Chapter 11
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Sergia smiled artificially and said sarcastically, trying to defuse the awkward situation he found himself in:
"Keldor, if I told you we were doing some advanced combat training, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"
I shouted hastily, addressing the guard who had burst into the room:
"Mr. Keldor! It's not what you think. I asked Captain Sergia, of my own free will, to teach me some basic defense moves!"
The guard who had burst into the room was called Mr. Keldor. At that moment, he looked pitiful, his long blond hair was disheveled, his clothes were torn in several places, and he had lost his protective armor, but his blue eyes remained alert and sharp as a hawk's despite his agitated state.
Guard Keldor slowly raised his head and looked at me with a deep look of suspicion mixed with astonishment, then shouted sharply:
"What do you mean, boy? I saw Captain Sergia raise his sword toward you, and you closed your eyes and raised your head high as if surrendering to death willingly!"
I laughed nervously, trying to bring a false sense of humor to this absurd scene, and said awkwardly:
"I wanted Captain Sergia, the mighty knight, to attack me so that I could raise my low sense of danger and practice quick reactions in the face of enemies, that's all! Could Captain Sergia attack me and expect me to stand still and wait for my death? After all, we only live once in this mortal world!"
As I uttered these ridiculous words, I saw Captain Sergia raise his thick eyebrows in surprise for a moment, then take a step back and hastily say, trying to support my story:
"Yes, yes, Keldor… I was just giving him some advice and guidance, as you well know, Keldor, my friend. Young Mr. Ruthvien must have a real sense of danger to survive the misfortunes and dangers that may await him in the unknown future!"
Guard Keldor slowly lowered his sword and thought for a long moment about the unusual incident he had witnessed, but then he remembered the real reason he had come here and said quickly, looking seriously at Captain Sergia:
"Captain Sergia! A large herd of ferocious wild beasts attacked us while we were exploring the mysterious cave just behind the village!"
Captain Sergia was taken aback by this sudden news and said in obvious shock:
"How is that possible? The villagers assured us that this place was completely deserted and that no monsters lived here. The nearest known area where monsters are found is a vast distance from here, and there is nothing that would attract them to this quiet and remote area!"
Guard Keldor said anxiously:
"I don't know how this happened, Captain, but if it weren't for the skilled intervention of the young lady Ruthvien's guard at the last moment, we would not have survived with so few of us!
The rest of the knights are currently camped near the foot of the mountain to recover from their injuries, and I rushed here as fast as I could to inform you of what happened, Captain!
I stood silently listening to this sudden conversation, smiling bitterly to myself at the failure of my plan, which had almost succeeded, but at the same time, I felt a suppressed anger rising inside me like a dormant volcano.
This sudden event was part of my elaborate plan to lure the powerful knights away from the safe village.
Several days ago, I had begun spreading rumors in the small village that there was a mysterious cave in the nearby mountains, and that a powerful old man had died there a hundred years ago, leaving behind priceless treasures waiting to be discovered. After all, the cave's surroundings were mysterious and dangerous, and none of the locals dared to approach it. This made it the perfect place for my plan.
Then, I sent several attractive prostitutes to the guards' camp to seduce them and distract them from their primary mission. Some of them agreed immediately and dragged the maids into their rooms or tents like hungry wolves that hadn't seen prey in days, but others refused vehemently, led by Captain Sergia, even though I sent him my favorite maid, cleara!
Every detail of the plan seemed perfect and logical, from the moment the tempting rumors were spread, to indirectly persuading the adventurous knights to explore the alleged cave in search of riches, and finally Captain Sergia agreeing to help me achieve my noble goal and my feeling of imminent death.
Everything seemed to be going according to my carefully laid plans, but once again, my plan seemed to have failed at the last minute!
That quiet, small-breasted guard intervened and saved the knights from certain death, even though I had sent her on a difficult and dangerous mission far away from here to get her out of my way.
It seems she succeeded in her mission and returned at the right time and met the knights by chance, although I strongly doubt that it was a coincidence. Surely that despicable fart of light had something to do with it!