Rai was sitting on the roof, watching the movement of people inside the Dragon Knights’ building. He actually wanted to wander around Rock’s downtown or sightsee elsewhere, but he couldn’t get his bearings here. Just as humans can’t navigate using trees, Lemifs find it difficult to use buildings or roads as landmarks.
The same was true for Rai.
‘Jay.’
Rai spotted Jay walking between buildings. Unlike with Kassel or Tanya, he didn’t have much to talk about with him. He didn’t have much to say to those two either, but at least they didn’t leave Rai alone. Rai enjoyed listening to them talk.
But with Jay, there was nothing to talk about. Yet, it wasn’t boring being with him. The occasional sword training was fun too. Though he didn’t quite understand why they needed to ‘train’.
Jay was wandering around the now sparse knighthood building, as many knights had left. It wasn’t clear why he was wandering. It didn’t seem to be for any important mission.
Rai was on top of the kitchen building. Jay came straight towards this direction.
‘Is he coming for me?’
Jay just went into the kitchen and disappeared from view.
‘I guess not.’
Shortly after, Jay’s voice was heard from below the roof.
“Potato.”
“W-who is it!”
It was the voice of a young cook who had been grumbling ‘why do they only give me such tasks’ while peeling potatoes. Jay’s reply was heard once more.
“Potato.”
The young cook, who had asked for identity and received ‘potato’ as an answer, spoke in a threatening voice.
“You can’t just come in here! This is the Dragon Knights’ property and…”
“It’s the Dragon Knights’ kitchen, right? Just one boiled potato.”
There was no reply after that.
A moment later, Jay came out holding two potatoes. As Rai was looking down intently, Jay suddenly turned his head towards Rai. Despite the considerable distance, he immediately recognized Rai.
“Rai?”
Jay’s voice resonated loudly in the quiet night air.
“It’s me.”
Rai answered.
“What are you doing?”
“Watching.”
Rai replied briefly.
Jay seemed to contemplate something, then said,
“Let’s talk.”
“Come up.”
“I’m coming up.”
Jay put a potato in his mouth, stepped on a pillar, jumped up and grabbed the edge of the roof. As he was pulling himself up using just arm strength, Rai reached out a hand.
Jay didn’t refuse and took the hand to climb onto the roof. He stood next to where Rai was sitting.
“Nice view.”
He seemed fine with this height, despite being said to fear high places.
Eating the potato, Jay said,
“Kassel is worried.”
“What worry?”
“That you might be lonely. Kassel is busy, Tanya is busy, and I who have some free time… well, anyway. Aren’t you bored, being alone?”
“Watching people, fun.”
Rai pointed to a distant place Jay could never see. Two women were arguing over where to hang laundry. Each was insisting it was their clothesline. It seems they still had the luxury to fight over such things, even with talk of a world-ending war.
Jay spoke indifferently, with eyes that couldn’t understand what was fun about it.
“Is that so?”
Rai was used to Jay just saying such things and then falling silent.
Rai watched with interest to see how the clothesline conquest would turn out. Finally, the husbands from both households appeared. The fight seemed likely to drag on.
Beside him, Jay suddenly drew his sword. Postponing his watching, Rai turned to see Jay holding out the drawn sword to him.
“What is it?”
Rai asked.
“Take it.”
Jay said.
“Why?”
“You don’t have a sword.”
“So, your sword?”
“This sword is good.”
Rai couldn’t understand what he meant. But Jay wouldn’t calmly explain either.
“What, do you mean?”
“Well… it’s ridiculous for someone of your skill to have just any sword…”
As expected, Jay tried to attach an appropriate reason but ended up just forcefully offering it.
“Just take it if I’m giving it.”
Rai stared at Jay’s hand for a long time before grasping the sword. Jay unfastened his belt and offered the scabbard too. Rai took the scabbard as well. But not knowing how to tie it, he just held it. So Jay personally attached the scabbard to his waist.
“Looks great.”
Jay said, looking satisfied.
Hanging something heavy on the body was a human habit that Rai didn’t particularly want to follow. But it didn’t feel bad to be told it looked great.
“Let me ask one thing.”
Jay said.
“Ask.”
“How did you end up joining Kassel?”
When he opened his eyes in prison, Kassel was there. He couldn’t remember much beyond the fact that Kassel appeared at that moment. Except for the strange feeling of gider he felt when Kassel told him to stand by his side.
“…Don’t, remember, well.”
“If you don’t remember, why are you here now? Reflexively? Because you were doing it, so you continue?”
Jay asked.
Being by Kassel’s side, he experiences numerous battles. Fighting Mozes, confronting dragons, meeting sorcerers. Now he will fight even stronger enemies, and that is a very joyful thing. But conversely, if he stood on the enemy’s side, he could fight Jay, and also fight Lofin and Tanya. That would be joyful too.
Then, would he have stood by them if the enemy’s leader had asked him to join their side? No, that’s not the case.
“Why, are you asking, that?”
Unable to find an answer within himself, Rai asked back instead.
“Because it’s strange. To me, a guy like you… listening to Kassel’s words, following Kassel’s words, it’s strange. What I mean is, it doesn’t suit you, that kind of thing, you…”
Jay spoke haltingly like Rai. He scratched his head awkwardly, then spat for no reason.
“Never mind. Come to think of it, everyone around Kassel is strange.”
“You, are strange.”
Rai said.
Jay spoke, a bit dumbfounded.
“Right. Including me, it’s strange.”
“No, you’re strange.”
Rai drew the sword Jay had personally attached and swung it down.
Jay blocked the suddenly swung sword without difficulty. Though Rai had swung it slowly enough for him to block, it was impressive to block it so nonchalantly.
There had hardly been any Lemifs like this before.
“What the hell! Attacking suddenly?”
He was indeed angry about the real sword being swung. But Rai didn’t lower the sword. Because he didn’t want to lower it.
“Strange…, your sword. Your skill. First time seeing.”
“Do you have to say this while swinging a sword?”
Jay continued to be angry.
“First time seeing. Someone as strong, as you…”
Rai repeated once more.
“First time seeing.”
Jay slowly prepared to fight. He had never practiced with real swords. They always used wooden swords or sticks instead.
Jay always lost but always showed amazing attacks. Even with a real sword, Jay was still amazing. He showed no fear or tension despite the possibility of dying.
“Kassel, told me.”
Rai aimed at Jay without taking a stance. Jay didn’t take any special stance either. This kind of fight was a first. Usually, anyone who takes up a sword takes a stance, but not Jay.
“If I stay by his side, I’ll meet, as many strong ones as I want…, he said that. Fighting…, is my gider.”
Rai had always thought.
‘With wooden swords, Jay can’t beat me. But with real swords? Then it would be a completely different fight. Jay is weaker than me. But he can kill me.’
Kassel’s words came to mind. That Jay was a hunter.
“Tell, me. Now, what, are you thinking?”
Jay responds flexibly to sudden attacks but couldn’t respond at all to sudden questions. The cowardly thought even crossed Rai’s mind that it would be so easy to win if he attacked now.
“My thoughts?”
Jay asked, flustered, and Rai nodded.
“How can I explain something like that?”
“Still, do it.”
Jay explained with difficulty.
“The distance between you and me is now half a step. It just became one step. I’ve only had this kind of fight with Quain and Irine in Aranthia.”
Without explaining who Quain and Irine were, Jay continued.
“At times like this, I picture a prairie in my mind. And I imagine a rabbit. I’m the rabbit and you’re the tiger. When I fight you, I always feel like I’ve been killed before even fighting. Even now, I feel like I’ve really been bitten by a tiger. I can barely breathe.”
Jay’s way of explaining, jumping straight to the point without context, was hard to get used to.
‘What’s a step? What kind of animals are rabbits and tigers? Kassel would have explained in more detail.’
Jay asked,
“Now you explain too. What am I like inside you?”
“You, not in my gider. Don’t kill you. But you, strong.”
Coincidentally, Rai could only explain like Jay as well.
They both fell into a feeling of being trapped in a strange frame.
