Irine quietly spread the news that Kassel had left at dawn. It was better for the soldiers not to know. Ruenmus also groaned for a while after hearing the news, then agreed to keep it a secret. He even insisted that other council members didn’t need to know and that as few people as possible should be aware of this. He didn’t like that Aranthia’s Captain had such a significant impact on their army’s morale. But it seemed he acknowledged it.
Lofin accepted the fact surprisingly calmly.
“The Wolf Knights will be quite helpful when they arrive, won’t they?”
Azwin, frowning, said with the same thought as Irine:
“Good men always leave women’s sides trying to prove they’re good, not knowing they already are.”
“That’s right, that’s right. That’s why only unsatisfactory men remain beside good women.”
At Irine’s words, one of Lofin’s eyebrows raised.
“You two, is that something to say in front of a great man like me?”
“The moment you say that yourself, all greatness flies away.”
Anyway, Azwin and Lofin didn’t take it as a big deal.
Jay was dumbfounded that Kassel had left.
“There was no talk of this at all until yesterday…”
But he soon acquiesced.
“If that guy says he’ll do it, he will.”
“Did Kassel give you that much faith?”
Irine asked, thinking it didn’t sound like something an eccentric guy like Jay would say. Jay thought for a while and answered honestly.
“It just means I believe in him.”
“That’s a good thing to say.”
Irine smiled, pleased with her disciple’s growth. Jay smirked but soon shook his head.
“But still, leaving without even saying goodbye to me, that’s a bit disappointing.”
“It must have been a sudden decision. Tanya seems to feel like she’s been struck by lightning.”
Jay looked south and asked:
“How far do you think he’s gone by now?”
“He might have crossed the Sky Mountains already? Since he flew.”
“He won’t run into Guanil or something on the way, right?”
“Who knows. Rai’s wings are too conspicuous.”
Jay kept looking south with worried eyes.
“Jay, I need to go inform Master Knadil about this as well. Oh, and… pass the third test.”
Even Jay, with his poor memory, didn’t forget that.
“I will definitely do so. But.”
Jay scratched his head and said:
“Even if I pass that, I won’t get the White Wolf’s Fang, right?”
Irine said with an apologetic expression:
“Are you disappointed?”
“No, from the beginning, I just… what was it called, my goal is to be under the Master. So I’ll pass the test.”
“Good.”
Irine waved her hand and mounted her horse.
Irine went to Knadil, who was guarding the Tower of Wrath. Knadil already knew about it.
“Even I can’t intervene in Kassel’s choices. His gider has already escaped my control. The enemy’s power has grown too strong. So whatever Kassel does, I’ll leave it to his choice.”
“What about the woman called Latilda?”
Irine spoke as quietly as possible. Though his head was at an impossibly high position, Knadil heard her small voice perfectly.
“Tanya was worried. She said Latilda could be tainted by the other side’s power at any time.”
“She’s fine ‘as long as I’m alive’.”
It had a double meaning. It was unsettling, but not wrong.
“Well, without you, Knadil, this type of battle would be impossible in the first place. Please stay alive. Until the end.”
Knadil was used to human jokes.
“You confirm that I’m alive by staying alive yourself.”
Irine laughed and mounted her horse.
She went to the southern gate last. Meylumil and Dunmel were having a simple match. It was just light warm-up movements even to ordinary people.
“Holding back before the battle, Lumil?”
Irine asked instead of greeting.
“Dunmel asked me to take a look.”
Even with light movements, Dunmel was exhausted and sweating. He gave a light bow to Irine.
“Looks like you’re making your rounds, how is it? Is everyone alright?”
Lumil asked.
“It was a leisurely day for soldiers who don’t know the difference in forces between the enemy and us. It’s better not to know.”
Irine said in a low voice. Lumil chided her, saying it was an unpleasant joke even while smiling. Irine soon mentioned Kassel’s issue, and Lumil shook his head as if surprised.
“Would someone who knows his position do that?”
“He doesn’t know his position. He thinks he hasn’t done anything. He said something strange, can you tell me in detail what happened in Camort? I’ve heard it a few times from juniors, but I don’t understand what he meant by saying he was ‘late’.”
