It had happened about a month ago.
Master Quain had summoned all the White Wolves. Loyal sensed he would be tasked with something disagreeable.
“You all need to pay a visit to Camort.”
Quain had spoken abruptly, standing before his office window that caught the sun well. He had been waiting there, hand on his hip, until everyone had gathered.
“Why?”
Gerald, too, shrank back, his animal instincts alert. Azwin had already half-stepped towards the door, ready to bolt. Quain turned from the window, surveying everyone with a grin. It was a smile that said he had expected these reactions.
“An emissary from Camort has arrived. Apparently, two Counts are waging war despite the king’s disapproval. It’s a struggle for supremacy between the two rapidly growing Counts, exploiting the king’s weakened position after the death of the Duke of Sheffield, the royal protectorate. Regrettably, the king can’t even order them to cease the war. One needs power to quell such disturbances. It’s a secret mission, so fewer people would be better, wouldn’t it? Her Majesty specifically chose you all. Go and return.”
Quain spoke unilaterally.
Azwin asked, her nerves apparent.
“What are we supposed to do there? Is this, by any chance, a deployment?”
“Does it seem like that?”
Quain pretended not to understand the term ‘deployment.’
Azwin crossed her arms, turning her head like a petulant child.
“The Wolf Knights are a group dedicated to protecting the queen and defending Aranthia. I reject going as reinforcements to another country.”
Sheyden also interjected in a serious tone.
“Aren’t the Wolf Knights supposed to stay out of other countries’ power struggles? We didn’t get involved in the continental war ten years ago, either. Getting mixed up in a battle between two nobles of another country wouldn’t look good.”
For once, even Gerald joined in on the logic debate.
“If they want reinforcements, why not mobilize the entire Wolf Knights? We’ll stay here and guard.”
“That’s a better idea!”
Azwin readily agreed, as long as she wasn’t going.
“You all don’t want to go that badly?”
Quain asked gently, as if speaking to a child reluctant to take their medicine.
Loyal resisted strongly too.
“Yes! I don’t want to go.”
“You see? If Loyal doesn’t want to, it’s settled. Nobody can break his stubbornness unless the Heaven’s Mountains turn upside down!”
Azwin almost wore a smile of victory.
Quain responded with a gentle nod.
“Well, I can’t turn the Heaven’s Mountains upside down.”
As if an old grandmother was taking a treasured jar of honey from a shelf, Quain pulled down the sacred sword of Aranthia hanging on the wall and offered it to Azwin.
“The order given through this sword is as good as one given by Her Majesty herself. I appoint Azwin as the captain, and order you to follow the emissary from Camort and depart through the White Gate immediately tomorrow.”
Both Azwin and Gerald exclaimed at the same time.
“That’s dirty!”
“Who’s the one who put me in this dirty situation? And let’s see… what’s the punishment for disobedience to an order issued through the sacred sword?”
Unable to refute Quain’s smiling face, they could only twitch their eyebrows.
Sheyden spoke up.
“We all know that disobedience leads to expulsion. I don’t understand why you’d invoke the dust-covered sacred sword over such a trivial matter, Master…”
“I polish it daily, there’s no dust. What do you take me for?”
Quain refuted.
“…Anyway, I don’t understand. If this mission really is a deployment or reinforcement, it’s an extremely dangerous order.”
“I’m not sure how it’s dangerous, so I can’t explain that part. So, to clear your doubts, let me pass on the words of Her Majesty.”
Quain cleared his throat, then spoke softly.
“Go have fun, all five of you.”
“Where’s Her Majesty? I’m going to confront her directly. I’m going to lose it today! I’ll grab Her Majesty by the collar and drop her into the field! Where are you, Your Majesty?”
Azwin cried out loudly.
“I don’t know. She asked not to be disturbed and disappeared three days ago. It happens sometimes, doesn’t it? Now, take this. My arm is getting tired.”
Quain offered the sacred sword again.
“When will you start preparing to depart, Captain Azwin?”
Azwin spoke hesitantly, her face deep in thought.
“Alright. I give up, Master. I will go to Camort. But it’s too harsh to make me the captain.”
“Hmm, really? I thought Azwin would be perfect. Then who will do it?”
As Quain pointed his sword toward Gerald, Gerald involuntarily stroked his chin with a serious look.
“It’s a bit much to entrust someone as irresponsible as me. But when will we depart, Captain Azwin?”
