The footprints continued in a straight line and did not stop until evening. It was only after they saw the sun setting through the trees that the two realized they had been walking westward all this time.
West. That was the direction away from Lutia and Aranthia.
Moreover, it was a massive beast. Perhaps a dragon.
And next to it, the footprints of a smaller beast.
Azwin groaned deeply.
“Doesn’t this seem highly suspicious?”
“What does?”
Gerald was leisurely whistling.
“I have a feeling these footprints aren’t just a coincidence.”
Gerald also considered it seriously.
“I think it’s just a coincidence?”
“Wasn’t I the one who led us to find these footprints in the first place?”
“That’s true. You insisted on it.”
“I did insist, but don’t make it sound like I was nagging! Besides, you agreed too.”
“You were so confident in your assertion that I followed along. I was just as clueless.”
“Yeah, I sometimes felt like we were walking in circles… But now, I think we’ve been continuously heading west.”
Only then did Gerald nod.
“Right. We might have become fools who can’t find the south even when looking at the sun, but at least we saw the sunset right in front of us. Oh, wait a minute!”
Gerald clapped his hands as he continued.
“It’s true. We did get lost a bit, but we’ve been heading west all along.”
“I just said that!”
“And now we’ve found these footprints?”
“I felt almost ‘led’ here without realizing it. That’s what makes it suspicious.”
“Well, if we’re talking about suspicious, it starts with those creatures that first attacked us.”
“Should we have examined the ones we killed more closely? Or followed them?”
“We weren’t in the right mind to do that.”
They continued their conversation without stopping their walk. And at the end of those tracks, the two discovered a place they could never have imagined.
They were almost cheek to cheek, sticking together to confirm that what they were seeing was real. It wasn’t a mirage created by the magic of the Sky Mountains.
There was a village!
“Ohoho, a village in the middle of the Sky Mountains!”
Gerald said with a voice full of curiosity.
At first glance, it looked like children had been playing with logs, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that the structures followed a regular pattern of houses. The inside of the houses was not visible, but the gaps between the logs seemed wide enough to not hinder ventilation. These houses were arranged in a circle around a central square.
In the middle of the square, a tall log was sticking up into the sky. Having been moving under the cover of trees for so long, just the sight of the open sky made them feel good. However, they were not in a situation to enjoy it leisurely.
A woman was tied to the tree with ropes.
☆ ☆ ☆
“It’s time to decide on our course of action.”
Gerald said in a serious and somewhat exaggerated voice.
“We, who followed the tracks of a giant beast thinking it a new adventure, have discovered a village. We thought if there was a village in the Sky Mountains, it would be the settlement of the gods. But now, there’s a woman in the center of that village who seems to be pleading for help with her whole body. What should we do?”
Azwin also asked seriously.
“Doesn’t it seem like a situation where we shouldn’t intervene?”
“Doesn’t it seem like a situation where we should?”
Gerald asked back with a troubled face.
They looked back at the woman who was tied up.
She had been tied up for who knows how long; not only her hair but also her legs were hanging lifelessly, and she looked extremely exhausted even from a distance. She had the same dark skin color as the fairies that had attacked them. Though pressed against the pole she was tied to, she also had dark brown wings. Her black curly hair fell lusciously down her back to her waist and in front to her stomach.
“It reminds me of Malra, seeing a woman in such a state and tied up makes me want to save her.”
Gerald said.
Azwin replied cautiously.
“If it were Malra, she wouldn’t be tied up in such a pitiful pose. It hurts to look, but we don’t know what’s going on. These people have different customs, languages, and races from us. What if she’s a criminal in the village? What if it’s a sacred ceremony marking the climax of a festival? What if it’s how a bride spends her first night after getting married?”
“Right… Malra mentioned that if you sail for a few months, there’s a strange country where they beat the groom’s feet with a club on the first night of marriage.”
“We did come here following the tracks for an adventure, but intruding everywhere uninvited is a nuisance. But we can’t just stand by and watch…”
Azwin whispered, realizing her voice had been too loud.
“…I’ll approach her when it gets dark.”
“And then what?”
Gerald whispered back.
“Ask her, I guess. ‘Shall I untie you, or should I just leave?'”