Lumil detailed his encounter with Kassel at Count Enoa’s mansion in Ambrue and what he saw in Normant. Ending with describing Kassel shouting in front of the Black Lion Count, Lumil licked his lips and said:
“Did nothing… That’s not wrong. All Kassel did in front of the lord of the Black Knights was throw his sword to Loyal saying, ‘Cut that guy down’.”
“I heard that in Tachisel too, he only gave the order to Azwin and Rai the Lemif to take up swords. Even the Lemifs helping Lutia was their own decision… That fool, is that why he thinks he did nothing? What a frustrating guy. I should have stopped him even if I had to hit him when he left at dawn.”
“He’s probably a child who enjoyed romantic epics of sword-wielding knights. Perhaps a gap between the ideal image in his head and his current self?”
“Hmph, who in the world lives applying ideals to reality!”
“Enough. Didn’t even Knadil say this situation is already out of control? If we can’t bring Kassel back, we just have to trust and wait now. Certainly, when the Wolf Knights arrive here, they’ll be helpful.”
“Will they only be helpful?”
Irine asked meaningfully.
Lumil also smiled contentedly.
“You said you came from Nadium? How is it? Has Quain raised the wolves well?”
“I didn’t have time to examine each one individually, but it’s fair to say that when the Wolf Knights arrive here, it’ll be more than if the two of us multiplied into 50 people.”
“That’s an impressive statement.”
“We might be getting old. More than that… is Loyal the disciple you raised?”
Irine finally asked what she had wanted to ask first upon arriving.
“I didn’t raise him specially. It’s awkward to put that guy forward for our bet between the four of us. I just introduced him to Quain. What about you?”
“I’m regretting that I wish I had a little more time.”
BOOM!
The ground shook greatly as if an earthquake had occurred. Even the castle walls shook slightly, and dust and stone particles rose hazily. It was sunset, and as soldiers were changing shifts to have dinner, their agitation was even greater.
“Don’t panic. This is as planned. Everyone, battle positions!”
Meylumil gave orders calmly. Irine patted his shoulder.
“It seems Dunmel is calling us.”
Dunmel, standing on the watchtower, was gesturing for the two to come up. Lumil and Irine quickly climbed the ladder and stood beside Dunmel. The watchtower was located right above the castle gate, providing a clear view outside the castle.
About fifty meters away from the gate, there was a gray-robed sorcerer. It was exactly where the Rock Zone began, the boundary between inside and outside of the Rock Zone.
‘It seems the entire Rock’s crust shook just from that guy standing at the boundary.’
As she had expected his power to be this great, Irine was more impressed by the solidity of the Rock Zone that withstood it. And before anyone could stop her, she jumped down from the castle wall and approached the sorcerer.
“Have you come? You who play tricks borrowing Tailed’s body.”
Irine drew Vena Esarck.
The gray-robed sorcerer waved his hand towards the approaching Irine.
“Stop it, Irine. Do you want to fight me one-on-one in a place without Sanadiel’s power?”
There was no trace of Tailed in that evil voice.
Irine stopped about ten paces away. He clearly couldn’t attack into the Rock Zone. Being not a minor life form like a Moze, he probably couldn’t use Ruskin’s magic dye that nullifies magic. But the opponent was still the Lord of the Undying. There was no telling what tremendous things might happen.
Irine watched his hidden face under the robe’s hood and said:
“Even without Her Majesty’s power, Vena’s power is alive.”
“You cannot cut me down.”
“Who says so?”
Irine tried to speak confidently, but her voice trembled. Another voice overlapping with the evil one was too familiar.
“No, no. You can’t cut me down. Surely you’re not trying to kill the person you loved in the past?”
The sorcerer slowly pulled back his robe, revealing his face.
‘Damn it.’
Irine bit her lip until it bled.
She knew. Though she tried to deny it many times, all the evidence pointed to one conclusion, and even the dragon Knadil had foreseen this. So she thought she would be fine. But actually seeing his face, Irine felt her heart crumbling.