“Do you want me to show you your own guts with that very sword?”
Azwin snapped back and then quickly clung to Quain, acting spoiled.
“Listen, Master. It’s an undeniable fact that I am the strongest and have the best leadership among the White Wolves. However, shouldn’t a reliable and broad-shouldered man like Sheyden take on the role of captain? You’ve always favored Sheyden, saying ‘Our Shey, our pretty Shey’. Don’t you think so, Captain Sheyden?”
“Then, will ‘our Shey’ become the captain?”
When Quain extended the sword, Sheyden stepped back.
“Being called ‘Captain’ by Captain Azwin, even if for a moment, will be considered the highest honor in my life. However, if we are to properly manage affairs in Camort, I believe Gerald, the most experienced warrior among us, would be most suitable. There’s no one like Captain Gerald among us…”
As Sheyden directed his gaze at Gerald, Gerald shivered in betrayal.
Quain once again offered the sword to Gerald.
“You?”
“I refuse.”
When Gerald responded, Quain nodded his head.
“Will you take it?”
Quain dropped the sword. Seeing the sword of Aranthia fall before him, Gerald instinctively reached out to catch it and ended up looking quite pitiful.
Quain spoke.
“This is the last time. Gerald, you decide the captain. Either take the responsibility yourself or entrust it to the other four.”
Gerald looked round-eyed at Azwin again. Azwin narrowed her eyes. As if to say, see, I warned you. Sheyden slowly shook his head. When Gerald looked at Dunmel, Dunmel was looking elsewhere as if he hadn’t heard anything.
Only Loyal was glaring at Quain with rebellious eyes.
“I’m sorry, Loyal.”
Gerald offered the sword to Loyal.
“Considering the one-on-one skills, Loyal is undeniably the best and perfectly fit to be a captain, right?”
Gerald added an explanation.
Loyal didn’t refuse and took the sword, drawing it immediately. Everyone was surprised.
“I will follow your command, Master. But I made it clear I don’t want to go.”
“Of course.”
“I will not bear any responsibility for this.”
“Naturally.”
“If regrettable incidents occur due to this decision, I will not care.”
“You guys have never disappointed me before. So…”
Quain gently patted Loyal’s shoulder, like a loving father.
“It’s okay if you disappoint me this once.”
The following day, as planned, the five departed from Nadium and crossed the White Gate.
“Doesn’t the phrase ‘it’s okay if you disappoint me’ kind of weigh on you?”
Azwin looked back at Nadium with a worried face. From a distance, a tall woman next to the White Gate was seen waving her hand.
“Wow, the Queen has come to see us off.”
Gerald waved back dumbly, but Azwin kept fussing nervously with her arms crossed.
“See her appearing now after avoiding responsibility and hiding? Is she consumed by guilt and trying to apologize?”
Sheyden, with keen sight, squinted and observed before speaking.
“No, she seems to be enjoying it.”
“We were bothersome. So she’s happy that we’re going.”
Gerald suggested a fairly plausible theory. The ambassador from Camort, who was standing next to them, was surprised to hear such a conversation between the legendary White Wolves.
The journey was somewhat enjoyable until they crossed the Aranthia border with the ambassador from Camort. After all, it had been a while since they had gone out. However, things started to go wrong when they were suddenly attacked by masked assassins after crossing the hill on a carriage.
After the skirmish had ended, the envoy from Camort, who had been oddly hiding in the carriage, was found dead from an arrow wound. They had been too overwhelmed by the large number of foes to protect him.
“What do we do now?”
Azwin looked down at the dead envoy from Camort with a worried face and asked. Everyone turned their gaze to Loyal. Loyal asked back, seemingly confused.
“What?”
“Because you’re the captain, it’s your decision,” Azwin replied.
“Oh, is that so? What should we do then?” Loyal asked.
Azwin lost her temper, “You idiot, I asked you first.”
After some thought, Loyal suggested, “Should we turn back? We lost our guide after all.”
“We can’t.”
Gerald strongly objected, “It’s clear that someone sent these assassins to prevent us from reaching Camort. If we turn back now, we’re doing exactly what they want.”
Sheyden agreed, “I think so too. We should keep moving.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Loyal went with everyone’s opinions. Whenever something happened, they would all ask for the captain’s opinion. Therefore, Loyal gave his opinion. But it wasn’t accepted. This cycle repeated itself.
