Chapter 4

The mansion was enveloped in chaos.

The rough footsteps that seemed to pierce through the floorboards, the ear-splitting noise of breaking dishes, and the murmurs of the bewildered household mixed together.

Every time the vulgar shouts mixed with the cicada sounds, the fingers intertwined trembled.

The centaur was anxious.

—How could he cause trouble at such a critical time!

The centaur felt a burning anger deep in his gut at the foolish and violent actions of his lord's uncle, Yokso.

"Princess! Please hurry!"

The centaur turned around. Princess YunoHana, his lord's sister, stared back at him with a pale face. Her lustrous hair, spun like the finest Gin thread from the cocoon of the Kaiiko, was disheveled, hanging over her long face.

The fingers in his hand were so thin that they seemed to break with the slightest pressure. They were so cold, as if no blood was flowing through them, due to the tension and anxiety. The centaur gently wrapped the princess's fingers in his rough hands.

He must get the princess to safety.

Yokso's aim was to marry the renowned beauty, Princess YunoHana, and seize the throne of the country.

Two years ago, the previous lord passed away, and the throne of Treet was passed to his son, Setsken. Though Setsken was just a young man in his early twenties, he possessed all the qualities of a lord. During these two years, he had always been at the forefront, protecting his clan and the country.

Yokso found this intolerable.

He had intended to seize real power as Setsken's guardian, but when he realized his plans had failed, he set his sights on Setsken's sister, Princess YunoHana, plotting to marry her and take the throne from Setsken.

Until now, Yokso's dirty schemes had been thwarted by Setsken and his loyal retainers who valued honor. Despite the difficulty in catching Yokso's tail, they had managed to protect the princess.

However, this year, Treet was hit by an unprecedented severe cold.

The breath of the legendary monster Suryin, said to dwell at the bottom of the earth, froze the land, making it impossible to cultivate crops or even plow the fields. To make matters worse, a lightning strike hit the granary, turning half of the stored food to ashes.

If this continued, many would starve to death in the winter.

Surrounded by steep mountains, Treet had little interaction with other countries and could not expect aid. Especially, the northern country, Jebus, had long been closed off, and no one knew its true state. It was only rumored to be the home of a silver dragon, feared by all.

On the brink of decline, after much deliberation, an unexpected piece of news reached their ears.

It was said that a succession dispute had erupted in York Zai, the land of sand, located south of Mount Pirenia, and it was on the verge of civil war.

The people of Treet saw this as a divine revelation.

They planned to take advantage of the civil war, ally with the Kakenaga tribe living at the foot of Mount Pirenia, and seize a part of Zaharia.

Even the dry land would be better than the frozen, cold Treet.

Moreover, York Zai was a young country.

Loyalty did not permeate every corner of the land or every heart. It would surely work out. Believing this, Setsken set off with a small group of followers.

After several contacts, they had just received news that a favorable response was imminent.

Just when Treet was about to be saved, it might all be ruined by Yokso's shallow ambition.

The centaur's ears caught the sound of intruders' footsteps blocking their path. They were coming from around the corner. Two, no, three of them.

"Damn it."

The centaur spat. It was an unbecoming act for a warrior, but there was no one to reprimand him now.

"Over here!"

He opened the nearest door, slipped inside, and closed it quietly.

The room they had fled into was for entertaining guests. A thick table made from the trunk of a Kankei tree was placed in the center, and round seats woven from Sen stems were set opposite each other. All the sliding doors were closed, but the room was cold because no fire had been lit.

He quickly looked around, but there was no place to hide. The other side of the sliding doors led to the courtyard, but it was likely guarded by Yokso's men.

Is this the end?

The centaur was prepared to die at any moment. But what about Princess YunoHana? If it came to it, he would have to protect her dignity with his own hands.

Turning around, his eyes met the princess's as she drew a dagger from her sash.

