Chapter 212: Aurelia (3)
Riku looked at Aurelia. Her question was so innocent. So naive. "What do you usually do with bandits?"
He and his companions exchanged a look. They had fought bandits before. They had faced down corrupt nobles and monsters. But they had never been in this exact situation.
"Well," Lila began, trying to sound helpful, "back home, we would tie them up and hand them over to the local guards."
"There are no guards here," Sherry pointed out, her tone flat. "And even if there were, we are in a kingdom that is hostile to us. Announcing our presence to the local authorities is a terrible idea."
"She is right," Lysaria agreed. "We cannot risk it. We do not know who these men are connected to."
They were at an impasse. They could not take the bandits with them. That was a liability they could not afford. They could not turn them over to the authorities. That was a risk they could not take.
Riku looked at the four bound men. They were defeated. They were helpless. But they were also a problem.
"We leave them," Riku said finally. His voice was quiet, but his decision was absolute.
Aurelia looked at him, her eyes wide. "Leave them? Just... like this?"
"Yes," Riku said. "We will not kill them. But we will not free them. We will leave them to their fate. Another traveler or a patrol might find them. Or they might not."
It was a harsh decision. But it was a practical one.
"Let’s go," Riku said, turning to the group. "We have wasted enough time here."
He helped Aurelia to her feet. The girls gathered around her, their presence a silent, protective circle.
As they began to walk away, a voice, filled with a low, hateful venom, called out from behind them. It was the scarred bandit leader.
"You fools," he snarled from the ground, his voice a ragged gasp. "You think you have won?"
Riku and the others stopped. They turned to look at him.
The bandit leader laughed. It was a weak, pathetic sound, but it was filled with a chilling certainty. "You have no idea what you have just done. You have no idea who you have just interfered with."
He looked at Aurelia. His eyes were filled with a strange, almost pitiful light. "You think you saved a simple noble lady? You think her father is the only one you have to worry about?"
He coughed, a dry, rattling sound. "Her father is a merchant lord. A powerful man, yes. But he is a fly compared to the dragon whose tail you have just stepped on."
He let out another, weaker laugh. "You are all dead already. You just don’t know it yet. Just wait. He will come for his property. And he will burn this entire forest to the ground to get it back."
Aurelia, who had been listening with a growing sense of dread, looked down at the ground. Her face was pale. Her hands were trembling. Her earlier defiance was gone. It was replaced by a deep, profound melancholy.
Riku and the others saw her reaction. They saw the truth in the bandit’s words reflected in her silent despair. There was a much bigger, much more dangerous story here. A story they had just blindly stumbled into.
Lila moved to Aurelia’s side. She gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It’s alright," she said, her voice soft. "We’re here. We’ll protect you."
Lysaria and Elara flanked her other side, their presence a quiet, reassuring shield.
Sherry just grunted, but she moved to stand between Aurelia and the snarling bandits, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger.
Riku watched his friends comfort the sad, silent noble girl. His quest to find a few teachers had just become slightly more complicated.
He turned his back on the bound, cursing bandits. He looked at the long, dark road ahead.
"Let’s go," he said, his voice cheerful and trying to uplift the mood. "We need to keep moving."
They walked in silence for a long time. The only sound was the crunch of their boots on the forest floor. They left the bound bandits and their hateful curses far behind them.
Aurelia walked in the center of the group. Her head was bowed. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. The earlier fire in her eyes was gone. It was replaced by a quiet, heavy sadness.
Riku watched her. He saw the melancholy that clung to her like a shroud. He knew he had to do something to break the oppressive silence.
He stopped and reached into his travel pack. He pulled out a small, rectangular bar wrapped in simple paper.
"Here," he said, holding it out to her. "You look like you could use this."
Aurelia looked up. She saw the strange object in his hand. She looked at him, her expression confused. "What is it?"
"A treat," Riku said with a small smile. "It’s called chocolate. It helps."
She hesitated. She looked at the other girls. Lila gave her an encouraging nod.
Slowly, Aurelia took the bar. She unwrapped it. She took a small, tentative bite.
Her eyes went wide. A look of pure, unadulterated shock spread across her face. It was a flavor she had never known. Rich. Sweet. Comforting.
A small, genuine smile touched her lips for the first time. The heavy sadness in her eyes seemed to lift, just a little. "Thank you," she whispered.
The mood in the group lightened. The chocolate had worked its magic once again.
They started walking again. This time, the silence was not so heavy.
"Lady Aurelia," Riku began, his voice gentle. "The bandit... what he said... about a ’dragon’. What did he mean?"
Aurelia took another bite of her chocolate. She was quiet for a moment. "My circumstances are... complicated," she finally said.
"We gathered that," Sherry said, her tone dry but not unkind.
Aurelia sighed. "The truth is... I do not know how I came to be in this forest."
Everyone stopped. They turned to look at her.
"What do you mean?" Lila asked, her brow furrowed.
"One moment, I was in my study," Aurelia explained, her voice a low whisper. "I am a student at the Silverwood Academy. I was reading a book on ancient history."
She shook her head. "The next moment, the world twisted. There was a flash of light. And then... I was here. In this clearing. With them."
Riku and the others exchanged a look. This was not a simple kidnapping. This was high-level magic.
"Someone kidnapped you," Riku stated. It was not a question.
"It would seem so," Aurelia agreed. "I do not know who. Or why?"
"To kill you, obviously," Sherry said, her voice flat. "They were the ones that the bandits were talking about in the first place. They teleported you into the forest and put the bandits on your trail. They did not expect you to be rescued."
A cold silence fell over the group. The implications of Sherry’s words were clear. Someone wanted Lady Aurelia dead. And they were powerful enough to use teleportation magic to do it.
"But who would want to kill you?" Lila asked, her voice filled with a horrified sympathy.
Aurelia looked down at the ground again. The melancholy returned to her eyes. "I do not know."
Lysaria, who had been listening with a thoughtful expression, now spoke. Her voice was quiet, but her words were heavy. "Riku," she began, "this is not our fight."
Everyone turned to her.
"This seems to be a political matter," she continued, her gaze serious. "Probably some sort of a major conspiracy within a hostile kingdom. To involve ourselves further... it is a great risk. We are outsiders here. We have our own quest."
"She is right," Sherry agreed, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger. "We saved her. That is enough. We cannot afford to get tangled up in a war between nobles. It is not our problem."
Aurelia heard them. She looked up. Her face was pale. But her eyes were clear. She gave a small, sad nod.
"They are right," she said, her voice a quiet whisper. "You have already done more than enough for me. You saved my life. I will not ask you to risk it for my sake."
She looked at Riku, her expression one of sincere, selfless gratitude. "You should not get involved. It is too dangerous. Please. Leave me at the next town. I will find my own way from there."
Riku looked at Aurelia. He saw her trying to protect them, even now. He shook his head slowly.
"No," he said.
Aurelia looked at him, confused. "No?"
"I cannot do that," Riku said, his voice gentle but firm. "I told you before. I came to this kingdom looking for people who are strong enough to be kind. People who, even when faced with their own death, would try to protect a stranger."
He took a step closer. His eyes were filled with a sincere, unwavering light. "Lady Aurelia, you are exactly the kind of person I have been searching for."
He reached out and gently took her hand. It was cold and trembling slightly. He held it tightly in his own, his grip warm and reassuring.
"There is no way I am letting you go now," he said, a small, determined smile on his face.
Aurelia stared at him and saw his passionate eyes. She felt the warmth of his hand tightly on her wrists. Her face, which had been pale with fear and sadness, flushed a bright, beautiful crimson.
"I....I...."