A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 121
- Oct 23, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 4
※The War of All (1)※
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The sound of galloping horses shattered the silence of the seashore as the sunset faded. What began as a distant rumble soon grew into a deafening roar that pierced the ears.
[Royal Guard] "There it is!"
The hoofbeats led to an inn, a building so grand and imposing it rivaled many small castles. Lights already flickered in every window of the luxury establishment. The entrance and the sprawling garden were bathed in the glow of lanterns, making the area as bright as midday.
Neigh!
The horses cried out sharply as their riders yanked on the reins. Those who had ridden so hard to reach the inn were the Royal Guards.
[Royal Guard] "Open the doors! By order of the King!"
Having dismounted, the guards barked toward the interior of the inn.
[Inn Worker] "…What? A royal order?"
The inn’s workers, startled out of their wits, came rushing out in a frantic scramble.
[Royal Guard] "Open up! Where are the guests staying here? Where are they hiding?"
[Inn Worker] "The guests are in their rooms, of course. But why a royal order for our inn…?"
[Royal Guard] "Perfect."
The Royal Guards exchanged knowing glances.
[Royal Guard] "No need to bother going inside. We’ll smoke them out. Prepare the bows."
[Inn Worker] "What? Bows?"
The workers waved their hands in a desperate plea. Meanwhile, the guards took a lantern from the entrance and used it to ignite arrows wrapped in oil-soaked cloth.
[Inn Worker] "Ah! No! You can't start a fire!"
Realizing what the guards intended to do, they screamed in desperation. But the arrows flew through the air without mercy.
Zip! Crash!
The arrows shattered the windows as they soared inside.
Whoosh!
The fire caught on the curtains and began to spread.
[Inn Worker] "Fire! Fire!"
[Inn Worker] "Stop, please! Why are you burning down our inn when we have committed no crime? Stop! I beg of you!"
[Royal Guard] "Move aside. You’re in the way."
The guards shoved the protesting workers and continued to rain down flaming arrows.
Fwoosh! Roar!
Flames erupted everywhere. The surging heat leaped onto the curtains, the carpets, and everything else that could burn.
[Inn Worker] "Good heavens! Fire!"
[Inn Worker] "Fire! Fire!"
[Inn Worker] "Bring the water buckets! Where did this fire even start!"
Chaos spread alongside the flames.
The Royal Guards stood their ground and drew their weapons. Their intent was clear: to cut down anyone who came running out of the building.
[Royal Guard] "......?"
However, most of those fleeing the building barefoot were merely the inn’s workers.
[Royal Guard] "It’s too early for them to be fast asleep... Wait, why is this happening?"
The guards exchanged glances again.
The workers were frantic, carrying water buckets to douse the flames. Someone ran off to wake the owner, who lived in a different house.
[Royal Guard] "Could they be gone?"
They had been told that Tiwakan had rented out the entire place. The King of Sharka had intended to strike first, before the promised meeting time. But it seemed Tiwakan had already departed.
[Royal Guard] "Dammit... We’ll have to go inside and check."
[Royal Guard] "Curse it all."
They took reluctant steps toward the very inn they had just set ablaze. As expected, Tiwakan were nowhere to be found.
The midnight moon rose high.
On a deserted beach not far from the inn, bodies were piled up. These were the Royal Guards who had set the fire.
[Black] "Did we miss anyone?"
He asked as he wiped the blood from his blade.
[Tiwakan] "No, My Lord. None."
[Black] "Any casualties on our side?"
[Tiwakan] "Nothing significant. Just a few flesh wounds."
[Black] "Good."
He turned his head toward the moon, gauging the time.
[Black] "About four hours until sunrise. How far did you say Fermos was?"
[Tiwakan] "Four hours is more than enough time. He should be arriving at the border."
[Black] "The timing is perfect."
He pointed at the bodies of the guards.
[Black] "Change into their armor. We start now."
[Tiwakan] "Yes, My Lord."
Tiwakan moved swiftly to swap their gear for the guards’ armor.
The Sharka Royal Guard armor was surprisingly light compared to what Tiwakan usually wore. Once they donned the helmets and draped the capes over their shoulders, Tiwakan were perfectly disguised as Royal Guards.
There were occasional complaints about the boots not fitting, but with twice as many corpses as men, a matching pair was bound to turn up somewhere.
[Liene] "…I will wear it too."
At the sound of the voice suddenly coming from behind him, Black whirled around. His jaw tightened.
[Black] "Where did you come from? I told you there was no need to be close by."
He hadn't wanted Liene to witness the grim task of disposing of bodies. He had instructed her to stay in a safe place with Klima, but she had not remained still.
[Liene] "I couldn't stay away. This isn't a war you are fighting alone. Help me put it on. I don't know how to wear it."
[Black] "Absolutely not. You will be a distraction."
He cut her off with a calculated coldness.
[Liene] "I know. I know I’m not needed right now. Perhaps I should have stayed in Nauk. But hiding somewhere by myself feels even more dangerous. This is war now. No one knows what might happen."
[Black] "Your safety is my most immediate priority, Princess."
[Liene] "Yes, and I intend to keep it that way. That is why I’m going with you. Think about why we started this war. It’s to find the ring. I cannot fight as you do, but I can help find the ring."
[Black] "That is no reason to put a princess in armor."
[Liene] "If I wear the armor, I can be right before your eyes. You can confirm for yourself that I am safe the whole time."
[Black] "That is..."
He let out a breath through gritted teeth.
[Black] "Princess. I..."
[Liene] "The place where I am safest is by your side. Is that not so?"
[Black] "......"
His brow furrowed. He understood exactly what she was saying.
