It was night, so they couldn’t see the entire village, but it wasn’t a large one. Despite the late hour with the full moon stuck to the sky’s ceiling, many houses were still lit, most of them taverns.
The four Black Lion Knights had brought Kassel to the Village of Defectors and hesitated at the entrance for a moment. The sound of laughter from the taverns certainly brought the taste of ale to mind.
“Couldn’t we have a drink before we leave?”
One of them asked, hesitating.
“That would be alright, wouldn’t it?”
Another knight asked, also unsure.
“But…”
The words were on the tip of their tongue. If caught, they’d hear an earful, but it went back down their throats. After some deliberation, they all decided to drive their horses to the large tavern at the entrance of the village.
In front of the tavern stood a burly man with his arms crossed. The man, wearing a sleeveless, thin garment that revealed his hairy chest, approached the knights as he noticed them.
“Will you be staying, sirs?”
“No, we just came for a drink.”
“No brawling inside, even if you meet an enemy.”
“We know the rules of this village.”
“Then you may enter.”
The burly man nodded and led their horses to the stables.
The knights removed their helmets and entered the tavern.
‘Come to think of it, it would be bad luck to meet a familiar face here. There should be surviving mercenaries from the Red Rose army besides me.’
Kassel, planning to slip away quietly, said, “Thank you, sirs. I think it’s best I leave now.”
“What are you talking about? We haven’t yet absolved you of your suspicion.”
The knight laughed loudly to emphasize the joke. He grabbed Kassel’s shoulder with a rough grip and led him into the tavern, finally seating him on a chair.
“Beer it is. What about you?”
When the server came to take their order, the knight asked Kassel.
“I don’t have any money.”
“Consider it payment for the song. Five pints of beer here.”
Kassel gave an awkward smile.
‘Surviving and free beer to boot? I’ve sold that stolen song quite expensively.’
Kassel didn’t have the nerve to meet the knights’ eyes and it was uncomfortable to look at the leftover food on the table, so he aimlessly scanned the tavern.
Despite the late hour, it was overflowing with patrons. The noise level was so high he could barely hear the person next to him. There were groups engaged in heated discussions while slamming their beer mugs on the table, groups engrossed in card gambling with piles of wooden chips on the table, and even a peculiar group wearing black robes who seemed to be muttering spells while eating.
Nobody paid attention to the other tables, and no one even spared a glance at the Black Lion Knights.
Only one person was different. It was when the knights, brimming beer mugs in hand, were making a toast. It was a man who was sitting across the table from Kassel, who noticed the Black Lion Knights belatedly and tumbled from his chair. His clothes were ragged, and he had wounds all over.
‘Good heavens, isn’t that a familiar face?’
His name was ‘Bellflower’, a nickname the mischievous mercenaries had jokingly given him.
He was a mercenary from the same battalion, remembered for being ceaselessly teased by the other mercenaries. In a way, he was the unfortunate guy who had taken the mockery intended for Kassel.
Kassel quickly averted his gaze, pretending to sip his beer. Thankfully, Bellflower’s attention was fully on the Black Lion Knights. He hurriedly drew his sword.
“What’s with that kid?”
The knights, uninterested, didn’t even set down their mugs to draw their swords and asked.
“Is he a bastard from the Red Rose army?”
Holding his shaking sword, Bellflower stammered.
“I, I am…, I am…”
Bellflower, pointing his sword at the talking knight, stuttered. The knight who had asked the question outright turned his head away.
“Why not just keep drinking? You should consider yourself lucky we didn’t meet outside.”
Receiving derisive laughter from those around him, Bellflower stood dumbly before hastily leaving the pub.
‘Thank goodness. It seems he didn’t recognize me.’
The other knights completely dismissed the incident as if it never happened. They shivered in sheer bliss as they sipped their beers.
“If he hasn’t drunk and just left, he will regret it till tomorrow.”
Everyone burst into laughter at one man’s comment. It didn’t take long for them to empty their glasses, and they decided to have another round. The resolve to ‘only one glass’ seemed forgotten.
Kassel said nothing, sipping his thick beer slowly. Perhaps the alcohol was starting to kick in, as the knights started to loosen their tongues.
“Do we need to catch that guy Falcon, or to stop him?”
“We don’t necessarily have to deal with him, but it’s true that his existence is a nuisance.”
“I wish they’d leave it alone. They didn’t even directly attack the Knights.”
“That’s not true either. I’ve heard that these days they’re bold enough to attack. I heard their strategy isn’t like a regular bandit group.”
“Didn’t the Rose Knights take down that Greydog guy? Their reputation improved because of it.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to eliminate Falcon. Falcon is different from Greydog. I’ve heard they’re almost at the level of a regular army. There’s no need to get into a tough fight because of reputation.”
Kassel wanted to get out of the tavern quickly. But the knights’ conversation showed no sign of stopping. It wasn’t easy to interrupt and stand up. Kassel just listened.
