1 Chapter 1: Prologue

He was very exhausted.

He couldn't believe that restoring Eddan was more burdensome than ending the war.

However it was a judgement that left him satisfied, for his love of humanity would make him do whatever it takes to guide them down to a prosperous path. That was something he was destined to do.

With the defeat of Yaldabaoth, it is prudent of him to say that he at least deserve a day of rest.

Yes... rest he shall. And when tomorrow comes, he would bear the fruits of his labor and celebrate it with his dear children.

...

He didn't.

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Allendis woke up from the dead of spring night, panting and covered in sweat. The window creaked as the air breezed through.

His confused gray eyes stared at the ceiling, he squinted a little bit as if focusing on something.

He didn't know what to think of his dream.

Restoring the continent. War. Yaldabaoth. Words that made no sense in his mind yet rang true to his lips.

Just then, Allendis heard a hurried knock on his door. The rocking of footsteps was evident just across the room.

"Come in."

The door opened up to reveal the old man running the inn he was staying. He looked completely distressed and panicked.

"Sir! We need your help!" The old man begged the stranger.

Allendis quickly calmed his nerves, his face turned serious, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What happened?" The question was barely a whisper and yet it sounded so loud and intimidating.

The old man let out an audible gulp. "The guard said that there were a large group of bandits spotted just outside the village entrance, he said to meet him downstairs to talk to you."

Slowly, Allendis stood up and began preparing for what he needed- since he already wore his light armor in his sleep, he only needed to get his sword and his black coat.

"Of course but tell him that it will cost him." Allendis told him with apathetic gaze turned to the owner.

"Ye-yes!" The old man wobbled out of his room.

With his sword rested on his waist and his coat draped casually over his shoulders, Allendis headed straight to the mess hall to see what awaited him.

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Nothing had been going well for Adelaide these days.

One minute she was about to return to the empire from her studies, the next her carriage was being under attack by bandits. It all had been going so fast.

But first, she needed to diffuse the situation.

Fleeing was seemingly the best option she had. Adelaide was outnumbered five-to-one, equipped only with her battle axe.

So she ran.

But that wouldn't be enough to deal with the bandits. She needed to find help as soon as she could but she needed to lose them first, buy her some time. Running through the forest would allow her to use the precious time in losing them and getting help

However, getting lost in a forest at the dead of night was not advantageous for her, especially with their numbers. Luckily, she was nearing the watch tower of a nearby village.

So far, her attempt was successful, as she couldn't sense the bandits' presence. Most of them smelled like they were drench in booze and blood and she was relieved that her quick thinking worked.

Adelaide her a commanding voice halted her in her tracks.

"Halt! Who are you?! And what business do you have?!" The voice she heard came from a guard that stood above the watch tower, his sword ready in case Adelaide made any suspicious movement.

"I request help!" Adelaide shouted at him while the man slowly descended from his post. "A group of bandits are pursuing me and they want my head. Could your militia perhaps lend me their aid?" Adelaide told the man as politely as she could. Courtesy was a subject that all children like her master from such a young age and she used politeness as a tool most of the time.

"What?! And you're dragging us into this?!" He became even more guarded than before, indicated by his drawn blade.

"Yes, but that's not the issue right now. What's important is that you help me get rid of this mess, don't worry I'll take full responsibility." She ordered with a steady voice.

"Like hell we will!"

"Would you allow any harm to befall this village? Or your family?! If no, then help me drive them away, we're wasting enough time as it is." Adelaide's tone raised slightly.

While he still did not like the idea of getting dragged into her mess, he had to admit, she made a point. Villages in the outskirts are more prone to bandit attacks far more than those that operate under a banner.

"Tsk, fine! I'll go get help!" The guard huffes as he stormed off, he knew just the person to asked for help.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

___________________________

...

"So, you would help us?"

Allendis looked unimpressed or at least, what it seemed liked to the guard. "Yes."

"Ha! Thanks pal!"

"But it will cost you extra. I understand your reasoning but taking on a group of bandits without alerting the villagers is..."

"Argh, you mercs are all the same! Fine, fine. I'll get the money ready for you." The guard hissed, when he remembered something. "By the way, the one who notified me about the bandits was a white haired woman. She's at the entrance, you'll know who I'm talking about."

"Okay."

