The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 393: The Tribesmen

Chapter 393: The Tribesmen

Eli dashed in a panic, brandishing his sword. With a swift leap, he landed between the tribesmen’s leader and the trio—seated Drystan and Kiev and the unconsciously lying down Anna.

"Keep yourselves away from them!" the young knight bellowed at the stranger.

The tribesmen’s underlings raised their spears, readying for defence. Yet, their leader, quick to grasp the situation, gestured wisely, halting their impending actions.

"Hold it!" he commanded his men.

Upon seeing Eli’s arrival, Drystan exhaled in relief. Turning his gaze, he spotted the rest of the team—Luke, Damon, and Armel—rushing toward them.

"You’re finally here!" he exclaimed gladly. "Withdraw your sword, Sir Henderson," he instructed Eli, diffusing the tension.

Evidently, the young knight had misconstrued the tribesmen’s intentions as threatening. Stepping back, he lowered his sword but remained cautious, his gaze shifting between the trio of tribesmen, pondering their identities.

Observing unfamiliar faces amidst Drystan, Kiev, and Anna, Eli was compelled to act swiftly to ensure their safety.

"Is he your companion?" inquired the tribesmen’s leader, casting a scrutinising glance at the young knight.

"How do you know?" Eli interjected before Drystan could respond.

The tribesmen’s leader smirked.

"Your insignia gives you away, and..." He paused, tilting his head as he studied the knight’s attire. "I presume you are a knight."

"Yes, he is," confirmed Drystan. "All of us are."

"Sir Mills! You’ve found them!" exclaimed Luke as he arrived with Armel and Damon.

Upon noticing Kiev’s weakened state, Luke approached the Mederian Prince, expressing concern.

"Your Highness, what has happened? You look unwell... and Lady Raychard..." Luke turned to Anna, "Why is she unconscious?"

Kiev reiterated the explanation he had given Drystan. He also cautioned them against touching her.

"No wonder you appear so drained," Damon remarked, noting the Mederian Prince’s fatigue.

"Yes. Unfortunately, the continuous utilisation of the protective magic exhausts me," Kiev explained.

"Ah, yes! We spotted traces of your struggle on the ground," Damon remarked. "Armel was the first to notice them. He also found the lady’s ribbon and bloodstains in the nearby brush. We already feared the worst. But then, we heard the faint signal, and Armel guided us here."

The teenager knelt beside Kiev, his eyes brimming with tears and his cheeks flushed.

"Your Highness..." His voice strained, and his weeping began to overwhelm him.

"I’m not dead yet..." The Mederian Prince’s words came out sarcastically as ever.

However, before he could finish his sentence, the teenager embraced him. Armel’s sobbing echoed in the surroundings.

The unexpected gesture took Kiev aback. He had rarely had anyone, aside from his own family, embrace him in such a manner. Feeling embarrassed, he considered pushing the teenager away, but his exhaustion left him unable to muster the strength.

"I thought something bad had happened!" Armel cried. "Do you know how worried we were?"

"Princess Anna is already safe now. You can ease your mind," Kiev reassured him.

Armel broke his hug and looked earnestly into the Mederian Prince’s eyes. His tears continued to fall like a broken dam.

"We were not just worried about her! We were worried about you, too! I... and Miss Canton especially... If anything were to happen to you, I don’t know how I could face her again! I made her a promise that I would find you!" Armel confessed.

Kiev chuckled softly, amused by the determination of the young teenager who lacked combat skills or magical abilities yet was resolute in his vow to protect his charge.

"Why would you do that? You shouldn’t have troubled yourself unnecessarily," Kiev remarked.

"Why not? You’re my master, and I’m currently serving you! Although... temporarily..." Armel replied.

He downcasted his eyes but then quickly lifted them, meeting Kiev’s gaze again, "If I hadn’t intervened, Miss Canton would’ve run to the forest to find you on her own accord! I barely stopped her last night."

"What?? She tried to come find me?" the Mederian Prince asked, incredulous.

