Kassel sat on a chair arranged on the balcony, unable to sleep, looking up at the night sky. The stars were densely stitched into the black, deep sky, which seemed like one could fall into it and never emerge. The grand spectacle of the mountain ranges in the sky, acting like a fence due to the south-facing inn, remained unchanged even at night.
Following Sheyden’s advice that it would be better to rest here tonight before entering Nadium tomorrow morning, they ended up resting in a not-so-small village called Lurnich.
The innkeeper, upon just seeing Sheyden’s face, seemed to have prepared in advance and gave them the four best rooms on the second floor. The food was laid out on the table enough to fill their hungry stomachs in one go. Sheyden, who had slept in the carriage all the way, claimed to be tired and ate only a few pieces of meat and wine before lying down on the bed. Tanya also didn’t eat much. Jay only drank, saying he had no appetite. Kassel forced himself to eat, not wanting to waste the abundant food. And now, he was unable to sleep because of indigestion.
Stepping out onto the balcony, he heard the sound of a flute being played from downstairs. A woman with a pleasing voice sang along with the melody of the flute.
The snow-bringing sky calls the clouds
Clouds that summon the wind linger on the mountains
Clouds float in the sky
Mountains bear the sky
Kassel, captivated by the easy-to-follow, repetitive melody, unknowingly started humming along.
“Aren’t you sleeping?”
Jaymer’s voice came from above.
Kassel looked up. The roof was hidden by the eaves.
“Where are you?”
“On the roof.”
Jay responded.
Using the ladder nearby to climb up, Kassel saw Jay lying on the log-built roof, wrapped in bandages.
‘These are wounds he got while trying to protect me.’
Kassel wanted to apologize every time Jay showed even a hint of pain or difficulty, but Jay never showed even the slightest sign of suffering. Unlike Sheyden, who would have been better off sleeping and resting, Jay didn’t do that.
Kassel said.
“I thought you were a spirit sending down oracles from the sky. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Can’t sleep.”
Kassel carefully moved next to him, making sure not to slip.
He remembered the time he was on the roof of Normant Castle with Dunmel. Back then, if he slipped, Dunmel would catch him, but Jay seemed like he would just watch Kassel roll off and think, ‘Oh, he’s falling.’
Kassel carefully sat next to him. Jay was in clean pajamas, which were so ill-fitting that it was almost laughable.
‘He suits a messy look better, with all sorts of things hanging all over his body.’
Kassel, looking at Jay lying down, spoke.
“You look like you’re worried about something.”
“Worried? Oh, worried.”
Jay continued with his eyes closed.
“I was thinking about the White Wolf we met today.”
“Sheyden?”
Kassel felt a bit uneasy.
‘Is he also thinking of fighting?’
Jay nodded and said.
“He looks strong. It’s evident in his entire being. Master hides her strength well. That’s why I’ve only seen it clearly once. But that guy, even in his sleep, seems hard to approach.”
‘So he is thinking about competing.’
Kassel remained silent. Fortunately, Jay was not the type to pry or strive to keep the conversation going if it broke off. Jay always yielded the start of a conversation and was ambiguous in ending them. Then, he would suddenly start talking out of nowhere.
“It’s peaceful, isn’t it?”
Suddenly bringing up a conversation, it was often hard to find where the turning point had been. It was frequently unclear whether he was continuing a previous topic or switching to a new one. And often, he didn’t even know why he brought up certain things.
“What are you talking about?”
Kassel asked.
Jay, still lying down, shrugged his shoulders.
“They’re singing down there. The food at the inn today was also exceptional.”
The sound of the flute had stopped, but the laughter from downstairs continued.
“A country like heaven, where people sing every day, a country where no one starves… I’ve heard a lot about it. But never felt it.”
“Me neither. I’ve been on the run for quite awhile.”
“Being here, it feels peaceful.”
Someone, pleasantly drunk, shouted toward the sky and then burst into laughter, restrained by a friend. From the rooftop, they could hear everyone’s voices.
The woman’s song resumed.
Rainy sky calls the clouds
Clouds that bring the wind linger on the mountains
Clouds, oh white clouds
Come out here
Before the dark clouds gather
Clouds, come out
While the melody of the flute hadn’t changed much, the lyrics were slightly different and sounded somewhat melancholic.
Kassel, listening to the flute, said,
“I agree. It’s a peace that makes you forget the dangers outside Gold Gate. That’s why I fear this peace crumbling. The people here haven’t experienced outside invasions for a thousand years. But now, that invasion is coming.”
