“Is this the ‘trace’ the Master spoke of?”
Having passed through the Gray Gate the day after the heavy downpour and riding almost continuously for a day, Jaymer suddenly halted his horse. He ventured off the path and after climbing a hill for a good while, he discovered several decaying bodies. Irine, finding it remarkable that Jaymer could identify a buried corpse in terrain made almost indistinguishable by rain from two days prior, looked at him with astonishment.
“How did you know? Were there footprints?”
“How could you see footprints with the ground this messed up from the rain? I found another trace. At least the remnants of over twenty people who stayed for half a day. Not many are dead though.”
Jaymer responded bluntly.
“That’s impressive. But these aren’t the traces I’m looking for. With their faces turned into a muddy mess, it’s hard to recognize them.”
After examining the bodies for a while, Irine shook her head.
“Shall we check?”
As Jaymer attempted to inspect the bodies further, Irine objected.
“Looking at their faces won’t change anything. Whoever killed these men must have been immensely strong.”
All five bodies had their throats slit. Jaymer wanted to closely inspect what weapon was used and how they were killed, but Irine was against it.
“They don’t seem to be bodies of much value.”
Jaymer didn’t particularly want to engage in a nauseating task either.
“From the looks of it, they seem to have died about three days ago.”
“That would be around the time we were ambushed by the underlings of the Hell Sword in the dead of night. Regardless, these aren’t the traces I’m looking for. Either we passed them or they haven’t come out yet.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could tell me what you’re looking for, Master.”
“I’d like to, but I might not know what it is until I see it myself.”
Though Jaymer wanted to inspect the bodies further, Irine had already mounted her horse.
“How much food do we have left?”
“Enough for a day. We’re out of bread and milk, only dry food remains. And even that’s gotten damp.”
“We’ll need to stop by a village then.”
The two began retracing their steps. As they merged back onto the main road, Jaymer spoke.
“To be honest, I partly came here with a traveler’s mindset, but I haven’t seen much. If the journey continues like this, I might only remember Aranthia for its roads. That is, if we keep on this way. I mean, I’d remember Aranthia as…”
Jaymer fumbled with his words again.
“Hmm, I’m sorry if it’s because of me.”
Irine said with a smile, pointing south.
“You can see some pretty decent views if you step off the main road. If we walk south for a day, you’ll see the Sky Mountain Range, and the large bridge we crossed earlier is over the Molbi River that runs through Aranthia. If you follow that river north, it leads to the western sea. The port there is amazing.”
“It’s not a complaint. Regrettably, it’s not that. Actually, I expected something even more challenging. I was thinking maybe I’d at least get to see some rugged landscapes or something.”
Jaymer answered hesitantly and candidly. Irine grinned.
“Once you pass the Red Gate, you’ll see the beautiful mountains of the south whether you want to or not. Anyway, when this is over, I’ll show you around. And don’t worry about rushing around with me, it’s separate from the test.”
Irine said with genuine apologetic tone.
Jaymer suddenly felt he shouldn’t have said anything.
‘I didn’t mean to make her feel bad.’
Still, he was relieved he hadn’t said, “I’d do anything with you.” So far, he wasn’t used to conversing with others, and every time he opened his mouth, his true feelings seemed to spill out.
‘Is it because it’s Irine? Or do I do this with everyone? I need to be careful.’
With Ewini, he would deliberately speak less, trying to appear more manly. But even then, she said, “I like that you’re straightforward.”
After meeting Irine, Jaymer found himself wrestling with a type of worry he hadn’t felt in years: how to converse. He had never considered the importance of being good at it, making it all the more challenging.
As daylight came, the ground dried up somewhat, but the horse still couldn’t reach its top speed. Irine was frustrated they couldn’t go faster. Then, Jay said that to go any faster, they would need a horse with wings.
The horse provided by Murphi was much better than Jay had expected. It was difficult to find a horse that could walk all day even in such adverse conditions. Irine, perhaps recognizing this, did not push the horse to its limits.
