Ch.123Chapter 123. Lin and Their Crossing Paths (5)

“Ugh…!”

Lucy clutched her chest.

The sight of Lynn and Rabin embracing amid the fireworks was beautiful even to her eyes, a well-matched pair.

Watching them caused a fierce pain to rise in her chest.

Unable to breathe properly, she reached out toward Lynn, but he was far away on the hill and wouldn’t turn to look at her.

Lucy despaired at that unreachable distance.

“Ah….”

Arsil also quietly swallowed his tears while pressing his chest.

He had to endure.

He had to bear it.

He had to hold on.

But Arsil had to look away from them.

It was difficult to watch Rabin brighten like a freshly bloomed flower after receiving a kiss on the forehead from Lynn.

He hated himself for feeling such dirty, clinging jealousy toward one of his only two remaining childhood friends.

“Lynn….”

Rabin gently placed her arms around Lynn’s neck.

Pressing herself against him down to just below her chest, she held him so he would look at her.

Their gazes met.

It felt as if they would be drawn into each other’s eyes.

Blue eyes guided the dark gaze, and black pupils captured the blue stare.

Slowly, their faces drew closer.

When they were finally close enough to feel each other’s breath, Rabin gently closed her eyes.

“Stop right there.”

But a voice interrupted the newly connected lovers.

As they turned their heads simultaneously, they saw a group of Imperial soldiers wearing the palace uniform.

“Judging by the mask, you’re the porter of the Hero’s party?”

“What business do you have?”

When the commander pointed to Lynn’s mask hanging at his waist, the porter politely asked about their purpose.

But the commander snorted.

“Porter of the Hero’s party, Lynn. You’re under arrest for embezzlement.”

—

Naidrian ran.

She ran and ran and ran again.

Her entire body was soaked with sweat and smelled, but she kept running without rest.

After sprinting for a full day without even a moment’s break, she finally saw the distant walls of the City of Romance.

“Just a little more… just a little more…!”

Her mind was urgent, but her body couldn’t keep up.

“Ah!”

Eventually, Naidrian misstepped and fell forward ungracefully.

Her thighs, calves, knees, and ankles were screaming for rest.

“Get up! I said get up!”

Once she stopped running after falling, her legs, having tasted that brief moment of comfort, began to disobey.

Hitting her trembling, convulsing thighs, Naidrian struggled to stand again.

When she managed to raise one knee, she felt excruciating pain.

The archer swallowed her scream and stood up, but collapsed again before taking even a single step.

“Naidrian!”

“Tigria…?”

Looking up at the sky upon hearing someone call her name, she saw the mage flying toward her.

“What are you doing? Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”

As soon as she landed, she examined the archer’s body, but Naidrian grabbed Tigria’s shoulders with a desperate face.

“Tigria, please… please… take me to Lowellina right now. Otherwise, the porter… Lynn will…!”

The archer’s plea to the mage suddenly stopped.

With her elven eyesight, Naidrian had spotted a group of Imperial soldiers entering Lowellina’s gate.

Tigria followed her gaze, discovered the Imperial soldiers, and bit her lip.

Just as Lynn had said.

“Tigria, hurry! The porter is in danger. My benefactor…!”

“Benefactor?”

“There’s no time to talk! We need to go stop those people!”

Naidrian was right.

Even though everything was flowing as Lynn had predicted, Tigria didn’t want to see him suffer.

Lynn had already tasted enough pain.

Because of none other than themselves.

“Hold tight.”

She took Naidrian in her arms and flew up.

She went as fast as possible, but the distance was quite far.

Even though she could barely open her eyes due to the wind from their speed, the archer kept shouting to go faster.

“What about the checkpoint?”

“Just fly through it! We don’t have time for that!”

Tigria frowned at the increasingly rude attitude but decided to let it go given the urgency.

As the archer suggested, they flew right over the wall, and their view captured Lynn and Rabin surrounded by Imperial soldiers on the plaza hill.

When did they get there?

Naidrian and Tigria hurriedly descended into the midst of the confusion.

“Who are you people!”

The archer and mage weren’t the only ones to arrive.

The Hero, who had rushed to the hill with the Saint, growled while gripping her sword handle.

“What nonsense are you talking about, taking Lynn away!”

But their opponents were an arrest squad sent from the imperial palace.

They were personnel dispatched in anticipation of such a situation.

“The moment you draw that sword, it will be considered treason against the Empire.”

“Go ahead, the first head to roll among the traitors will be yours.”

However, the arrest squad commander couldn’t have anticipated Lucy’s madness.

As black energy began to surge, the commander broke into a cold sweat.

Rabin and Arsil also prepared to take fighting stances around Lucy.

“Everyone, calm down.”

“Lynn!”

It was Lynn who tried to defuse the situation.

Rabin called out to him, but the porter continued calmly.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. If it’s nothing serious, I’ll be released, and causing a disturbance here would only get us arrested and unable to leave.”

“Hoh, more reasonable than you look.”

As Lynn raised his hands in surrender, the commander approached confidently with handcuffs.

However, this time Naidrian intervened.

“No!”

“Lady Archer. The criminal must be arrested for embezzlement for privately disposing of spoils obtained by the Hero’s party. Why are you acting like this? You’re the very person who wrote the accusation letter.”

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Naidrian.

Only Lynn was smiling bitterly.

The archer felt as if her heart was crumbling at that bitter smile.

“It’s a misunderstanding. I was wrong.”

“About what?”

“Lynn, the porter, doesn’t receive support funds as a member of the Hero’s party. Instead, he was given the authority to dispose of spoils obtained from the Hero party’s battles!”

