Tanya spoke with her eyes closed to the person standing outside the door.
“Come in.”
With her senses heightened to the extreme, Tanya could tell who was outside even though the door was still closed.
It was Rependas, the chairman of Grand Rock. He opened the door slightly and spoke from outside.
“Master Tanya, you haven’t eaten since yesterday. Are you alright?”
The magicians of Grand Rock were extremely cautious not to disturb Tanya’s concentration. But in truth, she would have been fine even if a dozen children were playing drums next to her.
“Then is there something simple I could eat? I’d like some water or cold tea as well.”
She wasn’t hungry, just very thirsty. At one point she had felt terribly sleepy, but now she was fine. It felt like she could stay awake indefinitely. Still, she needed to eat something.
“I’ll prepare it right away.”
Glad to be able to help Tanya, Rependas quickly called down the stairs to bring up a meal.
Tanya got up unsteadily and stretched her arms and legs.
“I need to walk a bit. And I’d like to wash my face.”
Rependas was startled when Tanya started walking unsteadily.
“Is it alright to leave that room?”
“Ah, would you like to stand in my place instead, Chairman?”
Tanya smiled weakly.
“I’m joking. Don’t worry, the barrier won’t disappear just because my power is briefly interrupted. Didn’t I explain this?”
“You did, but…”
Rependas looked uneasy.
Tanya slowly went down the stairs, then sat down on the landing.
‘This is hard.’
A maid coming up with a tray of food spoke to Tanya when she saw her.
“A-are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I just got dizzy from suddenly walking… Please leave the food in the room. I’ll eat it later.”
Tanya got up using the wall for support and looked out the window in the stairway.
The sunset was visible. The enemy would move at night. A day had passed since the Lord of the Undying started attacking the barrier, and two days since Kassel left.
In the morning, the Mozes’ catapults had attacked the city walls. Rock’s soldiers destroyed the catapults under Meylumil’s command. But in this process, Loyal and Meylumil were seriously injured. She had been watching everything while sitting in Arok’s Tower.
She was staring straight at the Lord of the Undying when he revealed his face from inside his robe. Tailed’s face had become younger than when they parted. It was closer to how he looked when they first met on the cliff in her childhood. Irine lost her composure, and even Meylumil was flustered when Grandol appeared.
She was also watching as he threw blood-stained wings into the Rock Zone. Irine said it was a lie, but Tanya knew. Those were Rai’s wings.
Rai was dead.
‘Did Rai sacrifice himself to protect you? Or did you die along with Rai? Where are you now, Kassel?’
From the moment he entered the Rock Zone, Tailed’s image had settled in Tanya’s mind and wouldn’t leave. He wasn’t particularly interfering with her magic or attacking. It just felt stuffy and difficult, like something was stuck in her throat.
Tanya was also in her opponent’s head. But she couldn’t read his thoughts. On the other hand, he was reading her emotions.
‘I shouldn’t worry carelessly about Kassel. If he discovers my worried feelings, he’ll take advantage of that gap.’
He was targeting everyone’s weak hearts. Irine, who seemed like she wouldn’t crumble under any mental attack, couldn’t easily return to the southern gate after seeing Tailed. She was still lingering near Arok’s Tower.
Dunmel was shaken by the unexpected weapon of his secret birth.
Next, he drew Loyal in to fight Grandol.
Now the next target was Tanya.
‘I mustn’t reveal my weakness. I just have to believe. That Kassel isn’t dead, that he’s safe somewhere.’
At that moment, the scene unfolding at the northern Tower of Blessing spread in her mind.
“Mm!”
Tanya raised her head, startled.
The Mozes were stirring. As the sun set, darkness began to exert its power.
Tanya had to go back up the stairs without even washing her face. The battle was about to begin.
☆ ☆ ☆
“The sun is setting.”
Lofin muttered, looking back. Harrow was busy moving around, organizing the army. Azwin was warming up.
Lofin said:
“You don’t need to warm up yet.”
“Isn’t it starting soon?”
“You go to the Dragon Knight Order.”
“The Dragon Knight Order… wasn’t that kept as a stationary force?”
The enemy had deployed the Mozes in three layers. Just over 30,000 troops were positioned at the front, with similar numbers behind them. The third force was at the very back, where Victor and Guanil were. Though they couldn’t confirm yet, Ruskin was probably there too.
Lofin knew that the enemy’s third force was an elite unit meant to bring down the Tower of Blessing. So he likewise positioned 100 cavalry, 150 Dragon Knights, and 300 heavily armed spearmen at the very rear. This was their elite force to fight the enemy’s elite unit, and Lofin naturally placed the Dragon Knight Order at its center.
Though they had lost their Captain, the Dragon Knight Order was clearly a powerful force equal to the Wolf Knights. Lofin had decided that the only person who could command such an elite unit was Azwin.
“Yes. That’s the force you need to command.”
“Even if I go there, I don’t have the authority to give orders.”
“Ganel and Selvike will be there too. The Dragon Knight Order is well-trained so they’ll move well even without a Captain, but the other cavalry isn’t. Plus, to move together with the dragons, you need to become the commander.”
“I don’t want to.”
“It’s already been decided.”
Lofin looked only at the front, as if not allowing any argument. The enemy camp moved.
“Trust me and follow, Azwin. And for now…”
Lofin looked down at the sword at his waist. The sword Ganel had made hoping it could defeat Kaguanil was glinting in rhythm with Ganel’s breathing.
“For now, let’s just think about getting through tonight.”
‘Can we get through it?’
Honestly, Lofin wasn’t confident. The Irophis Royal Knight Order was said to be coming as reinforcements, but they didn’t know when. Just in case, he had sent scouts to four places, but there was still no news.
‘If they come, it would help a little.’
Inwardly, Lofin was worried about everything, but outwardly he was smiling casually as always. Hoping his disciple couldn’t read these inner thoughts…
☆ ☆ ☆
“How’s your body?”
Jay approached Brander, who was sitting with other Dragon Knights around a campfire, and asked. A few knights acknowledged him, but most were indifferent. They couldn’t show leisure before the war.
“Hey, Jaymer. Come, sit here. By the way, I heard that Irine person who saved us is your master? Tell her I’m sorry. I couldn’t thank her properly after that.”
Brander spoke loudly on purpose.
“I know she’s busy, and so am I. Don’t worry about it. I just… wanted to say hello. Before the battle starts. To you, I mean.”
“Sounds like a farewell, doesn’t it?”
Jay nodded towards the torches sparsely lit in the Moze camp. Torches were being lit one by one in the allied camp too. Rock’s barrier emitted a faint light, and the moon was bright, but torches were still necessary.
“Looking at those guys, it’s understandable to think that way.”
“Have you fought before?”
“Yes. In Lutia.”
“Lutia?”
Brander was very surprised. To ordinary people, Lutia was still a mysterious city hidden behind a veil. Until recently, Jay had been the same, so Brander’s reaction was natural.
“About two thousand of them came there. The sorcerers couldn’t do anything. But this time…, it’s tens of thousands.”
“So you’re saying it’s a situation to say farewell?”
“That’s right.”
“You only know after you try.”
“That’s a cliché.”
“In battle, such simple words lead everyone. You should go around saying things like that too.”
Brander laughed vigorously, then asked:
“How about it? Have you sorted out your thoughts?”
Jay wondered if there was something he couldn’t remember again and asked:
“About what?”
“About becoming a Dragon Knight. Where are you positioned now? No, it doesn’t matter. Stay here. No need for farewells.”