After the sun set, their forced march finally stopped in the first village they encountered. There had been a larger village before they reached this place, but Irine wanted to move even a bit further, so this was the furthest village they could reach.
Perhaps because the village was on the road, there were shops open far past the time when they would’ve been closed in other villages. Jay decided to buy necessary items and food, while Irine went ahead to secure a room at the inn.
Jay visited a bakery that only sold one type of bread and asked,
“Is this the best bread you have?”
“What’s good or bad about bread? Our bakery’s bread is the best around here.”
“Not that, I mean a more expensive, better bread. I have plenty of money.”
“In that case, buy two.”
Jay held out a gold coin. The baker was shocked.
“I don’t have change! And that’s a Carnelock gold coin. You need to exchange it.”
“I don’t know about that. Just give me all the silver coins you have then.”
For some reason, Jay felt like a bandit. The baker fumbled with his cash box and shook his head.
“That’s still far from enough.”
“Then give me more bread.”
“Even if I give you all the bread from our bakery, it’s still not enough!”
“I can’t carry that much. Then give me this and this in addition.”
Jay took a few silver coins and more bread. He decided not to take the copper coins as they were heavy. Jay began to rethink the value of a gold coin he hadn’t considered before.
‘So a single gold coin has this much value.’
Jay wanted to give Irine the best food and alcohol, and while searching for the ‘more expensive’ and ‘better’ items, he reconsidered the value of gold coins. Even when trying his best to spend money against these honest rural merchants, he couldn’t spend all the money he earned from killing the Hell Axe.
‘You were quite the guy, Trego. Sorry for underestimating you by just five steps.’
Carrying the necessary items, heading towards the inn, Jay overheard a peculiar statement,
“… so that Black Knight…”
Two people were talking, and the term “Black Knight” caught his ear. Jay momentarily tried to listen to their conversation pretending to walk slowly, but they soon moved on to another topic. In the past, he would have grabbed them by the collar and asked, ‘Repeat what you just said.’ But now, he felt unsure about interrupting others’ conversations and simply headed to the inn.
Placing his belongings on the counter, Jay spoke,
“My master should have arrived earlier and reserved a room.”
The innkeeper, as if expecting him, inquired,
“The master’s name is Irine?”
Jay nodded in confirmation.
“Room 4 on the 3rd floor.”
“… Only one room?”
“Should I give you another?”
The innkeeper asked in a tone implying that a man and a woman arriving should naturally have just one room. Jay just lowered his head. If his master didn’t even see him as a man, it didn’t matter if they had one room or one bed. Moreover, if his master had booked only one room, he had no choice but to follow.
“Oh, by the way, I overheard some talk about a Black Knight in a shop earlier. Did something happen in this village?”
Jay casually inquired while he had the chance.
“Do you not know about that Black Knight?”
The shopkeeper, who had been lethargically blinking his eyes, whether he had customers or not, asked with surprising alertness. Jay was taken aback and hastily replied,
“There must be more than one or two knights in black armor in the world, right? You’ll have to explain for me to know.”
“That’s the thing.”
It seemed the innkeeper had been itching to tell someone, as he immediately began speaking,
“It was two days ago.”
“The day it poured rain.”
“Exactly that day. About twenty travelers came and asked for all available rooms. Since it was raining and I wasn’t doing much business, I happily accommodated them. However, among that group, wasn’t there one wearing black armor? Moreover, it was a very heavy plate armor, the type you’d wear in battle. I was concerned that the upper floor might cave in. And armor in the rain? Still, I didn’t ask, not wanting to offend a guest. But when I went upstairs that night to offer them a late-night snack as a service, that Black Knight was descending.”
The innkeeper shuddered as he recalled.
“You should have seen inside that helmet. There were no eyes, no nose, no mouth, no face.”
“Was it just too dark to see?”
The innkeeper pointed towards the stairs, more precisely, at the candlelight.
