While walking along the road, the trio began to talk about various things and curiosities that, until then, had not been mentioned. The fresh air of early morning mingled with the subtle scent of the surrounding trees, creating a calm and inviting atmosphere for conversation.
"Since when do you know Lady Stella, Aziz?" Liora asked curiously, her voice laden with genuine interest, as if trying to unravel a mystery that seemed to elude her.
Aziz looked at her with a gentle smile, his expression calm and confident. "I have known her for a little over five years. Why?" he replied, and promptly returned the question with an inquisitive look, waiting for the reason behind her interest.
Liora seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if weighing her words.
"It's just that I never knew she was so close to anyone, except Miss Sofia and her subscriber Sylvia — especially not a man," she answered, her curiosity about the enigma that was Aziz growing even more than before.
Aziz nodded inwardly, satisfied and happy, knowing that before him no man had been so close to Stella. The feeling gave him a faint warmth in his chest.
'And I will be the only one...' he murmured to himself in a slightly possessive tone, remembering how good a woman Stella is—her strength, her striking presence, and the natural authority she imposed on everyone around her.
"Well... the way we met was a bit unusual. Want to hear?" he asked, noticing the sparkle in both Liora's and Agnes's eyes, shining with genuine curiosity.
The corners of his lips lifted into a light, amused smile. He truly enjoyed the way they watched him, eager to learn more about him and his past.
"Yes, please tell us," they replied in unison, with clear enthusiasm for the story that Aziz was about to reveal.
"Hmm... should I?" he teased, with a playful smile that seemed to invite even more interest.
Liora scoffed and turned her face to the side, her pride not allowing her to insist, though her look did not hide the desire to hear.
On the other hand, Agnes, who wanted to hear the story at any cost, spoke without caring about her friend's little sulk.
"P-please, Aziz, don't be a bad person," she insisted timidly, her expectant gaze fixed on the young man.
Aziz released a soft laugh and said, "Hahaha... all right, I will tell it. You see, this is how we met..."
He began his narrative calmly, explaining how he met Sofia in a private restaurant and how, shortly after, Stella appeared. Liora and Agnes listened attentively, almost without blinking, and asked questions from time to time—questions that Aziz answered with ease.
As he spoke, he noticed something: the respect they had for Stella was immense. It was not just formal respect, as expected of citizens toward their ruler. It was something deeper. It was genuine admiration.
During the conversation, Agnes commented:
"Lady Stella was the first to change things in the city. She reformed infrastructure, improved security, and created laws that protected the weaker from abuses of the rich and powerful."
Liora nodded. "At that time, the influential were outraged. They said it was absurd, that she was infringing the social order. But she... she did not hesitate. She confronted them all."
"She used her own strength to impose the law," Agnes added. "It was contradictory, yes... but it was also necessary."
Aziz smiled. It amused him. The irony of Stella having used authoritarian methods to end others' authoritarianism was paradoxical, yet in a way brilliant.
'She truly is a worthy ruler.' His thoughts turned toward her with affection. It was inevitable.
'When I return from the mission, I will ask about her trajectory. I want to know how she was in the past...' he thought, imagining a younger version of Stella, perhaps more impulsive or idealistic, but certainly just as intense as she is now.
As they followed along the road, wrapped in conversation and in the pleasant evening calm, Aziz's sharpened senses detected something subtle.
A slight chill ran down his neck.
He kept walking normally, without changing his step, without interrupting what he said. But his eyes scanned the surroundings with caution.
Then he heard it. A sound slicing through the wind.
In a swift, almost imperceptible motion, he drew his sword and turned to his left. With a vertical slash—clean and precise—he intercepted the arrow that was coming toward him.
**CHAAAK!**
**TUMP... tump.**
The cut was clean, fast, and precise, worthy of a skilled swordsman like Aziz.
Looking down quickly, he saw two identical pieces of a black arrow he had just sliced.
He turned to speak to Liora and Agnes, who were under attack, but no words were needed.
They already had their weapons in hand. Liora wielded a wide, entirely black sword with natural ease, as if it were an extension of her arm.
Agnes, who earlier had a shy and curious expression, now looked serious and cold—like someone entirely different.
Her weapons were two gray gauntlets with golden details, with sharp claws at the tips of her fingers.
The trio nodded, quickly understanding the situation, and expanded their senses to locate the hidden archer.
But as much as they searched, they could not locate the attacker.
They stood back to back, covering one another's blind spots.
Even without finding the archer at first, they remained calm and composed, awaiting the next arrow to reveal the enemy's position.
However, instead of the archer, a group of ten armed men emerged from the trees nearby the road, watching them with threatening expressions.
Some wore simple leather armor, others normal clothes—but very worn and dirty.
Aziz, Agnes, and Liora were surrounded.
One of the men, who appeared to be the leader, stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the group.
His face was ordinary, nothing remarkable—except for a horrible scar that ran across his left cheek and an eye patch covering his left eye.
While Aziz calmly observed and analyzed him, the leader didn't even glance at him.
His attention was fixed on Liora and Agnes, his eyes shining with lechery, as if he desired to devour them with only a look.
Aziz shook his head slowly, recalling cliché scenes from the romances he read on Earth—where bandits would appear on the road wanting to rob or kill the protagonist, and moreover demanded that his women submit to them.
Only, in the end, to be killed in humiliating and senseless ways.
"The intelligence level of these bandits was always low or nonexistent, if one analyzes carefully," he thought.
'Well, as I once heard, fiction or fantasy imitates reality. And it is really happening now.'
As Aziz was in his little reverie, the leader shouted, speaking directly to Aziz's companions.
"You pretty women, come with me if you don't want your friend to meet a miserable death," he said, as if making an irresistible offer.
They did not respond. They merely looked at him with disdain and disgust, judging him worse than trash.
The leader's face turned red with anger, recognizing the clear emotions in their eyes.
"Bitches! Since you don't want to come willingly, you'll come by force! I will rape you and make your little friend watch helplessly. Then I will torture him and let you watch him die in agony at my hands! HAHAHA! Attack!"
The more he spoke, the darker the trio's expressions became, their eyes as cold as an iceberg, promising to flay that noisy scum alive.
But they had no time to get angry, for the nine men advanced in unison, their eyes shining with malice and lust.
The trio prepared for the fight, focusing on the men coming toward them, their senses alert for the archer who had yet to reveal himself.
Aziz gripped the sword with both hands, feeling his heart beat faster.
Not from fear or nervousness.
It could never be that.
But instead, excited at his first real battle.
Not a training or trial, like he had had all these years.
Yet even as his heart raced wildly with excitement, his mind was calm as a still lake.
He didn't need to control his breath— it stabilized itself.
His body, mind, and spirit were accustomed to remaining focused for combat.
Aziz had to thank his lovely maid, Isis, for having trained him so well. Her dedication had prepared him for this moment—moments of tension, when his life is in danger.
With the steadiness of an experienced warrior, Aziz stood ready for the battle to come.
Hello, this is the author. How are you all doing?
I hope you're doing well.
I have some exciting news to share: at the beginning of next month, during the very first week, I'll start releasing a few chapters of my new novel.
It's a very special project, crafted with a lot of care and dedication.
I truly hope you'll join me on this new journey.
I'm counting on each and every one of you for your support. Let's walk this path together!
Stay tuned — there's a lot of good things coming.
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