“Why not ask ‘Are you on the bad side, or the good side?’ instead?”
Gerald pointed out something Azwin hadn’t thought of.
“Besides, she probably won’t understand your words. I’d bet my axe on her not understanding.”
“I’d put my shield on her not understanding as well.”
“Huh?”
☆ ☆ ☆
They decided to wait until nightfall. Before taking action, they gathered their nearly depleted dry food for one last meal and drank the rainwater they had collected. Occasionally, fairies with similar skin tones would come out of the houses and loiter, but none approached the woman tied in the square. The village was too quiet and scarcely populated to be called such.
‘I joked about it, but their customs definitely aren’t like ours. The atmosphere says so. But I shouldn’t say anything to Gerald. It would be embarrassing if I were wrong again.’
To make matters worse, it began to rain. Azwin and Gerald sought shelter under a thickly covered spot to avoid the rain.
The woman tied in the square continued to be hit by the heavy downpour. Initially, she wriggled to shake off the rainwater but soon stopped even that.
‘This is bad. Is she going to die before I even get a chance to check on her?’
Azwin was anxious.
The torches were all extinguished, and the square was enveloped in total darkness. The rain did not stop. Rather, that turned into an opportunity. If the rain stopped, they might light the torches again. Azwin decided to act before that happened.
Azwin pulled out a long cloth from her backpack and folded it in half. Then, she took off her outer garment and wrapped the cloth around her chest, turning her back to Gerald. As if by habit, Gerald tied the knot while asking.
“Why?”
“Why ask when you always do it? It’s to prevent bouncing.”
“You don’t usually do it unless it’s for a fight.”
“I feel like I should. I have a bad feeling.”
“Who was it that led us here with those feelings?”
Azwin adjusted the tied part a few times to make it comfortable and then took a deep breath.
“Sometimes, my chest is just too uncomfortable.”
“Indeed. For a woman who uses a sword, they are quite large. The women I saw during my mercenary days were so small that I asked them if they had reduced them on purpose for fighting… But you’re on the smaller side compared to the average, aren’t you?”
“Mind your own business. At least mine are pretty in shape. I’m going.”
“Come back safe. I’ll watch your back.”
Gerald replied with a smile.
Azwin glanced back at Gerald anew.
‘He never says to be careful or that he, being a man, would lead. Just watch over whatever I do. Trust me in whatever I do. And always wait for me from behind.’
Gerald was unwrapping the cloth around his axe blade and nodded.
“What are you waiting for?”
“I’ll be right back.”
Azwin slid down the wet mud. She looked around several times until she reached the edge of the village, but there was no sign of anyone. There were no indications of traps. But this forest wasn’t a place where judgments could be made based on senses alone.
‘For now, let’s only trust what we can see.’
Azwin touched her waist where her sword was strapped and lowered her other hand close to the ground, sprinting. The splashing sound echoed with every step into the puddles. There were no issues until she reached the woman who was tied up.
“Hey. Are you still alive?”
Azwin asked.
The woman slowly lifted her head. In the darkness, where not a single ray of moonlight shone, her face was almost invisible. But her clear eyes were visible.
“You’re still alive. Do you understand our language? Do you understand?”
The fairy woman seemed greatly confused by Azwin’s words. She tilted her head continuously and then spoke in a small, yet urgent voice.
“Devin! Draz az I Devin.”
“I can’t understand. Your voice is lovely, but I need to know what you’re saying. Don’t you know our language at all?”
Azwin murmured, frustrated.
“Devin! Devin!”
The woman said again.
“What does that mean? Is that your name?”
“Veph! Draz az I Devin.”
“Calm down and let’s start with names. My name is Azwin. A-z-win! What’s yours?”
Azwin deliberately spoke slowly, trying to calm her down. The fairy woman shook her head vigorously, spraying rainwater from her wet hair.
The weakening rain soon stopped, and the clouds swiftly drifted elsewhere. A bit of starlight and moonlight illuminated the surroundings just as torches were suddenly lit all around the village. The village residents, unseen all day, had surrounded the square at some point.
“Ah! I learned one word in your language. Devin!”
Azwin smiled at her.
“That means ‘trap,’ doesn’t it?”
