At first, Rontlos had taken care of them kindly, but now that he had returned to being the commander leading the troop, he had no choice but to neglect them. Sermei, who always smiled, did show a friendly appearance but did not speak. The other Lemifs were wary of the two.
Thanks to this, they became bored.
“These guys, looking at them wandering around all day, doesn’t it seem like they’re not lost but just moving around aimlessly? Going here and there.”
Azwin said.
“We’re in no position to judge their sense of direction. For all we know, they might be moving straight and it’s us who feel like we’re going in circles.”
Gerald responded.
“This is driving me crazy. I can’t tell if I’m retracing my steps or going the opposite way.”
Azwin looked up at the sky. It was maddening not to be able to figure out the directions even though one could differentiate east from west by looking at the sun.
“If the Excellon Knights are really wandering around this forest, then how on earth are they managing to navigate?”
Gerald raised a productive question.
“There must be some magical method. Something like a magical tool. Considering what Dethain said about just following him and there won’t be any problem, it seems something specific to sorcerers is needed. After all, this is a forest of magic.”
“Just attach the word ‘magic’ and everything is explained.”
Both laughed heartily in unison. Sermei, who had been next to them unnoticed, joined in the laughter.
Azwin whispered into Gerald’s ear.
“Hey, do you think she understood and laughed just now?”
“She laughed because our situation is funny.”
“Was it funny?”
“To others, we must look ridiculous at any time.”
Interestingly, Sermei liked sticking close to Azwin. Azwin had been followed by men to the point of annoyance, but having a woman follow was awkward. Malra had a clingy personality, but surprisingly, she was not very close to Azwin. Sildire did not even talk to Azwin. She was antagonistic.
‘Your values are incomprehensible to me.’
The words Sildire occasionally spat out were thorny. Asking what exactly she meant by that to a fifteen-year-old would hurt Azwin’s pride, so Azwin had to ponder it alone. What’s wrong with her values?
After all, Azwin was always unpopular with women. Since childhood, as many men were afraid of Azwin as there were who liked her. But with women, nine out of ten disliked her, and one in ten hated her. Azwin prided herself on having softened quite a bit since joining the Wolf Knights, but that had not changed.
‘Brooding over personal opinions is unlike you. Among the maids, many admire your values and actions.’
The Queen had offered no more help than that when consulted. Sheyden was consistent with “I don’t know,” and Loyal and Dunmel fled whenever it came to life advice. Gerald, at least, took it seriously.
‘You only hang out with men. Have you ever tried playing with Sildire?’
There was a lot of difference in the way one becomes friends with men, who would follow without effort, and women, who required effort to get close. It took almost a month before Gerald brought interesting news.
‘Remember what Sildire said to you before? She said that after seeing you flirt with Sheyden and getting angry.’
‘It was a joke!’
‘It doesn’t seem like that to someone watching. Especially to someone as innocent as Sildire.’
Azwin declared that she would never again even jokingly flirt with Sheyden. Sheyden laughed so hard upon hearing this that Vunataidol, who was in the next room, came running out, startled.
Thus, having a Lemif like Sermei follow Azwin was a very awkward situation. Azwin observed Sermei walking beside her carefully. Suddenly, she remembered Rontlos saying, “It’s like seeing Sermei when she was a child.”
‘Such a gentle girl, similar to me? That’s funny.’
By noon, they had taken a break for lunch. As soon as Azwin and Gerald sat down, Sermei naturally took a seat next to them. Rontlos, who used to set up a separate seat for the princess far from the ordinary soldiers, looked confused but did not catch Sermei’s attention.
‘Oh, pretending not to see on purpose! If she really has a personality similar to mine, then I shouldn’t be fooled by that innocent face!’
Azwin resolved.
Rontlos gave up and spread a mat next to Azwin. Sermei waited until it was fully laid out before flopping down on it. Then, she beckoned Azwin with a gesture. With an irresistible smile.
Meanwhile, Rontlos handed Sermei a pouch filled with water. Sermei took only a sip and passed it to Azwin. The pouch had a strange texture, neither leather nor tree bark. The water tasted oddly and mystically of honey and violets mixed together.
“Wow, this is delicious.”
As Azwin tried to pass the water pouch to Gerald, Sermei panicked and snatched it back. Sermei shook her head like a child whose doll had been taken away.
Rontlos explained.
“This water is for women only. And it’s very precious…”
“Is it water only the princess can drink?”
Azwin asked.
“That’s correct.”
Azwin smirked and said to Gerald.
“See, you lowly creature. Now I’m on the same level as the princess of the Lemifs. Our love is doomed to end due to the insurmountable gap in our status.”
Gerald licked his lips, clearly regretting not being able to taste it.
“Was it good?”
“Oh, don’t ask. You’ll feel sorry you couldn’t drink it.”
While Azwin was teasing Gerald, Rontlos directed some soldiers to scout the rear. The other soldiers orderly placed their weapons down and sat in their designated spots. Rontlos only had to say two words before the ranks were formed.
“The training seems to be effective.”
Azwin meant to say this to Gerald, but Rontlos replied.
“We’ve only recently conducted training. The Lemifs originally do not have the concept of an army.”
“Because they prefer peace?”
“Weapons are not permitted within our beliefs. They are forbidden items. Even when there were conflicts with the Zvi tribe, there were hardly any casualties. Only Tachisel, who has experienced a lot of battle, is familiar with the concept of an army.”
“Wait a minute.”
Azwin wrote on the ground with a twig. Putier to the north, Tachisel to the east, and Larunton to the west. The first to have their god slain was Putier. The first to cooperate with Excelon was also Putier.
Azwin drew an arrow on the ground from the word Putier to Tachisel. If Tachisel is the most familiar with battle, then Putier, who decided to cooperate with Excelon, would likely attack Tachisel first. And now, they are jointly attacking Larunton.
Putting aside the complex issue, Azwin asked Rontlos.
“We just have to follow, but let’s at least know where we’re going. To the place where the dragon lives?”
“Yes. As I mentioned, we are going to the Le-Hopet, his territory. Not only our Lemifs but also other dragons are forbidden to tread on that land. The irreverent Zvi Lemifs may not have the ritual to protect such sacred land, but we strictly adhere to this rule. Currently, we are making an exception to the rule by following the oracle.”
“So we’re wandering in search of a dragon that lives in a forbidden place and whose location we do not know?”
“We can find it. It will be there.”
Rontlos spoke cautiously, but his expression showed confidence.
“So, if we find this dragon, will he solve everything by breathing fire?”
Rontlos hesitated at Azwin’s bold joke before answering.
“I can’t find the right… word. That’s not the case. Because… the enemy is Ka-Guanil, a dragon that kills dragons, and the Le-Hopet is not precisely a dragon that engages in battle… Ah, this is difficult. The explanation, difficult.”
Rontlos held his forehead as he continued.
“To be honest with you, Azwin, you are right. I wish the Le-Hopet would cleanly resolve all of this. I am hoping. However, such a miracle will not happen. The power of a miracle… uh, um, hmm, is appropriate when independent. But if there is a power opposing the miracle, the miracle will not act as a miracle.”
Azwin frowned helplessly.
“I don’t understand a thing you’re saying.”
“I can’t explain any better than this.”
“Let me summarize. You’re going to call for reinforcements, but it’s doubtful whether those reinforcements will actually be of any help, right?”
“If you summarize it like that… uh, umm, I have nothing to say.”
Rontlos sighed softly. He seemed troubled until Azwin indicated she would not ask any further, and then he returned to have his meal.
Sermei sat with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression. Simply sitting there, she exuded an extraordinary aura that seemed untouchable. It was astonishing.
Gerald crossed his arms and nodded off. He was accustomed to sleeping and waking in short spans. During this time, he had shown several times that he could stay awake for nights on end without any trouble.