“Just say the point! I don’t understand at all.”
Jay got angry again. To Rai, he seemed to have only two emotions. Either depressed or angry. He was simple like a child.
“Find, answer, alone. Then, you… can, beat, me, too.”
Rai explained that way and folded the sword.
Jay stepped back, rubbing his neck.
“You nasty guy. You’re making the potato I just ate upset my stomach. Don’t do this to Kassel. He’ll die.”
“Won’t do it.”
Rai put the sword away and stretched his neck to watch the battle over the clothesline. But now no one was there. Seeing that neither side’s laundry was hung yet, it seemed to be a truce.
‘Will there be a more interesting fight when I look later?’
There was a commotion at the southern gate. Rai watched the situation for a moment, then remembering it was too far for Jay to see, explained:
“Southern gate, someone, coming. Kassel, there.”
“Really?”
Jay looked like he wanted to talk more about the sword. Of course, such talk was good. But Jay didn’t persist.
“I should go.”
The gate would be opening soon, so it would be late if he went now. So Rai held out his hand and offered:
“I’ll, take you…”
“No!”
Jay jumped down from the roof and left. Somehow not wanting to be left alone here, Rai flew towards the southern gate. Almost two hundred people were entering through the gate at once.
‘Ugeh…’
The name of the first Ugeh Rai met outside the Sky Mountains was too difficult to pronounce for Rai who hadn’t yet mastered human language. So Rai just called him Ugeh. That man likewise didn’t call Rai by name, but called him Lemi. So the name became impossible to remember.
‘Anyway, trust me. Just remember this one thing! If you don’t abandon me, I’ll never abandon you either. Got it, Lemi?’
Rai was asking the question he had repeated for 50 years once again to the vaguely remembered face.
‘Why don’t you come back? I’m still waiting. If you had a child in the meantime, didn’t you tell that child about me? Send them to me. This time, I’ll take them traveling in the Sky Mountains. I’m waiting. Lemi is waiting for you here. If you’re still alive somewhere, answer.’
Rai landed in a spot where the gate was more visible. Perhaps because he had been thinking such thoughts while flying, his strength left him. His head drooped and his wings sagged.
‘My name is Kassel.’
When they first met in the prison in Larden, Kassel had said that.
‘Thank you for coming to me, Rai.’
Rai wanted to ask him even now.
‘Are you really thankful, Kassel?’
☆ ☆ ☆
Jay suddenly felt a gaze and looked up.
Rai was there. But he didn’t come down to the ground, instead stopping on the roof and looking down.
‘That guy came. But why in a place like that?’
Jay had come near the gate on impulse, but thinking about it, Rai was wise. Jay felt a bit embarrassed being here too.
“Azwin! Dunmel! Loyal!”
Kassel, who had been anxiously waiting for the gate to open, ran and embraced the three people entering as soon as the gate opened.
When Jay arrived at the southern gate, Kassel was already greeting the White Wolves.
‘Looks like they’ve returned from the Sky Mountains. Is Lutia alright?’
The rumor that they had rescued the Dragon Knights quickly spread through the mouths of the Rock people. The residents of Anbaldi who had arrived earlier and were worried about their families’ fates also waited near the gate and tearfully reunited with those who returned alive.
Jay felt a gaze again and looked up. Rai was still standing in that spot, looking down. He wouldn’t know anyone among those entering through the gate. At most, he might have briefly met Azwin in Tachisel, but he wouldn’t pretend to know a woman he had only seen briefly. Though Jay couldn’t see Rai’s facial expression from the distance, he seemed to be exuding an atmosphere of being left out.
‘It must be my imagination. He wouldn’t feel that way over something like this.’
Jay also watched Kassel’s back from a distance as he talked enthusiastically to the three people. Among those who came with the three was also Irine.
Jay clenched his crossed arms tightly.
‘Welcome, Master.’
Jay wanted to stand at the forefront and greet Irine more than anyone. But unable to do so, he just stood restlessly behind.
“I didn’t know Master Irine would be coming.”
Kassel welcomed Irine even more warmly than the three. She smiled and waved her hand.
“I came to deliver weapons to these kids, Captain. My job is about 90 percent done now. The rest is up to you all.”
While Kassel was exchanging words with her, the Dragon Knights passed through the gate and by Jay’s side. Jay spotted Brander among them.
“Hey, you’re alive.”
Jay greeted with just a nod, keeping his arms crossed. Inwardly he was so glad Brander had returned alive that he wanted to pull him off his horse and hug him right away, but he just left it at that. Brander also raised one hand when he saw Jay.
Seeing his tired expression, Jay said,
“You look exhausted.”
“It’s not like we’re returning in triumph, is it?”
“I heard. Captain Deradul…”
Jay started to console him but stopped.
“Anyway, good to see you back alive, Brander.”
“Thanks.”
Brander said thanks and followed his other comrades. Jay followed Brander’s back with his gaze, then turned his head back towards Kassel. And there was Irine already in front of him.
“This guy, I’ve come and you’re pretending not to see me, looking elsewhere? You’ve lost your manners.”
“Ah… um, you’ve come?”
Jay awkwardly bowed his head in greeting.
“No, no, Jay. Didn’t we decide this is how we greet each other?”
Irine forcefully pulled Jay into a tight embrace. Though surprised, Jay didn’t reject the hug. He was rather relieved that she had done what he couldn’t bring himself to do first. She patted Jay’s back and exhaled a long breath.
“Ah, a young man’s chest is indeed nice. Good, good. Have you been well, my disciple?”
“Yes, Master.”
Irine released the hug, but kept one arm around Jay’s waist. She asked Kassel:
“Hey, Captain. Where are the Carnelock council members? I have a lot to say.”
“They should be coming now.”
Kassel approached and said.
Azwin, Loyal, and Dunmel followed by Kassel’s side. Jay slightly raised his hand to greet the three. Loyal and Dunmel also raised their hands. Loyal still looked healthy, but Dunmel looked a bit haggard. It was amazing he had come this far after nearly dying in Lutia. Azwin’s eyes showed little interest in Jay. Jay also barely looked at her.
Irine said,
“Then call the castle guard captain too. The enemy has completely taken over the south. We almost got caught coming here. Tell them to prepare defenses immediately. They might attack tonight.”
“We should tell Tanya about that first.”
“Master Tanya?”
“Yes. She’ll activate Arok’s Tower.”
“That’s an interesting story. Explain in detail.”
Kassel left for the tower with Irine without enjoying the reunion with the other three for long. Jay was about to follow the Master and Kassel as if it was natural, but stopped. The other three White Wolves remained where they were. Jay was a bit flustered. He thought it would look foolish to ask them ‘Aren’t you going?’ so he didn’t. Glancing up, he saw that Rai had disappeared somewhere too.
Lately, Jay often felt he couldn’t find his place. Kassel was so busy they hadn’t even had a beer together since, and Tanya was holed up in the tower so there was no chance of running into her. He felt the same way even after just meeting Rai.
Next to Rai wasn’t his place.
‘Will I even have anything to do when war breaks out? Someone like me won’t be much help when armies fight.’
Thousands of soldiers are waiting inside and outside Rock. He had thought that when fighting broke out, he could just stand among them and that would be enough. But now he didn’t want to do that. That place wasn’t ‘his place’, but somewhere anyone could be.
‘Damn it, since when did I care about such things?’
Next to Irine wasn’t his place either. He was glad he didn’t follow just now. Standing blankly in a place where only difficult magic explanations and uninteresting tactical orders would be listed would only make him feel like a fool.
“Let’s go drink.”
Jay said as he turned around abruptly. It was just his voice slipping out, he wasn’t addressing anyone in particular. But unexpectedly, there was a reply.
“Me too.”
It was Azwin.
Though it was their first meeting since Tachisel, the Lemif city in the Sky Mountains, she naturally grabbed Jay’s arm as if they were close. Her expression was still indifferent, but her touch was gentle. Jay found it extremely awkward and strange.
“Hurry up. I feel like I’ll die if I don’t drink beer right now.”
