The village of Leofio in Carnelock was a poor excuse for a fortress guarding the south. The walls were low enough to climb over with bare hands, and so rickety that a good kick could dislodge the bricks. Parts of it had been left in disrepair for months.
But it could afford to be. This place rarely saw any invasions. Except for a village-wide mobilization to catch some bandits about a year ago, nothing ever happened here. The southern side bordered the Sky Mountains, so nothing ever occurred there. Thus, the guards at the southern gate were known as warriors battling the formidable enemy of boredom, according to their comrades at the east, west, and north gates.
“Hmm?”
The guard at the south gate saw something surprising that day. If it had been one person, he could have dismissed it as a traveler or a bored woodcutter, but there were four of them heading this way. The startled guard hurriedly climbed the watchtower and formally, though nervously, called out.
“Ahem, halt right there.”
The group of four stopped as instructed.
Clearing his throat again, the guard asked,
“Where are you travelers coming from?”
The man at the front pulled back his hood, sending dust cascading down his back. He had blond hair and an ordinary face, but his voice was deep and clear.
“We come from the Sky Mountains. What is this village called and who governs it?”
The guard couldn’t hide his bewilderment and reflexively replied,
“This village is called Leofio, and it’s managed not by a lord but directly by the administrator of the Council of Rock.”
“That’s fortunate. I am the captain of the Wolf Knights of Aranthia and have urgent matters to discuss with the administrator of Leofio.”
Without giving the guard time to react, the man requested,
“Open the gate.”
☆ ☆ ☆
A horse galloping across the plains halted in front of Leofio’s north gate. The trailing dust cloud enveloped the rider. The soldiers on the watchtower recognized the rider and shouted,
“Open the gate. Captain Rengel has returned.”
The iron gate, barely held together by a single hinge, creaked open, and the rider sped through the village, stopping in front of a one-story stone building. He dismounted quickly and almost stumbled inside.
“Administrator Seresmus! I have urgent news!”
Rengel, the captain of Leofio’s guard, burst through the door.
The administrator Seresmus was just about to cut into some bread for his meal and looked up in surprise. The bread and butter were among the best he had encountered recently, and he had been quite focused on his meal. In this rural place, meals were the only thing he could really focus on.
Ready to scold Rengel for the interruption, Seresmus asked,
“This should be good. What could possibly happen in this village that would startle a man like you?”
Without a hint of humor, Rengel slammed a parchment onto the table. As dust rose from it, Seresmus quickly pushed his bread aside. The parchment was stained, with a barely visible face drawn on it.
“What’s this? A wanted poster? Did someone attack the village?”
Seresmus asked urgently.
“I went to the neighboring village to investigate recent strange events, and their guards handed me this,”
Rengel replied, wiping the sweat from his brow. There wasn’t a trace of a joke on his face. Seresmus, unable to grasp the situation, cleared his throat several times. In the three years he had been dispatched here as an administrator, there hadn’t been even ten theft cases in this small village.
‘Cutting bread and spreading butter is a skill, but timing is also crucial. If I miss the moment, it won’t taste as good.’
Focusing on his half-cut bread, Seresmus said,
“Explain it to me so I understand. If it’s nothing important, let’s wrap this up quickly.”
Rengel wiped his sweat and pulled a chair to sit at the table.
“Since you’re from Rock, Administrator, this village might seem small to you, but Leofio actually handles the security for the surrounding area. It’s quite a large village.”
“Yes, yes. They have a whopping twenty-nine guards. I’ve wanted to reduce it to twenty for a while, but I’ve held off because I didn’t want to suddenly create nine unemployed men. Truly, a massive village.”
“I’m speaking seriously, Administrator.”
“Sorry. Go on.”
“Have you noticed the sudden increase in the number of travelers visiting our village recently? The village folk, who are all wrapped up in their own laziness, wouldn’t care, and the only one pleased with the increase is the owner of the village’s sole inn, so naturally, the news wouldn’t have reached you. But among the guards, strange rumors are already spreading.”
