Chapter 136: Have You Ever Had Me in Your Heart

Chip felt that his luck today had simply hit rock bottom.

Normally, as a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince with exceptional martial prowess, Chip would have made light of two drunkards tangling with him. Although he lacked tactical aptitude for grand military strategy, his personal combat strength was by no means inferior to that of frontline commanders.

Except... this fight was utterly humiliating!

Greyn and Rul were completely unreasonable. In their drunken state, they simply swarmed Chip and attacked him fiercely. Chip tried his best to fend them off. Given his abilities, a one-on-one duel would not have worried him in the least, but fighting two opponents at once made him look rather pathetic. Fortunately, the two drunkards were so deeply intoxicated that their strikes inevitably became wild and chaotic. Yet, Chip was acutely aware of their identities and dared not resort to heavy-handed tactics. If he accidentally injured either of them, he would be the one to suffer the consequences in the end. He was merely the Crown Prince's intimate confidant, whereas his opponents were both pillars of the Hawk faction. If the royal family wished to contend with the warlord factions within the military, they still had to rely heavily on these hawks.

After exchanging blows for quite a while, Chip tried several times to find an opening to extricate himself, but to no avail. While he dared not injure them, he was equally unwilling to be beaten and injured by them for no good reason.

As the brawl dragged on for a moment, the commotion inevitably attracted outsiders.

Suddenly, voices drifted from the entrance of the back courtyard, and several staggering figures emerged.

"Eh? Is someone fighting? Such strong battle aura!"

"Hmm, it looks like... Wait? That man is General Rul!"

Among the figures walking out from the back courtyard, the one in the very center was a fat man whose bulk could easily rival Rul's. It was none other than Guro of the Landis Chamber of Commerce, whom Shaya had encountered on his journey to the capital. Beside Guro stood a man dressed in a tight, narrow warrior's robe, with a slender sword at his waist and a heroic bearing—none other than Aflecat, the black-armored warrior of the Fifty-Fang Wolf Mercenary Corps.

As it turned out, upon arriving in the capital, Shaya had parted ways with them, initially intending to settle in before sending someone to contact them. However, he had subsequently become bogged down dealing with various harassments and provocations, and later occupied with other matters, which caused the meeting to be delayed.

Guro's true identity was the leader of the Landis intelligence spies. Since he had gone to such great lengths to befriend Shaya along the road, he naturally had no intention of letting the connection break so easily. Being a meticulous fellow, he had not rashly sought out Shaya on his own initiative, but instead turned his attention to Aflecat. Shaya had befriended the Fifty-Fang Wolf Mercenary Corps on the road and even helped them fend off an ambush, forging a deep bond. Thus, even if Shaya did not seek him out in the future, he would certainly maintain contact with Aflecat. As long as Guro kept a tight grip on Aflecat, he was confident he would find another opportunity to approach Shaya.

Therefore, on the second day after arriving in the capital, Guro had sent men to find the members of the Fifty-Fang Wolf Mercenary Corps at an inn near the south city docks.

Since they already shared a bond from the road—having fought together against an ambush that was specifically targeted at the Fifty-Fang Wolf Mercenary Corps—Aflecat somewhat owed the Landis people a favor. Coupled with the fact that someone as shrewd as Guro had taken the initiative to cultivate the friendship flawlessly, the relationship between the two parties quickly warmed up over the past few days.

Tonight, Guro was hosting a dinner and had invited Aflecat out for drinks. By pure coincidence, they had chosen this pleasure house as their venue. They had been drinking heartily until the alcohol had mostly worn off, and the group was now staggering out of the back exit simply to relieve themselves in the courtyard's latrine. No sooner had they stepped outside than they saw three figures in the courtyard brawling fiercely.

Normally, disputes arising from guests getting drunk in such pleasure houses were commonplace and hardly surprising. However, the three people fighting in the back courtyard were glowing with dazzling battle auras, and the intensity of those auras was exceptionally high! Upon closer inspection, all three of them were in the ranks of high-level warriors! That made the situation rather unusual.

Looking closer still, the two instantly recognized that one of them was none other than the chubby General Rul!