“You’re persistent, aren’t you?”
“When it comes to perseverance and patience, no one can match the Dragon Knight Order.”
One of the knights listening to their conversation said in a slightly louder voice:
“Brander, don’t talk like you’ve already become Captain. Only the dragons decide our Captain.”
“Well, Ganel is over there. How about it, Lucius? Shall we ask?”
Brander smirked. Lucius frowned deeply and said:
“I looked at the documents you investigated because you kept making a fuss. Jaymer, this guy’s father…”
“Shut up!”
Brander shouted, cutting off Lucius’s words.
“That’s not Jaymer’s past, but that person’s individual past. Jaymer is Anasha’s son and Councilor Upher’s grandson.”
“That’s why it’s an even bigger problem. We can’t accept the son of the man who defiled Councilor Upher’s only daughter.”
“Your words about not accepting him are also meaningless. The only one who can judge and punish Tion’s sins is Lady Anasha! It’s not an issue for you to prattle on about.”
Jay growled softly.
“Both of you shut up!”
Jay looked around at all the other Dragon Knights, including the two of them. Some were siding with Brander, some with Lucius, some didn’t know what they were talking about, and some weren’t interested at all.
‘As expected, this isn’t a place for me either.’
The issue that had troubled and agonized him countless times over the past few days was still dragging Jay down.
“Brander, thank you for thinking highly of me. And…”
Jay actually wanted to say a lot more. But he wasn’t confident about saying unorganized thoughts in front of so many people. From experience, it was better not to say such things.
“Hah, let’s drop it.”
Jay continued, licking his lips:
“Brander, and you! I’ll tell you both something even better. Tion, yes. The man you know from records as my father — I killed him. With my own hands! Were you talking about my past just now? Huh?”
He wanted to just laugh it off, turn around and forget about it. But he couldn’t. Jay knew it would be an issue that would follow him for life, and nothing he said here could change that future.
For a while, meeting Kassel had been enjoyable. The Wolf Knights were enjoyable too. But in the end, Jay was a hunter who fought alone. He couldn’t become someone who could get along with others.
“Brander, I’m not a knight. I’m just a murderer. Before, now, and in the future.”
Jay pushed through the Dragon Knights gathered around and walked into the darkness. No one held him back. Even Brander just muttered, looking at the huge golden dragon standing next to the tower:
“Even though our master has returned, we still haven’t heard anything. What on earth should the Dragon Knight Order do now?”
☆ ☆ ☆
The Red Rose army from Camort began to stir. Tension spread across the faces of soldiers who hadn’t rested for two days, and their loosely held spears were now gripped tightly. Jay was walking past such soldiers. A commander encouraging soldiers on horseback spotted Jay.
The commander immediately blocked Jay’s path and checked who this soldier was that had left the ranks.
“Which unit are you from?”
Jay suddenly felt like laughing.
‘Unit? Where do I belong?’
He didn’t even have a title. He wasn’t a Captain like Kassel, nor was he called Master like Tanya, nor did he have a surname like Wolf that substituted for a title like the White Wolves. All he could claim was his name.
“I am Jaymer.”
“Jaymer? Ah!”
The commander changed his tone.
“I’m sorry for blocking your way.”
Jay asked, puzzled:
“Hm? Were there orders about me?”
“Master Lofin gave instructions regarding Sir Jaymer.”
“By my name?”
“Yes. By your name.”
“What did he say I should do?”
When Brander had asked earlier where he was positioned, Jay couldn’t answer. He hadn’t been assigned a position.
“Did Lofin perhaps assign me a place?”
Jay asked, feeling nervous for no reason.
The commander answered somewhat evasively, as if finding it strange to say himself:
“He said to leave you be.”
“What?”
“He just said to leave you be. He said there was no need to go out of our way to tell you, so we couldn’t inform you.”
“Come on, why bother passing on something like that? Fine, I get it.”
Jay kept walking.
As Rock’s defense forces slowly moved forward, dry dust rose from the ground. The voices of commanders shouting orders echoed from all directions. When an order was given in one place, others repeated it in succession.
Jay continued walking to a place where he wouldn’t interfere with their movement. The very front of the allied forces was held by Rock’s defense forces. Jay had heard the operation details but forgot them. So he didn’t know how the battle would unfold. Yet he kept going forward without caring.
He had asked Lofin about his assignment just once. Lofin had given the half-hearted answer to go wherever he wanted.
‘Tell me! You brought me here, so didn’t you bring me to use me somewhere? Dunmel is in the south, Loyal is at the Tower of Wrath…, then what about me?’
Lofin had mumbled while chewing bread and asked back without much sincerity:
‘Don’t you know where you should be?’
It lacked sincerity but was sharp. Not knowing where to be…
Being beside Irine was best. Being beside Kassel was most comfortable. Anywhere that wasn’t one of those two, Jay was always uncomfortable. In the Wolf Knights, in Lutia, in Rock.
It was the same now.
‘Alright, Jaymer. I’ll give you choices.’
Lofin had finally put down the bread he was eating and said:
‘Fight standing in the most dangerous position at the very front. If you see allies in danger on the battlefield, jump in there.’
‘What kind of ridiculous position is that?’
Azwin had argued from the side.
‘Yes, Azwin. I know. Once you take that position, you’ll certainly die. Honestly, I don’t want to throw someone like you in such a place. Then shall we go with the second option? Stay out of the battle. You go to the southern gate too. If you’re envious of Loyal and Dunmel, you can do that! But you don’t like that, do you?’
He had spoken without waiting for Jay’s answer:
‘Then what will you do? Do you want to join the Dragon Knight Order? That friend Brander purposely came to find me and asked me to let you move with the Dragon Knight Order. Well, what will you do?’
Jay couldn’t answer, and Lofin didn’t give him an assignment in the end, as if shifting responsibility.
Why did Brander think so highly of him? He didn’t know. When Lofin had asked such a question, Brander had simply said “just because”.
Just that, perhaps feeling burdened by the Captain position that might soon come to him, he kept noticing the figure of Jaymer while looking for other useful talents… That was the only answer he gave. Jay had wanted to talk more about that, which was why he had just gone to find Brander, but childishly, he had dug up his own past and run away.
‘Will Brander still try to put me in the Dragon Knight Order even knowing my past? I’m a hunter. I’m the kind of vile person who could stab an ally in the back if they rub me the wrong way. I’d probably get drunk and beat my child and wife if I got married. I’ll end up becoming that kind of person. Do you want someone like that as a comrade?’
The elite unit centered around the Dragon Knight Order was positioned closest to the Tower of Blessing along with Dragons Ganel and Selvike. In front of them was a rear combat unit of about 3,000, and in front of that was Rock’s defense force of 2,000. The 1,000 heavily armed infantry who would engage in the fiercest battle with the Mozes were right behind the shield bearers at the very front who would block the enemy’s charge.
The place Jay chose for himself after much deliberation was this heavily armed infantry unit.
Jay let out a long sigh. He could hear the infantry muttering. It seemed they were talking about him, but he didn’t want to hear it, whether good or bad.
The Moze army had been moving since right after sunset. The irregular footsteps of 30,000 creatures sounded at once.
The faint sound of cavalry horses neighing could be heard from afar. The soldiers’ rough breathing was mixed in as well.
An unknown soldier sang out loudly:
South wind blowing from the Sky Mountains
Shaking Carnelock’s three towers
Rock’s bird singing once after waiting a thousand years
Bring news of the dragon we’ll wait a thousand years for
Red blood is our will
Blue sky is our heart
South wind blowing from the Sky Mountains
North wind blowing from the continent
Captain Harrow, at the rear of the archer unit, shouted as soon as that song someone was singing ended:
“Warriors of Arock!”