He had Tailed’s real appearance. With that same face she first fell in love with, he was smiling at Irine. Though Irine had resolved not to be surprised no matter what happened, she unknowingly revealed her inner thoughts.
“Fine! I’ll kill you. Tailed would rather die than be used for evil deeds.”
“You’re greatly mistaken, Irine. I’m not simply borrowing Tailed’s body. I am both the Lord of the Undying and Tailed.”
Even the overlapping voices disappeared, and now only Tailed’s innocent voice was heard. Irine struggled greatly to maintain her sanity.
‘I mustn’t get drawn in. That’s not why I stood before him. If I rush in like this, I’ll die.’
He said:
“Don’t you know what kind of sorcerer Tailed is, Irine? Even the Lord of the Undying can’t forcibly enter a body protected by such powerful magic. Tailed accepted me willingly. He’s following the promise to rule and divide the world together with me. So I am Tailed and Tailed is me. Irine, oh my love. Turn to my side even now. Let’s rule the world together.”
She who had mocked Kassel’s weakness now felt utterly miserable. She too was shaken by this small provocation, and knowing this, she gave in to anger.
“Would you please shut up!”
As Irine took a step forward, the Lord of the Undying with Tailed’s face raised his index finger and wagged it.
“Be careful, Irine. If you take one more step from there, I might cut you in half.”
“Go ahead and try…”
As she was about to walk, Lumil shouted from behind.
“Irine, come back.”
She suddenly came to her senses and stopped.
Tailed showed a bright smile as if to say ‘See?’.
“The battle is just beginning, what good is it if the main character dies already?”
Tailed soon seemed to forget about Irine and looked around with his arms crossed. At first she thought he was looking at the castle walls, but on closer inspection, he was examining Rock’s barrier. He lightly tapped the almost invisible blue membrane with his finger. Ripples like water waves spread around his finger.
“Well, this might be comparable to the barriers of White Gate or the Sky Mountains.”
Tailed nodded with a satisfied face.
“As expected of my disciple. Besides Ruskin, only Tanya could imitate the barrier made by a god to this extent.”
Tailed put his hands on his hips. His expression was gentle, like a priest embarking on a glorious pilgrimage.
“Then let’s see how long it can hold out?”
And Tailed took half a step forward. An even stronger vibration than before hit all of Rock. Soldiers standing on the higher parts of the castle walls staggered and sat down. As the invisible membrane shook, heavy vibrations resonated through Rock’s air. The low frequency that could only be felt through the body plunged all of Rock’s people into fear.
The morale that had soared with the arrival of dragons, armies from various regions, and reinforcements from Camort was shaken by just his half step.
“Oh my, Tanya. You don’t need to block it with all your might like that. If you strain yourself like that, can you even last a day? Two days would be impossible.”
Tailed continued speaking as if Tanya was right in front of him.
“It’s useless to keep blocking, so quietly withdraw your magic. I was originally your teacher, so you just need to follow me without complaint even now. Like Ruskin.”
Unable to bear it anymore, Irine shouted:
“Tanya would never kneel before your magic, so stop your futile persuasion. Tanya will block with magic and I will block with my sword. We’ll see which side tires first.”
“Such strong willpower. That’s exactly what I fell for.”
“Stop pretending to be Tailed!”
“Then what should I do? I am Tailed.”
Tailed laughed loudly again. Irine glared at him with burning eyes. She wanted to cry. She wanted to sit down and give up everything. She pretended to be strong in front of everyone, but it was all a lie.
‘If another chance comes, don’t hesitate.’
Tanya had said that even knowing Irine would hate her for it.
‘Please kill my teacher with your own hands, not someone else’s.’
It was Tanya who had been facing reality.
‘You’re strong, Tanya. In contrast, I came here hoping for an impossible miracle, hoping that the Lord of the Undying wasn’t Tailed. That’s why I reacted so strongly when Tanya told me to kill Tailed.’
Unable to show weakness by retreating here, but also unable to approach, Irine just glared at Tailed while enduring.
“Shall we save some time? It’s troublesome if you resist that strongly. I’m a bit pressed for time too… Ah, how about I tell you this fact?”
