The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Volume 1: Epilogue).

The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Volume 1: Epilogue).

…

When Lord Trelawney bid us farewell, he gave us a letter for the Adventurer’s Guild.

He told us that he contacted those who he knew there so that we would be informed if there were any populations of monsters that could be culled for profit and power anywhere within the guild’s reach.

I had informed him House Argelia’s lands had plenty of monsters, and we would step in to dispatch them if we ever felt compelled to do so.

He had shrugged at my statement and waved goodbye as our ship left.

I had felt the letter unnecessary.

Now, a mere week away from the resumption of school, I was pacing in the room of the guild’s local master at our territory.

“That can’t be all of them. There must be something else out there.” I couldn’t help but walk. There was a strange itch in the back of my brain. It wasn’t bloodlust. No, it was worse. It was the same feeling that crept up on me a mere three days after returning home and doing nothing but rest: boredom. “There has to be something in our territory that needs dispatching.”

“My lady, I’m afraid that you and your companions have killed them all.” Jonathan was a scarred adventurer who poorly fitted his suit. His hair was cut short to his scalp, and one of his eyes was missing and covered with a patch. The claw of some reptile—no, a leonid creature—left four scars diagonally across his face. “There are not significant threats left in Duke Argelia’s territory. Your honored house’s retainers can deal with all that remains.”

The news struck me like a hammer, and I staggered.

Alice had a grimace on her face at the news but helped me to a chair in the office.

Cow leather. It felt sticky and warm even through my clothes. The heightened sensitivity of my senses declared it disgusting even when I knew it was not so.

Troll leather was so much cooler and smoother. Not to mention it had no scent at all after proper treatment.

I dared not breathe too deeply with the cow leather.

I mourned the loss of my bed from Coastal Fortress Trelawney. I had not realized that the mattress itself had been composed of one of our slain monsters. The feathers of several large predatory birds are found only in the north. It had been just the right mixture of firm and soft, while also remaining cool as I lay upon it. Now, I could barely sleep with the curtains of my bed open and my blankets set aside, and I struggled to keep my nightgown on.

The Argelia manor was of the highest quality for normal individuals or those who reached knighthood.

For people with enhanced senses, who have already experienced better, there were innumerable small faults that could only be undone through immense expenditures of capital.

Father already paid a handsome sum to Lord Trelawney, and I promised to return him the favor, but now I was at a loss.

All the dangerous beasts were gone in our territory, and we repaid our families, but there was no more to fund the furnishings we desired.

“Mayhaps we can make a quick trip to the North overnight and hunt several wyverns? Lord Trelawney will take a share, but we can also trade them for beds.” Chloe was always quick to suggest returning to the north. I had a feeling that she had some strange fondness for Lord Trelawney. She thought of him in a good light. Meanwhile, Alice was already shaking her head at the notion. She and I were of the same mind. We won’t go there unless we somehow need to. “At this rate, my lady, we’ll have to ask other territories for permission to hunt in their lands. And, even then, we’ll need experienced craftsmen that only Lord Trelawney can provide.”

I groaned at the sound logic of her proposal, barely stopping myself from complaining outright since we were in the presence of a guild master.

That was when someone suddenly burst through the main doors and ran up the stairs towards the room we were currently in.

Chloe had a hand on her blade, and Alice had a knife at the ready even before the door burst open.

The man who ran into the building barely had any power, so they did not act.

It was good that they didn’t.

The man was an imperial messenger, and he brought grave tidings.

“I—invasion! A fleet has come from the southern coast!” My eyes widened. The southern coast? That was where the summer trip for the academy was planned. “Multiple heirs are missing, and some are dead. The crown prince is holding fast at a fortress with the Goddess of Love’s child!”

“Give me that!” Jonathan moved quickly and took the parchment with the imperial seal upon it. He read its contents, and a cold sweat broke upon his brow. He looked at me. “They’re marshalling the army, but they call for any able-bodied soul to rise up against this foreign invader.”