“Gold Gate? Even with the might of the Black Knight, it seems impenetrable. The walls are so high.”
“That’s why it’s more frightening. What kind of disaster would fall here if a force capable of overcoming such a place exists?”
Throughout the conversation, Jay, who had kept his eyes closed, now opened them.
“You create worries to worry about, don’t you?”
“Do I?”
“Aren’t you the captain of the Wolf Knights? Prepare yourself. Don’t just sigh.”
Kassel wanted to confess to Jay that he didn’t think he was fit to be a captain. Black’s voice still rang in his ears.
‘Abandon the position of captain, Kassel. You are not worthy.’
Kassel wished he could go back to that moment and shout at Black.
‘You are my enemy. Do you think you have the right to dictate the captaincy given to me by my friends?’
But even if he really could go back, Kassel knew he wouldn’t have the confidence to argue back.
Master Quain, through High Lord Talrund, indirectly conveyed that he was not fit for the captaincy. Meylumil, whom he met in Camort, told him that as the chosen of the Aranthia’s Sword, he could be at ease. However, just because one holds the royal seal doesn’t make him a king, and wearing a noble’s cloak doesn’t allow a beggar to become a noble.
Kassel had envisioned several times in his head the upcoming meeting with the Wolf Knights. But each time, he lost. In his imagination, the knights did not acknowledge him as their captain and only followed him reluctantly, pressured by Sheyden or someone else’s decision. This was the last thing Kassel wanted. That’s why he couldn’t discuss these worries with Sheyden.
Kassel tried to broach the subject with Jay, hoping for a completely different perspective from a completely different person.
“Jaymer, you said you could survive seeing the Fangs of the White Wolf, right? Can you repeat that after seeing Sheyden?”
“Yes!”
There was no hesitation or show-off in Jay’s eyes. He genuinely believed he could do it. That was his confidence.
“I wish I could wield a sword as well as you.”
Kassel, casting aside his vulnerable desire to be comforted, only said that.
Jay laughed in disbelief.
“You’re really funny. I’ve been thinking about it all the way here. So, what I mean is, that’s what I think of you.”
Jay started to stammer again and then, seeming to feel offended, clammed up.
‘Why does he repeat what he already said?’
Kassel hugged his knees and spoke in a dejected voice, his head bowed low.
“What’s wrong with admitting envy?”
“Ah, right. You asked for an interesting story, didn’t you? I had prepared this one, but…”
Jay began a context-less story.
“It was something a damn noble who hired me once said… So, this guy said to me, ‘A hunter might spend his whole life killing but can’t kill even a hundred people, but with a single command, I can kill ten thousand.’ Hmm, now that I think about it, he said it more… I don’t know, more annoyingly than that.”
Jay pointed at Kassel with his finger.
“From what I see, you could do that. I can kill one person at a time as I please, but someone like you can kill ten thousand at once. So, what I mean is… not that you’re like that annoying noble, but that you’re a good, no, a well-spoken…”
Jay, as usual, couldn’t conclude his initial point when his words became too lengthy. He folded his hands and sighed.
“Talking like this, it seems like I’m insulting you.”
“I got what you were trying to say.”
“It wasn’t meant to be an insult.”
“I know.”
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. You said it wasn’t meant as an insult.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Then don’t apologize.”
“The story wasn’t interesting either.”
“You should start with what that noble asked you to do, then we can judge if it’s interesting or not.”
“Should I? Should I do it again?”
“No need.”
“Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.”
Kassel, staring intently at the village scenery, continued in a still melancholic voice.
“And Jaymer, if a noble says something like that again, you should reply, ‘Even if you can kill ten thousand, one of those that I can kill might just be you standing in front of me!'”
Jay chewed over Kassel’s words and then exhaled sharply, ‘Huh!’ as if he had uncovered a grand secret of life, his mouth slightly agape.
‘It seems he regrets not being able to go back to that moment.’
To Kassel, seeing Jaymer, otherwise cold and fearsome to others, flustered felt like a privilege.
Jay, like the White Wolves, was not good with words, but unlike them, he didn’t know how to cover it up with laughter or jokes. For some reason, Kassel found more comfort in Jay’s actions than in his words.
“You two always talk about killing people with swords.”
Startled by the figure of a woman standing at the edge of the roof, her clothes fluttering, Kassel nearly slid down two tiles of the log-built roof. If Jay hadn’t caught him, he would have rolled off the second floor, landing on the head of the woman singing below.
“Master Tanya! Why are you on the roof in the middle of the night?”