Azwin urged as she spoke. Loyal and Dunmel followed behind him.
“What’s with you guys?”
Jay asked.
“What?”
Azwin asked back with a frown.
Jay shook off her hand and said,
“I mean, it’s not the time to go to a pub. I mean, you guys! You shouldn’t be drinking! You should be going to the Rock council or getting tactical orders or to the guard or something!”
“What’s this? You’re less fun than I thought. Despite not looking it.”
Azwin teased, then mumbled as she took the lead alone.
“You can go to those places if you want. We’ll go drink by ourselves.”
Loyal said to Jay as he followed Azwin.
“Did you get promoted to commander or something, Jay? Following rules?”
Loyal passed by and Dunmel followed.
‘Huh? This feels really bad. Those guys just treated me like a good kid!’
Jay called out loudly to the three.
“Not there!”
The three who were about to enter any random pub turned around. Jay pointed behind him with his thumb.
“I’ve been to all the pubs in Rock, but this place has the best beer. Follow me.”
“You should have said so earlier.”
Azwin approached and held out her hand.
“Shall I link arms with you, Sir Jay?”
“Stop messing around. Just follow me!”
“Oh my, look at him? When did we meet for him to be so petulant?”
If Loyal hadn’t laughed, Jay might have mistaken it for picking a fight.
☆ ☆ ☆
Azwin pretended to be excited as she dragged Jay into the pub, but she wasn’t having fun at all. Perhaps because all three men had a lot on their minds, they didn’t play along with Azwin’s forced attempts to raise the mood.
‘These two know I’m forcing myself. Jay seems clueless though. That’s better.’
Only the oblivious Jay scolded her for drinking so quickly. Azwin quickly lost interest in Jay. Perhaps because of what she had heard, dealing with him automatically reminded her of Gerald’s death.
‘It’s better, but I shouldn’t get too close. I might end up taking my anger out on the wrong person.’
Dunmel didn’t attempt any conversation with Jay beyond greetings either. Only Loyal gave perfunctory thanks for taking good care of Kassel so far.
Though it was a short period, many things happened in Tachisel after Kassel left. Perhaps because Lemifs have a much more complex mental structure and longer lifespans than humans, they didn’t try to resolve tangled issues simply. Even with the dragon Sarknadil accompanying him, Lofin couldn’t resolve the trouble between Lemifs in Fvoe.
Knadil took it for granted.
‘It’s something they must resolve themselves. Our job here is done now.’
Knadil left Tachisel, promising to return soon.
Azwin wanted to quickly finish the Lemifs’ business and leave for Carnelock. But with things turning out this way, Lofin couldn’t leave Tachisel.
‘Don’t think anxiously. Time in the Sky Mountains passes quickly for the anxious, and slowly for the relaxed.’
Lofin comforted, but it had the opposite effect.
During the day when she wanted to follow Kassel, time passed too quickly with nothing to do, and at night when she thought of Gerald, it went too slowly. Sermei returned to her country with Rontlos, and Azwin had to wait aimlessly, not knowing what to do.
That’s when Irine appeared like a savior. She was the person Azwin had mumbled about in her dreams, wishing to meet just once. But Azwin wasn’t happy at all. She just intuitively felt that something had changed with her senior’s sudden appearance.
The people Irine brought were none other than Loyal and Dunmel. The original plan was for Dunmel to return to Aranthia with Loyal once he recovered from his injuries and could walk, but Irine appeared in Lutia and changed their route.
‘So you’re taking them to Carnelock. And trying to take me too…’
Azwin said.
‘Yes. It’s much faster to go through the Sky Mountains.’
Irine replied as if it was obvious.
‘Does the Queen know everything that’s happening in the Sky Mountains?’
‘At least she has an idea.’
The situation was spreading rapidly in places unknown to Azwin, and even to Lofin. In Lutia, they discovered that Nadiuren had moved, and the Lemifs also knew that the terrifying events in the Sky Mountains were moving to Acrand. Zvi Lemif cities like Larden and Landor wanted to help the humans. But Knadil ordered through the priestesses of the Sky Mountains in an oracle:
‘Do not leave your posts.’
In reality, while the Mozes of the Sky Mountains and the Excelon First Knights left for Carnelock, the Kaguas were still roaming the Sky Mountains. If they gave the army to the humans, a single Kagua could potentially wipe out a Lemif village.
Irine explained:
‘We encountered Kaguas on our way here. We avoided unnecessary fights, but they’re still targeting Lutia and roaming near Lemif cities.’
Azwin was puzzled, knowing their tremendous power.
‘Why didn’t they bring those to Carnelock? One Kagua would be a much more powerful force than a thousand Mozes.’
‘It would also be appropriate to lower the morale of humans who haven’t encountered beings like Kaguas.’
Irine said, and Lofin analyzed:
‘It must have been Victor who ordered such a deployment. He didn’t leave Kaguas in the Sky Mountains because he didn’t know better. There must be a purpose. That’s why Knadil gave the oracle telling the Lemifs not to leave their posts.’
The battle in the Sky Mountains is not over yet. So Lofin decided to stay in the Sky Mountains.
‘I will wait for Knadil’s orders. You go to Carnelock first.’
In the end, Irine, Azwin, Dunmel, and Loyal left Tachisel and headed for Carnelock.
Azwin couldn’t say anything the whole time they walked through the forest. Especially when Irine gave out Lergo’s weapons, she thought she would burst into tears that she had been holding back.
‘Loyal and Dunmel, Jay brought your swords, right? You didn’t bring the bow. Here, Dunmel. And this is yours, Azwin. A shield and sword. They made the blade weight-forward. They must have thought that suited you. The shield is almost the same as the old one since it was so well-made. And this… has no owner.’
The last thing she took out was Gerald’s axe. Like Azwin’s, it had the same design and size as the old one. The only difference was that the blade sparkled like starlight, perhaps made of different materials.
‘I’m the owner. Give it to me.’
Azwin barely held back her tears as she demanded. Irine didn’t ask why. She readily handed it over as if thanking her for carrying something heavy, but it was obvious she was deliberately avoiding the topic.
Just as they were leaving the Sky Mountains, Le-Ganelandor, the Dragon of the Morning, appeared. Ganel said he had flown in on Knadil’s orders and carried the four of them across Acrand in one go.
It was Ganel who discovered the danger at Lima Castle. Ganel was cautious, saying that if he encountered Guanil here by chance, not only himself but also the people trapped in the castle could be in danger. The four rushed to Lima Castle first and waited, and only after Irine protected the castle with sword magic did Ganel breathe fire.
The battle at Lima Castle ended with Irine cutting down Governor Narbeni. But she wasn’t careless. She worried that an unwanted battle could break out if they encountered Guanil, Ruskin, and Victor here. Fortunately, Guanil didn’t appear until they gathered the refugees and came to Rock.
‘It would have been good if he had appeared.’
Azwin thought abruptly as she emptied her third mug of beer without really tasting it. Whenever she felt the heavy weight of the axe pulling on her back, she recalled the events of that day.
Gerald had left everything behind. The duty of the Wolf Knights, and their love.
When Gerald appeared to save Azwin, it was with the determination to kill Guanil. It’s just that it was a man named Nathan in that place, not Guanil. If it had been Guanil instead of Nathan who appeared there, Gerald would surely have killed the dragon.
‘So I should do what Gerald couldn’t do and left behind.’
Lofin and Irine’s thoughts were completely different. They believed that only dragons or sorcerers should face dragons. Because it’s impossible to catch a dragon that flies in the sky and breathes fire that sweeps away hundreds of people in an open space.
Still, Azwin decided to do it.
‘If that’s what you want to do, then do it.’
Just as Gerald had told her…
When she came to her senses, Loyal was gone. Dunmel was also drinking while staring at the wall, deep in thought about something.
Jay just drank beer too. His grumbling without knowing the circumstances was rather comforting to her. So she didn’t ask anything about Jay. How he came to stand by Kassel’s side, what exactly happened in Aranthia.
