Chapter 5 - I - The Rubinforths of fen

 

For the rest of our journey, it was peaceful.

 

“…”

 

Fen was a town to the northwest of Kamran, which was a city at the southern border of the kingdom of Nerfes.  It was the capital of the Rubinforth fief, which was under the authority of the family of Her Holiness.  From the Holy Palatial Gardens, we rode for one ‘long sleep’ west to a dense forest where we got ambushed.  Exhausted from the incident, and to give time for our guards to call for additional troops back at the palatial gardens, we rested for another full ‘long sleep’ on a spot not too far from the battle site.

 

After taking that unplanned break, we then turned north at a river junction to reach a certain mountain pass.  We covered that part of the journey for another yet one ‘long sleep’.  

 

Next, for a series of three ‘long sleeps’, we traversed the mountain pass to get to the city of Kamran.  And then, after a final one ‘long sleep’, we’re finally able to see the borders that marked the entrance to the land of the Rubinforths.

 

Our journey took seven ‘long sleeps’—or days, in Earth’s time reckoning.

 

And by this time, I guess Her Fluffy Holiness had enough.

 

“Ueeeerrrrrrggggghhhh!!!”

 

“For some odd reason, you’re a creature of speed and agility, yet you’re sick of motion.” Her Holiness remarked the moment Her Fluffy Holiness vomited on the roadside.  Of course, we had to stop the convoy to let her relieve herself.

 

“Oh yeah?  I may be prone to motion sickness, but at least, my figure is still as seductive as ever…unlike some fat saint that I know…” the Beastman Saint countered.

 

“Why…w-well, it’s fine.  I know that my fatness can be remedied anytime.  However, once a rejected fan, one will always be a rejected fan…”

 

“R-rejected?  Aren’t you one too, by someone you love as well?”

 

I could see sparks flying around those two holy women, and I couldn’t help but feel nervous.  Shouldn’t they be separated by now?  I mean, those words they were throwing around sure had deeper meanings to them…

 

“Uh…are they okay, Lily?  Should I stop them?”

 

“Don’t worry, it’s normal when those two are together.  They may sound like they’re fighting, but actually, they’re the best of friends…” Lily explained while she kept on cooking our lunch, “So best that I’m getting the feeling I’m getting left out…hahahahaha…”

 

She was sharpening the knife that she was holding, with a terrifying look on her face and the most amicable of laughs, even the bravest paladins among us slowly walked away.

 

I’m surrounded by crazy women…

 

Honestly, except for that bandit incident, it’s a good thing we’re traveling in an inconspicuous carriage.  Lily had planned this earlier; she might’ve thought that the Saint’s vacation would be severely hampered by an adoring crowd if we traveled on Her Holiness’ official carriage.  The guards shed their flashy armor, and the maids wore their usual ‘commoner’ clothing.  Heck, if someone were to see us, they’d think we’re just part of an entourage of an aristocrat traveling to Nerfes.

 

Anyway, I guess the only ‘officially formal’ time that we had was when we were met by a delegate of King Rambo and Sir Simon near the border and silently welcomed us to their kingdom.

 

I guess this is the work of those letters that Lily sent ahead of us…

 

 

Ah, anyway, we ate our lunch by the roadside.  The Marquise of Monfort and her corps were with us throughout the entire journey after the bandit incident, never going as far as ten paces from the Saint’s carriage.  She only broke off from our convoy when we reached the outskirts of the Rubinforth fief.  The Captain of the Paladin Corps was seeking an appointment with King Rambo in connection to what happened earlier in our travel.

 

Meanwhile, our coach driver had estimated that it would only be a half-sleep’s distance from where we were right now, up to the actual town proper of Fen.  Although still eye-catching, our group was eventually passed on by traveling peasants and some ‘important-looking’ people.  

 

Secrecy has its benefits.  By the looks of it, I can tell we’ll finally arrive at our destination safe and unmolested.

 

However, when the maids who were with us began packing our belongings to resume our last leg of the journey, I saw Dame Sasha Atkins coming back together with other women from their patrol.  They had something urgent to tell the Head Maid.

 

“Oh, Dame Atkins!” Lily greeted them, concerned at their sudden arrival, “Is there anything up ahead?”

 

“Yes.” was the Dame’s curt reply, as always.

 

“What is it?”

 

“People.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Sudden increase.”

 

“Of?”

 

“Numbers.”

 

“You mean to say that you noticed the sudden increase of travelers on this road to Fen?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I was listening to them, and honestly, I couldn’t help but be in awe of the Head Maid.  To think that she’s able to decipher this girl’s odd way of speech?  That’s something.  I saw Princess Lily like a ‘superwoman’.