Kassel asked, calming his racing heart. Tanya’s appearance was mystical, standing there with her white skirt resembling pajamas, her black hair mixed with strands of white fluttering in the wind. The round, blue beads on her chest reflected the moonlight, casting an enigmatic charm on her otherwise not-so-pretty face. Her bare feet, surely touching the roof, seemed slightly aloft due to the wind-whipped hem of her dress.
‘Wow, she’s beautiful! Is it because she’s a sorceress? She seems not of this world.’
Kassel gazed, entranced, at Tanya against the backdrop of the night sky.
The woman’s singing intensified the air of mystery.
Thunder strikes, dark clouds gather
Where have you gone, white clouds?
With the black clouds approaching
Where has everyone gone, leaving me here?
If you don’t come out now, what will become of me?
Even though he felt it was irreverent to have such thoughts about a sorceress, Kassel thought,
‘I wish she would just keep standing there!’
Tanya turned to Kassel with a cold gaze.
‘Uh, did she notice?’
Tanya asked,
“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask. With you two up here above my room, I can’t get any sleep. And the conversation seemed too precious to just overhear. Captain Wolf, may I come closer?”
“Why not? But it’s not befitting a knight to invite a lady onto a log-built roof like this. Shall we go down?”
“This place is fine. I don’t like enclosed spaces. And I only asked if I could approach because you seemed afraid. If you don’t want, we can end the conversation here.”
It was true. Even now, finding her beautiful, Kassel was a bit scared of Tanya.
“No, that’s not it.”
Kassel belatedly stood up and offered his hand.
“Don’t misunderstand. As a child, my father told me all sorts of eerie tales about witches, so whenever I meet a female sorcerer, those scary memories come to mind first. I apologize for the discourtesy.”
“I do look like an evil witch, don’t I?”
Tanya approached Kassel’s side as she spoke. Though her words suggested otherwise, her expression was unfazed.
‘She must be numb to being treated like a wicked witch. I shouldn’t do that. I feel like I’ve already started to a bit…’
Kassel shook his head and replied,
“Not at all. Being evil is about the atmosphere, not the appearance. I see nothing of the sort in you, Sorceress.”
“Do you understand what it means to be evil?”
“You might find it presumptuous, but I believe I’ve experienced evil firsthand.”
“Is that so?”
Tanya stood beside Kassel, smiling emotionlessly.
‘A sorceress is laughing beside me. Right, I’m with a sorceress. A sorceress from Lutia! It took me this long to realize it! A sorceress from Lutia is standing right beside me!’
Unconsciously, Kassel’s gaze at Tanya carried a smile. Tanya quickly noticed and asked,
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Oh, just happy.”
At Kassel’s response, Jay let out a snort and rose from his lying position. Tanya naturally frowned. Kassel, confused by their reactions, quickly rectified his mistake.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m just happy to meet a sorceress for the first time. I did meet one in Camort, but she was an assassin trying to kidnap me. And she wasn’t a master like you. Otherwise, they were sorcerers who wielded dark powers to raise the dead. Officially, you are the first sorceress I’ve met who doesn’t harbor ill will towards me.”
Kassel explained breathlessly.
“In Lutia, everyone with a talent for magic is taught. What the students who learned magic and graduated from Lutia do with it on the continent is their own choice. However, if magic is directly used for crime, a roaming sorcerer like myself steps in.”
“I see. Anyway, I’m glad to finally introduce myself. I’ve been wanting to greet you and talk to you ever since we set off, and now I finally have the chance. Please, have a seat.”
“I’m more comfortable standing.”
“Then I’ll sit. I’m afraid of falling if I stand.”
Kassel awkwardly sat down next to Jay again. Jay looked displeased, glaring at Tanya, but she paid him no attention.
“Do you have something to say about me? It seemed like you were talking about swords, master Tanya.”
“You can drop the title ‘Master.’ Otherwise, I’ll have to keep calling you ‘Captain’ too.”
“Alright, Tanya.”
Kassel was still smiling broadly. Jay muttered under his breath, ‘He really likes this.’ Tanya let out a short breath and said,
“A sword can kill one person, but a single word can kill thousands, even tens of thousands. However, a sword can also save lives. You seem to overlook that part.”
“Save lives with a sword? That’s just wordplay.”
Jay abruptly interjected.
“You’re a hunter who knows only of killing swords, so you’d respond like that. I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to Kassel.”
Tanya continued in her even tone.