“An increase in visitors? What, those foolish travelers coming to see the Sky Mountains? Haven’t we had as many crazies every year?”
“Occasionally. If ten people came in a month, that fat innkeeper would celebrate. But in the past week alone, we’ve had thirty visitors.”
Seresmus pondered for a moment and then said,
“Is it possible that it’s just a coincidence?”
“Yes, it’s possible. But there’s something odd about these visitors. Some come armed with swords or spears, others carry strange staffs… And some of them have faces full of scars that don’t seem to come from mere youthful recklessness.”
“Hmm.”
Seresmus also felt uneasy and put down his bread. He recalled bumping into a stranger on the road recently, who apologized, but a dagger had slipped out of his sleeve. The man quickly hid the blade, glared, and vanished into the inn.
“That’s why I had a bad feeling and asked a merchant who visits monthly if there had been any trouble outside.”
‘I might look like I’m doing nothing. I should say something.’
Seresmus said sternly,
“There was nothing unusual in the news from the Council.”
“Yes, yes. The merchant said something similar. It’s not newsworthy enough to come directly from the center. But I got a hint from the merchant’s words and brought this from the local guards. It’s a publicly issued bounty notice.”
“A criminal?”
“No. We don’t even know who issued it. And it’s absurd that it offers a thousand gold coins for bringing the dead body of the man depicted here.”
“A corpse?”
Seresmus frowned and asked,
“Is there usually such a large bounty for a corpse? What if they’re dead but not the right person? Usually, they need to be alive. And the amount is ridiculous.”
“Here, take a look. It says this: ‘Kill this man and place his body in the center of any village. I will personally come to pay the gold. The proof that I will pay can be seen in Anbaldi.’”
“What’s happening in Anbaldi?”
“They found the bodies of thirty men in the square. And the strange part is, these men were all quite reputable bounty hunters. This happened about a week ago, according to the merchant.”
“It’s a creepy story, but what’s the connection between a mass killing of bounty hunters and this man on the poster? And more importantly, what does this have to do with Leofio?”
Rengel grew frustrated with Seresmus’s constant questioning.
“Just read it! It says on the notice, ‘This man will impersonate a member of the Wolf Knights of Aranthia and will soon appear in a village near the Sky Mountains.’ Leofio is the largest village in southern Carnelock. Now do you see? Leaving evidence in Anbaldi shows this isn’t a mere prank.”
“So, you’re saying the guests gathering in the village are assassins hunting the man on this poster?”
“Or bounty hunters.”
“Good heavens, what is this talk of bloodshed in a farming village? Where did this parchment even come from?”
“In a nearby village, two men fought. One was killed, and the other fled. While handling the dead man’s body, they found this on him. It seems that two bounty hunters coming to Leofio got drunk and ended up fighting.”
“Well, that’s… quite an event…”
Seresmus was tense and worried. He had lived a quiet life as an administrator with no major incidents well into his forties. Even during the war ten years ago, he had been a provincial administrator and had avoided the brunt of the conflict. Now, he was assigned to an even more remote village than before. Others saw this as a demotion, but it was exactly what he wanted.
While the two men sat in silence, unable to speak, a guard knocked on the door.
“Administrator, you need to come out.”
Rengel opened the door and asked,
“What’s going on?”
The guard, looking troubled, replied,
“I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling. I’m sorry. I thought he was just a madman, so I was going to tell him to leave, but then he half-threatened that if we ignored him, everyone in the village would die…”
“Stop stalling and explain!”
Seresmus, already on edge from his conversation with Rengel, snapped.
“Uh, well… There are four of them, all wearing robes so deep that you can’t see their faces. But it’s strange. The four of them came to the southern gate…”
Rengel cut him off, frustrated,
“The only thing in the south are the secluded log cabins of recluses. What are you talking about?”
“They said they came from the Sky Mountains.”
“The Sky Mountains?”
“Yes, they came from the Sky Mountains, and they said the village was in danger…”
Rengel turned to Seresmus and said,
“About reducing the number of guards, Administrator. If this friend says ‘that’ one more time, let’s start by cutting one right here.”