When they had set out for Sharka, he hadn't imagined that finding the ring would lead to war. If he had known, he never would have considered bringing Liene along.
But they were here together now, and if they didn't act quickly, they would be hunted by the Royal Guard. In this situation, he wasn't honestly sure if leaving Liene out of his sight—no matter how safe the location—was the right choice.
He hadn't forgotten the horrible things they had endured.
[Black] "…You must stay close. Your life is my life."
Those words were far heavier and more tender than a simple warning.
[Liene] "I want to say the same to you. Your life is my life. So please, protect it dearly."
In the end, Liene also donned the guard’s armor. It had been worth bringing the men's clothing that the madams had so desperately tried to talk her out of. Once the armor was placed over the men's clothes, it wasn't too loose.
Klima was a greater concern than Liene. Being in a weakened state, he visibly wavered under the weight of the armor. Yet, no one could stop him. Klima also remembered vividly what had happened to Liene when he wasn't by her side.
Tiwakan, now disguised as Royal Guards, set off for the palace.
Passing through the palace gates, which they had navigated once before, was easy. Once they forced the gates open in their guard uniforms, the mission was a success. Any guard who grew suspicious of their identity was swiftly silenced before a scream could escape.
Tiwakan moved straight toward the main palace where the King resided. Fortunately, no one had caught on to their true identities yet, though it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
The plan was to find Blini before that happened. The informant had mentioned that after her failed escape attempt, she had been moved to the main palace.
[Liene] "I will head to the Separate Palace with Sir Renfel."
As the familiar path from their previous visit came into view, Liene quickly caught hold of Black. Her cheeks were flushed from the effort of holding up her head against the weight of the helmet.
Black thought she looked absurdly cute, even in the middle of enemy territory.
[Black] "…What?"
[Liene] "There is nothing for me to do from this point on. I will do what I can."
His eyebrows twitched in disbelief.
[Black] "You’ve changed your tune. You were just the one saying I shouldn't let you out of my sight."
[Liene] "Can we judge it by distance? If I am there, I won't be far away."
[Black] "Why are you going to the Separate Palace?"
[Liene] "I need to speak with Queen Dileras."
[Black] "About what? Even if the Queen is more sensible than the King, the situation is different now."
[Liene] "I am aware of that. But Queen Dileras and I have interests that align. I cannot simply ignore that."
He chewed his lip inside his helmet.
[Black] "Be honest. Is this why you insisted on coming along?"
[Liene] "I can't say it wasn't a factor. But I don't believe what I said was wrong. Because you are here, I feel I can do what I must."
[Black] "......"
Soon, a battle against a large number of guards would break out here. There was no place for Liene.
After mulling it over for a moment, he spoke.
[Black] "Take Randall with you instead. I won't compromise on that."
[Liene] "Alright."
She wanted to kiss him, but the helmet made it impossible. Moreover, it would look very strange to anyone watching.
[Liene] "Kiss me later, once we take off these helmets."
As she spoke quickly and turned away, he grabbed her hand firmly.
[Black] "Are you just going to leave after saying that?"
[Liene] "I can't do it now."
[Black] "…… You owe me."
[Liene] "How is that a debt?"
[Black] "Because I intend to collect."
He let go of her hand.
[Black] "Stay safe."
[Liene] "Don't get hurt yourself, alright?"
Liene and Klima changed direction. Black called Randall over, pointed to the two, and whispered a low warning in his ear.
[Black] "If Liene gets hurt, you die."
[Randall] "…I—I will do my absolute best."
A chill ran down Randall's spine as he hurried after the two.
Clang!
The sound of clashing blades echoed from somewhere.
Black, who had been watching Liene’s retreating figure, turned his head toward the sound.
[Black] "So it begins."
It was the start of the war.
[Randall] "By order of His Majesty. He has commanded that a message be delivered to Her Majesty."
The Separate Palace was quiet, well past midnight. Most people were asleep, and only two night guards stood watch at the gate. It seemed word of what had happened at the main palace had not yet reached this place.
[Guard] "At this hour?"
[Randall] "He said it was urgent."
Three Royal Guards showing up at the Separate Palace so suddenly... it must be urgent. The guards moved the spears blocking the entrance without a second thought.
Liene’s group was about to step inside.
[Guard] "…Wait."
One of the guards called out to them. He was a man with sharper instincts than most. For that, it was a pity.
[Guard] "Something is off… If you came from the main palace, why are you still wearing your helmets? Are you indeed from the main palace?"
[Randall] "We are."
He replied coolly, catching the spear that was tilting toward him.
[Guard] "Remove your helmets. You cannot hide your faces before royalty—"
Thud!
Randall snatched the spear the guard was holding and, without even changing direction, drove it straight into the guard’s throat. The guard collapsed without a sound.
[Guard] "What—! …Mmf!"
The other guard leveled his spear and charged. But Klima was faster. Though pale and dripping with sweat, he caught the guard’s elbow from behind.
[Randall] "Well done."
In the brief moment the guard’s movement was halted, Randall struck his throat with the tip of his spear as well. In an instant, both guards were down.
[Randall] "Do you know which room the Queen uses?"
He asked, removing his helmet.
It was clearly impossible to keep wearing helmets inside the palace without drawing more suspicion. Klima followed Randall's lead and took his off as well.
[Randall] "You keep yours on, Princess. If you know the way, please lead us."
[Liene] "Yes. I know it. This way."
The Separate Palace was not small, but navigating back to a place she had visited once was not difficult. It was certainly much easier than finding one's way through a labyrinth hidden behind nine waterfalls.
Liene began to walk quickly, following her memory.
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