‘And why it’s you ‘instead of’ Gerald!’
Men in black clothes appeared beside Azwin as the effects of alcohol began to rise. She was wary at first. It was Blackfoot.
‘How did they know to come from Camort?’
For some reason, Jay seemed to know them too.
‘Something must have happened in the meantime.’
Azwin didn’t want to know. Right now, she just wanted to stay sprawled out like this.
‘Just don’t interfere. I’m going to get drunk today.’
Azwin continued to drink beer without listening to the conversation between Dunmel and Blackfoot. It seemed she would have to drink a lot to get drunk.
☆ ☆ ☆
Dunmel, who had been thinking about Blackfoot just then, was startled to see Heder and Balak suddenly appear. The two quietly bowed their heads in greeting. Jay and Azwin beside him also noticed their appearance immediately but left them alone.
‘We’re late in visiting you, Themar.’
Heder greeted in sign language, and Balak awkwardly just nodded his head slightly in greeting.
‘How did you come here?’
Dunmel also asked in sign language.
‘It’s a long story.’
Dunmel smiled as he ordered a new beer.
‘We have a lot of time now. And I want to hear it since we probably won’t have time other than tonight.’
Heder quickly continued her long story in fluent sign language. From how Blackfoot had no choice but to give up being an assassination group when they revealed their client’s identity, to how they changed to become an intelligence group, the terrible massacre that occurred in Rock with Governor Narbeni behind it, the background of how they came to help Kassel and how they got involved in the battle.
‘A lot has happened.’
‘What about you, Themar?’
Heder asked.
Dunmel started with what happened in Lutia and concluded with how the monsters that had conquered Lutia were now coming to Rock. It wasn’t very new information to Heder, who already knew the details of the Rock council.
‘When the battle starts, you’ll inevitably get caught up in the fight too.’
Dunmel said worriedly. It had only been a couple of months, but Heder had become stronger and more feminine. Balak would assist her from the side, but he couldn’t help worrying.
‘After Master Gerald passed away, the members trained combat skills even harder. We’ll be helpful if there’s a battle.’
Heder said confidently.
‘But the way people look at you won’t be very favorable. After all, your background as Blackfoot…’
Balak interrupted that sign language.
‘It doesn’t matter. We want to help you, not Rock. Master Themar.’
‘I’m not a master, Balak.’
‘You are a master to me.’
Dunmel smiled faintly, barely visible.
‘Well. It’s a time when we need even one more person.’
‘Call us anytime. One of our members will always be by your side.’
Heder said in sign language.
‘Alright.’
‘And Themar.’
Heder added lastly.
‘Blackfoot is still waiting for you.’
Dunmel didn’t sign or look anymore and just drank the new beer he had ordered. Heder kept waiting but finally left at Balak’s urging.
Dunmel didn’t want to give Heder any more hope. The injury from Nathan still stabbed at his heart. He couldn’t be sure how much help he would be in this fight. Maybe just holding his position would be all…
Flora tried to stop him from leaving in Lutia. All the masters in Lutia said so. They warned that he would die if he fought the same battle once more. But Dunmel left Lutia with Loyal and Irine.
‘Why do you want to come along when you know you won’t be of help?’
Irine asked before leaving Lutia.
‘I feel like I should.’
‘Just because?’
‘Just because.’
He can’t move like before. Still, Dunmel came to Rock. At least he didn’t want to sit in the spectator seats far from the battle that would determine the fate of humans.
‘If I’m going to die, I should die on the battlefield.’
Master Karlsten smiled even as he died at Quain’s hands. Dunmel wanted to do that too.
“I’m going out.”
Jay, who was beside him, got up from the table. Dunmel just raised his hand. Jay seemed somewhat restless.
‘He must be looking for his place.’
It was obvious even without looking. Jay couldn’t take any position other than Kassel’s friend or bodyguard. He wasn’t the type to go somewhere and make a place for himself. If he keeps failing to find his place, he’ll end up fighting as a mere soldier in this battle.
‘That’s fine too.’
Dunmel asked himself.
‘Then what about me? Aren’t I the one who’s useless?’
Dunmel looked at Azwin, who was gazing at him sadly, and thought:
‘I must protect these kids. That’s my job. We can’t all be together anymore, but I want to protect the friends who remain.’
☆ ☆ ☆
Azwin downed four mugs of beer in succession and then stared at the wall with melancholy eyes. At first she seemed satisfied, but later she looked somewhat sorrowful.
‘What’s wrong with her? Where did all that enthusiasm to come here go?’
Jay didn’t want to drink more, but he ordered a fourth mug because he didn’t want to lose to a woman. Dunmel was sitting beside him. After the Blackfoot guys left, he seemed lost in thought, just staring at the wall. There was no way to vent to someone who couldn’t hear or speak.
It was a night when he wanted to say a lot. But he couldn’t find anything to say to these two.
‘What about Loyal?’
In Lutia, Loyal was the one who treated him kindly and could actually talk. But he had disappeared without a trace.
“I’m going out.”
Dunmel, who couldn’t hear, turned slightly and pretended to acknowledge, but Azwin, who could hear, didn’t even look up. Jay had hoped that coming here to drink would help him find his ‘place’. But clearly, this wasn’t his place either.
Jay approached the tavern owner and asked:
“Could I have two mugs of beer? I’ll return the mugs later.”
The owner shrugged and handed over two of the largest mugs.
“You must be busy, don’t bother returning them. Just drink and leave them at any tavern.”
Jay took the mugs and asked:
“Do you know who I am?”
“Of course. Aren’t you the warrior who’ll save Rock? The town’s been buzzing about how you and the ‘angel’ rescued refugees from Anbaldi recently.”
The owner answered with a smile.
Jay left with a smile that looked like he might cry. He thought he’d look ridiculous walking with two mugs, but others seemed to view him favorably. They even made way for him as he walked carefully to avoid spilling. People who used to avoid him out of fear now avoided him out of respect.
“Do you know where my friend is? The one with wings.”
Jay casually asked someone. He expected them to flee in fear, but they kindly directed him.
“He’s over there. I just saw him in the field right in front of the castle wall.”
Jay went there. Rai was there. Surprisingly, Loyal was there too.
“When did you get here?”
Jay asked Loyal.
“Just now. Had a drink and felt full, so I came out for a walk.”
Jay offered Rai a drink.
“Want some?”
Rai took it without hesitation. If there was one thing from human culture that Rai seemed to accept, it was alcohol. And he drank quickly too.
“About that commander talk earlier.”
Jay began.
Jay was very surprised when Loyal asked if he had gotten a commander position. The guard had actually asked him to take a commander role. But Jay refused, honestly saying he had no experience with command.
The guard captain took it as modesty and asked him to come back if he ever changed his mind.
Jay didn’t have the confidence to lead from the front. He didn’t have confidence to look after others either. It was the same at the White Gate. Jay couldn’t find his place among the Wolf Knights.
In Lutia, he just frantically followed Loyal and Dunmel around. In Rock too, he always tried to stay by Kassel’s side, but never tried to be somewhere on his own.
Tanya knew her place. The three White Wolves were free wherever they were. Even Rai the Lemif seemed natural wherever he was. Jay didn’t know his place and always felt unnatural and awkward. Even now, sitting next to Rai and Loyal felt unbearably awkward.
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve been alone for too long?’
Loyal stared at Jay for a while before asking:
“What about the commander?”
Jay was flustered. He had forgotten what he was going to say.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Jay mumbled and then asked:
“How come you two are together?”
“I just came out for some air and saw this friend flying. He recognized me when I said I was Kassel’s friend.”
Rai put down his empty mug and suddenly said:
“Go.”
“Me?”
Loyal asked.
“Yes. Go.”
“Why?”
“You, me. Gider, overlap.”
Though he was originally expressionless, his blank stare was frightening. But Loyal laughed.
“Gider? Is that Lemif?”
Loyal didn’t seem offended and stood up, continuing:
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Jay, not understanding, asked:
“What’s with you two?”
Loyal put his hands on his hips and looked down at the sitting Rai. What looked like a smile was actually a glare.
