Chapter 62
Chapter 62: Just You?!
***
After these words, the horned carriage noticeably slowed down.
Edward lifted the curtain. The temperature in the carriage instantly turned cold, with a chilly wind blowing in, carrying tiny snowflakes that fell silently and drifted onto my face.
It seemed to have started snowing outside.
“Haha, we’re finally here.”
Edward rubbed his hands together, his face bearing a somewhat excited expression as he stretched his neck to look outside.
I slightly narrowed my eyes.
Hmm, we’ve finally arrived indeed.
“Let me see, let me see~ Is that coward Lafayette still hiding in that abandoned tower, not daring to come out?”
Abandoned tower? Is Lafayette trapped in some tower?
I strained my eyeballs to look outside.
The light outside the carriage had a yellowish tint; time must be approaching dusk.
We seemed to be in a forest, with snow-covered unnamed large trees near and far, so tall their tops were invisible, continuously passing by the carriage. From my angle, I couldn’t see the abandoned tower Edward mentioned at all.
“Your Highness, let’s resolve this matter quickly.”
“I understand, I understand, I also want to see Lafayette’s expression soon… Valarr, stop at the defense line closest to the tower.”
“Crown Prince, as you command.”
Hmm…
Along this journey, I roughly figured out Lafayette’s current situation from their intermittent conversations.
He must have been intercepted by Edward and the city guards on his way back. Just as he said, Lafayette was in a hurry to see me, leaving some guards somewhere else, which led to a severe shortage of manpower around him. The number difference with the city guards was too great, so he had to take shelter with his people in a nearby abandoned tower.
So far, the city guards haven’t broken through Lafayette’s defense line, and they couldn’t find a way to break through in the short term.
So that’s why they need me… the same old method as three years ago?
The horned carriage continued moving forward.
Gradually, it became noisy outside the carriage. Black tents occasionally flashed past, and outside the tents, soldiers stood at attention, straightening their backs and saluting the carriage.
They wore uniform-style light armor, with long swords at their waists and light crossbows on their shoulders. Their appearance gradually overlapped with the pursuers in my memory.
So these are the city guards.
After passing through a simple wooden fence, the horned carriage stopped.
At this time, a voice sounded from outside: “Has the Crown Prince returned?”
Edward walked down from the carriage upon hearing this, and a man wrapped in a cloak, looking like a leader, came forward and knelt on one knee before him.
“Your Highness.”
He slightly nodded: “Rise. How’s the situation now?”
“I deeply apologize, we still haven’t been able to break through Count Lafayette’s defense line.” The city guard leader lowered his head in shame, “He has set up impenetrable ice spikes around the abandoned tower, and the steel weapons in the city guards’ hands simply cannot destroy them, while the light crossbows can’t penetrate the hard tower walls… However, last night we intercepted another guard trying to send a message outside, and I cut off his head and hung it on the flagpole.”
Edward laughed loudly.
“You’ve done well.”
Looking at his happy expression, the city guard leader seemed somewhat confused and asked puzzledly.
“Your Highness, should we continue surrounding them like this? I believe in a few days, they’ll have nothing left to eat.”
Edward waved his hand.
“We don’t have time to keep dragging this out. The Duke’s people could find this place at any moment. By then, we’ll be the ones being surrounded.”
At this time, the gold mask also got down from the carriage.
When the city guard leader saw his appearance, he immediately became alert, his hand reaching for the sword at his waist.
Seeing this situation, Edward said with a laugh: “Don’t be nervous, this is my friend.”
“Your Highness, who is he?”
Very obviously, the leader hadn’t relaxed his vigilance despite his words, his gaze still firmly fixed on the gold mask.
Edward became somewhat unhappy.
“I said, this is my friend.”
“Your Highness, His Majesty told me to follow you here, so I must ensure your safety.”
“I am, right now, very safe. Put away your sword!”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
The three walked forward, moving out of my line of sight.