“Speaking of which, there’s a rumor that part of the Rose Knights are gathering nearby, isn’t there? Today’s battle is just bait for that, right?”
“A major clash is imminent. The Black Lion Knights will be fully mobilized soon.”
“Are we not panicking over nothing, like last time? Seeing the Rose Army gather mercenaries and all. They’re just knights, not all that impressive.”
“That’s not quite the case anymore. In the battle two months ago, we lost two hundred of our infantry to about ten of their knights.”
“That’s just a false rumor, isn’t it? Despite the disparity between infantry and cavalry…”
“It’s true. Don’t you remember? Wait, why…”
“Hey! We’re not alone here.”
One knight stopped the knight who was speaking. In the midst of the commotion, no one in the vicinity was paying attention. Their concern was Kassel.
Noticing their gaze on him, Kassel quickly explained.
“I do not create songs based on stories I haven’t personally witnessed. Otherwise, why would I be in such a dangerous place?”
Slightly intoxicated and not deeming the information critically important, they dismissed his comment. While they were considering whether to order a third round, Kassel was pondering how to slip away from their grasp.
‘All I need to do is get out of that door. Of course, I can’t run. I’d be caught right away. I need to find a way to slip out naturally…’
As Kassel was contemplating several escape routes and looking at the tavern door, as if by magic, the door swung open and a woman rushed in.
With long, dark brown hair braided down her back and cloaked from head to toe, she was taller than most men and instantly noticeable. The noise she made upon entering drew the attention of everyone in the tavern. Once the gazes of the men were fixated on her, they did not look away.
Her face was not clearly visible in the dim light, but her beauty was enough to hold everyone’s attention. With each stride, glimpses of her pale legs peeked out from underneath her cloak, and her tall figure and intense gaze were captivating. She, however, seemed completely uninterested in the men’s attention.
“Has anyone seen my sword? I think I left it here.”
She approached the tavern owner and asked. The sudden silence made her voice audible to more than half of the patrons.
The tavern owner responded leisurely.
“We don’t handle lost items here.”
“That’s not just any lost item! You’d know it when you see it… Uh, what I mean is…”
She either had a poor choice of words or refused to elaborate further.
Instead, the increasingly frustrated tavern owner asked,
‘What’s it look like?’
She hesitated about how to explain, then spread her arms wider than her shoulders to illustrate.
“It’s about this size and there’s a blue gem set in the hilt. It glows, even in the dark.”
“A magic sword, maybe?”
The tavern owner scoffed, shaking his head.
“Give it up. Who would dutifully seek the owner of a jewel-encrusted sword?”
Enraged, the woman began to search the tavern herself.
“Move aside.”
She started her search from under the table where Kassel and the four black lion knights sat. The knights, amused by the situation, courteously moved aside, and Kassel decided to help her, lowering himself to check under the table.
Their eyes met under the table. The woman with her braided hair falling loose gave a bright smile.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I don’t think it’s here, though.”
Kassel responded awkwardly.
As the tavern owner said, if it was a sword that glowed in the dark, anyone would have found it long before now. If it had been stolen, the thief would already be long gone from the village. The woman moved past Kassel’s table to another, but the man sitting there didn’t move his spread legs to make way.
“Could you move aside for a moment?”
The woman asked politely.
“I did move. You can crawl through down there.”
The man pointed to the space between his spread legs while stroking his long mustache.
“Oh, is that so?”
The woman gave a charming smile, then flicked her cloak with her hand. The next moment, the man toppled over, knocking the chair back and falling unconscious from hitting the back of his head.
‘Did she knock him over with just a wave of her hand?’
The other men at the table jumped up immediately, one even drawing his sword.
“What’s this all about?”
“Who won’t move? Move!”
The woman continued her search, now with one less obstacle in her way.
“Damn it.”
She muttered, then glanced at the man hesitating with his drawn sword.
“What’s the matter, boy? Want to try me?”
“I don’t fight women!”
The man with the drawn sword bravely sheathed it again. Despite his show of bravado, his voice was clearly shaking with fear.
The woman then shouted loudly to the whole tavern.
“Check under your seats for my sword, will you? You all heard my story. It’s a dangerous, cursed sword that’ll hex anyone who takes it!”
No one paid her any attention.
Kassel looked under the table once more for good measure. But all he found was the leftover scraps of meat, some bread crumbs, and a brave mouse poking its head out from a hole in the floor.
The woman went to a corner of the tavern to look around a bit more, then, with a huff, she left.
The once quiet tavern had again turned rowdy. Some people had returned to their previous conversations, but most were chattering about the sudden arrival of the woman.
Kassel had glanced back at the Black Lion Knights, having thought of a few good ways to slip away from this situation, and was about to put one to the test. But the seriousness on the knights’ faces held him back from speaking.
One knight broke the silence first.
“Did you see that woman’s swordplay just now?”