Allendis needed more than his sword. He needed a cautious approach. He immediately prepared a dozen knives that he bought in a blacksmith from the previous village and hid it under his coat. Knives are incredibly versatile in mercenary work, whether he needed to cut something quick or hide a blade for unpredictable combat, he would always carry those blades.

He quickly went to the entrance of the village, passing by multiple houses that were unlit during the dead of night, and there he saw a beautiful woman standing, waiting patiently. Her white hair and her short stature were the most prominent feature she had at first glance, her gold eyes that turns amber in the dark at the second.

Adelaide noticed the odd stare he was giving her despite its sharp look and the black armor the man was wearing. She got the feeling that he was the 'help' she requested.

"So only you?" A resigned sigh escaped her pink lips.

"Yes. The guard hired me." He stated.

Hiring a mercenary. Certainly the militia here wasn't that bad. If so then the village would've been pillaged long ago by bandits.

He merely moved past her and started to observe the area surrounding the village. Trees on the nearest left. A small windmill at the center, just past the trees. Thicker trees on the near right of the village.

He turned to Adelaide. Silently contemplating his words.

"You. How good are you with that axe?"

He didn't contemplate enough.

Adelaide chose to ignore his brusque manners. "Good enough, but how do you propose we deal with them."

"A pincer attack."

She looked at him confused. A signal to elaborate further.

"We'll use the trees for cover. But first, you need to bait them into following you. This will allow me to attack them from behind. I'll hide on the trees on the right, you draw them in to the left." Considering their numbers, it was a sound strategy in her eyes. Though she would've thought that if you are on the defensive, they should use much more offensive strategems.

"If we do that then we'll risk letting them get past the village. Villages are treasure troves to bandits and we can't contain them with just the two of us."

Adelaide was surprised at his sudden words, as if he just read her mind but she could've sworn that she was just giving it some thought.

"You're confused. Don't worry, I can't read your mind. I just have a knack for these types of things."

He could feel her gaze observing him quietly. "You have a strange presence around you. Be sure to not disappoint."

If Allendis was flustered by her comment, he didn't show it. "Get into position. They're almost here."

"Right!"

After getting to position, a group of bandits emerged from the forest beyond the windmill. It seemed like they would have to take the former approach.

Adelaide took this opportunity to reveal herself.

"There she is! After her!" Their leader ordered.

It wasn't long till all of them began chasing her. They were fast but learning how to outpace their level was elementary.

Allendis saw Adelaide ran towards the western trees, when the bandits were all in between them. He threw a dagger with blinding speed. The dagger punctured the first bandit's jugular. The bandit's body dropping with a loud thud, blood gushing out of his neck. One.

"Wha— AARGH!"

The next man shouted but before he could finish, a sword was plunged into his chest, his mouth oozed blood immediately. Two.

He threw another dagger, this time, hitting the third bandit's leg. Once distracted, he went and sliced his head off, his eyes rolled over and his mouth gurgled before dying. Three.

One of the bandits screamed as he turned and faced Allendis.

"AAAAAARGH!"

The bandit was met by an axe from behind, cleaving him in half.

Allendis' eyes widened slightly. It was quite surprising for a young woman of her stature and small frame to have that kind of strength.

"Well? How was that?" Adelaide smirked at the remaining brigands as she twirled her axe in preparation.

"Focus." The mercenary stated, regaining his composure from her little display.

Allendis wasted no time and engaged the enemies. The other bandits didn't have time to react as he was already moving from the corpse he just made like he was some sort of reaper. Four. Five.

Not wanting to slow him down, Adelaide charged at the remaining bandits. They were frozen in fear by the mercenary's fearsome assasult. She saw this as an opportunity to dispose of the remaining two.

"Hey! You with the fish stare! Stay outta my way!" The bandit leader rushed forward towards Allendis, preparing to do a desperate final swing.

The young woman then noticed the last bandit sneaking behind the mercenary.

Allendis held his ground as he engaged the bandit leader, using his sword to block the leader's slash, he used the momentum of the leader to send him flying with his sword. Adelaide ran towards Allendis and winded her axe for a devastating strike to the last bandit charging at the mercenary just in time by cutting the bandit in half.

Allendis was rather surprised, he didn't expect her to know about the sneak attack that the leader planned, it seems she was at least trained enough to notice.

He heard the bandit leader, groaning in agony.