“Kassel, you said you experienced evil firsthand in Camort. I believe you’ve encountered both the sword that kills and the sword that saves.”
“What’s going on?”
Jay stood up abruptly. Kassel, afraid of falling off the roof, stayed seated and waved his hands.
“Wait, both of you. Let me speak. Jaymer, sit down.”
Jay grumbled and plopped down, but he seemed ready to stand up again at any moment.
Tanya maintained her indifferent attitude regardless of Jay’s behavior. Kassel glanced at both sides and said,
“I’m not sure what a life-saving sword is. As you can see, I have no talent in swordsmanship. But recently, I did end up stabbing and killing someone.”
Jay showed great interest. Tanya listened intently.
“After that experience, I realized once again. I can’t take lives with a sword. But how would I know how to save lives with one?”
Kassel deliberately spoke slowly, signaling both to remain calm.
“I think I understand what it means to kill with words. The concept of killing ten thousand with a single word, as Jaymer mentioned, I learned chillingly in Camort. But how to save ten thousand with a single word? I don’t know. Sometimes with lies, sometimes with sincerity, sometimes by fumbling, I’ve just managed to survive, nothing more.”
“Why answer so seriously to such a trivial question?”
Jay seemed annoyed, but Tanya nodded and replied earnestly.
“Sheyden always gave ambiguous answers when asked about you. But he was firm in saying you lacked nothing to be a captain. Hearing your thoughts now, I understand Sheyden’s heart a bit.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s why I say this. I’ve never seen a great knight like Sheyden before. For someone who has earned such faith from him to doubt his own worth as a captain is pitiful.”
“Hey! Are you pretending to comfort while actually mocking him? Get lost. We’re talking here. Kassel and I are having a conversation, not you.”
Jay narrowed his eyes.
“Even if you’re a sorceress, right now you’re within two steps of me.”
Tanya looked down at Jay with cold eyes, as if she could freeze his heart on the spot.
“Are you threatening a sorceress of Lutia?”
“I don’t care! Where the hell is Lutia stuck on the map!”
Jay stood up, towering a head taller than Kassel. But in terms of intimidating presence, Tanya was not outdone. Kassel, still seated, stretched his arms out to both sides.
“Stop it. I’m the one with a problem to ponder, so why are you two fighting? Sit down, Jaymer!”
“Am I a dog?”
“Dog or not, just sit down.”
“Don’t order me around.”
“I will this time.”
Kassel snapped. Jay clenched his teeth and glared at Tanya.
“I’m tolerating this for Kassel’s sake.”
“Why bother? Kassel isn’t even your captain.”
Tanya just had to have the last word.
As Jay was about to stand up again, Kassel firmly pushed him back down by the shoulder.
“Sit down, Tanya.”
“As I said before, I prefer standing…”
“It’s hard to look up like this. I can’t talk while looking at your legs. Please sit down.”
Tanya reluctantly sat down opposite Jay, with Kassel in the middle. Kassel looked from side to side and said,
“This is quite a remarkable situation. I’ve managed to make a genius swordsman challenging the White Wolves and the Master of Lutia sit down with just a few words… I can’t help but be proud of myself. Right, Master Tanya? Right, Jaymer?”
“That’s not a very funny joke.”
“I didn’t find it funny either!”
Both Jay and Tanya were still simmering with anger. Kassel just looked straight ahead and said,
“Both of you feel that way? Well, at least you two agree on something for the first time. I’ve accomplished that.”
The sound of the flute and singing from below still continued. Strangely, the woman’s voice seemed clearer, and the flute’s sound grew fainter.
A little wolf strays from the pack
Bringing dark clouds with it
Not knowing when the rain will come
Where is the little wolf to protect me?
Come and see me
If you don’t come out now, I will leave
Kassel abruptly stood up. The song stopped, and so did the flute. Applause and cheers from the villagers were heard.
“Is that how the song usually ends?”
Kassel asked, but Tanya shook her head.
“I don’t recognize the song.”
Neither did Jay. Kassel went downstairs.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to meet the person who sang that song.”
Jay and Tanya looked at each other and then followed Kassel down the roof.
☆ ☆ ☆
By the time they reached the bottom, most of the villagers who had been listening to the song had left. Only the innkeeper and a few drunken men remained, and they too were starting to leave. Kassel opened the door and looked around.
Jaymer and Tanya had already descended.
Kassel had used the ladder, climbed through the window, opened the door, ran down the corridor, descended the stairs, crossed the lobby, and opened the front door of the inn while Jay and Tanya had simply jumped down from the second floor. Kassel glared at them, panting heavily. They seemed oblivious to why he was looking at them that way.