The cheers of surrounding soldiers erupted. The Camort commander positioned north of the infantry unit also shouted loud enough to be heard here:
“Warriors of Camort!”
The soldiers all cheered in unison, like waves moving. The sound of thousands shouting simultaneously excited even Jay, who didn’t belong anywhere.
Jay raised the axe on his back. The faintly reflecting axe blade was sharp enough to cut a face just by looking at it.
Jay stroked the axe blade with the back of his hand.
‘Gerald’s axe… Should I take his place?’
This time, cheers erupted from the Mozes at the front. The Mozes who had been walking slowly at first gradually quickened their pace, and when they were not far from the front unit, they started running.
For a moment, all surrounding sounds were blocked out as cheers and footsteps blended together. The vibrations shaking the air made his ears ring. Stones on the ground jumped up. The air flow between the Moze army and the human army temporarily stopped.
Jay leaned his upper body slightly back. As Azwin had advised, he held the axe in his left hand and Lergo’s sword in his right.
“Irine, third test. Here I go!”
With one signal arrow loudly rising into the starry sky as a starting point, Rock’s archers all fired their arrows at once. Hundreds of arrows flew up, cutting through the night air and falling on the Mozes. The Mozes’ charge line running just behind the front collapsed, and the Mozes following behind tripped over them, causing great chaos. But that didn’t slow down their charging speed.
‘This isn’t a place for me.’
Jay took a step.
Jay pushed past the soldiers and archers hurriedly preparing their next volley, continuing to walk forward.
Harrow, spotting Jay passing by, said in surprise:
“Return to your ranks, Jaymer. Soon…”
“I have no ranks.”
Jay said as he passed by.
“So it’s up to me.”
Harrow couldn’t stop him.
After hearing news of a big fight at the southern castle this morning, Jay had gone to Arok’s Tower, worried about Irine. Fortunately, she was crouched in front of the first floor stairs leading up the tower, peeling and eating fruit.
‘You’re safe, Master.’
‘Oh, I’m fine. I didn’t even fight. But Loyal got hurt. Quite seriously.’
‘Loyal? How…’
Loyal was a knight so strong Jay couldn’t hope to match him. If he was hurt, Jay could only think some accident had occurred. So Jay didn’t ask who did it, but how it happened. However, Irine gave an unexpected answer.
‘He was defeated in one-on-one combat. He’s not dead, but it’s serious. He probably won’t be able to fight anymore in this battle.’
Suddenly Jay didn’t want to ask the question he’d meant to.
But his mouth wouldn’t listen and he asked anyway.
‘Master, why am I your disciple?’
‘Wasn’t that question finished? Why suddenly?’
‘Well, I mean…’
It was a finished question. He knew that. Still, once the words started spilling out, they couldn’t be stopped.
‘The White Wolves are all amazing. They’re all Quain’s disciples, right? Even Azwin calls Lofin teacher… Loyal is incredible and Sheyden goes without saying… I’m far too lacking. Do I deserve to be your disciple when I can’t even obtain the White Wolf’s fang?’
Irine laughed loudly and Jay said discontentedly:
‘I’m serious.’
‘Sorry. I’ve been having bad thoughts too, so I guess the tension suddenly broke.’
‘I guess I’m not as strong as you expected. I practiced with Azwin yesterday and I don’t know how many times I got hit.’
‘Azwin is certainly an amazing kid. No wonder Lofin confidently says he’d win the bet.’
‘What bet?’
‘Just talk among ourselves. Anyway, I don’t think you’re inferior to the White Wolves.’
Jay also mentioned giving his sword to Rai recently.
‘Rai was a Lemif as strong as Loyal. He told me I was very strong. I don’t know how I earned his acknowledgment. Even though I couldn’t beat him with my skills.’
‘That Lemif who went with Kassel… he’s dead.’
Jay was shocked by Irine’s words.
‘Kassel too?’
‘I’m not sure about Kassel, but it seems almost certain that Lemif is dead. And I think… both Loyal and Rai were defeated by the same person.’
Irine didn’t give a long explanation and Jay didn’t want to know in depth.
‘Right, right. I’m finally getting a sense of what your worries are. I, and Quain too, had such worries a lot in the past. It’s still a worry without an answer. But I think I can understand to some extent what that Lemif Rai said to you. How should I put it? How do you fare in matches against the Wolf Knights?’
‘About winning once and losing once?’
‘At the point you give such an answer, you lack the basics to get the answer to Rai’s words.’
Irine shook her head, speaking enigmatically.
‘Jaymer, you ask if you’re my disciple? Of course. You are my disciple. Why did you ask that? Probably because I haven’t taught you much. But I still have no intention of teaching you anything. I may have said this before, but you’re already complete.’
‘In other words, does that mean this is my limit?’
‘In other words, it means you’re already strong enough to kill me. Whatever level of skill that Rai had, you could have killed that Lemif. That’s probably why Rai said you were strong.’
Jay’s pace quickened.
Finally, the Mozes who broke through the arrow attacks collided bodily with Rock’s defense force holding up shields. Many Mozes were also skewered on the spears behind the shields. But they pushed from behind regardless of their comrades being stabbed by spears.
Unable to withstand the oncoming weight, the shield bearers retreated. Some Mozes leapt over their comrades’ corpses and pounced on the shield bearers.
Another volley of arrows rained down, toppling the following Mozes. But their advancing momentum didn’t slow at all.
Jay ran into that chaos, raising the sword in his right hand.
‘Rai and Irine weren’t taking turns giving me riddles. They were saying the same thing. And they were waiting for me to realize it on my own.’
Jay couldn’t beat Irine. She didn’t say “win.” She said “kill.”
Jay couldn’t beat Rai. But he could kill him.
Tremendous gaps poured into his mind. It was impossible to fight while calculating all those gaps the Mozes showed. Jay had tried this kind of fight once in Lutia but was still unfamiliar with it. He had constantly felt at a loss. And afraid.
It felt like rushing into a fight he couldn’t survive. It was painful to think he too was just one soldier who would die fighting in this battle.
‘I don’t need dead ones!’
He seemed to hear Ewini’s voice from when they parted.
‘I don’t need you either after you’re dead.’
Jay said.
‘Survive, Jaymer.’
Irine had said.
‘Find the answer alone. Then, you… can beat me too.’
Rai had said.
Finally, Jay passed even the shield bearers blocking the front and swung the axe in his left hand towards the charging Mozes forming a wall. Five or six Mozes fell to the axe at once. Not missing the moment a slight gap opened, Jay raised the sword in his right hand to block spears and axes flying from all directions. Then he spun his body several times, alternately swinging and blocking with sword and axe.
He took a step forward while swinging his sword, then another step while swinging his axe once. Hot air burst out around him in the direction he advanced, carrying blood.
As if a fierce whirlwind had swept through, dismembered Moze corpses lay in lines on the ground, and next to them, those who had lost arms or were wounded fell, creating one long path.
The gaps between dozens of Mozes surrounding him poured into his mind. Reacting to each of those gaps, he cut down the closest one, then cut the next closest before it could step one step closer. That was all.
This wasn’t a battle.
This wasn’t even one-on-one combat.
‘I am a hunter. And the Mozes are my prey.’
Jay swung his axe widely, beheading nearby Mozes all at once. Those too short to be hit in the neck had their skulls shattered and blown away, while some had their shoulders cut off.
