Aranthia.
A woman stood in the central tower of the White Gate. Her long brown hair fluttered in the morning breeze from the east. Occasionally when sunlight reflected off it, her hair changed to golden or red. Few people knew her hair color changed from time to time, and almost no one knew it was the color of dragons.
She wore a short shirt revealing her waist and tattered pants torn at the thighs, but didn’t look shabby. When she first visited the White Gate dressed like this, the guards didn’t recognize who she was. Yet they couldn’t drive her away, pressed by an inexplicable sense of intimidation.
Now when she was there, Master Quain would stand beside her at some point, so the guards knew who she was. It was a pleasant secret known only to ten White Gate guards.
“You’re wearing an outfit that would startle Irine again, Your Majesty,” Quain said as he approached.
“The forest and trees are my nostalgia, and the wind is my clothes. The joy of dressing is for young people. For me, clothes are something I wear so others won’t feel embarrassed.”
“That’s the part that troubles Irine.”
Quain asked, sharing the view Sanadiel was looking at:
“Is there news from the east?”
“Can’t you feel it now too, Quain?”
“I smell blood.”
“Too many lives have been sacrificed. But if we can’t rise above those sacrifices, we’ll see more meaningless slaughter like a nightmare. And…, perhaps even Nadium won’t survive today. I may have made the wrong choice.”
“Everyone makes wrong choices… That’s what Your Majesty said. You also said anyone can turn a wrong choice into the right one.”
Quain looked down at Vena Silk responding to its brother sword far away and said:
“I will die today. But even in death, I will protect Nadium from falling at all costs.”
Sanadiel looked at Quain with sad eyes, then leaned her back against his chest.
“Thank you, Quain.”
Sanadiel was shedding invisible tears to him.
Greater death was waiting. She wasn’t confident she could bear all that sorrow.
☆ ☆ ☆
Vena Esarck glimmered faintly. It was responding to its brother sword far away, more than a fortnight’s ride without rest. Irine was behind Meylumil, and he was sitting beside the bed where Loyal lay.
Loyal was dying. This wasn’t Lutia with its magicians, nor Aranthia with the Queen’s protection. It was a place where one couldn’t survive a sword wound piercing the stomach.
Lumil was also wounded in the chest. Bandages diagonally wrapped his broad back, his upper clothes removed.
‘You always silently stand at the very front, becoming a shield for arrows.’
Irine felt apologetic whenever she looked at Lumil.
While Lofin was busy dealing with the anger he had brought upon himself, Lumil always dealt with the anger Irine had called forth. Both when they were in the Wolf Knight Order, and now.
‘I should be the one lying here wounded.’
Lumil said nothing about his own injuries, only telling Irine about the course of events.
The trebuchet attack. The operation to go out and destroy them in case they might attack Arok’s Tower, Loyal’s intervention, Grondol’s appearance.
‘As expected of Master. To have reduced two knights who fear nothing in this world to that state.’
Irine, who had been looking down at Lumil’s back for a while, took out a leather pouch from her bosom. At the rustling sound, Lumil turned to look at her with sleepy eyes.
“So? Is the Tower of Blessing safe?”
“Listen to the sound. If the tower had fallen, it would be noisy with Mozes invading by now.”
“A miracle.”
“Right. They say the Mozes retreated first.”
As Irine spoke, she brought the leather pouch towards Loyal’s wound on the bed. Lumil grabbed her wrist.
“What are you doing?”
His voice was forceful.
“What else? Trying to save a dying White Wolf.”
“Grondol is here. Don’t use the title ‘White Wolf’ carelessly.”
“I know what I’m saying. There’s only one White Wolf in each generation. The same goes for the ‘current White Wolf’.”
“Did you hear this from Quain?”
“There was some vague hint. But it’s the conclusion I reached after comparing the three of them coming down from the Sky Mountains. Azwin is someone Lofin can confidently boast about, and Dunmel was scary enough for Quain to think he could assassinate Her Majesty the Queen. But Loyal is beyond that. He’s really amazing. I’ve never seen someone this strong before. Want to win the bet? Then let go of my hand. This guy is that ‘one’.”
“That’s not true.”
Lumil stubbornly refused to let go of Irine’s hand. She put the leather pouch back, and only then did he release her hand.
“Even if Loyal is the White Wolf, you shouldn’t use that.”
Lumil wiped the cold sweat from Loyal, who was groaning faintly. Blood flowed from the unstaunched wound, and the bandage around his stomach was damp with blood.
“This child can’t become the White Wolf you’re thinking of.”
Lumil said.
“That’s why we need to revive him to fight again. There’s no one among us who can defeat Grondol now! Even if the two of us join forces, it’s the same.”
Irine bit her lip hard as she spoke. She had never admitted defeat in her life. But her unconscious words carried sincerity.
“That’s right, Irine. Whether it’s the influence of the Lord of the Undying taking his body or not, his movements are just like in his prime. I watched the fight between Loyal and Grondol. Even if we revive him with that medicine, he can’t overcome the difference in skill. For a rematch between Grondol and Loyal? Then that medicine will surely be wasted.”
