Tense Arrival

“Things look worse than I expected.”

“Do you think we’ll have to fight our way in?” Viviane asked worriedly.

Medrauta and Viviane had managed to reach Revelo duchy far ahead of schedule in comparison to their previously planned three day trip. By stopping only briefly throughout the journey and continuing to press on even during nightfall, they had managed to reach the duchy gates within one and a half days, their rushed advance cutting the travel time in half.

Unfortunately, their early arrival was not greeted with a warm welcome. Not that they expected one. Even so, they hadn’t expected for the duchy’s border to be swarming with soldiers. The immense metal gates set into the thick defensive walls that bordered the duchy were firmly closed, the evening sun glinting harshly off the gates’ black metal.

High above on the ramparts of the walls were lines upon lines of soldiers all armed with bows. With only a casual glance, Medrauta counted at least two hundred, but she was sure that she’d spot more if she kept counting. While it was normal for a duchy to protect their borders, the amount of soldiers that had been posted at the gate was more than unnatural.

In the first place, this was the duchy’s interior border gate that connected to the capital, meaning that it was primarily used by merchants, nobles, and other travelers. A regular platoon of guards posted at the gate would have more than sufficed, but right now, the entirety of the wall’s ramparts were crawling with soldiers.

A duchy assigning so many armed men to the interior border could only signal one thing: they were preparing to stage a rebellion.

Medrauta shook her head at the mere thought. “At a time like this...? That’s crazy,” she muttered.

“Hm? What’s crazy?” Viviane asked.

Medrauta spent a moment debating whether or not she should share such grim thoughts with Viviane before nodding once. Had Viviane still been as meek and fragile as she was back when they’d first met, Medrauta probably would’ve decided against it.

It’s obvious that Lady Sakura and Sir Riku’s dubious status is still heavy on her mind, Medrauta mused as she studied her lady’s face. But she’s stronger now. Much stronger.

The knight couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride when she gazed upon Viviane’s newfound confidence. In only the span of a few months, her beloved lady had grown into such a fine noblewoman and quite the deadly archer as well.

“...Is something wrong, Medrauta?”

“Ah!” Medrauta’s gaze slid away apologetically. “No, I was just... enraptured by your beauty for a moment there.”

“G-Geez!” Viviane blushed, pouting. “Be serious! You took one look out the window and started brooding! There’s definitely something wrong, isn’t there!?”

“It’s just... Well, how about you come over here and sit next to me so you can see for yourself? You probably won’t even need me to explain once you see it.”

“If you say so,” Viviane replied as she complied, squeezing next to Medrauta.

While the carriage’s seats were upholstered and comfortable, the vehicle’s seating area was rather cramped as a result of prioritizing the inclusion of a luggage compartment. An unfortunate situation really, considering the fact that the two lovers had only brought the barest of survival necessities.

“What the...” Viviane’s voice trailed off, her eyes widening as she witnessed the teeming mass of soldiers milling about atop the border walls. “Is Lord Bastiche planning on staging a rebellion or something!?”

“...That’s what I was thinking too.” Medrauta said, continuing to look out the window. Although it would take the carriage around ten more minutes to actually reach the gates, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous about the complete lack of cover.

They had long exited the forested area separating the capital’s fringe territory from the duchy, but the remaining parcel of land that led to the border gates were almost uniformly flat and just as bare. There wasn’t a single tree or boulder decorating the grassy plains, and with the enormous number of archers positioned on the walls, it would be easy for the soldiers to just direct a constant rain of arrows at the approaching carriage and end their journey prematurely.

It was a prospect that worried Medrauta greatly.

“But he won’t do it, will he?” Viviane’s question was more of a statement. “Not right now, at least. If he’s really betrayed us and sworn himself to Dame Amelia like Dame Marilyn’s letter suggested, there’s no way he’ll send soldiers to attack the capital now.”

Medrauta nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it seems more like he’s preparing to attack instead. I’m willing to bet Amelia’s got some sort of deal with those assholes up north in Kaslavna.”

While she made it sound like she was merely speculating, there was no doubt in Medrauta’s mind that Bastiche had sold out his country to Amelia. She had no idea why the man would do so, especially when he was already positioned to become the next Duke Revelo, but she intended to find out.

