Chapter 27: Marketplace in chaos
Rewinding time to earlier when Elizabeth just left the military headquarters, she was irritated. The way Illion was speaking to her was like a parent scolding a child for their wrongdoings. She was mistreated without a single bit of respect! What happened to chivalry? She wondered. Thus, she was tempted to cause trouble, exactly as Illion did not want! However, this was a fleeting thought. In truth, the fact that her disappearance caused so much havoc in the capital surprised her. It seemed like her little joke had gone on too far. She sighed, When I'm back at the capital, I'll make sure to apologize properly.
"May I ask who you are, my lady?" Freon asked through gritted teeth.
If there was anyone who was irritated, then it would definitely be him! Through his bad luck, he collided with a Grand Lord and ended up being dragged into this mess. Now, General Illion commanded that he ensure Elizabeth's return to the capital was a success. Who was Elizabeth! He cried. I don't even know who you are! Why am I here? What was worse was if Elizabeth did not return, he would be executed! What kind of nonsense was this? He felt extremely stifled inside and he wanted to vent. But he held his cool. Even if he wanted to spill Elizabeth's guts, she was still someone who could shake the entire kingdom! Anyone with a brain could tell not to insult her.
"Me? I'm Elizabeth Silvera. I thought we went over this already."
Freon really had to restrain himself and showed a forced smile. "I know that, but what about your background? Are you a Grand Lady? Or are you an Engelsheft?"
"Grand Lady, no. I've never heard of an Engelsheft though."
"Engelsheft Families are like the Zino Kingdom's Grand Nobility Households…" he explained tiredly.
"Oh. No, I'm not from an Engelsheft Family."
Freon was thoroughly frustrated. He had to wonder if she was an idiot. The thought of royalty was mocked in his mind too. After all, royalty was the absolute pinnacle of social status, whether it be their intellect, their mannerisms, or even their appearance, it was all top-notch. However, Elizabeth had none! There was not the slightest bit of a royal aura! Then again, Sir Benedict was a confirmed Grand Lord and he also seemed unpolished. Freon bit his lip and relented to the circumstances. No matter what, getting Elizabeth on a boat in three days would not be hard, right?
"Well then, what should we do now?" Elizabeth wondered.
Benedict was quiet after seeing his brother and Freon had zero interest in speaking up either. Only Shirley was in high spirits and replied, "How about we visit the marketplace? There's bound to be fun things there!"
"Okay!" Elizabeth agreed. "But where is it?"
"I'm not sure either," Shirley said.
Freon coughed. "I can bring you there. Just promise me that you'll get on the boat for Algard in three days. If you don't, I'll get executed, you know?"
"I will! I will! Don't worry!" Elizabeth shouted while sticking out her tongue.
Once again, Freon was stifled! However, he contained his feelings and led the group over to the marketplace. The marketplace itself was near the port, where the fresh produce from the ships could be immediately sold in the stands. Aside from the thousands of fish species, fruits, vegetables, grains, and meat were also up for sale. What normally should have been expensive produce was cheap and common. It was late into the harvest season now and farms were trying to wrap up ends. Port Silic was one of the best ways to do, being a commercial center, as well as a military hub. Therefore, the streets were jam packed, making it difficult for their group to navigate like a fish trying to swim upstream.
Nevertheless, Elizabeth was excited. Ignoring the raw ingredients, there was also plenty of cooked food as a storm of mouth-watering aromas filled the air. Their meals on the ship were extraordinarily drab. Accompanied by her frequent seasickness, any meal she had would be returned to the sea shortly. So, her eyes were heated as she ate food after food, thoroughly drowning herself in pleasure. The other three immersed themselves in the festival-like mood and everyone's mood lightened. They say food brought people together and there was no better example than this! Even Freon started seeing Elizabeth and the others in a new light.
All of that ended when a shrill woman's scream sounded over the marketplace. Confusion was the first feeling for most, as they wondered over what was happening. As the fighting broke out near Lorenzo and the knights, crowds started running in fear and the marketplace descended into chaos. Elizabeth and her group were shoved and thrown about, while other unfortunate people were trampled on. Although they could not tell what the problem was, they sensed uneasiness. Sparing no time to think, Elizabeth held her bow, Benedict his sword, Shirley her halberd, and Freon his wand as they charged with the crowd away.