Lumil spoke vehemently, then painfully put his hand on the bandage binding his chest. He couldn’t speak for a while. Lumil took a moment to breathe evenly, then continued:
“But we don’t necessarily need to defeat Grondol. The target is the Lord of the Undying. And the one who can defeat him is you, who has Vena Esarck. So the current White Wolf is you, Irine. You must end everything. It’s the same as 8 years ago. That’s why Quain gave you the last remaining recovery powder.”
Irine closed her eyes tightly. After standing still for a while, she finally put the leather pouch back in her bosom.
“I understand why the Queen’s guardian knights, while glorifying that job, want to hurry and create a successor and retire. The burden of shouldering some great destiny isn’t for people like us who have lived knowing only the sword.”
Lumil laughed weakly.
“How is Master Tanya?”
“She’s still okay. She says she thinks she can hold out for another day.”
“A day… Is that enough time for Captain Wolf to return?”
“If he performs some incredible miracle, he might return tomorrow evening or the morning after. But can we hold out even until tomorrow morning? Everyone is forcing themselves to have hope, saying we just need to hold out tonight. They say when the morning sun rises, Captain Wolf will return with tremendous reinforcements.”
“The Captain’s departure has ironically boosted morale.”
“No matter how much we boost morale, we can’t overcome the difference in strength. The day after tomorrow is too late. Is tomorrow morning possible? Tanya knows that too. It means at least she won’t let Rock fall due to her lack of strength.”
“Do you think the Captain is alive?”
Lumil also remembered the moment the blood-stained Lemif wing fell. Irine remembered too. It wasn’t Rai’s wing, but a piece of despair. Lumil calmly hid the wing deep in the barracks, but the soldiers already knew.
That the angel protecting Rock had died.
“Believe what your heart feels. If the Lord of the Undying really wanted to scare us, he would have held up Kassel’s severed head at the city gate. Not Rai’s wing.”
Irine spoke forcefully.
“I think so too.”
She felt sorry for further troubling Lumil, who was having difficulty speaking due to his chest wound. Irine stood up and said:
“I’ll go. Tanya is getting tired. She seems to be struggling more as the Lord of the Undying gets closer to Arok’s Tower. I should at least be by her side.”
In the battle of whether Tanya could protect the barrier or not, what was needed was not the 50 Wolf Knights who would arrive the day after tomorrow, but one Kassel who would steadily stay by Tanya’s side.
‘Was his choice wrong?’
Sanadiel said everyone makes wrong choices and everyone can make them right choices again. But Irine wasn’t sure.
‘Then what choice did Tailed make 8 years ago? Why did he give his body to the Lord of the Undying?’
“Protect Tanya. Leave the city gate to me.”
Lumil spoke reliably. But unlike usual, a glimpse showed his confidence was greatly diminished.
Irine smiled briefly and left the room.
“See you later.”
After sending Irine off, Lumil stroked Loyal’s sweat-soaked hair.
“Loyal. You must survive too.”
Lumil also painfully grasped the bedroom doorknob with his hand on his chest wound. And he said to Loyal, who was still unconscious:
“And come back.”
Lumil spoke his true feelings, which he hadn’t even told Irine, to the disciple he had never considered a disciple:
“You are the White Wolf. If you fail, no one will be able to win.”
Silence returned to the room where Loyal was left alone. After that, doctors and nurses came and went to treat him, and Dunmel briefly came to visit.
Loyal only opened his eyes in the evening, exhaling rough breaths. Sweat beads on his eyebrows blurred his vision.
Loyal responded as if Lumil had just spoken and left:
“Yes, Master.”
☆ ☆ ☆
Time had passed noon, but strangely it was as dark as evening. Despite the clear weather with almost no clouds, the sunlight was weak as if a thin curtain had been drawn. The summer sun that should be hard to look up at could be stared at directly without difficulty. Yet it was very hot and humid.
Lofin said to take off armor since the battle would likely start at night.
‘With this weather, I’m worried about the soldiers’ stamina. I wonder if it doesn’t affect the Mozes at all?’
“Master Lofin!”
Captain Harrow came running, calling Lofin with an awkward title. He was one of the few commanders who miraculously survived fighting beside Jaymer the day before. When the enemy’s second unit pushed down and the fight started, he was hit on the head with a mace and fainted, luckily being dragged out as a casualty. Yet he felt cheated for missing out on the glorious battle and had been running around busily since morning with just a bandage on his head as soon as he got up.
It was truly fortunate to have such a friend when there was a shortage of commanders. But seeing him overexerting himself running in the hot weather, Lofin worried he might collapse from dehydration by evening.
“Reinforcements have come from Irophis!”
“From Irophis?”
The Moze army surrounding Rock with enormous forces had relatively fewer numbers in the west. Fortunately, the reinforcements from Irophis were coming from that direction.
“Ah! They’ve really appeared at the right time.”
It was a force Latilda had requested reinforcements from a month ago, but they had almost given up hope as they hadn’t come until now. They didn’t expect them to appear at such an appropriate time.
