Keithwood, the workhorse, and the unreasonable request
It looks like we just barely made it.
Keithwood looked around after he and Sion had arrived. Mia and Bel were right next to each other. Two horses stood on either side of them to protect them. Two wolves, probably servants of the enemy, circled the group, ready to attack at any moment.
Really, it’s too close. Way too close.
He let out a sigh of relief, but it was quickly followed by a chill when he thought about how they’d avoided disaster—at least for now—by the thinnest of whiskers.
He was doing his usual rounds of the academy, as Sion had told him to, when he saw the bloody Lynsha near the back gate. As he ran to her side and got ready to take her to the hospital, she grabbed his arm and barely managed to say that Citrina and Barbara had taken Bel before she passed out. When he realised how important the situation was, he ran to tell Sion before running off to get help.
But a search for Mia’s usual friends turned up nothing; everyone who might have been important seemed to have disappeared.
Also, he had found the ransom note lying on the floor of Mia’s room.
When they got back to Sion, he was already dressed for battle and had his sword on his hip. They decided quickly to leave the island.
The message from Lynsha made them realise how bad things were. Because of this, they acted more quickly than everyone else.
Still, the fact that they got there with no time to spare will probably keep Keithwood up at night for days. Princess Mia is worth so much. Losing her would be like losing everything.
We made it just in time, thank the sun.
His thoughts were interrupted by Sion’s voice.
“Keithwood, I’ll leave the wolves in your care. If you can, get rid of them and make a way for us to escape.”
Keithwood scowled when his master told him what to do.
“Seriously, milord? All of your requests are unreasonable, but this one is especially so,” he grumbled.
After all, they were two wolves. And ones that are very big. The average person would run away in fear before they even tried to fight them.
That two legged-monster doesn’t look like a pushover, either. I guess I’ll have to do my part …and then some more.
So, the workhorse picked up the extra heavy straw and threw it on his back, which was already full. Keithwood had watched the masked man fight back against Abel’s crushing blow with great care. He could see that Abel’s swings had a lot of power. He knew it was a bad idea to face it head on. If the receiving blade doesn’t break, then the arms might. Even moving quickly enough to defend oneself was a small miracle.
Their enemy, on the other hand, had done it with no trouble at all. Whoever he was, he was an expert.
Sion probably also thinks that there aren’t many chances for us to beat that man. Which doesn’t give me a lot of room for error, does it? Okay, then. So, it’s the wolves. I need to get rid of them quickly so that we can get away.
Even though they were very dangerous, wolves were still animals. They had to be easier to beat than a man with a weapon and a lot of skill. At least, that’s what he thought until he pulled out his sword and one of the wolves attacked.
“Whoa!”
It jumped out of nowhere, its jaws wide open. He quickly moved out of the way, but the wolf moved with him, its gaping mouth following the movement of his body as if it had known what he would do.
“Wait, what—”
In the tiny amount of time he had to think, he decided that he couldn’t run away any longer. He stopped trying to defend himself and turned his sword towards the wolf’s neck to thrust it up through its throat.
Put the sword in the neck. If I kill the thing as soon as it bites me, the damage will be less. The wolf for an arm. Should be a good exchange.
This bloody deal, however, did not happen.
When the wolf looked into his eyes, it stopped in his tracks and turned away.
“What, in the scorching sun?” Keithwood yelled out in shock.
The wolf jumped backwards again and again. Arrows fell on its paw prints a second later. The other wolf didn’t move as another arrow with a brightly burning tip flew towards him.
It missed the mark by a long way.
The wolves didn’t care about fire, and they only moved out of the way when the arrows were on target.
We have an archer with us, huh? That’s good. But…
Even though the threat was far away, the wolves kept an eye on Keithwood. He knew what had happened when he saw this.
It not only dodged the arrows easily, but it also knew I was going to let it bite me to kill it, so it moved away. These are not your average wolves. They are taught how to fight.
They stood like warriors in wolf form, and the way they moved showed that they knew how swordsmen usually move.
Keithwood saw that he wasn’t fighting a pair of huge wolves. He was fighting against two well-trained soldiers who used their teeth and claws to fight. Plus, they were fast and strong like wolves.
It’s going to be hard work to beat them. In that case…
He spoke to Sion without turning his head or letting his guard down.
“Milord, these aren’t your typical wolves. It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to beat them. Can I change my strategy and just drag it out?”
“…All right. I guess we don’t need to try to get away right away if it’s not really possible. Then we’ll take our time with this. Keep at it.”
Keithwood smiled to himself when he heard what Sion said.
Good thing he understood what I meant. Now, let’s see if our expert opponent bites.
A growl stopped him in his tracks.
“Oh, yes. Sorry to make you both wait.”
He shrugged and focused back at the wolves.
“Still, even stalling for time is dangerous with these guys. Let’s hope I come out of this without any broken bones… I swear, I don’t make enough money doing this.”
Bel, who had been watching from the sidelines, let out a squeal of joy.
“Omigosh omigosh! Miss-neesama, look! He is here! The Libra King! Here comes the Libra King to save us!”
Sion Sol Sunkland, the person she looked up to, had saved her. It would be silly to think that she wouldn’t go crazy with joy.
“Oh, and Grandfather Abel is here, too!” she said, adding that more as a courtesy.
Poor Grandfather Abel. The crazy love that Maniabel had for him would never be his. In any case, the arrival of extra help had made her feel much better.
“Now that help has come, perhaps…”
They might be able to go back and save Citrina. That thought gave her a new boost of happiness.
Bel, on the other hand, didn’t get as dirty when she fell off the horse as Mia did. She was still mostly presentable.
She moved out of the way because she was smart enough to notice Kuolan’s nostrils moving and did so quickly.
Never say that Bel’s grandmother didn’t teach her anything. She changed the idea behind Mia First to fit Bel First, at least when it came to staying away from horse snot.
“Yaaaay! Go go Libra King! Mia-neesama, come on, let’s cheer together. Yaaaay! Go go Libra King!”
While Bel pumped her fists in the air like a cheerleader, Mia, the mud princess lifted hers unenthusiastically and said, “Yaaaay…”
