“Er…of course you may borrow her. Is something wrong?”
“There’s a small matter I wish to relay to her. Lady Lingsha, may I borrow you?”
“Ya can’t borrow me! I’m not a thing!”
“Er, just a figure of speech… I mean, may I have a moment of your time? There’s something I must tell you.”
Something seems off about Johann…and Lingsha looks a bit peeved.
I cast a questioning glance at Lingsha. She nodded her head and said, “Okay. But tell me over there.”
Lingsha pointed to a corner of the room and made her way to it. Johann followed. They were whispering so I couldn’t tell what Johann was saying, but it looked like he was apologizing. Then Lingsha said something back…and puffed her cheeks up in anger.
What are they talking about?
I was dying of curiosity. Finally, Johann passed a small parcel to her which caused her to grin.
Aha. As I thought.
Lingsha and Johann seemed much closer since the Foundation Day party. While I was wondering if I should ask them about it, they walked back to me. I guess their secret conversation was finished.
“Leia, want me to make more tea?”
“Oh! Um, yes please.”
But then I sensed something—an unusual presence outside the study.
I opened a window. When I was Eric’s bodyguard, many assassins came to this very room. Because of that, my senses were always heightened when I was in here.
Behind that tree—somebody’s there.
I had thought that since we stopped Berklein and Algrene’s conspiracies, that there would be no more assassins…but could it be that somebody was still trying to take Eric’s life?
“Is something the matter, Lady Leia?”
“I sense a presence behind that tree. It might be an assassin.”
“An assassin?!” Johann yelped.
Eric wasn’t here, but we still needed to catch the intruder and identify them. “Johann, report to Eric at once.”
“Understood, but what about you?”
“I…I will catch the intruder!”
“L-Lady Leia?!”
I jumped out the window, cushioned my landing with wind magic, and sprinted to the tree.
“Trespassing on palace grounds is a high crime! Show yourself.”
“Wow, lady, I’m impressed. You sensed my presence. I didn’t think you could find me all the way out here.”
It was a man’s voice—and he did not seem inclined to comply. The palace wall was behind him, so there was no escape, yet the voice sounded confident. I steeled myself and took a step closer.
“Sorry, but I don’t feel like getting caught today. I’ll take my leave.”
And with that, the man jumped clear over the palace wall. I was at a loss.
Is that guy human?!
Flustered, I whipped a chain of light over the wall and scaled it in pursuit of the man.
“Interesting…Elshaid magic!”
The man sounded impressed, but he didn’t stop. He spoke with an accent; perhaps he came from another land. I raced along the top of the wall, desperate to catch him.
“O Wind Spirit! Make swift my stride!”
I cast a wind spell to make myself faster as I ran, but even at this speed, I still didn’t gain on the man. He was freakishly athletic.
“Whoa, lady, you’re good. Guess we can have some fun.”
The man climbed all the way to the highest point of the roof and turned to look at me. Illuminated in the moonlight, I could see him clearly now. He was a young man with almond eyes and a bob haircut.
And the clothes he’s wearing…are from the Ren Empire?
He was a foreign man that anybody would call handsome. I stood still, sensing something amiss about him.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’ll have you in chains.”
“Ha ha! Sounds like fun.”
I whipped my chain of light at the man. It flew too fast for your average intruder to dodge, but he easily jumped out of the way. As I thought, he was freakishly fast.
It’s like trying to catch a cloud. Just attempting to read his next move might break my spine.
“This isn’t over yet,” I warned him.
“Ah…you do have a way with magic.”
I threw my chain at him again and again, but he dodged it each time. If anything, the more I used my magic, the more amused he seemed to become.
How can he be so light on his feet?
Doubt shadowed my mind as I kept up my assault. In terms of speed, I was the equal of Eric or Lingsha.
“All righty, then…let’s put you to bed now.”
“What?!”
In the very next breath, he hit me in my abdomen at close range, blasting me away.
“Oof!”
He used his fist? No, he stopped short of hitting me at the last moment. Yet I felt this strange force hit me…
I was caught completely flat-footed. But the fight wasn’t over yet. I sensed his approach.
“Don’t worry, lady, I won’t kill you.”
“Well…thanks. I appreciate that.”
“Huh?!”
He didn’t see it coming. I swiftly drew a summoning circle and blasted his gut with a gust of wind.
“Bleh?!” He grunted as he collapsed in a heap.
Now’s my chance…
I prepared my coup de grâce, but he leaped back to his feet and beheld me with wide eyes. “Youch! Gee, lady, you’re tough. I didn’t know Elshaid had broads as brawny as you.”
“Huh?! Wait, your face…”
I scrutinized the young man’s visage—I had my suspicions. He looked familiar, like I’d seen him somewhere before…but I couldn’t remember.
“A pleasant surprise, getting bashed by a babe like you. What’s your name, lady?”
“Leia… Leia Westoria. I am a saint of Elshaid.”
“Ohhh, now I get it.” He smiled and clapped his hands together. “So you’re Leia…a holy saint, chosen by God? Ha ha. That explains why you pack such a punch.”
He’d heard of me. But who was he? I watched him warily, trying to suss him out.
“If you’re a saint, guess even I can’t knock ya out so easy. In that case, better make myself scarce.”
“And you think I’ll let you?” I shot out several chains of light in an attempt to bind him. But it was in vain; he dodged them all. This was the first time an intruder ever gave me such trouble.
“Ha ha ha! Sorry, Sainty, but that’ll never work. I already know all about your little trick.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”
I wasn’t so incompetent that I’d let him escape me over and over that easily.
You got it—I’d feinted so that he’d lower his guard.
Because I had friends. Reliable friends—
“Let’s blast ya all away, oh yes!!”
Jumping high in the sky, Lingsha swung her sword and descended, her eyes blazing like a demon’s. With a high overhead swing, she made her first attack.
“What the—?!”
The young man barely evaded Lingsha’s heavy swing. Not missing a beat, I shot out a chain of light. Unfortunately, he managed to evade that too, by a hair.
Seriously, is this guy even human? Who is he?
But before I could ask that question, Lingsha yelled, “Liu! Ni zai gan shenme ne?!”
Was she speaking Renese? It sounded like Lingsha knew this man.
Liu? Was that his name?
Lingsha’s sword kept slicing through the air, but not even her volley of attacks, though they were fierce enough to repel a small army, could hit him.
If anything, he smirked and playfully retorted, “Lai jie ni huilai, Lingsha!”
Lingsha’s eyes shot open. They were shouting at each other in Renese. I didn’t know what they were saying, but Lingsha looked shocked.
While I tried to make sense of what was happening, the young man made his move. Lunging through her flurry of attacks, he whirled behind her and raised a dagger.
No!!
“Lady Lingshaaa!!!”
With an ear-splitting roar, Johann flew in from the flanks and grabbed Liu’s dagger.
“Whoa there, boy! That’s some grip. I’m trying my hardest to escape, but you ain’t letting me budge, are ya?”
“Who the devil are you?” Johann growled.
Even in Johann’s hold, the young man’s movements were inhuman. He looked like a beast in man’s clothing.
“Johann, Leia, this jerk is Fang Liu. He’s my brother…”
That revelation knocked the air out of our lungs. Liu smirked at the sight of us.
This man is Lingsha’s…brother?
As disbelief seized my heart, I sized up the man standing in our presence.