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chapter 8
Like a Lion
When the Lion King first learned that Adeline’s chef was actually Ordo’s messenger, he grew suspicious. As a king himself, he knew well how radical Ordo’s ideology was.
The continent’s history had begun with deeply rooted dynasties. Just as the sky is above and the earth below, it was natural for a king to rule his people, and for his son to inherit the throne.
But Ordo was the first to oppose that system. Their claim was that all humans are the same—everyone has eyes, nose, and mouth, as well as a body and mind.
The Lion King wondered if the messenger intended to use Adeline to bring chaos to Marma. Acting on that suspicion, he infiltrated Adeline’s palace late at night, grabbed the messenger by the collar, and dragged him into the deep forest.
“Leave immediately if you plan to use her and abandon her,” he said. Initially trembling and protesting that he was on their side, Ordo’s informant Ringo’s expression changed then.
“That’s not your concern. We made a contract with the princess. A promise we would risk our lives to keep.”
Ringo didn’t reveal the details of the promise, and the Lion King didn’t ask.
“I don’t want her to be in danger.”
“The path she walks is full of danger.”
“Do you think a weakling like you can protect her?”
“Not that I’d dare say it in front of the continent’s greatest warrior… but I pride myself on being quite skilled at killing people.”
“Then I’ll test that.” Without saying more, the Lion King drew his sword. As the atmosphere grew tense, Ringo also drew two daggers from his sleeves.
The dark forest was the perfect place for a fight. A cold wind rustled dry leaves, carrying eerie sounds into their ears.
Ringo twirled the daggers slowly in both hands. From this motion alone, the Lion King recognized him as a highly skilled assassin.
“I heard Ordo is an intelligence group,” the Lion King said.
“Those who handle secrets must be able to escape any situation,” Ringo replied.
He meant death was acceptable, but capture was not. The Lion King understood.
No more words were needed. The Lion King lightly flicked his long sword and charged forward.
“The Lion of Baltica… is not human.”
Ringo was utterly defeated. Despite fighting fiercely, he couldn’t even scratch the Lion King.
“You’re not bad either,” said the Lion King, a hint of softness returning to his tone after testing Ringo. They sat side by side, drying their sweat in the cold wind.
“May I ask something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why do you like our princess so much?”
The Lion King was irritated that Ringo referred to Adeline as “our princess,” but he calmly answered without showing it.
“She’s a warrior.”
“She seems fragile.”
“She’s not. If you really think that, you’ve badly misjudged her.”
“Is that so?”
“A warrior is one who fights.”
Adeline was fighting. Her battlefield would be the most dangerous and treacherous place on the continent.
Ringo chuckled. He sheathed his daggers and massaged his sore wrists, then whispered quietly to the Lion King:
“Do you know? Our princess… she’s a real warrior.”
“What? Didn’t I just say that?”
“No, I mean… can you, with a wooden bow and a thin arrow, hit that up there?”
Ringo pointed with his finger at the ornament on the high roof of Adeline’s palace far away.
“That pointy thing?”
“Impossible. Too far.”
“The princess can do it.”
Ringo laughed heartily.
“Can’t believe it? I didn’t at first either. But once, at a border town of Nova, she killed an assassin moving even farther away with just one arrow. When we retrieved the body, the thin iron tip was perfectly embedded in the assassin’s forehead.”
“What? Someone with that skill… why such an injury?”
“She needed to look powerless,” Ringo said bitterly.
“So that no one in this country would be wary of her. A naïve and fragile princess. That’s what she wanted. I wasn’t there, so I can’t be sure… but that arrow might have been intentional.”
The Lion King recalled the day he first met Adeline, carrying her as she had collapsed and running toward a nearby farmhouse.
She claimed it was a minor injury, but to him, it could have been fatal. Without his first aid, infection would have worsened. Even in a fevered, delirious state, she had kept her mouth tightly shut, not even talking in her sleep. He had to massage her jaw repeatedly to loosen it.
If that arrow was intentional, her mental fortitude was extraordinary.
“Please protect our princess well. Honestly… sometimes it’s a bit risky. She’s ready to burn away without leaving ashes.”