Azwin sat next to him but could not sleep. She was bothered by the time she playfully tried to kiss him by climbing on his chest. She had made many similar attempts in jest before, but those times were not as proactive. Thus, being cleanly rejected was a bit embarrassing.
‘Is it problematic if I like him too much? What if there was a special meaning behind his words? I don’t understand anything.’
Imagining that if Gerald was like other men who easily showed their feelings, they could quickly develop a sticky relationship, Azwin felt regretful on her own. On reflection, there were indeed times when she had been too harsh, not considering whether he would get hurt.
‘I wasn’t very mature, was I? Would it be better to start treating him seriously from now on?’
That didn’t seem like her at all. Then what was typical of her? She couldn’t answer her own question.
‘Is this really me liking Gerald? Or is it just sexual desire? If it’s the latter… oh, that’s really unfortunate! I deserve to hear that from Sildire.’
Gerald, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes wide and was startled to see Azwin’s face so close to his. Azwin was surprised too. It seemed she had unconsciously brought her face close while lost in thought.
Gerald asked with half-open eyes.
“What are you doing?”
Azwin thought about what to say, then slowly backed off her head and said.
“Contemplating.”
Gerald chuckled, supported the back of his head with his hand, and leaned against the tree. As always, instead of pushing Azwin away, he stepped back himself.
“It feels like we’ve been stranded on a deserted island. I like being able to completely monopolize a woman like you.”
Azwin put her hand on her cheek and spoke in a defeated tone.
“I like monopolizing you too, but it makes me anxious. What if I really do like you?”
Gerald blinked like a bull.
“Why do you make it sound like it’s a big deal? I’m hurt.”
“It’s not that, if it really is like that, then all the time we’ve spent would be wasted. If you had liked me from the start, I wouldn’t have had to hold back. There was no reason for me to live a life of abstinence while I was with the Wolf Knights…”
Gerald laughed.
‘Here we go again.’
Gerald countered everything with a joke, but he silently smiled in pleasure at comments he wished were brushed off with humor. And he did so with quite a handsome face.
The Lemifs who had gone scouting to the rear returned, creating a stir. They reported to Rontlos with faces full of urgency. Although their words were incomprehensible, their tone was frantic. Rontlos nodded and then issued a move-out command to everyone.
“What’s happening, Rontlos?”
Azwin asked, removing her hand from her cheek.
“There’s a Lemif army tracking us from behind. Surprisingly, there are two Excelons leading them. One of them is called ‘Redward,’ known to be the most ruthless among the Excelons. We can’t stand against them with our power.”
After speaking to Sermei, Rontlos dashed to the front. The previously calm air quickly became tense with anxiety. Looking back at Gerald, who lay there as relaxed as ever, Azwin said,
“Don’t you just want to handle it ourselves when you hear something like that?”
“We can’t stand against them.”
Gerald rustled as he got up and slung his backpack on. The soldiers were already prepared to leave, but the two moved leisurely. Unable to watch any longer, Sermei hopped around impatiently and grabbed Azwin’s hand, pulling her.
Azwin sighed and quickened her pace, led by that grip.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go, we’re going.”
Though she spoke leisurely to reassure her, Sermei fluttered her deep brown wings like a sparrow, clearly frightened.
Azwin turned to Gerald, following behind, and said,
“Are the Excelon Knights really such a source of terror?”
“Ah, there might be a completely different monster called Iguselrun, just pronounced similarly.”
Gerald shrugged and continued,
“Let’s ask them when we meet, shall we?”
☆ ☆ ☆
Another bout of rain poured down. The Lemifs didn’t mind getting wet, but as it didn’t stop for over half an hour, they eventually started looking for shelter. Rontlos was pleased the rain would erase their tracks, but he also worried that it would make finding their way more difficult.
The shelter Rontlos found was under a giant tree that Gerald would take a month to chop down. Large intertwined tree roots formed a natural roof, and the ground dipped down with walls burrowing inward, creating a hole. Though called a hole, it was a cave big enough for thirty people to sit in.