“This guy and I have ‘something’ that overlaps. If we stay together, one of us will die.”
Rai and Loyal stared at each other for a long time before Loyal turned away first. He walked towards the city gate.
“Hey, where are you going? The tavern’s not that way.”
Loyal waved goodbye without looking back. Jay, feeling frustrated, asked:
“How does everyone know their place?”
It was a question Rai wasn’t likely to answer.
But he did answer.
“Not knowing.”
Rai pointed to the distant horizon.
“Being.”
A red light was flying straight towards Rock across the sky beyond the horizon.
“You too. Me too.”
Jay felt angry, embarrassed, and ashamed. Rai, who could barely speak human language, seemed to understand human relationships better than him. He became even more unable to say anything.
‘So what am I supposed to do? What the hell does it mean to just be?’
☆ ☆ ☆
Loyal didn’t have a long conversation with Rai. But he quickly realized that Rai was extremely wary of him. Just sitting next to him conveyed an inexplicable tension. If he hadn’t said he was Kassel’s friend, they might have drawn swords on each other.
Seeing Rai reminded Loyal of what happened in Lutia.
‘If I hadn’t been injured in the fight with Nathan, could I have won?’
As Loyal traveled from Lutia through Tachisel to Carnelock, he replayed the same scenario in his mind many times. But he wasn’t confident. Then when he heard in Tachisel that Gerald had killed Nathan and died with him, Loyal was plagued with guilt.
‘What if I had won then?’
There were plenty of opportunities to face Nathan head-on. But Loyal hesitated. This isn’t my battlefield. I shouldn’t die fighting here… Because of such thoughts, Loyal held back. It was because he couldn’t see Nathan as his final opponent.
He remembered when Kassel threw him the sacred sword in Normant. That was the first time Loyal swung a sword with all his might. In that moment, it didn’t matter who the enemy was. He only thought about cutting down the opponent and protecting his friends.
‘I couldn’t do that against Nathan.’
Irine wanted to hear about what happened in Camort from Loyal’s own mouth. Even though Kassel must have told her everything, she insisted on hearing it from Loyal. Later he learned that Azwin had apparently said the same thing. But while she couldn’t find anything special from Azwin, she raised a strange question to Loyal.
‘Why did you return the sacred sword to Kassel?’
‘What? Why do you ask?’
‘You cut down the Black Lion Count at the execution ground, right? And the light of the sacred sword didn’t disappear from your hand at that moment? Then it could have been your sword. So why did you return it?’
‘Well… Because Kassel is the Captain?’
Even as he answered, he wasn’t sure.
‘That’s not an answer. Quain gave you the sacred sword. You were its owner. In a way, you didn’t fulfill your duty to protect the sacred sword until the end.’
Loyal hesitated before telling a story he had only told Dunmel and hidden from everyone else.
‘Actually, I’ve already been abandoned by the sacred sword.’
‘Abandoned by the sword?’
‘Hoiromo’
‘Why the Lemif language?’
‘That’s what the sword said before abandoning me. I asked Lofin right after meeting him. Lofin said it wasn’t Lemif language, but ancient language.’
‘Ancient language and Lemif are different? And the sword spoke to you?’
‘It happened in a village in Camort. I dozed off there, but it seems I didn’t just doze off. The sword abandoned me. It said this: Hoiromo, jumotiya jaiwa bodwiph du yuwi… Even Lofin wasn’t sure what it meant. But I think I know. No, I realized recently.’
He had the same dream multiple times. He couldn’t understand why past events were appearing so vividly in his dreams again.
‘Let me go… I tell the sword. That I can’t, that it’s too precious in Aranthia and I have a duty to protect it. But the sword firmly refuses. And it says, I’ll return to you someday so let me go… That’s what it meant.’
‘You’ve been having these dreams again lately?’
‘Yes.’
Irine came to the same conclusion as Loyal.
‘Then the moment the sacred sword came to your hand in Normant wasn’t the “someday” the sword mentioned. So when will you ask Kassel for the sacred sword again?’
‘I don’t plan to ask. The sacred sword abandoned me of its own will. So it will return to me of its own will.’
‘That sounds kind of cool in a way.’
Irine nodded.
Loyal held back what he wanted to say next. He wanted to say that when that time comes, he’d be able to fight with all his might once again, like he did in Normant. But he couldn’t bring himself to say that he failed to give his all against Nathan in front of Azwin.
As soon as he saw Rai, Loyal’s heart pounded as if he’d met another Nathan. He knew immediately that this was an opponent he needed to face with all his strength. Azwin had said this about Rai when he flew in to rescue her:
‘The sight of him aiming at Ruskin with the sacred sword looked just like you facing the Black Lion Count.’
It was fortunate he wasn’t an enemy. But at the same time, they couldn’t stay together for long. When Rai asked him to leave, Loyal felt rather relieved.
The place Rai trudged off to was Arok’s Tower. Kassel, Irine, and Master Tanya from Lutia were standing there. Even in the time it took Azwin to drink four beers and for Loyal to wander like this, their conversation was still ongoing. It was surely about magic, so he tried to stay out of it, but Kassel spotted him first and beckoned.
Loyal gave a light bow to Tanya, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, and stood beside her. The explanation about the tower was wrapping up. And there, Loyal heard a name that startled him.
Latilda Johnstein.
☆ ☆ ☆
As soon as he met Irine at the city gate, Kassel was dragged to Arok’s Tower by her without even having time to reunite with the other White Wolves. Tanya, who was already there, immediately began explaining about magic without long greetings, and Kassel just stood beside her. The sorcerers came out to greet another master who had come from Aranthia, but Irine didn’t bother to take time to greet them.
Irine wanted to work without wasting time. As a result, Kassel had nothing to do. It was just a good excuse to meet Tanya, so he stood beside her. He called out to Loyal, who was approaching from a distance but hesitated, thinking it might be better to have one more person standing silently rather than being alone and saying nothing.
“A hundred sorcerers from Grand Rock will be in the Tower of Blessing, Viscountess Johnstein from Camort will be in the Tower of Wrath, and I will activate this Arok’s Tower to put up a barrier around Rock.”
Just as Tanya finished explaining the three towers of Camort to Irine, Loyal exclaimed in surprise:
“You mean Latilda is here?”
Since they had separated right after arriving, there was no time to tell Loyal this important news.
“She’s now at the Tower of Wrath…”
Instead of explaining at length what had happened in the meantime, Kassel called over a nearby soldier.
“Please escort this person to the Tower of Wrath. You can call a carriage or lend him a horse.”
The soldier, not knowing who Loyal was, treated him with utmost respect on Captain Wolf’s orders. Loyal followed the soldier without another word.
Tanya finished her explanation while watching Loyal’s retreating back.
“The problem is how to protect the two towers. Arok’s Tower is safe within Rock Zone, but the other two must be defended with their own forces.”
“How strong is Rock Zone, Master Tanya?”
Irine asked, looking up at Arok’s Tower.
“It can stop Guanil.”
“Can you be sure? If you saw him in the Sky Mountains, he’ll be different now.”
At Irine’s words, Kassel cautiously asked:
“Why is that?”
“Because he’s still growing! I saw him on the way here. He’s flying around everywhere now. He even flies to Camort’s border and back to southern Carnelock. Thanks to that, other villages outside Rock are in chaos too. Imagine a huge black demon flapping its wings. People living in places that don’t know the situation are probably more scared than those in Rock. We almost ran into him while bringing refugees from Lima Castle.”
“That must have been dangerous. How did you manage safely?”
Irine slapped the sword at her waist.
“There are only two things Guanil fears. A sword that can kill dragons and magic that can kill dragons. The sword is with me and Lofin. The magic is with Tanya. He will never appear before the three of us. Now, let’s put that talk aside. We have plenty of other things to discuss.”
Irine turned to Tanya without wasting time.
“What do you think, Master Tanya? Can Rock Zone’s power stop the Lord of the Undying?”
