"My name is Brunhild, Head of the Queen's Guard. Right now, we're en route to the capital—home—riding in a horse-drawn carriage. Naturally, I'm here to ensure Her Majesty's safety."
"As for the other knights? They're riding outside. They can't endure the cold magic unintentionally released from Her Majesty's gift skill. Because..."
Brunhild turned her gaze toward Cecilia.
The Queen was still sulking, muttering under her breath, "How dare he…" as she gripped her ice staff tightly.
With a resigned sigh, Brunhild muttered, "Your Majesty, let it go… That was one year ago." She rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the incoming headache.
Cecilia looked up at her with a pout, and without warning, clung to her arm like a child.
"Brunhild's gotten so cold to me lately… I miss the little Brunhild from before," she whined softly, nuzzling her head against Brunhild's upper arm like a pampered cat.
Brunhild, seeing the Queen's behavior, let out a long sigh.
"Your Majesty, could you at least turn off your magic? The horses might freeze," she said, glancing at the carriage walls that now felt more like the inside of an icebox.
Snapping out of her sulking, Cecilia blinked. "Oops," she muttered, quickly dispersing the magic leaking from her mana. A sheepish "Hehe…" escaped her lips as she smiled innocently at Brunhild.
Just as Cecilia opened her mouth again, musing, "How about we—"
Shouts suddenly erupted from outside the carriage.
"Attack!!"
"Chase them—!"
"Protect the Queen!"
Startled but unfazed, Cecilia frowned and slumped slightly.
"Ugh... Bandits again?" she grumbled, clearly unimpressed.
Hearing the commotion outside, Brunhild muttered seriously, "Wasn't it the Queen herself who insisted on this journey?"
Cecilia, clearly annoyed, crossed her arms. "I didn't expect the round trip to the 'Gathering of the Twelve Circles' to take two years."
Brunhild sighed, leaning slightly against the side of the carriage. "I didn't expect we'd get tossed around on the way back either... thanks to those war zones."
She paused for a moment, brows furrowed. "Aren't they part of the Federation too?"
Cecilia let out a lazy sigh and said, "I don't know…" then muttered thoughtfully, "Maybe I'll ask my dear… what exactly is their problem?" Her expression turned thoughtful, as if she was already lost in imagining the conversation.
Hearing that, Brunhild muttered with a sigh, "Queen, you're the only heir to the throne in the Hanburg Kingdom… Why are you always so indifferent to the kingdom's problems?"
Cecilia, unfazed, continued gazing out the window and casually asked, "So, how long until we reach the capital?"
Brunhild paused to think for a moment, then replied with certainty, "At least two more weeks… if we travel through the nights."
Upon hearing that, Cecilia gave a small nod and softly murmured, "I miss Paul…" her voice tinged with longing.
While Cecilia was lost in thought, Brunhild asked a question she probably shouldn't have, her curiosity getting the better of her. "So… who made you that upset at the event? You've been angry ever since."
Realizing what she just said, Brunhild blinked and muttered, "Ah—damn," quickly covering her mouth.
Cecilia, who had been relatively calm a moment ago, suddenly tightened her grip on her staff. A faint chill filled the air as ice magic leaked unconsciously from her body. Through clenched teeth, she growled, "That Space Grand Mage… how dare he…"
Feeling the temperature drop rapidly, Brunhild sighed, placed a hand on her forehead, and muttered, "Not again…"
Two weeks later, at night
After finally reaching the capital and entering the royal castle grounds, Brunhild heard faint voices echoing from within:
"Kill..."
"There's the assassin..."
"Intruder..."
"Attack them..."
The sounds were distant, but unmistakable—coming from inside the castle.
Reacting immediately, Brunhild jumped down from the Queen's carriage and barked an order to her troops, her tone sharp and commanding:
"The royal castle is under attack! Move out and eliminate the intruders—now!"
The knights straightened, raised their fists in salute, and shouted, "YES, MA'AM!" before charging toward the castle without hesitation.
As the last of her troops ran off, Brunhild turned to address the Queen.
"Queen—"
But Cecilia was already gone.
With a flash of cold air, she had leapt from the carriage, ice magic bursting from her feet. Moving swiftly from rooftop to rooftop, her expression tense with worry, she whispered, "Paul…"
Seeing that Cecilia had already disappeared far into the distance, Brunhild slapped her forehead with a sigh.
"Oh... seriously..."
Without wasting another second, she muttered "[Glacial Dash]"—her body surged forward in a burst of icy wind, leaving a shimmering trail of frost behind her as she dashed toward the royal castle.
Inside, chaos echoed through the halls. After slipping past several rooms and turning a corner, Brunhild came upon a skirmish in progress:
Two guards clashed swords with three agile attackers wielding short blades, while two more enemies stood at a distance—armed with crossbows, ready to strike.
Brunhild's eyes locked onto the crossbowmen.
