Inside the Box

Half a month later, in Fort Sierck—

Clarisse raced over with a preprepared receipt in hand, presenting it to the peddler Trepner as though she had just received the princess’s signature. “My apologies for keeping you waiting...” she said.

“Oh, I should be thanking you. Your master must be quite the busy lady.”

“Quite... The princess cannot often leave her room these days.”

“Is that so? A real pity, that. It would’ve been an honor to admire her beautiful visage.”

In the midst of their exchange, the item Trepner had transported from the capital was brought over to the storehouse. It was a wooden box as large as a coffin, and terribly heavy at that.

Once again, it was Indri and his men who would help to carry it inside, asserting that they always took the initiative because of how handsomely they were tipped for it. Granted, their reasoning did make sense.

Auber recorded that the goods had been successfully shipped, while Deffand and his subordinates erected a strict perimeter. It was the same old drill as always.

Before the box was set down in the storehouse, Auber nervously addressed Trepner. “Err... How should I put this... That thing you brought with you is, uh, incredibly expensive... Who was it that, um, approved this purchase...?” He was frightfully monotone, almost as though he were acting—and doing a terrible job at it, at that. Even a complete amateur could have put on a more convincing show.

Clarisse let out a sigh at this poor display, while Trepner regarded Auber with a glare, causing him to pale and weakly clear his throat.

“Yes, you’re quite right!” the peddler dramatically declared. “This is a gift for Her Highness, sent by a certain high noble! It’s an incredibly expensive, one-of-a-kind statue!”

Presumably having concluded that there was no other way around it, Clarisse put forward the question that Auber was supposed to have asked. “A valuable piece of art...? Around how much would this statue fetch if it were pawned to an art dealer in town?”

“Hm, let’s see... They could rip you off, and you still wouldn’t get any less than a thousand livres!”

“My, that sure is a lot...”

Despite Clarisse’s subdued reaction, it was a sum great enough to make the soldiers open their eyes wide. Their annual earnings were around twenty livres, meaning this statue was equivalent to at least fifty years’ worth of work.

“Wahaha! It certainly is!” Trepner replied with gusto, turning to look at Indri and his two men. “That’s why, my fine gentlemen, I ask that you please handle it with care!”

They responded with nods before slowly carrying the box inside, putting it off to the side and against a wall. Once it was in place, the trio all exchanged a look, discrete grins spreading across their lips.

✧ ✧ ✧

Late in the night—

As the storehouse was made with thick walls of stone, the temperature within didn’t change nearly as freely as it did outside. These walls didn’t just keep out the heat, they also blocked light and sound. Complete darkness, complete silence. The wooden box had been placed among the many food stocks and supplies.

Clunk.

There was a sound—the sound of one hard surface knocking against another. Then came a low scraping noise, and a streak of light pierced through the darkness. One of the large stone tablets that formed the floor had slowly been lifted, a log set in place to keep it propped up. And from this newly formed gap crawled the intruder, the lantern in their hand showing them the way.

“Oi... Raise it higher. We won’t be able to get the box through otherwise.”

The stifled voice belonged to a man—Indri, to be exact.

“How about we just ditch the box?” suggested his comrade beneath the floor.

Indri shook his head. “No can do. Not even the stone walls and iron doors would mask the sound of us pulling out the nails. Just crank it up some more. As high as it’ll go.”

There was a dull grating sound, like a pestle grinding against a mortar. The log began to spin, slowly raising up and pushing the stone slab with it. Eventually, Indri deemed it high enough, and the other men slipped out to join him. There were three of them in total.

“All right, pick up the goods and get out.”

“Hoorah! A thousand livres, here we come!”

“After we sell this bad boy, we won’t have to work another day in our lives. No need to return to the bloody military.”

The men shared a quiet chuckle as they placed their hands on the box. But as they hoisted it up, something inside began to shake.

“That’s as far as you go!” came a female voice.