Clapping his hands as if talking to a child, Tailed continued. Even as he was gradually leaning his body forward, he took another step. The low-frequency vibration that had been resonating continued. The vibration ringing in their ears was further eroding their will to fight.
“The Captain Wolf you all relied on so much is dead. Kassel, was it? Right? The guy who just babbled on without doing anything in front of White Gate.”
“Seeing you resort to such obvious lies, it seems you’re the one backed into a corner?”
Irine retorted without backing down.
Tailed waved his hands awkwardly with a face asking to be believed. His exaggerated body movements were like those of a novice stage actor who had just started learning to act.
“No, it’s true. How can I prove it? Ah, right. There was a very strong Lemif guarding him. Well, not quite on par with the old one I have… How about that? Is that proof?”
Irine unknowingly looked towards Arok’s Tower.
‘Don’t listen, Tanya. It’s all lies. You mustn’t listen.’
They said the barrier doesn’t weaken just because someone leaves their post briefly or sleeps. But if shaken mentally, it becomes dangerous. If Tanya’s heart, standing at the center of Rock Zone, wavered, the entire barrier could disappear.
“You don’t believe me? Then how about this?”
Like an amateur magician rummaging inside a large hat and pulling out a rabbit too big to fit, Tailed pulled something large and white out of his sleeve.
‘Don’t look, Tanya. Turn your gaze elsewhere. Don’t look here.’
Irine shouted, hoping Tanya would read her inner thoughts. What Tailed pulled from his sleeve was a white wing. The lower part of the wing still had flesh attached, with sticky blood dripping.
Tailed threw one of those wings inside the Rock Zone, at Irine’s feet. Irine shrank back, retreating as she looked at the wing that fell before her feet.
“Do you think I’d be scared if you just killed some random Lemif and tore off a wing?”
At Irine’s words, Tailed laughed dejectedly.
“You’re as bold now as you were before, but time has changed you. To be more foolish! I mean. I’m not foolish enough to go looking for a Zvi Lemif with such large wings just to tell a few lies. It’d be better to show an illusion. I could create one too! Oh my, come to think of it, I can’t even enter the Sky Mountains, can I? Should I have found a lost Lemif wandering somewhere in Acrand?”
“Then why a wing? Bring Rai’s head and Kassel’s head.”
“You don’t understand, Irine. This is scarier. More confusing. How about it? Did I kill Kassel or not?”
He laughed playfully.
“You don’t know, right? That’s what I’m aiming for. This is Tailed’s idea. How is it? A bit childish?”
Tailed put his hands on his hips again. With each of his hand movements, the Rock Zone rippled, and the intensity of the noise fluctuated.
“Well, that’s enough playing around.”
Tailed shook his fluttering sleeve hard a few times. Behind his sleeve appeared a glowing white human figure. With an awkward smile like an unskilled magician worried his trick might be exposed, he turned to look at Irine. The Rock Zone’s barrier reacted even to his laughter, creating ripples and shaking the ground.
“You’ve left the power of magic to Tanya, right? Well then, Irine. My love. What will you do about the power of the sword? I’ve brought the very knight you all boasted could never be defeated.”
Irine slowly retreated. Fear, sorrow, and anger mixed together, making it impossible for her to stand with a clear mind. Even Meylumil on the castle wall, though he had already heard, couldn’t close his mouth in surprise when he actually saw it.
It was Master Grandol.
Grandol, the former Queen’s Guardian Knight and the teacher of Lumil, Irine, Lofin, and Quain, stood behind Tailed, the former Grand Master of Lutia. The two greatest powers in the human world were waiting outside the Rock Zone for it to crumble.
Tailed spoke with narrowed eyes.
“Look to the west. The sun you won’t see many more times is setting.”
The half-sunken sun in the west slowly disappeared below the horizon. And as the sun fell, darkness came as quickly as thunder striking the sky. A black dragon, flying from who knows where, flapped its wings and quickly passed over the gate where Irine was. A black shadow instantly covered people’s heads.
The black dragon roared. Unlike Ganel’s voice, which sounded like beautiful music or a powerful march, the black dragon’s voice was ear-piercingly sharp.
