BXBX NOVEL Chapter 68 – Milena Akasha (2)
Chapter 68 – Milena Akasha (2)
Chapter 68 – Milena Akasha (2)
The guards, hearing the commotion, rushed out in a hurry.
They saw Ketal and were horrified.
“A barbarian!”
“Why is there a barbarian in the capital?”
They pointed their spears at him.
Ketal, who was quickly surrounded, tilted his head in confusion.
‘Did I misunderstand something?’
Ketal spoke again.
“I am not an enemy. Milena Akasha invited me.”
He enunciated each word clearly, making sure there was no misunderstanding.
And the guards understood without misunderstanding.
Their expressions hardened.
“An intruder!”
“You scoundrel! Are you an agent of the mage?”
“No. I really am not.”
“Don’t make us laugh! Lady Milena is the Iron Lady. Do you think she would invite a filthy barbarian like you?”
“Iron Lady?”
It seemed that was Milena’s nickname.
‘She didn’t give off that impression.’
She was smart but her emotions were clearly displayed on her face.
He tried to say more, but they didn’t seem inclined to listen.
At times like this, tangible proof was best.
Ketal reached into his pocket.
“She gave me this and told me to come.”
“Huh?”
The guards’ eyes widened.
Ketal produced a token engraved with the symbol of the Akasha family.
“And fearing I might be troubled for being a barbarian, he also gave me a pass to move freely within the Kingdom of Denian.”
Ketal took out the pass that Barbosa had given him.
The guards’ eyes widened even more.
“Huh? What?”
Confusion spread like a wave.
The guards didn’t know what to do and hesitated.
At that moment, a voice was heard from behind.
“What’s all this commotion?”
“Captain!”
The guards brightened.
They approached the man they called captain and explained the situation.
As he listened, the captain’s expression grew increasingly odd.
“…Barbarian. You say Lady Milena invited you?”
“I don’t know why you find it hard to believe, but it’s true. She gave me this.”
Ketal showed the token to the captain.
After examining it for a moment, the captain’s face was filled with surprise.
“This is…”
The token bore the symbol of the Akasha family, a very precious item crafted by the family’s skilled artisans.
Thus, the captain could tell.
It was not a fake.
Creating such a detailed replica would be impossible.
‘What, what is this?’
As far as the captain knew, very few people had received such tokens.
And now, a barbarian had one?
“And I also have this.”
Ketal handed over the pass.
The captain’s face twisted in a bizarre expression.
“That, that’s…”
The pass bore the emblem of the Kingdom of Denian.
It was a certification provided by the royal family.
The more emblems it had, the higher the status it represented.
One emblem indicated a connection to the royal family.
Two emblems indicated close ties to the royal bloodline.
And three emblems meant the king himself certified the bearer’s status.
Having a pass with three emblems from the Kingdom of Denian meant one was practically equal to a high-ranking noble.
And Ketal’s pass had three emblems engraved on it.
‘Did His Majesty Barbosa grant this to a barbarian?’
A barbarian possessing both the token of the Akasha family and a pass from the Kingdom of Denian.
The captain’s head spun.
‘It doesn’t seem fake…’
In fact, it seemed more suspicious because it was so unbelievable.
Just having one would be astonishing, but he had both.
After a long contemplation, the captain finally spoke.
“…This is beyond my authority. I will ask Lady Milena directly when she arrives.”
“Understood.”
“But I have one condition. Until she arrives, you will be temporarily detained.”
He couldn’t fully trust him.
Yet, he couldn’t dismiss him either.
So, until Milena arrived, they would keep Ketal detained.
That was the captain’s decision.
Ketal did not refuse.
“No problem. So, where will I be staying?”
“…There is a room in the basement of the mansion. I will guide you there.”
“Ohh.”
Ketal’s eyes sparkled.
A room in the basement of a noble’s mansion.
It sounded like the kind of place where something might be sealed or hidden.
‘Could there be a secret room?’
“Please lead the way.”
Ketal said with a smile.
His seemingly eager attitude puzzled the captain.
‘What’s with him?’
When you think about it, the captain’s actions were extremely rude.
He was essentially saying he would lock up a guest who had been invited.
If Ketal, a barbarian who disliked confinement and loved freedom, decided to go on a rampage, it wouldn’t be surprising.
So, the captain had been bracing himself, but instead, Ketal seemed pleased.
“Ah, I understand. Follow me.”
The captain struggled to hide his confusion and took the lead.
Ketal leisurely followed.
* * *
Late at night.
After confirming the collateral, Milena returned to her home.
The guard at the door bowed.
“You’ve returned.”
“Yes. Good work.”
“Miss, I have something to report.”
“Is it urgent?”
“It doesn’t seem that way….”
The guard, having been on a shift change, hadn’t witnessed the events of the day.
All he knew was that a barbarian was in the basement.
Since the intruder had already been detained and was under strict surveillance, it shouldn’t pose a problem.
Considering the person was just a barbarian and not of high status, it wasn’t an urgent matter.