With a quick breath, she activated [Glacial Dash] once more. Her figure blurred as she closed the distance in an instant, icy magic flaring beneath her boots.
Just as the crossbowmen realized the danger, it was too late.
Brunhild spun her body mid-dash, drawing her blade in a fluid motion—
Slash. Slash. Slash.
The steel sang through the air in a flurry of sweeping arcs. With a frozen spiral technique, she cut down the trio in a single, elegant motion—three bodies freeze before they could even scream.
Brunhild stopped her dash and spun gracefully, her cloak fluttering as she turned to face the remaining fight behind her.
Her golden eyes narrowed as she gave a firm command:
"Back off..."
The two guards, recognizing her authority and tone, instantly disengaged and stepped aside without a word, catching their breath.
Brunhild didn't hesitate. She whispered "[Glacial Dash]" once more, and with a burst of frozen wind, she lunged forward. In a single fluid motion, her blade arced horizontally—
Slash. Slash.
The steel shimmered with frost as it cut through the air—and the assassins.
For a moment, silence.
Then, a glimmer of ice crept along their bodies, spreading like veins of frost.
Brunhild calmly sheathed her sword with a crisp shhk.
And the moment her blade clicked into place—
Thud. Thud. Thud.
All five assassins collapsed to the floor simultaneously, frozen solid.
Seeing the five assassins collapse at the same time, the two guards exchanged glances. Without hesitation, they turned toward Brunhild and saluted her sharply, saying, "Vice Commander, welcome back!"
Brunhild gave a curt nod and said, "Report the situation," her gaze shifting to the five fallen assassins lying nearby.
One of the guards stepped forward and replied, "Report, Vice Commander! Their group suddenly appeared inside the castle and launched an attack without warning," his tone serious. He added with a puzzled look, "There were no reports of any breaches at the castle gates or walls."
Hearing that, Brunhild frowned, touched her chin in thought, and muttered, "Is that so…"
After a moment of silence, Brunhild turned back to the two guards and asked, "Where is the Commander?" her voice tinged with confusion.
One of the guards immediately responded, "He's fighting the leader of the intruders over there," he pointed toward a side of the castle. "Because the area around the castle is critical, he ordered us to secure the castle first," his tone laced with sadness.
Brunhild nodded in understanding and said firmly, "Alright, you two secure the castle immediately."
The guards saluted sharply and replied, "Understood, Vice Commander. We'll go at once…" They then turned and hurried off.
As soon as they left, Brunhild dashed toward the area the guard had indicated, muttering under her breath, "Father… I hope everything is okay…"
Upon arriving at the battle, Brunhild saw that the fight had already concluded. Letting out a sigh, she called out, "Father..." Her eyes landed on Kruger, who was holding his stomach where a shallow cut had marked his side.
Hearing his daughter's voice, Kruger turned to her with a smile and said, "Ah... my daughter... welcome home."
Brunhild's gaze shifted to him with concern. She immediately asked, "Father, why aren't you holding your shield?" Her eyes then fell on the sword lodged in the assassin's body. She raised an eyebrow, continuing, "And why is this sword not the one you usually use?"
Hearing his daughter's words, Kruger let out a hearty laugh. "Ahahaha…" He scratched the back of his head with one hand and said, "I left my sword and shield in my room. The attack came too suddenly—caught me while I was outside. Didn't even have time to grab them." He laughed again, almost sheepishly.
Brunhild sighed and slapped her forehead. "Father…"
Watching her reaction, Kruger's expression shifted as something clicked in his memory. "Wait… if you're here, does that mean the Queen has returned?"
Brunhild gave a small nod.
"Oh…?" Kruger looked around. "So where is Her Majesty now?"
Brunhild's face flushed slightly with embarrassment as she replied, "When the attack began… the Queen immediately broke away from the group and rushed straight toward the castle."
As they were talking, a sudden thump—clak—clak echoed nearby, the sound of something heavy crashing to the ground.
Kruger and Brunhild immediately turned toward the source of the noise, just in time to see a pair of wooden legs reinforced with metal crash to the ground with a loud, metallic thud.
Kruger frowned as he stared at the strange object. "Aren't these... golem legs? Why are they here?" he asked in a puzzled tone.
(Note: Many people, including Kruger, are unaware of Paul's exoskeleton.)
Brunhild narrowed her eyes, then pointed toward one of the upper-floor windows of the castle that looked damaged. "I don't know either. But it fell from up there."
She stepped closer, examining the remnants of ice magic still clinging to the metal surface around the legs. "And judging by the traces of ice magic... it looks like the Queen was the one who attacked it."
Nodding, Kruger said to Brunhild, "I see… You go secure the castle from any intruders. I'll go to the Queen," as he began walking in the direction she had pointed.
"Okay, Father…" Brunhild replied, then immediately dashed toward the castle, where the sounds of battle still echoed through the halls.