When entering the city gates, Aflecat had caught a glimpse of Rul from afar, and despite his drunkenness, he recognized him now. As for Guro beside him, the shock in his heart far exceeded that of the mercenary leader.

As an elite intelligence operative of Landis, Guro had his fingertips on the pulse of the Byzantine Empire's upper echelons, especially key figures in Osgiliath. He knew the dossiers of important personages by heart, having meticulously studied drawn portraits and profiles of each individual.

Of the three fighting right now, one was Rul, the newly appointed general of the Byzantine Empire's Thirteenth Legion—not to mention that regardless of Rul's less-than-stellar reputation, being appointed commander of the famous Iron Thirteenth Legion was enough to place him firmly in the ranks of frontline, real-power generals.

Another fellow, radiating a pale golden battle aura, had somewhat unfamiliar facial features, since Greyn had been shelved for many years and his reputation had faded into obscurity.

As for the warrior being besieged by the two, he was handsome. Although the darkness made it difficult to see clearly, after a few more glances, Guro immediately recognized him: this man was the primary confidant warrior of the Byzantine Crown Prince, Chip!!

The moment he made this identification, Guro froze in astonishment.

Rul was a stalwart of the military's Hawk faction, and the hawks had always been fiercely loyal to the royal family. So why on earth was he fighting the Crown Prince's confidant?

While Guro was still reeling in shock, Aflecat could no longer stand by idly.

He had received profound kindness from Shaya and naturally felt deeply indebted to him. Having seen Rul go out to welcome Shaya at the city gates that day, he knew the chubby general was a friend of Shaya's. Since he was a friend of his benefactor, how could he stand by and watch idly while he was under attack?

Aflecat was a man who clearly distinguished between gratitude and grudges. Without a second thought, he drew his longsword with a swish and shouted aloud, "General Rul, I've come to help you!"

With that, he leaped into the fray. His strength was a tier lower than that of the other three—his battle aura being merely mid-level—yet he did not hesitate in the least and plunged straight into the battlefield.

Chip felt like crying out in despair. Seeing yet another helper arrive—one whose battle aura was mediocre, but whose swordsmanship appeared fierce and bizarre—Aflecat wisely realized his strength was not on the same level as the combatants, so he simply hovered on the outer perimeter using shadow-swordsmanship footwork, occasionally lunging inward to thrust his blade when openings appeared.

Chip was already drenched in sweat, and his defense was becoming increasingly strained. Meanwhile, Guro, standing to the side and watching the battle, saw that Chip in the center was in mounting peril, and a ruthless glint suddenly flashed in his eyes... What a splendid opportunity!!

Regardless of why they had started fighting, if he could take advantage of this chaos to kill Chip, the Crown Prince's core confidant, right here... it would drive a wedge between the Hawk faction and the Byzantine royal family! One way or another, that would be purely beneficial to the Landis people with no downsides whatsoever!

Guro's eyes flickered, and he whispered to his entourage of Landis warriors, "Go! Find a way to finish off that fellow being besieged!"

The Landis warriors understood the intent, drew their concealed weapons, and swarmed forward.

With the entry of several Landis warriors into the fray, every strike instantly became vicious and fatal. This development scared the wits out of Chip! Greyn and Rul's chaotic brawl was clearly just drunken sparring, but these newly arrived fellows were aiming straight for his vital spots—they clearly intended to murder him right here and now!!

Drenched in sweat and consumed by anxiety, Chip realized that even with his own strength having reached the ranks of a high-level warrior, he could not withstand such a massive group assault, especially since he was completely unarmed. Within just a few exchanges, he was in dire peril. With a few cries of alarm, his shoulder was slashed open by a blade during the melee.

A surge of wild fury mingled with a deep sense of desperation rose within Chip.

Just then, Greyn and Rul suddenly snapped back to their senses somewhat. Although both were muddle-headed with alcohol, the sudden appearance of so many helpers made them feel something was amiss. Seeing several charging figures join their side, the two exchanged glances and simultaneously leaped out of the fray. Rul glared and roared, "Where did these bastards come from? I'm just fighting for fun—who asked you to butt in? Get lost!"