“My name is Kaguanil. We’ll see how long this thin magic barrier can protect you.”
Guanil circled around the barrier, continuing to shout.
“I’ll praise you if you last a day. I’ll call it a miracle if you last two days. Don’t expect more than that.”
Guanil kicked the barrier hard once with its hind legs. A thunderous sound rang out.
“Ganel, Dragon of the Morning! The morning sun you’ll see again will never exceed three times. Knadil. Come face me. Let’s see how long you can handle me away from the goddess’s side.”
Guanil beat the barrier a couple more times, then flew off to the northwest. Simultaneously, the Moze army stationed in the south moved. The dust raised by the moving army also moved northwest.
It was towards the Tower of Blessing.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Something unexpected has been added.”
Victor mounted his horse and looked at Rock, wrapped in faint light. The city’s scenery under the starlight was much more beautiful than what he had seen 10 years ago. Thinking about destroying that beauty with his own hands again gave him a strange feeling.
Extreme self-loathing and superiority.
‘No. It’s too early. It’s not time to get excited yet.’
Victor was almost certain. Lofin is in the Tower of Blessing. There’s no way he would be anywhere else for a direct confrontation with him. Even if Rock’s army opposed, he was the type to insist on taking that position. He always took his place in advance where Victor would go. So he must be in position now too.
It had to be so.
“Berkman.”
Victor quietly recited the name of the Excelon 1st Knight Order.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Take the Mozes to the designated position. Powell, Stanley.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The two answered simultaneously.
“Lead the entire army to the Tower of Blessing first. I’ll follow.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Only Ruskin remained where the three knights had left. His feet weren’t visible under his wind-fluttering robe, making him look like he was floating in the air. He seemed to be waiting, thinking there might be some instructions for him too.
“I’m sorry, but I have no instructions for you.”
Victor said.
“Shouldn’t you give some? Like quieting down that noisy Guanil.”
“Quieting Guanil? Is that possible?”
“Kainswick was full of students who listened less than Guanil.”
Victor burst into laughter and said:
“Never mind. It’s not bad if it lowers the enemy’s morale like that.”
The Mozes began to move, centered around Powell and Stanley. Guanil was also moving ahead towards the Tower of Blessing.
“Please make sure Guanil doesn’t start the battle without my orders. Ride on top if you need to.”
“I can suppress him from fighting, but constantly riding… it’s harder than it looks to ride without a saddle…”
Ruskin said, feeling awkward.
“Then we should move too. It would be trouble if Guanil picked a fight with Ganel alone at the Tower of Blessing.”
Victor said as he rode his horse. Though he said so, he didn’t go faster than walking speed. Ruskin, not on horseback, just walked leisurely beside him.
“Nothing has turned out as our lord said. He said Rock would be prepared to be taken with one shout, but here we are doing everything ourselves?”
Ruskin said, looking at the magic barrier surrounding Rock.
Victor exhaled shortly.
“It wasn’t a city that would crumble just because a greedy governor betrayed. And I never expected it to proceed like that from the beginning, nor did I want to take it easily. This level is just right.”
“The plan? Is Guanil allowed to shout so loudly?”
“Since Guanil has already spoken, what can we do but follow? Berkman will take the first day, Powell and Stanley the second. If we’re lucky, it might end on the second day, but since luck is unlikely to be on the devil’s side, we’ll end it on the third day as calculated.”
“Are you sure it will go exactly as calculated?”
“I’ve only considered two variables. Lofin and Dragon Ganel. The key is how Lofin leads the army with command surpassing mine, and how long Ganel can hold out against Guanil. But variables are just variables, not a concern.”
“It’s almost unsettling how perfectly prepared you are. Then I’ll ask just one more thing and end the strategy talk.”
“Go ahead.”
“In four or five days, another hundred thousand Mozes will arrive. Why not wait until then and rush like this?”
“Our lord ordered us to hurry.”
“That’s strange. Wasn’t the Captain entrusted with all the battle preparations?”
“I agreed that we needed to hurry. If Knadil hadn’t intervened, we would have waited for the rear army.”
