A Background Character’s Path to Power

"Luthaire Family Head's Token?!"

"He's not our lord, so..."

"How does he have it?!"

The whispers spread through the crowd. A flash of surprise crossed Cassandra's features, for a moment, till she heard he wasn't their lord, she even thought if Lumin was Amaniel's father or the Lutharie family head. After all, she hadn't seen him before.

Thankfully, she guessed wrong. But as the others said, how does he have such an important item? It basically represents the person themselves after all.

...It can't be that, right?

"Fake! Yeah, it must be fake!"

The scarred leader shouted, pointing his sword at Lumin once again. "Now I can punish according to the law, you are impersonating a noble, a crime punishable by death! Guards! Seize him!"

"..."

Lumin barely managed to keep his lips from twitching; it was really hard dealing with these kinds of people. Look, they were even making new laws on their own.

But his plan had already succeeded. He played his part perfectly. Now, he could only hope the next actor would appear on time and complete their part accordingly.

"Die-!" The scarred guard was the first one to act, as he was the closest to Lumin. He swung his sword while imbuing wind aura into it, clearly intending to harm him.

"Stop!"

"Don't get cocky-!"

It was also at this time that the gate guards made a move. They weren't sure if the token was fake or not. But they were sure that if blood spilled right now, they would be punished severely, or even lose their jobs.

But they acted too late and were too far away to stop the Viremont soldiers in time.

Cassandra relaxed her knuckles, her aura spreading out - but she stopped mid-action, sensing something, and quickly retracted her aura.

She sensed a protective aura surrounding her body and saw Lumin glancing at her with a faint, reassuring smile.

"Swoosh-!"

"Clang-!"

"Di-hh!"

"Wahh-!"

The incoming strikes and guards were bounced back while their aura was dissipating quickly, as a shimmering yellow barrier surrounded Lumin and Cassandra's bodies.

"!"

Crunch~ Crunch~

Sounds of footsteps through the snow echoed clearly across the surroundings. Everyone looked in the same direction and saw a figure calmly walking toward them.

It was a veiled woman, dressed in red light armor with a flowing goldish robe behind.

"C-Captain!"

"I-It's Captain Rose!"

The gate guards and the crowd instantly recognized her by her signature attire and the familiar style barrier.

"!" The scarred lead guard's eyes widened, his face paling even further as he also recognized the newcomer.

The other Viremont guards, who had been thrown back by the barrier, scrambled to their feet, their earlier aggression replaced by immediate subservience. Their movements became stiff and awkward, displaying the danger of the woman who had just arrived.

"Is Derier City your master's playground?" The woman spoke as she approached them step by step. "So you can bark around as you please? Make up laws on the spot? And threaten citizens with execution?"

Though her voice was calm, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of displeasure that sent shivers down the spines of the Viremont guards.

"W-We were just-," the lead guard tried to explain, his earlier bravado crumbling like ashes.

"Just what?" She stopped a few paces away, her ruby red gaze scanning the crowd, the guards, Lumin and his wife hiding behind him, and finally landing on the still whimpering guard on the ground. Her gaze seemed to pierce through the man, causing him to faint from sheer terror, collapsing to the snow with a heavy thud.

Then she looked back at the lead guard.

"Just allowing your men to assault civilians? Just turning the important locations of the city into your personal grounds? Just threatening to execute someone for standing up to injustice, for protecting his wife, or... for carrying what might be a legitimate token?"

"!" Lead guard's eyes widened even further, words stuck in his throat like a bone.

"Or perhaps..." Captain Rose continued, her words stabbing them like sharp thorns. "You were just showing exactly why the Viremont House has been losing favor with the Crown lately. Your master's reputation precedes her, after all."

The lead guard's face went from pale to ashen. They were done for, but there might still be hope!

"C-Captain, w-we have authority from Lady Carmine herself-"

"To what exactly? Override the kingdom laws and the city rules? To bypass the proper procedures? To terrorize people?" Captain Rose's head tilted slightly. Although her face was hidden, the gesture alone conveyed both her amusement and contempt.

"Tell me... What part of your 'authority' grants you the right to assault women and threaten to kill someone without even a trial?"

"I...I.. W-we... order..." The lead guard stammered, unable to find an answer.

The silence stretched on, each second feeling like an eternity.

His legs began to tremble under Captain's piercing gaze, and all the stares, the reality of his situation crashing down on him like a collapsing wall.

They had no legitimate authority for their actions. Their lady didn't have that much influence. Worse yet, they had done it all in front of witnesses.

Although they had done similar things before, it was never on this scale, and they always managed to escape with the lady's help. But... but... they couldn't escape this time.

Now the infamous captain was involved, even their lady couldn't save them. He even doubted whether the lady herself could escape.

...F***!

The lead guard's knees buckled.

Thud.

He collapsed onto the snow, his sword clattering beside him as his hands pressed against the cold ground.

"F-Forgive us, Captain Rose!" he gasped out loud, his voice cracking with desperation. "W-We... We were wrong! We overstepped our boundaries! Please, have mercy!"

The other Viremont guards, seeing their leader surrender completely, quickly followed suit, dropping to their knees one by one.

"W-We are sorry!"

"We made a mistake!"

"Please, forgive us!"

"Have mercy!"

Captain Rose stared at them coldly, her gaze showing no trace of sympathy or forgiveness.

Fools.

She thought, because even know they were apologizing to the wrong person. They should be begging for forgiveness from the people they terrorized and tried to harm, not her.

The seconds ticked by.

The crowd watched in tense silence, hardly daring to make a sound as they witnessed the complete downfall of the once arrogant dogs of the Viremont's spoiled lady. But there was still a flicker of suspicion, a doubt that they might get away free.

It all depended on one person.

The Captain Rosemary.