Like the scholar she was, Naidrian had been able to piece together the context from the indirect hints Airan had given her.

The problem was that the arrest commander was listening with indifference.

“Yes, yes, so we’ll hear that story at the trial. Please step aside. I need to arrest the criminal…”

“I told you it’s not me!!!!”

She even drew her bow and aimed it at the commander.

As the situation turned ugly, Lynn tried to restrain her, but the commander didn’t stay idle either.

“If you say it’s not you, then it’s not?”

“I’m the one who wrote the accusation letter! If the person involved says it’s not, then it’s not! It was all my misunderstanding!”

“Once an accusation is filed, the Empire determines the truth, elf.”

He pulled out a document from inside his uniform.

“Archer of the Hero’s party, Naidrian. You are also under arrest as an accomplice who conspired with the porter Lynn to embezzle and profit from it!”

“What… did you say?”

“Did you think we came unprepared? We investigated all sources of funds and distribution routes. We obtained facts even from the World Postal Service. We’ve secured all objective evidence, including receipts!”

The commander scattered receipts he had brought as evidence toward Naidrian.

“Nine-tenths of the money from the disposed spoils flowed to you! If you’re not an accomplice, what are you!”

“No, no! That was all Lynn investing in my research. It was research to develop new tree seeds to save the diminishing Elven Forest! Lynn… the porter is a benefactor to us elves!”

“Stop talking nonsense, Naidrian!”

An old man’s thundering voice was heard.

That shout rendered the archer immobile.

Voices that always made her tense and anxious when she heard them.

They were the Elven Council elders.

“How did you get here?”

“Because of your stupid actions, we might even lose the land we were promised! You traitor and prodigal of this race!”

“No, no! The research is already complete. They’re healthy children that will grow well anywhere and form lush forests. They’ll create new homes for us elves!”

“How dare you!”

The furious council elders took away Naidrian’s bow and pinned her down from behind.

“Kneel!”

“Why are you doing this, please!!”

“This one still doesn’t understand her mistake!”

The elder who often supervised and scolded Naidrian nodded to the arrest commander after seeing that she was subdued.

The commander gestured, and the Imperial soldiers brought several large bundles.

Naidrian’s eyes widened when she saw the contents of the bundles.

“Those are…!”

“These are the sinful results you created with ill-gotten money, Naidrian!”

“Elder, no! I beg you like this. The porter did nothing wrong, and I… I only developed seeds for the future of our race!”

“You persist until the end! If those impure things exist, our race won’t receive land and will face extinction!”

The elder, who was extremely agitated, snatched a torch from one of the Imperial soldiers.

“Elder! Elder! I was wrong! No, please don’t! Anything but that!”

But the elder smiled distortedly.

“It’s already too late.”

With a thud, the torch was carelessly thrown onto the bundle.

“Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!”

“Burn them all!”

Following the commander’s order, the rest of the bundles were also set on fire.

She twisted and shook her body, trying to break free, but it was useless as several elders were holding her down.

Even Lucy was left speechless at the desperate wailing.

“What are you doing!!”

The last to appear were Margrave Airan Decarun and Vice Commander Viscon.

They had been working in the office separate from the festival and rushed over after hearing the news.

Nervously brushing back his sweat-soaked bangs, Airan rebuked the arrest squad.

“What rudeness is this in my, Airan’s, territory!”

“Your Grace, I am currently executing official duties.”

“What did you say?”

“Can’t we just arrest him, investigate whether it’s embezzlement, and release him if it’s not?”

“Embezzlement…?”

Only then did Airan’s gaze turn to Naidrian, who was screaming.

Then looking at Lynn, he once again wore a bitter smile.

“Surely you know that interfering here would be considered treason?”

“…Haa.”

Airan looked up at the sky.

The fireworks had already stopped due to the commotion, leaving only the dark night sky.

“So it comes to this after all.”

A long-suppressed lament escaped him.

“This is the result of all of us ignoring and mistreating the porter!”

At those words, Viscon bowed his head.

The commander smiled with satisfaction.

“Then considering your understanding, I will escort the criminals. Take them away!”

Handcuffs were placed on both Lynn and Naidrian.

Seeing the tightly fastened handcuffs, Lucy tried to step forward, but Tigria quickly grabbed her and whispered.

“It’s Lynn’s plan. Stay still.”

“Again…!”

She felt pathetic having to stand still while clenching her fists.

“Let go! Even if I’m guilty, the porter has done nothing wrong!”

But Naidrian resisted, making all kinds of desperate struggles.

“Just take me! Benefactor! Benefactor!!”

As she displayed strength disproportionate to her slender frame and tried to approach Lynn, the council elders intervened again and struck the back of Naidrian’s neck hard.

“Ugh…!”

“Such a disgrace…!”

They threw the unconscious archer into the prisoner transport carriage, and Lynn followed.

The commander and other Imperial soldiers proudly whipped the horses and drove the carriage.

The Hero’s party and Airan could only watch helplessly as they smoothly left Lowellina.

“No, this can’t be happening…”

Rabin stared with wide eyes as the carriage carrying Lynn moved farther away.

She had just been in his arms, and now he had vanished like a mirage.

And with handcuffs on his wrists, taken by others.

“This is too much.”

No matter how much she denied it, Lynn wouldn’t return after being taken away.

After the Imperial soldiers left Lowellina, Airan’s command echoed across the plaza.

“Gather the soldiers.”

His voice was very heavy and gloomy, but filled with suppressed anger.

“We will correct our faults and restore justice.”