Even after Ringo returned to Adeline’s palace, the Lion King stood there for a while, thinking.
Recalling the events, he gazed at Adeline’s face.
As they headed south, the group discovered another stronghold—across a wide river. This site seemed significant to the human traffickers, as guards had been posted along the riverside.
To cross, they would have to pass a bridge, making them visible. The group hesitated; charging recklessly could allow the enemies to escape first.
Then Adeline acted. She approached some freed captives carrying bows and arrows stolen from the kidnappers. She asked if they could shoot the guard across the river.
“They can’t. The wind is strong, and it’s too far.”
Adeline didn’t linger. She took their bows and arrows, walked to the riverbank, knelt on one knee among the reeds, and prepared to shoot. Her subordinates were alarmed, warning that it was too risky. But the Lion King stepped back, giving her space.
“Everyone, clear the way.”
“Eh? Baltica! But…”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
The bow was crude—warped limbs, loose string, frayed grip, and the arrow rest missing.
Adeline examined it briefly, then silently drew the string. Her cloak slid down, revealing her face: white forehead, straight nose, eyes sharply focused. Not a single eyelash twitched.
The guard stood across the river, seemingly relieving himself. The river was wide, and the wind blew. Yet she released the arrow immediately.
It struck the guard’s neck, and he fell into the water, unable even to scream.
Splash—it was over.
Her subordinates stared, mouths agape, seeking explanation. The Lion King, smirking, approached Adeline and took the bow from her.
“I thought you’d aim for the head,” he said.
Adeline frowned, as if he had predicted everything. He gave no explanation. This was her opportunity; his role was to complete the operation swiftly.
“Cross the river.”
The subordinates covered their faces with black cloth; the Lion King did the same. Though it felt unkingly, the task seemed oddly enjoyable.
He led the way, the others following at full speed. Crossing the bridge, they entered a field of dry grass and scattered trees.
“There’s another guard over there.”
“Catch him.”
Two subordinates dashed through the grass, subdued the guard, gagged him, tied his limbs, and covered him with a sack.
“Yah—ha!”
Binding him with ropes was swift. Adeline whistled, impressed.
“Incredible. Not just skilled, a complete master.”
“He won’t like that.”
“Why? It’s praise.”
More guards met the same fate. Adeline warned them:
“Stay quiet, or you’ll die. It’s more economical to kill than drag the noisy ones along, right?”
The sacks went still.
“Don’t breathe a word. Resist, and it won’t just be death—you’ll be tortured, starved, thrown to beasts. Remember the slaves you handled this way, how they begged and pleaded. Now feel it for yourself.”
“That’s enough. We get it.”
“This isn’t a threat, it’s a warning.”
By the end, all three sacks lay still. Adeline returned to the Lion King.
“Let’s go.”
Three were enough; someone would speak. They had a fake maid with them.
When pulled from the sacks, the traffickers fell under hypnosis and revealed everything. The southern branch’s mid-level manager of the human trafficking ring served as the guard captain in Voltane, a border city. Adeline smiled knowingly; the Lion King’s subordinates cursed.
Winter had begun, and the early sunset cast the sky in red. The Lion King approached Adeline, seated on a tree stump.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing.”
She smiled enigmatically.
“Are we heading to Voltane?”
“Of course.”
After catching the mid-level manager, they would track his superior, eventually reaching the head of the southern branch. That would lead her to her target.
“Don’t worry.”
“Huh?”
“You will achieve what you want.”
Adeline’s violet eyes reflected the sunset. Fluttering her long lashes, she asked:
“How do you know?”
“I can tell.”
“That’s… not helpful.”
The Lion King silently sat beside her. Though the stump was narrow, it didn’t matter.
After Voltein’s captain of the guard went missing, a few soldiers came to the inn. They seemed to be trying to find out if any travelers had seen him outside the city. The innkeeper, looking thoroughly annoyed, let them inside.
However, the inn’s dining hall was already filled with the Lion King’s armed subordinates, clearly seasoned warriors. Thick forearms and muscular thighs twitched here and there. Their sun-tanned faces were covered with small scars.
