyzed. It was like her instincts refused to let her fight.
She’d never experienced this before.
“You aren’t coming? I’ll give you the first shot, woman.”
She didn’t respond.