He lowered his body to avoid the blood spreading in all directions. If blood gets on you at the start, your clothes stiffen later. It becomes hard to move and stamina is quickly depleted. The fight is just beginning.
Jay cut one’s leg as he ducked, then uppercut another’s jaw as he rose. The moment he was visible to the Mozes was extremely brief. Most Mozes didn’t even realize he had been there. They died falling without knowing where the blade came from.
Jay calmly killed them one by one. Within Jay’s range, they were all far apart. It was no different from what he used to do before, just with greater numbers.
In a moment, there were no Mozes left standing around Jay.
Above, fireballs launched by catapults from Rock’s defense force fell on the Moze camp. Camort’s army waiting in the north charged forward, led by the Red Rose flag. But Jay didn’t care. Neither ally nor enemy strategy mattered. In Jay’s mind now, there was nothing but the distinction between prey and non-prey.
‘I see.’
Jay felt rather at ease. It was natural he couldn’t find where he should be, though he had been searching. It was natural no one could tell him where he should be.
‘Where I am is where I should be.’
Jay spoke as if Gerald, whom he’d never seen, was in the axe stained with Moze blood.
“Hey, Gerald. I don’t know how skilled you are, but…”
The Mozes came to surround and attack Jay again.
“However many you can kill, I’ll kill more.”
☆ ☆ ☆
“Irine. Jaymer is fighting.”
Tanya said.
Irine was hugging one bent leg to her chest, resting her face on her knee.
“You can see that?”
“Clearly.”
“The Lord of the Undying?”
Irine never said the name Tailed.
“I can see him. He is also watching me.”
Tanya opened her eyes after saying that much.
“He has approached quite close to the Rock Zone. If he burrows in this slowly, I can neither push him back nor block him.”
“What happens if he enters completely?”
“This war ends, regardless of the battle Lofin is leading now.”
Guarding the two towers was to maintain the Rock Zone, and the Rock Zone was ultimately a barrier set up to stop him. Tanya didn’t explain such small details. Irine already knew well.
“So in the end, Tanya has to stop him.”
“I’ll do my best, but… can we do nothing but defend? You said you fought the Lord of the Undying once before, right? In Lontamon.”
“I did.”
“Was it such a gloomy battle then too?”
“It wasn’t a large-scale battle, but similar. Tailed, Meylumil, Lofin, and me. We all knew well that we couldn’t kill him. No living being can kill him, and all dead beings obey his orders. It’s a curse he placed on himself like a blessing. Come to think of it, we’re doing this to pass on his destruction to future generations.”
“Not even with Vena Esarck’s power?”
Tanya asked.
Irine tapped the sword at her waist.
“It could erase his power for a moment. Then I wouldn’t have to see him again until I die of old age, I suppose?”
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Tailed from 10 years ago also asserted there was no way to kill him. If High Lord Sanadiel knew a way, he would have told you or me long ago. You met the goddess, didn’t you? Did she know?”
Tanya shook her head.
“We have no choice.”
Irine continued with a weak smile.
“Is Jaymer fighting well?”
“I can’t see that clearly. I can only tell that he’s alive.”
Tanya looked into Irine’s eyes and said:
“It may not be right for me to comment on your disciple, but…”
“Say it. I want to hear.”
“Jaymer was someone who should have been on the enemy’s side rather than ours. This can’t be explained by luck or Aranthia’s blessing. He was a being not tied to anyone’s fate. Rai said he couldn’t exist in his gider. I too felt a strange sense of incongruity when dealing with him. He wasn’t someone who should be here.”
“Then?”
“A being that should have belonged elsewhere was forcibly brought here. He was either with the enemy, or became an important figure somewhere else.”
“I… see what you mean. Yes.”
Irine spoke bitterly, feeling as if her disciple had been taken away.
“Even if this battle ends in victory, Jaymer will leave Irine.”
“I think so too.”
Irine showed a confident smile.
Tanya was glad to see such a smile return to her face.
“Even if that happens, Jaymer is my disciple. And now I should focus on watching over his current form.”
“Are you afraid? That your disciple will stand in too important a position?”
“He’s not going to stand there, he already has. Lofin said that as soon as he saw Jaymer, he wondered why this guy had become an ally. He even said he was scared, saying our lives might be in Jaymer’s hands… Yes, I’m scared too. If we lose this battle even with Jaymer on our side, humans will lose even the chance to survive.”
☆ ☆ ☆
As he swung his sword frantically, at some point the gaps between swords around him widened. The faintly felt sword gaps were not directed at him. At some point, quite a few soldiers were fighting around him.
‘No wonder fighting felt easier.’
The Mozes were still fiercely driving back the human army. In the northern area, Camort’s army was battling the Mozes. Dozens of torches moved chaotically back and forth repeatedly. In the south, Rock’s army was fighting and even overwhelming the Mozes. It was an impressive performance considering they were fighting unknown monsters.
Amidst such chaotic battle, a brief gap opened near Jay. Jay took a short rest and looked up at the sky. Stars were embroidered across the clear sky as if water was flowing. Cold air brushed over his head.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
A man whose beard covered his cheeks and below his ears asked, breathing heavily.
“Jaymer.”
“I’m Hanalos from the Bartan region. I’m quite good there, but I can’t match you.”
Another knight next to him took off his helmet and responded. He was a man with long curly hair stuck to his cheeks from sweat.
“Your back view was reassuring. It was also comfortable having you fight in front… My name is Yom. I’m from the Camort army, but I ended up joining this side while fighting frantically.”
Quite a few subordinates followed him, suggesting he had a high position.
“I’m Kopen. I’m a mercenary, but I’ve been working as a regular soldier in Rock’s cavalry for a while now. My horse died, so I ended up here fighting on the ground.”
“Galinnor. I’m from the south. I tried to join the Dragon Knight Order, but I have no position because my father is an herbalist, not a nobleman.”
The older man laughed heartily.
“I’m Cornelius. I was proud of my practical swordsmanship, but I’m in no position to discuss such things in front of you all.”
The young man said with an awkward smile. However, judging by the blood on his sword and the wounds on his face, he had clearly taken down quite a few Mozes. Considering that one Moze could take five or six soldiers to the afterlife, the men surviving next to Jay were all quite skilled.
One of them was a woman. She was wearing a helmet, but Jay knew. She hesitated, then saw Jay’s gaze and took off her helmet. The woman, whose hair was so short she was almost bald, said:
“I, I’m… Maiteny, transferred from the local mercenary corps to the regular army.”
The woman, who seemed like she would end there, suddenly continued:
“I-it’s an honor to fight alongside you, Jaymer.”
Hanalos asked:
“Jaymer, where are you from? Judging by your name, you seem to be from Carnelock…”
“I’m a hunter. I don’t have anything like a hometown. Does it matter?”
Jay asked back with cold eyes.
“Of course not. Well, do we need names in a place like this?”
They laughed and agreed. You could tell just by the look in everyone’s eyes when the woman called Maiteny introduced herself. They were people who had lived until now relying only on their swordsmanship, transcending age, region, and gender, and had gathered in this battle drawn by each other’s skills.
“We just hope someone will remember us who fought here.”
Everyone nodded with wistful smiles at Hanalos’s words. But Jay sneered.
“Who would remember names heard in a place like this?”
Jay looked at the sky again, then at the Mozes whose numbers hadn’t decreased at all, and then at the black dragon barely visible in outline beyond them. He was tired, but his mind was as clear as the night sky.