“Probably. But since that being’s power is a separate issue from magic, I can’t be certain. First, we must protect both the Tower of Wrath and the Tower of Blessing, or the battle itself won’t happen. Arok fell a thousand years ago right after the Tower of Blessing collapsed.”
“Guanil must know that fact very well…”
Irine muttered, stroking her chin.
Kassel looked at both of them, and when neither said anything, he spoke up.
“Irine, we still don’t know the size of the enemy forces. Initially, reports said about twenty thousand, but it increased rapidly and scouts haven’t been able to go out since. How many are there?”
“Between one hundred thousand and one hundred twenty thousand.”
At Irine’s unhesitating answer, Kassel closed his eyes. Irine also sighed, putting her hands in her pockets.
“I know. To be honest, I thought Carnelock would have more troops.”
“I’m sorry. This is all I could do.”
Kassel replied in a low tone.
Construction was still in full swing near Arok’s Tower. To maintain a strong magical barrier emitted from the tower, the internal structure itself needed to be sturdy. To withstand the power of the Lord of the Undying, Tanya would have to use her full strength, but now the tower shook entirely even when she used only half her power. They were doing repair work as quickly as possible, but it wasn’t easy to repair a thousand-year-old structure.
“There’s no need to apologize. Still, we have to call it desperate when it is…”
Irine continued bitterly.
“It’s a big load off our shoulders that we’re not defending Rock’s walls but just two towers, but the result is the same. What’s our current troop strength?”
“Rock’s defense force is two thousand, troops called up from various regions are five thousand, cavalry is one thousand, and about one hundred fifty Dragon Knights. Adding the knights who just returned from Lima, it would be about two hundred. Plus reinforcements from Camort are about two thousand five hundred. Irophis said they would send reinforcements, but I’m not sure if they’ll arrive in time.”
“Ten to one. Even if it were the opposite ratio, it wouldn’t be easy if the enemy were Mozes.”
Irine spoke jokingly and laughed hollowly.
Kassel said:
“We’re hurriedly building palisades and walls near the Tower of Wrath and Tower of Blessing. But they won’t mean much against a hundred thousand.”
Irine read his expression and shook her head.
“Captain, you shouldn’t keep making that face. Even if I say it’s hopeless, you need to speak energetically. We can win, let’s do our best because we can win. You should be saying such things like a habit.”
“I know, Irine. But I… I don’t know. I try to act confidently in front of Captain Harrow and Governor Ruenmus. But strangely, I can’t muster any strength.”
“Eat something sweet. And we do have hope. Ah, they’re coming right on time.”
Irine scratched her head and looked up at the sky. Two pairs of huge wings were flying towards them from the south. The sound of those large wingbeats drew the attention of all Rock’s citizens.
The two dragons flew straight to Arok’s Tower and landed in a wide open space. It was a quiet landing, considering their massive size. One was a dragon emitting a red light, and the other was a dragon surrounded by golden light.
The sorcerers hid in terror. But the rest, including Kassel, just turned their heads briefly to avoid the dusty wind as they welcomed the large guests.
“Master Knadil, it’s an honor to see you again.”
Kassel and Tanya knelt before the red dragon. Knadil’s body, shining like jewels, was beautiful even after seeing it several times.
Knadil folded his wings and spoke. His voice calmly settled their momentarily gloomy hearts.
“You were talking about hope, Captain Wolf. It’s not time to crumble yet. That can wait until I die.”
Kassel asked in surprise:
“Do you plan to join the battle yourself, Knadil?”
“Of course.”
The answer came from Lofin, who had been riding on Knadil’s shoulder. Lofin jumped down from the dragon’s shoulder height in one leap, his empty sleeve fluttering.
“This is no longer just a war for humans. Didn’t goddess Nadiuren mention beforehand that dragons would join too?”
Kassel shook hands firmly with Lofin. And he whispered what he couldn’t ask Irine:
“Is Azwin alright? She seemed fine when I saw her briefly earlier…”
“Leave her alone, it’s something she needs to overcome herself. It’s not for you to step in!”
Lofin said coldly with a smiling face.
‘I suppose so.’
Kassel said only to himself. He once again faced the situation with Lofin’s casual words. Even if that wasn’t how Lofin meant it, Kassel ended up taking it that way.
‘It’s not for me to step in…’
Lofin shook hands briefly with Irine in reunion.
“I tried to arrive before you, but Knadil was a bit slow.”
“You’re still reckless, Lofin.”
Irine said with a smile.
Lofin stepped forward and said loudly to Ganel:
“Ganel, the people of Rock are waiting for your voice.”
“I see.”
The golden dragon roared loudly and took to the sky. One could imagine how much the soldiers and knights of Rock were cheering without seeing it.
The dragons have returned!
Could there be any news that would boost morale more than that for them?
Another dragon that appeared from behind the clouds flew beside Ganel circling in the sky. Knadil pointed to the other dragon and said:
“That child hasn’t earned the title of ‘Le’ yet, but in terms of combat, he’s on par with Ganel. His name is Selbayk, and he will help stop Guanil along with Ganel.”
Both Irine and Lofin looked up at the sky with hopeful faces. Normally, Kassel would have been unable to hide his excitement and cheers at just seeing dragons, maybe even tapping his feet. But Kassel was neither surprised nor happy.
‘Why am I like this?’
It should have been a moment of elation, with two dragons dancing like beautiful birds and roaring in the sky high above. But as if his emotions had evaporated, Kassel couldn’t shake off his feeling of despair.
“With me and Irine here, Lumil wouldn’t be missing. Where is he?”
Lofin, who must have just come down from the Sky Mountains after years, asked as if he already knew all the news.
“He should be with the eastern castle guard.”
“Let’s talk about the current situation and future strategy when everyone’s gathered. For now, I’ll go see his face.”
Lofin said energetically as he strode away.
Irine greeted Knadil and had a brief conversation. It seemed to be about Vena Esarck.
Tanya warmly grasped Kassel’s hand as he stood silently.
“Are you having bad thoughts again? Dragons have come, have some hope.”
Kassel forced a smile and said:
“Yes.”
He tried not to show it, but it was difficult to hide his true feelings from Tanya. Tanya didn’t ask further and just held his hand.
☆ ☆ ☆
Meylumil was discussing with Captain Harrow about how the armies gathered from various regions should move systematically. At first glance, Harrow seemed a weak and unconfident man, but in terms of knowledge, he really knew a lot. Lumil hardly needed to give advice separately. He managed almost all the military deployments by himself.
Council members well-versed in combat and strategy were quite helpful too. While the council could become uncontrollable when conflicts arose, it was also very strong when diverse people spoke with one voice like this.
“If you’re not busy, can you spare a moment? Even if you are busy, make time.”
Meylumil almost screamed when he saw the one-armed man who opened the door and entered.
“Lofin!”
“Yes, my name is Lofin. You don’t need to remind me so loudly.”
“Haha, my friend, you haven’t changed.”
Lumil hugged Lofin tightly and shook him a few times.
Lofin pinched Lumil’s face with his fingers.
“Have you been well? My, your skin is so smooth, you must not have suffered much. While I was rolling around with Lemifs in the Sky Mountains, were you rolling around in bed with women?”
“What women! When you struggle not to get a belly, your skin follows on its own.”
They both laughed loudly.
Lumil briefly left the strategy meeting to talk with Lofin. Setting aside personal stories that could take days to tell, Lofin discussed future matters. As they talked about the convergence points of what they had been doing in completely different places to confront the Lord of the Undying, a common name came up.
“Kassel…”
“Yes, Kassel.”
Lofin stroked his chin and said:
“I recognized it when I saw how he acted in the Sky Mountains, but it seems it wasn’t a coincidence after all. Aranthia’s blessing brought that child.”
“I sensed it in Camort too. They said Aranthia draws people in to protect itself when big events happen. Then were five White Wolves not enough?”
“How insufficient must it have been to bring even us?”
Lofin chuckled.
“There will be a big fight.”
Lumil said.
“I know.”
Lofin agreed. Then he suddenly lowered his voice and asked seriously:
“Did you hear about that, regarding Kassel?”
