Chapter 77 : Chapter 77

Chapter 077. To Us, Tomorrow (5)

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Young women gathered in the villa’s guest room.

One of them glanced out the window and widened her eyes.

“Look! There he is again! That man!”

The women clamored and rushed to the window, jostling to get a view outside.

“What’s with him? His thighs look thinner than mine.”

“Look at how pale his face is. If he were just a bit shorter, I’d believe he was a woman.”

“Shh, watch your mouths. What if he’s got some serious illness?”

“That could be true. They say the Barrow family practically treats him like an outcast. How tragic… for such a frail man to come from that noble knightly house…”

The man was inspecting the carriages and horses lined up outside the villa.

They belonged to the women who had arrived earlier.

“Doesn’t he ever get tired of it? What’s so fascinating that he’s staring so intently? It’s not like he’s never seen a horse before.”

“Men are always obsessed with things they can ride. Still, being a noble, he’s probably sizing up the fine steeds.”

“But if you look closely, he always stares at that horse in particular. See? He’s doing it now.”

“Oh, you’re right! That horse is definitely…”

The women’s gazes turned to the horse whose mane the man was stroking.

It was a glossy red steed.

“Could you all move aside?”

A clear, ringing voice came from behind, and the women parted to either side.

The woman who now claimed the window spot gave a sly smile.

Her eyes, accentuated with red makeup, curved playfully.

“He’s kind of cute, isn’t he?”

“…”

The chattering women suddenly fell silent, as if wary of her.

The woman at the window abruptly flung it open.

The sound must have been loud, as the man stroking the horse’s mane flinched and looked up and so, their eyes met for the first time.

The woman cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted,

“That’s mine, you idiot!”

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“Don’t come any closer, you idiot—!”

Bonnie’s shout rang in my ears.

Right after, I heard the twang of bowstrings being drawn.

It was Anderson’s soldiers, right behind me.

Crunch…

Soon, the sharp twang would sound, and a volley of arrows would fly.

It would happen the moment I closed my eyes.

As I accelerated my thoughts, the world began to stretch like taffy.

‘I don’t get it.’

There were two things I still couldn’t understand.

First, why did Clyde treat Anderson like a fool?

Second, why was that man running with his back wide open, completely exposed?

‘Wait, could it be…’

In that fleeting moment, I checked the angles of the soldiers’ bows.

It seemed they were all aiming at Bonnie.

That cleared up one mystery.

Clyde must have sensed they were targeting her and was rushing to her side.

That much made sense, but in that posture, even he would struggle to intercept every arrow.

He was likely prepared to take a few hits himself.

Fine, let’s assume that’s the case.

‘…But isn’t she the Thunder Empress?’

The Wild Dogs and Sewer Rats had given Bonnie the title of Thunder Empress.

For a nickname to include “Empress” or “King” in the Empire meant you were considered unmatched in your field.

Even if the Kingdom’s flair for exaggeration was at play, someone called the Thunder Empress should be able to brush off a few arrows with ease, right?

Was there really a need for such a fuss?

I couldn’t make sense of it.

Is this what married life is like?

Twang—!

Whoosh!

I stomped the ground, moving in sync with the soldiers releasing their bowstrings.

I darted between the arrows slicing through the air and the ground below, my body low as if gliding.

In an instant, I reached Clyde.

“…!”

Clyde’s eyes widened when he saw me.

I wasn’t sure if he recognized me.

When I was about ten paces from Bonnie, Clyde and I leaped into the air in perfect sync, as if we’d planned it.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Spinning mid-air, we knocked away every arrow heading toward Bonnie.

The sensation of the arrows hitting my blades traveled clearly through my grip.

Dual daggers weren’t my usual weapon, but they felt better than a bastard sword.

Thud.

There was plenty of time to react. I’d already calculated my landing in my head.

Broken arrows littered the ground.

I raised my head and locked eyes with Anderson.

“W-What…!”

Anderson’s mouth gaped in shock, and then…

“Who the hell are you—!”

He roared furiously.

“As you can see,” I said, slowly straightening my posture.

I pulled down my mask, and the cool air brushed pleasantly against my face.

“This fight is over.”

Anderson froze for a moment upon seeing my face, then slowly pointed at me.

…Did he recognize me?

“B-Bihen…?”

His voice trembled.

I glanced at Clyde, then turned to meet Bonnie’s eyes before speaking.

“It’s been a while, you two.”

Their reactions were intense, enough to make my hair stand on end.

“Darling—!”

Bonnie charged toward me like a bull, but Clyde barely held her back.

The horses, startled, neighed with damp, anxious sounds. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where have you been? How did you know to come here?

Amid her questions, Bonnie occasionally shoved Clyde aside, smacking his back mercilessly.

Only then did the reunion feel real.

I couldn’t help but laugh, like air escaping my lungs. Not a bad feeling, honestly.

“Let’s save the rest of the story for later.”

I turned around.

While we were caught up in our dramatic reunion, Anderson was busy himself.

His retainer, Charles, was whispering something to him, and Anderson’s expression shifted rapidly before his eyes bulged.

“…!”

Anderson stared at me, his pupils shaking like they were caught in an earthquake.

“B-B-Bihen Benkou…? You?”

“That’s right. I’m Bihen Benkou.”

“…Why?”

Why, you dimwit?

I spoke to Anderson.

“Put down your weapons. You’ve done enough, haven’t you?”

“W-Weapons…! Now that you mention it, my Zahara and Toxeed…!”

I meant for him to order his men to stand down, but Anderson frantically searched his body and surroundings.

His bewildered gaze soon locked onto me.

“Why does he have them!”

He was pointing at the dual daggers.

Apparently, they were called Zahara and Toxeed.

