Chapter 75

Third Person’s POV

Earn had only just finished dealing with the second scouting group when she finally found Loki again near the western edge of the city.

Her breathing came rough and uneven as she slipped behind the line of trees beside him, one hand gripping the trunk for balance while the other quickly checked the remaining rounds in her handgun.

Not much left.

Damn it.

The scent of smoke and blood hung thick in the air around them, drifting through the forest in heavy waves. Somewhere deeper in the city, gunfire still cracked sporadically between the streets.

Loki glanced at her briefly before peeking through the foliage once more.

“How does it look right now?” Earn asked quietly between breaths.

“Very bad,” Loki answered almost immediately.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

No attempt to soften it.

“Most of the bandits in this area are already gone,” he continued, eyes fixed ahead, “but about a dozen Ravaryn knights are still moving around the city.”

His jaw tightened.

“Including Cole.”

At the mention of that name, Earn’s expression darkened instantly.

Loki exhaled slowly and gripped the tree trunk beside him harder.

“They were barely harmed,” he muttered. “They’ve stopped attacking directly and are just searching now.”

Searching.

Both of them knew exactly for who.

“Meanwhile, there’s still no sign of reinforcements nearby,” Loki continued grimly. “We’re running low on bullets, five of our men are badly injured…”

His gaze flicked downward toward the fresh tear running across Earn’s sleeve where blood had already started drying against the fabric.

“Including you.”

Earn clicked her tongue softly and reached for the sword she had stolen from one of the fallen attackers earlier.

“If Cole wasn’t here, we could’ve done something already,” she admitted quietly. “But I hate to say it… the man lives up to his reputation.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly as old memories surfaced.

“I saw him fight during the rebellion.”

That alone said enough.

Earn slowly crouched beside Loki and finally peered through the trees herself.

Several armored figures moved cautiously between the ruined streets below. Unlike the prisoners and desperate men Ravaryn had been using as disposable numbers earlier, these men moved with terrifying discipline.

Measured.

Patient.

Predatory.

And at the center of them—

Cole.

Even from a distance, he carried himself differently from the others. Calm. Controlled. Like the chaos around him existed merely to inconvenience him.

Earn felt her stomach tighten.

“Regardless,” she whispered, forcing her attention back into focus, “we need to keep them away from Queen—”

She stopped herself immediately.

“…Lady Miu,” she corrected under her breath. “Until reinforcements arrive.”

Her grip tightened around her sword.

“If they find her, they won’t stop no matter the cost. I have to protect her with my life—”

THWACK.

“Uhmff—!”

Earn’s entire face twisted in disbelief as Loki smacked the side of her head without warning.

She immediately clamped a hand over the spot and glared at him furiously.

“W-what was that for?!” she hissed between clenched teeth, barely stopping herself from yelling loud enough to expose their position.

Loki folded his arms against his chest with complete seriousness.

“Oh, that?” he said flatly. “I was reacting to stupidity.”

Earn stared at him in outrage.

“Don’t casually talk about throwing your life away,” he continued. “Think about the Doctor, will you?”

Earn froze.

Completely.

The shift was so immediate it almost looked painful.

“W-why are you bringing up the Doctor all of a sudden?!” she stammered, her composure collapsing instantly. “W-what does she even have to do with this?!”

Loki gave her the driest look imaginable.

“Don’t play dumb.”

Earn opened her mouth.

Closed it again.

“You mention her every chance you get whenever Lady Miu is busy,” Loki continued mercilessly. “You think nobody notices that?”

“I do not—!”

“You do.”

“I don’t!”

“You absolutely do.”

Earn’s face reddened so violently she had to look away.

Loki sighed dramatically and leaned back against the tree.

“You mentioned that she already lost her parents,” he muttered. “That she doesn’t really have anyone left.”

Earn’s expression faltered slightly.

“So don’t go acting like your life doesn’t matter,” Loki said more quietly this time. “You should be making her happy instead.”

Then he added with a shrug.

“Well… assuming the Doctor actually chooses you.”

Earn stared at him in complete disbelief for a second.

Then another.

And despite the gunfire, despite the smoke, despite the blood staining her sleeve—

A small smile still escaped her.

Embarrassed.

Hopeful.

Almost shy.

“Well…” she started awkwardly as she slowly stood upright again. “I-I didn’t mean I was literally planning to die…”

Loki snorted.

Earn ignored him and clenched a fist in front of her chest as if trying to physically gather courage into herself.

“But once this is over…” she continued, visibly struggling through every word, “I… I’m going to confess.”

The moment the sentence finally left her mouth, she looked like she regretted existing immediately afterward.

Loki’s eyes widened.

Then a grin slowly spread across his face.

But before he could say a single word—

BANG!

The sharp sound of a gunshot violently erupted nearby.

Both of them snapped toward the noise instantly.

Another gunshot followed.

Then shouting.

Earn and Loki immediately leaned past the trees to look.

And there—

In the middle of the ruined street below—

A familiar figure had begun exchanging fires with Cole’s group.

Gunshots flashed beneath the smoke.

A Ravaryn knight was thrown backward.

And standing against them with a rifle in hand—

“SIR JAYDEN!” Earn shouted instinctively.

—

“Tie him up.”

Miu’s voice came steady despite the exhaustion weighing against every muscle in her body.

The bandit groaned weakly as she kicked him over onto his stomach, the impact forcing the last bit of resistance out of him before two civilians immediately rushed forward with rope in hand.

