TGS - Chapter 13
Chapter 13: The Royal Guard
The priestess hesitated.
The timing of this troop's arrival was too coincidental. It was impossible to tell if they were friend or foe. The man in the lead was especially intimidating, radiating a murderous aura. His expression was hard, and a scar running down from his right eye across half his face made him look terrifying.
Seeing the priestess didn't respond immediately, the leader asked suspiciously, "Why the solemn face? Did something happen here before I arrived?"
The priestess replied, "No, I am always this solemn."
The leader said, "...Alright. Where is Her Highness the Princess?"
The priestess frowned. "Before making demands, please introduce yourself. The temple of the Goddess Lotus does not welcome discourteous individuals like you."
The expressions of the cavalrymen waiting outside the gate were hard to describe. One of them reminded him, "Captain, etiquette, mind your manners! You're being too fierce!"
The leader turned and snapped at his subordinate, "What are you yelling about? I just forgot for a moment—"
As the group started shouting at each other, the murderous aura they seemed to carry from a battlefield of iron and blood vanished without a trace. They even sounded a little foolish.
The corner of the priestess's mouth twitched. She began to doubt whether her earlier vigilance had been necessary.
Just then, with the clinking of chains, the great doors to the sanctuary suddenly opened.
The commotion drew the leader's attention, and he squinted in that direction.
On the steps before the sanctuary doors, the black-haired girl stood bathed in the morning sun's glow. She was still young, dressed in a simple white linen skirt. Even without a single piece of intricate gold jewelry, she exuded an extraordinary air.
Her clear golden eyes looked over, calm and implicitly scrutinizing.
"I am here," Alyuin announced, her voice unhurried. "What is it, Motis?"
The leader, Motis, stared at her for a moment, then remarked, "You're really becoming more and more like that annoying Selina. Not cute at all."
The cavalrymen behind him were on the verge of collapse. "What are you saying, Captain? That's disrespectful to Her Highness the Princess!"
Motis laughed twice and strode toward the sanctuary, kneeling on one knee at the bottom of the steps. "I, Motis, Captain of the Royal Guard, greet Her Highness the Princess."
In ancient Solancia, there was a unique military force known as the Royal Guard. Its name was only a few words different from the King's Personal Guard, but its duties were vastly different.
The King's Personal Guard answered only to the king and was typically composed of his trusted confidants, absolutely loyal to him.
The Royal Guard, however, was a unit that existed outside the military system, solely for the protection of the royal bloodline. It was established by the first King of Solancia, who explicitly forbade any future monarch from disbanding it.
It was perfectly logical for the Royal Guard to protect the sole remaining direct descendant of the royal family, yet a flicker of confusion crossed Alyuin's eyes.
"If I recall correctly, you weren't the captain of the Guard."
"Ah, don't worry about such details. I am now," Motis said with a wave of his hand. "The Royal Guard has the right to enter a temple with a royal heir. Can I call my brothers in?"
The last sentence was directed at the priestess, who replied expressionlessly, "Yes, Captain Motis."
If you had just said that earlier, there wouldn't have been a problem, you rude man.
Although the entire Royal Guard was permitted to enter the temple, it wouldn't be proper for such a large troop to ride their horses in.
In the end, only a few other men in armor followed Motis into the temple. The rest, along with their horses, set up camp behind the temple grounds.
As they passed the row of small courtyards where the students lived, Alyuin suddenly turned her head and glanced at one of them.
The gate to that courtyard, which had been slightly ajar, slammed shut as if startled.
Tarsha stood frozen behind the gate, a chill running through her.
She knows. She must know my father did it.
I have to get home quickly. The men following Alyuin were terrifyingly imposing, on a completely different level from her father's guards. The temple was no longer safe. Yes, I have to get home right away.
Tarsha hastily gathered a few things. Her only guard had been sent back to report the latest news to her father, so she had to slip out of the courtyard alone. She did her best to put on her usual arrogant expression and walked briskly toward the temple's main gate.
She hadn't gone more than a few steps when she ran into the priestess.
"Tarsha, where are you going?" the priestess asked with a frown.
"The test is over. I want to go home and wait for the results," Tarsha said, her head lowered. When she chanced to look up, she suddenly noticed a young woman standing beside the priestess.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, with a detached air and a calm expression. Her ebony-black hair was slightly curled, and she had eyes the color of blue chalcedony.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Tarsha felt as if those clear, deep eyes could see right through to the terrible thoughts she was hiding.
After just one glance, Tarsha lifted her chin to hide her panic and said quickly, "I'm going home. My father is waiting for me."
With that, she clutched her things and ran off, her steps seeming somewhat rushed.
"That is the daughter of the Lord of Kadera City. Let us continue. The Princess's room is just ahead," the priestess said.