“Sword?” Kassel turned his gaze toward the door the woman had just exited, perplexed.
‘Did she draw a sword?’
The man she had knocked over didn’t seem particularly injured. He was getting up with the help of his companions. But then, as he touched his beard in surprise, he let out a scream.
“Aah!”
His long beard had been cut off.
The Black Lion Knights discovered this and were speechless.
“If I hadn’t heard the sound of a blade being drawn, I would have thought she just reached into her cloak.”
“Suspicious, isn’t it?”
While the knights exchanged brief opinions, some patrons stood up from their seats. The man with the cut-off beard, with his companions, left the tavern to catch the woman who had just left, while another patron brushed off his drinking buddies, claiming he suddenly remembered an errand, and rushed out of the tavern. The party that had been eating while cloaked in black robes in one corner also left their unfinished plates on the table and got up.
At one table, one of the card players grabbed another by the collar and punched him in the face, accusing him of cheating amidst the chaos. The punched man flared up and grabbed the other’s collar as well.
Rather than intervening, the crowd spurred on the fight, and the tavern owner didn’t seem to care. The knights turned their conversation back to the original topic.
“I can’t help but be concerned. I think we need to meet this woman.”
“Let’s all go together. It might be dangerous.”
“Dangerous? Against a single woman?”
“She wouldn’t be traveling alone.”
They all began to rise from their seats, arming themselves.
‘This is my chance!’
Kassel stood up with them and opened his mouth.
“I think I’d better excuse myself. It seems like a secret mission and I wouldn’t want to be a bother. Thank you for your protection up until now.”
Kassel half sincerely thanked the knights. They forced smiles of regret and bid him farewell. Their faces already seemed to have forgotten about Kassel’s existence.
“Perhaps someday we’ll hear your song?”
“Even if I become famous enough that you can hear my songs wherever you go, I won’t be able to earn as much as I did today.”
“That’s truly a pleasure to hear.”
The knights swelled with pride at the formal greeting. Kassel stepped outside with them, intending to see them off cleanly.
As he took in the night air, a new concern immediately sprang to mind.
‘How will I spend tonight?’
A bigger concern followed suit.
‘How will I get back to my hometown?’
Until he ran into six other knights just entering the tavern, he really thought that was his biggest issue.
They were the Rose Knights, loyal to the Red Count.
“Look at that?”
A knight from the Black Lion spotted them. His companions immediately fell into a defensive stance, taking a few steps back. The knights of the Red Rose also halted upon spotting the Black Lion Knights.
For a moment, both sets of knights eyed each other. A Rose Knight spoke first.
“What brings you Lions, renowned for your strict discipline, here for a drink?”
Provoked by the Rose Knight, the Black Lion Knight retorted energetically.
“Didn’t you also come with a purpose?”
“No, we came to capture you.”
Kassel noticed that the wretched Bellflower, who had been insulted at the bar, was accompanying the Rose Knights. Their appearance here was no coincidence.
Bellflower said to the Rose Knights.
“It’s them. The ones who disregarded the glorious army of the Red Count and brutally slaughtered them.”
“Shut up! You stay out of this.”
A menacing command from one of the Black Lion Knights caused Bellflower to flinch. The Rose Knight was the first to draw his sword, and the rest followed suit almost instantly.
“I’m willing to wait until you’re sober, what do you think?”
The Rose Knight asked.
“We’re willing to wait until you’ve had a drink. It’s only fair to have one last sip before death, isn’t it?”
The Black Lion knight retorted.
At that moment, a hefty man standing in front of the bar roared out.
“If you want to fight, do it in the open, not in front of our establishment.”
The barkeep, who had evidently experienced such scenes countless times, didn’t seem frightened by the gathering knights.
The knights moved away. They hadn’t moved because of the barkeep’s words, but because both sides wanted to fight in the open. The onlookers started gathering around, sensing the impending fight.
Kassel, who had been standing dumbfounded behind them, hastily retreated into the shadows when the first knight swung his sword. Four knights began to confront the other six, restarting the continuation of the daytime battle.
Kassel had no desire to witness its outcome.
Unusually, nestled between two of the few homes in the village where the lights were extinguished, Kassel concealed himself in a dark alleyway. The sounds of clashing swords and the shouts of the knights no longer reached his ears, yet the voices of the townsfolk echoed from various corners, despite the deepening night.
Kassel felt his legs give out and slumped against the wall, sitting on the ground. It had been a tiring day. He longed to bury his face into a soft bed and sleep for what felt like three days.
‘I have to flee somewhere far. I can’t keep relying on luck.’
No suitable escape location came to mind. He couldn’t stay in the village, and yet, venturing outside was even more dangerous.
‘What should I do? What should I do?’
Kassel tried to remember his father’s advice, but it was useless. He was too exhausted. Barely able to keep his eyes open, he hugged his knees sitting on the cold ground, fighting against the wave of sleep washing over him.
