Chapter 27: The Roadside Ambush

The carriage had been specially rented, a thoughtful arrangement by Fiona, who had instructed the Branch Captain to procure it. After all, it wouldn’t do for a child to endure a ride on horseback that would leave their backside sore and swollen.

“Come to think of it,” a knight riding beside Leaf Su’s carriage suddenly mused, “when did Fiona get a younger brother? We’ve certainly never heard her mention him before, have we?” Perhaps he found the silence too oppressive, feeling he had to initiate some conversation.

“Why should you know if someone has a brother?” the knight to his left retorted with an annoyed expression, “Who do you think you are to them?”

“Hey,” the first knight quipped, “maybe one day Fiona will take a liking to me, and then I’ll have a little brother, won’t I?”

“Wake up, stop dreaming!” another knight scoffed. “Our piss is yellow enough to splash you awake!” The rest of the knights chimed in, implying that Fiona, a ‘high-mountain flower’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to a woman of unattainable beauty or high standards), would never deign to look at any of them. “Do you need a little help to snap out of it?” one of them offered, “Perhaps a collective pissing to truly wake you up?”

In unison, they suddenly rose in their saddles, beginning to unfasten their trousers and point their ‘water guns’ (TL Note: referring to their penises) at the offending knight.

The knight they targeted could only gape in stunned silence.

“Don’t mind him, everyone!” someone quickly interjected. “He’s a cheat, always trying to con food and drink out of us. Now he’s even trying to con a drink of piss!”

“Tch!” came a dozen simultaneous dismissive sounds.

A moment later, a rustle of trousers being pulled up and the creak of saddles followed as they all settled back onto their mounts.

Leaf Su had witnessed the entire playful spectacle from beginning to end. ‘No wonder Fiona didn’t want to return to this team,’ he thought, ‘They’re all, quite frankly, completely unhinged.’

Unlike the others, the Branch Captain did not partake in their boisterous antics. He rode silently at the very front, maintaining a vigilant posture, as if keenly aware of some unseen threat.

Suddenly, a sharp shout tore from his throat.

“Enemy attack!” he roared. “Forty-eight hostiles! Prepare for battle!”

The boisterous group from moments ago instantly transformed, their comical expressions replaced by grim determination. With practiced speed, they drew their blades and swords, then swiftly encircled Leaf Su’s carriage. This sudden shift wasn’t for naught; they knew the younger brother of a powerful figure sat within, and he had to be protected at all costs.

In their line of sight, a formidable group had already encircled them. Each assailant was clad in tight, resilient gear—the lightweight, flexible attire typically favored by assassins.

Having seen countless skirmishes, the knights were no strangers to such assaults. Yet, the swiftness of this attack, so soon after departing the city, was unexpected. This wasn’t the work of common roadside bandits; it was a deliberate ambush orchestrated by someone within the city itself.

“Our lord has decreed,” the leader of the assailants bellowed, “the child’s head is worth two hundred gold coins! All others involved will receive a twenty-gold-coin bounty!” At his words, the rogues lurking in the undergrowth surged forward, each one as if injected with chicken blood (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to be extremely excited or hyped up, often with a hint of irrationality).

Leaf Su, hidden within the carriage, was thoroughly startled. ‘Who the hell did I provoke, and how?’ he thought, ‘This clearly sounds like it’s specifically aimed at me.’

It appeared, however, that those seeking his assassination were woefully ignorant of the true capabilities of his escorts, mistaking these seasoned knights for ordinary guards. These ‘trash’ (TL Note: A derogatory term, ‘laji’, meaning ‘trash’ or ‘rubbish’) assassins, confronting the Holy Nation’s Royal Knights, were essentially dispatched as quickly as they appeared, utterly incapable of offering any real resistance.

Concealed within the carriage, Leaf Su watched through the curtains as the knights dispatched their foes with ruthless efficiency, each strike felling an enemy. His heart remained surprisingly calm, devoid of any significant emotional upheaval. What truly consumed him was the desire to uncover the identity of his would-be assassin, his thoughts aligning perfectly with those of the vigilant knights.

This was unequivocally a hired assassination, which meant the culprit had to be someone from within the city. After all, he hadn’t ventured anywhere else. Yet, he racked his brain, wondering whom he could possibly have offended within the city walls.

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