Victor looked back at the Tower of Wrath where Knadil was located. As darkness deepened, the red light emitted by the master of dragons grew stronger. To Lemif or human eyes, it might look like the holy radiance of a god, but to Victor’s eyes, it appeared as the currently most powerful force.
“Guanil’s power still doesn’t match Knadil’s. Even now, our lord is constantly focusing on Knadil’s movements. Even for him, a head-on confrontation would lead to an unpredictable battle.”
“What does that have to do with the Moze army coming in two days?”
“Knadil alone could wipe out that size of an army. Similarly, Guanil alone could crush Rock’s army. But Knadil won’t step forward. Because you have magic that can kill Knadil, and I have a sword that can kill Knadil. The same reason Guanil doesn’t act recklessly.”
Ruskin knew this already. But Victor continued explaining anyway, not wanting to repeat himself.
“In the end, the final battle will be between Guanil and Knadil. If Guanil’s power is inferior to Knadil’s then, we could lose a battle we’ve already won. Before that, Guanil needs to eat ‘death’ and grow stronger.”
“You’ll grow him?”
“That’s right. But…”
As if deliberately arranged, the dragons’ powers were thoroughly keeping each other in check. The situation would be the same even if more dragons were added. The Lord of the Undying knew this, which is why he was developing it as a human battle.
“…calculating that far is the realm of gods. In the human realm, my only concern is Lofin. How Lofin reacts, what strategy he comes up with.”
Ruskin agreed.
“At least I understand he should have been the first one killed. I thought so from the rumors I heard, and seeing him directly in Tachisel confirmed it.”
Victor clenched and unclenched his newly made hand as he spoke.
“It’s funny, but if Lofin hadn’t taken my arm, the Lontamon Continental War would have proceeded completely differently. The Captain of the 1st Knight Order would have been Welch or Nathan, and I would have held the most powerful authority in Lontamon from the rear. Then I wouldn’t have ordered the march on Aranthia.”
“Welch also didn’t agree with the march on Aranthia.”
“But he followed. That’s the difference between him and me.”
“I don’t know well, but I hear Captain Welch had to follow due to ‘some other reason’ from the royal family. I understand it was under such conditions.”
“Even so, it was probably just a petty threat from the royal family to drive criminals to their deaths. As soon as I ascended the Sky Mountains, the royal nobles stepped forward to pursue their own greed.”
From the very beginning of planning the Carnelock war, Victor always had Lofin in mind. He knew that at the decisive moment, that guy would definitely appear before him. That’s why Nathan was necessary.
‘If only I had that child, I wouldn’t have considered Lofin a variable.’
He wanted to entrust everything to Nathan and focus solely on the confrontation with Lofin, but it didn’t work out that way. But this was good too. Lofin must be shouldering too many things alone by now, so the conditions were equal.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll go ahead. I’m worried about Guanil after all.”
Victor made an excuse and rode his horse quickly, passing by Ruskin.
Ruskin laughed softly.
“Just like a boy going to play a game. I’m rather envious, yes. How come an old man like me isn’t even excited about a battle that will destroy the world…”
Ruskin looked at Arok’s Tower inside Rock’s barrier. It was too dark and far to see if Tanya was sticking her head out the window. Still, he kept staring at the tower.
“Are you doing well, Tanya? I’m not sure if I’m doing well.”
Ruskin let out a long sigh.
“My death depends on the dragons, and the dragons’ deaths depend on me… Am I doing this right, Tailed?”
☆ ☆ ☆
The Mozes were moving very slowly. At that speed, if they were to bypass Rock’s castle towards the Tower of Blessing, it seemed they would arrive only by dawn tomorrow. It looked like there would be no attack tonight either. Considering their terrifying speed from Anbaldi to here, this was clearly intentional.
‘Are they… waiting for something?’
Dunmel sighed and looked down from the castle. The gray-robed sorcerer was about six or seven steps closer from where he stood in the evening. It was still far from the castle gate, and the speed was very slow, but he never stopped. Each step he took caused a ear-ringing noise along the transparent barrier, seriously affecting morale.