Gripping the hilt with trembling hands, Princess YunoHana looked at the centaur. Seeing the unwavering resolve in her eyes, which were as blue as the sky before dawn, the centaur involuntarily knelt and bowed as a retainer.

Indeed, he served no one but this brother and sister.

The commotion in the corridor grew louder.

—Come on, whenever you're ready!

The centaur stood up and positioned himself in front of Princess YunoHana, shielding her.

He drew his sword and held it ready. Suddenly, a rectangular frame appeared before him.

The frame contained a translucent board with intricate carvings, and a human figure was visible through it.

The centaur shuddered. He never imagined Yokso would team up with a sorcerer...

A sliding sound was heard, and the translucent board moved to the side.

The centaur thrust his sword at the figure. Feeling a solid resistance, he heard a scream at that moment.

"Kyaa!"

A scream similar to the death cry of a Gaeul, crushed under the wheel of a cart, echoed through the room. The green Gaeul, which chirped noisily in the fields during Treet's short summer, had not been seen since the land froze from Suryin's breath. Tilted his head in confusion, the centaur was dumbfounded by the scene before him.

A naked woman stood with a seamless white bucket-like object pushed out in front of her chest.

The centaur's sword had pierced the center of the white object.

—It's possible.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

To block the strike of Treet's best swordsman, this was no ordinary person. Was she an assassin hired by the sorcerer, or a skilled warrior herself?

"May I ask your name?"

The blood of a swordsman stirred within him.

"Huh? Tamanoizumi."

The woman stated her name with a dazed look. It was a performance to lull him into a false sense of security, and her nakedness was surely a tactic to distract him. The centaur was impressed. She was not lacking in any way.

"My name is Centaur. I request the honor of engaging you!"

Letting go of his useless sword, now entangled in the white bucket-like armor, he reached for his dagger.

"What? Wait a minute!! What are you saying after ruining my Kerorin bucket? If you have no business, I'm closing the window!"

The woman, though flustered, directed her anger at the centaur.

"Assassins don't run away when they meet resistance! It's ridiculous!"

The centaur raised his sword.

"Hey! Is your brain stuffed with cotton?"

The centaur was disheartened. He thought he had finally met a worthy opponent for his last battle, but it seemed he was mistaken. Just as he was about to cut down the assassin, who was trying to make excuses, the woman's eyes shifted to behind him.

"Hey, you there! Can you do something about this crazy old man? I'm not an assassin! I was just trying to cool down the hot bath by opening the window. Seriously, where in the world do naked assassins without weapons exist? Or are assassins in your world all perverts? Only perverts!?"

She bombarded him with questions, then turned pleading eyes to Princess YunoHana.

Sensing something was off from the woman's earnest demeanor, the centaur began to think.

"Centaur, lower your sword. This person seems to have no connection to Uncle Yokso."

Princess YunoHana's calm voice supported his growing suspicion.

"Are you not an assassin hired by Yokso?"

The woman nodded as if it were obvious.

"I've never even heard of someone named Yokso."

The centaur looked directly into the woman's eyes. Her black eyes seemed bottomless and even a bit frightening, but she did not appear to be lying.

"In that case, I'll close the window, okay?"

The woman reached for the translucent board. Her movements were hasty, revealing her anxiety. Perhaps she had something to hide... Just as the centaur was about to cast a suspicious glance at her again, Yokso's angry voice echoed from the corridor.

"YunoHana! Where are you? Come out already. You will be mine."

Princess YunoHana's thin shoulders trembled.

"YunoHana! YunoHana!"

The voice called her name repeatedly. The woman frowned and looked at the princess.

"Huh? What's with this villainous line? And YunoHana... are you a noble?"

"Yes."

Princess YunoHana pulled out the dagger she had been gripping at her chest.

"That's enough. Centaur, I request your assistance in ending this."

—Finally, this moment has come.

Though her face was pale, there was no trace of despair on Princess YunoHana's face.