‘Pathetic. How can sleep beckon in a situation like this?’
In the distance, he heard the laughter of a drunken man. It seemed to mock him, irritating Kassel, but he couldn’t muster the strength to stand.
He had barely been asleep when someone rifled through his belongings. Kassel distinctly felt it but couldn’t resist. He feared exposing his wakefulness might bring more danger, and his body was too heavy to move.
‘Go ahead and rummage. Take what you need. There’s nothing anyway.’
Thankfully, the intruder muttered something and left. After that, no one disturbed him. The weather got colder, the ground was hard, and the posture was uncomfortable, but thanks to his strenuous military life, he managed to sleep under these harsh conditions.
Soon, he shifted from a crouched to a lying position, and as if he was on the most comfortable bed in the world, Kassel fell into a deep slumber.
He woke up faintly, feeling so hungry that his stomach hurt.
A voice faintly reached his ears. It was neither male nor female, nor did it even sound like a human’s voice, and most importantly, he couldn’t understand it.
‘Mashed potatoes…’
The soft voice, soothing as if caressing him directly, gradually woke Kassel from his sleep and brought him back to reality.
‘With… Thick gravy…’
Just before Kassel opened his eyes, a white light rushed towards him. It was a giant creature with dazzling fur.
Kassel startled awake. It was the same alley he saw just before falling asleep. There was nothing. The only changes from before he slept were the blueish morning sunlight replacing the darkness, and his body soaked in the dew of the night.
“Huh?”
It seemed like he had barely closed his eyes, but it was already morning. Feeling the cold, Kassel hugged his arms around himself and shivered.
‘What was that sound?’
His body felt as though it had been bludgeoned with a cudgel, and his eyes were gritty, as if he had spent the entire night reading by candlelight. The surrounding noise had long since disappeared.
A vagabond lay not five steps from Kassel, clutching a sword in his sleep. It had been so dark before he slept that he couldn’t tell whether he had arrived first, or if the man had already been there.
‘Messy. But I suppose I’m no different.’
With half-closed eyes, Kassel looked up at the sky.
‘At least I didn’t die overnight. I wonder what happened to those knights yesterday? Should I go check?’
Kassel shook his head.
‘It doesn’t concern me anymore. Let’s go home. I’ll stick to the main road and only travel during the day. If I’m lucky, I’ll make it without encountering any highway robbers. I should think positively. At least I’m not headed to the battlefield anymore. It’s all over now.’
“It’s all over!”
Kassel was startled, thinking his thoughts had slipped out.
It was the voice of a woman passing by the alley where Kassel was.
“We’re gonna get killed by Master. If we don’t die of exhaustion first. So let’s quit.”
Slowly getting up, Kassel crawled towards the mouth of the alley. It was the woman from the bar last night, searching for a sword. There were two other men beside her, both tall and broad-shouldered.
The woman continued speaking nervously.
“Ugh, what the hell is Loyal doing while I’m going through all this?”
A large man with black curly hair falling down to his shoulders spoke in a calm voice.
“Loyal too is troubled. He’ll be tormented with guilt for losing his sword.”
“Guilt? Hey, Sheyden. Do you think words like ‘guilt’ even exist in his head?”
“Calm down, it’s not that serious.”
“Not serious? Ah, you must be delirious after the tough night. This is a matter of national honor!”
The woman faced the man, twice her size, with a fighting spirit.
“First, lower your voice. Everyone can hear.”
“Who’s listening? And I went around all the bars last night, explaining what the sword I was looking for looked like. Did I mention that the blade was black, or did I not?”
The third man, who had been silently listening with his arms crossed, finally voiced his frustration.
“So, are you going around shouting that you lost the sacred sword of Aranthia?”
His head was relatively shorter than the others, making his shoulders look even broader.
‘I would look like a dwarf next to him.’
Surprisingly, the woman, amidst these large figures, didn’t seem smaller but rather more imposing.
According to the stories of wandering traders, around four to five years ago, the Wolf Knights had held a test to select new knights. It was said that as many as a thousand individuals from across the continent had participated. Even accounting for some exaggeration, it was astounding that less than a hundred had been selected. And the White Wolves, they were the elite among the Wolf Knights, the most outstanding of them all.
The White Wolves!
As Kassel, a mere foot soldier wielding a spear behind ten mercenaries under the command of a squad leader, who served under a commander who obeyed Luchi’s orders, who was, in essence, equivalent to the lowest rank in the three hundred-member strong Rose Knights, it was like a cloud beyond reach, an entity he could hardly approach. Even if they were the real White Wolves, Kassel wouldn’t dare to follow them and strike up a conversation.
‘But why are the Wolf Knights in Camort?’
Kassel imagined himself following them and pleading, “Let me go with you, I cook really well.”
Slowly waking from his sleep, Kassel gradually regained his composure. His laughable fantasy of joining the knights with his unacknowledged swordsmanship, even as an insignificant mercenary in a small village, was a source of amusement and futility. His brainstorming to latch onto them brought a sense of shame.