With that, he reached out and grabbed a Landis warrior. The man was caught by the shoulder, but lacking orders from his superiors, he dared not retaliate against Rul. Rul picked him up bodily and tossed him backward.

Greyn shook his head as well. "All of you, get lost!"

He locked his target onto Aflecat. Among these newcomers, Aflecat's martial skills were superior to the other Landis warriors. Greyn lunged forward immediately, sweeping out with a punch. Unwilling to fight him, Aflecat flashed backward to evade. The pale golden battle aura smashed against the tip of his sword, causing it to ring out with a loud hum. Aflecat grunted, his face turning pale as he staggered back several paces and retreated far out of range.

Since Rul had stopped fighting, Aflecat sensibly halted as well. However, the Landis warriors were a different story; having received orders to execute Chip on the spot, their attacks grew increasingly vicious.

With Rul and Greyn no longer pressing him from the sides, Chip's pressure was drastically reduced. Seeing that these newly arrived individuals clearly meant to take his life, he ceased holding back and launched a full counterattack. Executing two consecutive heavy strikes, his battle aura snapped his opponent's short saber, followed by a swift kick to a Landis man's lower abdomen that sent the fellow flying backward while coughing up blood.

Chip seized the opportunity to leap out and make his escape. However, a Landis warrior drew a bow and arrow from his back, nocked an arrow, and fired it straight at him. Amidst the darkness, Chip heard the whistling of air tearing through the night. He abruptly twisted backward and punched the short arrow heading toward his face, knocking it aside. A sudden thought struck him, and he shouted loudly, "Eh? This bow and arrow... Ah! You are Landis people! Why are you launching a sneak attack on me?!"

The Landis warriors hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to pursue Chip as he retreated into the distance. Meanwhile, the two drunkards, Rul and Greyn, who had worked up a sweat from their earlier brawl, finally began to clear their heads. Hearing the word "Landis," Rul instantly flew into a rage: "Landis people! Where are they?!"

During the ongoing war, the Byzantine military had already confirmed that the invading Odinist forces were secretly backed by Landis, naturally breeding a deep hostility toward them. Hearing Chip's words, the fat general instantly boiled with anger, turned, and glared at Guro and his men. "Ah! It's you lot!"

With that, the fat general lunged forward. Guro had no choice; lacking strong martial arts skills, he could only retreat while his subordinates hurried forward to block the general. Meanwhile, Greyn grunted, "Hitting my friend—you're courting death!"

The two fellows abandoned Chip and shifted their focus onto Guro and his group. Caught completely off guard, Guro could only command the Landis warriors to mount a desperate defense. The strikes of two high-level warriors were no small matter. Fortunately, the fat general and Greyn were merely fighting under the influence of alcohol and had no intention of killing anyone, so they did not unleash lethal force.

Chip was left between laughter and tears. Glancing at the two drunkards, a wave of relief washed over him: it seemed those two hadn't intended to kill him after all, meaning there must have been some misunderstanding. However, the intent to kill behind the Landis agents' earlier attack on him was unmistakable—that was definitely no misunderstanding!

Thinking of this, Chip's expression turned grim as he shouted, "General Rul! Capture these Landis bastards! They're no good!"

With that, he whirled around and charged back into the fray.

Aflecat was thoroughly bewildered. He had come to help Rul fight, so why had Rul turned around and started attacking his own allies? Not daring to raise his hand against Rul, he saw Chip charging over and immediately moved to intercept him, crossing his blade to strike at him.

The situation devolved into a chaotic melee once more, though the dynamics had completely reversed. Chip's strength far surpassed Aflecat's, quickly driving the latter back step by step, while Guro and the other Landis agents were beaten into a sorry retreat by Rul and Greyn.

Realizing they could gain no advantage today and that lingering any longer might expose their identities, Guro made a decisive judgment and shouted at the top of his lungs, "General Rul, we were just helping you out earlier! We are not your enemies!"

He added another cry: "We are friends of Shaya!"

Hearing that, although still somewhat muddle-headed, Rul unconsciously slowed his pace and came to a halt. "Friends of that little mud-turtle?"

Guro immediately seized the opportunity to pull his men back, shouting, "Pardon the offense, General! I shall personally call upon you to apologize another day! Aflecat, let's go!"