The centaur closed his eyes and nodded. Slowly opening them, he tightened his grip on his sword.

Princess YunoHana looked at Centaur and smiled quietly. It was a breathtakingly beautiful smile, perhaps filled with the satisfaction of not becoming a burden to her brother.

Bending her knees, Princess YunoHana directed the tip of the blade at her own throat.

"For the prosperity of Treet."

She whispered and bowed her head.

Aiming for the exposed white neck, Centaur raised his sword above his head.

"Huh? What? Wait a minute!"

The centaur's sword wavered at the panicked voice.

"What is it?"

Annoyed by the interruption, Centaur glared at the woman, feeling that her presence had desecrated Princess YunoHana's solemn resolve.

The woman, still with the white bucket-like armor pierced by the sword, threw it behind her and leaned out of the frame, her naked body now exposed.

"Is there something troubling you!?"

It sounded like a desperate cry.

"...Yes."

Forgetting his frustration, he nodded involuntarily. It was definitely not because of the breasts swaying before his eyes.

"You're troubled, right? Um, um, leave it to me. I'll help you!"

The woman placed her hand on her chin, as if thinking.

"The loud voice outside is Yokso? And you, the noble, are being pursued by Yokso. Is that right?"

Centaur and Princess YunoHana, still holding their swords, nodded in unison.

"I'll hide you, so come over here. Climb over this window frame, see?"

The woman beckoned them.

"What are you doing? Hurry up!"

Yokso's footsteps were getting closer. After a moment's hesitation, he remembered the old saying: "To get the child of Tula, one must enter the abode of Tula."

Centaur lifted Princess YunoHana and, with a determined heart, stepped through the rectangular frame.

Immediately, hot water splashed his feet. He remembered she had said she was about to take a bath... The wet cloth clung to his legs, almost tripping him, but he managed to regain his balance and repositioned Princess YunoHana to keep her from getting wet.

"I'll leave the window slightly open, or we might not be able to get back. I'll go look for something that can be used as a weapon."

"Wait, sorceress, what am I supposed to do!?"

"Relax in the bath! No, absolutely do not leave this room, especially not this door I'm about to go through."

With that, the woman hurriedly ran off.

Left with Princess YunoHana in his arms, Centaur could only stare blankly.

The woman returned shortly. A white cloth was wrapped around her body, covering her from chest to buttocks. In her hand, she held a cylindrical object with a frightening bird-like creature depicted on it.

"What is that?"

"It's insecticide. For hornets."

Without minding the wet cloth, the woman stepped into the tub filled with water and stood next to Centaur.

Peering through the small gap in the translucent board, they saw Yokso enter the room they had just left, his footsteps heavy and rough.

"YunoHana! ...What is this?"

It was Yokso's voice. The angry shout turned to confusion after the second word.

"YunoHana? Are you there?"

"I'm not here! Get out, bald old man."

In response to Yokso's probing voice, the woman answered boldly.

But isn't that the same as saying she's there...?

"What are you doing, YunoHana? Associating with such a suspicious sorcerer?"

How can he say that, after his own actions? Centaur gently placed Princess YunoHana on the strange white floor and reached for his sword, but the woman stopped him.

"Leave it to me."

What does she plan to do...? He asked with his eyes, but the woman only nodded confidently without explaining. However, since she said to leave it to her, she must have a plan. Centaur followed her lead and stood by.

"YunoHana, are you defying your uncle?"

Yokso, not hiding his frustration, was followed by several subordinates.

Centaur recognized the faces of the men visible through the gap in the board. They were bought with money, lacking loyalty, but they were skilled.

Centaur began to feel anxious.

However, even as Yokso and his men approached the table, the woman showed no sign of moving.

Step by step, the distance closed. But the woman did not move.

—It's the limit. Centaur gripped the hilt of his sword.

Yokso was right outside.

Suddenly, the woman flung open the translucent board, extended both arms, and aimed the cylinder.