The knights of Irophis rode straight to the Tower of Blessing and immediately engaged in fierce battle with the small group of gathered Mozes.
“Oh, wait? Isn’t that the Royal Knight Order?”
Lofin narrowed his eyes and confirmed the flag they were waving. It was clearly the Royal Knight Order, and numerous soldiers were following behind them.
‘This isn’t just a courtesy reinforcement sent from Irophis. It’s their elite unit!’
Harrow said in a slightly excited voice:
“Shouldn’t we go help them?”
Lofin was about to do just that and was calling for his horse, but it became unnecessary. The Dragon Knight Order was already riding towards them. Brander was at the lead.
With the two strongest knight orders on the continent attacking from front and back, the mere 200-300 Mozes couldn’t hold out for long. Only about a dozen Mozes survived to return to their main force, and the two knight orders led the Irophis soldiers to the Tower of Blessing.
Lofin waved at the knight leading the Royal Knight Order, recognizing who it was even without removing his helmet.
“Captain Greenlich!”
The captain of the knight order dismounted and approached Lofin, embracing him vigorously. The armor they both wore clashed, ringing with a metallic sound as if swords had collided.
“I hope we’re not too late and you haven’t had all the fun without us?”
Greenlich said as he removed his helmet. His thick eyebrows and blonde hair swept back still gave a strong impression.
“Don’t worry. We’ve saved the main course. But I’m surprised you’re still serving as captain.”
“There is someone I’ve trained to be captain, but I left him behind. It was a struggle to stop him from insisting on coming. All the soldiers and knights who came here volunteered.”
Lofin counted the number of knights behind Greenlich and said:
“Volunteers? It’s almost all of them.”
“Two hundred. It was a struggle to stop the knights with many dependents from coming. About a thousand soldiers too. If only the knight order had come, we would have arrived ten days earlier, but we were delayed matching the infantry’s speed.”
Lofin said in surprise:
“If you brought even the infantry, you’ve arrived miraculously fast. Then does this mean you set out immediately after accepting Viscountess Johnstein’s request for reinforcements? Does the royal family respond that quickly?”
“It was almost entirely my own decision. I’ll be dismissed when I return. In fact, the forces here weren’t provided by the royal family, but by Lady Patricia, the patron of the knight order. She said she would take full responsibility.”
Lofin was very surprised.
“That’s amazing. Except for Carnelock, the forces of three countries have gathered here by the power of ‘women’.”
“Four countries if you include Tanya who came from Lutia.”
Azwin interjected as she approached and held out her hand to Greenlich.
“I’m Azwin Wolf. I’ll give you some time to rest if you’re tired from coming. But you’ll need to enter battle formation immediately, Captain Greenlich.”
Greenlich asked in surprise:
“No. Even the commander is a woman?”
Lofin laughed loudly and said:
“It’s always easiest to listen to women. Aren’t you married?”
“Damn, I can’t deny that.”
“Follow Azwin. I’ll assign you to the third unit. And it seems all the Irophis reinforcements should be sent to the second unit.”
“Fatigue is not an issue, so we’ll enter formation right away.”
Azwin signaled for them to follow.
“Hurry. It seems the enemy is already preparing to attack.”
Greenlich immediately gestured to his subordinate knights, and the knight order headed towards the Tower of Blessing as one. They were so surprised seeing the dragons Ganel and Selvike standing next to the tower that they didn’t even notice the enemy was moving.
Lofin ended the brief reunion and left the Irophis Knight Order to Azwin. Rock’s soldiers, including Captain Harrow, were somewhat excited by the appearance of the Irophis Knight Order. It wasn’t enough to recover from the great losses suffered overnight, but the power of another country was a big psychological help.
But that didn’t last long. For some reason, the raised morale quickly faded as time passed. The gloomy atmosphere that seemed about to crumble even before the battle began had disappeared, but they didn’t show excitement about being able to win either.
‘They know.’
If Kassel miraculously brings the Wolf Knight Order tomorrow evening, more forces will be added. The battle continues, holding out little by little each day. But no miracle happens. Even if reinforcements come, it only increases the time they can hold out, it doesn’t change despair into hope.
The soldiers were feeling these facts viscerally. That’s why they weren’t happy even seeing the Irophis reinforcements.
It was incredibly fortunate that the fact that another hundred thousand Moze army was two days away hadn’t become known. Lofin didn’t even send scouts to find out how much closer the Mozes’ second army had come. He didn’t want to give the soldiers any information related to that.
Lofin looked at the ominous signs in the sky and said:
“Azwin is right. The enemy is preparing something.”
Lofin ordered Captain Harrow to hurry the deployment of the Irophis soldiers and mounted his horse. The Irophis Royal Knight Order and Dragon Knight Order were having a strategy meeting centered around Azwin. No matter how excellent a group of knights, it would be difficult to coordinate without even one training session. Even Azwin had only commanded a small knight order of 60, so commanding over 400 combined knights would not be an easy task.