“Just memorize the names of the people next to you among yourselves. I’ve already forgotten.”
The scattered Moze army regrouped. Many Mozes had died with little gain due to inefficient charges. Some even bit each other after losing control at the sight of blood. But now someone was commanding them again and sending them back to the battlefield.
Naturally, the first place the regrouped Moze army targeted was the empty space on the battlefield, which was where Jay was. Jay only looked at the approaching group of Mozes, thinking those who had revealed their names behind him would have all retreated.
‘They probably don’t want to fight next to someone who says such off-putting things.’
The thought he had only been thinking inside came out in a small voice.
“Names are only needed for those who survive. We don’t need the names of the dead.”
The gaps between the approaching Mozes narrowed again to within ten steps. It was time to fight alone again. That’s when Hanalos, who Jay thought had retreated, stood right behind Jay and said:
“Lead the way, Captain. We’ll follow.”
“Captain?”
Jay turned at the awkward title.
“My commander is already dead.”
Hanalos laughed.
“We’ll follow.”
Another soldier said.
“I’ll follow too, Jaymer.”
The same words were repeated several times. Jaymer showed no reaction to this. He didn’t have confidence to speak impressively, nor did he want them to follow behind. So he remained silent.
No one behind Jay retreated at the sight of the approaching Moze army.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Ganel.”
Brander knelt before the dragon that no one could address and said. Ganel slowly lowered his head, bringing it right in front of Brander’s face.
“I’m listening, child.”
“We have lived for hundreds of years only by the rules you set down, and have acted and protected everything in the name of dragons. But I have doubts about this method.”
Other Dragon Knights approached in surprise at Brander’s voice. There was an unwritten rule in the order that knights should not speak to dragons even when the four dragons were within the order’s territory. So speaking to Ganel, an even greater being than the four dragons, seemed like a great sin.
“Why must our order prioritize bloodlines over ability when selecting knights, and look at a person’s past rather than the person themselves? Is this truly the form of your children that you desire, Ganel?”
“How rude, Brander! Who do you think you’re speaking such nonsense to?”
Lucius rushed over, knelt before Ganel to pay respects, then tried to drag Brander away.
“Let go. I haven’t heard an answer yet.”
Brander resisted and Lucius forcibly pulled him.
“I know who you’re thinking of when you say such things. But the timing is not right, and this is not the proper procedure.”
“Didn’t I tell you to let go, Lucius?”
“Restrain yourself!”
“I’m not petitioning the council now, nor am I asking for the official opinion of the knight order. This is my personal question. So I won’t follow formalities.”
Brander struck the dragon insignia on his armor’s chest with his fist and continued:
“Remember how much sweat and tears we shed to earn this insignia. What was it for? To protect Rock. Not for the lip service honor of dragons we babbled about. It was for my family, my love, my friends.”
Brander shouted at Ganel again with tears in his eyes:
“Over there, a man we drove out with our knight order’s rules is fighting. He who has nothing to protect in Rock is fighting and bleeding, so why is he unqualified to be a knight fighting alongside you?”
Ganel blinked his wide-open eyes a few times, meeting Brander’s gaze.
Brander shouted once more:
“Answer me, Ganel!”
“You ask an interesting question, Knight Brander.”
Ganel spoke enigmatically, then asked about Brander instead:
“Let me ask first. How did you become a dragon’s knight?”
“My father’s side has been administrators for generations and my mother was also a noble.”
“Was your father’s father also a noble?”
“Yes.”
“Then how about before that? Someone must not have been a noble. No family can be noble from birth. But when someone became a noble, you too became a noble. What would have happened to you if that person hadn’t become a noble then? No, before that, could you have been born if your mother and father hadn’t met? Whose will is it that you’re here? Your father’s, your father’s father’s, or your ancestor who first became a noble?”
Brander couldn’t answer, unable to grasp what Ganel intended with such questions.
Ganel spoke again:
“Why is that child fighting over there? Why… is he there instead of by your side? I cannot explain to you the ‘gider’ that the Lemifs know. If something very small had changed at the beginning, that child would not be there! He’s the kind of child who might have been fighting you as a commander leading the Mozes! So why is he fighting on the human side?”
Ganel returned his head to its original high position and said:
“I want to know that child’s name, Brander.”
Brander answered in a trembling voice:
“Jaymer. Jaymer, son of Anasha and Tion.”
☆ ☆ ☆
“Honey, what is this list of villagers to invite to Jaymer’s wedding?”
Anasha asked, wiping her dripping hands on her apron after doing dishes. Jay glanced at his mother while cleaning his knife, then turned his gaze to Tion who was smoking a pipe.
Tion pretended not to understand and asked:
“Hm? What?”
“It’s everyone in the village! Do you think that’s possible with our circumstances?”
Tion smacked his lips and retorted:
“There’s the money Jaymer earned…”
“Oh my, aren’t you proud. So you’ll use up the money for our son’s newlywed home to hold the wedding? Then what? You’ll live with your son and daughter-in-law? What a great father-in-law you are.”
“You don’t have to put it like that.”
Tion frowned, then cleared his throat and said to Jay:
“Son, didn’t you suddenly have an urgent errand just now?”
“I don’t have any urgent business.”
Jay replied.
“Then go see Ewini.”
“I took her home just an hour ago, what…”
“Just go!”
Jay had no choice but to put down the knife he was cleaning and leave the room. As soon as he closed the door, a battle-like marital fight began. His mother would win anyway.
Jay trudged off to Ewini’s house again. But he met Ewini on the way to her house.
“Ah, they told me to bring some meat… What about you?”
Ewini asked.
“Father’s orders to go see you.”
“Orders?”
The two leaned side by side on the bridge railing, looking down at the flowing stream.
“It doesn’t feel real that I’m marrying you. Now we’ll sleep together, eat together, have babies and all that?”
“Don’t if you don’t want to.”
“…You really have no sense of atmosphere.”
The sound of water was clear and a delicious smell of meal preparation came from somewhere.
Ewini blinked and asked Jay, who was gazing into the distance:
“Jay, are you really satisfied with this life?”
“Why do you suddenly ask?”
“You could have joined the Dragon Knight Order, right? If you joined there… wouldn’t it be comfortable?”
“Mother does keep nagging father to go back there. Our living became tight because he quit the knight order.”
“Isn’t your mother’s family rich?”
“She’s too proud to ever rely on her father.”
“So you should earn money at least.”
“Are you trying to get a knight husband now?”
“It wouldn’t be bad, hehe, but if you became a dragon’s knight, would a country girl like me even catch your eye?”
Jay spat into the stream.
“It’s the same.”
“What is?”
“I would always choose the same. I would choose you, choose the same life…”
Ewini smiled and grabbed Jay’s arm.
“I’m surprised to hear you say such things. Then don’t let me be alone.”
“Alright.”
“Never.”
“I got it.”
“And don’t die.”
“What’s with that all of a sudden?”
“Don’t die, Jaymer.”
Ewini was crying.
“You can’t die. You can’t forget the last words I said. Don’t die, Jaymer. You must come back alive.”
☆ ☆ ☆
Another gap opened in the battle. Jay raised his face again and gazed into the distance. The stars in the night sky felt blindingly bright.
Jay had been crying without realizing it.
He wanted such a life. On some day during his insanely lonely life as a hunter, he had stupidly imagined modifying his past to create such a life.
Ordinary…
Foolish…
A repetition of childish daily life.
Jay staggered to his feet. The last Moze he had killed was still twitching on the ground. Jay brought his axe down on its spine. It flopped like a fish on a cutting board, then died.