Probably feeling everything was under control, no one paid attention to me still in the carriage at this time, and the surrounding soldiers weren’t looking at me either.
So I started moving my fingers… they had become so stiff they felt like they weren’t mine anymore.
Slightly curling my knees, wiggling my toes hidden in the boots. Then rotating my wrists, twisting my neck, and then turning to the side, letting my left half, which had been pressed for several hours and had gone numb, regain blood flow.
My body’s condition gradually recovered from the numbness. I exhaled a breath and listened carefully to their conversation.
“Is Lafayette still inside?”
“Yes, no one can escape from the city guards’ encirclement… Your Highness, should we launch a full attack?”
“No need, no need… do you know why I left?”
“Why?”
“Of course, it was to bring my dear Lafayette a big gift!”
“Your Highness means…”
“Just watch, soon Lafayette will walk right into the trap, obediently coming out to die.”
“…Your Highness is wise.”
“Your Highness, we need to hurry.”
“Alright, I know. Commander Milton, blow the horn.”
“Yes.”
In the carriage, I slowly sat up.
Putting down my feet onto the wooden board, gently moving my ankles and shoulders.
Woo——
The deep horn sound echoed across the sky, birds nesting in the forest continuously flapped their wings to escape.
“Form ranks!!”
Countless hurried footsteps surged from all directions, making the carriage slightly shake. The soldiers gathered and lined up nearby, voices rising to a boil.
“Cold Moon——!”
“Cold Moon——!!”
The shouting rose wave after wave like a tide, among which was Edward’s rampant yelling.
“Lafayette!!!”
“Hahaha!”
“La! Fay! Ette——!!”
“I brought you a big gift, won’t you come out and see!”
“What kind of man hides in a tower!”
“Guess who I brought for you! Hahaha!”
“Lafayette——!”
A moment later, a deep male voice came from afar.
“Edward, what do you want to do.”
The man’s voice was very magnetic, one I had never heard before. But…
A strange feeling of familiarity rose from the bottom of my heart, and I immediately understood that was Lafayette’s voice — my brother’s voice.
The voice came from a high position, probably about 100 meters or so from where I was.
Having judged his position in my mind, I continued moving every part of my body to quickly restore to the best condition.
“Hahaha! Weren’t you anxious to see your sister? I brought her to you!”
“What did you say?”
“I brought! Peipei! To! You! How about that, being able to see her one last time before you die, thank me!”
“That’s impossible.”
“What, you don’t believe it!?”
“Where is she?”
“Right in the carriage behind me! She’s under anesthetic powder now, can’t move at all!” After shouting this, Edward’s voice suddenly lowered, the following words were obviously speaking to the city guards: “You all, go get the girl from the carriage.”
“I want to see her in person.”
“Lafayette! Now! Immediately! Have your guards put down their weapons, then get out of that damn tower! You don’t want your sister to disappear again, do you? This time, she might never come back!”
“Edward, put away your amateur tricks. You certainly don’t know, my sister is different from before, she’s no longer weak.” Lafayette’s voice was forceful and clear, “Peipei’s current identity… is a Pontifical Knight! She’s the hero who single-handedly slew the Abyss! Bringing her here? Just you?!”
For an instant, the voices outside became quiet.
“…What did you say?”
“I said. I don’t believe you have the ability to make the current Peipei obediently follow you.”
“No, what you just said…”
Footsteps were approaching the carriage, probably the soldiers Edward called to carry me out.
Sorry, there’s no need for you anymore.
Because I no longer need to continue acting.
I lifted the curtain, my body lightly leaped, jumping down from the carriage.
The snow under my feet felt soft.
I took a deep breath. My slender arms raised high over my head, then stretched out, revealing half of my fair forearms.
“Mmm——”
After a comfortable stretch, I raised my head, looking at the two city guards who had somewhat frozen in front of the horned carriage, and revealed a smile.
“I’ll do it myself.”
One kick, one punch.
The sturdy figures flew back instantly like they were made of paper.