Black had just tested him for something at the wagon. And Kassel felt as though he’d failed that test.
‘I’ll be swept away if things continue like this. I need to do something.’
He quickly thought of what to do, but he wasn’t confident.
Looking back, he saw Billy and his group, who were some distance behind the wagon, approaching. Upon seeing the halted wagon and Kassel, Billy looked puzzled. Greenwood was following closely behind Billy.
He had never stolen anything before, nor done anything remotely similar. Just the thought of doing it made his heart feel like it would jump out of his chest. The Red Gate was not far away, and there was no time. He couldn’t afford to hesitate.
Kassel approached Billy. Billy, standing still, asked without any particular reaction,
“What is it?”
While Billy seemed slightly taken aback by Kassel’s direct approach, thinking Kassel wasn’t a threat with his bare hands, Kassel wasn’t heading towards Billy but Greenwood.
“What’s up?”
Greenwood grimaced as Kassel suddenly approached.
“Nothing much… Just take this punch.”
Kassel ruthlessly punched Greenwood’s face, then climbed atop him to land a few more blows. While he wasn’t particularly skilled in fighting, his body, accustomed to farm work, wasn’t completely frail. Greenwood struggled, but couldn’t easily get up. However, no matter how much an inexperienced fighter hit from above, they couldn’t suppress a seasoned fighter for long.
From the ground, Greenwood swung a fist, striking Kassel’s face. The two tumbled around, ending up in a puddle filled with rainwater. Those who enjoyed watching fights didn’t try to stop it, only cheering. Greenwood soon had the upper hand, pummeling Kassel while cursing.
“You little… Where do you think you’re swinging that fist? Huh? Want to die, punk?”
In a flash, Greenwood drew a dagger. Billy, rushing from behind, stopped him.
“Enough.”
“But this bastard started it…”
Greenwood made a few excuses, but withdrew at Billy’s angry glare. Billy extended a hand to Kassel, now covered in mud.
“I won’t ask why you did that. I never thought you’d try to solve things this way.”
Kassel, refusing the help, got up on his own. In his hand was the pouch of money that should’ve been inside Greenwood’s bag, which is why he couldn’t take Billy’s hand.
He wasn’t confident in stealing. But he was confident in acting like he hadn’t after the deed was done.
“It feels good. So refreshing!”
Kassel spat with a flair and headed towards the wagon, then walked briskly ahead. The wagon driven by Suvel soon passed him by.
“Such childish revenge, want me to teach you how to backstab?”
Suvel laughed mockingly. Kassel spat out a blood-mixed saliva. Seeing it, he genuinely felt better. Black was facing Kassel with his helmet but didn’t say a word.
‘Done. No one noticed. It seems Black did, but he won’t say anything.’
The Red Gate approached. Kassel, touching his swollen face, stared into the distance with cold eyes. Billy sat next to Suvel and asked,
“How’s your face?”
Kassel, fearing that his theft had been discovered and lacking a good excuse, simply turned his head away, acting like a child who’d done something on a whim.
Billy asked Suvel,
“How’s your shoulder? The place Barol cut. Didn’t look like you were treating it.”
“It hasn’t healed yet, but it’s not something I worry about every day.”
“Don’t ignore a blade wound.”
“Do you think I can’t handle even that?”
“I know at least two guys who talked like you and then died.”
“You brat!”
“What would’ve happened if you kept fighting Barol? If Black hadn’t intervened.”
“Why ask now? Think I was going to lose? Don’t joke. Even if he didn’t give a real fight at the start and held back, it was just his arrogance. I almost had him.”
Kassel listened to their conversation, puzzled.
‘Those two… they’re neither friends nor in a superior-subordinate relationship. Their dynamics are slightly off from any relationship I know.’
From their actions, Billy seemed like the superior, but Suvel never treated him as someone above. Instead, it looked more like an arrogant younger brother following a patient older brother. Yet, they weren’t close like siblings either. Kassel couldn’t make sense of the atmosphere between them.
Billy said,
“Barol attacked Black, whom we couldn’t even touch. Black must’ve been taken aback too. An attack coming from such a low position upwards! It’s a tremendous technique that you can’t imitate unless you trust in the strength of your legs and waist. If such an attack came at you, do you think you could’ve blocked it?”
“Why have you been asking this? Are you picking a fight?”
Finally, Suvel’s pride seemed injured, and he growled.
“Suvel, I rate you highly. Don’t get angry over such minor things. You should be someone who looks ahead.”