Lofin rode to the very front of the army. Compared to yesterday, the drop in fighting power was clearly noticeable. If yesterday’s numbers were manageable, today’s were hopeless. The reinforcement of a thousand men was like sprinkling a cup of water in the desert. The only hope was that the dragons Ganel and Selvike were still holding out beside the Tower of Blessing.
Lofin said to Harrow, who had returned after leaving the army deployment to other commanders:
“It seems they’ll attack before the sun sets today.”
“That soon?”
“Before night comes…”
Lofin didn’t need to struggle to read Victor’s strategy. Victor’s strategy was still simple.
‘This is my strategy. Can you stop it, he seems to be saying.’
He plans to start the attack while the sun is still out and use the despair of the setting sun as a weapon to drive them back.
‘Is he that confident? Does he think he can face two dragons, Selvike and Ganel, with Guanil who hasn’t gained the power of night?’
Beside Guanil was Ruskin, a magician who could kill dragons. It wasn’t Guanil but Ruskin who killed the dragon called Katanthol in Tachisel.
Lofin asked Harrow:
“What are our casualties?”
“Just under five thousand… The Camort army was almost completely annihilated.”
“Enemy casualties?”
“It looks to be about twenty thousand.”
It was a great success to inflict four times the damage with insufficient forces. But looking at the results, the enemy had only lost 20% of their forces while our side had lost 50%. Even with a thousand reinforcements, we were still greatly outnumbered.
“We need to regroup. What about the Camort commanders?”
“Almost all of them have fallen in battle.”
“Then gather the Rock army and remaining Camort army together at the front. In a longer formation than yesterday, increase the archer units even if it’s a strain. Give bows to spearmen or shield bearers if they can shoot. All cavalry to the rear. Send the youngest commander to the front and you just command the archer units.”
“The rear units…?”
“I’ll take charge of them directly.”
“What’s the strategy?”
“Since the enemy also has archer units, don’t think of charging first from our side, but fight while slowly retreating. Think of withdrawing thirty paces every half hour. Leave the rest to me.”
As the two were briefly discussing the strategy, Azwin rode up from behind.
“I’ve decided on the formation for the two knight orders.”
“How did you arrange it?”
“There’s no need to force mixing them, right? I decided to just give Greenlich and Brander broad directions.”
“Will that work when the two knight orders’ formations are completely different?”
“I just listened to a few usable formations from the tactics officers of both sides.”
“That’s probably the limit in such a short time. Alright. Captain Harrow, implement what I just instructed immediately. Azwin, follow me.”
Lofin took Azwin and passed in front of each unit. He deliberately spoke loudly about the current situation and terrain issues so the soldiers could hear. Azwin responded each time saying she understood or there was no problem.
‘We need to show the soldiers we have countermeasures. We can’t be in disarray.’
The two rode to the center of the battlefield where the Moze army could be seen, passing the units. Traces of yesterday’s battle were still clearly visible. Countless soldiers’ corpses were still strewn about, mixed with even more Moze corpses. Having to fight again on top of their comrades’ corpses was another disadvantage.
“When the battle starts, watch the movements of the three dragons closely. There will come a crucial moment when you’ll have to make a judgment.”
Lofin said, pointing to the sky.
“What about the magician? Ruskin’s magic is the most fearsome power at this point. Can’t Knadil or Ganel block it?”
Azwin asked.
Lofin shook his head.
“If we try to block Ruskin, we won’t be able to block Guanil. That’s why Ruskin is also intentionally not showing his magic.”
Lofin continued, recalling the moment Ka-Tanthol died.
“Even Ruskin can’t use strong magic twice in a row. So he’ll probably only come out at the decisive moment. So you too, save your strength for the decisive moment. Focus only on commanding as much as possible.”
Lofin finished his inspection and rode towards the Tower of Blessing. The Dragon Knight Order and Irophis Knight Order were confirming tactics while talking to each other. Just seeing how they inflicted damage on the enemy with a short advance at dawn yesterday, or how they rushed in to save the Irophis Knight Order earlier, it was clear that the mobility of the Dragon Knight Order was our side’s greatest strength.
“Brander, Lucius. Are you here?”
Lofin called. Lucius approached after explaining yesterday’s battle situation to another Irophis knight. Lofin asked in a whisper:
“What about Jaymer?”
“He still hasn’t regained consciousness. His injuries are severe.”
“I see.”
Jay had already done enough yesterday. They couldn’t expect him to be active in today’s battle too.
“Where is he now?”
“He’s in the tent.”
“Thanks. Ah, and Lucius, join the Irophis Knight Order. At the same time, have one adaptable person from the Irophis Knight Order join the Dragon Knight Order.”
Lucius immediately grasped the intention.
“That would be good for mixing strategies. Then shouldn’t we mix two people on each side?”
“Hmm, that’s right. Do that. The enemy will push in before the sun sets today. Azwin will give separate instructions, but the Dragon Knight Order will stand by as the second line today.”
“Weren’t we supposed to wait until the enemy’s elite moves?”
