“!”
Whoosh―. The hawk that seemed about to land on Sahara’s arm flew past her, circling once above her head. Sahara’s black hair fluttered wildly. Just as it was about to brush past her arm again, as if teasing her,
Sahara grabbed the hawk’s nape with one hand.
Squawk!! Flap! Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap!!!!
“Commander! Commander! Don’t kill it!”
Only after it arrived before their eyes did Buzz and Theo realize what had happened. A hawk so large it could be mistaken for a monster was clutched in Sahara’s hand, flapping violently. Its feathers were lush and oily. It was clearly a very special hawk, but Sahara opened the message container tied to its leg with an indifferent face. As she pulled out the rolled paper, the Emperor’s seal was visible.
“My goodness…!”
Buzz’s jaw dropped. He blinked several times to confirm the letter in her hand before jumping up.
“Oh my, goodness gracious. It really came! It’s real! This is His Majesty the Emperor’s seal, Commander! It’s sent directly by the Emperor!”
“Commander, please read it quickly!”
“―No.”
As the two excitedly rushed forward, Sahara furrowed her brow and spoke firmly.
“Huh? What? You can’t? But why not?”
This was the letter they had waited for six whole months. She was the one who had stood on the watchtower, rain or snow, waiting desperately. Why couldn’t she read it now? Was it to build anticipation for a grand reward? They looked at her, unable to understand, but Sahara released the hawk into the air and held the letter respectfully in both hands.
“I can’t read His Majesty the Emperor’s letter. ―Because I don’t have a noble title.”
“What? What did you say? What…”
“Only those of high status can read the Emperor’s letters. We can’t. You don’t have noble titles either.”
“Well, that’s true, but still…”
They seemed to have heard something like that before. It wasn’t wrong, but still, this was a letter sent directly to them by the Emperor. Buzz stretched out his hand in frustration, but with a flick of her hand, he tumbled to the ground.
“Ah, Commander!”
“I said no, didn’t I?”
“But it was sent for us to read! If you don’t want to, I’ll read it. I can take the punishment!”
“No. It would harm His Majesty’s dignity.”
It wasn’t about the punishment, but about the Emperor’s dignity. Everyone’s mouths fell open at Sahara’s stubborn words. She was like an immovable wall, beyond just being old-fashioned.
While Sahara’s appearance and attitude might seem free-spirited at first glance, she was an extremely conservative person. Her sole reason for fighting on the battlefield was loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire. They knew she was a woman who would chew on the eyeballs of barbarians because the Emperor ordered it, but to think she would adhere to such outdated etiquette. Theo and Buzz couldn’t even touch the letter due to Sahara’s strict guard.
“So, we can’t read it?”
After waiting for six months? Theo, a commoner, and Buzz, an illegitimate son of a marquis, looked at Sahara in disbelief. She said they couldn’t because they had no titles. Really, truly not going to read it? Even though only the two of them were watching?
There was no way anyone with a title would remain in this desolate land to wage war. It would take three or four days on horseback to reach a place where such nobles might stay.
“……”
Sahara fidgeted with the fingers holding the letter. Of course, she wanted to read it too. She had expected someone below the Emperor to send the letter… It was a happy occasion, but also perplexing. Sahara swallowed her disappointed expression and raised her head.
“Buzz, call Penelope. ―No, let’s go to Penelope.”
“Does the Deputy Commander have a noble title?”
“I heard some of her ex-husbands were nobles.”
She might have inherited a title through inheritance or alimony. Sahara ran towards the barracks, leaving Theo and Buzz behind. Running at a horse-like speed, she burst into the Deputy Commander’s office, pulled Penelope away from the young male knight she was flirting with, and showed her the letter.
“Penelope, do you have a noble title?”
“A title? Why suddenly… Oh.”
The quick-witted Penelope straightened her clothes and stepped forward. She took the letter that Sahara was holding respectfully.
“You need a noble title to open the Emperor’s seal?”
“That’s right. Don’t have one? If you don’t, we’ll have to send someone to the city.”
“I do have a title. Remember, Baron Bodia, whom I last married, died first. Since there were no children, I received it.”
Penelope clicked her tongue and said. Sahara beamed and knelt before her, bowing her head. Theo and Buzz, who had followed the commander belatedly, caught their breath and knelt before her as well.
“Sahara Illoud, Commander of the 128th Knights, receives the Emperor’s message.”
“We receive it.”