Billy calmly responded.
“Calm down and remember this. The White Gate has over fifty men like him. Do you think we can face them? I moved thinking I alone could face several Wolf Knights, but that’s not the case anymore.”
Billy pointedly gestured towards Kassel, who had been unintentionally eavesdropping. Kassel spit out his saliva once again.
‘He wants me to listen.’
Billy explicitly mentioned Kassel,
“Think about his intentions. Why would he willingly become our hostage and go to the White Gate? He firmly believes we can’t do anything just by ourselves.”
Suvel asked Kassel,
“Is that true?”
“And if it is, what will you do? If not, then what?”
Kassel deliberately spoke in a whiny voice. Billy shrugged,
“To warn you in advance, Captain Wolf! If you try to stop us at the Red Gate or the Gold Gate, a huge accident will occur. Of course, it would be difficult for just the two of us. I don’t think the ragtag group of twenty or so men over there would face an army. But think about it if Black joins in.”
Billy lightly tapped his sword.
Kassel spat out saliva mixed with blood again. He still tasted dirt in his mouth.
“That’s none of my business.”
“Is that so?”
As Billy smirked, Suvel also laughed, saying,
“Hey, don’t scare the kid too much.”
Kassel gave both of them a sidelong glance.
‘I get it now. Those two are in the process of becoming friends.’
They soon arrived at the Red Gate.
☆ ☆ ☆
The soldiers of the Red Gate were very sharp. They immediately recognized this intimidating group as potential troublemakers. They checked the list of wanted criminals and even tried to indirectly interrogate by prolonging questions. But Suvel, with his convincing act of being a mere traveler, made it impossible for them to deny their passage based on the gate’s rules.
Greenwood and the rest of the entourage behaved impeccably. While they carried weapons, these weren’t prohibited items. There was no evidence that they were criminals. As Shayden had said, the Red Gate soldiers wouldn’t stop anyone unless an army arrived, and this group was not seen as an army.
As Kassel stood anxiously, pondering these matters, a soldier approached him. He was a man with sharp brown hair and piercing eyes. He asked in a hushed voice,
“Is there anything bothering you?”
“Thank you for your concern, but no.”
Kassel responded politely. Noticing that no one was around Kassel, the soldier whispered,
“If you have something difficult to share, give a signal.”
“Why would you think that?”
Kassel said, trying to calm his racing heart.
“When you live this kind of life for a long time, you develop intuition. Those two speaking with the gatekeeper might pass as decent, but the rest are definitely criminals, aren’t they? But looking at you, from your attire to your eyes, you’re different. Despite the dirt, the clothes you’re wearing tell me you don’t belong in this group.”
The soldier stared intently at Kassel. Kassel hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.
“No, I’m just traveling with them. There’s no issue.”
The soldier still didn’t seem convinced.
“This is the Red Gate. We have a much stronger army guarding this place than you might think. Just give the word.”
“I have nothing to hide.”
Kassel swiftly turned and returned to the wagon outside where Black was seated.
“Are you trying to protect the soldiers at this gate?”
Black asked as soon as he saw Kassel.
Kassel couldn’t reply, and Black continued,
“That soldier spoke confidently, but how many in that gate can withstand the blades of Billy and Suvel? Especially with someone like me present. Your eyes are full of such worries. It seems Billy’s threats worked.”
Kassel growled,
“Suvel told me! You can hear every sound around. You just proved it again. And with you beside, what other thoughts do you think I’d harbor? I have no intention to act.”
“You’re presumptuous, Kassel.”
Kassel opened his mouth in disbelief,
“Hearing that from you is ridiculous!”
“Captain Wolf!”
Black’s voice rose in tone. Feeling as if he was about to be pushed by a halberd, Kassel recoiled. Black’s deep and thick voice echoed on the wagon floor.
“By my standards, you are not worthy of the title ‘Captain’.”
Black wasn’t just trying to taunt or mock. Before he realized it, Kassel was taking in every word of Black’s lecture. Black turned his gaze towards the gate.
“They say we can’t pass because we lack the money. Was that your doing?”
Black laughed. Like a stern master chiding a pupil’s folly, or a father laughing at his son’s mistake.
“You said if not by force, you’d find another way. But was that ‘other way’ mere thievery? Was that how you intended to halt my advance?”
The terrifying Black Lion Count, with the power of darkness, was never this menacing. The Red Rose Count, armored in red, never exerted such pressure. Kassel’s hands trembled, cold sweat trickling down the side of his face.