 

“That’s weird.” furrows appeared on Lily’s forehead, “Did you hear any rumors about our arrival from some roadside villages up ahead?”

 

“None.”

 

“Maybe it’s just coincidence.  I mean, Fen is a resort town, anyway.  Of course, there’ll be a lot of tourists.” Lily tried to dismiss her concerns, “Alright, thanks for your hard work, Dame Atkins.  You may return to your duties.”

 

Dame Atkins curtsied and went back to her patrol with her soldiers.

 

Then I heard Lily murmured, “This isn’t good.”

 

“What is ‘not good’, Lily?” I asked.

 

“Well, it’s the very reason I sent ahead letters to the leaders of the towns we’re passing through in this journey.  I asked them to keep the secret of Her Holiness’ arrival.  Otherwise, if even a rumor leaked out, I’m sure there would be a great ruckus and Maddie’s vacation would be ruined by her devotees.  And if Dame Atkins says that there’s an unusual increase in incoming traffic to Fen, it could only mean that they somehow knew that someone important is coming.”

 

Then I realized the gravity of the situation, “You’re right.  Having her devotees around in this vacation would render Her Holiness’ break virtually useless.  Got any ideas on solving this one?”

 

“I was about to ask you as well, Mister Kuro…”

 

“Hmm?  What seems to be the problem guys?”

 

“!!!” We almost screamed in surprise when we heard Her Holiness’ voice coming from behind us.

 

“Oh…so there’s an unusual increase in the numbers of travelers inbound for Fen?” Her Holiness had already read our minds before we could even speak, “The answer is simple; they could’ve known that we’re coming now, Lily.”

 

Lily and I both fell silent, unable to say anything to the Human Saint.

 

“Ah, don’t worry about that.” Her Holiness nonchalantly said, “I know the person who did that, and this leak isn’t anyone’s fault.”

 

“Err…” I broke my silence, “Your Holiness, who is this person who would put you in this situation?”

 

The Human Saint smiled sardonically, “Oh, you’ll see once we arrive there, Kuro…”

 

 

And yes, just like what Her Holiness said, once our convoy appeared in the eyes of the locals of Fen, there was huge jubilation.   Children cheered, and the adults joined them as well.  Some shouted Her Holiness’ name while waving her symbol—the ankh.  Flowers were thrown towards us, and others removed their robes and put those down on our pathway…

 

Wait, is this the ‘Jerusalem Triumphal Entry’?  Anyway, never mind me.  The paladin guards of the Saint were trying their best to prevent the people from reaching our carriage; fortunately, the militia of Fen helped as well.

 

“Ugh…this is a disaster…” Lily shook her head in dismay.

 

“Ahahahaha!  I love it when humans see you, Maddie!” Her Fluffy Holiness was the only one genuinely excited by the crowd, “They look so happy to embrace you so tight your bones would break!”

 

However, Her Holiness paid no heed to the Beastman Saint’s remark.  Instead, she was pissed off, and kept murmuring, “Tch…this is that old geezer’s fault.”

 

I pretended not to hear that.

 

It was chaotic, and everyone in our group was stressed-out.  Even though we’re almost here at our destination, we couldn’t move on that fast because of the small streets of the town, and we’re even more impeded by the jubilant mob.

 

Heck, everyone just wanted a rest…who the hell leaked the information about Her Holiness, anyway?  Finally, I guess the Beastman Saint had enough.  She enjoyed the crowd, but well, she’s quite sensitive when the need for it arises.  And, realizing that it had been bothering us, Her Fluffy Holiness took control of the situation.

 

“!!!”

 

She opened the door of the carriage and, with surprising agility, climbed to the roof.  There she stood proudly as her ears and tails swayed while our coach shook.  The crowd was stunned at the sight of the beautiful beastwoman and immediately recognized her as the Beastman Saint.  

 

Everyone suddenly fell quiet.  Wasting no time and after chanting a spell, Her Fluffy Holiness then declared, “Those who dare to block our way would incur the wrath of the heavens, lest they desist!”

 

I thought everyone heard that loud and clear.  I did as well; she spoke as if she was just right beside me, even though she’s atop the roof of our carriage.  And visibly so, because the unruly mob suddenly became as obedient as a sheep and moved aside to let us pass quietly.  Of course, the paladin guards, as well as the Fen militia, were relieved; they almost got overwhelmed.

 

The Human Saint winked at me, “Ruro’s ability lies at the fact that she can control the wind.  As a result, she can cause her voice to be heard everywhere she wished.”  She explained, as if she already knew that I was curious about what just happened.

 

What a convenient skill…