"She kept pressing for answers about what had occurred. I evaded her questions as best I could. Even the knights didn’t respond to her. Ultimately, she sneaked out of the mansion to search for you. I intercepted her before she could pass the gate and convinced her that you would disapprove of her action. I then pledged to her that I would do everything possible to bring you back safely."

"Haa... So then, you went out and found Maximillian and the other horse, didn’t you?" asked Eli.

Armel nodded.

"You didn’t mention that to me when you came confessing!" Damon interjected, raising a brow.

Feeling guilty, the teenager wiped away his tears.

"I just thought it wasn’t important," he reasoned. "Moreover, His Highness Prince Kiev conflicts with His Highness the Grand Duke. I don’t think you would care much about him."

"You thought wrong, kid," Luke responded firmly. "We care about him as much as we do for our lady’s safety. His Highness Prince Kiev is important to all of us, too. He’s not only His Majesty, the king’s honourable guest, but also the brother-in-law of Mr Amares, our respected healer. You might not be aware of this, but His Highness had also saved our grand duke’s life not once but twice during our joint pursuit of the Bargesians. Despite his current dispute with His Highness the Grand Duke, we hold him in high regard."

Armel sniffled, but his cries soon subsided. On the other hand, Kiev’s heart warmed upon hearing the knight’s confession. He never imagined they would have such respect for him.

"I apologise for my assumption. It’s just that... everyone has always misunderstood His Highness, Prince Kiev. He often presents a stern, unapproachable facade and fierce attitude, but he is far from that. He never falters in the face of a challenge and would even risk himself to protect others, but he never speaks of his own difficulties or shares his burdens," the teenager said.

Kiev chuckled again.

"You’re speaking as if you’ve known me for years," he remarked.

"I don’t need to serve you long enough to know your heart. I can see how much you care for others and how loving you are to your family, even if you don’t show it outwardly," Armel added.

"I understand your point, Armel. I can see that as well," Drystan interjected.

He remembered how the Mederian Prince had been willing to sacrifice himself to help them face the wolves. Without the tribesmen’s arrival, Kiev might have been lost, and their safety would not have been guaranteed.

"All right, I know this is a sensitive moment, but let’s move on from the sentimental feelings for now. Other than His Highness Prince Kiev, does anyone else need treatment? Are there any other injuries?" asked Luke, taking stock of the situation.

"I don’t require medical attention, just a bit of rest, perhaps," Kiev clarified.

"Very well, then." Luke nodded in acknowledgement. He then looked around. Feeling satisfied with his assessment, he said, "Thank goodness everyone is safe now."

The tribesmen’s leader suddenly said to Kiev, "You’re royalty?"

His interest in the gorgeous man was piqued after hearing Luke address the Mederian Prince with his royal title during their conversation.

"I am a prince from a distant island. This unconscious woman is my betrothed, and this man with me is a knight serving her husband," Kiev explained.

The tribesmen’s leader furrowed his brow upon receiving the answer. He tried to process it, but something felt off.

"She’s married but also betrothed to you? A woman having two men?" he asked inquisitively.

"It’s not what you think. We have a complicated situation that we are in the midst of resolving," Kiev replied.

"Aaa... well, I shouldn’t be asking more. Your personal matters are not my concern," the tribesmen’s leader said, waving a dismissive hand.

"Who are you?" Luke asked the tribesman.

"Their saviour for the day," the man replied with a smile.

"He saved us from a pack of wolves. We were surrounded by them not long after Sir Brooks returned to the mansion to arrange for a carriage," Drystan interjected.

"No wonder he’s not around. I was just about to ask about his whereabouts," said Eli.

"We decided I should stay back while he went for help, considering his injury," the knight added.

Luke nodded.

"I understand the decision. Sir Brooks must have been concerned about the worst-case scenario, so he wanted you to take over protecting them instead of him."

"Indeed, he was," Drystan agreed.

As Luke turned around, he saw Kiev’s head leaning on Armel’s shoulder, eyes closed. The exhaustion had clearly affected him. Not wanting to disturb his rest, the knight instructed the teenager to look after him while the rest moved a distance away to converse. Damon volunteered to guard Anna and stay by her side.

