Viviane gripped the hem of Medrauta's sleeve tightly.
"Why are we going so slow? What if they're already captured by the time we get there...?" Worry creased Viviane's brow severely. They'd been on the road for around an hour, but they'd barely made any progress.
"Relax, Viviane," Medrauta chided. "It's dark, and we've only got a lantern to light the way. Plus, I think the horses are a little spooked too."
"Spooked?" Viviane asked, her hand unconsciously drifting to the bow that sat next to her. "What do you mean? Is there something out there?"
"Probably just wolves. If I can hear them, I'd imagine the horses can too. Did you know, Viviane? Surprisingly, horses have pretty sensitive ears."
"I see..."
Despite Medrauta's best efforts to prevent her lady from overthinking too much, it didn't seem like Viviane was going to relax anytime soon.
...She wasn't this bad when we first left. Medrauta bit her lip, her eyes searching the interior of the carriage as if she were trying to find something that would hopefully alleviate Viviane's concerns. When they rushed down to the coachman's room and woke him up, he certainly wasn't happy, but after Viviane's passionate speech that brooked no arguments, the three of them set off immediately.
That said, the sole lantern that hung from the carriage's front provided precious little light for either the coachman or the horses for that matter. While Viviane and Medrauta both boasted enhanced vision, the same could not be said for those who actually bore the responsibility of transporting them.
As a result, their journey moved at a snail's pace, and the intermittent howls of wild animals coming from the darkened forests bordering the road certainly didn't help the horses along. Viviane had already been quite worried at the start of their journey, and though Medrauta's presence helped ease her anxiety slightly, she simply couldn't get Sakura and Riku's situation off her mind.
Her friend and mentor, Sakura was someone who had quickly become precious to Viviane, and since the foreign lady had been there for her during one of the lowest points in her life, Viviane felt obligated to ensure Sakura's safety above all else.
Just as Medrauta stifled a sigh and prepared to grasp Viviane's hand, the carriage jerked forward violently. The horses whinnied loudly, and Medrauta could hear their panicked panting even from inside the carriage.
"What the hell's going on out there!?" Medrauta shouted as she opened the carriage's door just wide enough to stick her head out. Even now, she was focused on protecting Viviane, leaning over the noblewoman and shielding Viviane with her body.
"I-I don't know!" The coachman shouted, his voice betraying his panic. "T-The horses just stopped for no reason and they won't go no matter how much I urge them to!"
Shit... That means something's out here. Medrauta withdrew into the carriage briefly, motioning for Viviane to remain silent before stepping out of the vehicle. Her enhanced vision as a knight allowed her to see clearly in the dark, and though the lantern's light could be considered useless for most, it gave Medrauta's natural gifts a considerable boost.
The silver-haired knight scanned their surroundings carefully, her sword drawn and at the ready. The moonlight streaming through the sparse canopy of foliage above settled in a dappled pattern on the gleaming steel of her blade, shifting and shimmering as Medrauta circled the area.
Her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword. The bushes shifted and tree branches stirred in the wind. Though she saw nothing, Medrauta could feel something was amiss. Worse yet, she smelled a foul and rancid rust-like stench in the air. Something that she was quite familiar with, unfortunately.
"...Get inside the carriage." Medrauta told the coachman in a low voice. The man nodded quickly in response, hastening to enter the vehicle as Medrauta continued to survey their surroundings.
It's getting stronger, Medrauta thought as she sniffed the air. She closed her eyes, finding vision useless in this situation. While she wasn't helpless in the dark, the thick flora that populated the surrounding forest obstructed her vision, and as far as she knew, the potential attackers weren't anywhere close yet.
Focusing only on what she could hear, Medrauta picked out the sounds of approaching footsteps. Around six... Mismatched gaits... She frowned as she listened closer. Though Medrauta knew that bandits weren't exactly masterful tacticians, she'd encountered them enough during her time as a squire to know that they at least gained a rhythm to their cadence after their first few raids.