Because it was so hectic, none of them noticed as people specifically charged after them. Like hawks descending on their prey, their movements were sharp and decisive! The first grabbed Elizabeth and restrained her. It happened so fast that the others barely had any time to react when five other figures showed up. Three of them dashed up to Benedict, Shirley, and Freon respectively. Like Elizabeth, Freon was the most pitiful out of them. As an Arcanist, he specialized in long-ranged tactical combat. Short-ranged scuffles was his critical weakness. He decided to abandon magic and grab his dagger, but how could his hands move fast enough? Without an issue, Freon and Elizabeth were subdued!
Since Benedict and Shirley had their weapons out, they were already on edge. Although the two could do nothing to help Elizabeth as it occurred too fast, they could somewhat protect themselves. All of Benedict's injuries from New Havens healed and he could exert a hundred percent of his battle strength. His mastery of the Hawken Swordsmanship Style might pale in his family, but it was nevertheless regarded as a powerful style. Using a simple defensive art, he prevented the assassin from closing in. For Shirley, who wielded a halberd, she was never formally trained in using it. To others, it might even seem like she was spinning it around like a toy. However, her natural instincts were a notch higher than even Benedict! She could surprisingly repel the assassin before her!
The two assassins showed no emotion over their failures and decided to take it more seriously. They were on a tight schedule! Driving their heightened senses to an all-time high, their auras changed, striking fear into Benedict and Shirley. For Great Knights like Lorenzo, they were already on the precipice of the Perception Realm, so they were very familiar with it. After all, Grand Knights were their superiors! However, for Benedict, who was merely a Knight of the Realm, and the recruit Shirley, the overwhelming mental pressure was too much. It was akin to a mountain pressing down on their chest, making it hard for them to move, much less breath! Under such circumstances, there was no way they could resist. The assassins instantly disarmed and restrained them.
"Good!" the leader said. "With the Alzar Kingdom's heir in our grasp, our mission is complete! Not to mention, there were other surprising gains like the son of Sir Roland and the brother of Ten Dawn Nassandra. Both will be good blackmail material. The kingdom is finished!"
"What should we do about this girl?" one asked, holding Shirley firmly.
"Her background is useless to us. Kill her."
Without skipping a beat, the assassin fetched a dagger and was about to slash her throat when Elizabeth shouted, "Wait! If you kill her, I'll… I'll bite off my own tongue right now and kill myself too!"
"You wouldn't dare," the leader sneered. "Do it."
"No!" Shirley screamed in tears. The blade was a mere breath from her skin. She could almost feel the cold steel!
Elizabeth clenched her fists tightly and she wanted to help, but the man was firmly pinning her down. She was torn between killing herself and watching her friend die. But who wanted to die? Biting her own tongue off to suicide… It was easier said than done! In less than a minute, they went from happily touring the marketplace to a battle of life and death. There was no way she could muster enough courage to suicide. She thoroughly despaired as the assassin closed in. She was despicable! In the last moment, she decided to abandon her friend! I'm so sorry, Shirley! Elizabeth cried.
Surprisingly, Freon was the fastest to react and he shouted, "Hold on!"
The leader raised a hand and stopped the assassin. "What is it? If you don't give me a good reason, I'll kill you alongside her."
Freon cursed himself. He acted without thinking, but quickly thought something up, "Do it and I'll blow us all up with my magic! Let her go and we'll willingly come along!"
"You don't even have your wand. You can't use magic," the leader stated.
"Hmph! What do you know about magic? Who said that you couldn't use magic without a wand? Are you an Arcanist?" Freon mocked. However, he knew this was a bluff. Arcania was still a growing art, and most people lacked an understanding of it. He decided to gamble on their lack of understanding.
The leader clicked his tongue in disgust. As much as he wanted to gut Freon like a fish for standing up to them, Arcania was truly an unknown factor! "Forget it. We'll take her as well. We don't have much time left before the army shows up!" he grimly shouted, providing mixed emotions to Elizabeth and her group.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone