Madan no Ou to Vanadis - Volume 18 - Chapter 2.6

It was Grand Chamberlain Miron.

Naum feigned calmness, stating his fake name and unit.

“At present, we are patrolling the area around here, Your Excellency.”

“Good work out in this cold. I’m very grateful for all the effort you guys put into this.”

Without a hint of suspicion, Miron revealed a smile as it’d befit any good-natured old man, and grinned at the group in front of him. It was a face Tigre was used to seeing on him. Back when Ruslan was still in good health, he had been meeting people with this kind of expression.

“We feel deeply thankful to receive your kind words…” Naum performed a stiff bow while measuring the distance to Miron.

He suspected that it’d be an easy feat to get out of the palace, if only they could take him hostage. However, Naum’s plan audibly fell apart in the next moment.

Without any of those present having noticed, two guards had closed in on the group. Being too preoccupied with Miron, Tigre, Naum, and Gaspal were late in perceiving them.

Spotting them, one of the guards called out with doubt filling his voice.

“What are you guys doing?”

Tension raced down their spines, and they wavered on how they should move in this situation. They had the option of forcibly taking Miron hostage or running away while carrying Eugene. Tigre and Gaspal could handle the guards while Naum would subdue Miron.

Can we pull this off? In the worst case, if we let Miron get away, he’d call for reinforcements, effectively cutting off our path of retreat.

The blades of the guards’ spears gleamed ominously as they reflected the lamplight.

Tigre, Naum, and Gaspal exchanged a look, nodding at each other. The three left Eugene right there, and closed the distance to the guards in one breath. They had decided to knock them out, prioritizing their armed opponents. Afterwards, they’d take Miron hostage if they could, but if it proved impossible, they’d run away while leaving him behind.

Tigre was as good as a beginner when it came to spearmanship, but he could still serve as a restraint. Without a moment’s delay, Gaspal thrust out his spear in the path of the evading guard on the left side. Having the spearhead bore through his throat, the guard dropped his own spear, and his body powerlessly lurched over, falling to the ground with a thud. In the meantime, Naum slew the other guard.

At this moment, no one was around Eugene. Even Tigre, who was closest to him, had turned his back on him while being several steps away from the old earl.

“Eugene…?” Miron muttered with a stunned look on his face.

His eyes weren’t fixed on the battle of the guards, but Eugene alone. Until a little while ago, he hadn’t seen him since Eugene had been hidden by Tigre, Gaspal, and Naum’s bodies. But, right now, no such obstruction existed between the two old men.

“Eugene! You bastard!” Miron’s face twisted in rage.

The elderly chamberlain had instantly grasped that these guards were impostors who had come to the palace in order to free Eugene. He let the lamp fall to the ground, and attacked Eugene with a bloodcurdling expression. No one among Tigre’s group had expected that Miron would be capable of taking such an action.

Eugene tried to dodge the charging chamberlain, but his movements had become dull because of the long time he had spent in prison. Unable to avoid Miron, both bumped into each other, rolling across the ground while entangled.

Tigre and Gaspal hurried over to the pair. But, Miron was one step faster than them. The lamp on the ground illuminated a dark gray blade, followed by Eugene groaning in pain. Tigre and Gaspal tore Miron off Eugene, and thrust the chamberlain away.

This opened up their view on Eugene, allowing them to see the red patch spreading on the left flank and the bloodstained dagger which Miron had held in his hand.

Tigre’s group hadn’t anticipated that Miron would carry a weapon on him. It was something they couldn’t have possibly known, but the dagger had been given to him by King Viktor in the past as a charm against evil spirits. Even Miron, who usually wouldn’t carry any weapons, still kept this much on him.

“Lord Eugene…!” Tigre lifted Eugene up in his hands.

Even during that time, the earl’s simple clothing continued to dye redder, and fresh blood dripped on the ground. Tigre ripped his sleeve apart, created a long cloth out of it, and coiled it around Eugen, all while impatience gnawed at him. But, as the wound was apparently quite deep, blood started to immediately seep through the cloth as well.

Yet, Tigre couldn’t do much more under the current circumstances. Tigre picked up Eugene, carrying him on his back. Naum and Gaspal surveyed the vicinity, but they couldn’t discover Miron as he had melted into the darkness, and they didn’t have the leeway to search for him either. After all, several torches were visible in the distance, approaching their current location after perceiving that something strange was going on.

“Forgive me, Lord Eugene. Please hold out for a bit longer.”

Tigre felt irritated at himself for being unable to say anything besides that.

“You’re…not to blame,” answered Eugene, his face pale and his breathing irregular.

Tigre’s group ran through the darkness with Naum in the lead. Naum and Gaspal used their spears to kill all guards, who stood in their way. The three continued to sprint straight ahead, not halting or slowing down at all.

Even after leaving the palace grounds, the three plus one more kept running. Noticing that someone was chasing after them, Naum was about to swing his spear, but realizing that it was Damad, he lowered his weapon.

“It’s become quite the big uproar. That’s bad,” reported Damad while looking at Eugene.

He quickened his pace, and ran ahead of Naum.

The five men entered a side road, taking several corners, before entering an even narrower alley, but at that point, Damad stopped. At the end of the alley, they could see a figure with a lamp at hand. It seemed like they hadn’t noticed their little group yet, but they didn’t show any intent to move from their current spot either.

“We might be unable to return all the way to Shayahl’s place,” cursed Damad with his face drenched in sweat.

At that moment, Tigre noticed how his helmet was missing. Apparently he had dropped it somewhere along the way. Naum and Gaspal had also removed their helmets and armor without him having realized.