“In that case, please tell me tomorrow. I’m a bit tired.”
“Understood.”
The guard bowed and stepped back.
Entering her home, Milena went straight to her room.
She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
The soft fabric embraced her body gently.
This was the only time she had to rest in her daily routine.
After a moment, she reached out.
With practiced movements, she grabbed a bottle of wine and uncorked it.
She carefully poured it into a glass and brought it to her lips.
The aroma of the wine filled her nostrils.
After a few sips, she began to feel the effects of the alcohol.
Swirling the glass absently, she muttered.
“…An outcast abandoned by family and retainers, huh.”
She suddenly recalled the words of the fool from Diablos earlier that day.
A bitter smile formed on her lips.
He wasn’t wrong.
Even the one companion who had traveled with her to the White Snowfield had felt distanced by her actions and left.
She was used to it by now, but the loneliness was still there.
How many months had it been since she started spending her nights with wine?
She closed her eyes.
And then, it was the next day.
After getting ready, she opened the door.
The guard standing by bowed.
“You’re up.”
“Yes.”
She had a quick meal and went into her office to organize documents.
Soon, it was lunchtime.
A guard entered.
“Miss, your meal is ready.”
“It’s that time already. I understand.”
She tidied up her papers and stood up.
After lunch, she returned to her office.
She spent hours handling documents until evening.
A guard came in again to inform her that dinner was ready.
She acknowledged and got up.
As she followed the guard, she suddenly remembered and spoke.
“Come to think of it, Malak, you had something to say yesterday.”
She had forgotten about it.
The guard, too, seemed to have just remembered.
“Oh, yes. Someone came to see you.”
“To see me? Is it a debtor?”
“No, it’s not.”
“…Then is it a family member?”
“Not that either.”
A look of puzzlement appeared on Milena’s face.
“Who is it?”
The guard explained.
Milena’s face went pale.
* * *
Milena ran frantically.
Normally, for the sake of decorum, she would have walked quickly instead of running.
But this time, there was no room for such consideration.
‘No.’
It couldn’t be.
It must be a mistake.
She kept muttering to herself as she reached the basement room.
“Miss?”
“Move aside.”
Her stern words made the guard quickly step aside.
She opened the door.
And there was a barbarian inside.
“Oh, Milena. Good to see you again.”
“Ke-Ketal sir.”
Milena’s expression crumbled upon seeing Ketal’s face.
She hurriedly bowed her head.
“I’m sorry! Ketal sir! How dare we place you in such a humble room! I apologize!”
Milena felt like she was going to lose her mind.
To think she had imprisoned the barbarian of the White Snowfield!
For more than a whole day!
The mere thought of what would happen if he were to get angry was terrifying.
But Ketal’s expression remained calm.
“This room is more than adequate.”
The room Ketal was in was a basement room used to secretly accommodate visiting nobles or merchants.
Except for being underground, the room itself wasn’t bad.
It was a small relief in an unfortunate situation.
“I invited you, so I apologize for not providing you with proper accommodations.”
“Don’t worry about it. Except for the lack of secret rooms, it was a good room.”
“I’ll make sure to prepare one next time.”
“No, it was a joke. No need to take it seriously.”
‘Huh, what?’
The guard captain, observing the scene, was bewildered.
Milena Akasha.
The head of the Akasha family and the Iron Lady.
Even when her family left or debtors begged and pleaded with her, she handled everything without changing her expression.
Seeing her apologize and be flustered in front of someone was a first.
It meant that this barbarian was significant enough to unsettle the Iron Lady.
‘…I’m dead.’
He had locked up such a person in the basement.
After finishing her conversation, Milena approached the guard captain.
“Please escort him to the reception room. And… I’ll see you all later.”
Milena ground her teeth.
The guard captain’s face turned pale.
* * *
In the reception room, Ketal held a teacup.
A pleasant aroma spread through the air.
After taking a sip, Ketal’s expression softened.
“Good.”
The taste and aroma were excellent.
It would be hard to find tea leaves of such quality even in modern times.
Sitting across from him, Milena apologized again.
“I apologize once more. The guards were unaware of who you were and acted rudely.”
“I said it’s fine.”
Ketal really seemed unconcerned.
Only then did Milena genuinely feel relieved.
“Well then, Mr. Ketal.”
“Drop the ‘Mr.’”
“Um… Ketal?”
“Right.”
Ketal nodded.
Milena, feeling uncomfortable with the new address, spoke.
“It’s been a long time, Ketal.”
“Yes. How many years has it been?”
“I think it’s been three years.”
“Time flies.”
Ketal muttered.
It had already been three years since he last saw Milena.
Milena, watching him, cautiously asked.
“When I asked you before, you said you couldn’t come because of matters in the White Snowfield. Have those issues been resolved?”
“Yes.”
Ketal smiled.
Milena shivered for a moment.
It was a beast-like smile, perfectly revealing his emotions.
“I’ve completely resolved them. Thanks to that, I was able to escape that wretched place.”