‘Wake up from your dream, Kassel. You can’t be a knight. Look at you now, lamenting your fate next to a drunken vagabond.’
The still chilly morning air was painful to endure for his newly awakened body. The vagabond lying next to him seemed cold too, shivering as he held his sword tighter, as if it were a pillow.
‘That’s a nice-looking sword, huh? Doesn’t look like a knight’s or mercenary’s?’
It didn’t look like a knight’s or mercenary’s sword, no matter how you looked at it. Kassel stupidly observed the vagabond’s sword. A blue stone was embedded in the handle. It reflected the dim morning light with a luxurious glow, and he realized that it was not just decorative.
It was a gem.
‘Isn’t that the sword that woman lost?’
Kassel was bewildered that it was right in front of him as if it were a lie. It felt like a cruel trick, someone testing him.
He wanted to confirm whether this sword was indeed ‘that’ sword. Carefully, Kassel reached towards the sleeping vagabond and gently grasped the sword handle. A leather strap was tying the sheath and the sword together, preventing the blade from being unsheathed. The silhouette of a wolf, engraved in white at the end of the handle, was visible between the vagabond’s arms.
‘Is it real? Is this really the sword that woman lost? How can it be! How could that sword appear right in front of me just like that?’
Despite this, Kassel couldn’t help but consider the possibilities. What if this were truly Aranthia’s Treasure Sword? If those men were really the White Wolves and had lost their sword in this village? Then he should retrieve it before the vagabond sold it to a blacksmith for melting.
Kassel slowly started to pull the sword from the vagabond’s grip.
Even in his sleep, the vagabond held onto the sword so tightly that it wouldn’t come out easily. Kassel exerted a little more force to pull.
‘Ahh… Chicken.’
He heard a voice that seemed to come from a dream once again. Kassel widened his eyes. The sound wasn’t coming from somewhere else.
‘Is the sword speaking?’
While Kassel was startled, the vagabond he thought was asleep abruptly sat up, withdrew, and brandished a dagger. Kassel regained his senses and quickly let go of the sword.
He tried to run, but his legs suddenly felt numb, making it impossible for him to stand up.
‘Just my luck!’
The vagabond half-closed his eyes and pushed his dagger further forward. Kassel raised his hands. He had been dreaming about being a great knight just moments before, but the moment a blade was drawn, he quickly reverted back to being a terrified farmer.
“How many fingers you want to lose, boy!”
The vagabond, half of his face covered by a beard, surprisingly emitted a very threatening voice. He targeted Kassel with his dagger while his other hand was busy fishing out food debris from his mouth. Both his blade and his foul breath were terrifying, the latter momentarily more so.
“If possible…”
Kassel was trying to maneuver out of the situation and was preparing to say, ‘Let’s resolve this quietly,’ but he suddenly closed his mouth.
‘Don’t stand at the center of the battlefield.’
He couldn’t reason with the vagabond, nor did he have the confidence to quickly escape with his numb legs. That left him with two options. Either manage to escape and quickly summon the White Wolves he met earlier, or just stay here and lose a few fingers to this guy.
Again, he needed to change his position, the one who should be at the center of the battlefield. Kassel gritted his teeth and slowly lowered his raised hands. Then, in a quiet voice that wasn’t particularly threatening, he said what came after ‘if possible.’
“I’d prefer to resolve this without killing you.”
“What did you say?”
The vagabond’s pupils dilated.
‘If he realizes that I’m nothing more than a helpless peasant without a weapon, he won’t hesitate to swing his dagger.’
Kassel, trying his best to maintain a relaxed face, asked,
“Do you know what that sword is?”
He had fooled the bard, the bandits, and even the knights. It had been a series of intense battles within Kassel.
‘Whether it’s the bandit who rules this region, the knight of the Black Lion, or a vagabond, anyone who could kill me remains a threat. No matter who the opponent, I must fight my best.’
The vagabond laughed at Kassel’s conviction.
“A pricey piece indeed. For a mere bard like you without a blade… to risk your life to snatch it away.”
Kassel asked,
“Do you know of a country called Aranthia?”
“What, you bastard? Are you belittling me? Try mentioning a country name I don’t know!”
“Then you must also know of the Wolf Knights.”
Kassel became more relaxed as he continued speaking, waiting for his numb legs to regain feeling.
“I know.”
The vagabond showed a slight hint of unease. Kassel hoped that the man was really a vagabond, and as inexperienced in bluffing as the bandits he had met yesterday. If such a man realized that his life was on the gambling table, he would usually surrender, no matter how good his hand.
“The White Wolf?”
Kassel continued to question.
“Oh, I know that. Um, why?”
“What’s the emblem of the Wolf Knights?”
The vagabond didn’t answer and instead looked around cautiously. Kassel put more force in his gaze and continued his questions.
