Starting Today I'll Work As A City Lord

As dusk began to fall, Freya stepped out from the crevice between the rocks and set off toward that strange house. If possible, she decided she'd spend the night in the warmth of that place. Last night, she nearly froze to death sleeping outside without a fire.

"I wish I could eat some meat!" Freya muttered, touching her stomach. She had gnawed on more than twenty cucumbers last night just to regain a bit of strength.

"Tomorrow, I'll leave!"

Stepping into the darkness, Freya planned to rest in that warm house tonight to recover a bit of energy. Then, she'd go hunting for some roast meat and leave immediately.

She had a feeling the beastkin knights from Santner were already on her trail, and if she didn't leave soon, she'd end up entangled with them again.

Freya could handle five or six beastkin knights without issue, but even she would struggle against a dozen or twenty.

Half an hour later.

Freya was nearing the spot where she had picked cucumbers yesterday. After a moment of observation, she noticed it was just as she expected: tonight, there were over a dozen knights patrolling, all clad in armor.

Growing vegetables in winter snow was a miracle in Freya's eyes, no matter where it happened. If the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom had possessed such a miracle back then, her people wouldn't have been forced to flee, and Her Highness the Princess wouldn't have been lost.

"Hoo..."

Freya let out a long breath, her eyes narrowing into a blank, almost lifeless look as she relaxed her entire body to maintain her agility. She was about to begin her stealthy infiltration.

In just over ten minutes, Freya, with her years of practiced infiltration skills, managed to slip past the patrolling knights. She couldn't help but feel that these guards seemed a bit lax—though maybe it was just her imagination.

Well, who would really want to patrol on a freezing winter night? Freya shook her head and, hiding in the shadows, made her way toward another building where she knew there would be more cucumbers to eat.

She carefully lifted a bit of the grass curtain and glanced inside from the corner of her eye. No one. Good. In a flash, she slipped inside.

"So warm!" Freya shivered with delight as the cozy warmth enveloped her, making her feel as though she'd stepped into a hot bath. She let out a relaxed sigh.

Quickly, Freya snapped out of her reverie, her amber eyes scanning her surroundings. This house was almost identical to the one she'd visited yesterday.

"First, I'll fill my stomach!" Freya licked her lips, glancing toward the deeper part of the house, which would serve as her resting place for the night. By morning, she planned to make a forceful escape.

"Crunch!"

"Delicious, crisp, with a refreshing taste." Freya took a big bite of the cucumber. She'd never seen or even heard of this kind of vegetable before.

In fact, Freya didn't recognize a single type of vegetable in these houses. If they'd been wild animals instead, she might have known every one of them.

"…"

Freya frowned, sensing something amiss. She tossed her hair back, her sharp amber eyes sweeping around the room with heightened alertness.

"No one? Could it just be my imagination?" Freya muttered, feeling an eerie sensation, as though multiple sets of eyes were watching her.

"No… something's wrong!"

"Clang!"

Freya swiftly drew her greatsword, her amber eyes flashing with sharp determination. Her instincts were never wrong—there was definitely someone else in this house.

"Thump, thump, thump…"

In the next instant, the ground erupted as a group of seven or eight people emerged from the dirt. A burly man shook the soil off his hair and aimed a massive sword right at the intruder.

Chris raised a military crossbow, aiming it steadily at the thief. They were all seething with pent-up anger after waiting an hour in the dirt pit—at last, the thief had shown up.

They were amazed by how precisely the Lord had predicted this. The thief had indeed come to this greenhouse instead of the one she'd previously raided.

"…"

Freya was stunned. How did they pop out from underground like that? Had they been lying in wait for her all along?

"Surrender now. Don't even think about escaping," The man, Aiden, ordered coldly.

The ones chosen for this ambush were all skilled fighters. Even Tony, standing beside him, had joined him down in the pit.

"Then let's see what you're made of!" Freya narrowed her eyes, her amber gaze sharp as blades. She had no choice but to fight her way out.

"Whoosh!"

A steel bolt suddenly whizzed past her ear, close enough to make her eyes widen in shock. How was that possible? She hadn't even had time to react!

"Don't move if you value your life," Chris said loudly. "One wrong move, and you'll be skewered like a porcupine!"

Freya's gaze shifted to the speaker. He held a strange, bolt-loaded crossbow—and so did three or four others nearby.

Reckless moves were out of the question. Even if she could take them down, she'd be badly injured—no, she might not survive at all. The power of that bolt was intense, and she wasn't confident she could dodge it.

Thoughts raced through Freya's mind. She couldn't die here. The princess was still out there, waiting to be found. If she died, who would protect her?

"Drop your weapon. There's no escape for you today!" A cold female voice commanded from behind Freya, making her turn in surprise.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Two surprised voices echoed simultaneously!

"Aren't you that wolf beastkin knight from….?"

Mina gripped her knife tightly, eyes wide with astonishment. She hadn't expected to see this skilled wolf beastkin knight again. Last time, she'd left without even asking her name, keeping her usual aloof demeanor.

"You're the cat beastkin who gave me those dried fish."

Freya recognized the cat beastkin woman immediately. She hadn't forgotten the impressive skill of the arrows this one had fired that day—or the taste of that delicious pack of dried fish, which had lingered in her memory.

"What are you doing here?" Freya's amber eyes narrowed, realizing that she might truly be in trouble now. This cat beastkin was formidable, and Freya was far from her best—she hadn't eaten or rested properly, and her energy was nearly drained.

"You stole from my young master!" Mina's eyes were filled with caution, fully aware of the skill this wolf beastkin knight possessed.

"Stole? Impossible! I was 'borrowing', just borrowing! I'll return it!" 

Freya's cheeks flushed as she turned her head slightly, her wolf ears drooping and her tail hanging low. She pouted, protesting, "I'll return it later, I swear!"

With her status as a wolf knight of the royal family from the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom, how could she ever stoop to stealing? Never! She was just… temporarily borrowing it. When the time came, she'd return everything. Really!

"Borrowing?" Mina's mouth twitched, her eyes widening. That word sounded suspiciously familiar.

It was exactly what she often said to defend herself to Annie. After all, could anything a cat warrior borrowed ever be called 'stealing'? Of course not—it was just 'borrowing'!

And the proud, stubborn look on this wolf beastkin knight's face… Mina felt an odd sense of familiarity she couldn't quite shake.