Kassel surveyed the area around the inn.
He spotted a man and a woman walking away from the village.
“Are those two the ones who were singing and playing the flute?”
Kassel pointed at the departing pair and asked the innkeeper.
“The flute was played by my brother here, but the woman leaving now did sing the song.”
“Do you know her?”
“She was a stranger. Just showed up and asked to sing one song. It was a familiar tune, but the lyrics were different. We let her sing as long as she wanted because it was interesting. And strangely, we couldn’t refuse.”
The innkeeper explained kindly, then suddenly snapped out of a trance.
“Wait, why were we loitering here? We need to get back to work!”
Kassel chased after the two figures.
The man was quite tall, and the woman walking beside him was also fairly tall. Her hair cascaded down past her waist. The man was dressed neatly in high-quality attire, while the woman was relatively dressed down in simple pants and a shirt. With one hand in her pocket, her casual stroll seemed like nothing more than a midnight walk.
Kassel suddenly felt uneasy and looked back. Fortunately, Jay was following him, but Tanya was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Tanya?”
“Why that woman?”
“She was down to the first floor with us.”
“I don’t know. While you were talking to the innkeeper, she went back inside. Was I supposed to ask her why?”
“Not necessarily, but… why are you so irritable towards Master Tanya?”
“That woman looked down on both of us. Didn’t you notice?”
“Looked down?”
“Why else would she interrupt our conversation in the middle of the night?”
“Maybe she was just lonely.”
“A sorceress?”
“Does being a sorceress make her different?”
The White Wolves also liked to chat in bed before sleeping. Opportunities for such conversations weren’t frequent, given their circumstances.
“I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like to talk before sleeping. Ah, but that’s not the point right now.”
Kassel quickly resumed his brisk pace following the pair. He called out to the woman ahead.
“Wait, please. I have a question for you.”
The woman with long hair stopped and turned around. Even in the darkness, her long, lustrous hair nearly obscured her face, revealing only her nose and eyes.
She was taller than Kassel but shorter than Jay. The gap in her worn shirt revealed a glimpse of her white neck, and her short shirt inadequately covered her slender, pale waistline. Below the ill-fitting shorts, her ankles were visible, and surprisingly, she was barefoot. She looked like a poor woman who had stolen her younger brother’s clothes and run away, but she didn’t seem shabby at all. It almost seemed like she deliberately chose such attire to flaunt her figure.
Brushing one side of her hair behind her ear, her face became visible. The faint light seeping out from the inn or nearby houses was not enough to fully discern her features, but Kassel was sure she was smiling. Each of her movements was sharp, yet to Kassel, they appeared graceful and leisurely.
Loyal once said that everything seems to move slowly right before a life-threatening duel, where a single attack could be fatal. Sheyden mentioned that there are moments of intense concentration, not necessarily dangerous ones, like when one meets their first love, making everything around seem slower.
Kassel was experiencing that slowing down of everything around him as Loyal had described. Whether it was due to heightened concentration or some spell that clouded his mind, it was hard to tell. The feeling wasn’t unpleasant, but there was an underlying anxiety that it might be due to some sort of hypnotic effect.
‘Why did Master Tanya follow us down to the first floor only to suddenly turn back?’
If she had no intention of following, she wouldn’t have come down in the first place. That meant Tanya had realized the true identity of these two and decided not to follow. This thought only heightened Kassel’s fear.
‘It can’t be dangerous.’
If it were dangerous, Tanya would have followed him to protect him, or if she felt inadequate alone, she would have woken up Sheyden, who was still asleep. But she had only retreated.
‘A sorceress of Lutia, an entity feared and revered throughout the continent, who is apprehensive of this pair, yet not dangerous…’
Nearly all sorcerers in the world learn their magic at Lutia. Regardless of nationality, age, or race, Lutia bestows magic upon those with talent. Once they leave Lutia, their nationalities divide them, and the purpose of their magic diverges. Lutia does not intervene in these matters, deeming that mediocre sorcerers using magic for trivial things are not dangerous.
Even the White Wolves, whom Kassel had always considered unbeatable, feared the Master of Lutia. And now, one of Lutia’s sorceress had retreated in fear of these two.
‘Who in the world could it be?’
The woman spoke to the approaching Kassel.
“Hello. What do you want, kid?”
Her voice was thin yet deep, feminine yet robust. It was a mix of a wise old woman’s voice, full of life’s hardships, and the simple voice of a young girl confessing her first love.