“This time, the enemy’s elite will show themselves early on. Their target is probably our archer units. The Dragon Knight Order needs to subdue them first. The Irophis Knight Order will take the position the Dragon Knight Order had yesterday.”
Lucius was a bit flustered.
“If the two knight orders split like that, won’t it be difficult for Azwin Wolf to command?”
“She can handle that much. Right?”
Azwin, who was listening beside them, shrugged in response.
“Understood, Master Lofin. I’ll relay that to Brander and Greenlich.”
Lofin nodded once, then immediately rode his horse to the side of the Tower of Blessing. Ganel and Selvike greeted Lofin and Azwin.
“Do you think the enemy will move faster than expected?”
Ganel asked before Lofin even dismounted.
Lofin nodded on his horse in greeting and said:
“Yes, Leganel. It seems the sun can no longer be our shield.”
Lofin looked up at the dark sky and spoke again.
“Today, Guanil will move from the start. I’ll leave everything regarding that battle to you two. Just as I’ve warned several times…”
Lofin continued, looking at the two dragons alternately.
“Be careful of the magician. The Grand Master of Lutia knows magic that can kill dragons.”
“We’ll be cautious.”
Ganel pointed at the enemy camp with his finger and said:
“But I’m curious about something. Why can’t we see the Kaguas that Knadil mentioned?”
“I wonder about that too. It seems they left behind the Kaguas, who could be the greatest force in this battle, in the Sky Mountains. There’s no trace of them anywhere.”
Ganel took a quiet breath and said:
“Perhaps the Kaguas will attack the most dangerous place at a moment we least expect. That could be the Tower of Wrath. Selvike, go tell Knadil about the Kaguas.”
Selvike spread his wings and flew towards the Tower of Wrath without answering. Waiting for the hazy dust to settle, Lofin said:
“Ganel, honestly, I’m afraid. Guanil has grown to the point where Esarck alone can no longer kill him. If we can’t kill him, even if we win this battle, there’s no hope for humans. He’s already grown big enough to bring down Rock by himself.”
“I’m afraid too, Lofin. His growth is beyond what I expected. Moreover, fighting with the Lord of the Undying and Lutia’s magician at his back, we can’t even measure his power.”
“What should we do?”
“You do your best in the human battle. Selvike and I will do our best in the fight against him. We’ll fight in the sky as much as possible to avoid affecting the human battle. Don’t worry, Selvike is stronger than you think.”
Lofin smiled.
“I understand, Ganel.”
Lofin turned his horse towards the cavalry.
Azwin, following behind, asked:
“You look powerless, Lofin.”
“You saw well. I am powerless.”
“Do you think we’ll lose?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, you always taught me ‘When you think it’s too late, it’s usually not really too late.'”
“That’s right. But now I feel like it’s the end.”
But in reality, Lofin was busy delivering only hopeful messages and encouraging others. Lofin explained the cavalry’s strategy one by one and explained the movement intervals and speed differences of each unit to Azwin. As the unit explanations were almost over, Azwin suddenly remembered and asked:
“You’re dumping all the strategy on me, Harrow, and Lucius?”
“Let me ask first. Are you confident you can command all when the knight orders are scattered in all directions?”
“Only if none of the commanders I just assigned to the knight orders die during the battle. For example, if Greenlich or Lucius fall, there’ll be no one to receive my signals. And we can’t prepare reserves now.”
“We have no choice since it’s urgent. Let’s pray no one dies.”
“Lofin should be in that position. But this means you’re ‘stepping out’, right?”
“That’s right. I won’t be in the commander’s position in this battle. I’ll be with the cavalry.”
Azwin looked at Lofin’s empty arm and said:
“Are you trying to play the role Jaymer did yesterday?”
“No way! I don’t have the stamina to do something as great as what that friend did yesterday. It’s overwhelming just to take on one guy.”
“If it’s one guy, you mean Victor… right?”
“Even though it’s a battle with no way to win, we have one chance. I intend to bet on that.”
Lofin continued, looking at the camps of both armies:
“If we kill the commander who’s directing those tens of thousands of Mozes and Guanil at once, we might have a chance. Ganel blocks Guanil, Tanya blocks the Lord of the Undying… Wouldn’t that change the flow a bit? That’s the conclusion I’ve reached.”
Azwin just nodded quietly. Lofin couldn’t answer the question his disciple was asking only with her eyes.
‘Then what happens if I lose to Victor?’
Now Azwin was the only uninjured White Wolf on this battlefield. But it was unclear if her heart was uninjured too. She still occasionally showed signs of holding back tears as she looked up at the sky with sad eyes.
“Azwin.”
Selvike, who had gone to the Tower of Wrath, was returning. Lofin continued speaking while looking at the dragon:
“If I die, I leave everything to you.”
Azwin didn’t reply, and Lofin didn’t press her to acknowledge.
☆ ☆ ☆
‘My fingers won’t move.’
Tanya looked up at the ceiling with sticky eyes that felt like her eyelashes were stuck together. Even though she had just drunk five or six cups of water, she felt thirsty as if she had walked in the blazing sun all day without drinking anything.