She had her sword drawn, but there were too many around her to do anything. Somehow, it seemed unlikely that they would spare the life of a foreigner who couldn’t even communicate.
“It looks like I’ve failed to save you. Sorry.”
Azwin said, turning to look at the woman. She appeared very frail. Leaving behind a beautiful woman with wet hair reflecting the torchlight and raindrops on her long eyelashes felt like committing a grave sin.
“I’ll come back to rescue you when I have time. Then, let’s hear why you were tied up.”
Azwin ran back the way she came. Already, fairies with dark faces were standing in front of her, and others who had been surrounding the area began to charge towards her. They were all armed with spears.
“Gerald!”
Azwin shouted as she plunged into the crowd. Countless spears were thrust at her. She spun around, blocking all the incoming spears with her shield. Broken spearheads clattered to the ground, and the startled fairies backed away. However, one among them did not retreat and surprisingly blocked Azwin’s sword.
Azwin quickly stood up and struck him with another attack. But the large man blocked all her attacks.
‘There was one among them who was quite skilled.’
Her plan to break through the encirclement in one go was thwarted. Hesitating at the thought of being completely exposed from behind, the fairies in front of her fell. Gerald had charged in, swinging his axe. As five or six fairies fell, the enemy’s formation, which was trying to encircle Azwin alone, quickly collapsed.
The man who had blocked Azwin’s sword turned in surprise and blocked Gerald’s axe. Azwin found an opening and slashed his side, followed by Gerald decapitating him. Azwin immediately stuck to Gerald’s back, forming a strategy in her mind to confront the enemies that would swarm them.
At that moment, the other fairies hastily retreated and seemed to lose their will to fight, dropping their weapons.
‘Why are they doing that?’
Upon closer inspection, what they were looking at was the man Azwin and Gerald had just killed together. When everyone paused for a moment, Gerald grabbed Azwin’s wrist and they broke through the encirclement, running away. The bewildered fairies chased after them too late.
☆ ☆ ☆
After wandering around for over an hour, running, and fighting off the pursuers, both were drenched in sweat. The ones who had initially caused them to lose their way in the Sky Mountains fled after a few of their comrades were killed, but this new group didn’t give up easily even after losing several members.
Azwin climbed a tree to look around and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“It seems we’ve shaken them off.”
She slumped down against the tree, exhausted.
Gerald, also tired, leaned on the tree, catching his breath.
“Those bastards. To chase us so ferociously just because we spoke to that tied-up woman.”
“She must have been very important. Or maybe they were after us for revenge for their comrades we inadvertently killed while escaping.”
Azwin emphasized “inadvertently.”
“What are we going to do? Go back to save her?”
“Let’s think about it. I kind of said I’d go back to save her without thinking.”
“She probably didn’t understand you anyway?”
“That’s true. But a knight has to keep their promises.”
“Why did you make such a promise in the first place?”
Gerald sat down next to Azwin, stretching out his legs.
“Whatever we do, let’s rest a bit first.”
“Let’s do that.”
Azwin pulled a blanket from her backpack and covered both their knees. Both were exhausted and soon fell asleep. However, they both woke up immediately upon sensing someone approaching.
‘As expected, reactions are a bit slower here.’
Without moving, Azwin only moved her eyes to check the surroundings. More than twelve spears were aimed at them in a fan shape, and about twenty dark-skinned fairies stood behind like guards.
There were more hidden behind the trees, but their number was unclear.
“We should have taken turns sleeping.”
Gerald blinked and spoke. Azwin checked the sword she habitually held under the blanket covering their legs. Gerald, without looking at his axe leaned against the tree, subtly shifted his body, ready to stand up. To an outsider, it looked as though they weren’t moving at all.
“I’ll take down the three on the left.”
Azwin licked her lips, continuing.
“You take the two on the right and the one behind the tree.”
“What’s the next formation?”
“We don’t need one. But don’t move until they make the first move. It seems they have no intention to attack just by surrounding us.”
Azwin noticed that the clothes worn by their encirclers were different from the fairies who had attacked them in the village.
‘Are they different ones?’
It was dark and she hadn’t paid much attention to the clothes, but she quickly noticed the weapons were different. They had red threads on their handles, used broader blades, and were much longer.