“The invaders are inhuman, then?” Jonathan nodded at my question. The guild’s ability to work across multiple nations and territories was dependent on the people they employ not acting as mercenaries. Adventurers braved mystic forests, arcane caverns, and spatial anomalies to hunt monsters while recording discoveries for scholars to study. It was a necessity with how magic twisted and turned. “Does the paper say what kind?”

“Scaled and fire-breathing giants. Reptilian. Mentions of smaller variations and some human auxilia. They come on hulking ships of stone and wood that float on the ground.” No monster or polity in existence came to mind at his words. I looked to Alice and Chloe, and they both shook their heads. “They’re taking prisoners. Focused on mages and other users of magic.”

“It seems like an invasion by another people, then. I will intercede.” House Argelia’s southernmost territory bordered the coastal province of Gerhard, where this invasion was taking place. To our west was the capital province, which also bordered Gerhard from its north. The news must have gone to the capital and then to us to receive the imperial seal. This information was likely almost a day behind, even with messengers using magic to swiftly travel across the land. Time was of the essence if we wished to recover those who were taken. “Chloe and Alice, come with me. Guild Master, grant me a paper. I will write to my father.”

Since we came here intending to go on a hunt, we were fully equipped for prolonged combat all over my house’s territory. The boots of flight that Lord Trelawney gave us had been fawned over by our fathers and house wizards. Most messengers used boots that granted greater agility and swiftness in stride while improving stamina and endurance. Ours gave true flight through the air. If not for the fact that they drew so much power from those who haven’t endured as much training as we have, I was sure they would’ve been taken from us.

That they could not be taken would prove to be our salvation.

The guild master was swift to provide me with a paper, and with heat I created my family’s crest upon the paper with utmost precision.

Then, I bid the man farewell… and hoped that the coming battle would be both entertaining and lucrative.

I almost stopped at the threshold as I realized what I thought.

I truly can’t ever go back north.

If I do, I will most surely become a deranged huntress searching for prey for the rest of my days.

…

Interlude: Anisette, Demigod of Love

…

Mother, please, help me.

I prayed, and the warmth within me bloomed into a pillar of fire.

I adored my mother. She blessed my father and me for his countless years of service to her order. In turn, he kept me safe and secret and taught me of her. At times, I chafed under his constant protection and the seclusion of the monastery. Days spent reading scripture, learning miracles, and history were dull and boring compared to a land filled with nobility clashing against evil.

Now, I wished that he was still alive and that I was still back home.

Fire crashed upon the walls of the fortress, while people screamed, roared, and begged for their lives.

“Everything will be fine; Father will be here soon.” Raphael spoke with a smile. He always spoke with a smile. He helped me the moment I arrived at school. While everyone else looked at me with fear, he was kind. Or so I had thought. Until that day, when he declared me his partner and threw away his fiancé while I could do nothing. “Stay strong, Anisette.”

He and the others were fighting. They were strong, and they saved everyone that they could.

But that horrible night where all my will was taken away was at the forefront of my mind.

“My prince, the fortress wall holds. The militia are incurring casualties, but none have died so far.” Raphael’s knight, Sir Drake, had armor covered in soot and burns. His face had a multitude of freshly healed scars. The red cloak that he wore was nothing but burnt rags. I should’ve seen a gallant knight capable of felling evil. I only saw a man who would chase me down at his prince’s behest. “We have the young lady to thank for that.”

So many wounds and burns knitting back to hale flesh came to mind at his words.

The scent of human flesh burning clung to my nose.

No one complained when last night’s dinner was dried fruit and boiled oats.

I don’t believe that I’ll ever be able to eat meat again.

“Good. Get as many of them armed with crossbows and wands as possible. If there’s a mage, I want them infusing magic into wands. Keep them safe.” Raphael ordered, and Sir Drake gave a nod. Then, he turned to his peerage. “How are you lot?”

Huxley was the son of a famed general who slew raiders and defilers of the imperial lands. He was tall with short hair and with a form wrapped in muscle. He led the defense from the front.

James was a merchant prince and tinkerer. His father innovated and sold weapons. He had a quiet demeanor, short hair, and wore spectacles, but he was swift at building and repairing. The weapons of the fortress were repaired and controlled by him now.