Usually, Loyal refrained from giving his opinions even when decisions had to be made. But after becoming captain, he consciously put forth his opinions more often, only to be rejected each time. Loyal became increasingly depressed. When he even lost his sword in a village, he lost all confidence. Everyone knew about Loyal’s troubles, but there was no improvement in the situation even if someone else took over the captain’s role.
Loyal couldn’t lead his friends, nor could he give orders. He hadn’t realized it at the time, but he wondered if his decision to help the wine merchant was a form of escape from responsibility.
‘I ran away. If I hadn’t met the wine merchant, I would have deserted.’
Loyal couldn’t believe that he had lost his precious sword. Throughout his mercenary life, even after becoming a Wolf Knight and living a somewhat comfortable life, he had never lost his sword.
Not even once!
Even when he was a mercenary, he carried three swords as a contingency against one breaking, yet he never lost any of them. His hand always reached for his sword first, even if he woke up unexpectedly. It couldn’t have been stolen either. Loyal had never been pickpocketed, even in the most crowded marketplaces. Rather, he could deter pickpockets.
Sheyden tried to comfort him by saying, ‘It was just fate that you lost it,’ but it wasn’t much of a consolation.
Therefore, if he found his precious sword again, if someone else offered to take over as captain, he thought he would be so happy that he might even dance. But even though both things happened, he wasn’t particularly happy. Seeing Captain Kassel at the party, he even became angry, treating him as if he were the thief who had stolen his sword.
‘Why did I do that?’
Loyal couldn’t understand his own feelings.
☆ ☆ ☆
“My father must have offered you a knighthood, correct?”
The territory of Count Johnstein was Denmoju, two days away from Normant by horse. Because they had traveled such a long distance in the carriage without rest, both Anna and Latilda had tired expressions.
Latilda was the first to speak after almost a day of silence, “He invited you to join the Twelve Thorns?”
“Yes, he did.”
“The Thorns? He holds you in high esteem. You may not know how much experience and accomplishments one needs to enter the Thorns. It’s quite surprising that a knight who has only been here for two days is offered the highest position in the Rose Knights, even if it is a radical move for him.”
“The existence of the Thorns is indeed impressive, even in Normant…”
Loyal stopped there. He didn’t want to dredge up the painful memory of Dalmar’s death. However, Latilda continued in her dry voice, as if it was nothing.
“Have you seen them? I’ve never heard of the Twelve Thorns losing in a battle they participated in. They always secured overwhelming victories. Despite going through many battlefields, none of them were injured. Have you seen them fight the Black Lion Knights in Normant? Was there even one among them who was hurt? Even Dalmar, who was wounded, was a veteran who survived many battlefields. But he’s dead now.”
The conversation abruptly stopped. Loyal waited for Latilda to continue speaking. However, she turned and spoke only to Anna sitting beside her.
“Tired?”
“I’m fine.”
Anna replied, swallowing hard. It was difficult to withstand the shaking of the carriage, but she was trying her best not to show it.
“You always say that.”
Latilda poked her head out of the carriage and called to one of the Thorns’ knights escorting them.
“Kravzic, come here for a moment.”
Latilda turned her head back inside the carriage window and finished the statement she had been making to Loyal.
“They are not immune to blades, it not like they don’t bleed if they get scratched. I’ve seen them get hurt during their practice matches. But in battle, they are so strong that you could say they have no equal. That’s why my father is confident about this war.”
“Did you call for me, Miss?”
A knight named Kravzic approached. He carried a sword so massive on his back that it was almost intimidating.
“Where is my father? I haven’t seen him since this morning.”
“The Count has hurried ahead with the other knights of the Thorns.”
“Is there urgent business?”
“The declaration of war. He needs to return to his fiefdom to prepare the army.”
Kravzic responded coldly.
“I see, he must be in a hurry. But we are not. We need to rest for a bit.”
“I’m afraid we can’t, Miss. We are already behind. Please wait until lunchtime at the earliest. Any further delay would be troublesome.”
“Troublesome to whom? I have no pressing matters. Are you all in a hurry? Then you should go ahead. I have my own escorts.”
Latilda raised her voice and gave the coachman an order.
“Halt the carriage!”
The carriage stopped. Kravzic momentarily furrowed his brows, but immediately returned to his emotionless expression.
The only one who caught his subtle change was Loyal. Their eyes met as Latilda, supporting Anna, climbed down from the carriage. The two stared at each other, locked in a firm gaze. Soon, Kravzic gave the marching troops an order.