The floor was covered with soft, dry leaves. The group dried their wet bodies and waited for the rain to stop. However, as it quickly grew dark, they prepared beds by piling up leaves or started fires with dry branches inside the cave to spend the night.
Gerald asked Rontlos a few questions by his side. The two seemed to have grown quite close, as they burst into laughter without reservation during their conversation. The sound of rain mixed with the men’s deep voices resonated pleasantly like music.
With nothing to do and the day turning dark, Azwin decided to sleep, covering her knees with a blanket. Then, Sermei, who had a similar blanket over her shoulders, came closer again and gestured with her eyes to sit beside her.
“It’s fine for you to approach. But what makes you trust and follow me like this? What if I were a spy for the enemy? Huh?”
Azwin made room as she spoke. Sermei, not understanding, simply sat down in the space provided and smiled. Being smaller in size, Sermei naturally had to look up, her innocent and cute face gazing adorably like a cat begging for affection.
“It’s strange how you’re so afraid of Excelon but trust and follow us, who are strangers and from the same race. Should I ask Rontlos, wait until you learn our language, or should I learn yours?”
Azwin gazed into the sparkling blue eyes observing her, then shook her head.
“Too bothersome. Let’s drop it. Sleep well.”
Azwin wrapped herself in the blanket and turned to sleep.
She felt someone stroking her shoulder in her sleep. Thinking it was Gerald, she didn’t mind, but his voice was heard from a distance. The hand that stroked her shoulder slipped between her arms and wrapped around her chest, and soon she felt the softness of breasts against her back.
A small breath tickled her ear, and the scent of sweet violets mixed with the exhaled air. She thought about pushing it away but left it because it was warm, and it stayed that way until morning.
When she woke up, it was indeed Sermei. As Azwin got up, Sermei pouted with a sleepy face.
Azwin stroked her head. Sermei rubbed her face against the palm and fell back asleep.
‘She’s just a child. I was fooled by that mature face.’
She had been fooled by the term “maiden awakening the dragon.” Sermei was a child. That’s why, despite being of a different race, she followed Azwin so closely, seeing her as another female with strong power.
‘How old would she be in human terms? Fourteen? Fifteen? But being a Lemif, she’s probably much older than me.’
As Azwin tried to move her hand away from her face, Sermei, still with her eyes closed, groped for it. Left with no choice, Azwin held her hand, and in that state, she was unable to get up for a while.
As soon as Sermei deeply fell asleep and relaxed her grip, Azwin slipped away. Stretching as she exited the cave, she saw several Lemifs wrapped in blankets here and there, and Gerald was sitting at the entrance, smoking tobacco.
“Smoking so early in the morning?”
Azwin commented.
“Good morning,”
Gerald exhaled smoke as he greeted.
Yawning long, Azwin asked,
“Did you get some sleep?”
“Snoozed for a couple of hours earlier. Today, I paired up with the Lemifs for night watch, so you take my place tomorrow.”
“Alright. Anything happen overnight?”
“There was. Couldn’t see the moon, so not sure about the time, but around midnight, there was this massive beast’s roar from that forest. The Lemifs on watch were all terrified. Asked them, and they said it’s a monster named Kagua.”
“Did Rontlos mention that name? What is it?”
“One of Ka-Guanil’s minions. Nearly the same size and appearance as a dragon but crawls on the ground since it has no wings… that’s how they explained it. Probably belongs to those footprints we found.”
“So our enemy includes such monsters? Why does it always seem like we’re up against such foes? Barely survived fighting those undying ones in Camort…”
“That’s because we joined this side, so to balance things out, the god of battle probably gifted them with a monster. Had we been on their side, maybe Rontlos would’ve had a Kagua?”
“God of battle? That’s a god made up by mercenaries, right? I’ve heard of it.”
Azwin brushed off the morning dew from a protruding tree root and sat down. Gerald extinguished his pipe and said,
“I was once called that god.”
“Since when did you get the nickname ‘The Mercenary of Fire’? From childhood?”