Tanya crawled towards the table on her knees. Both the water bottle and cup were empty.
‘I’m thirsty. Someone bring me some water.’
Her throat burned so much she couldn’t speak. Tanya painfully turned her body and crawled towards the door. Her palms touching the floor felt like pressing on a pin cushion.
Tanya collapsed there.
‘How much time has passed? A day? Two days? What happened to the battle in the north? I can’t see anymore. I don’t even remember seeing…’
The Lord of the Undying was still sitting in Tanya’s mind, endlessly tormenting her. He sometimes laughed, and occasionally got angry or shouted. Those small attacks were insignificant at first, but now they were extremely irritating.
It was like water droplets falling from the eaves. Rainwater persistently falling in one spot, making a hole in the ground.
At first, it knocked imperceptibly, but eventually it cracked, and now it felt like the cracked spot was splitting wide open at the slightest touch. Each time, Tanya drank a cup of water, but it evaporated without a trace like a single drop on dry cotton.
‘I asked for a lot of water! Where did that maid who said she’d attend to me go? Where is the Chairman of Grand Rock? Don’t just say you’ll help with this and that, bring me some water.’
Tanya, with frayed nerves, only realized after taking a long deep breath that the maid who brought water had already come and gone half an hour ago.
She couldn’t blame the maid who brought water to drink all day, once every hour. Tanya headed towards the stairs again, then noticed the room had suddenly darkened.
‘Has my vision blurred? Or did someone close the window?’
Looking back, she saw a strangely shaped animal with its wings spread wide, covering the window. That illusory monster looked like a miniature Moze, with wings covered in membrane like a bat.
For a brief moment, Tanya and the winged Moze stared at each other with blank eyes. The Moze opened its mouth and lunged first, and Tanya stretched out one hand.
She used magic, still unsure if it was a dream, hallucination, or reality. The Moze froze white in mid-leap from the windowsill and fell to the floor, shattering like ice. Broken flesh fragments sprayed all over Tanya’s crouched body.
There wasn’t just one Moze. Another one folded its wings and flew at Tanya’s face. Not noticing in time, she didn’t even get a chance to use magic. Usually she would have blocked even a flying dagger, but not now.
Tanya could only manage to block her face with one arm. The Moze clung to her forearm, clawing wounds. She swung her arm hard. Flames burned the Moze’s body. It screamed in pain and crashed randomly into the walls and ceiling like a disoriented moth.
Two more Mozes flew in through the window.
‘How did Mozes get inside Rock’s barrier?’
The two Mozes climbed onto the fallen Tanya at once.
“Master Tanya, I brought water…”
Just then the door opened and a maid entered carrying a water bottle.
“Kyaaah!”
The maid stepped back in surprise. But soon seeing the two Mozes on Tanya’s body, she swung the water bottle in haste. The porcelain water bottle shattered, and one of the hit Mozes was thrown aside. A normal Moze wouldn’t have budged, but these were so light that even that level of attack had some effect.
The Moze hit by the water bottle immediately got up with a horrible cry and lunged at the maid.
A Moze’s tongue wrapped around Tanya’s weakened nape. She lost consciousness for a moment.
Hearing the maid’s scream, Irine ran up the stairs. She cut down the Moze lunging at the maid with one stroke and jumped into the room. The Moze that had wrapped around Tanya’s neck quickly retracted its tongue and tried to flee, but Irine didn’t let it escape and cut off its head.
The smell of burning permeated the air. The floor was a mess with Moze blood and broken flesh. Irine raised the terrified, crouching maid and ordered:
“Go call Chairman Rependas, no, any magician.”
Irine sent the maid away and checked outside the window.
‘It’s those flying Mozes used on Kassel. But that was probably all of them just now. They can’t have much of that magic dye that can penetrate the barrier. They must have mobilized everything and rushed in at once.’
Tanya belatedly grasped the situation.
Irine cradled Tanya’s fallen head in her hands.
“Tanya, are you okay? Tanya!”
Despite having no wounds, Tanya couldn’t regain consciousness as if she had suffered a major injury.
☆ ☆ ☆
Azwin put on gloves, checked her blade, dusted off her shield, and wore a helmet. There was no helmet that fit her head perfectly. When she finally found one, she didn’t like the design. She repeatedly put on and took off helmets several times.
“Nothing suits you, so just settle for something.”
There were only a few people in the entire Rock army who dared to speak like that to the White Wolf. Azwin turned around with a smirk.
“Indeed, there’s no way a helmet that would enhance my looks would be on a battlefield like this. You worked hard yesterday.”
Jaymer was already dressed in battle gear. In Dragon Knight Order attire instead of the tattered clothes from the day before.
‘It really doesn’t suit him.’
It was neat enough to hide how messed up his body condition was.
Jay shook his head in dissatisfaction.
“I don’t even remember what happened yesterday.”
“Does that outfit mean you’ll be moving with the Dragon Knight Order now?”