“I clearly saw. That Black Knight had an empty helmet. Or should I say, filled with dark smoke? Ah, I’ve heard old stories about a headless knight, but having such a thing appear in my inn, I thought I would faint.”
“So was there any accident? Did someone die?”
“Ah, why would that be? If that happened, I would have closed my shop.”
The innkeeper responded in a light-hearted manner.
“Nothing strange happened. The Black Knight left in the rain, and two of his comrades followed him shortly after. One of them looked so pretty that I thought it was a woman, but when I saw him come back soaking wet, fetching the Black Knight, I realized he was a man.”
Feeling that the story was drifting, Jay asked again for confirmation.
“And then what?”
“They just left early in the morning. That’s all I saw.”
Seeing that Jay had no further reaction, the innkeeper continued.
“To be honest, I was so scared that night I trembled and didn’t even see the guests check out in the morning. Well, I had already received payment in advance, so it didn’t matter.”
Jay asked a few more questions, but the innkeeper knew no more.
‘I wasted time on such an unimportant story.’
Jay, having lived alone for a long time, rarely showed interest in others’ affairs. Whether a Black Knight or a ghost appeared in the village, what did it matter to him? Yet at some point, Irine’s issues had become his.
“Master, I bought bread…”
Upon opening the door, Jay’s words ceased. Irine was already asleep in bed. She had spoken of marching hard for a few more days, but evidently, the journey was tiring. Or perhaps she was conserving energy for the difficult days ahead.
Jay thought the same. When one has a premonition that significant events are afoot, it’s best to rest when one can. He quickly washed up, lay on the opposite bed, and tried to sleep.
He doubted he would fall asleep so early, but Jay quickly drifted off. He then awoke to the sound of a window opening. In the chilly dawn air, Irine gazed outside. After blinking his cold eyes a few times, he asked,
“Preparing to leave?”
“No, sleep more. It’s not time yet.”
Irine’s voice sounded dreamily kind.
“I brought bread from the innkeeper… Did you know that a Black Knight had come to this village?”
“I know. That’s why I woke up.”
Jay didn’t wonder how she knew that. Irine took a deep breath.
“I’ve really become dull. Or maybe frail.”
“Why?”
“I was foolishly lying in a village where such a sinister force had passed through.”
“Is that Black Knight a sinister force?”
“Maybe not. There’s another force. One I’ve been worried about, one I’m familiar with.”
Irine closed the window, approached Jay, and gently stroked his face.
“Sleep more. Tomorrow might be very challenging.”
Her words felt like a magical spell, weighing down Jay’s eyelids. Yet, he didn’t want to sleep leaving the awake Irine alone. With closed eyes, he asked,
“Tell me about your man. Why did he run away?”
“Why do you keep asking that?”
“I’m curious.”
It would’ve been a matter of giving up if no answer came despite the persistent urging. Fortunately, Irine responded.
“There was a big fight. I was injured, and he left me behind and ran away.”
“Shouldn’t he have stayed by the side of an injured woman?”
Irine said with a smile.
“Right. He should have. I wish he did… I sometimes think that even now. But at that time, the situation was urgent and complicated. No one else could have followed him.”
“And after following him, he didn’t come back?”
“Yes. It was cold outside… but he didn’t return. He was a man who really hated the cold. Delicate, kind, and when it’s cold, he’d completely wrap himself in blankets… Let’s stop talking about this.”
Jay silently nodded and then fell into a deep sleep till morning.
It was a chilly morning, but the weather was very clear. Compared to the previous day, the road was firm, allowing the horse to run at a reasonable speed. Half a day into their journey, Jay suddenly halted the horse. Irine immediately stopped as well.
“What is it this time?”
Irine asked with hopeful eyes.
Jay pointed to the northern outskirts.
“It looks like someone has set up camp there. It’s not unusual to light a fire in such a place, but…”
“A camp?”
“There’s gray smoke rising. Don’t you see?”