“Did you… call for me?”
Kassel asked, his face flushed with excitement. She extended her white hand. Kassel was transfixed, like a frog under a snake’s gaze.
“Step back, Kassel,” Jay shouted.
Jay, who had unnoticedly drawn a dagger, pushed Kassel away and stood in his place. The woman, looking at the dagger only a hand’s breadth from her, showed no fear. She simply brushed her long brown hair aside with the same hand.
“An unpleasant woman. Who are you? Reveal your identity.”
Jay, who had been observing from behind, was now visibly terrified.
Jay had never wavered, not even when facing Billy and Suvel, or when he was a wreck battling Black. But now, he had lost his composure at the mere gesture of a seemingly harmless woman.
The tall man beside her had his hand on the hilt of a sword at his waist. Jay pointed his dagger at him, crouching ready.
“Jaymer…”
Kassel called, but Jay didn’t hear him.
Despite the slight chill in the air, cold sweat trickled down Jay’s cheeks. His eyes were wide, his breath stopped. Seeing Jay in such a state of intense fear, Kassel suddenly became scared himself. Neither the woman nor the man beside her had made any threatening moves. Yet, Jay was experiencing a terror that Kassel couldn’t perceive, rendering him unable to intervene.
“Stop it,” she commanded the man beside her. The man who had his hand on the sword let his arms drop to his sides.
Jay stumbled backward a few steps before collapsing. His expelled breath was hot.
“Run, Kassel!”
Jay’s wide eyes urged him. The two stood expressionless, simply watching Kassel and Jay. They wouldn’t pursue if they ran, but Kassel shook his head.
“It’s okay, Jaymer. It’s okay.”
Kassel calmed Jay down, then approached the woman, placed his hand over his heart, and bowed his head.
“My real name is Kassel Noi, and I am on my way to Nadium to meet the Queen of Aranthia. If you would kindly tell me your name, I will show you the respect I know.”
“You are thinking of the right person.”
She answered without hesitation, and Kassel swallowed, tensing for a different reason than Jay.
“The King of Camort told me that the person I seek is a blonde woman. But, my lady, you are…”
She leaned in slightly to meet Kassel’s gaze. Just then, the moon emerged from behind the clouds, revealing her face clearly for the first time. She smiled with lips curved as gently as a crescent moon.
“What color does my hair appear to you?”
Her hair reflected the moonlight, shining white. Then it glowed golden, turned dark, and again became brown. Kassel, captivated by the changing hues, was rendered speechless.
“Do not be blinded by what you see.”
She walked slowly into the darkness, and Kassel followed. The tall man with the sword at his side did not follow, but his gaze lingered on Kassel. His eyes were kind yet left a lasting, intense impression after just a brief glance.
She stood by a small pond. The wind-caused ripples gently lapped against the shore, echoing quietly across the empty field beyond the village.
“Is the child doing well?”
She asked.
“The child?”
Kassel echoed.
“The King of Camort.”
“Ah.”
‘I should never mention this encounter to King Charles. He would never dream that the Queen refers to him as a child.’
Kassel nodded and said,
“He wishes to see you again.”
“I too wish to see that child again. Has he grown much?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know the King from before, so it’s not for me to judge.”
“Has there been no growth while you were there?”
Somehow, her question felt sharp.
“He’s learned… to stand on his own.”
Kassel answered cautiously.
“Your answers are always so guarded.”
She laughed.
“I’m always unsure about my answers.”
Kassel admitted honestly.
“You are frank.”
It felt like having a conversation with one’s heart wide open. Normally, being hit on the sore spot would make the conversation uncomfortable, but this time it was infinitely comfortable.
The wind blew, tossing her long hair that fell below her waist. She reached out towards the wind, touching the air as if she could see the breeze.
Even in broad daylight, it would have been difficult to see her face more clearly than at that moment.
Dressed as if she had just returned from fieldwork, she wore no ornate jewelry. The smile in her eyes as she looked at Kassel was filled with unbearable affection. The laughter visible in her eyes and closed lips was beautiful yet frightening. The idea that a person could be so captivated by another was terrifying.
‘If she asked me to jump into this pond and die right now, could I refuse?’
Jay had felt such terror upon meeting her, instinctively rejecting any interaction.
‘I should have run away too. Like Tanya, like Jaymer.’
Kassel regretted it, yet he couldn’t help but voice his concern.
“Do I deserve to be called a Wolf?”
She tilted her head and asked,
“Are you afraid?”