“The emblem engraved on that sword?”
The vagabond hesitated for a moment, quickly checked the sword, and then looked back at Kassel’s face.
“The gem embedded in the blade glows even in the darkness. I’m guessing it was lost at the first tavern near the village entrance, right? Not sure though. Could have been somewhere else. Where did you find it? I’ve been looking for it all night, and now it’s in your hands.”
“A damn bard’s getting cocky…”
“I’ve shown my face to you while on a confidential mission. So, what should I do with you? I didn’t wish to cause trouble by committing murder in another country. Especially not when there’s nothing to gain from killing someone like you.”
Kassel spoke quickly, not giving the vagabond time to think or doubt.
“If I had quietly taken the sword, you would have just regretted losing the expensive item you found yesterday. But now you’ve seen me. What should I do with you? Judging by your wild temper, if I want to peacefully take my sword, I have to reveal my identity, and frankly, I don’t think you’re one to keep your mouth shut.”
Fear began to seep into the vagabond’s eyes. Kassel didn’t let his guard down. It was risky to wait for the man to get scared and obediently hand over the sword. He needed to prompt a decision before the man could decide to play crazy, stab him, and run away.
“Even so, I’d like to get that sword as smoothly as possible. Now, will you give your sword to an unnamed minstrel in shabby clothes and forget about it, or would you like to hear my name?”
The bandit lowered the sword he was holding.
“W-well… This is the sword I picked up. If, if you are truly the owner of this sword, then show me… proof…”
The bandit was still reluctant to give up the valuable sword. But it seemed he had given up on figuring out what to do with Kassel. He must have prepared what he would say next.
“Ever drew that sword?”
Kassel asked with a smile. He knew, always shown by his father, that the most frightening expression to a scared opponent was not a snarling face, but a smiling one.
“No, I have never untied this leather strap.”
“You’ve done well. It’s a sword that hasn’t been drawn from Aranthia to here, I don’t want to see it drawn by another person’s hand. But now I’m giving you permission. Draw the sword. The blade will be black.”
The bandit cautiously began to untie the leather strap.
‘What if it’s not? Will I just die at the hand of a bandit holding an expensive-looking sword?’
Kassel watched it all with a sour look. Before drawing the blade, the bandit glanced at Kassel. Kassel had only tensed his eyes to show he wasn’t nervous, but it didn’t seem that way to the thief.
Without even drawing the blade, he dropped to his knees. He held out the sword and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Please do not kill me. I will not say anything about your identity, sir.”
Kassel scratched his nose, surprised by this turn of events.
“Don’t you want to see the blade? If I’m lying, that sword is yours.”
In reality, Kassel hadn’t expected such a violent reaction.
“No. How dare I doubt you?”
“Draw it and see. Why don’t you verify now after doubting so far?”
“Forgive me. I am but a poor wanderer.”
“Draw it!”
Kassel yelled out loud.
“Please, sir. If I draw this sword, won’t you strike me with it? I understand. Please, sir. Please…”
The thief’s voice was almost tearful. Only then did Kassel take the sword that was offered.
Trying not to show any relief, Kassel spoke in a deliberately stern voice.
“Do not forget that promise. And I don’t want your blood on this sword either. Leave.”
The thief glanced back several times as he left the alleyway.
‘Don’t relax just yet. He might be watching from somewhere.’
Kassel slowly rose, stretching his cramped legs a few times. Under the assumption that he was being watched, he tried to mimic the demeanor of a knight. Despite his effort, he doubted he actually looked like one.
The vagabond was nowhere to be found when he stepped out into the alley.
‘Good. All I need to do now is find the owner of the sword!’
Kassel hurriedly ran in the direction where those three had gone earlier.
‘I’ve found an excuse to meet the White Wolves!’
It wasn’t difficult to trace the woman’s whereabouts. They had roamed the village all night, so just describing the woman’s appearance and the height of her companions was enough for everyone to know who he was referring to.
The final destination Kassel found was an inn at the outskirts of the village.
“They came to stay, but someone who seemed like a companion came and took them away.”
The innkeeper said, disgruntled.
Kassel quickly asked,
“Did they mention where they were going?”
“Towards Koholrun, maybe? I told them where they could find a carriage. Are you staying, or not?”
“I won’t be staying. But thank you.”
Kassel left and asked anyone he could find the directions to a stable. Even the stable boy quickly understood their description.
“Ah, a woman and four men?”
‘Four men? Seems like the group that was split up has regrouped.’
Kassel nodded and said,
“Yes. The woman has her hair braided back and is stunningly beautiful. Two others are very large.”
“Right, right. The other two are quite big as well, but they seem smaller because those two are so large. They just left in a carriage. Must’ve gone quite a distance by now.”
Kassel clenched his fist without realizing and asked,
“Their destination?”
“Up to Normant, they said? They mentioned stopping by at Koholrun on the way. Why, do you know them?”