I’d just picked them up from the ground, but explaining that would be lame.

I decided to lean into it confidently.

Pointing the dagger at Anderson like an accusation, I said,

“I’ll take these as payment for your life.”

“P-Payment for my life…! Zahara and Toxeed are my family’s heirlooms! Hand them over now!”

“Oh? Perfect, then. If I fight with these, the Archduke will know you’re on Adeline’s side.”

Anderson’s face turned pale as a ghost.

“What’s this lunatic blabbering about! Why aren’t you shooting! Bihen Benkou or not, shoot! Shoot now!”

The soldiers hesitantly grabbed their bows again.

Arrows wouldn’t work on me anyway.

‘Anderson Homer.’

I’d done some research before coming here.

His family had deep ties to the Conwells.

Tracing back, their bloodlines were intertwined through several branches.

Because of this, the Homer family was one of the few granted hereditary knighthood by the Conwells.

‘At least in Conwell, they’re a prominent house.’

I stared at Anderson.

His sparse hair fluttered limply. His pathetic appearance seemed to reflect a bloodline that had faded over generations, its luster gone.

Was Anderson truly opposing Bonnie, Clyde, and me out of loyalty to the Archduke?

I didn’t think so.

In these chaotic times, it was likely just a mediocre man’s survival strategy to protect his house.

I couldn’t blame him.

In the end, he was weak too.

Hummm—

I channeled the essence of Frost Sword into Zahara and Toxeed, one pointed up, the other down.

The dual daggers vibrated lightly in response.

Zzzzt—

A white haze rose from the black iron blades.

If it came to it, I’d freeze the soldiers’ bows.

A bit of frost on the bowstrings would suffice.

“Tch, that’s…!”

Anderson and Charles’ jaws dropped in unison.

“Zahara and Toxeed…!”

“They’re reacting!”

“The power of the demonic blades…!”

“They might be awakening!”

They were babbling about something incomprehensible.

They must have mistaken it for an enchant or something.

At that moment, Clyde spoke urgently from beside me.

“Bihen, stop. You can’t kill them.”

“I won’t. Don’t worry.”

A stray shot might injure one or two, but… well, they wouldn’t die.

Of course, I needed to end this standoff first.

Raising my voice slightly, I said,

“Anderson Homer! I ask you: who is the true master of Conwell?”

“W-What…!?”

“Lady Adeline or Archduke Callence. Who is the one you should truly serve and pledge loyalty to?”

From my past life, I knew the nature of war.

It’s a chaotic mess of tangled interests.

No matter how skilled, an individual’s strength is but a fleeting spark under the sun, destined to fade.

To end a fight, you need the will of all and the power to unite that will.

“The true master of Conwell…”

Anderson muttered lowly, his face suddenly serious.

“…Fine. Then I’ll ask you, swordsman of the Empire. Who can prove that Lady Adeline is the true heir of Conwell? With the former lord gone, is there a legitimate reason—beyond mere public sentiment or reputation—for all of Conwell’s nobles to accept her as their lord?”

“Of course there is! Evidence!”

It was Bonnie.

As if she’d been waiting, she stepped in front of Clyde and me, pulling something from her cloak.

It was a scroll adorned with golden silk.

Swish!

With a vigorous shake of her arm, the scroll unfurled like a waterfall, the rod at its end guiding the paper.

Had they already read its contents? Anderson and Charles’ eyes widened instantly.

“Th-The lord’s seal…!”

“‘I recognize Adeline, the eldest daughter of the Conwell family, as my heir, her legitimacy beyond question…’ My goodness, it’s undoubtedly His Grace’s will!”

Both looked utterly shocked.

Bonnie spoke sharply, as if driving a point home.

“The lord foresaw a situation like this and prepared in advance. He couldn’t predict the exact timing, but still.”

“B-But why do you have it?”

“If this were in some other noble’s hands, who would benefit? Wouldn’t it have caused chaos long ago?”

“Even so, I can’t believe it. For a mere mercenary and fallen noble like you to hold His Grace’s will…”

“I’m not the only one. There are plenty of others. Though, thanks to the Archduke’s meddling, a few must have been lost.”

A memory of Bolero’s words flashed through my mind.

The Wild Dogs and Sewer Rats held the imperial family’s treasures.

With rumors of imperial backing, it wasn’t strange for them to possess a high noble family’s secrets.

‘So the mercenaries in the subjugation force were all Duke Conwell’s trusted allies.’

Bonnie folded the scroll, tucked it back into her cloak, and placed her hands on her hips with a dainty gesture.

“So, feeling like sending us to Theodore now?”

“…”

“Anderson. I get that you don’t have the courage to fight. But you shouldn’t be aiding the enemy either.”

Bonnie’s voice softened for a moment.

“For Annil’s sake.”

Had she touched a nerve?

Anderson’s eyes shot up.

“Don’t you dare mention my daughter!”

“…”

“Who do you think you are…! Everyone, draw your bows! Now! And you mercenaries! Why are you just standing there? Don’t tell me you’re with them too!?”

At that moment—

“Annil!”

Anderson’s daughter suddenly darted forward, standing between us and her father with her arms spread wide, as if ready to take every arrow herself.

“Father, please, stop.”

“Get out of the way, Annil! This isn’t your place!”

“No! I have to be brave. You’re scared because of me.”

“Annil…!”

Her head barely reached my chest.

Her slender frame trembled, and I couldn’t help but feel pity.

Yet the girl didn’t back down an inch.

“You know who’s right, Father. Please don’t say it’s for me. If you make shameful choices because of me, I… I don’t want that.”

Anderson’s shoulders visibly shook.

Then, he lowered his head.

Silence fell, as if the whole world had lost its words.

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