Then, there was Alim, the foreign prince with dark skin and white hair. He was a warrior prince who always smelled of spices and carried two curved blades. If a monster was able to climb the walls, he was there, and then the monster wasn’t.

A general, a domestic backer, and a foreign backer.

All my father’s lessons of history pointed towards Raphael’s aims quite clearly.

He wished to rise to the throne and consolidate power from the nobility by seizing their lands through force.

And I was the crown jewel of his plans, as his lineage would be reinforced by divine blood.

I clasped my hands together and willed the tears of frustration budding in my eyes to stay unspilled.

Somehow, I needed to leave Raphael’s grasp and evade his allies.

But today I needed to save as many lives as I could.

Suddenly, though, a wave of overwhelming pressure and strength rolled over the whole of the fortress.

Not from the sea, but from our backs.

Raphael fell to one knee, along with many soldiers, and only skilled knights and warriors managed to stay standing.

Ah, I was standing as well, and I turned my gaze towards that overwhelming force.

Was it Mother?

No, the power was not divine. It was from mortal flesh. Like Sir Drake’s power, but amplified a hundred times over. My heart began to race in fear, and sweat broke on my brow as it grew closer, and I realized who it was thanks to my mother’s blessings.

It was Lady Argelia, her maid, and her knight.

They arrived at the fortress clearing, where I was tending to the wounded and where so many others could look.

They arrived as I imagined angels would, descending from the skies with winds surrounding them, but they were garbed for war.

“Prince Raphael.” Lady Argelia addressed her former fiancé with a tightness in her voice, but she gave him a bow. “I come here as an asset of the guild. His majesty called for us all to come here in response to the invasion.”

For a moment, I thought Raphael lost his ability to speak, as a bevy of emotions ran through his face.

Confusion, fear, and surprise, however, were all swallowed.

“I shall ask how you gained your power later. For now, I must ask for your help.” Raphael bowed his head, and soon after his peerage and knights did the same. Some other nobility whispered in the background, rumors already threatening to come forth, but he spoke with deliberate loudness to pierce everyone’s minds. “The enemy uses flame magic. Can you snuff it out or overwhelm it?”

“I can. Tell Chloe and Alice whatever else you need. I’ll see this fortress secured, your highness.” Lady Argelia crouched slightly and then leapt onto the highest tower of the fortress. Then, her voice resounded through the fortress whilst amplified with magic. “Open your mouths and cover your ears! Now!”

Raphael’s eyes widened, and he all but screamed.

“Do as she says! Now! All of you! Even you, Drake!” He covered his ears and opened his mouth. Fear flitted across his face, and so did recognition. Those words were familiar to him. He heard them before, and by hearing them again, he somehow realized what Lady Argelia did. “Look down! Look down!”

I did as I was instructed.

Then, suddenly, it was like chaos was unleashed above me.

A searing heat came into being for an instant. The light of the sun was drowned out. Everything went white. Then, a terrifying roar resounded, and I felt as though I were being lifted into the sky as air rushed upward. The pull faded after a moment, and I steadied myself, and after a moment I decided to look up.

Many people were putting out small fires on their clothes, but most were pointing and yelling towards the direction of the beach.

My feet took me up the walls while Rapheal followed in silence.

Half the beach was gone, the other half was glass, and the enemy encampment and army that had been forming before our eyes was destroyed.

I looked at Raphael as he took in the sight of overwhelming destruction.

He shakily shook his head, as a combination of relief and despair caused his shoulders to slump.

“She did it.” I thought Raphael spoke of the destruction Lady Argelia wrought, but instead his gaze was towards the sea. Northward. “She endured Lord Trelawney’s mad curriculum… and now I can do nothing against her.”

Trelawney.

The northernmost ducal house of the empire was able to grant this much power to one noble woman?

I should’ve felt fear at such a possibility. This power was meant for gods and not mortals.

Instead, I only had one thought.

Could he do the same for me?

Can I free myself from my current prison by gaining more strength?