Irine squinted and concentrated for a while.
“I don’t see it. But if you say it’s there, it must be.”
“It’s not that far if we go on horseback. What do you want to do, Master?”
“Let’s go. Even if it’s a normal camp, staying in such a place might have the information I want.”
“What if the camp itself is a suspicious entity?”
“All the better.”
Irine decided without much thought but didn’t urge the horse to move.
‘Now she’s completely relying on me to lead the way. Not a bad feeling.’
Ever since the day Jay found a campsite during a downpour, Irine had confidently left all decisions about the road ahead to him.
After about half an hour, even Irine could see the gray smoke rising. The smoke soon disappeared.
“That smoke just now probably indicates food preparation. It doesn’t seem suspicious.”
Jay said.
“Why do you think so?”
“If it was a signal fire, it would have produced a thicker smoke. If they wanted to hide, they wouldn’t have lit a fire at all… Judging by the color of the smoke, umm, maybe they were boiling tea?”
Jay explained as if it was obvious.
“More and more, I realize, you’re amazing.”
Irine remarked.
“Are you mocking me?”
“I’m sincere. Honestly, I’m admiring. You find the way as if you’ve been there multiple times, even on roads you’ve never taken. It would’ve been nice to have you by my side even if you weren’t skilled in swordsmanship. You’d also be useful for warmth.”
Irine said. Jay glanced back.
“For warmth?”
“It’s nothing.”
Irine hurriedly waved her hand and pointed ahead.
“Look there. For a regular traveler’s camp, that’s quite big, don’t you think? What’s your take, Mr. Jaymer?”
“I see a flag too. Do you recognize the emblem? Hmm, there are quite a few soldiers as well. We should assess the situation a bit more before approaching. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like they’ve noticed us yet.”
Jay whispered with caution around him.
Irine, on the other hand, spoke louder.
“It’s the emblem of the High Lord of Blue Gate. It’s okay.”
“The High Lord?”
“It was a good decision to come. Remember that Murphy said the High Lord passed through three days before our arrival? We’ve caught up with that three-day distance. Thanks to you.”
“With those armed soldiers.”
Jay hesitated, and Irine tried to reassure him.
“They’re allies. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Jay was uneasy. The atmosphere felt off.
‘Wasn’t the High Lord mentioned to be one of the four most powerful figures in Aranthia, excluding the Queen? Why would such a person be here?’
When a few large tents and three carriages became visible over the hill, about ten armed guards appeared in front of them. Among them, a tall soldier with a slightly reddish-brown beard stepped forward. He greeted them politely and spoke with formality.
“Even if there’s a separate path, there must be a reason you approached this way, stranger. State your name and identity.”
Irine dismounted from her horse, placed her hand over her chest in a sign of respect, and replied.
“My name is Irine, and this is my disciple Jaymer. We intentionally came here after recognizing the High Lord’s emblem from a distance. Is there any trouble?”
“You have seen correctly. Therefore, we are not in a position to welcome outsiders.”
“I see. In fact, we came because it seemed that way. I’d like to help if there’s something we can assist with.”
“We don’t particularly need any help, lady.”
“If you mention my name to the High Lord, he might say he needs my assistance.”
Irine stood her ground.
“Very well. Wait a moment.”
The brown-bearded soldier gave an order to the other soldiers to remain on alert before retreating. Jay also dismounted. He whispered to her.
“These soldiers are highly skilled.”
“Of course, they’re the High Lord’s guards.”
“What I mean is, if things go wrong, we’ll have a tough fight on our hands.”
Jay noticed that all the soldiers had advanced to a sword’s distance of about four steps. Usually, when such a number of soldiers surrounded someone, there would be differences in the spacing between their swords due to their varying skills. However, these soldiers maintained consistent spacing. It would be challenging to fend them off if they attacked simultaneously.
A regular army in sync is stronger than an elite group that’s not in harmony. Jay inferred this in his own way. However, Irine had a different thought.