“Was leading a small band of mercenaries when some event…”
Gerald trailed off with “some event” and glanced at Azwin’s face with a wistful look before continuing,
“…led me to a bigger place where I fought in a major war. Started training with the Wolf Knights as my goal from then, gained a reputation for being rather violent, and that’s how the enemies began to fear me. Guess that was about 6 years ago.”
“6 years ago? So, around the time I started as a mercenary, you were already making a name for yourself.”
“Not exactly. I wasn’t called ‘The Mercenary of Fire’ when you started.”
“How do you know that? I can’t even remember that time well.”
“Well, you have a poor memory. Can’t even recognize people you’ve met.”
Azwin’s eyes widened at Gerald’s meaningful words.
“It’s strange, considering the vast yet small world of mercenaries, that two outstanding individuals like us hadn’t met. Where did you mercenary around? Huh? Let’s share our pasts. We haven’t really talked about this stuff much. It’s a good opportunity.”
“I’d rather not. We agreed not to ask each other about such things. Just say, ‘I challenged the Wolf Knights to beat Master Quain Gant.’ Did you have a separate mentor?”
Gerald deftly avoided talking about himself.
“Yeah. Still don’t know his name, though. He just told me to call him ‘teacher.’ But since he recommended the Wolf Knights to me, I wonder if he wasn’t a former Wolf.”
“Maybe one of the White Wolves?”
“I’d rather not dig into it. The teacher was just my inner… Ah! You cleverly dodged my question?”
Gerald laughed and waved his hand.
“As the Queen always insisted, us joining the Wolf Knights was led by the blessing of Aranthia. Any other reason is trivial.”
“Even trivial reasons become intriguing when hidden like that. Then, tell me later. Much later.”
“I will. Later.”
Lately, Gerald had been looking at Azwin with a gaze that seemed to peer into the distant past. Azwin inhaled the damp air and asked,
“So, we weren’t discovered by the enemies while on watch overnight?”
“We weren’t. Not until now.”
“Then we’ve been discovered now.”
Azwin deliberately looked past Gerald’s shoulder with a vague gaze and said.
Gerald, catching on to her intention without turning around, asked,
“Is there someone behind?”
“One person.”
“An ally?”
“Not that I know of. We didn’t have someone like that in our group. Besides, this guy has an arrow nocked on his bowstring right now.”
“Can you stop it?”
“If he’s trained enough to stand in a tree, wonder if he can dodge a thrown knife from here?”
“Are you telling me to get killed?”
“Can’t have that happening to our Gary. Count down. One, two!”
Gerald leapt to the side, and Azwin drew and threw her knife. Their actions were faster than the opponent releasing the bowstring. The knife Azwin threw and the arrow launched crossed paths in mid-air. Azwin twisted her body. The arrow whizzed past her face with the sound of the wind. Her thrown knife embedded itself in the chest of the Lemif who had shot the arrow.
The Lemif screamed and fell to the ground.
“It’s an enemy!”
Gerald shouted.
The Lemifs on guard duty immediately ran to Gerald’s side. Lemifs who had been sleeping came out, and Rontlos, who had just managed to get some sleep after the night watch, rushed over in a hurry.
“Have we been discovered, Gerald?”
Rontlos asked.
“That one’s not one of ours, right?”
Gerald pointed to the Lemif hit by Azwin’s knife and asked back.
From a distance, Rontlos checked and said,
“I can’t tell exactly which side’s Lemif that is. But it’s certainly not from our group. Let me check.”
Rontlos’s human speech had become much more natural after exchanging many conversations with Gerald overnight.
Rontlos spoke loudly to his subordinates, likely checking their numbers. Upon hearing his orders, the Lemifs began searching for their comrades in a flurry. During this, Gerald said,
“A single archer discovering us and firing independently seems unlikely.”
“It might not have been independent action, but perhaps he wanted to distinguish himself by taking a risk, believing his comrades were nearby.”
“They’ll be coming for us soon.”
Gerald yawned long but didn’t look the slightest bit tired.
After hearing his subordinates’ reports, Rontlos said,
“There are no losses. Whichever army found us, we’re not in a position to win a battle in terms of manpower.”