“Sounds good.”
The guard, shocked, hurriedly gathered his thoughts and spoke,
“He said he’s the captain of the Wolf Knights of Aranthia.”
Rengel and Seresmus widened their eyes.
“So, the man who threatened to kill everyone in the village is the captain of the Wolf Knights?”
Seresmus asked, trying to stay calm.
“Yes.”
“Then, is he the living legend, Master Quain Gant?”
“No. I asked him that, but he just laughed. Anyway… I’m sorry, Administrator. Please don’t fire me. They were so strange from the moment they appeared.”
The guard trembled as he continued,
“One was so tall that he hit his head on the gate’s ceiling. Another was a woman, and when she took off her hood, she was so beautiful that my legs almost gave out. But when she looked at me with her scarred face, I was so scared that I couldn’t look her in the eye. Another had brown hair… or was it red? Anyway, when I didn’t open the gate and asked questions, he glared at me with his hand on his sword, and I was so frozen with fear that I had no choice but to open the gate.”
The guard swallowed hard, as if the memory still terrified him, and continued,
“Anyway, the man claiming to be the captain of the Wolf Knights said he’d be at the village inn and that the administrator should come to him. Otherwise, everyone in the village would die. So… I’m sorry, Administrator. Please don’t fire me. My mother is sick, and my younger sister is still young. If I don’t work…”
Rengel stopped him,
“Alright, alright. Go back. We won’t be reducing any positions.”
The guard thanked them repeatedly and closed the door.
Rengel drummed his fingers on the table and said,
“No matter how well he explained it, it looks like we’ll have to handle this ourselves, Administrator.”
“I’m worried it’s something we can’t handle even if we go.”
Seresmus tucked the parchment into his coat and adjusted his attire.
With his mind racing with all sorts of scenarios, Seresmus headed across the village towards the inn run by the ‘owner who alone enjoyed the increase in guests.’ Rengel brought along five guards and wore chainmail under his clothes.
‘I should have worn mine too.’
Seresmus felt resentful of Rengel for being so thoroughly prepared.
‘Just coming from the south is suspicious enough. On top of that, appearing right when this parchment shows up and claiming to be Captain Wolf? This goes beyond suspicious—it’s dangerous. Someone like me can tell.’
Sure enough, the inn was unusually crowded. Listening to Rengel’s words, there seemed to be plenty of shady-looking characters as well.
‘Which one of them is the con artist pretending to be Captain Wolf? Should I question each one?’
Seresmus pondered for a moment but found the answer quickly enough.
It was in a corner of the first-floor bar. There were four of them, sitting by a lit candle and sipping beer. As reported, one of them, even inside, did not remove his robe and was incredibly tall. The man who had removed his robe and was eating steak had a sharp gaze, and another was fairly ordinary compared to the other two. But what caught Seresmus’s attention was the woman sitting next to the ordinary-looking man.
The appearance of the village guards brought tension into the dimly lit inn. Some patrons cautiously moved to leave. The suspicious group in the corner also looked over at the guards and Seresmus. Only the woman continued drinking, seemingly indifferent to her surroundings.
When her indifferent gaze met his, Seresmus felt his heart race as if he had regained his youthful vigor. If Rengel hadn’t nudged his shoulder, he might have stared endlessly at her face. The scar on her face, which he imagined would be horrific, was quite the opposite. Her hair, reflecting the candlelight, was like white foam on dark waves, distracting Seresmus throughout the conversation.
“I am Seresmus, the administrator of this village. I came here after hearing from the guard at the south gate.”
“I didn’t expect you to come so quickly.”
The youngest-looking man among them raised his head and spoke.
Though his voice was soft, it carried a weight. He looked weak and unthreatening, but there was an inexplicable force about him. With blond hair and a slight beard, he looked around twenty-five, but the candlelight made it hard to discern his actual age. Still, he couldn’t have been over thirty.
‘There’s no way someone this young could be the captain of the Wolf Knights.’
