Chapter 13 New Trouble

Walking down the dark dungeon below the castle, Berthold glanced behind him where he could hear the sobbing of a group of people. Even though they were escorted by few of guards and Berthold and Paul, the refugees surprisingly not trying to beg to spare them or releasing them and only silently sobbing. Which made Berthold suspicious.

However, as they not doing something else, the others could only silently walk. Not long, Berthold who is leading at the front stopped. "Open this prison." He said.

Then one of soldier nearby walked at him while pulling out a chain of keys. Unlocking it, he opened the prison-wide.

"Wait a minute." Suddenly, Paul who is standing in the far behind shouted at them and stopped the soldiers who were going to push the refugees to the prison.

He then walked to the group of refugees. "Why all of you not speaking anything? Even when you not doing anything, do you think you would be spared? You people just helped an assassin to attack the Princess after all."

"Sister Nadia is not assassin!" shout a kid in the mid of the refugees, but his mouth was suddenly covered by a hand.

However, this exclamation made the people surrounding surprised. Berthold walked to that kid and surprised that the kid eyes weren't dull like the others, he bends his leg and smiled at him. "Is that so? Could you tell me what happens?"

The kid looked like he would like to say something before his tear poured down and he crying loudly, troubled Berthold. The old woman beside the kid then hugged him the turned toward Berthold.

"My lord, we cannot have any choice… Our people have been ambushed in the middle of the way and many people lose their lives… Only a few of us manage to escape, but we are captured at the end…" The old woman trembled as she remembered the memories, and made the people nearby to also crying.

The others paled. "T-then how did all you arrive here?" there was unknown who said this, but the old woman only shook her head.

"Our heads were covered and we only feel like we ride on something big… When they pulled our blindfold, we already arrive at the border of this domain… One of them then forced us to attack the princess, but if we refused, they said that no one would survive…" The old woman then hugged the kid tighter.

Berthold and Paul exchanged a glance with a surprised expression. Before long the old woman continued. "That woman… her sister was taken, hostage… So she…" she then turned toward Berthold. Her dull eyes looked creepy and made Berthold flinched for a moment. "My lord, when they forced us to submit, I saw it… The monster that bringing us here… It's so big and scary… There is no safe place anymore… There is no…"

"W-wait a moment… What monster?" Berthold forgets his fear and grabbed her shoulder, but the old woman only shook in fear and unable to respond to his question.

Then, a soldier suddenly appeared from upstairs in rush. "My lord, Commander Natasha already waiting. She wants both of you to meet her immediately at the meeting hall."

Berthold wanted to refute him that he needs to question the refugees for more info. He not even have a chance to ask about Helminna, but seeing the scared expression of the soldiers, he could only nod before letting the others handle the refugees and rushed with Paul to the meeting hall.

***

Arriving at the meeting hall, Berthold and Paul noticed that Natasha already seating down and waiting for them. However, she was sitting in the place where the princess was sitting before with Mary sitting down with her head hung low on her own seat. They could only exchange glance for a moment then bowed at Natasha before silently sitting down on their own seats.

The silence lasted for a moment before Natasha opened her mouth. "Fortunately the Princess condition is not that bad and she currently resting inside her room. That is why I would take all the command from now on."

Natasha then looked around to see if there was someone who did not agree with her, but the other three could only nod and let Natasha continued.

"This incident really surprised us that the enemy would use an assassin hidden among our people, again." Natasha clenched her fist in anger.

Berthold raised his head. "Commander Natasha, I believe that woman is not totally an enemy. I believe she was forced to do that. She is just a commoner-"

"But that's not a reason to silently attack us! She is already guilty, and the others also. They escorted the assassin, so they must also an accomplice." Natasha glared at Berthold and silenced him.

"But-"

"There is no but! Every traitor shall be punished." Natasha then turned toward Mary and the latter flinched. "Mary, what is your discovery of the poison used in this attack?"

Mary suddenly turned timid. "Erm… About the poison, it's my first time to see it…" Seeing Natasha glare, Mary paled. "B-but, thanks to my master notebook I identified it." She pulled out a small book inside her robe sleeves.

Natasha nodded. "Go on."

Mary opened the page of the book and her hand traced the notes. "The characteristic of the substance is thick blackish green, and the one that causes healing magic cannot do much help. It is this. Goblin blood Poison."

The others shocked hearing Mary report. Goblin's blood was filled with so many bacteria and not really dangerous if only touched but if consumed could made someone fall ill, that is why the people sometime saying to their child to clean themselves or they would have goblin blood in them. However, some of the crazy alchemists started to experiment with it and found that they could become lethal poison. There was why the goblins populations are now extinct because many people want to have it for their own gain or people that afraid of evil people wants to use it.

These potions were known to cause pain slowly and based on how much the poison was used could only render people to only suffer pain or death immediately because of a heart attack. How do the enemies have a possession of this things?

"See? How terrible our enemies are! If they really resorted to doing this, we should also show them we not fear them!!" Natasha slammed her hand at the table. She then falls in thought, but her expression showed a seriousness that she never shown before.

Berthold and Mary could only exchange a glance with a worried expression, Natasha was losing herself, but they cannot do anything. How many numbers were the enemy army? What the enemy movement right now? Both of them had their own thought but this speculation made them turns pale because of lack of information.

"I think we also had another thing to report." Suddenly Paul which was silent opened his mouth and surprised them.

"Say it, Paul." Natasha stared at him with her sharp gaze.

Paul folded his arm. "I think Berthold could explain it to us."

"What!?" Berthold shocked that suddenly he becomes a center of attention. He feels uncomfortable, especially the sharp stare from Natasha. So he forced his brain to think about something while he silently cursing Paul that forced him into this situation.

Before long he remembered the paper on the dagger and the stories from the old refugees. "That's right. From what we know by questioning the refugees, it seems they are getting attacked by enemies on the road. They send few of them here as a warning and a threat that their main army would come at us. I believe they would first attack our surrounding domain to thin our force and in a week they would arrive here." Berthold's keep getting sweat down his back at the stare from Natasha and could only say everything that he knows and hide some of the information.

"Wait!" Mary suddenly stands up with her face pale. "You said that the enemy aimed at our domain first? Don't my domain also included?" She then turned toward Natasha, but when she saw the glare from her, she paled and slowly sat down.

Natasha sighed. "First, I should say thanks for you, Knight Berthold."

Berthold's get surprised. "Me?"

"You found the enemy assassin when you arrived at the gate, it's just our fault for late to react. But how could you get so many reports that even your scout only found the refugees?"

'Does she suspicious of me?' He gets speechless and forgets to refute her. Natasha then glanced at Paul. "Is he really speaking the truth?"

To Berthold's surprise, Paul nodded, and he could take a sigh of relief. Natasha closed her eyes and nodded before turned toward the worried Mary. "Go, take all your unit and bring all your people here. I think we would have the last stand in this place."

Mary's face brightened. "Thank you. I shall leave five of my healer to help you. After I sorted our evacuation there, we would rush here. I will take my leave." She then bowed down before trotted out as if afraid that Natasha would change her mind.