Lotus pulled her thoughtful gaze away from Tarsha's retreating back. She turned and said gently to the priestess, "Alright. Thank you for your trouble."
After the young princess had left the sanctuary, Lotus had materialized a human form there. A silver tray on the altar reflected her current appearance: silver hair, blue eyes, and a face identical to the statue's.
If I walk out looking like this, it will probably cause a sensation. Moreover, Lotus had a subtle premonition that if she appeared before others in her true divine form, the consequences would be something she definitely did not want to see.
Fortunately, gods had the ability to change their forms. It was like character creation in a game. Lotus created a new face for herself, making minor adjustments here and there, and changed her overly conspicuous silver-white hair to black. Now, people would only find her vaguely familiar, but wouldn't associate her with the statue.
Currently, Lotus's identity was that of a reclusive scribe and Alyuin's teacher—the result of a discussion with the young princess.
Lotus had originally wanted to pose as a handmaiden, but Alyuin had adamantly refused. "I could never treat you like an ordinary handmaiden, not even as a pretense. It would be blasphemy. Are you asking me to violate the oath I swore?"
Lotus considered it and agreed it wasn't quite appropriate. So, as a compromise, she chose the identity of a scribe. Thanks to the priestess's staunch support, offered without a single question about the reasons behind it, no one could doubt the authenticity of this identity.
Lotus followed the priestess down a path she was already intimately familiar with. For a moment, she felt a little dazed; this was the first time she had walked this path openly, on her own two feet, in human form.
Alyuin's small courtyard was just ahead. The priestess had no intention of entering. She bowed with a reverent expression and withdrew.
She probably thinks of me, who appeared out of thin air, as a divine messenger, Lotus thought with a wry smile. She didn't want to wear a mask around the young princess, but she still had to wear one for others. What was this, an unintentional success?
Lotus dismissed these unnecessary thoughts and reached out to knock on the door.
Motis opened it. He stared at Lotus for a second, about to tell her to leave.
Alyuin spoke faster than he could. "It's alright. That is my teacher, Lorja." She walked briskly to the door, paused almost imperceptibly, then took Lotus's hand affectionately. Her tone was natural as she said, "Teacher, you're late. Fortunately, Captain Motis hasn't gotten to the important part yet."
First Nocido when she was a blue heron, and now Lorja as a scribe. If she wasn't careful, the young princess would keep giving her new fake names.
Lotus smiled. "Then let's go inside and talk."
Captain Motis muttered, "Your Highness, you think this person is trustworthy?"
The young princess said flatly, "Of course. I would entrust my life to her."
That statement carried significant weight. Motis couldn't help but study the black-haired female scribe before him more seriously. Unfortunately, aside from her exceptionally calm demeanor, he couldn't see anything special about her.
But since the Princess had said so...
Motis said with resignation, "Very well. We all trust your judgment."
Lotus closed the courtyard gate, and the three of them returned to the young princess's room, where the other cavalrymen who had entered the temple were waiting.
The important matter Motis wanted to discuss wasn't complicated. First, he answered the young princess's earlier question.
"You were right. The previous captain of the Royal Guard was not me. But he is dead now." Motis sighed. "The day after you were exiled, Horst found an excuse to execute him because he wanted to lead the Guard out of Akhet to protect you here."
Alyuin froze, unconsciously tightening her grip on Lotus's hand.
She remembered that captain—a tall man who always wore a relaxed smile. He had been very kind to her, willing to spar with her even though her strength was far inferior to his. But after the incident, he had never appeared again.
Alyuin had thought he was just one of the countless people who had abandoned her. She never imagined that he had died long ago, died trying to protect her.
Lotus squeezed back with a little more force, a comforting gesture.
The young princess quickly composed herself and asked in a low voice, "What happened after that? How did you, the commander of the Akhet garrison, get demoted to captain of the Guard?"
Motis shrugged. "I was training troops outside Akhet at the time. I had just heard the news about the former king when the new king sent me to guard the border. I was only transferred back this year."
One of the cavalrymen sitting beside him added, "When the captain first returned, our Guard was in a terrible state. Horst didn't dare disband us openly, so he used all sorts of tricks to cut our supplies, reduce our training grounds, and find excuses to reduce our numbers... In short, he was up to no good."
Another cavalryman chimed in, "After Captain Motis came back, he requested a demotion to become our leader. He's very reliable. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief."
Motis listened smugly as his men praised him, finally offering a summary. "And that's how it is. The brave and mighty Captain Motis seized the opportunity while those old geezers were arguing with Horst and came to Kadera. Wasn't my timing perfect?"
Lotus: "..."
Alyuin: "..."
They exchanged a look, their gazes simultaneously shifting to the corner of the room where the assassin's body had lain the night before.
Perfect timing?
If the young princess hadn't been able to fight for herself, the Guard's arrival would have been useless!
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