Around them, the ruined street carried the aftermath of another skirmish. Broken crates littered the ground beside overturned carts, streaks of blood staining the dirt pathways between homes. Smoke drifted lazily from somewhere deeper in the district while distant gunfire still echoed through the city in irregular bursts.

Miu finally allowed herself one deep breath.

Then she looked up.

The sky had changed.

The pale gold of the afternoon was beginning to bleed slowly into dusk, shadows stretching longer across Tungsten with every passing minute. The sun would set soon.

And once darkness swallowed the city completely—

The woods surrounding Tungsten would become a death trap.

Miu knew that better than anyone now.

The outer districts were still unstable, the enemy forces scattered unpredictably throughout the city. If the civilians remained exposed after nightfall, panic alone could destroy everything they had managed to stabilize.

Which meant she needed to finish clearing the inner skirts as quickly as possible.

Then find the knights.

“Your Majesty!”

The voice cut sharply through her thoughts.

Miu turned immediately just in time to see Captain Leon running toward her from the far end of the street, several royal guards close behind him.

Relief flashed visibly across his face the moment he reached her.

“I’m sorry for being late!” he called out between ragged breaths. “Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine—”

“Your Majesty, there’s blood!”

Leon’s expression changed instantly as his eyes swept over her current state. His hands flew upward helplessly as though he physically couldn’t decide what injury to check first.

Blood covered her sleeves.

Her hair.

Her face.

Even parts of her torn dress had dried into deep crimson stains.

“Oh,” Miu answered quickly, glancing down at herself briefly. “I’m alright. It’s not my blood.”

The words only seemed to make Leon freeze harder.

Because now he was actually looking.

Really looking.

At the sword resting naturally in her hand.

At the whip coiled loosely at her side.

At the civilians behind her staring toward her not with fear—but trust.

Leon went silent.

Utterly silent.

Miu could almost see the confusion trying to rearrange itself inside his head.

But there was no time for explanations.

“In any case,” she continued immediately, “do you have spare magazines for a handgun? I already used all the bullets from Earn’s spare.”

Leon blinked.

“H-Handgun?”

“There’s no time to lose,” Miu said while tightening her grip on the sword at her side. “I promised Earn and Loki I’d regroup with them once reinforcements arrived to evacuate the civilians properly.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Leon stared at her in disbelief. “Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous. I’ll escort you somewhere safe first—”

His voice suddenly faded into the background.

Miu’s eyes had shifted past him.

Toward the trees.

A movement.

Small.

Almost invisible.

Most people wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

But Miu did.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Then she saw it.

The tip of a rifle aimed directly toward Leon’s back.

Her body moved instantly.

The whip snapped through the air in one violent motion just as the trigger was pulled.

BANG!

The crack of the gunshot echoed through the street—but the rifle jerked sharply upward from the force of Miu’s strike, sending the bullet flying harmlessly into the air instead.

The hidden attacker cursed in shock.

And Miu was already moving.

She crossed the distance almost frighteningly fast.

Before the bandit could recover, her sword flashed once through the air and carved across his shoulder.

“AAGH—!”

The man collapsed backward into the brush, clutching the wound as blood burst across his cloak.

Silence followed.

Leon stood completely frozen.

His eyes wide.

Not from the attack.

But from what he had just witnessed.

Miu turned back toward him calmly, lowering her sword slightly.

“Is anyone hurt?”

“N-No…” Leon barely managed to answer.

The royal guards behind him looked equally stunned.

Miu exhaled softly.

She truly didn’t have the luxury to explain herself right now.

“I know this must be difficult to understand,” she said while walking back toward him, “but there isn’t time for explanations.”

Leon opened his mouth slightly, still struggling to process everything.

“So instead…” Miu continued, stopping directly in front of him, “trust me.”

Her gaze met his fully.

“I am not as weak as you think.”

“But still—”

“Hey! Just give her a gun already!”

A voice suddenly shouted from behind Leon.

Another civilian stepped forward immediately after.

“How long are you planning to argue while she’s been fighting for all of us?!”

“Hurry up already!”

“You’re the stubborn one here!”

“She’s been defeating bandits left and right!”

A farmer near the back pointed dramatically toward Miu.

“She’s probably stronger than you!”

“HEY!” Leon barked instinctively, looking offended for half a second before the crowd immediately drowned him out again.

The entire commotion only made his expression worsen.

Because the trust in those people’s eyes was genuine.

Absolute.

And that terrified him more than the blood.

Leon looked back at Miu once more.

She could see the conflict clearly written across his face now.

Duty against logic.

Fear against trust.

Then finally—

With a heavy sigh, Leon reached toward his belt and pulled out several spare magazines before handing them toward her.

“So long as you stay safe, Your Majesty,” he muttered with a weak smile. “The Queen will kill us if anything happens to you.”

Miu smiled faintly in return as she took the magazines and strapped them carefully at her side.

“A few bandits won’t be enough to hurt me,” she said lightly. “Focus on protecting the civilians instead.”

Leon stared at her for another second before finally nodding.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said quietly. “I’ve already seen enough with my own eyes.”

Then after a pause:

“…I hope you’ll explain everything later.”

Miu’s smile softened slightly.

But she only gave him a silent nod.

Because deep down—

She already knew.

If she were ever going to explain the truth about herself…

It would only be to one person.

Her wife.