“I don’t know. They gave me this when I asked for clothes.”
Jay said indifferently.
Azwin guessed why he had appeared and said:
“You didn’t have to wear it. Your role is over.”
“Everyone’s saying that.”
Jay seemed to accept it docilely, then added:
“But I did as I pleased yesterday, so I’ll do as I please today too.”
Azwin slightly extended her finger and poked his side. Jay hurriedly covered his side and stepped aside. Azwin wiggled the finger she poked with and said:
“Should I poke your shoulder next? Step back while I’m asking nicely.”
Jay pulled out the axe at his waist with his uninjured arm and held it out.
“I know. My life as a hunter is over. I can’t perform like before with this arm. So I’ll return this axe first. I used it well.”
Azwin took the axe and hung it on her back.
“Then did you hope your shoulder blade would be intact even after it was shattered? Be thankful you survived.”
“That’s why I don’t want to step back more. If I die, that’s it, and if I live…, it’ll be fortunate. Anyway, if this place falls, it’s all over, right?”
Azwin chuckled and patted Jay’s uninjured shoulder.
“Impressive guy! I apologize for underestimating you yesterday. As an apology, I’ll teach you one thing you can fight with using one arm. Let’s just call this… ‘J Formation’ since it’s awkward to number it. I created it after watching you fight.”
“Thanks.”
“No, I should thank you. Seeing you made me realize how foolish I’ve been feeling down all this time.”
It wasn’t difficult to teach about the formation since there was something she had explained the day before. Azwin moved her body directly and indicated to Jay the directions to move and swing his sword. She modified the attack directions considering his shoulder injury, and he quickly absorbed the instruction.
Suddenly there was a commotion around them, and resting soldiers hastily picked up weapons and moved. Jay lowered his sword for a moment and observed the soldiers’ movements. But Azwin tapped his sword and said:
“Don’t get distracted. We don’t have time.”
Even as the army reorganized and soldiers moved busily, the two continued to practice repeatedly, matching their breathing. And just as Jay was about to find his position with a single word from Azwin, the battle began.
Azwin wiped her slightly sweaty forehead with the back of her hand and plopped down in that spot. The cheers of soldiers and Mozes could be heard.
Jay asked:
“Aren’t you going?”
“Wait. You sit here for a moment too.”
Jay sat down as told.
Azwin took time to regulate her breathing for a while.
“Have you memorized all the formations?”
She asked.
“I have.”
“Stick to the very back of the cavalry and don’t fight at first. You can’t fight for long with that shoulder. So conserve your strength. I’ll send a signal in the middle. Then come to my side. And fight with this formation. Got it?”
Even though he didn’t know what it meant, Jay followed faithfully.
“Got it.”
Azwin stood up and held out her hand. Jay grasped her hand and struggled to his feet.
“Let’s go, Jaymer. Now I’ll show you how I fight.”
“Is that the White Wolf’s fang?”
Azwin grinned, baring her teeth.
“Of course.”
Just then, a black dragon flew up into the sky from the dark eastern sky covered in clouds. And simultaneously, Ganel and Selvike, who had been waiting at the Tower of Blessing, took flight. The air vibrated strongly enough to shake the skin. At the same time, Azwin felt a fear that made her lower abdomen tingle.
Rock’s final battle had begun.
☆ ☆ ☆
‘What are you doing, Tanya?’
The Lord of the Undying had always been floating in Tanya’s mind. He didn’t show terrifying horrors, didn’t threaten, and didn’t apply strong pressure. He just uttered words implying pitch-black darkness and death.
But after the winged Moze that flew in from the window attacked, it was Tailed’s figure that appeared, not the Lord of the Undying. It was the gentle appearance of when he last embraced her, saying he would save Aranthia and return. He looked at the fallen Tanya with pity and said:
‘You shouldn’t do things beyond your power. That’s going against fate.’
“Disappear!”
Tanya resisted in a strong tone.
“Don’t deceive me with Tailed’s appearance, Lord of Darkness. I won’t fall for it.”
Tanya’s voice echoing in the darkness reverberated from all directions and returned to her.
Tailed spoke regretfully. His voice sounded sorrowful.
‘Can’t you even recognize your master now?’
“Tailed taught me not to be deceived by appearances. But you’re not Tailed.”
‘Poor thing. You’re so tired your thinking has become completely blocked. Fine, I just came to teach you your current mistake.’
“That protecting humans is wrong?”
‘Don’t you know you’re going to lose?’
“That’s not true.”
‘No, you know, Tanya. This battle is lost. The Tower of Blessing will fall soon. You’re seeing the same future as me. Ruskin couldn’t overcome the fear of defeat and sided with the enemy, and Knight Victor turned his blade on humans wanting to be on the winning side. I don’t want to praise that as wise behavior, but don’t you have the insight to see even further into the future than them?’
Tanya couldn’t resist. She had been seeing such a future from the moment she set foot in Rock, along with Kassel, Jaymer, and Rai. But she couldn’t tell anyone. That’s why she was so surprised when Latilda said she saw the future in a dream, and why she couldn’t strongly stop Kassel when he said he saw the future and had to leave.