“Yes.”
“Of whom?”
“The fifty or so Wolves who may not accept me as their captain.”
“Are you afraid they might kill you?”
“Their refusal to accept me is more frightening than them drawing their swords against me.”
Her laughter, which seemed impossible to come from her, burst forth. It was as hearty as a lumberjack’s after a good drink in a tavern. After hearing such laughter, Kassel realized he could no longer gauge her age by her face or voice.
“Have I taken the wrong path, coming to meet the captain of the Wolf Knights with such anticipation? Is this small child before me truly the captain?”
She reached out and gently caressed Kassel’s cheek. He felt an irresistible pull towards her, even though she hadn’t physically grasped him.
“How can you, who have earned the recognition of five White Wolves, be afraid of the other fifty Wolves? No, I am mistaken. You aren’t afraid of them but of the delusions in your own heart. You already accept yourself as a captain and trust the decision of the White Wolves who made you one, but your knowledge, reason, and experience are denying it.”
She slowly backed away. She had been unhurried, both initially and now, simply appearing close at one moment and distancing herself the next. She said,
“Shall we walk?”
Kassel walked alongside her by the pond.
“Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“There’s a knight in black armor. He did not acknowledge me as a captain. He came to tear down the Gold Gate. But to call him an enemy would be an understatement, for he was too outstanding and noble a knight. Such a man directly told me that I was not fit to be a captain. His words made me lose confidence.”
“Can you imagine an eagle competing with a chicken that cannot fly? A great knight does not discuss knighthood with someone unworthy of it. Moreover, why would he bother to tell someone who is not a captain that they aren’t one?”
Kassel paused, taken aback by her words.
“Do you accept yourself as a captain?”
Her words carried a hint of reprimand.
“What if I deny you? If Master Wolf rejects you as Captain Wolf, what will you do? Will you deny the wishes of your friends and follow theirs?”
“No!”
Kassel spoke resolutely.
“Then what are you afraid of? Were you this scared when you first made friends with the White Wolves?”
She laughed. It was neither as mystical nor as terrifying as before.
Kassel thought back to when the White Wolves first offered him the captaincy after he had appeared with the sacred sword. It was a decision for survival, burdening and frightening, but also a moment gloriously worth dying for.
Friend.
‘Ah, that’s right.’
Kassel laughed helplessly, realizing the problem he had been pondering for days had been resolved far too easily.
“I understand, Your Majesty…”
“Wait!”
As Kassel was about to kneel, she waved her hand, suddenly flustered like a next-door sister.
“Get up, get up. We can’t officially be acquainted.”
“Why, why?”
Kassel asked, confused.
Her bright smile vanished, and she giggled mischievously, like a man struck by a cunning thought.
“Ever accidentally read the end of a novel or watched a play you’ve already seen? When that happens, I pretend I don’t know the most interesting part. Our meeting is like turning to the last page of a book too soon. So, we must continue pretending not to know, right?”
“That’s a good idea.”
Kassel smiled. A brilliant idea struck him.
“Then I’ll enter Nadium without using the Wolf surname. I’ll meet the Wolf Knights without them knowing who I am.”
“I won’t ask why you’re thinking that. It’s probably another part of the story’s later pages.”
She slowly approached and kissed Kassel on the cheek.
“Today’s meeting was enjoyable. But meeting tomorrow will be just as delightful. Because even if we meet tomorrow, it will be as if we are meeting for the first time. Right?”
“So, we’ll have two first meetings. I like that!”
She gazed at Kassel’s face for a long time, examining it closely.
“But looking at you reminds me of a young man who bypassed the Wolf Knights years ago to find me. He said it would be easier to fly in the sky on a dragon than to meet me, so I challenged him to come here on a dragon. Then he made a bet, saying if he did, I should bless him to meet his soulmate right away.”
She tilted her head, looking into Kassel’s eyes.
“He wasn’t as timid as you. Nor as polite. But he resembled you. Anyway, it was interesting, so I accepted his challenge. About a year later, a dragon landed in my garden. It was a joy to see a dragon after such a long time. It was Buharol, the dragon guarding the knights of Carnelock. But there was no one on it. Instead, Buharol handed me a letter, saying it was from his friend. It was a short letter.”
Kassel asked excitedly.
“What did it say?”
“It said that my blessing had already worked, and he found his soulmate in Carnelock. Funny, right? A blessing? I didn’t do anything.”
For some reason, at that moment, the image of his father chasing a mouse with a pickaxe suddenly came to mind.