Knowing that the captain of the Dragon Knights, Deradul, was fifty, Seresmus couldn’t be fooled by this con artist. He could have left immediately, avoiding unnecessary trouble, but he remembered the warning and couldn’t do so. His gaze shifted from the beautiful woman to the young man.
“You don’t seem like someone who would joke about the lives of villagers. May I sit?”
Seresmus asked. The man nodded. Rengel brought over a chair and set it down, and Seresmus sat with a loud thud.
“You said you’re from the Wolf Knights of Aranthia?”
“Yes.”
The man answered softly.
“Then are you Quain Gant?”
The sharp-eyed man across from him muttered under his breath,
“Everyone asks the same question.”
The man claiming to be Captain Wolf smiled and explained,
“That’s what people think. Master Quain Gant only guards the Queen. I am the captain.”
‘Look at that, he’s quite persuasive. Definitely a con artist.’
Seresmus sought decisive evidence and asked,
“You came from the Sky Mountains?”
“Yes.”
“Did you bring any elves after wandering there for ten years?”
Though he didn’t want to, his tone was quite mocking. Even so, the man wasn’t offended or agitated.
“I expected to hear such remarks, so I don’t consider it rude. And I have an even more shocking story to tell, so judge for yourself.”
“Go ahead.”
Seresmus crossed his arms, hoping to appear intimidating.
“An army will soon descend from the Sky Mountains to invade Carnelock. Their numbers are so great that even the entire Carnelock army can’t stop them. Evacuate all the residents of Leofio to another location. Also, gather the nearby guards to focus entirely on protecting the residents. Unlike ten years ago, this enemy will not adhere to chivalry.”
The situation was serious, and Seresmus had vowed not to be easily surprised, but the man’s words grew increasingly outlandish.
Seresmus asked in resignation,
“Do I have to keep listening to you?”
“Yes, since it’s you who matters.”
The man replied, taking a sip of his beer.
‘He’s so relaxed. I don’t like it…’
Thought Seresmus.
“Only I matter?”
“To carry out what I just proposed, you need to convince the administrators or lords of the nearby villages and inform the Council of Rock that I’m here. But if you can’t be convinced, it’s problematic for you, isn’t it?”
‘I need to show some calm myself. I seem too compliant, and he’s looking down on me.’
Seresmus leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and tapped his forearm with his fingers.
“I see no reason to do as you say. Try to convince me,” he challenged.
“To convince someone leaning back with crossed arms? That’s harder than convincing beer to taste like wine.”
The sharp-eyed man next to him spat out his beer, laughing. The scarred woman beside him moved aside, avoiding the sprayed beer with a look of disgust.
‘Should I have Rengel arrest him? Think of the charges later.’
Seresmus restrained himself and asked,
“I need at least some evidence to convince the Council, don’t I?”
The man remained unperturbed.
“Unfortunately, I have no evidence.”
“No evidence? You clearly don’t understand how the Council works!”
“I don’t. What I know is that you need to send a message to the Council.”
‘Report this whole affair to the Council?’
It wouldn’t end with just embarrassment.
‘If I do nothing, nothing happens. If I do something, it causes trouble. So, I’ll do nothing.’
Seresmus didn’t want to take any action that would jeopardize his current position and salary. He decided to take no action and opened his mouth.
“Your proposal…”
“Why are you here, Administrator Seresmus?”
The man interrupted his refusal with a question. Seresmus asked back,
“Why am I here? Well…”
“To see if I’m really Captain Wolf? To arrest me if I’m lying and charge me with fraud? If you’re just going to sit there with a face saying ‘I don’t want to do anything,’ why did you even come?”
The man glanced over the soldiers standing behind Rengel and continued,
“I’ll leave quietly. The village disappearing won’t even be recorded considering the people who will die. You won’t be remembered as the administrator who could have prevented a disaster with a few strokes of a pen. So go. I can’t force someone who doesn’t want to do anything to act.”
The man noisily put down his beer mug, showing he had lost interest.