Dunmel hoped this phenomenon didn’t exist outside the barrier.
He recalled the strange black energy he saw when rescuing Latilda from the cave in Denmoju. It was merely a voice without form. It must have been that person’s voice. Yet it had tremendous power enough to collapse the cave. He could now understand how strong a magical shield the Rock Zone was. And at the same time, how incredible a sorceress Tanya was.
‘He’s already declared when the war will end. He’s hoping for people to be tainted by fear.’
The Lord of the Undying was already looking beyond Rock. If this falls, next is Camort, then Irophis. And then Aranthia. If battles end this way, people will talk about the fear for a long time, exaggerating stories beyond reality. There is no more effective dominance than fear.
The Lord of the Undying occasionally looked up at the soldiers in the watchtower, and at Dunmel and Lumil. With each step he took, Rock Zone vibrated heavily as if thunder had struck from a distant sky. Such shaking couldn’t collapse even a small house, let alone the castle walls, but it was steadily breaking people’s courage. People were too terrified to sleep and had come out towards the gate.
Soldiers both coaxed them to return home and warned them not to approach dangerous areas. Everyone was busy asking what was happening, what that black dragon that flew across the sky in the evening was, and when the enemy would attack.
“What a mess.”
Lumil beside him said.
Dunmel didn’t understand and asked what he had said.
“Ah, sorry. It was nothing.”
Lumil waved his hand and continued.
“Why don’t you rest? Your injuries aren’t even healed yet…”
— I’m fine. You should rest, Lumil.
— I’ll rest tomorrow morning.
Dunmel wrote on the railing to speak.
“Is that so? That might be better.”
Lumil readily accepted Dunmel’s opinion.
“Either way, Rock army’s discipline is quite impressive. Even though they’re so scared, no soldier is abandoning their post, and the guard system isn’t shaken.”
Lumil yawned long.
“Then I’ll go catch some sleep, we’ll switch tomorrow.”
Dunmel nodded.
As in Camort, Lumil was a reliable man. It was no wonder Loyal regarded him as a teacher.
Even earlier, when Tailed revealed himself and Grandol appeared, even Dunmel who had never met him was surprised. Naturally, the shock must have been great for Irine or Lumil.
Irine, who stood firm in front of Tailed, collapsed losing strength in her legs as soon as she returned to the gate. It was Lumil who took care of Irine and gave instructions to Dunmel and the gate soldiers.
‘The person who will play a decisive role at the last moment will probably be Lumil. So my job here is to protect him.’
If his body were healthy, their roles could have been reversed, but now he stepped back. The Lutia sorcerers’ treatment was very effective, but his wounds still hurt when he moved a lot.
Wind blew from the south. There was a smell of dust raised by the Mozes. When there was a small presence behind, the soldiers took defensive positions. Dunmel turned around to see Heder and Balak at the watchtower.
Dunmel signaled to the guarding soldiers that it was alright. The soldiers lowered their spears but didn’t leave their posts, still suspicious.
Dunmel spoke first in sign language:
‘Looks like all the guild members ended up trapped in Rock.’
‘We would have stayed even if we weren’t trapped.’
Heder continued in sign language:
‘I heard you’d be alone all night. I came in case of unexpected situations.’
‘Do you know the plan?’
‘I asked Lofin directly.’
Dunmel smiled.
‘That’s bold.’
‘We’re allies, so we should save time. Besides, it’s not a plan we need to hide, is it?’
No main force attack at night. But they might shake us with sporadic attacks. Don’t leave your post no matter what happens.
Lofin’s tactical instructions were easy to understand yet focused on the essentials. Since soldiers would be tense anyway, he had been giving only tension-relieving talks and such instructions since yesterday.
‘Is this dragon Knadil so amazing? The enemy’s enormous force is heading to the Tower of Blessing where the entire army is concentrated, not the Tower of Wrath with just one dragon.’
‘It’s more about efficiency than being amazing. In a battle where destroying just one of the two towers is enough, there’s no need to face the goddess’s guardian. Lumil said so. If Knadil leaves the Tower of Wrath to help the Tower of Blessing…’
Dunmel pointed to the Lord of the Undying mid-sign.