Jay clutched his stomach once, then moved his hand to his thigh. Neither wound could be stopped by pressing with his hands.
‘How long does it take for Moze poison to spread? It won’t have an immediate effect tonight, right?’
The guys he was fighting with earlier were mostly gone. A few other soldiers remained by Jay’s side, but all were unfamiliar faces. Jay found a familiar face buried among the Moze corpses.
He remembered the name.
It was Hanalos.
The bald female swordswoman Maiteny had died after killing a Moze that was biting Jay’s thigh, herself pierced by a spear.
Yom died right next to Jay, his head shattered by a Moze’s iron mace. The blood soaking Jay’s shoulder was not Moze blood, but his.
‘I remember all the names. Was my memory this good?’
Jay smiled weakly.
“Good work, Hanalos.”
Jay patted the dead Hanalos’s shoulder and stood up again.
“Thank you, Maiteny. You fought well, Yom. I saw it.”
Jay looked around.
“Galinnor, Kopen, Cornelius. I don’t know where you are. But I believe you fought well.”
The strength of the Mozes’ first great army was almost completely broken. It was a miracle. Everyone thought so.
The army they believed could never be defeated had retreated. Captain Harrow, who had come near Jay, belatedly tried to lead a victory cheer. But he lowered his half-raised arm.
The Mozes’ second great army began to approach. It was the same size as the first.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Be patient, Azwin.”
Azwin said nothing, but Lofin spoke as if answering a question. The cavalry leader behind also waited anxiously for orders from Azwin and Lofin.
The human army and Moze army were still entangled in a long battle. In the darkness moving toward dawn past midnight, burning piles of stones crossed the night sky and fire arrows flew from the human camp to the Moze camp. The Mozes couldn’t use bows, but their sheer numbers meant such ranged attacks didn’t have much impact.
The battle to endure the night progressed desperately. But Rock’s army held on. They even let out small cheers. But the soldiers had to close their mouths before fully expressing even that small joy. An army of similar size to the first army was moving in.
Only then did the soldiers truly realize the scale of the enemy they were facing. What would come next after finishing off that other army? Their will to fight was broken and the soldiers’ morale plummeted sharply.
‘Do you have so many troops that you’d sacrifice an army of 30,000 just to lower morale? If you had charged with 50,000 or 60,000 from the start, we could have continued fighting until sunrise…’
Lofin knew but couldn’t deal with it. Such hesitation unsettled Azwin.
“Why? Why do I have to be patient?”
“We can’t move yet. We shouldn’t move the Dragon Knight Order now.”
“If that army comes, we’re finished.”
“Azwin, don’t you understand yet? Why do you think this enormous army came to the Tower of Blessing defended by over 10,000 troops, instead of going to the Tower of Wrath guarded only by Knadil? They… no, Victor is not concerned with the human army, but with Ganel and Selvike, these two dragons.”
Lofin gazed into the distance. Azwin followed his gaze.
“Listen to Victor’s voice. Can’t you hear it? I’ll throw 30,000 Mozes at you, so give me the two dragons… That’s his scenario. I can’t respond to that.”
“You mean it’s a battle of patience? But, Lofin. Look at Jaymer. That guy I tossed an axe to, saying I’d teach him a thing or two, is fighting alone at the very front of the line. There are the most Moze corpses where he stands, and the army he’s protecting in the rear has survived the most.”
“I know. I’ve been watching only that spot for a while now.”
Weapons made by Lergo always emitted a strange light in the darkness. So Lofin and Azwin could find that light even in the middle of the chaotic battlefield.
“That guy, his arms probably won’t even lift now. Gerald’s axe isn’t that light.”
“He knows that better than we do. He’ll control it well.”
“I’ll go to that guy’s position!”
“Azwin, how many times do I have to tell you? Your place is here. Don’t move.”
“How can you stand seeing that? Lofin, have you gotten old? Can’t you feel what I’m feeling?”
Azwin raised her voice, disregarding the gazes around her. Lofin roughly grabbed her collar and pulled her.
“Do you know why I gave up the Captain position to Quain? I hate maintaining composure. If… if only Deradul were alive, I would have thrown this commander position that requires maintaining composure to that old man, and I would be in that spot where Jaymer is standing now.”
Lofin let go of Azwin’s collar. She rubbed her neck and said in a slightly subdued voice:
“But at this rate, that guy…”
“Don’t say anything. Anything! Just endure. This is a battle of patience.”
☆ ☆ ☆
Captain Harrow gave the order to retreat. The soldiers’ morale had hit rock bottom, to the point where they would have turned tail and fled if not for the ingrained military discipline. Harrow finally turned his horse around, but one person remained in place, not moving according to his order.
It was Jaymer.
“Retreat.”
Harrow ordered, almost pleadingly.
“I’m good.”
“You’re… good?”
“There’s a line here.”
Jay, with his head lowered, spoke while drawing a line only visible to himself with his sword.
“If we lose this line… we’ll never recover.”
“What won’t we recover?”
“This is the boundary. Once we give this up, we’ll never step here again. But if I stand here…, we can step here again. So this line… is the army’s gap.”
Harrow couldn’t quite understand Jay’s words. But he understood the gist.
“You’re saying you’ll guard this alone?”
“Stop talking now. It’s breaking my concentration.”
Harrow stopped, still holding the reins, at a loss for words. Jay’s unmoving figure as the enemy army swarmed like ants looked nothing short of insane. But Harrow simply couldn’t leave him and turn his horse around.
“Damn it, why am I…”
Harrow drew his sword with an almost crying voice and stood next to Jay. Jay glanced at him and said:
“If you’re going to fight together, get off the horse. It’s a better target for the Mozes.”
Harrow dismounted as instructed and sent the horse towards the allies. The vanguard of the Moze army was now less than fifty paces away. Harrow swallowed dryly and said in a trembling voice:
“Good Lord, I must be crazy. I thought I’d finally gotten a stable job as guard captain, and now I’m being led to do something insane by someone like you in a place like this… It’s not like standing next to you will keep me alive!”
“Leave if you don’t like it.”
“No, I may be a coward, but I’m not a fool. That line you drew, if the Mozes cross it, we lose. That’s right. I gave that order knowing we’d lose if I turned my back here. So I have to take responsibility. Though there’s no way the two of us can do something like that…”
There were a few other soldiers standing next to Harrow. There were more behind him. Not everyone had come, but far too many soldiers chose to stand next to Jay, ready to give their lives.
“Hey, listen up everyone. You’ve come looking for your own graves. But I don’t know how to take responsibility for that.”
The Moze army was now just twenty paces away. Their breathing could almost be felt. Jay spoke to the surrounding soldiers in a voice that wasn’t loud:
“Instead, I will never retreat from beside those graves. I will definitely survive and fight together with you. And I will remember everyone’s names.”
Jay’s voice grew louder. The soldiers were looking at him, not at the approaching monsters.
“You survive too and remember my name. I am Jaymer.”
Jay shouted.
The Mozes came rushing like angry waves in a storm. Jaymer ran first into the center of those Mozes. Harrow and the soldiers followed. And soon, even more soldiers followed behind, running towards death.
“Jaymer!”
The soldiers didn’t listen to Jay’s order. They didn’t shout their own names. They were shouting the name of someone they had never heard of before this battle began, instead of the name of Carnelock.
“Jaymer!”
☆ ☆ ☆
“Why isn’t it breaking through, Victor?”