Among the crowd, a man fairy who clearly looked like the leader and the woman fairy who had been tied up in the village center the night before approached.
‘Huh? Has she been released?’
The crowd’s leader was dark-skinned but distinguished by his short beard and all-white hair, in contrast to the other black-haired individuals.
The man gestured to the other fairies with his hand. The spears aimed at them were withdrawn. The woman next to him slightly bowed her head towards Azwin in greeting and then smiled.
‘Hmm, doesn’t seem like we’re going to fight.’
Still holding onto her sword, Azwin said,
“Hello.”
“Thanks to you, our operation was a success.”
The white-bearded man fairy spoke. Though the pitch was hard to understand, it was undoubtedly in the human language. Gerald and Azwin looked at each other in surprise as the white-bearded man continued.
“I’ve come to greet you purposely.”
Azwin, surprised by his accent, responded.
“That’s the dialect from the southern regions of Carnelock, isn’t it? No, I’m more surprised you can speak our language.”
The man fairy chuckled with a dignified laugh, creating deep wrinkles.
“There are those among you who can speak our language. And there are those among us who can speak yours. I learned the language from an old man living in a village in the southern regions of Carnelock.”
“I see. Makes sense. Those silly legends of the Sky Mountains I heard as a child were all told by old men from those villages.”
“My name is Rontlos, leading the ‘Larunton’ army… ‘Pupubai’. Thanks to you drawing their attention, we were able to rescue our ‘Bapukuz’. There was a prophecy that Bapukuz’s Gider would lead two Ugehs. I never expected it to come true exactly as predicted.”
Gerald, already struggling to adapt to the Carnelock dialect, frowned at the barrage of new terms.
“Look, I get your name is Rontlos and you hold an important position in the country of Larunton, but what’s all this about?”
“My apologies. Um, umm. It’s been nearly ten years since I last spoke the human language. Speaking is not easy for me.”
Rontlos spoke even more slowly.
“I am the commander overseeing all of Larunton’s armies. A servant assisting Larunton’s Hopet. Hopet, in your language, would be called a king.”
“So your title, Pupubai, is something like a general?”
Azwin guessed.
“Very similar. That’s an accurate description.”
“And what’s Bapukuz?”
Azwin asked, looking at the woman fairy who was trying to smile despite looking a bit tired.
“Bapukuz is a term used for the daughter of Hopet.”
Finally understanding, Gerald snapped his fingers.
“So we fell into a trap trying to save the princess of a country called Larunton, but in the process, a general from Larunton, who was supposed to fall into that trap, ended up saving us?”
“To be precise, we were waiting for the right moment.”
“The moment?”
“Gider… If fate dictated that Bapukuz, our princess, was to be intertwined with Ugeh, meaning you humans, I thought it necessary to wait for you. And eventually, you appeared.”
Azwin now pushed aside the blanket and stood up. The soldiers showed a wary look when they saw the sword she had hidden under the blanket. Not wanting to show any hostility, she sheathed her sword.
“Well, you didn’t have to go out of your way to give a forced thank you, especially not with spears pointed at us.”
“I apologize. We did that because we were afraid you might misunderstand and attack us on first sight.”
“That would have been more dangerous.”
Gerald said.
Rontlos seemed not to understand that remark. The fairy princess, Bapukuz, approached Azwin, took her hand, and lightly touched her forehead with the back of Azwin’s hand.
“Jai Drif Yoae, Ugeh Wibaov.”
Rontlos translated for her.
“She says she is thankful to the human warrior.”
“That’s enough for greetings. Can we hear what the situation is now?”
Before Rontlos could answer, the fairy princess spoke.
“Azwin.”
Azwin was surprised to hear her name from the princess.
‘Huh? Did I tell her my name?’
She then remembered the moment last night when she foolishly introduced herself while the princess was shouting about a ‘trap.’
The princess pointed at Azwin, calling her name once more, then pointed at herself.
“Sermei.”
“Sermei? Is that your name? It’s a nice name.”
Azwin shrugged. Sermei’s words sounded as sweet as a voice heard in a dream. Despite their first meeting, it felt as though they were old friends meeting again.
Sermei seemed to think the same, showing a gentle smile.
–TL Notes–
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