Lumil moved closer to Lofin.
“The great power of Lutia and the great power of Aranthia flowed to the Lord of the Undying. Lutia’s great power is…”
“Tailed, right? I heard. And Aranthia’s great power?”
Lofin hesitated to speak.
“Master Grandol.”
Lumil was briefly dumbfounded before asking:
“Is that symbolic?”
“It’s literal. I don’t want to believe it either. A knight who survived from Anbaldi told me. The one who killed their Captain was a gray-robed sorcerer, but the one who fought was a person called Grandol.”
“That’s impossible…”
“He’ll appear before us soon. Then we’ll know if it’s true. Why did Aranthia’s blessing draw even us retired folks into this fight? Could it be because of him?”
Lofin asked. Lumil couldn’t answer. For once, Lofin didn’t brush it off with a joke. Lofin knew better than anyone what kind of person Grandol was.
“The Lord of the Undying learned through countless attacks on the human world. He discovered after many failures that to destroy humans, he ultimately needs to use humans. He gained Victor 10 years ago and attempted to conquer the continent using Lontamon. Then he realized Aranthia was the entrance to the Sky Mountains and tried to use Victor, whom he had planted in the Sky Mountains beforehand, to destroy Aranthia from within. Though it’s said to have failed, it wasn’t a defeat.”
Lofin gripped Vena Esarck tightly and continued:
“The Lord of the Undying never intended to finish things in the Sky Mountains from the start. You can tell just by how he sent down the army he gathered for 10 years to Carnelock. He thinks the time has come. Right now, when he’s obtained Tailed, the strongest sorcerer in the human world, and Grandol, the strongest knight, is the most perfect time to destroy humans.”
Just then, a red dragon was flying across Rock towards the Tower of Wrath.
“Who’s that?”
Lumil asked.
“Master Knadil. The owner of Vena Esarck.”
“I thought Vena was goddess Nadiuren’s sword.”
“Nadiuren’s sword is Vena Silk, which Quain has now.”
“If even I’m confused, I wonder about others.”
“That’s natural. The two are completely different bodies yet the same body. Vena Esarck and Vena Silk are essentially the same sword when you think about it.”
“But where is he going?”
Lofin answered Lumil’s question with a question:
“We now have new forces. Dragons Ganel, Selbayk, and Knadil. What strategy would you devise?”
“We need to protect two towers. Then the strategy is simple.”
“Then that’s probably what he’s going to do.”
☆ ☆ ☆
Latilda, running in high-heeled shoes, stumbled. Surprised, Loyal rushed to support her, but she quickly waved her hand.
“I’m fine. Being supported for something like this would look even more unseemly.”
Latilda smoothed her clothes in front of Loyal and smiled brightly.
“It’s been a while, Loyal. I heard bad things happened in Lutia, but I’m glad you look healthy.”
“Yes, Latilda. The red dress is still beautiful on you.”
“Really? I’m glad I made the effort to wear it.”
“For me?”
“Of course. Coming here was also because I had a feeling I might see you again. Was it too obvious?”
Though it was true, Loyal seemed to take it as a joke. But she couldn’t help feeling pleased at his flushed face, sweating from rushing over.
“No, I’m glad you seem unchanged.”
Loyal said, spreading his arms wide. Latilda hesitated in surprise for a moment before simply embracing him. After staying in his arms silently for a while, she said:
“I didn’t expect you to do this.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for too long.”
“It’s unlike you.”
“You must be mistaken.”
After dreaming of the tower collapsing and immediately pushing for an alliance of three countries, Latilda couldn’t help but think of Loyal.
‘If I go to Rock directly, I might be able to see Loyal.’
He had clearly said he would come back, and Loyal would surely keep his promise, but she didn’t want to just wait endlessly in Denmoju for that unknown day.
Latilda knew how massive this battle in Rock would become. She believed the White Wolves couldn’t miss such a battle and would surely come to Rock.
In effect, Latilda had set the place to reunite with Loyal in the middle of the battlefield. She might die, but at least she wanted to be together in that moment. She didn’t want to hear of his death through someone else’s words or a letter, nor did she want her death to be conveyed to him that way.
She wanted to embrace him endlessly, but suddenly one side of the sky brightened and a strong wind blew. A red dragon flew towards the Tower of Wrath. Latilda screamed and Loyal held her tightly.
“It’s alright. That’s probably Master Knadil.”
“Knadil?”
Latilda squinted against the wind and watched the dragon, as large as a third of the tower, gently land on the ground.
“Which one is Latilda?”
The dragon asked.
“This lady, but…?”
Loyal said, still holding the trembling Latilda.
“My name is Knadil. You’re the dark sorceress in charge of the Tower of Wrath.”
Loyal was the one surprised.
“Dark sorceress?”
Latilda, not knowing much about it herself, just responded to Knadil.
“I suppose so.”
“I have tactical instructions for you. As time is short, I’ll deliver them directly.”
“Please speak.”
Loyal answered.
“The dark sorceress will remain here guarding the Tower of Wrath. All the Camort forces you brought will be sent to the Tower of Blessing.”
“My… soldiers?”
“I heard you’ve already handed over operational control of those soldiers to Rock’s council.”
Latilda was a bit surprised, having thought those soldiers would still be by her side even so. She gathered some courage to leave Loyal’s embrace and asked:
“Is this by direct order of Captain Wolf?”
“The order itself probably came from elsewhere. And since Irine asked me to deliver it, I don’t know much.”
Knadil, who had seemed omniscient, honestly said he didn’t know. Beside her, Loyal added, “Irine is my senior Wolf Knight.”
“Not just the Camort forces, but all of Rock’s defense force, cavalry, and Carnelock army troops will guard the Tower of Blessing. Ganel and Selbayk will do the same.”
“If I remember correctly, didn’t you say we need to protect both towers? Then the defense of the tower I’m at… how will that work?”
“Don’t worry. I will protect this place personally. Also, this is by Kassel’s direct order. Loyal.”
“Yes, Master Knadil.”
Loyal stepped forward.
“You will protect Latilda inside the tower.”
“Understood. But you say this is Kassel’s direct order?”
Loyal asked with a smile. Knadil just nodded slightly.
Latilda laughed hollowly.
“So the Tower of Blessing will be guarded by ten thousand troops, and the Tower of Wrath by just three of us.”
“Still, the enemy won’t be able to easily choose which side to attack. Even with tens of thousands of troops. Isn’t that right, Master Knadil?”
Knadil just tilted his head.
“That’s for the enemy to decide.”
Loyal, forgetting Knadil was there, took both of Latilda’s hands again.
“Do you remember? Our contract isn’t over yet.”
“Goodness, does that mean I’ll have the world’s strongest knight and the master of dragons as my guards? I’m afraid I’m not worthy of that.”
“At least to me, you are.”
A trumpet sounded. It wasn’t a simple marching trumpet.
“What’s that sound?”
“I don’t know Carnelock’s trumpet system, but it feels like some kind of alert.”
“Is the enemy attacking?”
Latilda asked both Loyal and Knadil. Loyal didn’t answer, and Knadil, instead of answering, stared into the distance and said:
“Ascend the tower, dark sorcerer.”
Latilda gripped her skirt tightly.
Knadil narrowed his glowing eyes and said:
“It’s time to raise Rock’s barrier.”
☆ ☆ ☆
The blue light rising from the top of Arok’s Tower slowly colored Rock’s sky. A strong dark power was felt from the Tower of Wrath. Despite only practicing a few times, Latilda performed well. It even felt stronger than the power of the hundred skilled sorcerers at the Tower of Blessing. Their hurried and chaotic efforts to gather power could be sensed. Still, it was enough to raise the magical barrier. A translucent blue light covered the night sky in a dome shape.
When Tanya opened her eyes after concentrating, Irine was in front of her. Irine looked at the spectacular sight spread across Rock’s sky and said:
“So this is Rock’s barrier. It’s amazing. A barrier encompassing such a huge city.”