Before he could deal with the bandit leader, he saw the white haired woman had already passed by him first and towards the man on the ground. She lowered her axe on his neck, eyes turning dark, as if silently threatening to kill him.

"Why did you ambush me?" She asked with a steel voice.

Allendis watched the scene unfold, he saw the look on the bandit leader's eyes and recognised it instantly, fear. Fear that he will die by her hands.

"A-a guy to-told us that a royal was about to passed through this route. I-I dunno his name, but he was wearing a white mask and a black cloak, that's all I know, I swear!"

"And what will you do to me if you were successful, scum?" She asked, her voice was calm but she was hiding her seething anger underneath.

Understandably, the bandit leader didn't have anything to say, maybe they were going to hold her for ransom. Maybe they planned to kill her or sell her off. Either way, the princess was not in the mood and was ready to explode at any second.

When the lack of an answer came from the leader, she raised her axe to deliver out his punishment but her arm was met with a force that prevented her from lowering it.

"Control yourself." Allendis said quietly, grabbing her arm tighter. It was the only thing that he could say to her.

"You got what you're after, no need to waste your energy on scum like him."

She stared at him for a good minute. He stared back, not wavering a bit. She saw a sharp look for a brief moment before finally coming to her senses. She slowly lowered her axe, her eyes, unreadable.

Allendis turned to the man shaking in fear. "Leave, and don't make the mistake of doing this again."

The bandit leader quickly nodded his head as he picked himself up and ran for his life, leaving behind his dead allies.

"Mercenary I-"

"Allendis. Call me Allendis."

"Right. Well, Allendis I would like to talk to you about something?"

"We'll do this at the inn I'm staying at."

"Right... But first, we need to notify the guard and maybe let them clean up the mess we made." For some reason, he felt a twinge of guilt in her words but decided to ignore it.

___________________________

"I never did properly introduced myself have I? I am Adelaide von Helregin, the imperial princess of the Valhalla Empire." She announced while subtly evaluating his reaction.

Allendis merely nodded for her to continue. He leaned back to his chair as she faced Adelaide across the table of the mess hall.

"Well, I saw that you were quite the skilled mercenary back there. The way you dispatched the threats were... sufficed to say, quite efficient. It's clear that you're experienced in this line of work."

He merely nodded again, to let her know that he knows.

"And so, I will offer you a proposition." She said.

Allendis tilted his head slightly.

"You want to hire me?"

"To put it bluntly, yes. As a bodyguard." She said, her eyes trying to find faults on his mannerisms.

"What's in it for me?"

She thought about for a second. "A large sum of money. If that is not enough then you can name your price."

He stayed silent for an inordinate amount of time. She waited patiently for his response, her eyes not straying away from him.

"Okay."

She was relieved that he accepted her offer. "Really? That's great." Having someone as skilled as him by her side would make her journey a lot safer.

But she would be lying if she said she wasn't interested in him. Something was telling her that there was something more to the mercenary than what meets the eye.

"Are you returning to Valhalla?" He suddenly asked.

"Ahh yes, that's why I want you as my bodyguard, at least until we reach the empire. Danger is always lurking." She replied frankly.

"Then get some rest. We leave tomorrow morning, I can rent you a room if you'd like?"

She didn't expect him to accommodate her so quickly, her retainer certainly, but a mercenary? "No, no need for that we can share yours instead."

After giving it some thought, he agreed to her suggestion. "Follow me." He stood up and went upstairs while she followed suit.

They arrived in his room and realisation dawned on her. There was only one bed.

"Oh! My apologies, it didn't occur to me that your room only has one bed." She said almost in a panic.

He stared at her, his dark gray eyes looked like he was confuse but she couldn't tell. She just didn't know how to read him.

"It's okay, you can take the bed. I'll just ask the owner for some covers."

"But...!" She was too late as he already closed the door behind him.

A sigh escaped her lips and then she began looking around the room. It was fairly ordinary, only having the basic necessities, though it was surprisingly clean.

She decided to take his word and she occupied his bed. Her eyes felt heavy with all what she has experienced in one night.

Allendis went back to his room, only to find Adelaide already passed asleep. He gently removed the old covers on his bed and replaced it with new ones. He then laid down his own covers as a makeshift bed. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

He wondered if this woman would be a huge pain for him in the near future.