“Why are you so anxious? A well-trained army is safer than a child holding a knife. Even if things go wrong, we won’t have to fight. At most, they’ll just chase us away. You always assume everyone around wants to kill you.”
“I’m not at ease when someone with a spear stands right in front of me. Even if I appear cowardly, it doesn’t matter.”
‘Because that’s how I’ve lived,’ he wanted to add, but Irine spoke first.
“It’s more dangerous for someone like you, who appears unguarded externally but internally calculates every move. If you keep being on edge with regular soldiers, you won’t last long.”
“So, you want me to lower my sword and be respectful?”
“If you’re a knight!”
“I’m not a knight.”
“Then learn. Because you’ll become one.”
“I never said I would become a knight.”
“Did the promise to become my disciple wash away in the rain?”
“Becoming your disciple automatically means becoming a knight? You should’ve told me earlier!”
“Would you have refused if I had told you earlier? Then refuse now. I won’t hold you back.”
Jay decided to quit arguing with her and shut his mouth. The soldier who had gone to the camp returned and stood before them, bowing his head.
“The lord says he doesn’t know who you are. Even if he did, he doesn’t wish to meet you now. Please leave.”
Without hesitation, Jay turned around. Irine usually went about her business without looking back, so he assumed she’d do the same now. However, Irine rubbed the back of her head and looked around.
Jay held the horse’s reins, waiting for Irine.
“Weren’t you going to leave if they said they didn’t know you?”
After hesitating for a while, she spoke.
“By ‘bad event,’ you mean they were attacked by someone, right? Isn’t that so?”
When the soldier hesitated to respond, Irine continued as if she knew everything.
“There’s no faction within Blue Gate of Aranthia that would attack its lord. If they were attacked, it must be by outsiders. Who were they?”
The brown-bearded soldier gave Irine a peculiar look and then signaled to the line of soldiers. All ten soldiers simultaneously thrust their spears forward. Jay, having read the soldiers’ spacing in advance, drew his sword to protect Irine.
“Weren’t you saying a trained army isn’t dangerous, Master?”
Jay spoke as if he had seen this coming. The brown-bearded soldier didn’t even glance at Jay and spoke only to Irine.
“How did you find out we were attacked? Given the situation, we need to converse with our spears ready. Please understand.”
Jay wanted to dismiss this as nonsense, but Irine responded gently.
“We just arrived here. Naturally, we don’t know what happened to you. Is it a speculation? You want to know how we knew? Your actions reveal it. Why are the High Lord’s soldiers, who always converse with ease and humor, standing with such tense faces? And why does Talrund of Blue Gate, who considers having a drink with strangers the joy of life, decline guests?”
Irine grabbed Jay’s shoulder.
“Sheathe your sword, Jaymer.”
Though reluctant, Jay sheathed his sword.
“Yes, Master.”
The brown-bearded soldier, who had been carefully listening to Irine, looked somewhat startled and asked,
“Who are you?”
“Are you asking about my past position as a retired knight, or are you asking the name I gave earlier? I only know myself by the name Irine. Tell Talrund it’s heart-breaking to be forgotten. Let’s go, Jaymer.”
Irine jumped on her horse and retraced the path. Jay kept checking the soldiers with their spears, calculating the distance between their weapons.
‘Isn’t Master being too careless? How can she dodge without seeing if they throw their spears?’
Until the moment he mounted his horse, Jay was prepared for an attack. But the spacing the soldiers had maintained up to now became disarrayed when Irine turned her back. It seemed that Irine’s last words were more effective than Jay’s drawn sword.
“If there’s anything else you’d like to relay to the lord, let me know.”
The brown-bearded soldier shouted towards the departing Irine.
“No need to relay anything to a fool who can’t remember names.”
Irine responded with a cheerful laugh. Despite her words mocking their lord, the soldiers didn’t chase after her. Instead, the brown-bearded soldier and his subordinates were busy moving towards the camp.