Seresmus shrugged.
“I’d like to, but I can’t ignore what I’ve heard.”
He took out the parchment from his coat and showed it to the man, hoping to see him react. The man glanced at it and merely nodded.
“I see. I can guess what’s been happening.”
“Is that all you have to say, Captain Wolf?”
Seresmus taunted.
“Yes.”
The man looked at the parchment more closely and scoffed.
“A thousand gold bounty? Did they think a higher amount would be unrealistic and fail to attract hunters?”
‘This is odd. He sounds just like a real Captain Wolf.’
Seresmus was torn. He couldn’t leave, nor could he act as instructed. It felt like he had stepped into a trap laid by this man.
If the man was truly Captain Wolf and his words were genuine, Seresmus would be severely neglecting his duty. Conversely, even if he wasn’t, Seresmus would be plagued by anxiety for a month from what he’d just heard. The man’s reaction to the parchment only heightened his unease.
“Forget about the parchment. That’s my concern. My business is done. You may go.”
Seresmus said.
The Captain then addressed the burly man in the robe.
“Rai, you can take off your robe now. And Administrator, thank you for coming. To be honest, I thought you’d ignore me and not come.”
The man spoke as if reading Seresmus’s mind. As he spoke, the tall man who had kept his hood on removed it, causing Seresmus to recoil in shock.
Through the white hair visible above the candlelight, long ears emerged. As the large, half-closed eyes turned towards Seresmus, he was so terrified he couldn’t speak. He almost fell off his chair.
Seresmus looked to Rengel for help. But Rengel, equally stunned, made a foolish remark.
“Are those ears real?”
The red-haired man with the sharp eyes burst out laughing unexpectedly.
“It’d be hilarious if he had to prove those ears are real. Go ahead.”
“Should I?”
The large man wiggled his ears back and forth. But no one laughed.
“Uh, no one’s laughing?”
The red-haired man seemed surprised. Only the blond youth chuckled softly.
Rengel was flustered, and Seresmus swallowed hard. He then turned to the man claiming to be Captain Wolf and spoke.
“My name is Seresmus. Who are you?”
“Captain Wolf. How many times do I have to say it? So, have you decided to listen to me? If Rai’s wiggling ears are more convincing than my speech, we need to reconsider our approach. Administrator Seresmus, if you feel inclined to act, please inform the Council that Captain Wolf of Aranthia is formally seeking an alliance with Carnelock.”
He spoke as if he had rehearsed.
“You can send the message with the caveat that you’re not sure if I’m a fraud. I’ll handle the rest, so your position won’t be jeopardized. Oh, and could you provide us with four horses?”
Seresmus nodded.
“Fetch a messenger immediately.”
Upon returning to his office, Seresmus spoke right away.
“We need to verify a few things, don’t we? Whether he’s really Captain Wolf, if there are signs of an army coming down from the Sky Mountains…”
Rengel, who had followed him, asked cautiously.
“What more do we need to check? Whether he’s Captain Wolf or not isn’t our concern. But that large man is definitely an elf from the Sky Mountains. Someone has placed a bounty high enough to buy this entire village on Captain Wolf’s head, and hunters are swarming here. That’s a fact.”
“That’s true.”
“Everything happening right now is beyond my capabilities. So, I’m shifting the responsibility elsewhere. Go and have your men inform the nearby village guards. Prepare to evacuate the residents within three days. Also, prepare four horses.”
“Hmm, preparing the horses is not a problem, but I doubt the nearby guards will believe there’s an army coming from the Sky Mountains.”
“Make up any excuse! Call it a training exercise, say it’s a band of a million brigands, or even a dragon sighting! If it becomes an issue, I’ll take responsibility.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard you say you’d take responsibility.”
“For this? Sure!”
Seresmus raised his voice almost as if shouting.
“I’d rather take responsibility for falling for a fraud and causing a false alarm than to be responsible for whatever happens if I don’t act. Now, what are you waiting for? Get the messenger immediately!”
–TL Notes–
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