Light shone from the yellow eyes staring into the darkness. The black dragon’s scales glittered like jewels, reflecting the moonlight. Victor found it difficult to look directly into Guanil’s gaze.
‘He’s grown tremendously. It’s not just his size that’s increased. He’s becoming hard to handle now.’
Beside him, Ruskin, leaning on his staff, was also turning his head away from Guanil’s anger.
Victor said:
“Be patient, Guanil. This is not the time for us to act.”
“I’m disappointed in your tactical abilities. To struggle like this with such an overwhelming army! The master will be disappointed too!”
“We can throw away all the Mozes for all I care. If you survive on this side and that tower falls, we win.”
“You intend to spend the whole night on that?”
“You should understand that your body becoming heavier means you should restrain your actions as well. Do you think you can handle two alone, let alone Ganel?”
“What difference does adding one little dragon make? Put me at the very front. If I move even now, this pathetic fight will end in an instant.”
“The two I’m talking about aren’t Ganel and Selvike, but Ganel and Lofin! Have you forgotten the sword Lofin possesses?”
“A mere sword won’t work on my body now…”
Guanil stopped speaking and put a hand to his cheek. The wound where scales had been stripped from his neck and cheek hadn’t healed even with time passing. Even Ruskin couldn’t heal it, saying it was a wound from a magic sword. Guanil cursed the Lemif who had attacked him.
“Ganel made that sword solely to kill you, and chose Lofin as the sword’s owner. In my opinion, that choice alone is enough for Ganel to be a dragon that can keep you in check.”
“Enough, Victor! Your arrogance has already crossed the line.”
“I admit it. But you must be patient too. If you really don’t want to follow my orders, go to Rock’s south gate for a moment. If He gives you permission to do as you please, then come back, trample me, and slaughter to your heart’s content.”
Guanil growled. But he didn’t burst out in anger at Victor.
Victor waited for him to calm himself down before speaking:
“Only you can kill Ganel. Lofin knows that too, which is why he’s not showing up even though our allies are at such a disadvantage. Time is on our side, so wait. He’ll move first.”
Victor couldn’t help but be surprised. By now, at least the Dragon Knight Order should have come out. He had expected Selvike to come out to the battlefield, if not Ganel.
‘Something’s gone wrong. Where did it start going wrong?’
Going back, it started with Lutia surviving when it should have completely collapsed and not recovered, or when all the magicians should have been wiped out. There was an unexpected force holding out there.
Nathan was not originally a knight raised to hunt dragons, but a jewel saved and cherished to be used in this battle. There was an unexpected existence in the loss of that jewel as well.
‘The White Wolves.’
It was also a White Wolf that had cut off his arm. Victor focused on one part of the battlefield. It was a place that had been subtly balancing the battle for a while now.
‘Is it the White Wolves again this time? Who’s guarding that boundary?’
☆ ☆ ☆
“I answer, Brander.”
Ganel said, looking at the battle unfolding in the distance. Brander and the other knights had been watching sadly as the battle between humans and Mozes began again. Brander was momentarily confused about which question this was an answer to.
“Bloodline and family, skill and character, purity and honesty. All these are rules you made yourselves. They are not rules I made.”
In the darkness where both Moze blood and human blood appeared black and white, Ganel’s eyes wavered on a piece of metal that shone particularly brightly.
“A thousand years ago in the Yellow Gate battle, when I fell, there was an army that rose from death and charged towards me. They were Kaguanil’s subordinates, feared by both Nadiel’s wolves and Knadil’s dragons. It was Arok’s knights who marched towards them without hesitation. Arok’s knights saved me. That’s what I saw as dragon knights. There is only one condition for becoming a Dragon Knight, and that is courage.”
Ganel said with narrowed eyes:
“Dawn will break soon. My time begins.”
Brander opened his tightly closed lips and shouted to his comrades:
“It’s time for Rock’s knights to fight, brothers.”
Lucius responded to those words:
“Everyone prepare for battle.”
All the knights shouted the same words:
“Everyone prepare for battle!”
☆ ☆ ☆
At some point, everything looked hazy to Jaymer. His own breathing and that of the Mozes gradually faded until finally he heard nothing. However, the gaps between swords became clearer as the fight progressed.
Now he could see in fine detail not just a step or half a step, but less than a quarter step. Amazingly, Jay was able to respond one by one to the attacks of Mozes attacking from all directions with these quarter-step gaps. The axe was used to strike down multiple Mozes coming in at the same interval at once. Still, he tried to conserve it as much as possible.
His arms didn’t move well. His sleeves, soaked with Moze blood, were getting heavier. He tore them off halfway, but they didn’t get lighter.
His right leg felt heavy. It felt like running in mud-caked boots the day after rain. Fighting frantically without time to look down, he only realized much later that his leg was becoming numb.
There was no time to rest. His left shoulder burned as if put to fire. It seemed he had been hit by an attack that came through when he couldn’t completely block the approaching sword gap. Looking at it, he saw a clean slice of flesh had been cut away. He thought it fortunate that his entire shoulder wasn’t cut off.
‘It’s okay. As long as I can move my arm, it doesn’t matter if it hurts. It hasn’t been hurting much anyway.’
The surprise when he first saw the gaps. The joy of applying it. The first person he killed. His mother’s death. His father’s death. Hunting. Death. Hunting. Death. Hunting. Death… Repeated daily life and repeated battles.
‘Is it okay to live like this?’
Sometimes he would get depressed asking such questions, but when he came to his senses again, Jay would find himself killing someone and wiping blood off his sword. Now the Mozes kept swarming without even giving time to wipe the bloodied sword.
Jay felt he had been pushed back much more than before. Thinking he shouldn’t give up this boundary, Jay pushed back against the Mozes again. Countless corpses of Mozes and humans were trampled underfoot. Slipping on crushed innards, getting blood-mixed dirt on his face as he fell and got up, he would find the Mozes’ gaps had suddenly closed in.
The wounds he received from missing such gaps several times were increasing. He deliberately allowed minor attacks to avoid fatal wounds. The blood flowing from his wounds mixed with the Moze blood flowing along the blade. But Jay could hardly remember when he had been wounded and when he had been covered in enemy blood.
The number of comrades gradually decreased. Even Harrow was nowhere to be seen now. When he looked back while fighting, the soldier who had been fighting earlier was gone, and a different soldier was standing behind.
The rear support that had been constantly shooting arrows to keep the enemy in check was also cut off. The Mozes who had crossed the line Jay thought of as the boundary were attacking the rear archer unit. Jay was still at the very front of Rock’s army, but that didn’t mean he was at the very front of the Moze army.
Suddenly, the sword gap shown by a Moze quickly retreated. Lifting his bleary gaze, he saw a knight in black armor standing there.
‘Ah, is it that dark knight or whatever again?’
It wasn’t. He didn’t speak in a strange language, nor did he emit black energy from his body. He pushed aside a dead Rock soldier on his sword and approached Jay, speaking in human language:
“So it’s you.”
“Me?”
Jay asked in an exhausted voice.
“I am Stanley.”
“Excelon 1st Knight Order?”
“That’s right. Are you a White Wolf?”
“No.”
“Your name?”
“Jaymer.”
“A good name.”
Stanley nodded slightly, then lumbered over and swung his sword. Jay felt dizzy the moment he blocked it.
It was within half a step.
His arms and legs, tired from slashing Mozes all night, didn’t respond as if bound by invisible chains. He simply couldn’t keep up with the opponent’s quick movements. Moreover, the knight called Stanley seemed to know this well, making only attacks that Jay had to block with large movements. And finally creating an opening, he thrust his sword at Jay’s face.