"Take this! Super Power, Bee Killer Jet!"

With a curse, a mist spewed out forcefully from the cylinder.

Yokso, hit by the mist, covered his eyes with both hands.

"What, what is this... I can't see, I can't see!"

Seeing Yokso in pain, the woman declared loudly.

"I've cursed you. You won't be able to use your eyes for three days and three nights unless you wash them with water made from melting snow. You might be able to see again after a brief wash, but if you don't continue for three days and three nights, the pain will return immediately."

—How terrifying.

Centaur felt a sense of awe towards the woman and instinctively covered his own eyes with his palm. The men following Yokso, fearing the power of the sorceress, did not move.

Finally, Yokso collapsed on the floor.

"You should leave quickly, shouldn't you?"

The woman looked down at Yokso with cold eyes.

Lying on the floor, Yokso looked up at her through his fingers, his eyes bloodshot. His ambitious eyes, filled with a desire that would never fade, moved and caught sight of Princess YunoHana, who was sheltered behind Centaur.

"YunoHana, listen well. Your brother, Setsken, is already cold and lifeless. I paid the brother of the Kakenaga chief in Zaharia to poison him at a banquet. His corpse should be arriving soon."

Princess YunoHana let out a short scream.

—What did Yokso just say?

Centaur felt a surge of intense anger, as if his blood was swirling and reversing its flow.

An uncontrollable emotion rose from the depths of his stomach, driving his body to act.

"You bastard!"

He drew his sword and stepped onto the frame. The subordinates, who had been frozen in place, came to their senses and rushed to their master's side. It was a battle of many against few. He might not be able to kill them, but he had to at least strike a blow. Driven by his anger, he was about to step out of the frame when a bare arm wrapped around his waist.

"Calm down. What you should do now is protect YunoHana." A small whisper slipped into his ear.

"Shut up! Get out of here quickly. Or do you want to lose your eyesight?"

The woman, still clinging to Centaur's waist, shouted at Yokso.

Yokso growled in frustration.

"Listen, YunoHana. This country is now mine!"

"Persistent old man. Should I give you another, more powerful hit? This time, your skin will rot and fall off."

The woman aimed the cylinder with one hand, and Yokso let out a pitiful cry, grabbing the arm of a subordinate who was cowering in fear of the sorceress's power, and fled like a rolling ball.

"Prepare melting snow water," "Call a sorceress!" "I don't know. Find her! Surround this room until you find her!" The noisy footsteps and Yokso's indistinguishable cries and shouts gradually faded away.

The woman released her grip on Centaur's waist and slumped into the water.

"Thank goodness."

"It's not good."

In response to her sigh of relief, Centaur frowned and looked down.

"Lord Setsken... Lord Setsken... Damn it."

Unable to hold back, he punched the wall. The pain in his fist affirmed that this was not a dream.

"Setsken... Could it be... Setsken..."

Princess YunoHana's thin cries filled the strange, rectangular space of the sorceress's abode.

"Um, I think he's fine."

"Huh?"

The woman, sitting in the water with her knees hugged, looked up at Centaur.

"I think the person named Setsken is fine."

"Why do you think so..."

A hoarse voice escaped his throat.

"Because I met him. This is what I got from that Setsken person."

Pointing in the direction she indicated, Centaur saw a long, thin cylinder with a green leaf stuck in it.

"Is this... ice snow grass?"

"Exactly, I traded for it. Setsken was in a hut, and we talked a bit. Then he said he had no more business in Zaharia and was going back to his country. That's when I got the ice snow grass. The Kakenaga tribe is in Zaharia, right? So, I don't think Setsken went to Zaharia..."

The woman flicked the ice snow grass, and a cool, tinkling sound echoed.

"A hut with ice snow grass... The mountain hut at the top of Mount Pirenia! When was this? When did this happen?"

Without minding the water, he knelt beside her, grabbed