For those who rolled daily on the battlefield and training grounds, this etiquette felt awkward, but Sahara remained motionless with her forehead on the ground. Penelope cleared her throat and read the short message.
“To my loyal army, I convey this message. Congratulations on your victory. I command the entire army to return to the capital immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Sahara responded while still prostrate and then stood up. She commanded her subordinates, who were gathering and murmuring.
“His Majesty the Emperor has summoned us to the capital. Everyone prepare immediately. We leave the barracks in 10 minutes.”
“In 10 minutes? But there’s a snowstorm coming?”
Theo asked in surprise, but the quick-witted Penelope and Buzz ran to their respective rooms. In 10 minutes, there would be no time to question Sahara. She was always someone who did what she said she would.
Sahara returned to the commander’s office and packed a simple load: a pair of shoes, seven swords, her parents’ keepsakes, and some clothes.
When she stepped outside, the sky was filled with a swirling snowstorm. The white hawk, which had escaped from Sahara’s hand earlier and circled the sky, spotted her and perched on one side of the barracks. The hawk looked at Sahara with sharp eyes, but she didn’t even glance at it and looked up at the sky.
“Do you really have a noble title? You never mentioned that.”
Buzz asked Penelope, whom he encountered while carrying his luggage. Penelope shrugged.
“I did have one. ―But I sold it. I sold everything my ex-husband gave me.”
He had expected as much. The free-spirited magician Penelope wasn’t someone who kept the traces of a departed man.
Penelope and Buzz were the first to mount their horses and step outside the barracks. Sahara was looking at the snow-filled sky. Her black hair and eyes, her entire body wrapped tightly in a black robe.
Standing under the gray sky, she looked like a raven.
“I guess we won’t see that sight anymore. Is it a bit of a shame?”
Penelope muttered blandly.
The land of snow was brutally cruel. There hadn’t been any battles in the past six months, but before that, whenever Sahara stood looking at the sky like that, a battle would soon follow. No matter how overwhelming the power, war was still war. Seeing comrades cut down and those they cut down turning into blood and flesh on the ground, fear would inevitably creep in.
When the hand holding the sword trembled and they looked around, they would see that long hair. Seeing the black hair soaked in blood would bring a strange sense of relief.
<The goddess of war is on our side> ― they would think.
“Is it a shame? I wish I never had to see it again.”
Buzz grumbled indifferently. He understood what Penelope meant, but the war had to end.
The capital would surely be different from the land of snow. There would be no fog-filled days or white nights from snowstorms. They would never again see this desolate land, the gray sky stretching to the horizon, and her standing beneath it.
“……”
Before they knew it, the subordinates had all lined up outside the barracks. She tucked her long hair, blowing in the wind, into her hood and nodded towards the subordinates coming out of the barracks.
“Let’s go.”
She spoke briefly and was the first to ride off. Following her, twenty-two knights and 120 soldiers headed for the capital.
§ § § § §
“Oh my, human eyes?”
A word not suited for a ladies’ tea party slipped in. Some women covered their lips with handkerchiefs or fans and frowned.
“My goodness, that’s no different from a monster, is it?”
“Why on earth would someone do such a thing… Even beasts wouldn’t do that!”
“That’s not all. And… don’t be too shocked.”
She lowered her voice and whispered.
“Apparently, they cut open a pregnant woman’s belly and killed the fetus.”
God, forgive us. ―Lady Holt, who brought the story, crossed herself as if even speaking of it was terrifying. Her words caused the ladies to stir and gasp in horror. The noblewomen, who had only heard of the horrors of war through their drunken fathers’ tales, shuddered at the dreadful news.
“I heard this story three days ago, and after hearing it, I fainted and couldn’t eat anything for three days. I only managed to get out of bed today.”
“Oh my, I thought you looked much thinner, Lady Holt.”
At the flattery-laden words of comfort, Lady Holt, who had brought the story, gave a faint smile. Her face wasn’t particularly thinner, but everyone sighed in agreement.
“The thought of such a barbaric person coming to the capital is worrisome. If I meet them at a party, I might just burst into tears. Are they really coming?”
“I heard His Majesty was very pleased.”
“That’s right. He reportedly stood up from his seat to receive the report and even wrote a personal letter on the spot. Rumor has it that he’s been involved in preparing the banquet for the past few days.”
“I heard that too. There’s talk of a month-long festival. A month! The last time there was such a long festival was when the Princess was born, wasn’t it?”
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