“It’s thanks to the ancient sorcerers. Can’t Irine make something like this with that sword?”
“I’m not a sorcerer, so I can only maintain it very temporarily. But this will last longer, right?”
“Latilda and I have no problems. Once it starts like this, we can even eat, go to the bathroom, and sleep for a while. Don’t worry about us. I’m more concerned about the older folks at the Tower of Blessing. Can they maintain the same power for over a week? It’s an issue we couldn’t practice maintaining for long periods…”
“So it becomes a test of endurance rather than magical combat.”
“That’s right.”
Irine looked up at Rock’s skyline where the magic had formed and said:
“I was very surprised earlier, Master Tanya. Your face changed so much.”
Irine said, brushing away hair tickling the nape of her neck.
“You can drop the ‘Master’ title, Master Irine. You can treat me more like a child. No, that would be more comfortable for me. You’re a very special person to me.”
Tanya said with a slight smile.
“Then I will. Tanya doesn’t have to call me Master either. You’re also somewhat special to me.”
“Let’s do that. Come to think of it, we’re women who fell for the same man.”
Irine sat on the narrow windowsill, crossing her arms. The wind blowing at the top of the tower dozens of lengths high ruffled her hair.
“The same man! Did you like Tailed?”
“Isn’t it natural when such a wonderful person was the teacher I spent my adolescence with?”
“True. He talked about you more even when he was with me. To the point of jealousy. But you found your true love, and I’m still in love with that guy. That’s the difference. So I won.”
Tanya chuckled at Irine’s words.
“I’m not sure what you won, but anyway, the teacher was always happy after meeting you. I sincerely wished for that happiness to last long.”
“I’m sorry. For not being able to answer that prayer.”
“I’m not blaming you. You know no one can be blamed.”
Behind Irine’s smile, sad eyes holding back tears were hidden. Tanya couldn’t speak, feeling that anything she said would only dig into that wound. But Irine brought it up first.
“Should I have cut him down in front of the White Gate?”
“…Do you regret it?”
“Should I regret it, or not?”
Irine continued with a smile.
“Sorry, sorry. I meant to ease the tension but ended up saying things that might disturb your concentration. I came to tell you about troop deployment.”
“I roughly know. All forces at the Tower of Blessing, and only Master Knadil at the Tower of Wrath? That’s appropriate.”
“Loyal is there too. Dunmel is still injured so he’s guarding Rock’s gate, and Meylumil is commanding about 500 troops within Rock. There are so many troops at the Tower of Blessing that Lofin agreed to help with command.”
“What about Jay?”
At Tanya’s question, Irine asked meaningfully:
“Why Jay?”
“He’s been wandering lately, unable to find his place. If Kassel took care of him it would be simple, but the problem is Kassel can’t find his place either right now. That’s why I asked.”
“The Tower of Blessing, I guess. Lofin will be the overall commander there, so he’ll handle it.”
Irine continued with a hollow laugh.
“Unable to find his place…? Then he still can’t pass the third test.”
“What exactly is this third test? Is there even a standard?”
“How can there be a standard for the Fangs of the White Wolf? But now I see. Jay can’t become a White Wolf. He has no place to hold the wolf’s fangs.”
Just having dragons like Ganel and Knadil made Rock’s barrier feel stronger. The dragons’ power boosted the sorcerers’ spirits.
Conversely, this meant the Mozes beside Guanil were also stronger than when they were in the Sky Mountains.
“How does Kassel seem to you, Irine? Does he have the Fangs of the White Wolf?”
“I’m not qualified to judge him.”
“Why not?”
“Why? He’s the real Captain Wolf. It’s so obvious even someone like me with poor judgment can see it! So what he needs is belief. He needs to believe in himself that he’s the Captain of the Wolf Knights.”
As in Larden, Lofin would have naturally gone to guard the Tower of Blessing as soon as he arrived in Rock. Jay, unable to find his place, would have been dragged there.
But no one could drag Kassel. At the same time, he had no place to be. By the time Tanya realized it, Kassel would already know. She noticed it in Kassel’s eyes the moment the three dragons appeared.
There was nothing left for Kassel to do here now.
“Where will you be, Irine?”
Tanya asked.
“Since Loyal is guarding Latilda, I should guard you.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Should I send Kassel here too? Looking at the enemy’s scale, if this barrier falls, there’s no need to prepare for a siege battle afterwards given their overwhelming forces. One should be with their loved ones when dying. That’s probably why Kassel sent Loyal to the Tower of Wrath instead of the gate or Tower of Blessing.”
Irine spoke while watching the Mozes advancing, covering the plains beyond the window. Guanil wasn’t visible yet, but even if he was there, he wouldn’t be able to show a dragon’s intimidating presence amidst those numbers.
‘There’s too many. It’s to the point where having three dragons on our side doesn’t mean much.’
“Having Kassel beside me would be a great comfort. But don’t ever say that to him. Kassel has already done everything he needed to do. Now I must do what he entrusted to me.”
“You really are a strong child.”
Irine smiled and went down the stairs.
Tanya closed her eyes again and said:
“Irine.”
“Yes?”
“You asked earlier? If you should have cut him down?”
“Yes.”
“You should have.”
“Even if I had known who it was?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not an easy matter to speak of.”
“I’m speaking of it with difficulty.”
Tanya continued without opening her eyes.
“You said the enemy was wounded at the moment Tailed chased after the Lord of the Undying, right?”
“That’s right.”
“While Tailed was uninjured?”
“Right.”
“No matter how much of an Undying Lord he is, could he have overcome Tailed at full strength while wounded by Vena Esarck? Yet you say Tailed’s body was forcibly taken? Such a thing doesn’t happen. I know well how excellent a sorcerer Tailed is. Even if all the remaining Lutia masters combined their powers, they couldn’t match his strength alone.”
“You don’t mean Tailed…?”
Irine’s eyes narrowed.
“Even a demon’s soul that has endured for eons can’t forcibly take over the body of a living, healthy sorcerer. Look at the Excelon First Knights leading the enemy army. They made even an ordinary woman like Narbeni so strong, and could turn a sickly count of Camort into a dark lord threatening a whole country, yet why don’t they make the stronger ones even more powerful and just use them as pawns? It’s because they can’t.”
Tanya didn’t want to give this explanation either. But there was no one else she could discuss this with besides Irine.
“Tailed willingly gave his body to the demon.”
“Nonsense! Why would Tailed do that?”
Irine shouted as she came back up the stairs.
“I don’t know the reason.”
“Are you saying Tailed betrayed humanity?”
“Even Ruskin, who was loyal to Lutia for decades, betrayed them. Why couldn’t Tailed do the same?”
“You…”
Tanya didn’t try to take back the words already spilled. She just poured out all the doubts she had been holding inside.
“I heard even your master Grandol has joined their side.”
“He’s being controlled, obviously!”
“Have you forgotten Captain Welch who was resurrected in Aranthia? Welch moved of his own will despite being revived by that being’s power. Yet Grandol can’t do the same? Is his mental strength weaker than Welch’s?”
“You’re insulting both my master and your master at the same time.”
“It doesn’t matter. Irine, if another chance comes, don’t hesitate. That’s what I wanted to say. Please… kill my teacher with your own hands, not someone else’s.”
Tanya’s voice choked up and she couldn’t speak further. Irine looked furious but didn’t say anything more. She finally went down the stairs without adding another word. Tanya just pressed her lips tightly together.
After a long while, Tanya placed her hand on the windowsill where Irine had been sitting. The Mozes broadly covered the entire plain visible from Arok’s Tower. They stopped at a distance far from Rock’s walls and made a clamor as if protesting. However, they couldn’t attack beyond the barrier.
Rock’s barrier didn’t allow the Mozes through. It worked as theorized.
The cheers of the sorcerers from the Tower of Blessing reached Tanya through the barrier’s magic.
‘It’s not time to rejoice yet. We’ve barely established a foothold to start the fight.’
“Kassel.”
Tanya quietly spoke to him, wherever he might be.
“I wish your place was by my side.”
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/jB26ePk9