“Weren’t you here to find something out? That’s why I suggested we approach secretly.”
“We don’t have time. Your way might work for finding paths, but when dealing with people, my way is more efficient.”
Though he didn’t want to admit it, Jay was weak to the word “efficient.”
“So, being sent away is efficient?”
“It’s better this way. Meeting a noble of the High Lord’s stature would have taken at least half an hour of formalities. This way, I can quickly get the information I need.”
“So, what did you find out?”
Jay tried to look back. Irine loudly deterred him.
“Don’t look back!”
Irine deliberately slowed her horse. Jay followed suit.
“I bet in 20-30 minutes that guy will come running back, dripping in sweat.”
Jay couldn’t understand on what basis Irine was so confident.
Irine’s prediction was wrong. It wasn’t 20-30 minutes; it was less than 5 minutes when the brown-bearded soldier came galloping back. As Irine stopped her horse, he hastily dismounted, nearly stumbling, and bowed.
“Lady Irine! The lord has summoned you. Also, please allow me the opportunity to apologize for my rudeness earlier. My name is Harler.”
“No need for apologies, Captain Harler.”
Irine spoke as if she were slightly angry, but her mouth betrayed a smile. Only Jay, who knew the situation, saw it.
“If you all acted that way, it must have been for a reason. It’s fine.”
Harler looked flustered, and Irine enjoyed it. Jay thought this was her form of revenge.
‘Did she do the same to me?’
Irine asked Harler.
“By the way, can you tell me what happened?”
“We were ambushed by unknown assailants yesterday.”
Irine’s smile faded.
“Assailants?”
Jay, recalling something, asked Harler,
“Was it by any chance Hell Sword?”
“They didn’t identify themselves by name. However, three of them were exceptionally skilled.”
Harler shivered as if he didn’t want to recall it.
Irine inquired for clarification,
“Was the High Lord on his way to Nadium?”
“He was on his way to see the Queen after a year.”
“Talrund is quite taken with Queen Sanadiel’s beauty. Even if it’s said to be a year, I believe he spent that year preparing gifts for their next meeting.”
She said it in jest, but Harler agreed,
“That’s largely true. Nadium also sent a knight from the Wolf Knights, knowing he would visit at this time.”
The mention of the Wolf Knights made Jay’s ears perk up.
Irine also expressed her surprise,
“Wait, a Wolf Knight was escorting and yet they were ambushed?”
“Yes, Barol Wolf. He’s currently injured and receiving treatment.”
“Good heavens. Who attacked? Bandits?”
“Recently, even within Grey Gate, the bandit issue has been severe. However, these weren’t your typical bandits. What’s more, their apparent leader even formally requested a duel. Judging by the vibe, he was either a knight or at least someone trained as one.”
Harler emphasized to Irine, who seemed skeptical,
“I assure you, I don’t use the term ‘skilled’ lightly. Barol Wolf wasn’t caught off guard; he fought with all his might. It was an intense battle.”
Irine preempted what he was getting at,
“So, did this Knight Barol fall during that battle?”
“No, after that duel ended, he was defeated by a knight in black armor.”
Irine furrowed her brows and looked at Jay.
Until now, the rumors about the Black Knight were that he was ‘strange and frightening but didn’t harm’. If the five bodies connected to the Black Knight were discounted as not definite, this was the first revelation of his actions.
“Was he wearing armor from Excelon?”
Irine quickly inquired.
“Excelon? Now that I think of it, it might have been.”
Harler recalled,
“There were also several soldiers ambushing nearby. I don’t know the details since Captain Wolf instructed us to prepare for these ambushes. If a large-scale battle had ensued, given that Knight Barol was defeated after the Black Knight’s appearance, it might have ended more disastrously…”
“Wait, just a moment! Did you just say Captain Wolf, Harler?”
Irine raised her voice in question.