Rontlos then organized his soldiers and prepared to move immediately.
Observing the change in the relationship between the two men, Azwin asked,
“Did you have a good chat overnight?”
“When two men gather at night, it’s usually about predictable topics.”
“Talking about women?”
“Such topics quickly bring men closer. Shame we didn’t have any liquor. How do women bond? You spent the night with Princess Sermei, right?”
“Slept. Holding each other close.”
Azwin responded without much thought, but Gerald shook his head in disbelief.
“I had my suspicions, but I didn’t expect you to go that far with women…”
“Are you deliberately imagining that? Complaining about such things right after we almost died, isn’t that a bit much? Even if you do like that kind of thing…”
Azwin scolded him.
Gerald didn’t back down but instead countered,
“Still, you and Sermei, it’s quite a picture. Ask any guy, wouldn’t they imagine that?”
Gerald then slung the backpack a Lemif soldier handed him over his shoulder and asked,
“Feeling wronged? Why don’t you indulge in strange fantasies about me and Rontlos?”
“You guys don’t make a good picture! An old man and a hulk!”
It seemed that Gerald had made more than just Rontlos a friend overnight. Even other Lemifs treated Gerald differently from the day before, despite the language barrier. Azwin, having spent much of her time in mercenary life as one of the guys, felt a definitive barrier between men in this respect.
She had often seen men become friends over a drink, even without spending much time together. It was hard to dismiss such friendships as shallow when they were formed in moments that could involve risking their lives for each other.
‘What about women’s friendships, then?’
Azwin wondered. She had never really lived in a world of normal women. It seemed unlikely that Sermei, who rushed to grab her hand as soon as the order to move was given, could provide that answer.
“This one’s creating situations that could be misunderstood.”
Azwin remarked as she was pulled along by the princess’s hand. Gerald followed behind, still enjoying himself.
☆ ☆ ☆
The first ambush occurred less than an hour after they moved. It was clear their path had been perfectly anticipated. The enemy struck not at the front with Rontlos or the rear with Gerald but the middle. And it was a well-coordinated surprise attack from ambush.
The enemies cut off the group’s front and back, then split into two to attack from both directions. Despite Lemifs’ natural aversion to violence and ignorance in fighting, these attackers moved as efficiently as any human army.
“How many are there?”
Gerald shouted, raising his axe, from the rear. Positioned in the middle where the enemies had surged in, Azwin quickly counted.
“More than fifteen on our side. Twenty towards the front.”
“Don’t overextend yourself, just protect Sermei. I’ll handle it.”
Gerald signaled to the other confused soldiers who had lost their commander. Rontlos’s subordinates quickly gathered around Gerald. The enemies also swiftly pressured Gerald and Rontlos’s men.
Azwin retreated, calming the frightened Sermei clinging to her side.
“Don’t worry. Having that guy upfront in times like this is reassuring. Just watch.”
Though she said that, Azwin hadn’t expected to witness a battle end without her drawing her sword.
Gerald effortlessly wielded his axe among the dense trees, decimating the enemies. Even allies were too stunned to approach, as enemies that entered his axe’s range were brutally cut down.
Lemif limbs, heads, and bodies were severed, scattering among the trees as blood stained the ground and branches. Enemy archers couldn’t even draw their bows. Thanks to the Lemifs’ support on their side, those archers couldn’t escape. With nothing left for her to do, Azwin shielded Sermei’s eyes.
Despite the ambush, not a single ally died. Gerald, covered in blood, returned to Azwin. Even the most skilled and experienced warriors would be exhausted or exhilarated after killing so many, but Gerald spoke with an even more stable voice than usual.
“More forces had been sent towards Rontlos’s side. They must’ve thought the princess was there.”
“Let’s go after them.”
A soldier leading the way charged ahead, with Gerald close behind. The terrified Sermei could barely walk.
This time, Azwin took Sermei’s hand.
“Don’t worry. As long as you’re with us, no one can lay a finger on you.”