“Not exactly, but they left some belongings behind.”
Kassel vaguely dodged and asked,
“When is the next carriage to Koholrun?”
“There’s one at this time tomorrow.”
“Can’t I leave now?”
“If you’re in such a hurry, you could rent an entire carriage for a gold coin. You’d have to pay the driver three silver coins separately.”
“If I take tomorrow morning’s?”
“Just three silver coins.”
“Then I’ll come tomorrow.”
Kassel gave up and left. He didn’t even have the three silver coins to afford tomorrow’s carriage.
‘Koholrun? Is it a distance that I can walk?’
Ignoring the distance, remembering the bandits from yesterday, he didn’t dare to leave the village alone.
As he was lost in thought and walking aimlessly, Kassel recognized a familiar face at the village entrance.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Both Kassel and the other person exclaimed in surprise.
It was Bellflower.
He called over the others beside him. There were three of them, and one glance at their swirling cloaks was enough to identify them. They were Rose Knights. The three Black Lion Knights lay strewn about in front of the tavern, as no one had cleared away their bodies.
“You, weren’t you with those Black Lion knights yesterday? What’s your relationship?”
The Rose Knight inquired with threatening eyes.
Kassel quickly extended his hands and replied,
“I’m just a minstrel. I did have a drink with them, but I have no relation with them whatsoever.”
“Is that so?”
The knight tilted his head, seemingly relieved of suspicion. However, Bellflower interjected.
“That man, he’s not a minstrel, my lord. He was in the same squad with me, a foot soldier of the Red Rose army. He’s lying.”
Kassel thought that this man, Bellflower, was the worst he’d met, both yesterday and today.
In the place where the Black Lion Knights fell, there were also Rose Knights. Even if a neutral minstrel took one side, it would be infuriating, but what if that person turned out to be a foot soldier of their own army? The Rose Knight approached Kassel, his face red with anger, as though he could easily kill a hundred more of Kassel’s caliber.
‘Don’t panic.’
Kassel looked at them, his short sword tucked into his belt. He then lifted a hand to his waist, scratching at his throat to hide any signs of fear or confusion.
Minding every gesture, Kassel did his best to feign bravery. He didn’t mind if he looked like a kitten puffing up its fur or a cornered rat baring its teeth at a lion.
‘Watch out, even if I look like a kitten, I’m actually a super strong lion. I am a lion. I am a lion.’
His father had once told him to react in the opposite way to the threats the opponent posed. If the opponent was a five-year-old girl swinging a nail, it would be okay to be frightened and run away. If it was a sixteen-year-old boy who didn’t know what to do and was showing off, he should be scared. But if the opponent was a commander who had led a hundred thousand troops, there was no need to be afraid.
‘Why?’
Upon Kassel’s question, his father answered naively.
‘That’s because a person of such caliber worries more about the aftermath.’
For a knight, cutting down a minstrel in a village isn’t something to worry about in terms of aftermath. But what if the person he cut down was not a minstrel but someone else? A Rose Knight? Even if he wasn’t a ‘commander leading a hundred thousand troops,’ he wouldn’t be in a position where he could kill just anyone and be at ease.
‘This is not a battlefield, but a village. It’s not a place where you can just kill a foot soldier!’
Ignoring the approaching knight, Kassel instead glared at Bellflower and asked,
“Who are you to act as if you know me?”
“Who am I, boy! I’m Bellflower.”
Bellflower bellowed threateningly.
Kassel too, matched the shout.
“Yeah? If I’m your comrade, why don’t you say my name once?”
Of course, Kassel had never told him his name. In their troop, they called each other by nicknames instead of their names, and Kassel, being so out of place, didn’t have a nickname.
Bellflower was flustered.
“You, you didn’t have a name.”
Bellflower defensively explained to the knight.
“In the troop I belonged to, we didn’t call each other by names.”
“A pathetic army. The soldiers of the Kingdom of Camort don’t even have names?”
Kassel spat out in disdain.
The knight who was advancing to strike Kassel stopped and asked,
“Then what nation’s army are you from to say such things?”
‘No one here would have encountered the Wolf Knights of Aranthia.’
Kassel was certain of this internally and answered,
“I come from Aranthia.”
“You lie!”
Bellflower shouted.
“Sir, he’s lying. That bastard is definitely the one who was swinging a spear beside me. He’s a total rookie, a rookie. He can’t even use a sword like a …”
“Rose Knights!”
Kassel interrupted loudly.
“How long are you going to listen to that fellow? I’ve been through a lot since yesterday and I don’t want to go through any more. I’m tired of fighting and I’m tired of secretly moving to Normant in this getup, so I want to say this to you first. Will you listen to my words, or his?”
Bellflower tried to retort, but one of the knights stretched out his hand to stop him, and then asked in a low tone,
“What are you trying to say?”
It felt like they had just overcome a major hurdle. At last, the Rose Knights began to worry about the aftermath.