Black concluded,
“Relinquish the title of Captain, Kassel. You’re not worthy.”
Was this what Shayden wanted to teach? Was this what Gerald meant? Azwin had once said,
‘If we recognize you, you’ll naturally become a Captain. But Master Quain will start another test.’
Loyal’s words, seemingly casual when teaching about the sword, came to mind at that moment.
‘The Wolf Knights have a third test. Perhaps the reason I never truly became a captain is that I couldn’t pass it.’
The third test.
‘Why does it seem like Black did that just now? What does the Black Knight, who might have been resurrected from death by the devil’s power, not allowing one to become a captain have to do with this?’
Kassel trembled with a sense of despair.
“Black, I need a moment.”
Billy approached from the side of the carriage and spoke.
“That dimwitted Greenwood lost the money. This is troublesome. Just give me a little time and I’ll figure something out. Right now, Suvel is trying to make a deal on credit, but if that doesn’t work… Huh? What’s going on?”
Billy looked alternately at the terrified Kassel and Black. Black responded.
“It’s nothing. Just wait.”
Billy seemed to want to say something to Kassel, but instead, he simply turned back towards the gate. Black’s low chuckle followed.
“The delay because of what you did will probably be half a day. No, with a resourceful friend like Suvel, there’s no way he wouldn’t solve this in half a day. Soon, he’ll find a way. Then, the soldiers of the Red Gate will be fools who blindly let potentially dangerous folks from the Gold Gate pass. So, what will you do? Will you throw away that opportunity? By what right do you try to steal the honor of dying guarding the gate? It’s arrogance, Kassel. You don’t have that right.”
Black was pressing for an answer.
“What will you do, Kassel?”
‘I’m being tested.’
He was being tested by a phantom knight in the armor of Excelon, rather than by other Wolf Knights, Master Quain, or the queen of Aranthia.
“Thank you.”
Kassel approached Black and gripped the ax blade of the halberd leaning on the wagon.
“Thank you for teaching me resolve.”
His finger was cut by the sharp blade as if it had just been sharpened. With the bleeding hand, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. On it, with his bloodied finger, he wrote, ‘Do not let the criminals pass.’
“I’ll be watching.”
Black, leaving the wagon, spoke to Kassel as he walked toward the gate. Kassel quietly approached the soldier who had spoken to him and handed over the note. He made no attempt to hide it nor was he cautious. Thus, he went unnoticed.
Billy was discussing something with Suvel.
“How about selling all the goods we have?”
“Yeah, let’s do that. Start by stripping Greenwood and sell his clothes. Since he lost it. Do you think you can fulfill the position of a sergeant when you can’t even properly look after things? Just die.”
At Suvel’s words, Greenwood was panicking.
“I apologize. I’m sure I put it well in the bag, and I checked it this morning too…”
Greenwood, looking at Kassel entering the gate, shouted.
“It was him! He did it when he was scuffling with me earlier! Yes, he stole it then. Check him now…”
“Shut up.”
Billy shouted. It wasn’t a matter of doubting Kassel or not. It wasn’t something to be said when soldiers from all around the gate were watching. That’s why he stopped him.
Billy was careful. Of course, he didn’t think Kassel would report them.
The alert soldier who received Kassel’s note simply nodded his head and stepped back. Kassel, wanting to avoid getting involved in the impending events, returned to the wagon. But the alert ones weren’t only the soldiers at the gate.
Suvel rushed to Kassel and grabbed his shoulder.
“What did you give to that guard?”
Kassel ignored him.
Suvel pulled Kassel’s shoulder with force.
“Tell me!”
“I told him not to let you all pass.”
“You bastard!”
Suvel grabbed Kassel by the collar and punched his face. Kassel’s body lifted off the ground for a moment before crashing down. For a moment, he lost consciousness. Wiping his bleeding lips with his bloodied hand, Kassel spoke.
“If you don’t tell them soon, you’ll be in danger, too.”
Suvel hurriedly returned to the gate.
“We’ll settle this in a bit.”
As soon as Suvel arrived, a small commotion arose inside the gate. Amidst the faintly audible voices, one could hear a gate soldier demanding the surrender of weapons and Suvel declaring he would choose to fight over giving up his sword. Immediately, loud voices demanding a halt or dropping of weapons mingled with someone’s scream. The start of the conflict was swift.
“Those gate soldiers react faster than expected.”
