Book 4: Chapter 53
Book 4: Chapter 53
Tafel’s expression was dark. She was staring up at a city with a map in her hands. She glared at the city, lowered her head to stare at the map, and frowned. The city wasn’t marked on the map! Her cloak fluttered, and she reached up to make sure her hood was covering her horns. It did make it seem like she had a lumpy head, but it was better being stared at for that than having everyone stare at her for having horns. She walked up to the lone man standing by the city gates. “Hello,” she said, making sure her eyes were covered by the shadows of her hood. The people here didn’t react to purple eyes too well either. “I’m a traveler, and I happen to be lost.” She held out her map. “Can you tell me where the city of Coburg is on the map?”
The man grabbed the map. His brow furrowed. “This isn’t like any map I’ve seen,” he said and handed it back to Tafel.
“What do you mean it isn’t like any map you’ve seen?” Tafel asked with a frown. This map was given to her by Thomas, and he pointed out the cities where the leaders of the Swabian League were located. There’s no way he would’ve given her an inaccurate map.
“Well,” the man said and cleared his throat. “The only maps I’ve seen are about this big.” He spread apart his hands. “And it’s in the shape of Coburg. What kind of map do you have there? Is it of the world?”
“No,” Tafel said. “It’s a map of the Holy Roman Empire.”
The man scratched his head. “Well, why do you have a map of that?” he asked. “This is Coburg, not the Holy Roman Empire.”
“Yes, well, Coburg is in the Holy Roman Empire, no?” Tafel asked and raised an eyebrow. However, her hood prevented the man from seeing it.
“Eh?” The man frowned. “Coburg is in Saxony. You should have a map of Saxony if you want to find Coburg on it.”
Tafel nodded. “Saxony…, Saxony…,” she muttered while looking at her map. “Oh! Here it is.” She raised her head and stared at the man. “Saxony is part of the Holy Roman Empire.”
“Is it?” The man cleared his throat. “Well, now you know where Coburg is.” He nodded and looked away.
“Wait,” Tafel said. “Saxony is on this map, but Coburg isn’t. Where in Saxony is Coburg?”
The man scratched his head, his face turning a light shade of red. “Lady, if I knew that, do you think I’d be working as a shepherd?”
“A shepherd?” Tafel blinked. “What do you mean a shepherd? You’re not a guard?”
“Guard?” the man asked in return. “What would Coburg need a guard for? Don’t you see those walls over there?” He gestured and pointed at a white line in the distance. “The only people worth defending are the people living in those walls.”
Tafel frowned. “What do you mean worth defending?”
The man looked at Tafel as if she were a moron. “Let’s say you’re a thief, alright?”
“I’m not, but go on.”
“Alright, say you’re a thief. You come up to me. What are you going to steal? One of my sheep?” The man snorted. “I have no money. The people who live here barely have any money. The only ones who have money live in that castle.” The man cleared his throat and looked around before coming closer to Tafel. “You see, that’s why the people here want to join that uprising that’s been happening recently. However, our hands are tied since there’s too many knights working in that castle. Someone important lives there.”
Tafel’s eyes lit up. “Is he a member of the Swabian League?”
“Uhhh.” The man’s mouth hung open. “I’m not sure.” He shook his head, and he turned away, looking past Tafel. “Well, it seems like my sheep are done grazing. So long.”
“Thanks for your help,” Tafel said and waved with her hand that was holding the map. The man walked past her and into the distance where a few sheep were waiting. Then, she turned her attention onto the white line in the distance, the so-called castle walls. Her horns glowed silver, and a portal appeared in front of her. She hopped through, and her feet landed on a stone walkway. A man wearing light armor shouted in surprise and fell over, landing on his butt. If he fell a little more to the left, he would’ve fallen off of the wall. Tafel lowered her hood and looked around, her gaze landing on the frightened man in the end. “Hi. Who lives here?”
“F-Frederick III, the Elector of Saxony.”
Tafel stroked her chin. She wasn’t quite sure what an elector was, but judging by the man’s name, he must’ve been important. After all, only important people could be referred to as the third. If he was a nobody, he would’ve had a regular, unnumbered name. Also, the shepherd said the castle’s knights were prevented the peasants from openly rebelling, so there was only one thing for her to do. “Alright, take me to him.”
“A-are you a devil?” the knight asked, staring up at Tafel’s horns. He was still sitting on the ground, and his heart pounded in his chest. The portal behind Tafel was still open, splitting the world into two different scenes. Before Tafel could respond, the pressure was too much for the knight, and he fainted.
Tafel’s face blanked as the knight’s torso fell to the ground. Even peasants were braver him. How did he become a knight in charge of someone’s protection? She shook her head and hopped off the wall, landing on the grass of the castle’s courtyard. Ahead of her, there were even taller walls with a gate on the side, leading into a tower. She frowned and opened another portal leading to the top of the second pair of walls. When she arrived on top, she saw five buildings within the enclosed space below. Her eyes narrowed, and she picked out the fanciest building, jumping off the wall towards it.