Jay barely avoided it by twisting his face, but his ear was cut.
“You still have strength to dodge?”
Stanley said.
Blood trickled down his cheek, beading and dropping from his chin. Jay slightly raised his shoulder to wipe the blood on his chin.
‘Huh?’
After wiping the blood, suddenly he couldn’t see anything in front of him. He hurriedly retreated while rubbing his eyes and blinking several times. Just as his vision seemed to recover, Stanley’s attack immediately began. Thinking he couldn’t block it, Jay countered with an attack of his own. But Stanley read even that, easily avoiding his attack and kicking him.
Jay fell next to a pile of Moze corpses forming a pool of blood. Stanley rushed in and brought his sword down on Jay’s chest. Jay blocked with his axe and rolled to the side, swinging his sword at Stanley’s ankle. But he dodged that too.
“You’re a quick one.”
Stanley said what Jay wanted to say.
They paused for a moment, looking at each other. Skipping all checks and measuring of gaps, they immediately swung their final attacks. Stanley’s sword, flying so fast it was invisible in the darkness, flew towards Jay’s heart. Jay only slightly deflected the direction of his sword, but couldn’t completely dodge it and was stabbed in the shoulder blade. The blade that pierced through his shoulder came out through Jay’s back. And Jay’s axe came down on Stanley’s head.
Having swung down only with the weight of the axe, not much force was put into the attack. He clearly thought it would fail. But the axe had shattered Stanley’s helmet and was embedded inside.
Stanley staggered backwards, trying to pull out the axe stuck in his helmet, then fell backwards. He twitched a few times but soon died. Jay had seen countless such corpses. It would probably continue convulsing for several minutes before the movement stopped. But Jay stabbed his sword into the corpse’s chest as if to confirm.
Ridiculously, more blood was flowing from where his ear was cut than from his shoulder where the sword was stuck. Touching it, it felt ragged as if about to fall off. Now he had no strength left to stand.
‘If even one Moze comes now, I’ll have to offer my neck.’
Strangely, Jay could still stand. The sword he had stabbed into Stanley’s chest was somehow in his right hand again. He had no memory at all of pulling out the axe he had embedded in the helmet. But at some point, the axe was gripped in his left hand.
The Mozes were very far away.
‘Thank goodness. Let’s pretend to have recovered strength. They might not come.’
Jay suddenly remembered and looked down at the ground. The line he had drawn on the ground while talking with Harrow at the start of the battle was right at his feet. Dawn was breaking in the east.
‘I barely held out. But my body couldn’t hold out…’
In the end, his arms wouldn’t lift and his legs wouldn’t move. It felt like he was standing because he didn’t have the strength to fall. Yet the Mozes waiting far away didn’t approach.
Another Excelon knight on horseback emerged from among the Mozes. Jay thought he was coming this way, but he didn’t come and just raised his sword high. Then the Mozes around him all raised their bows in unison.
‘Wow, looks like they taught those monsters to use bows. I should tell Lofin. Wonder if there’s a way to deal with it?’
Jay stared blankly at the direction the Mozes were shooting their arrows. The arrows traced gentle parabolas. Looking at the countless arrows pouring down, Jay chuckled.
‘Stupid fools, why shoot so many at someone who can’t even dodge…?’
Jay tilted his head back and closed his eyes as if welcoming a summer shower to cool off.
‘I’m sorry, Irine. I won’t be able to pass the test.’
☆ ☆ ☆
Azwin stared blankly at the scene.
Rock’s army also stopped moving.
The Moze army also stopped moving.
Lofin was shocked by the fact that the Mozes were handling bows. One of the elite units Victor had hidden was the Moze archer unit. The thought of the Moze army advancing while shooting arrows in the same way was too horrible to imagine.
Even Lofin said nothing after their bow attack ended.
Lofin let the Dragon Knight Order waiting in the rear charge out on horseback. No, if they hadn’t moved, he was about to give the order himself.
The morning sun was rising. It was time for the Dragon Knight Order to act.
Lofin, who had so strongly emphasized patience to Azwin, could no longer be patient. A single person was scattering the Moze army. As he kept holding out in a fixed position, the Moze army approaching the Tower of Blessing inevitably had their formation broken.
Lofin gripped Vena Esarck tightly.
‘Yes. If Captain Deradul were alive, I would have abandoned the commander position and been in that place. But I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish that much.’
☆ ☆ ☆
Jay opened his eyes. It was dazzlingly bright around him. Thinking he should have died from the showering arrows, he thought this was the light he would see after his soul moved to another place. He might be seeing things from the extreme pain.
‘Huh? Am I alive?’
It didn’t hurt. But blood still flowed continuously from where his ear was cut, and bleeding hadn’t stopped from where his shoulder was pierced.
Jay had seen countless prey die like this, bleeding out. So he knew well that he too would die soon like that prey. But now it was a bit strange. It was too comfortable. And it was too bright even though the morning sun hadn’t risen yet.
‘It shouldn’t suddenly be this bright just because dawn is breaking, right?’
Thinking that, Jay raised his head.
There was a dragon’s head above him. The dragon’s wings were spread like a shield in the direction the arrows were coming from. Dozens of arrows shot by the Mozes had bounced off the dragon’s wings and fallen around.
It was Ganel.
Scales bathed in the sunlight slowly rising on the horizon emitted a golden light. In front of Ganel, about 200 Dragon Knights who had charged while sweeping away the hundreds of Mozes remaining on the battlefield stood stopped. The Mozes dared not approach this defense line gathered around Jaymer.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Call in Powel. Withdraw the army.”
Victor ordered a Moze in Lemif language, seeing not only Ganel but also the Dragon Knight Order move.
Ruskin said briefly:
“Now it’s gone as you wished, hasn’t it?”
“It was unexpected that this happened only when morning came. But now all their forces have been revealed. That’s enough.”
Victor said to Guanil, who was glaring at Ganel with eyes full of killing intent:
“You’ve been patient well. You’ve only given them one day’s reprieve.”
☆ ☆ ☆
A long trumpet sounded from the Moze main camp. After the Mozes receded like the tide, only Ganel, Jaymer, and the Dragon Knight Order remained. Brander, who had been riding his horse at the very front, dismounted and stood before Ganel.
Jaymer looked back at Brander with a tired face. He wanted to say something, but Jay couldn’t open his mouth. He could only show a faint smile.
Brander approached to support Jay, but stopped short. Jay couldn’t wait for Brander and slowly collapsed to the side. Ganel’s hand caught Jay’s body as he fainted, unable to overcome excessive blood loss and fatigue.
Ganel embraced Jay’s body and enveloped him in healing light.
“Jaymer, son of Anasha and brave knight of Arok.”
Ganel’s words held fond excitement. Brander unknowingly took a step back, letting out a breath close to a groan. Then he bumped into Lucius standing blankly behind him.
Lucius muttered with round eyes:
“The lord of Carnelock himself is protecting the knight who stood in place of where our captain should have been. Deradul should have seen this sight…”
Lucius couldn’t finish his words.
Brander too spoke with complex emotions mixing regret and joy:
“No, he would be glad. The knight he waited 10 years for has finally appeared. Jaymer, our captain acknowledged by the dragon.”
Brander knelt on one knee and bowed his head before Jay. Lucius also knelt in the same way.
“Captain Jaymer.”
All 200 knights dismounted, knelt, and shouted:
“Captain Jaymer!”
“Captain Jaymer!”
–TL Notes–
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