Black slowly rose from his spot. The halberd he held scraped against the wagon, making a grating sound.
“Followers of mine are fighting inside, and I shouldn’t remain here. Kassel, you will witness the death of those who instigated this conflict here, and you shall be responsible for their demise.”
Kassel clenched his teeth. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
“There’s no battle without sacrifice. You want to say that, right? Yes, it’s a lesson you taught me. Thus, I will never forget this fight. I won’t look away.”
Kassel, suppressing his trembling breath, continued.
“And at the White Gate, you will have to keep our agreement.”
“Isn’t the deal something you have to keep, not me?”
“No. If you really stand in front of the White Gate, don’t forget our agreement to not enter.”
“You’re convinced I would do something sinister inside?”
“Wouldn’t you? A month ago, I witnessed monsters dressed like you slaughtering dozens. An unforgettable nightmare.”
“Fine. If I win, you’ll die too. Don’t forget that promise either.”
Black loftily raised his halberd as if preparing to strike Kassel. But soon, the end swung over his shoulder, and holding the halberd, he said,
“Those who follow me, those who fear me… I have spared those two kinds. But those who oppose me, I’ve never spared. Yet, you seem to belong to none of these categories.”
Slowly walking towards the gate, Black’s voice carried a hint of nostalgia.
“I’ve never encountered someone wanting to learn from me. Perhaps even before becoming this, there was no one.”
“You’re mistaken. I want to fight you!”
Kassel forced the words out.
Black laughed.
“Never had that either.”
He then entered the gate. Screams and shouts echoed out. Kassel clenched his fists.
Someone was shoved out of the gate. It was one of the gate soldiers. Holding a knife embedded in his abdomen, he tried to rise but fell forward, succumbing to death.
“Regret not your choice.”
Kassel wiped his tears and approached the gate, gripping the fallen soldier’s sword.
The red flag of the gate fluttered in the wind. On this ground, where dragons allegedly spilled their blood a thousand years ago, blood was being spilled once more.
“Once a choice is made, even if mistaken, move forward.”
Tears welled up, but he wiped them away.
“Act, Kassel. Do not turn away.”
Inside the gate was chaos. Countless soldiers were intertwined, swinging their swords. Among them, Black was most noticeable. Two soldiers fell simultaneously from one swing of his halberd. Even a stone pillar, upon contact with his weapon, shattered. Some soldiers fell unconscious just from the debris.
Greenwood was there too. After taking down a gate soldier, he stood on his chest, plunging his sword. He pulled out the blade with a strange laugh, the ejected blood soaking his ankles. As he looked for another opponent, his eyes met Kassel’s.
“Has Captain Wolf also joined the fray?”
He approached Kassel, brandishing his sword.
“You stole my money, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Kassel blinked slowly in response.
Greenwood glared at him.
“I knew it. My reputation is ruined because of you. You shouldn’t have existed from the start.”
“Maybe so…”
Kassel responded, his shoulders drooping as if giving up on everything.
“In this chaos, it wouldn’t be surprising if you suddenly died.”
He stood before Kassel and raised his sword. But the blade Kassel held pierced his abdomen first. Greenwood weakly lowered his drawn blade, but even with diminished strength, the blade slid across Kassel’s shoulder. The once-smiling face of Greenwood slowly contorted.
‘Just as Loyal said. Nothing is as easy as stabbing an off-guard foe.’
The impaled blade didn’t come out easily. Kassel recalled the simplest yet most aggressive technique Gerald had taught him and placed his foot on Greenwood’s stomach.
‘If done hastily, one might cut their own ankle with the extracting blade. It may seem aggressive, but it requires precision.’
Kassel, pushing with his foot, slowly pulled out the blade. It wasn’t as deeply embedded as he’d thought, coming out fairly quickly. Yet, Greenwood didn’t fall.
“You damn bastard…”
Holding his wound, Greenwood staggered back. Kassel, positioning himself with slightly parted legs, raised his sword. During his journey from Camort to here, that was all he had learned. Of course, Azwin comforted him, saying that even such basic training takes at least half a year to master a proper stance. Right now, it didn’t matter.
Kassel simply swung his sword, just as Loyal had taught him, considering his stationary opponent. At this moment, Greenwood might as well have been stationary.
The blade lodged into Greenwood’s collarbone.
Gerald was right; with Kassel’s strength, it was hard to cut through human bone.
“Aaah!”
