Before the knights could even burst into the room, the boy suddenly jumped to his feet, holding a sword in his right hand. He directed a malevolent gaze at the girl, then returned his gaze to the door, pointing his sword at it as well.
Alice was about to say something, but seeing his angry look, she lowered her eyes.
At that moment, the door was kicked off its hinges, and four knights, clad in intricate metal armor, stormed into the room, blocking all possible escape routes.
Surrounding the boy and ensuring he couldn't escape, they raised their shields and assumed their stances. Soon, after these actions, light footsteps were heard behind the knights.
"Lady Alice, did you really want to keep such a catch for yourself?" the voice was filled with sarcasm and a hint of mockery.
Hearing the voice from behind the knights, the boy gripped his sword tighter and prepared to launch a frontal assault, but at that moment, something struck him hard on the back of the head.
The boy lost his balance and dropped his sword forward. As he fell to his knees, clutching the back of his head, the knights parted, and a figure appeared before him.
"Oh, you, dear sister, you've spoiled all the fun for me," the man said dejectedly.
"You would have simply started torturing him, dear brother," Alice replied in a calm and firm voice, her face betraying no emotion. "What are you doing here?"
The man, standing before the knights, quickly surveyed the space, then spoke with a cunning smile:
"I'm here for a valuable asset. This little stray participated in that expedition." Approaching the boy, he disdainfully picked up the blade lying at the youth's feet with two fingers.
After a quick inspection and activating a spell on the blade, the man with long, well-groomed hair, dressed in light clothing of the old world, began to wave it gently, as if playing with it.
"I've already questioned this youth, he knows nothing about any fragment. You're wasting your time," Alice maintained her calm demeanor.
After playing with the sword for a bit, he glanced disdainfully at Alice, then at the youth, who was kneeling, holding his head with one hand. After a moment of thought, he stuck the sword into the floor and ordered his knights:
"Put the child in shackles and take him to a cell." His voice became serious, devoid of any amusement.
"Wait!" Alice cried out and quickly stood between the knights and the boy. "He said he doesn't know about any fragment! I personally questioned him."
"Then you questioned him poorly, sister... Now it's my turn," approaching his sister, he looked her in the eyes and smirked in his malicious manner. "Or do you dare to interfere with someone more important than me?" His gaze was not directed at Alice's eyes, but at her very soul.
Alice flinched almost imperceptibly, feeling something touch her soul. She cursed inwardly and stepped aside, allowing the knights to approach the boy unhindered. However, he didn't offer much resistance, as if he were in some kind of trance.
Putting large steel shackles on the boy, one of the knights grabbed the chains and dragged the youth towards the exit, not caring about his well-being.
"And God, wash this dog, he stinks," a disgusted voice echoed from behind the boy, and with that, the boy's consciousness completely lost focus.
"My head hurts so much," were the boy's first thoughts as he tried to get up, but then he felt completely unable to move. He lay on his stomach on something hard and constantly moving.
Opening his eyes, he saw the stone tiles slowly floating beneath his gaze. Only a moment later did he realize he was lying on a horse, which was slowly galloping through the streets.
Looking around, he saw a cohort consisting of a small number of knights, led by that bastard who was leading the cavalry.
Gathering all his concentration, the boy began to struggle, trying to break free from the shackles, but a moment later he felt a strong blow to his back. The whip passed across his back as if butter on a hot skillet.
"Aaggh!" a cry escaped the youth's lips.
"Don't struggle, brat," the knight controlling the horse ordered in a rough tone.
"I'll remember this, you scum," the boy thought to himself and began to look around, assessing the situation. "How long did I sleep?" Feeling that the pressure caused by the constant shaking didn't bother him much, he decided that he hadn't been unconscious for long, or perhaps he was just like that, that the discomfort caused didn't affect him like other people. However, he decided for himself that he was still in the same city. The city looked as if it had been reconstructed. Looking at each house, no more than three to four stories high, he noticed that each was built from large stone tiles, and each building looked similar to the others, as if these buildings had a mandatory standard.
Peering into the alleys and assessing his chances of escape, he saw a dark figure in one of the alleys looking in his direction, and in the next alley, he noticed two more figures. And in the next alley, a fully metal-covered arrow flew towards him. The shot hit the knight carrying the prisoner on horseback, and for a moment, time stood still.
The knight was hit in the slit between his helmet and armor, right in the neck. Choking on blood, the knight fell to the ground, and the horse, having lost its master and completely out of control, reared up on its hind legs and threw off the remaining cargo—the boy in shackles.
Falling face first onto the ground, he pulled his shackled hands towards him and tried to cover the back of his head. One of the knights screamed:
"It's an ambush! Everyone, group up!"
But no one listened to their commander, as all the knights were dead at that moment.