Chương 41: [BL] 40. A Horse?

She got bribed At first, Willow refused the gold coins since she thought that in a time of apocalypse there probably weren't many things she could buy; besides, Alfred had promised her a salary. But then Josha and Shera's mouths hung open when the princess put down a big leather sack that clinked with coins. Willow could sling it behind her, and it was still bigger than her entire width.

Added to that, the princess chose one of her [Royal Guard] to be Willow's bodyguard and promised her a weapon of her own choosing when she upgraded her class to tier-two. Both Kroos and Elesis still insisted on offering her more for the last spot, each of them intending to insert another noble into Willow's party. The princess had put her little brother—a boy with a class called [Grimoire Wizard].

Willow vehemently refused to let go of another spot, even though the Grand Hunt probably would have given her more party slots in the future. After all, she had an idea for the last spot. This might give her at least some kind of leverage over the entire army. Lord Kroos's castle design was straightforward.

Castle in the middle, surrounded by courtyards separated by stone walls with open arches that led upward to the right and downward to the left, where further stairs would spiral into a basement which was currently being dedicated to those with the gravest wounds. Willow stepped into the courtyard from the main castle gate. With Leynah, she descended the small stairs into a large rectangular area of packed dirt where the clangour of steel danced.

Shields bashed against shields as two lines of legionaries rammed against each other. Their Might Runes doubled the sound of the crash, and Willow stiffened for a bit. Below, the ground shook at every slam of metal, and the drill sergeant—Maxim being one, ran along the line and checked for stances, screaming that if they fell, then they were as good as dead.

"Maybe this is not a good idea," Willow mumbled.

"Oh, come on. Also, what should I address you?" Leynah asked.

"Just call me by my name. None of that 'my lady' nonsense." She stopped on her tracks, her feet dug into the packed dirt, and turned to Leynah.

"Sorry, actually… Do you want to be one? My bodyguard?"

"A bit too late to ask that, don't you think?" Leynah smiled, fisting her hips and leaning forward.

"I can still—""Nah, it's fine, Willow. I proved to myself that I'm unfit to lead. They almost died because of me. If anything, I should ask you that. Are you sure you want me?" Willow wanted to point out that if the Shamanic Lich could control Leynah, then anyone else could fall for that.

"Yes, I want you. Also, let's work on countermeasures for that mind-control."

"Your Mage-self probably will be fine since your Arcanic will be higher than theirs. Those kinds of things will only work if one's Arcanic attribute is far higher, and that bastard must've used some kind of ritual to boost his," she scowled.

"Anyway, let's do this. I'll take you out to upgrade both your Wind Mage and Hunter class right after…" She chewed her lip.

"That'll never sound normal. Two classes… By Rabbit's ear." What a curious swear word; Willow stared in wonder at Leynah, who raised her eyebrows in confusion. There was just something about swear words that instantly told about culture, a piece of world-building. It's interesting.

"R—Right, let's do this," Willow sucked in a breath.

"Attention! …" Her shout went unheard. Willow scowled and shouted again, but there was no bloody way someone could scream above the clanging metal!

"Cute," Leynah remarked. Willow glowered at her, and she patted her head. The white-haired woman crossed her arms and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Halt!" In unison, feet dragged against the earth. The legionaries now held shields that had smashed together and swords that had clashed against each other to their chests, with their sword tips nearly touching their chins. Willow resisted the urge to clap. She drew a sharp breath as eyes followed her when she stepped in front of Leynah. The air grew heavy around her as she felt the weight of expectation bear down on her.

"I'm," she bit her lips.

"My name is Willow. I hold the Bright Rune inside me. And I need help. Are any of you willing to step up?" The legionaries' professionalism faltered for a brief second as they glanced at one another, then one stepped up, followed by another. Ten seconds passed, and half of the legionaries moved closer to Willow by a step. From above the wall overlooking the courtyard, the Princess and the Count watched. Willow saw their figures, a bit of a distance away, with two others flanking them.

Both of them wanted the last spot, but Willow had to clarify that she would not give the spot to just anyone or whenever they demanded it.

"I'm sure you heard about the quest and party ability a Bright One has! Well, I have it. And now I seek the last member of my Hunt Party! And one of them shall be you. If you think you're the strongest, then please step forward." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Everyone did. Even those who did not at first. Their gaze held up proudly, and Willow caught some shaking; they were trembling. Excitement, she guessed.

"It's a shame that I could only take one of you. I apologise," said Willow as she bowed her head. Before any legionaries could talk her out of it, Willow continued.

"All I can promise is that I will take more of you when my Hunt Party allows for more members." The statement met with not a single move, yet Willow could see the change of expression in most of them. Despite knowing she meant every word, she swallowed a lump of guilt—she had a hidden motive behind this move. By offering a spot on her party, she was hoping the legionaries would view her favorably. This is just in case the Count and Princess break apart…

"Maxim! Can you decide?" Willow asked.

"As you wish, Brightness." Maxim tapped his fist against his dark chainmail and bowed his head. The gesture made Willow pause. She softly exhaled, blinking upward. Habel did that too when they'd first met. Rest, old man. I'll see what I can do.

"A tournament," Maxim decided.