Whatever the reason was, Medrauta had a feeling it had something to do with some sort of ritual Amelia was planning. Dame Marilyn’s letter was still fresh in Medrauta’s mind, and she simply couldn’t forget how the senior knight had referenced Bastiche mentioning a “circle” and a “promise.”

“Circle” could mean anything from a witch’s circle to an actual ritual circle, but Medrauta was more convinced that it was the latter. In fact, she’d wanted to bring this up to Viviane, but their journey had seen little rest and it was something that deserved a proper conversation.

Besides, Medrauta didn’t want to burden her beloved lady with yet another worry when she was already so concerned about Sakura and Riku. Instead, Medrauta contented herself with her own thoughts, her brow creasing as she slowly began to put together bits and pieces of what she knew.

...Given the state of the Rosenhall and Avimorne duchies... Is that bitch Amelia trying to invoke a—

“...At the very least, it doesn’t look like I was wrong.”

“Hm?” Medrauta’s head snapped up as Viviane’s voice released her from her train of thought.

“About the fact that we won’t be doing much talking, I mean. If this is the path Lord Bastiche has chosen to walk, then we’ve no other choice than to show him the error of his ways, and if that fails...” Viviane paused. She knew what they would need to do should Bastiche refuse to surrender once they forced their way into House Revelo’s castle, but she still couldn’t bring herself to voice such a thing.

Sensing her lady’s apprehension, Medrauta placed a comforting hand on Viviane’s, squeezing gently. “Don’t worry, Vivi. We’re gonna try our best to make sure it doesn’t come to that. Plus... I’d like to see him tried properly in front of the imperial court. I think it’d be pretty funny.”

Viviane simply shook her head with a smile. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was the fact that Medrauta wouldn’t even last a second in a proper trial before falling asleep.

As the carriage continued to draw closer to the gates, Medrauta grew increasingly nervous to the point where she began gripping the hilt of her sword so tightly that the leather-wrapped hilt began to tear.

“...I don’t think they’re going to just let us through,” Medrauta said through gritted teeth. A deep frown creased her brow, betraying the tension in her body. Her eyes were fixed on the soldiers on the ramparts as if she expected them to start firing arrows any second.

“We’ve got the imperial crest carved on the roof of the carriage. I doubt they’ll start firing after they see it, and if they do... Well, I’m sure the two of us can make it up there somehow.”

While knights possessed incredible physical strength, even Medrauta doubted that she would be able to scale such a massive wall. The duchy gates themselves were already enormous, but the walls themselves towered over even the gates.

No... If Viviane boosts me while she’s enhancing herself with that technique, we might actually be able to clear it... But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

The carriage stopped before the gates.

Medrauta’s sword slid halfway out of its sheath.

Viviane braced herself despite her earlier words, her grip around her bow and Medrauta’s hand both tightening.

No arrows fell, but the only sound that greeted them was silence and hushed conversation from the soldiers above. Despite their enhanced hearing, they couldn’t exactly make out what the guards were saying. Medrauta braced one foot against the carriage door, ready to kick it open and burst out of the vehicle with Viviane at the slightest sign of combat.

Despite all the tension that Medrauta and Viviane felt, it couldn’t even begin to compare to the pure fear that plagued the coachman’s very being while they remained stationary before the looming black gates.

Unlike Medrauta who boasted the physical capabilities of a knight and Viviane who was a prodigal user of ki, the coachman was only human and painfully aware of that fact. Had the archers above him chosen to unleash a rain of arrows, he would no doubt perish instantly without even the slimmest chance of survival.

As beads of sweat uncontrollably rolled down the coachman’s head, a loud, mechanical grinding noise filled the air...

...and the gates swung open, revealing a paved stone road and what looked like barracks for the guards behind. Further down the road, they could see a smaller, less guarded wall and the beginnings of a town peeking over the edge of it.

Just a few more steps, and they’d be inside Revelo duchy, well on their way to completing their mission. Theoretically, at least.

Medrauta heaved a sigh of relief at the lack of raining arrows, though she couldn’t fully relax just yet.

“...Well I’ll be damned.”