“Yes. Ah, I forgot to mention earlier. After Barol was defeated, the situation became very dangerous. We were already surrounded, and even Talrund was directly threatened. That’s when Captain Wolf offered himself as a hostage, and the fight was defused. After capturing him, they departed without a word. The reason Lord Talrund couldn’t remember Lady Irine’s name properly was probably because he’s overly worried about the captured Captain Wolf…”
Irine, feeling overwhelmed, interrupted,
“Harler, I can’t quite grasp what you’re saying. Please explain in more detail. The information I have is quite different. If it’s Captain Wolf, I briefly heard about him passing through two gates; he was clearly with five White Wolves. So, even though his friends were with him, he was defeated?”
“No, Captain Wolf was alone.”
“Why?”
“They got separated due to some accident. He was looking for his lost comrades when he came across Talrund.”
“What kind of accident?”
“I haven’t heard about that.”
“May I try to summarize what you’ve said?”
Irine tried to speak calmly. Jay, too, found Harler’s words confusing and was trying hard to understand the situation through Irine’s summary.
“Firstly, Talrund was on his way to Nadium and unexpectedly, Captain Wolf joined him, having lost his comrades. Correct? But on the way, a group, whether bandits or not, ambushed them, and their leader confronted them. So, Barol faced off against the leader of that group in a one-on-one duel. There was no clear victor. However, a knight in black armor appeared. Barol was injured by that knight. Just as a fight was about to erupt, Captain Wolf stepped forward, offering himself as a hostage, and that settled the situation.”
Irine finished her recap and asked,
“Is that how it went?”
“That’s right.”
Irine groaned slightly, maintaining her silence, and then with an angered expression asked,
“All that aside, the Captain got captured?”
“As I mentioned before, it was impossible for our guard to face them. We were surrounded, and, given that Knight Barol was already down… He has regained stability now, but at the time, the injury Barol sustained from the Black Knight was quite severe. If he had forcibly moved at that time, Barol wouldn’t have survived. Captain Wolf chose to be a hostage to save both him and the rest of us. I apologize. I’m not good with words, so explaining further is…”
Irine’s expression grew increasingly distorted.
“Did this Captain Wolf fight to the very end?”
“No, he didn’t engage in combat. As I mentioned, the situation was…”
“He didn’t fight?”
Irine cut him off mid-sentence, her words and demeanor growing increasingly aggressive.
“Then, during Barol’s combat, what was he doing? Commanding?”
Harler recalled and replied,
“Uhm, well, he didn’t do anything.”
“While a Wolf Knight was fighting and sustaining life-threatening injuries, this so-called Captain stood idle and got captured?”
“Was this Captain Wolf by any chance unable to use a sword?”
Harler responded, “The situation was a bit… inconvenient.”
“What about the sacred sword?”
“You mean the sacred sword of Aranthia? Before he became a hostage, he entrusted it to Barol Wolf. Even though he’s currently injured, Barol refuses to let go of that sword.”
“What’s Captain Wolf’s real name?”
“They say it’s Kassel.”
Irine repeated the name, muttering to herself,
“A person bearing the title ‘Wolf’ got captured without even fighting? How can that be? I haven’t seen this person’s face, and it feels wrong to criticize him, but I’m finding it hard to trust the judgment of the juniors who appointed such a person as captain.”
Irine paused, catching her breath and calming herself down.
“Let it be. We’ll go first, Harler.”
“But Lord Talrund insisted that I bring you…”
“You said he’s on his way to Nadium? We’ll go ahead and wait. Convey to him that we can greet each other at our leisure when we meet.”
Without any further ado, Irine quickly turned and dashed off. Before leaving, Jay hastily asked Harler,
“You said the Black Knight who attacked you defeated a Wolf Knight?”
“That’s right.”
Harler nodded firmly.
Jay gave a significant smile and said,
“Then, all I have to do is take down that guy.”
By the time Harler asked what he meant, Jay was already galloping away at full speed.
–TL Notes–
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