Aflecat was already at his limit, having barely managed to evade using shadow-swordsmanship footwork. Hearing Guro's words, he turned and fled without hesitation. Chip attempted to pursue them, but Rul blocked his path, shouting, "They're friends of our friend! You bastard, haven't you had enough fighting yet?"

With that, Rul threw a punch at him. Chip was so infuriated he nearly coughed blood, and could only retreat, watching helplessly as Guro and his company rushed to the courtyard entrance, bowed to Rul, waved their hands, and bolted out into the night.

"Damn you, Rul! You absolute bastard!!" Chip stamped his feet in rage, hopping mad.

Nearby, Greyn's head had cleared somewhat. Staggering backward, he stopped and stood aside, frowning as he looked between Chip and the Landis figures disappearing into the distance. A vague sense of unease stirred within him, though in his current intoxicated state, he couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong.

Chip pointed at Rul's nose and cursed him up and down. Struck by the cold night wind, Rul shivered, squinted, and looked closely at him for a moment before muttering vaguely, "Eh... you look sort of familiar, pal."

Chip spat in disgust, pulled an emblem from his chest, and flashed it. "You drunken fat man! I am Chip! The Crown Prince's personal confidant, Chip!!"

The fat man narrowed his eyes, took a few steps closer, and planted his face almost right against Chip's. Chip caught a reek of alcohol billowing off the fat man and instinctively covered his nose.

"Ah! It really is Chip." Rul broke into a drunken, silly grin. "I remember you! Eh, what are you doing here? When did you arrive?"

What am I doing here?

Chip felt like spitting blood in sheer exasperation. I was dragged into this mess entirely by you, you bastard!!

Given how things had turned out, Chip's mind flew back to Edlein upstairs. This series of chaotic brawls had delayed him by at least two hours. Anxious and unwilling to tangle any further with this fat man—he could settle accounts with him after he sobered up—Chip grunted, flicked his sleeves, and turned to sprint toward the outer doors.

Rul and Greyn exchanged glances, both dumbfounded. The fat man rubbed his head and muttered, "My head's a bit fuzzy... That just now felt a bit off."

Greyn frowned as well, then suddenly chuckled. "A fight's a fight, why worry about so much!"

He let out a hearty laugh. "I haven't gotten this wonderfully, thoroughly drunk in years! Refreshing!!"

With that, he grabbed Rul's arm. "Let's go, let's go! Let's drink another hundred pots!!"

***

Chip hurried back outside, instructed his men to have the carriage ready and waiting by the back exit, and then dashed back into the building. Jogging all the way upstairs, his body injured and his clothes stained with blood, he inevitably drew strange looks from others. The few servers passing by looked at him with rather peculiar expressions.

Bursting breathlessly into the second-floor room, Chip flipped aside the curtain to find it completely empty. The shock hit him with the force of a thunderbolt! If Edlein had gone missing, the responsibility was one he could never bear!

Consumed by anxiety and hampered by his injuries, his legs grew weak and sweat poured down his body. Leaning against the wall, he nearly stumbled and fell. He bit his lower lip hard as his mind buzzed with a deafening hum, turning entirely blank!

***

Meanwhile, back when Chip was trapped and besieged in the back courtyard...

The poor wretch looked an absolute mess, traces of tears seemingly still lingering in the corners of his eyes. The damn mud-turtle beside him had rolled over, fast asleep and snoring like thunder, sprawled out on his back with one heavy thigh resting across her waist.

The poor wretch felt as though her body was about to fall apart, her limbs aching and completely devoid of strength, with pain radiating from every inch of her flesh.

This... this damned scoundrel... he was simply a pig! A breeding boar!!

Calming down slightly, she suddenly felt a chill wash over her chest. Reaching out to touch it, she found her skin bare, making her shiver. Struggling to sit up, she inadvertently pulled at a sore spot, letting out a soft "ow" as she knitted her brows. Aside from the pain, her cheeks were flushed with a deep, painted-on blush.

Shoving the mud-turtle aside with all her might, the poor wretch sat on the edge of the bed. Recalling what had just transpired, a wave of sorrow surged through her heart. Looking at the sleeping, alcohol-scented Shaya, she began to shed quiet tears, sniffle by sniffle.

