Chapter 222

Chapter 9: Seeing Off Part 2

I tiptoed carefully to the side of the rhinoceros beast, peeking at it through the gaps in my helmet.

It’s looking at me… I’m not nervous…

I raised my hand and tentatively touched its belly. After waiting for a moment and noticing that it didn’t react too much, I felt a bit more relaxed.

It’s quite obedient…

I jumped up, grabbed the saddle, and stepped onto the beast’s back using the stirrups. The rhinoceros beast sensed the movement and started to sway slightly. This frightened me, and I immediately tightened my grip on the reins, almost screaming out of fear.

Fortunately, this was a well-trained mount, and it quickly stopped swaying. Once I was seated steadily, I stretched my legs to reach the stirrups on both sides of the beast. One, two… even with my toes straightened inside my greaves, I still couldn’t reach the stirrups.

I can’t reach the stirrups…

The giant beast beneath me swayed again with my movements. My face turned pale, and I froze, afraid to look down, fearing the helmet would fall off, fearing I would fall off, afraid… I didn’t know what I was afraid of, but I was terrified, my heart racing.

My legs were hanging in the air… Oh no, I feel so insecure… No, I’m scared…

Suddenly, I had an impulse to jump down and run home.

Perhaps the guard noticed my awkward situation; he seemed to be adjusting the position of the stirrups… I kept my body upright and dared not look down. All I heard was some rustling underfoot, but after a moment, I still couldn’t feel the stirrups.

“Miss Hildegard… um…”

The guard’s voice sounded somewhat awkward, unsure of what to say.

Victoria suddenly spoke beside me, “Let’s just go. Don’t waste any more time.”

With that, she lightly squeezed the beast’s belly and moved forward first, while Margaret followed closely behind. The shouts from the crowd grew louder again, and I began to feel thirsty, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

It’s time to leave… No, I’m so nervous… I feel like I might throw up… How do I make it move? Just kicking its belly, right?

So, I imitated Victoria’s actions, lifting my leg and giving the beast’s belly a light kick, silently shouting “Giddy-up,” and waited a little dizzily, only to realize I hadn’t moved at all.

…Why?

Did I kick too softly?

Seeing that I had fallen behind Victoria, I panicked and kicked the beast’s belly again, this time with more force—I only felt my body lurch backward, and before I knew it, I was thrown forward.

“Aah—”

I screamed in shock, my mind blank.

What should I do? What should I do?!

My body instinctively reacted, lowering my waist and tightening my grip on the reins. But just as I managed to regain balance, the jolt of the beast threw me off the saddle, leaving me suspended in mid-air for a split second before crashing back down with my full weight, then rising again… After several times, I finally remembered to pull the reins.

I yanked hard, and my body suddenly stopped. I heard the rhinoceros beast let out a loud neigh, raising its front hooves, and I involuntarily leaned backward.

Oh no, I’m going to fall…

Instinctively, I loosened my grip on the reins and clung tightly to the saddle, my body once again rising into the air. Amidst the disorienting motion, I somehow landed back on the beast’s back when its front hooves touched the ground.

???

It seems to have stopped… Where am I?

After a brief moment of confusion, a tearing pain shot up from below.

“Ugh… Ah…”

My legs were trembling, and my body curled up.

It seems… I hit a weak spot…

I felt a surge of blood rush to my head, gritting my teeth and holding my breath, sitting motionless on the beast’s back.

Cold sweat slowly soaked through my thin clothing inside the armor.

Something’s wrong… Why is it so painful… It hurts so much!

The clamor of the crowd seemed to have momentarily paused.

“What’s happening?”

“The hero… seems to be clueless about riding…”

“Is it Miss Hildegard…?”

“I think… I heard her scream just now…”

They began to murmur these words, and I pretended not to hear.

“How… my God.”

Victoria’s voice echoed beside me.

Only then did I realize… I seemed to have rushed ahead of Victoria. At this moment, she had caught up from behind and gently patted my back.

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t… don’t touch me… Ah—”

My legs were shaking violently, and I couldn’t even squeeze them together while sitting on the beast’s back. My entire body was tense, and my toes were curled up inside the greaves.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing… Just give me a moment… I’ll be fine…”

My voice trembled.

Victoria fell silent for a moment.

“Your helmet is askew.”

I know…

“Come over here.”

As soon as she said that, a breeze blew past my ears, passing through the gaps in my armor and making me feel cold.

My body lifted and gently landed in front of Victoria, sitting on her rhinoceros beast.

Rustling—

The clamor erupted again.

At this point, the annoying pain had subsided considerably. I shook as I lifted my right hand to straighten my helmet.

