When Others Cower, I Am Bold

Isha waited quietly inside the room, her eyes closed as she listened intently to the noises outside.

The room had no windows looking out. It was surrounded by rough, packed earth, and the only way out was the tightly shut wooden door.

She could neither see what was happening outside nor clearly hear the distant sounds. She could only catch faint, blurry vibrations and intermittent shouts.

She had no idea how much time had passed.

A muffled crash echoed from outside the door. The low, rumbling sound made the room vibrate slightly.

Isha's heart instantly leaped into her throat. Her pulse raced, and she pressed her lips tightly together.

Then, a wave of chaotic noise rushed in from afar. There seemed to be frantic shouting and the heavy thud of something massive collapsing. She could sense the utter chaos outside.

A flicker of hope rose in Isha's heart, but she quickly suppressed it.

Gradually, the outside grew quiet until there was barely any sound. This did not put Isha at ease; instead, it only made her mind race with wild, anxious thoughts.

A sudden noise at the wooden door made Isha flinch. She immediately opened her eyes, staring warily at the entrance.

She could feel someone approaching. They were right behind the wooden door, their footsteps so light they were nearly silent.

Isha felt her heart pounding furiously, but she gritted her teeth, trying not to show her panic.

Sure enough, the wooden door was slowly pushed open. A slender silhouette appeared at the threshold, backlit by the torches behind him. Though his face was hidden in the shadows, his calm, flat voice instantly put Isha at ease: “Found her. She's here.”

Isha's eyes grew moist as she watched the familiar figure walk into the room, followed by a hopping silhouette.

Shane glanced at Isha, who was tied to a chair. His lips twitched slightly, forming what could be considered a gentle expression. “Don't worry. You're safe now.”

He walked over to Isha, squatted down, and began untying the hemp ropes binding her.

Isha's lips parted, but the surge of emotion left her speechless. She could only stare blankly at Shane, who was mere inches away.

Just then, another dark green silhouette appeared at the door, poking his head inside. “Is she alright?”

Elon walked in, his short, dark green hair falling over his forehead. He swept his gaze up and down Isha. After confirming she had no obvious injuries, he let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Fortunately, that fellow Rhine at least knew how to maintain a shred of aristocratic decency.”

By now, Isha had calmed down slightly. Looking at Shane, who was kneeling on the ground, she whispered, “Th... thank you.”

“Don't just thank me.”

Shane didn't even look up, his fingers deftly untying the hemp rope. “There's also Her Highness, Elon, and the others. If they hadn't resolved to help, things wouldn't have gone this smoothly.”

Once the ropes were undone, Isha didn't stand up immediately. Her legs felt completely weak.

“Isha!”

A hurried figure dashed through the doorway and threw herself into Isha's arms.

Before Isha could react, the force of the impact knocked her backward. Once she steadied herself, she wrapped her arms around the figure and murmured softly, “Lena...”

Lena clung tightly to Isha. She didn't cry out loud, but her entire body was trembling.

Isha looked down and saw Lena's shoulders twitching. She lifted her hand and gently patted her back. “It's alright now, Lena.”

“I'm fine,” Isha said.

Lena didn't speak, but buried her face even deeper.

“Her Highness!”

As the voice of the guard at the door rang out, a fiery silhouette appeared. Her flame-red hair looked exceptionally vibrant under the glow of the torches.

Alicia stepped into the room. When her gaze fell upon the embracing master and servant, her footsteps instinctively softened.

She didn't interrupt, standing quietly to the side with a gentle gaze.

Sensing the princess's arrival, Isha gently patted Lena's back twice. “Lena, Her Highness is here.”

Lena shuddered slightly. She quickly reined in her emotions, sat up from Isha's embrace, and turned to face the princess with a straight back. “Your Highness... thank you.”

She bowed, her voice still choked with emotion. “Thank you... for coming to rescue Milady.”

Supporting herself on the edge of the chair, Isha stood up somewhat unsteadily. She then forced her back straight, folded her hands in front of her, and gave the princess a perfect, formal bow. “Your Highness, I...”

But before she could finish, she was interrupted.

Alicia took a step forward, wrapping her arms around Isha's shoulders to gently draw her into an embrace. She whispered softly in her ear, “Don't be afraid. It's all over now.”

Isha's body stiffened. She could feel Alicia's warmth seeping through her clothes and onto her shoulder. That warmth made her nose tingle, and her fingers clenched tightly around the edge of Alicia's collar.

The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, pouring down her cheeks. “Your Highness...”

Her voice was very low, as if the emotions she had suppressed inside were finally finding an outlet. “I was so scared... I kept wondering if you would come... I thought...”

Her tears soaked the princess's collar. Isha sobbed, her shoulders trembling, her voice halting and fragmented. “It was so far, and so dangerous... I... I'm just a merchant... I thought...”

“You are my friend.”

Alicia's voice remained gentle as she reached out to softly stroke the top of Isha's head. “When a friend is in danger, how could I not come to their rescue?”

Hearing this, Isha buried her face even deeper. Tears streamed down her cheeks, completely unstoppable.

To the side, Elon watched this scene quietly, a myriad of emotions welling up in his heart.

But when he turned his head, he saw Shane pacing back and forth in the room, his eyes scanning the walls and floor.

The warm expression on Elon's face instantly froze. He whispered to Shane, “What are you doing?”

“Looking for a secret door.”

Shane didn't even look back, his fingers tracing along the base of a wall. This left Elon dumbfounded. “What?”

“I checked the other rooms while looking for Isha. There were no obvious signs.”

Shane stood up, moved to another spot, and continued searching, his brow furrowing. “Rhine couldn't have made such a large shipment of goods vanish into thin air. There's no warehouse in the camp, so there's a high probability they are kept in his residence.”

“That's it?”

Elon's expression turned into one of utter disdain. He glanced at the princess and Isha, who were still immersed in their emotional moment, then turned back to glare at Shane. “She's still crying over there, and you're here looking for a secret door?”

“Who even knows if such a thing exists!”

“Then what about the cargo?”

Shane replied with absolute justification, still not sparing Elon a single glance. “The wheat straw, the drip irrigation tools, and the new seeds—if we lose those, we can't lay down the straw checkerboards. The surrounding sand dunes will be reclaimed by the wind and sand, and all our hard work during this period will be completely wasted.”

Elon choked on his words. What Shane said was indeed reasonable, but the timing of it was truly exasperating.

He took a deep breath, glanced at the princess once more, and seeing that Isha's emotions had mostly stabilized, he sighed. “Fine, I'll help you.”

With that, he also squatted down and began checking the opposite wall.

“You really are something else...”

As Elon tapped the wall, he couldn't help but complain, “The poor girl just escaped danger. Even if you don't say a few words of comfort, immediately eyeing her goods is just...”

“She already has someone comforting her. She doesn't need me.”

Shane's retort left Elon sputtering. He could only shake his head, lamenting that all necromancers were of this same mold, when he suddenly heard Shane call out, “Over here.”

“Hmm?”

“Come take a look.”

Shane was squatting in a corner, his eyes fixed on the ground. The soil there looked different from the rest of the room.

Elon shuffled over and took a look as well. He indeed noticed something unusual; the soil here appeared much more compacted.

So he reached out his hand, a vibrant emerald-green light emanating from his palm as he cautiously probed the area.

A tiny spark of electricity flashed as some sort of mechanism was triggered.

Then, the floor in front of them sank slightly. Accompanied by a low rumbling, one side of the wall slowly receded inward, revealing a long, narrow passage.

Elon stared at the passage, somewhat surprised. “There really is one.”

Shane cast a smug look at him, then stood up and walked straight into the passage.