Screaming, Greenwood pulled back. Kassel, gripping the blade’s hilt properly, lunged and struck at the retreating Greenwood’s back. He felt bone break beneath the blade, which slid off bone to rip flesh. Greenwood continued to writhe in pain, letting out a scream.
Kassel didn’t have the heart to stab him again and didn’t pursue further. After all, enduring such wounds might be even more painful.
His palm was sweaty, causing the sword to slip. He hadn’t noticed during the strike, but Kassel was so tense that he felt momentarily dizzy.
“You… you little. You followed us quietly just to do this?”
At some point, Suvel stood before him, his sword also smeared with blood. Kassel responded with a flat gaze.
“It’s my choice.”
“You’ll regret it.”
“I won’t.”
Kassel tossed his sword. Suvel deflected it. Kassel ran. If the other gate soldiers hadn’t been engaging Suvel, Kassel would have been caught immediately.
‘All gates are fundamentally the same in structure. So, there should be a second floor here too.’
Even against Black’s formidable onslaught, the gate’s soldiers didn’t back down. As one fell, another took his place. And when another perished, soldiers continued the fight, stepping over the fallen. It appeared even Billy and Suvel found it challenging to face three or more soldiers simultaneously, quickly retreating when surrounded.
Black was right. The soldiers here weren’t merely upholding their duty to defend the place. Each of them was a formidable fighter. This wasn’t the place for them to die by Black’s halberd.
Kassel ascended the stairs leading to the upper floor. With everyone fighting below, no soldier guarded above. He overturned a table inside and scattered books and straw onto it. As the second floor was constructed entirely of stone walls, there was no risk of fire spreading elsewhere.
Numerous bottles, possibly for drinking or hosting, were interspersed between books on shelves. Kassel took one, splashing its contents over the overturned table and books. He spread lamp oil around too. Discarding a vase full of water through the window, he made a mess, not distinguishing between valuables and junk. Then he scattered burning coals from the hearth over it.
At first, it seemed as if it might extinguish quickly, but soon the flames roared up. Yet, starting a fire wasn’t his primary goal. He placed soldiers’ clothing over the fire, filling the upper floor with thick, black smoke in an instant.
Kassel tied a rag soaked in oil to a broken chair leg and set it aflame. With it in hand, he descended. The fight still raged on below. But soon, the soldiers, sensing something amiss, halted their combat and looked up at the smoke starting to seep from the ceiling.
“It’s a fire.”
Someone shouted, and Billy’s subordinates were the first to flee outside the gate. The only ones who didn’t run were Billy, Suvel, Black, and the gate’s soldiers.
Since the fire started above, it took a bit of time for the smoke to descend. But it was only a matter of time. Increasingly, black smoke began to fill from the ceiling below. The soldiers, a bit frantic, started looking for water containers to douse the fire. Kassel shouted, acting as though he was a guard of the Red.
“Retreat! Given this smoke, guards from other areas will be here. Everyone, retreat now. The gate won’t burn. Retreat!”
Distracted by the black smoke, the soldiers weren’t in a clear state of mind. When someone gives a firm command in such situations, it’s customary for all to follow.
The soldiers, following Kassel’s order, fled outside the gate. Black, not attacking the fleeing soldiers, sheathed his weapon. As Billy and Suvel also lowered their swords, holding torches, they eyed the approaching Kassel with suspicion.
“Kassel, was it you?”
Billy inquired.
“Yes.”
“You little…”
As Suvel began to draw his sword, Billy stopped him.
“Enough. It’s actually for the best.”
“How is this for the best?”
“More importantly, if other guards come due to this smoke, we’ll be in trouble. We should also leave.”
Angrily, Suvel sheathed his sword and exited the gate. Following Black, Billy addressed Kassel.
“Do you think you’ll be unharmed after doing such a thing?”
“Which act? Starting the fire or alerting the gate? Thinking I wouldn’t take any action was your misconception. Besides, you never explicitly warned against doing anything.”
“True.”
There was no hint of regret on Billy’s face. He looked as if he were merely observing an expected outcome.
“From now on, I give up treating you as a valuable hostage.”
After Billy left, Kassel surveyed the darkened interior filled with smoke. Dead soldiers lay scattered everywhere. Among them, he saw a horrific corpse split in two by Black’s halberd.
“I’m sorry.”
Kassel muttered an empty apology and left the gate.
There’s no battle without sacrifice, and one shouldn’t hesitate, even in the face of poor decisions…
Yet, Kassel wasn’t sure he wouldn’t regret all this.
–TL Notes–
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