The soldiers were flustered. They had walked in confidently before, but now their eyes darted around the room nervously. Their gaze fell on Adeline, who had just finished eating at a reserved table with her maid, Nabi, and was about to rise.
“Ahem! You there, traveler? We have a few questions and need your cooperation.”
What a dumb brute.
Adeline was in a dress. To attract attention and spread rumors, she needed to keep wearing this luxurious outfit. Anyone could tell she belonged to a noble family. Why, of all people, did they choose her? It would have been much easier to question the warriors.
As Voltein’s soldiers approached, Nabi stepped in front of Adeline and raised her chin arrogantly.
“Kneel! How dare you… do you know who this person is?!”
Thanks to this, the fake maid’s acting skills were improving by leaps and bounds.
“Eh? W-who are you?”
“Kneel and bow your head at once! To the noble of the Great Marma Empire…!”
“Enough. Stop it.”
Adeline sat back down. Nabi, standing close beside her, clasped her hands together.
“What’s going on? Who are you?”
“We are Voltein’s guard. We… need to ask the noble some questions.”
They fumbled through their words, trying to inform her about the missing captain. Since the Lion King’s subordinates had been staring at them from the start, the atmosphere in the dining hall had grown tense.
“We wanted to ask if you happened to see anyone suspicious outside the city.”
“Do you even know what your captain looks like, asking me this? Isn’t a portrait the very basics for finding a missing person?”
“Eh? That is…”
“Voltein isn’t a border town? Hundreds of people pass through every day. How are you supposed to pick out a suspicious person without knowing what they look like?”
The soldiers exchanged nervous glances. Now they seemed more interested in revealing her identity than finding their captain.
“May I ask the noble’s name?”
A braver soldier spoke up. Adeline, sitting in her chair, rested her chin on her hand, while Nabi exploded in anger beside her.
“You wretch! Get out immediately! How dare you disturb the noble’s rest! If you continue to trouble her, your lord will face great hardship!”
Clearly, the fake maid was the one most suited to this role-playing. Adeline stifled the laughter threatening to escape.
The soldiers left quickly. The Lion King’s subordinates, who had been shooting threatening glances, returned to eating peacefully. Adeline exchanged subtle nods with a few free citizens mingling in the crowd, silently praising them.
“The guards were here?”
The Lion King returned late at night, claiming he had been mapping the city. Adeline was lying face down on the bed, circling places on a Voltein tourist map she had bought with a red pen.
“Nothing serious. They were just looking for their missing captain.”
“How did it go?”
“Nabi scolded them and chased them away.”
He chuckled quietly. Only then did she realize he had sat beside her, looking at the map.
“Adeline, what is this?”
“It’s a map.”
“I meant the circled spots. Don’t tell me you plan to attack all of these?”
He asked seriously, assuming she intended to raid the city to capture Voltein’s lord.
“Not at all.”
“Then what?”
“I’ll make Voltein’s lord come to me on his own.”
Capturing and torturing him would have been easy. With the Lion King’s strength, dragging in a mere thug would have been nothing. But he was a noble, the lord of a border city. He couldn’t be made to disappear like a missing captain. She needed him to cooperate voluntarily.
Handing the map to the Lion King, she said:
“From tomorrow, you’ll have to accompany me.”
“I see. What should I do?”
“Give me expensive gifts. Until every merchant in this city recognizes our faces.”
The handsome face of the Lion King twisted slowly.
Voltein’s roads were well-maintained. Entering the city center, shops of all sizes lined the wide streets. The Emperor’s ornate carriage moved slowly, causing pedestrians to step aside and stare.
The Lion King had folded the map Adeline gave him last night and put it in his pocket.
“First stop, a souvenir shop?”
“Buy the most expensive one. Got it?”
“Understood. Don’t worry.”
His subordinate, who had been assigned as the assistant, clutched a box of gold coins as if ready to faint. Adeline told him to relax.
Adeline, Nabi, the Lion King, and his subordinate got out of the carriage. Linking arms with the Lion King and resting her head on his bicep, Adeline drew the curious gazes of onlookers directly to her, a mix of light admiration and sticky jealousy.