"Thank you for saving them. I am Sir Luke Parker. The unconscious lady is the Honourable Royal Concubine of Gerhard, Lady Anna Raychard. The others are the knights serving His Highness the Grand Duke of Gerhard, Kyren Raychard, except for the young boy, Armel Chester, a servant to His Highness Prince Kiev."

One by one, Luke introduced his team members to the tribesmen, who acknowledged with nods. The tribesmen’s leader’s attention was piqued again when hearing Anna’s title being a concubine, but he remained silent, as he had already stated he was not interested in the details.

"What about you? I know you’re reluctant to introduce yourself, but it feels awkward if you don’t want to share anything. Since we seem to have a common foe, it wouldn’t be wrong to become acquainted," said Drystan.

"Common foe? What do you mean, Sir Mills?" asked Eli.

"They, too, were tracking the Bargesians. The mage had killed three maidens from their tribe for a dark magic sacrificial ritual," Drystan explained.

"Hah! Then, that dark magic must be the one used by the Bargesians to take revenge on us!" Eli concluded.

"There’s no doubt about it," said Luke, agreeing.

"We lost track of those men this morning. We knew they were running towards a nearby inn from a mansion. But by the time we arrived there, they had vanished. We assumed they had trespassed on this forest to escape. The bad weather just became their good luck in evading us," said the tribesmen’s leader.

"You came to His Highness the Grand Duke’s mansion?" asked Eli.

"No, we only passed by. My companion found this lying on the path, right outside the mansion," said the tribesmen’s leader, producing a water skin decorated with intricate patterns.

"The motifs on this water skin belong to our tribe. So, we assumed they had been at the mansion. The tracks showed they had left in haste," explained one of the tribesmen.

"D*mn those Bargesians!" Eli cursed.

"Since the Barbarians of the South are involved in this matter, I believe there’s more to it than meets the eye," the tribesmen’s leader said.

"You know their nickname?" asked Luke, surprised.

"Of course. We may be tribesmen, but we have good knowledge of the continent. The five kingdoms... the empire... we are aware of it all. I’m not sure if you know, but our intelligence alerted us that Ardel is about to be conquered by Barges. Their men have already infiltrated the kingdom’s government, becoming henchmen for the new king."

"What?? This is big news!" exclaimed Eli. "We knew the new king of Ardel collaborated with them, but Barges’s conquering of Ardel is not within the picture."

"This could lead to something bigger. We should strategise a plan to capture the escaping Bargesians as soon as possible and extract more information from them," said Luke with a brooding look, rubbing his chin.

The potential of the shrouding mystery raised concerns within him.

"Come with us to the mansion. It’s best if you meet our Grand Duke’s representative and the whole team to discuss this further," he suggested to the tribesmen’s leader.

The man pondered momentarily.

"His Highness, the Grand Duke, has gone on a voyage to the Agathe Islands regarding a security breach matter. The incident there suggested the involvement of the Bargesians and Ardelians. If what you say is true, the Southern Kingdom is planning something on a larger scale," said Drystan.

"The Agathe Islands? Is this why they didn’t come for the trade recently?" said one of the tribesmen to his companion, looking concerned.

"You know them?" asked Luke.

The three tribesmen nodded.

"We’ve had trade relations with them for many years. They provided us with salt, fish, and other maritime goods while we exchanged forest fruits, herbs, meat, and animal skins. Our business relationship with them is always great. However, they didn’t show up at the trade market recently," explained the other tribesman.

"The Agathe Islands belong to Galicia and Cassian. An invasion there is a concerning and bizarre matter, Sir Parker!" said Eli.

"If the Bargesians are planning a large-scale invasion, it is a matter of great concern, as our settlement is also located between your kingdom and Galicia. In that sense, we should devise an urgent action plan," said the tribesmen’s leader. "If you agree, we want to collaborate with you on this."

"Yes, definitely!" said Luke.

"Then..." the tribesmen’s leader held out his hand for a handshake, and the knight acknowledged.

"Let me introduce myself and my men. I am Saures. These are my subordinates, Thalgar and Vaelen. We’re from the Sunik Tribe."

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