“If the news reaches the walls, it’ll be checkmate for us. Even if we hide somewhere, they’ll comb through each house.”

Naum groaned. Tigre reflexively stared at his left hand. He wondered whether he should call the Black Bow to himself and rely on its power. He couldn’t think of any other means but to destroy the wall or gate, steal horses, and flee.

“Southern…” Eugene squeezed out with a weak voice from behind Tigre at that moment. “To the guard station at the southern gate…”

The other four looked at each other. They didn’t know what Eugene was thinking. But, among the five of them, he was more familiar with the capital than Naum. Above all, they had no time to hesitate.

They tossed away all unnecessary baggage and tightened the bandaging of Eugene’s wound. Tigre and Naum lent Eugene their shoulder while Gaspal took the lead and Damad secured the rear. With Damad and Naum giving directions, they passed through side roads and back alleys, soon arriving at the guard station of the southern gate.

A single guard stood next to the station, but no one else seemed to be in the area. Even Osterode’s soldiers, who were guarding the wall, didn’t appear to pay any attention to this side of the city. Fortunately, the news hadn’t yet reached this place.

“Thanks. You guys wait here. I’ll be fine by myself.”

While being propped up by Tigre, Eugene planted his feet on the ground. The bleeding had already reached the next layer of cloth they had earlier coiled around his wound. His face was drenched with sweat and he was panting wildly, but he didn’t make any attempt to lend Tigre’s hand.

Leaving the four behind, Eugene walked up to the guard station with a steady gait, and passed through the door. The other men remained under cover, waiting for Eugene to come back. They kept waiting while worry and impatience clawed at their hearts since they didn’t know when the search teams might reach this area. As far as they could tell from the lights in the distance, the guards were currently focusing their attention on the east and north of the city.

After around a thousand breaths had passed, Eugene stepped out of the guard station. Tigre and his comrades felt like they had waited manifold that, but either way, they felt relieved seeing him safe and sound. Eugene’s side had been treated, now covered by new bandages. And a single guard was accompanying him, pulling two horses.

Eugene showed a gentle smile when he saw the four blink at him in surprise, “The guard captain over here is an old friend of mine. I incurred a huge debt with him, though…”

“Pay it no heed,” replied the guard who was leading the horses.

He was still young, probably in his early twenties.

“Thanks to you, Earl Pardu, we have been saved from thug-like nobles and caravans on many occasions. I had heard about you having been imprisoned, but I believe that this happened on false charges.”

“I see, so that’s how it was,” nodded Tigre.

Some time ago, Lim had taught him a bit about the work of gatekeepers. It didn’t only include examining those entering and seeing off those leaving. Gatekeepers had to stop those starting fights after trying to steal a march in the queue, humor arrogant nobles, and hand over merchants, who tried to bribe them, to the authorities. Tigre assumed that Eugene had mediated each time such troublesome situations occurred. At least they felt so grateful to him that they were willing to break the law.

“──We’ll open the gate slightly for thirty counts from now on.”

“Thanks,” said Eugene to the guard, his voice palpably exhausted.

“Well then, this is where we separate.”

Naum had lightly tapped Tigre’s shoulder. Once the youth turned around in surprise, he and Damad showed him fearless smiles as they stared at Tigre.

Damad said, “If it’s me and one more, it’ll be a breeze to keep a low profile until the heat dies down. We won’t do anything as stupid as letting them catch us. Now, hurry up and go.”

A light film of tears covered Tigre’s black eyes. Countless emotions, which were hard to put into words other than gratitude and regret, violently swirled within his chest. What made it even sadder was the fact of them not even having any time to spend on the parting. As such, he couldn’t say much more than, “Thanks.”

“I leave Lady Vanadis in your hands,” Naum said from behind while Tigre helped Eugene on the horse, before straddling it himself.

He tied Eugene to himself with a rope so that the elderly earl wouldn’t fall off. Meanwhile Gaspal had mounted the other horse.

“Once we’ve wrapped up everything, I’m going to treat you guys to so much booze that you won’t be able to drink it all.”

“You sure? Your wallet will empty out in the blink of an eye,” joked Damad.

“Don’t act out of character and become piss drunk in no time, man.”

Those were Gaspal’s parting words which also served as a promise for a reunion.

The gate opened, and that very moment, the soldiers of Osterode atop the wall apparently noticed that something was out of order. But, they were too late by then.

Tigre and Gaspal swiftly slipped through the gate, and spurred their horses into gallop, only focusing on the road ahead of them within the darkness that would hold dawn at rein for a long time to come yet.

“Where are we going, Tigre?” Gaspal asked after bringing his horse next to Tigre’s.

Being able to let his horse run next to another without causing both animals to clash, despite most of their surroundings being shrouded in blackness, was proof of outstanding skill.

“If we’re going to join up with Arma Zirnitra, we must make a big detour northwards, but…”

“We won’t go north,” Tigre replied while looking straight ahead.

Back when he had mounted his horse, the youth had heard Eugene’s feeble voice, telling him, “To Pardu…”

Tigre didn’t know whether this expressed his wish to go home or his hope that they’d be safe in Pardu. But he believed that he should take Eugene to his beloved homeland. But then again, it was questionable whether Eugene’s body would last so long.

Tigre knew that the palace would soon send pursuers after them, making it impossible to go easy on the horses. While burdened by anxiety and fretfulness, Tigre single-mindedly kept his horse galloping onwards.

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——————- End of Part 6 ——————-