“Is this the place?”
The Lion King asked naturally. Adeline smiled and nodded.
“I heard border town souvenir shops have many interesting items.”
“I hope something catches your eye.”
His voice was soft and smooth, though low-pitched enough not to annoy. The subordinate holding the gold coins muttered under his breath about the world ending, which Nabi pinched, eliciting a small squeak.
“Welcome!”
The souvenir shop owner bowed deeply, smiling excessively when they entered.
“Welcome, esteemed guests. Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“You have an eye for quality.”
Adeline interrupted him with an elegant smile. The owner, seeing her attire, jewelry, and the luxurious box held by the Lion King’s subordinate, gestured solemnly to a display case.
“Shall we come this way?”
Voltein’s souvenir shop wasn’t as extravagant as those in Sol-Marma, the capital, but it had many intriguing items. Adeline pulled the Lion King’s arm playfully and approached the display.
“What’s this?”
The first thing that caught her eye was a gold-plated scorpion figurine, inlaid with gemstones on its tail and pincers. Beautiful, but utterly useless.
“Scorpions are one of Voltein’s specialties. Half a day south lies the desert, where you can catch scorpions as thick as a person’s arm. Their tail venom is deadly, but gypsies use it for medicine, alcohol, and even food.”
“Fascinating!”
Adeline admired it, winking at the Lion King.
“You’ve seen many strange things in the desert?”
“Of course. Scorpion liquor is the best.”
This man lies well now. Adeline knew he didn’t usually drink, claiming it made him dizzy. Yet here he was, praising deadly scorpion liquor.
Seeing Adeline hesitate at the figurine, the shop owner quickly retrieved another item—a small, clear yellow amber block.
“This contains a trapped fairy.”
Everyone stared, skeptical.
“No lie! Look closely. Have you ever seen a bird like this, noble one? Only the size of a fingertip joint, with limbs. You can’t see the face, but I’m sure it’s an ancient fairy!”
Adeline, intrigued, accepted the jewel. The tiny creature inside looked like it had died trapped. A pair of wings and limbs were visible.
“Wow…”
It was not a fairy, but an insect. Still, she marveled like a girl discovering something for the first time.
“Really! A fairy exists!”
The Lion King, about to object, went silent. Tilting his head, he asked her:
“Do you like it?”
“It’s amazing! First time seeing this. Should we call it the Fairy’s Tomb?”
The shop owner beamed. Adeline nodded, and the Lion King immediately asked the price.
“How much?”
“To honor your greatness, only 70 gold coins!”
“This is a gift; don’t haggle. Say the price.”
70 gold coins were probably still steep. The owner took a deep breath and opened his ledger.
“Th-then… 90 coins.”
“Take care of it.”
Adeline, ecstatic, pressed her cheek to his arm as they left.
As the Lion King’s subordinate prepared the coins, Nabi finished the payment in record time.
“Thank you! Please enjoy your purchase!”
The shop owner bowed deeply, causing all nearby shopkeepers to look on.
Adeline whispered to the Lion King:
“You’ve improved at acting.”
“Having a great teacher helps.”
The rest of the day was similar. Adeline walked down streets, pointing to shops seemingly on impulse, though it was all calculated. Merchants increasingly brought out only the most expensive items. She sometimes shook her head in disappointment, sometimes accepted items eagerly.
“When we return, all of this will decorate my palace.”
“Good idea.”
“You’ll come see it, right?”
“Anywhere you call me, I’ll go.”
The Lion King’s voice carried charm. Every time he whispered to her, women nearby sighed.
Their last stop was a shabby weapons shop, not part of Adeline’s plan. Entering, the Lion King asked the old blacksmith:
“Can you make bows?”
“Anything that’s a weapon, yes.”
“Bring the lightest, strongest bow here.”
“Who will use it?”
The old man asked. The Lion King pointed to his waiting subordinate.
“He can’t wield a two-handed sword due to lack of strength. His archery is good, so we’ll train him as an archer.”
The old man brought a simple wooden bow, slightly longer than the