"You... you bastard..." Resentment flaring up, she raised her hand to strike him, but as her fingers brushed against Shaya's face, they trembled and softened. Her fingertips gently traced the contours of his face, the tender affection welling up in her chest leaving her completely unable to harden her heart.

For a moment, gazing at Shaya's sleeping face, she fell into a daze.

... "Find a good craftsman and have him inlay a golden tooth. The tavern owner in our town has two golden teeth, and every time he smiles, his whole mouth gleams with gold. You have no idea how impressive it looks..."

... "When I went up the mountain to gather firewood as a child, I'd always bring a live rabbit, break its leg beforehand, and if I ran into a wolf, I'd toss the rabbit to distract it so I could run away. So, taking you along to hunt dragons is the exact same logic."

... "Hey, what kind of knot did you tie with this strip of cloth across my chest?"

"Uh, to secure the cloth band, of course."

"I know it's to secure it, but the way you tied it is so weird. What is this thing? It's so overly complex, you wasted a lot of cloth."

"Um... a butterfly bow."

"A butterfly bow? What's the use of that?"

"Uh... it looks pretty."

... "We could form a theater troupe and make money in Wildfire Town! You're so ugly, you'd make a perfect clown! As for me, I... ah, I can perform chest-smashing with boulders, rolling on nail boards, and other such stunts!"

Those words spoken by the mud-turtle back on the Wildfire Plains suddenly echoed vividly in her mind. Edlein's heart turned as soft as water. Looking at Shaya with a gaze full of lingering resentment and tenderness, she found herself utterly unable to distinguish whether she loved him or hated him at this moment.

"Forget it... It must be ordained by heaven. Let's... let's just consider it me, Edlein, owing you." The poor wretch bit her lip, gazing at Shaya's familiar face, before suddenly leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his cheek.

On the Wildfire Plains, buying a house, raising a few horses, and then starting a theater troupe to make a living... A life like that must be wonderful.

Mmm... perhaps, being able to stay by this fellow's side, watching his carefree smiles every day, listening to his wild nonsense, watching him make a fool of himself... and holding that large heavy shield while she sat atop his shoulders...

Her heart tangled in a knot of tender emotions, Edlein slowly climbed down from the bed. The lingering ache in her body brought a fresh flush to her cheeks. Glaring viciously at the mud-turtle, she looked around at the clothes she had torn apart scattered across the bed and floor. Hugging her arms, she spotted the white-robed woman she had knocked unconscious lying nearby, walked over, stripped off her outer robe, and put it on, finally feeling a slight sense of relief. However, every movement inevitably tugged at her aches, turning her cheeks crimson once more as she mentally cursed the mud-turtle a thousand times over.

Having finally finished all this, Edlein stood beside the bed, quietly gazing at the sleeping mud-turtle. This fellow... he still slept in such an unruly, sprawled-out manner... Hmph, a mud-turtle will always be a mud-turtle.

"Hey, mud-turtle." Edlein's eyes brimmed with tenderness as she looked down at Shaya and spoke in a low voice. Even knowing Shaya wouldn't respond right now, she poured out her heart like someone entranced, her voice carrying an indelible, lingering sentiment.

"Actually... I should tell you, I'm a girl."

"You always bully me, but one of these days, I'll get you back for it."

"You always say I'm ugly, but I'm clearly very pretty..."

"I heard you got a promotion, but you better watch out for my brother."

"You... you must work hard. Only when you've truly made something of yourself will you have a chance with... Well, don't make me wait too long, or else..."

Whispering softly, Edlein didn't know how much she had said, pouring out all the words that had tangled in her heart over these days and nights in one unreserved gush.

Finally, she stood upright, her lips trembling as she looked at the sleeping Shaya. "I... I have to go now. You... you must take care of yourself, and you're not allowed to come to places like this ever again."

With that, she gazed upon Shaya one last time as two tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Mud-turtle, Shaya, there's one more thing... I... love you... Is there a place in your heart for a poor wretch like me?"

Having spoken her piece, a wisp of floral fragrance drifted away, and the figure was gone.

(To be continued)