#ch180

Back to the manor, and Baldo is entering the battle. He sees blood everywhere and thinks Finny and Mey-Rin might be dead.

Finny shows up with a pedestal with a carved bust in one arm, and he’s splattered with blood… but not his own. And here comes another intruder…

…but Mey-Rin shoots the guy right in the head. Baldo is surprised to realize that’s the same Mey-Rin who earlier just seemed like a nervous young maid.

But Finny and Mey-Rin don’t seem to be keeping up with their body counts, and Bard knows there must be more of them, based on the sounds of footsteps he heard before. Finny seems to think that Sebastian had already secured our earl’s quarters, but Bard rushes up to our earl’s bedroom suite.

Sure enough, the door is locked, but two guys are trying to pick the lock. Sebastian isn’t around (that Baldo can tell, anyway), and Baldo has to figure out what tactic to use to take on both men. He thinks about his dead son again, presumably because he doesn’t want his new young master to end up the same way.

And that’s where the chapter ends. I feel as though Sebastian is leaving these two for Baldo… to test him. I’m sure Sebastian is around and ready to step in, if Baldo fails to protect the earl.

Huh?

I suppose it fits, but it is a nice parallel that they both have nicknames/grand titles that they are known for.

Scarlet’s “Titania” is about a fantasy fairy Queen who stands at the top of the hierarchy, but Knightwalker’s title is almost realistic, military-like, and cold. Much more, Knightwalker is just the Commander of a ‘Second’ division, she’s not even leading the first. She’s high up the hierarchy, but hardly anything compared to the King. It’s a cool difference, because despite it, both of them are the most admired warriors in their particular ‘army’. (Lily, for example, is shown to be scorned as one of the cats and more of a singular soldier.)

And while Scarlet is humble, and has never proclaimed herself with her title of Titania-- Knightwalker is proud of it, because she has most likely worked her way this far from the ground up. 

Also, this is a bit of a reach, but I like how Scarlet’s hair is straight and (for lack of a better word) calm and flat-- but Knightwalker’s hair is voluminous, tied up, almost lionlike. 

They are both Knights. (technically Knightwalker is the only real knight, and Scarlet is an imitation of a genuine knight, and she has nothing to do with the royalty of Earthland until we learn about Irene.)