The lid was suddenly thrown off, hitting the ground with a violent crashing sound that reverberated through the storehouse. The men all frantically took some distance.

“What?! I... What?!” Indri yelled, his voice weak. The other two men looked around in mutual confusion.

A slender leg was sticking out from the box that was supposed to have contained a statue. Whoever was inside had evidently kicked off the lid. The leg sunk back in, then a figure slowly rose up and stepped out.

The lantern’s light revealed the silhouette of a young girl. She had a slender waist, a reserved chest clad in a breastplate, slender arms equipped with thick, sturdy gauntlets, and a delicate nape. The shine in her ruby eyes accentuated a face that would be worth far more than a thousand livres had it been carved in stone, and the hair she ran her fingers through was even redder than their lantern’s flame.

For a moment, the men seemed to be appraising her, having completely forgotten where they were.

“Hm, I see...” spoke the female voice again. “You had an underground tunnel, and you used a construction site jack to raise a stone slab in the floor.”

“You... little...” Indri tried to snarl, but his voice barely even came out. Of all the people who could have found him here, it just had to be his commander, the imperial princess. He couldn’t talk his way out of this one.

Why would someone of such high standing deliberately hide in a coffin?!

The girl regarded the three men one by one. “You offered to help load goods into the storehouse, not only so that you could see which ones were the most valuable, but also to ensure nothing was ever placed on top of your secret entrance. Am I right?”

“Grr...” Indri gritted his teeth. The strength immediately drained from his shoulders, causing them to violently slump down, and a weary sigh escaped him. “Yeah, you’ve got that right, Princess. Don’t tell me you’d already suspected we were behind it.”

“Turns out that peddler Trepner knew a skilled strategist, you see. He was able to guess the culprits from just an explanation of our situation, even suggesting how to catch them in the act.”

“I see... Guess it takes all sorts, huh? You sure there wasn’t something else he said to you, though? A warning, maybe?”

“Why would I need a warning?”

“Because, Princess... you’re no match for us alone!”

With that, Indri drew his dagger. The two men accompanying him similarly pulled swords from their waists.

“Are we seriously doing this?!” one asked.

“She’s a p-princess, right?!” the other stammered.

“It doesn’t matter who she is! Just kill her and run! We haven’t got a choice!”

As the trio took their stances, Altina heaved a sigh. “That strategist... He really was right about everything. And here I was, hoping that I wouldn’t need to use it...”

She stooped down, reaching her hand into the crate to grab what she had brought with her. Had she been alone, there would have been no need to use such a large box. Plus, her weight certainly wouldn’t have explained why the men had shed so much sweat trying to move it.

What had weighed down the box was something else entirely—an artifact with a solemn steel edge, several times larger than any ordinary sword and even taller than the girl now gripping its hilt.

In one smooth movement, Altina held up the massive Grand Tonnerre Quatre. The relief carved into its mirror-like blade made it clear that this was the sword of a conqueror.

“Are you not soldiers?” the princess asked. “It’s your duty to protect the Empire, yet you steal the army’s equipment to sate your personal desires?! Don’t think you’ll get off scot-free!”

“Gh... Don’t back down!” Indri yelled. “Do you seriously think she can attack with that thing?!”

“W-We’ve got no choice!”

“Don’t lose your nerve! She’s just one woman!” Indri growled. “We’ll slaughter her and run!”

The men readied themselves, then charged toward Altina. They were very evidently flustered, but that didn’t change the fact they were soldiers of the Belgarian Army, which was notorious for its strength. There was no denying that their attacks would prove deadly.

Thankfully for the princess, the emperor’s regalia boasted an overwhelming advantage when it came to reach. Before the men could even get close, its silver edge was right before their eyes.

“Hyaaaaaah!”

A single sweep of the Grand Tonnerre Quatre’s trystie-forged blade, aimed at their torsos, made quick work of the three thieves. Granted, she had struck them with its flat rather than its edge.