“I look funny in this getup and that fellow seems to have mistaken me for someone who looks like me, but I’m from Aranthia, and I was trying to secretly contact the Black Lion Knights, but I failed because of you.”
“Black Lion Knights? For what purpose?”
Kassel extended the sword he was holding.
“It’s my turn to test. If you still don’t know who I am after seeing my sword, then I have no wish to prolong this conversation. You aren’t the only ones who’ve had a rough day since yesterday.”
The knight took two steps forward, examined the sword that Kassel had drawn, and cocked his head, showing the same reaction as when Kassel first found the sword in the vagabond’s belongings.
“The insignia of a wolf.”
The knight stepped back two steps and slowly lowered the sword he had raised. His voice trembled slightly.
“Why is the Wolf Knight Order in Camort? I haven’t heard such news.”
“Didn’t I say it was in secret?”
Kassel answered confidently till the end.
Finally, that knight sheathed his sword.
“If you’re here for a secret meeting, this isn’t the place to have it. I will guide you to a more fitting location.”
“Very well.”
Kassel seemed to nod in satisfaction, then realized his error.
‘Good heavens, what am I to do there?’
Bellflower looked at Kassel out of the corners of his eyes, having lost faith in his own memory. He wouldn’t have to worry anymore. But if they were to be around the vicinity, there would no doubt be many of the soldiers who lost yesterday’s battle. Among them, there could be quite a few who recognized him.
‘This is bad.’
The urgency hadn’t died down yet. Kassel hurriedly began to formulate a plan in his head on how to blend in with the knights. But he didn’t have the nerve. They were neither wanderers nor solitary.
The Rose Knights, left with spare horses due to their comrades’ deaths, offered them to Kassel. Leaving Bellflower to walk, they quickly exited the village, four of them on horseback.
The knights rode ahead in silence. Kassel felt a tad uneasy, but he didn’t open his mouth first. He thought that it would pressure them more. There shouldn’t be any last-minute danger like yesterday. There was no way he’d be lucky twice.
Upon reaching the camp, Kassel first realized he didn’t have to worry about running into familiar faces.
No matter how many people were left in the camp, all of them were dead. It seemed to have been a rear support unit cleaning up after yesterday’s debacle, so the soldiers were barely twenty, among which only five wore knight’s armors.
Three of the knights hastily circled the camp, searching for survivors. The camp was burned down, and the soldiers had died from arrows or swords.
“Is this the doing of the Black Lion Count’s army?” Kassel asked.
“I’m not sure. Something is different. It seems we were ambushed.”
The knight swallowed hard before responding.
One pulled out an arrow lodged in a corpse and said,
“Good heavens, this is our army’s arrow.”
“Our own troops attacked?”
“No. Those who stole our weapons are responsible.”
Kassel too felt afraid amidst the unnerving atmosphere.
“They stole our horses.”
“They’ve cleaned out our food and weapons as well.”
“Then it must be the work of bandits. Remember? Two days ago, our supply unit was ambushed by a group of bandits. The arrows used here, they’re all stolen.”
Lagging behind, Bellflower cried out from a distance with a scared voice,
“Knights, over here, over here…”
He rushed over but stumbled in an awkward pose. Two arrows were lodged in his back.
Shouts echoed from all directions. Sword-wielding bandits sprang from the nearby bushes, and archers who had been lying in wait beyond the hill charged forward, drawing their bows. In an instant, an armed force of about fifty men had surrounded the knights.
The knights had belatedly drawn their swords, but the arrows aimed at them were too many. Even to Kassel, who knew little about such matters, their encirclement had been swift. They seemed less like a band of bandits and more like well-trained soldiers. Amidst the silent archers awaiting orders, a man on a handsome horse approached.
“Drop your swords, knights of the Red Rose Count. Your comrades have already been killed. As you can see, you are surrounded.”
The man had neatly groomed facial hair, a broad chest, and a long scar stretching between his blue eyes, which somehow enhanced his charm. A giant sword, seemingly too heavy to lift, was strapped to his back.
“Do you understand the implications of your actions? A mere band of bandits daring to challenge an army will face dire retribution.”
The Rose Knight yelled defiantly, even in such a situation.
“Well, we’ve clashed with armies countless times, yet no retribution has come.”
The man retorted calmly.
Unyielding, the Rose Knight shouted back, “It’s only a matter of time for you, Falcon! Greydog is in our custody, hanging in some nameless village…”
“Damn it!”
Interrupting the knight’s speech, the man called Falcon spat out a curse.
“Greydog, Rough River, Black Bear! How many bloody bandits are there in this region?”
After a short cough, Falcon continued his speech.
“You’d do well not to lump me in with that riffraff. I’m not some nobleman’s army, only knowing how to spill blood, disregarding the safety of the common people. I’m not afraid of such forces. This is your last warning. Drop your weapons.”
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/jB26ePk9