"The winner will win a spot in Lady Willow's Hunt Party. Now! Line up!" -- Outside the castle, Josha and Shera had waited for them alongside Willow's Olympyans. Two unfamiliar faces appeared with Kroos and Elesis; both were quite young, perhaps fifteen to seventeen. The girl had short-cropped brown hair and lean proportions; her gait was nervous as she pinched Kroos' cape. When she met Willow's eyes, she gulped and whispered something to the old man.

Kroos gave her a small pat on the back and pushed her toward Willow. She wore a brigantine with a red flower as a sigil—Kroos' family sigil. Small shoulder plates fitted her, and gauntlets and greaves on both legs. Willow had expected more armor for a noble-girl, but on second look the girl looked so uncomfortable that Willow thought that armor might hamper her movement. She even had a mace. Mace! Not a sword.

Sure, it was small, even smaller than her wrist, but still the poor girl did not look like she could swing it. [Squire—Level 5] As for the other one, he did not have the girl's reluctance or her scared looks. He instead just sighed. Draped in a dark cloak with a swirling white scarf, the boy looked at Willow and pinched one of his eyes closed and glared at her. Willow returned the gesture with a twitching smile. Elesis quickly smacked the teenager's head, causing his monocle to almost slip out.

The young man winced; his Wizard attire—a dark, bulky robe underneath—swished, and Willow saw a book attached to his belt made of green leather with a pen tucked just beside it. [Grimoire Wizard—Level 2]"My lady, this is my brother… Evan, please, for my sake?"

"It's a deep pleasure, my lady," Evan bowed, his unkempt hair flopping with his scarf. The young man put a hand on his book, then added.

"My lady, if it pleases you, I would rather fight in the back-line. I hear you have two tier-three bodyguards? That is perfect, my lady. Please, just put me between them." Elesis sucked in a breath. The princess shot her an apologetic look, to which Willow just waved at her, signalling she did not need to.

"Becks is one of my most trusted Royal Guard. I hope he serves you well," Elesis said, raising her voice and pointing behind them. A man in one of those [Royal Guard] heavy plate armor walked across the castle gate. When he crossed into the sunlight, his armor took on a darkish gleam. A great half-moon axe strapped behind the [Royal Guard]. He fist his chest and bowed.

"It's an honor, my lady."

"The honor is mine," Willow smiled. She then turned to the girl who hid behind Kroos' cloak again, only peeking her head out.

"My lady," Lord Kroos started.

"What you did with the legionaries is kind and… smart."

"There's really no motive behind it, my lord."

"Should that be true, then the starlight really shone on us for bringing you here! My lady. Ah, please ignore my rambling. This is my granddaughter, Krywen. Girl, how long are you going to hide?" Like being caught sleeping by a teacher, Krywen jolted upright. She sidestepped like a penguin; her hand shook when she did the salute.

"An honour, my Bright Lady." Willow stepped toward both teenagers and lent them her open palms—Evan regarded them with suspicion, even raising his monocle up to examine it until Elesis smacked him again. He grumbled, then took it. Krywen, meanwhile, did not hesitate and laid her hand on Willow's.

[Hunt Party 7/8] [Level limit: 19] [Hunt Party 7/8] [Hunter—Level 19] [Olympya Executioner—Level 19] [Olympya Archer—Level 19] [Rider—Level 17] [Frost Witch—Level 11] [Squire—Level 5] [Grimoire Wizard—Level 2] How come the one with Ascendant Class only has two levels? Willow thought idly. Was this guy just lazy? He looked so.

"Bonus experience… And more upon hunt completion," Krywen mumbled shyly. She blushed and a small smile bloomed. She glanced at Kroos, who gave her an encouraging shoulder rub.

"Make sure you take full advantage of it. You know the story, girl, about the steward of the saviours."

"I will." She looked at Willow.

"I won't disappoint you, my lady."

"Don't try to impress me. I'm also new at this. Let's figure things out together, yeah?"

"Y—Yes, I'd love that."

"This is truly a thing out of a storybook, isn't it?" Evan muttered to himself, but did not bother to keep his voice down.

"I'm starting to understand why the emperor wants to marry most of his daughters and sons to the outworlder. If my father heard about this, he might ask me to court you, my lady." Willow just gave him a blank stare.

"Please rest assured, I'm not interested. I doubt that'll happen since we're here for Ed and Elesis' elopement." Ah, yes, that. Willow might be able to learn more about that from Evan since it sounds like he wouldn't bother to keep it secret.

"My lady, I heard you're intending to ascend? Are you going to wait for the last of your party members?" Kroos asked.

"No, it's better if I get this done quickly. Leynah and I will go on our own with Josha."

"If that is the case, then please take Becks with you. Or rather, might as well take the entire party." Elesis said.

"Your Highness, but we will target the area with Tier-two," Leynah said.

"For guaranteed level up."

"The princess is correct. All the more reason to get used to danger now," he addressed Josha.

"I hope my gift pleases you, young rider." Josha scratched the back of his hair.

"It's appreciated, my lord."

"What gift?" Princess Elesis shot Kroos a hidden glare. Kroos merely smiled and opened his arms to a horse being led out of the castle gate. Willow's mouth gaped open, and she did not close it. A majestic black horse whinnied up, craning his neck; atop his forehead was a horn made of gold. A unicorn! Was what Willow thought, but then two angelic wings unfurled and the pegasus-unicorn craned its head up haughtily.