Though Sermei might not understand the words, she nodded in response to Azwin’s comforting words. And even without understanding, Sermei felt reassured.
Throughout the run, bodies of both enemy and allied soldiers lay strewn along the path, serving as macabre mile markers. Fortunately, Rontlos was not among the fallen.
Gerald quickened his pace and urged the Lemifs guiding them. When Sermei began to lag, exhausted, Gerald stopped.
“The trail ends here.”
Gerald gestured to the soldiers, asking where they thought Rontlos might have gone. The soldiers understood his gestures and responded in kind.
‘We haven’t found him.’
One of the Lemif soldiers explained something to Gerald in their language. After closely observing the soldier’s gestures, Gerald vehemently waved his hand.
“Spread out to search? No. Aren’t the enemies all over this area? We can’t afford to scatter.”
Gerald regretted that neither he nor Azwin could move independently at a time like this.
‘If only we had a sense of direction.’
While Gerald discussed with the soldiers, Azwin tended to Sermei. The little princess was breathing irregularly, her eyes wide with fear.
“It’s okay. Rontlos won’t be dead.”
Azwin reassured Sermei.
There were six soldiers with them. Thanks to Gerald, none of the rear soldiers had died, but three were lost at the ambush’s onset. Counting the bodies while following Rontlos’s trail, about six more from the front seemed to have fallen. That meant Rontlos was with at least ten soldiers.
Without knowing their location, Gerald couldn’t determine the path, and the soldiers, used to following orders, couldn’t plan the next steps. Azwin had seen how quickly soldiers fell apart without a commander during her time as a mercenary.
“Sermei.”
Azwin grasped the princess’s shoulders with both hands and said,
“Guide us. Where should we go?”
Sermei looked into Azwin’s eyes but said nothing. Azwin, believing Sermei would understand the intent if not the words, slowly spoke,
“Guide us. To the dragon! Le-Hopet!”
Sermei met Azwin’s gaze and finally spoke in Lemif,
“Le-Hopet.”
“Yes, Le-Hopet! Let’s go to that dragon.”
Sermei then pointed in a direction. Azwin stroked her head.
“Alright, we have a direction, Gary!”
“Wait.”
Gerald raised his palm and pointed in the opposite direction Sermei indicated. Everyone fell silent, listening intently. Whispering voices of Lemifs and the cautious steps on fallen leaves were heard.
“Rontlos?”
Azwin whispered to Sermei. After listening intently to the sounds, Sermei, surprised, said,
“Braeston.”
Azwin relayed this to Gerald.
“It’s an enemy.”
“Should we fight?”
“We don’t know their numbers. Let’s avoid them.”
Azwin took Sermei’s hand and told Gerald,
“I’ll lead. Cover our back.”
Gerald nodded and signaled the other Lemifs with hand gestures. It seemed they were familiar with the mercenary signals he had taught the previous day.
‘He must have taught them mercenary signs yesterday.’
As Azwin and Sermei crouched low and ran, the soldiers followed as quietly as possible. Gerald brought up the rear.
The second ambush was aimed at Azwin.
Enemy soldiers hidden behind trees had set up a rope trap where Azwin and Sermei would pass, causing them to trip and fall.
In the moment of falling, Azwin could have protected Sermei by holding her. Instead, she let go of Sermei’s hand, allowing her to fall. Azwin rolled on the ground, quickly getting up. In her hands were already a sword and shield.
The soldiers who had emerged from behind the trees raised their spears at Sermei, who lay on the ground. Azwin, almost without looking, slashed horizontally. Two Lemifs’ throats were cut, and they collapsed.
A very large Lemif stood in front of Azwin next. Wearing barely enough to cover himself, his black skin and muscular body were exposed. He had half-grey, half-black wings spread wide and raised his sword. Azwin blocked his heavy blow with her shield and was thrown several steps to the side.
The other allied soldiers were also ambushed from behind. Likely, Gerald was caught up in it too, so she couldn’t expect his help. Rather, with the front halted, Gerald might have to face the pursuing enemies alone.