“Can we go?”

Victoria’s cool voice was close by.

I took a deep breath and replied in a drained voice, “Yes…”

Tread, hooves tread…

The onager moved again, and its animal cries were still clear above the surging voices of the crowd like waves. I tensed up as I felt the jolts.

“Don’t be afraid, the journey isn’t far.”

“…Oh.”

My breathing gradually steadied.

The clothes I wore under my armor were soaked, and strands of hair stuck to my forehead.

It really feels… like I’ve died and come back…

“Miss Silviga, don’t you know how to ride?”

Margaret beside me couldn’t help but ask, but I didn’t want to talk now. I just waved her off lightly.

The onager walked very slowly.

The monks carrying the coffin were probably following behind, and I couldn’t turn to look either. So I continued moving forward, helplessly watching the animal horns sway in front of me. A surge of impulse grew in my heart, wishing I could snap them off right there.

I, Silviga, will never ride this cursed thing again after today…

After making such a fierce vow, it wasn’t until the pain completely subsided that I lifted my head and looked around at the sea of people… Huh?

I suddenly noticed a section isolated by guards not far to the left. Everyone standing there was wearing the uniform of the Royal Academy.

There are so many students… Did everyone skip class today?

I immediately saw several familiar teacher faces standing in a more forward position. Grandma Bertha, who had a slender figure, was there too. She was waving unsteadily, and perhaps sensing my gaze, she smiled.

Did they bring the whole academy over here…?

Sarah and the others must be here too…

We proceeded with trepidation.

With Victoria here, I felt much calmer. At least I wasn’t as scared as before. We passed through three major streets safely, and the surrounding crowd became sparse.

“Hero!”

“Hero—!”

I suddenly heard the shouts of children, and instinctively followed the direction.

They were a group of plump-cheeked little ones. Boys and girls alike, judging from their attire, they were all commoners’ children. They were running along the street edge, jumping and bouncing—mostly at an age where they are naive yet blindly worship heroes.

“Oh! The hero is looking over!” someone shouted.

The other children then ran through the crowd to a closer position, stopping and standing in a crooked line.

The child who had spoken gave another command.

“One, two, three—ready~”

“Salute!”

The children stood tall, pounding their fists on their chests, using clumsy and exaggerated gestures, somewhat laughable, to show us their insignificant thoughts.

I saw a pure, heart-touching gleam in their eyes.

“They’re cute children,” Victoria suddenly said.

“…Yeah.”

The onager stepped slowly past those children.

In a daze, I seemed to see Lucas’s face.

I saw him standing among the children, going nowhere. He had a slightly stubborn smile on his face, and his eyes seemed to say to me: Ice Maiden, you really did it! If there’s anything else, I’ll still ask for your help.

Silent Abel stood next to Lucas. He held the hand of a young, faceless girl and bowed to me with everyone else, smiling happily.

Dean Charles silently stood behind the children.

When he saw me looking, he took off the top hat on his head and bowed deeply in a very gentlemanly manner, more so than any noble in the royal city.

A breeze swept across the road.

I blinked, and they were no longer in sight.

“Inhale—”

My nose started to tingle.

Soon we turned a corner, and the children also disappeared from view.

The procession wasn’t long. After turning onto the fourth street, the entire Sabel Canal running through the royal city came into view.

“We’ve arrived,” Victoria said to me.

The onager stopped at a riverside lined with guards. Victoria got down first, then extended her hand to me.

I shook my head.

Then I bent down, pressing my chest against the beast’s back, and slowly turned sideways, probing my right foot downward, finding the stirrup, and clumsily climbing down. The moment my feet touched the ground, I felt a sense of security fill my heart.

I let out a long breath.

Finally, it’s over… in every sense.

Before me, the river water shimmered with ripples, and small wooden boats were moored along one side of the shore. Standing under the shade of a distant tree, Victoria and I watched the monks move the coffin onto the wooden boats and push them into the river.

Margaret began to pray. The monks also raised their fists to their chests and sang hymns.

The voices could be faintly heard.

“Brave warrior, you have saved us from evil. Now you have gone to your final journey. Great God, may you light the lamp for him. His soul shall be redeemed by the Lord and find rest in His embrace. May he fulfill his wishes in life, and may his path in the next life remain bright. Kingdom, power, glory, wealth, these will accompany your steps forever…”

The guards lit rockets, drawing their bows to full capacity. Countless arrows whizzed through the air, igniting the boats that drifted further downstream with the current.

This is the destination of the Ethenbel warriors.

Their souls will flow with the river towards the sea, towards the distant horizon, to the side of the gods.