“We will rest for a while. Unpack the luggage and prepare food.”
Exhausted from two days of forced marching, the soldiers let out sighs that replaced cheers. They had been on the move since the previous night and had not eaten anything since breakfast. Even in heavy armor, the only person who seemed full of energy was Kravzic.
The dismounted soldiers fetched water, started cooking soup, and took out meat to grill. There was no rush, but their hands moved swiftly. Seeing this, Loyal asked Latilda.
“Should I go and help?”
“No!”
Latilda’s response was short and sharp. She apologized after a moment.
“Sorry. I’ve been on edge. I’m angry with my father for not considering us. Anyway, you don’t have to do any of that. You are ‘my knight’. Don’t do anything that others tell you to do if it’s not related to me. I know you’re kind, but just do as I say now.”
“Okay, I will do as you say. Is Anna okay?”
Latilda was about to answer on her behalf, but Anna forced herself to speak.
“I’m okay. I’m not even used to the slow-moving carriage, let alone the fast-moving one.”
“And it shakes too. I, who ride horses often, can hardly stand it. Can you imagine how she feels?”
Loyal pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat beading on her forehead, but Anna stiffly took the handkerchief from him.
“Thank you.”
She declined his offer with words of thanks. Loyal smiled and let go of the handkerchief. Anna wiped the sweat off her forehead herself.
The carriage had stopped in a place surrounded by distant mountains and a stream flowed nearby. It wasn’t chosen for its scenery, but it was an ideal place to rest.
Anna was initially very reluctant, but in the end, she couldn’t resist Latilda’s persistent persuasion and lay down on the grassy hillside. She’d only planned to rest until she felt better, but she succumbed to the warm sunshine and fresh grass smell and fell asleep.
Loyal and Latilda sat down a bit away from Anna to rest.
“She’s quite a girl, isn’t she? She wasn’t like this when she was young, but now she has more pride than me.”
Latilda stretched languidly as she spoke while seated.
“There’s something I’ve been curious about, Loyal.”
“Me too.”
“I’ll ask first. You refused the proposal of the White Wolves and my father’s proposal… How could you easily refuse all those temptations?”
“As for the proposal to join, I didn’t say I refused.”
“Did you just say that someone who refused the Wolf Knights’ proposal would join there? That can’t be right?”
‘No matter what I say, it’s like deceiving Latilda. I can’t say anything.’
Latilda inquired persistently.
“What kind of confidence do you have that you don’t sell yourself?”
He couldn’t answer again, but fortunately, she found the answer herself.
“If you were driven by honor or reward, you wouldn’t have stayed with me from the start. You must have your own circumstances. Forget about my question. What’s your question?”
“Why do you hate the Twelve Thorns so much?”
“You didn’t answer, so I won’t either. Fair, right?”
Latilda responded with a smirk, as if in revenge. It wasn’t a question that Loyal had expected a lot from, so he ended the conversation there.
The magic of the gently shining sun took over Latilda as well. Combined with the sound of the trickling stream, Latilda started to nod off and laid her head on Loyal’s shoulder.
“Can I ask something else?”
Loyal asked.
“Maybe. I won’t answer any more questions about Thorns or my father.”
“It’s something else.”
“Then let’s hear it.”
Thinking of Kassel whom he met at the royal party, Loyal spoke.
“As you can see, I’m a guy who doesn’t have any talents outside of swordsmanship. I’m not being pessimistic or self-loathing. I’ve never been uncomfortable with this before. My friends didn’t demand much from me either. But when I saw someone else who has what I lack, I felt small.”
“Who is that person? You’re talking like it’s a recent event.”
“It’s complicated to explain.”
“Keep going.”
Latilda said in a drowsy voice, showing interest. She still wasn’t trying to sleep, perhaps fearing nightmares.
“I saw someone doing what I wanted to do but couldn’t. I thought I’d be happy if someone could do what I couldn’t. But that wasn’t the case.”
“Seeing that person made you angry, right?”
“Embarrassingly, yes. I was angry. Even if I went back, it’s something I can’t do well and don’t want to go back to, but I was furious to see that person in my place. I hated that person, detested them… yes.”
Leaning on Loyal’s shoulder, Latilda chuckled.
“It sounds like jealousy.”
“Je, jealousy? Me?”
“Yes. You’re jealous right now. Seeing someone doing what you can’t do. So what do you want to ask?”