‘I need to deal with this quickly, or it’ll get dangerous.’
Azwin stood up, rubbing her neck where she had been struck. The large Lemif balanced himself, holding his sword in front of his face. Azwin eyed his stance and spat to the side.
‘You must be used to bulldozing your way through with that size of yours.’
Azwin charged, kicking up leaves, and leapt into the Lemif’s reach. He thrust at her neck with impressive speed, but she deflected his sword with her shield, sending it sliding off with a screech of metal. She then struck his leg with her sword while crouching low.
He screamed and fell backwards. Azwin then stabbed upward at an angle, the blade piercing below his ribcage into his heart before withdrawing. He stood awkwardly, unable to move.
“Move out!”
Azwin shouted. The Lemif struck by her sword collapsed face-first only then.
Azwin approached Sermei’s side. The Lemif princess had scraped her palms and hurt her face while falling, but her expression was much improved from before.
The soldiers, still fighting the enemy, hadn’t heard Azwin’s shout. However, Azwin’s intended audience from the start was Gerald. Gerald, leaving behind the enemies he faced in the rear, turned direction and cut down the enemies fighting the allied soldiers. While Gerald engaged them, the allied soldiers managed to catch up to Azwin.
Azwin took Sermei’s hand again and ran.
The third ambush occurred when Sermei indicated they needed to detour around a stream that appeared in front of them. Lemif archers, either waiting in advance or having moved ahead, blocked the way with bows drawn.
Azwin embraced Sermei and ducked behind a tree. Following Azwin, an allied soldier who spotted the archers loudly warned everyone in Lemif, prompting all to take cover behind trees. However, one who didn’t hear was struck by an enemy arrow and fell.
The enemy archers quickly reloaded their arrows. Azwin peeked out briefly before pulling back as an arrow thudded into the tree she was hiding behind. Holding Sermei, she shouted,
“Gary, circle around and attack from behind. I’ll try to draw their attention.”
“Be careful.”
Gerald’s voice came from behind another tree, hidden from sight. Azwin picked up a thick branch about four feet long from the ground and sharpened its end.
“Stay here.”
After instructing Sermei, Azwin only extended her shield from behind the tree. Immediately, arrows poured onto the shield. Out of ten shot, six hit the shield, showcasing the archers’ remarkable accuracy.
After counting the four that missed, Azwin leaned out from behind the tree and threw the sharpened branch. Though not finely crafted, the branch’s quality lent it sufficient weight. The makeshift javelin struck one Lemif in the stomach.
The startled enemy archers reloaded and fired again. Azwin dashed to another tree, jumping out of the way as arrows whistled past her back.
Taking advantage of the enemy’s focus on Azwin, the allied soldiers threw their spears. The archers, disrupted while dodging, failed to aim their arrows accurately.
Meanwhile, Gerald silently cut down the leftmost Lemif. By the time he had killed two, the other Lemifs noticed, and by the third, their bows were aimed at Gerald. As he killed the fourth, the arrows were released, but Gerald had already taken cover behind a tree, and the arrows hit only wood.
During this distraction, Azwin attacked from the right side of the enemy, and Gerald handled the rest. The last archer’s panic-shot arrow broke against Gerald’s axe blade. Azwin plunged her knife into his neck, and blood spurted out as she withdrew the blade.
Azwin called out,
“Sermei.”
A small, dark face of the Lemif girl peeked from behind the tree.
Azwin gestured,
“Let’s go.”
With a tense face, Sermei commanded the soldiers in Lemif,
“Hood ez pow.”
The soldiers cautiously peeked out to check for safety before joining Sermei. Stumbling slightly, Sermei moved towards Azwin.
“Yoe aibu zou zdvbnt, Azwin.”
Azwin’s hand, clasped by the small, trembling dark hand, made her chuckle.
“That’s a compliment, isn’t it?”
Azwin, holding Sermei’s hand, continued on. There were no more ambushes. No pursuing footsteps could be heard anymore. Night soon fell.
–TL Notes–
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