After passing several intersections, Lampion stopped in front of a white building.
“It’s here!”
Luxurious carriages lined up in front of the building. Women gaudily dressed like peacocks took their lovers’ hands, got off the carriage, and entered the store with a giggle.
“There are couples everywhere.”
Unfazed by the couples, Lampion shrugged. On the other hand, Domino pulled back with a pale face.
“I’m not going in.”
“Coward. Are you really scared of that?”
“Yeah, I’m scared. I’m really scared of going into a shop full of lovers.”
“Stay here then. Demian and I will be back soon.”
Lampion confidently spoke. He went in front of the shop and got off his horse. He and his horse breathed out white steam at the same time.
“Demian, are you okay? Lampion has always been thoughtless so it’s understandable why he acts like that. But, you…”
“What?”
“Don’t you feel anything?”
“Feel what?”
“Nothing. Seems like I’m the weirdo here.”
Demian really did not feel anything. Even when he looked at the shop full of lovers, he felt nothing.
Demian got off his horse and walked in front of the shop with Lampion. Then, they blended in with the crowd of lovers and entered the shop. They lined up to buy dessert. Their actions were natural, but they were not natural in the eyes of the people looking at them. Their height was taller than the average man, they had broad shoulders, dark hair, light skin, and despite their thick clothes, their extraordinary bodies could still be felt; all of this had caught the people’s attention.
Regardless of gender, everyone in the shop was looking at them. Just in time, Lampion grumbled, saying it was hot, and took off his coat. Gasps could be heard here and there. His thin shirt looked like it was about to burst. With every breath Lampion took, his thick pectoral muscles went up and down.
“Excuse me, are you knights?”
A brave young lady smiled and talked to them. Demian ignored her without answering back. He was not interested in the attention they showed. But Lampion smiled and said.
“We’re Barbarians!”
Lampion’s loud voice was full of pride as a Barbarian.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
While Demian was in the dessert shop with Lampion and Domino, Lara was talking to Oscar, who had just returned from Acerus’ castle.
“How was Valac?”
“It is said that both of them acted with all their might.”
Oscar looked like he did not know whether he should laugh or cry.
“Valac screamed as Prince Sidhar that he was about to die. In turn, Crown Prince Acerus begged him not to die. After going on like that and screaming all night… It was all concluded this morning.
Lara also had a similar look to him.
“How?”
“It is said that as soon as Prince Sidhar died, Valac acted as if he had just woken up from that body. Then, he said this to Crown Prince Acerus.”
Oscar bit his trembling lips once, barely maintaining a serious expression, and said.
“Mankind, worship me.”
Lara bit her lip.
Oscar said once more.
“If you do, I will be your friend.”
She tried not to laugh, but that was impossible. She seemed to be able to understand why the God of Fate laughed as though it was absurd as soon as he heard Valac’s name.
Looking back, it was very coincidental. Lara thought about why Valac, the demon, chose to swallow poison.
Obviously, he had done so because it was a good way to fake his death. But when Prince Sidhar’s face came to mind, she felt weird. He was the one who was directly in front of her when she died, it was neither refreshing nor was it unsettling but it was not disappointing either.
How should I say it? Déjà vu? Feel out of place?
She wondered if this was what people in the past called fate.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Anyway, is Acerus going to worship him?”
“I didn’t ask that much… But it seems to be going pretty well.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Valac had already given away the name of the demon hiding in the north.”
After having been walking side by side with Oscar in the hotel garden, Lara stopped dead in her tracks. She asked with her red eyes twinkling.
“What’s her name?”
“It is…”
When Oscar was about to whisper to Lara the demon’s name, Konny came running, calling for her in an urgent voice.
“Milady, milady!”
“Konny?”
“Milady, we have a problem!”
Lara wanted to ask Konny why she was making a fuss but Konny’s face was serious. Lara approached Konny with a resolute expression and asked her.
“What’s going on?”
“Master Demian and the Barbarians were imprisoned!”