The collapsed tower and approaching Mozes, Guanil’s roar as he trampled Ganel.
‘Or are you waiting for Kassel? Hoping he’ll change the future you’ve seen? Yes. That’s why you couldn’t strongly hold him back from leaving.’
Tailed gently held out his hand. In his hand, Kassel’s figure could be seen. He was riding Venon. Where did he get Venon from? But he was trapped in a blizzard, unable to move.
Buried in the increasingly strong snow, he dismounted Venon and pulled the reins to move forward. A huge being with a hazy appearance was blocking his way. But Kassel couldn’t see it in the darkness.
‘Kassel, don’t approach!’
Tanya was shouting, knowing her voice wouldn’t reach him. Kassel drew his treasured sword and shouted at the invisible being blocking him. But his voice wasn’t threatening at all. When the weather briefly cleared, Kassel walked defensively, thinking it was safe.
Kassel fell into a crevice between snow-covered ice. He held out until the end, but the ghostly monster of unknown identity threw Kassel into the ice crevice.
“No!”
Tanya cried out.
‘Don’t worry.’
Tailed had somehow come up behind her and warmly wrapped her slender shoulders. His gentle voice was sweet as honey and warm like being in front of a fireplace on a cold day.
‘It doesn’t seem like such a dangerous cliff. He’ll be alive. But it doesn’t look like he can hold out long in that ice crevice?’
Tanya exhaled roughly.
Tailed’s soft voice continued.
‘What takes priority for you, Tanya? A battle you can’t win, or the person you love? It’s not too late yet. You should go quickly. Go and save Kassel.’
“Ka, Kassel… Kassel can overcome it alone.”
‘You say that knowing how weak he is. He needs your protection. Didn’t you promise first? That you would protect that child.’
“No!”
Tanya roughly shook off Tailed’s touch. But she couldn’t shake off someone who had no physical form to begin with.
“Kassel went there to protect this place. So I can’t abandon here.”
Red blood flowed between Tanya’s lips, dripping onto the floor. Her voice, full of anger, shook severely.
“Don’t think you can deceive me. That was something that happened ‘yesterday’. It happened at the moment when Jaymer was fighting alone at the Tower of Blessing yesterday. So, Kassel now…”
Tailed sighed regretfully.
‘Have you already forgotten my words? You’re a child who has already given up your life once. Didn’t I say it’s okay to be a little selfish if you want to live? Even if Rock falls, would that moment be the extinction of humans? The time for you to share love with Kassel and live together for a long time will continue. Or it would be good to hide and live in the Sky Mountains.’
Tailed gently stroked Tanya’s cheek with sorrowful eyes. It was the touch of the master she had missed so much. Tanya couldn’t shake off that hand in the end. And she cried at her own weakness, wanting to feel Tailed’s warmth even if it meant accepting a demon’s soul.
‘Even if you win this battle, if you’ve lost Kassel, what would be left? Rather than living with that as a wound in your heart for life, ignore the fate of other humans.’
“Master…”
Tanya cried and weakly touched the face of Tailed before her. And with a trembling voice, she said:
“Even if the you before me now is real, you shouldn’t say such things.”
White light shone from Tanya’s hand, and Tailed’s body shattered like dropped porcelain. Tailed disappeared with a miserable scream. The hallucination was so realistic that it felt like she had really killed Tailed with her own hands. Even knowing it was the enemy’s intention, she couldn’t bear it.
Tanya covered her face with her hands and cried.
‘Kassel, don’t die. You must come back.’
☆ ☆ ☆
Irine was holding Tanya, who occasionally shook her body as if having a seizure. Tanya groaned softly, mumbling Kassel and Tailed’s names. Irine cooled Tanya’s forehead with a cold towel and held her trembling hands.
She hated that she couldn’t do anything while this girl, infinitely young and small in front of the enormous power of death, was fighting alone like this. Irine took out the recovery powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Tanya’s body. If Tanya collapsed now, last night, which thousands had died to protect, would become meaningless.
‘It won’t be a waste to use the last recovery powder on you.’
However, the healing powder just flowed down Tanya’s face and clothes like sugar powder. Nothing happened. No magic-like revival of a dying life occurred. It seemed not to work on a magician with power like Tanya’s.
Tanya, who had been constantly mumbling something, finally went limp and dropped the hand she had been tightly gripping to the floor. Irine embraced Tanya.
“No. Hang in there, Tanya. Please wake up. You can’t give up!”
Irine’s voice, which had been encouraging Tanya, soon turned to herself.
“You can’t collapse. You can’t give up.”
The sound of trumpets announcing battle rang out from afar. The pressure brought by the Mozes’ advance could be felt even here. Irine shed the tears she had been holding back and spoke to the empty air:
“I can’t do it, Sanadiel. I absolutely can’t do it. Quain, what would you do at a time like this?”
Her voice scattered emptily, and the blue light forming Rock’s barrier gradually began to fade.
–TL Notes–
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