From what Medrauta could tell, their would-be assailants seemed vastly unorganized with each of them advancing toward the carriage at different speeds. And here I thought even bandits would be smart enough not to attack in the dark without at least a bit of experience...
After a brief moment of anticipation, she noticed one set of footsteps was growing noticeably closer. Medrauta opened her eyes, her keen vision cutting through the darkness with ease as she picked out a faraway figure that disturbed several branches jutting out from a tree. The figure ducked back into cover, crouching behind a bush, not knowing that their horrible attempt at stealth had already been foiled by the silver-haired knight.
Medrauta swept her gaze to the side, making out several other figures in the distance. Upon seeing them, she frowned and stepped backward until she felt her back touch the carriage. As quietly as she could, she knocked on the side of the vehicle's door, prompting Viviane to crack it open slightly after a moment.
"...There's around six of them out here. I saw a few in the dark, but it's strange. They don't seem like bandits."
"...Maybe they're refugees? Perhaps they're loyalists who fled the duchy. There's nowhere else that this road leads to, after all."
Medrauta shook her head. "No, I don't think so. If they were refugees, they'd be running toward our light and calling out for help. Instead, they're trying to sneak close to us for an ambush. What's really strange is that some of them aren't armored or carrying weapons."
A frown creased Viviane's brow as she considered that piece of information. She knew that knights always carried weapons with them when permitted, and bandits would obviously remain armed. But based on Medrauta's observations, they weren't refugees either. There's something crucial that we're missing...
"In any case, stay inside the carriage. I'll take care of them quickly, knights or not."
"...Alright." Though she tried her best, Viviane failed to contain the trace of worry that slipped into her voice, eliciting a reassuring smile from Medrauta before the knight walked off closer to the forest once more.
It was only a few moments after Medrauta departed that Viviane suddenly registered the importance of what her knight had seen. Her eyes widened at the realization, causing her to jerk up in her seat and surprise the coachman. Ignoring his protests for discretion, Viviane grabbed her bow and thrust the door open.
"Medrauta! Watch out! They're—"
The sound of clashing steel interrupted Viviane's cry.
With blinding speed, Medrauta had blocked a strike from one of the ambushers who leapt out from the forest. Flicking her wrist casually, she knocked her attacker's sword aside and thrust her leg out in a vicious front kick that sent them flying backward.
"Knights? Yeah. I know," Medrauta said as she stared down at the knight she'd just kicked. The man was struggling to push himself up, meaning Medrauta's blow must've broken more than a few bones. "Which means the unarmed stragglers must be nobles. As fascinating as that is, I'm more interested in finding out why you're here... Ducan."
"M-Medrauta... You bitch...!" The knight named Ducan spat out a thick globule of blood as he struggled to his feet.
While Viviane didn't recognize the name nor its significance, she could see the glint in Medrauta's eyes turn into a dangerous one.
"You were one of the knights who went missing during the attack, weren't you? Vargos isn't too far from here. I wager you'd make it in around an hour or two hours, even with your nobles. From there, you'd be able to secure transportation back to the academy or even your homes... So why the hell are you here ambushing travelers?"
Duncan smirked. Despite just having received a serious injury, he certainly didn't look like someone who was expecting to lose. "You wouldn't understand, Medrauta. Someone like you who was born strong wouldn't even be able to comprehend what we've had to sacrifice just for a taste of power..."
"...What?"
Ducan cracked his neck, an awful popping sound echoing from his chest and into the night. Medrauta stared in horror as the knight's flesh and bones rearranged themselves, repairing his injury in an instant.
...No. Medrauta couldn't believe what she was seeing. She simply couldn't fathom why her fellow knights would fall to such depravity, and though she wished that this was no more than a nightmare, she knew that had no choice but to accept reality.
Duncan's lips split into a wide smile. Behind him, more knights emerged from the forest, causing Medrauta to step backwards and position herself defensively.
"You're all... You're all sworn, aren't you?"
"That's right," Duncan advanced. If he was surprised at Medrauta so quickly identifying the pact that they'd forged with the witch, it didn't show on his face. "We're sworn."