“What?”
“What did you say?”
Oscar was more surprised than Lara. He approached Konny closely and asked her.
“Why? Did they knock someone down? Did they send someone flying? Was someone’s bone broken? Were someone’s teeth pulled out? Or…did they kill someone?”
Konny muttered how Oscar knew about that. Then, she clenched her fist and told Lara.
“They wrecked a shop.”
“Huh?”
“They threw the workers there and they even threw the soldiers who came after receiving the report. They were tied with ropes but they cut it off with force. They were barely caught with an iron net.”
Lara blinked slowly. Oscar groaned next to her.
Konny asked Lara carefully.
“They were searching for the person in charge. What should I do?”
“Who?”
“The law enforcement knights. They are so annoying! They acted so arrogantly to me and to Master Demian, they were just… I mean…”
So, they treated him like a slave.
Lara tapped Konny on her shoulder. It meant that she understood even if she did not explain it in detail.
But Konny did not stop talking. She thought that it was the virtue of a maid to tell on to her employee, so she kept shouting with a red face that was filled with rage.
“They asked me who my master was… They told me ‘how you could just release those beasts.’ They scared me, telling me to be ready. Milady, hurry up. Go and scold them!”
Lara had a relatively calm face. But not Oscar, he kept sighing because he did not know what to do. He said he would find out what had happened. But Lara stopped him.
“Konny.”
“Yes, milady!”
“Lead the way.”
“Yes!”
Konny, who was huffing and puffing, suddenly put strength on her shoulders and took the lead. Lara followed Konny and shook her head to tell Oscar to stay back.
She could endure everything else, but she could not stand for it when Demian and his comrades were treated with contempt. Especially as long as she was in Dandelion, she would never let such a thing happen. The sound of her shoes rang in the Lara’s Garden hotel.
When Lara went out to the lobby, she saw an employee being in hot water. He was accepting the documents handed over by the law enforcement knights.
“It’s them.”
Konny pointed to the knights. Four knights stood side by side with a blue insignia over their armor worn by Dandelion’s law enforcement. They seemed to be acting quite intimidating. Lara could tell by looking at their postures, voice, and manner of speaking. They were arrogant, authoritarian, and were threatening their opponents.
“Are you saying that the best hotel in Dandelion has such lowly things as the guests?”
“If the rumor spreads, do you think the nobles will come here? If you don’t want the hotel to go bankrupt, you should have more carefully chosen your guests. Don’t you think so?”
“Tell the person in charge to come out quickly. A shop was completely smashed! People are hurt! Do you know how many nobles there were?”
The employee nodded frantically. He looked around to look for the manager. However, what caught his eyes was not the trustworthy manager, but Lara, the daughter of the hotel’s owner who had recently shown up at the hotel.
“Mi- milady.”
The employee hesitated for a moment. Lara was still a young lady. Would she be able to deal with these terrifying knights? Wouldn't it instead be better for him to take action to protect the lady? While he was contemplating such things, Lara took the documents from his hand. Then, she turned to the knights.
“Welcome.”
Lara was wearing a dark purple velvet dress that was almost black. With her thick eye makeup, her tone was calm and cold. She looked young but she did not look clumsy nor did she look friendly. Rather than a smile for her guests, she only showed signs of discomfort. She said to the knights.
“If you come to someone else’s house, be polite.”
Then, she grabbed the documents and ripped them apart very slowly. The sound of paper tearing was long. The knights’ eyes were stuck in the torn documents and did not move. Lara threw the ripped documents to them and said.
“Bring it back. This time, with proper etiquette, reveal your unit and name, and tell me your objective. Isn’t that the right order?”
“What did you…”
The knights glared at her with a surge of anger.
“Who are you?”
“The daughter of Isadora, Lara.”
The law enforcement knights did not seem to know who she was. So Lara kindly informed them once more.
“I’m the daughter of this hotel’s owner and the friend of the Barbarians that you caught.”
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