“Was the man’s name…?”
“Now, it’s time to leave.”
She, with her long hair flowing down her back, returned to where she and Jay first met. A middle-aged man who had been protecting Jay and her was waiting there.
“Let’s go.”
The man simply nodded at her command and joined her side. She turned to Kassel and said,
“Then, let’s look forward to our ‘first meeting’ again.”
Kassel watched the two disappear into the darkness, then suddenly grabbed Jay’s shoulder and asked.
“Aah, that man! Did you talk to him?”
“Just asked two things.”
Jay said with an unpleasant look.
“Where he learned his swordsmanship, and if he had ever learned from Irine.”
“And?”
“You know the answer. But who is he, that man?”
Kassel regretted not being able to greet him, so overwhelmed by her presence that he missed a significant meeting. But as she said, this meeting was unofficial.
‘He’s probably delaying the greeting for the joy of the future.’
Lost in his own thrill, Kassel didn’t respond to Jay’s question.
“Damn, who is he? Am I not the only one who doesn’t know?”
Jay was angry.
“Yeah. You’re the only one who doesn’t know.”
“Huh?”
“But you, have you tried that ‘few steps fight’?”
“A few steps fight?”
Jay, finding the expression interesting, chewed it over and then explained.
“How should I explain it? Master Irine’s sword distance was… back and forth.”
“Back and forth? As in free movement?”
“Yeah, free movement. From ten steps to one, at will. The man named Black had no sword distance.”
“Invisible?”
“Right. Both seemed beyond me.”
“And that man?”
“That guy… as soon as he put his hand on the sword, the sword distance became zero.”
“Zero?”
“Zero. Three, two, one, zero. Like that zero.”
“Hmm, I don’t quite get it?”
“It means I was as good as stabbed without him even drawing his sword.”
Jay spoke angrily. Kassel thought he was angry at him, but it wasn’t. Jay continued excitedly.
“So the moment he put his hand on the sword, we both were as good as dead, that’s what it means!”
“How is that possible?”
“How? That’s what I want to ask.”
Jay breathed heavily in excitement.
‘Jaymer probably isn’t someone who gets easily excited like this. He’s usually more cold, ruthless, less talkative, and an intimidating hunter who’s hard to approach.’
Kassel vividly remembered how Jay had first faced Suvel and Billy.
‘But in front of me, he loses his composure, gets angry, and panics. Whether it’s my doing, or there’s another reason, I don’t know, but I prefer this side of him. I wish he’d keep flustering like this.’
Kassel thought to himself with a smile.
Jay, having calmed himself down, asked.
“Are you really not going to tell? Who is that man, after all?”
“A person whose loss shouldn’t hurt your pride.”
“Are you going to keep talking in circles?”
“Sorry. I just don’t have the time to think about anything else right now. I’ll explain later.”
“Why is it so hard to just say a few names?”
Kassel entered the inn, and Jay didn’t follow. He seemed quite upset, kicking at the ground and yelling at the night sky.
Master Tanya was waiting in front of the room.
“I’m sorry, Kassel. I had to leave suddenly.”
“No, it’s okay. I figured you had your reasons.”
“I didn’t think it was the right person to meet today. And certainly, they didn’t come to see me. I postponed the meeting until tomorrow.”
“I also postponed mine until tomorrow.”
Tanya tilted her head.
“Weren’t you just meeting them?”
“It’s a long story. Shall we go in and talk rather than standing here?”
Kassel suggested, opening the door.
“Well… No.”
Tanya almost unconsciously agreed but quickly stopped herself.
“It’s late tonight. It would be better to get some rest for tomorrow.”
“Oh, I apologize. How impolite of me to invite a lady to my room at this late hour!”
“That’s not it. It’s you, Captain, who should rest.”
“I’m fine, though…”
“It’s not that I mind…”
They both spoke at the same time and then stopped simultaneously. A slight gap arose as each deferred the decision to the other, quickly becoming awkward.
“Then, have a good rest. We’ll have another chance to talk tomorrow.”
Tanya was the first to say goodbye and left.
“Oh, yes.”
Kassel couldn’t say anything else to the departing Tanya. Normally, he could have smoothly ended the conversation with promises of future talks or expressing regret to make tomorrow’s conversation more enjoyable. But right now, he couldn’t do that.
He consoled himself that it was the excitement of meeting the magician, but the worry that Tanya might dislike him overshadowed everything. Meeting the Queen of Aranthia hadn’t helped boost his confidence as much as he’d hoped.
–TL Notes–
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