Halden didn't flinch. He stood there, staring back at his Lord. Around them, knights went rigid, stopping their quiet complaining instantly. A few serfs turned pale, trying desperately to pretend they heard nothing.
My life's at risk here… Do I have any other choice?
If I'm correct, this horse…
"At least tell us the reason."
If we are fast enough, I could still have a chance…
He glanced at the distant dim flares.
"If we are fast enough, we could completely annihilate them."
Of course that's a lie… I just need you to follow me for now, Hollowed dogs.
With that, he jumped onto his horse, taking the reins into his hands while Halden looked at him half suspiciously, half like he was watching a madman.
"NEEEIGH—!"
The stallion reared slightly, making a few nearby knights step back while serfs flinched.
He pushed him back and forth, trying to take control, then aggressively pulled the reins back and leaned in.
He was gifted to Granbell from an early age… Can he feel something's different? If that's the case…
"Relax, Bucci."
Calling him by the name the stallion was given as a colt by Granbell, he finally felt the beast begin to calm.
Halden, hastened by seeing Hans already on his horse, immediately jumped onto his as well.
"Whatever you say… There will be consequences if this goes badly, M'Lord."
Granbell grasped the hilt of his sword—except he didn't. He felt nothing. He had no sword.
Are you serious… Did I leave it back at the castle?
Noticing the slight pause, the brown-haired maid stood up and searched around the carriage.
Hans and Halden turned their heads, and the knights obediently waited in silence.
"M'Lord? Are we—?"
Suddenly she stopped outside the carriage and kneeled in front of the stallion, a sword wrapped in white cloth in her hands, and underneath it, a sheath.
"M'Lord. Your sword."
She… I forgot it, but…
"Thank you—"
What was her name again…?
He smiled as he took it, the white cloth falling off, revealing a brown sheath.
Not the fanciest… it'll suffice.
"Maid."
She flinched a bit, not knowing if she stepped out of the ordinary too much.
"Name?"
Her face instantly softened as she elegantly bowed, holding the sides of her maid's uniform.
"It is M—" her face tightened then she continued. "Marie. Marie, M'Lord."
Marie… Not a suspicious character for my life as far as I know. I'll need someone to take care of them while I'm away…
He glanced at Hans.
Hunchbacked quartermaster—not the most trusting person, but he'll suffice…
"As Vermillion's heir's personal maid, I expect you to take care of things here until I return. And Hans is to stay as your personal guard. Understood?"
Hans's face dropped.
"EHH!?"
He quickly straightened himself, realizing his slip-up, then muttered,
"I… I'm guarding a maid…?"
He glanced begrudgingly at Marie, who—though slightly shaken with anxiety—bowed deeply.
"I am deeply honored, M'Lord. I'll make sure t-things"—she stuttered a bit, drawing a few quiet laughs from the nearby mounted knights—"go smoothly until your return."
Granbell nodded. As he raised the sword, the sheath slipped off on its own; he caught it with his left hand and held the sword with his right.
"FROM NOW ON, THE VERMILLION GUARD AND HOLLOW KNIGHTS UNDER CAPTAIN HALDEN WILL SPLIT!"
A couple of knights looked at each other through their helmets, muttering:
"He'll split us? We're already short on men as is…"
"Shut up, he'll take your head otherwise…"
From his place atop Bucci, Granbell could see the formation stretch into the coming night—Hollow Knights in the front just beside him, carrying both their barren dark flags marked only with a skull and the Vermillion imperial banners; the overworked serfs squeezed in the middle; and the Vermillion Guard guarding the far rear like a crimson wall overflowing with imperial colors.
"Sending a tyrant as an army leader… It is to be expected…"
I can hear you, bastards…
He threw them a glance, making them immediately quiet down, then continued:
"HOLLOW KNIGHTS UNDER CAPTAIN HALDEN WILL FOLLOW ME. THE VERMILLION GUARDS WILL REMAIN UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF QUARTERMASTER HANS AND MY PERSONAL MAID, MARIE."
Some knights in the back complained again.
"A maid…? What about—?"
"Quiet!" a knight beside him yelled out, glancing at a short man mounted upon a black horse in front of them.
Could this lead to mutiny? Maybe… but if I leave them completely in his hands, I could be done for… A quartermaster and a maid suddenly getting recognition from someone they feared as a monster..
He turned to Hans and stretched his reins, closing the distance between their mounts. Hans tried to lean away, worry evident.
At least this way I have some connection to this unit.
"Hans, come closer."
Quietly calling his name, Hans leaned in as Granbell grabbed him by the collar—just close enough to whisper into his ear.
Marie, standing on the ground, watched them curiously, as the black-haired maid stood beside her. Halden was obviously annoyed while trying to explain to his knights that they must follow the prince.
Finally, Granbell leaned back, pulling the reins as Hans's mouth hung open. His eyes flashed with a mixture of disbelief and fear.
"Understand?"
Hans stared at him with parted lips, then gave a shaky nod.
"I… I do not quite understand, M'Lord—"
Halden turned around to see what was happening.
"I don't… but in case that occurs, I'll do as you say. I'll obey, M'Lord."
Marie glanced toward Hans, her brows tightening slightly.
She didn't hear the whisper, but she could feel the tension—Hans's hands trembled lightly as he gripped the reins and dismounted.
"M-Mister Hans…?" she whispered, barely audible.
He didn't answer.
Granbell watched Hans's shaky nod, a small knot tightening in his chest.
He doesn't understand… but he still accepted it. Good. That's all I need right now. If you disobey, your life will be at cost as well.
Halden's eyes narrowed from atop his horse.
He couldn't hear the words, but he wasn't blind—Hans was pale, Marie was uneasy, and their young lord suddenly seemed lighter.
"…What are you planning, M'Lord?" Halden muttered under his breath.
Granbell straightened in his saddle, pushing the moment aside.
"Enough. We are departing!" he commanded, voice cutting through the cold air.
"Hollow Knights—WITH ME!"
Steel groaned and bodies shifted as the formation stirred to life.
As Granbell jolted his horse forward, Halden tiredly swung his arm forward, ordering his troops to follow.
Two lines formed, avoiding the carriage in the middle—Hans and Marie between
While Granbell charged toward danger, trouble already brewed behind him. Marie, who had stepped into the carriage for a brief moment to clean it, uncovers something in the carriage—something Granbell didn't notice earlier as it was under his seat. "Lord.." She whispered under her breath, flinching as she heard someone climb upon the carriage's solid wood."Mar-" Hans stepped inside looking for her, a single shiver passed through him as his eyes laid upon what she had found.
A wax sealed letter, and just besides it- An dagger.