‘…that person will immediately fly to the Tower of Wrath and kill Latilda.’
Dunmel then pointed to Arok’s Tower.
‘At the same time, if Knadil keeps guarding only the Tower of Wrath, he’ll approach slowly like this and kill Tanya in Arok’s Tower.’
‘Can’t we kill him by ambush?’
Balak asked. It was a thought any assassin would have against Tailed with his weak and innocent-looking face.
Dunmel shook his head.
‘If he could be killed that way, Karlsten would have done it long ago.’
Dunmel asked with a short sigh:
‘By the way, how did Gerard pass away?’
‘He passed away a month ago, as if taking a nap.’
‘The Guild Master position?’
‘I’m temporarily in charge.’
Heder continued signing slowly.
‘Many agents left the guild, but quite a few followed me.’
‘That’s fortunate.’
He wanted to talk more, but getting lost in thoughts would only hinder the battle. Dunmel ordered:
‘One of you stay, the other rest. As Lofin said, the fierce battle starts tomorrow, so we should rest when we can.’
‘Then I’ll go first…’
Just as Heder was about to suggest, Dunmel staggered and collapsed sideways, bracing himself with his hand. Heder called out “Themar” in surprise, but Dunmel just hung his head, unable to get up.
The voice of the Lord of the Undying flowed into Dunmel’s ears. It was his ‘voice’ again.
“You belonged to me from the beginning.”
Dunmel tried not to listen, but it was useless. It was a voice that burrowed directly into his head without going through his ears.
“Do you know why you can’t hear with your ears? Your mother didn’t want to give birth to you. If you knew the secret of your birth, you wouldn’t be able to stand there. Do you want to hear it?”
Tailed’s voice kept penetrating even when Dunmel covered his ears or struggled.
“Your father exchanged your life for your mother’s. I’ll tell you what happened the moment you were born. You should have already been on my side. I should have known when I first saw you in Blackfoot, but I’ve only realized now. But it’s not too late. Come to me. I’ll guide you to where you belong, Themar.”
Dunmel instinctively felt a terrifying thought that if he heard all of his voice, he would go mad or really switch to the enemy’s side. But there was no way to block the voice.
‘Stab me.’
Dunmel signed with trembling hands.
“Themar, what…?”
‘If I stab myself, I’ll die. So you…’
He couldn’t sign any more than that.
“You haven’t forgotten which country your father is from, have you? It’s Lontamon. He was the son-in-law of the lord who ruled all of northern Lontamon, and your mother was also that lord’s daughter. It was me who met your mother while she was pregnant, and the first person whose body I took was her father, Count Shraighton. You are the child born of my daughter. You are my grandson…”
Dunmel let out a silent scream at the pain digging into his side. Heder’s dagger was embedded there. She was looking up at Dunmel with eyes filled with terror.
“The-Themar… are you alright?”
Dunmel nodded.
Tailed’s voice was no longer heard. If it continued, he was prepared to not listen even if he had to slice open the place where Heder stabbed and spill out his insides. But that was the end of it.
‘Cover where the knife stabbed. The soldiers will misunderstand if they see.’
Dunmel signed with difficulty using one hand.
Balak wrapped the stabbed area with cloth from his arm and supported him in that direction. Heder stood beside him, escorting him down the castle. Soldiers asked what was wrong. Heder cleverly brushed it off saying his previous injury suddenly worsened, and they left the place.
‘I’m sorry for making you do this. I asked because I thought I couldn’t avoid vital points if I stabbed myself. You did well.’
Dunmel signed as they walked. Heder nodded with tears in her eyes.
“You won’t tell me what happened, will you?”
‘I’m sorry.’
If possible, he wanted to forget everything he had just heard. It was unnecessary information before a battle. It was a story he didn’t want to know even if he survived.
Forget.
Karlsten taught Dunmel not only assassination techniques but also another good skill. Saying it was one of the most necessary skills for someone who lives killing people all their life.
Forget.
The bleeding was getting worse. No matter how he avoided vital points, the pain didn’t lessen.
Forget…
He must forget!
–TL Notes–
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