Loyal hesitated for a moment.
“I wanted to ask about that. Why I’m behaving like this.”
Loyal concluded with a deflated chuckle.
“So it was jealousy, huh?”
“Eh? That’s it?”
“Yes. That’s it.”
“Hmm, but when did the event you just talked about happen?”
“There will be an opportunity to tell you soon. In detail. Without hiding anything.”
Latilda gave a faint smile.
“I hope that moment comes soon. I want to know a lot about you, Loyal.”
“I feel the same way.”
Latilda closed her eyes.
“Since I gave you an answer, can I borrow your leg as a reward?”
Without waiting for a reply, she pulled Loyal’s leg and laid her head on it. She had always been worried about nightmares and couldn’t sleep, but now she fell asleep comfortably.
‘So it was jealousy. Well, I’ve never experienced this kind of situation before.’
Loyal was well aware of his severe lack in experience relating to emotions and interpersonal relationships. He quickly felt awkward when meeting other people and wanted to escape. Only the Wolf Knights accepted his peculiar temperament. After leaving the Wolf Knights, Latilda was the first person to accept him…
When Anna and Latilda were deeply asleep, breathing softly, the soldiers finished their meal. The sound of hasty preparations for departure reached his ears. Loyal was conflicted on whether to wake them or let them sleep. Just then, the sound of footsteps on grass caught his attention. Kravzic was approaching. For reasons unknown, he stood uncomfortably close behind Loyal.
“Do not stand behind me.”
Loyal removed his hand from Latilda’s lightly resting shoulder and reached for the sword at his side. Kravzic did not step back.
“Captain Linke gathered all the thorns and said this: never touch Loyal.”
“What does that mean?”
Kravzic walked around the side of Latilda, who was lying asleep, and squatted down in front of Loyal. His formidable stance, with a massive double-edged sword cradled in his arms, was alarming enough to make Latilda scream if she opened her eyes.
He briefly surveyed the soldiers who were dismantling the barracks.
“Perhaps it means not to mess with a future Thorn, and a bodyguard of Miss Latilda, arbitrarily. That’s quite challenging for me.”
Kravzic said, his eyes cold.
Loyal decided to drop the formalities as well.
“What is challenging?”
“I want to spar.”
“That’s the second time you’ve said that. I remember you mentioning it by Linke’s side.”
“So, what’s your answer?”
“I don’t want to.”
“I thought so. But it’s really strange.”
Kravzic asked, with a cold smile matching his captain’s.
“Why am I so fired up when I see you?”
“Are you asking me that now?”
“No, I’m not asking. Just thinking out loud. I better leave before the young lady wakes up. But I wonder…”
Kravzic scratched his nose and trailed off.
“If I try to cut you down from this position, could you stop me?”
The horrifying intent to kill was so overwhelming that, if Latilda hadn’t been laying down with her knee bent, she would’ve sprung up and drawn her sword. Loyal instinctively adopted a fighting stance. To an outside observer, nothing had changed. However, his opponent must have noticed because he moved his hand to the handle of the sword he was cradling.
With his usual impassive tone, Loyal responded.
“With a sword that heavy, it would be hard to stop you without waking Latilda.”
Kravzic glared at him for a moment before getting up.
“Let’s not test that.”
Loyal was so angered by his comment that he nearly shouted, “Just try it!” He wouldn’t have been fazed by such a provocation if he were alone, but with Latilda there, it was unbearable.
From not far away, the sound of a massive army on the move could be heard. Even through the hazy dust, the Red Rose flag was distinctly visible. Kravzic slung his massive sword over his shoulder and spoke.
“The rear guard has arrived. Wake the lady. We must move again.”
“Given she’s sleeping for the first time in two days, couldn’t we wait a bit longer?”
“Then carry her in the carriage, do as you please. But if we don’t start moving now, it will be really troublesome, so it’s best to hurry.”
“You never say ‘please’, do you?”
“I’m just like that.”
With a swift turn, Kravzic left. Only after he’d taken about ten steps away did Loyal release his grip on his sword.
The following rear guard paused momentarily, and the commander of the unit rode up to speak with Kravzic. All the while, Kravzic was glaring at Loyal.
‘That gaze feels familiar. It has to be considered that Latilda is unique. People around me always tend to be wary, afraid, or like Count Johnstein, trying to employ me.’
–TL Notes–
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