The captain of the Lutia Vigilante Group was Koret, a man with short, red hair who stood a head taller than Loyal. He was so muscular that one might think they chose the strongest man for the leader. Standing stiffly before Loyal, he said,
“Nice to meet you. I’ve certainly heard of the reputation of the Wolf Knights of Aranthia.”
Loyal shook his firm hand, exchanging a handshake. The others nearby seemed flushed with excitement.
“We’ve all been waiting to be led by the two of you. We even saw your battle earlier today.”
Not used to such praise, Loyal felt embarrassed.
“It wasn’t such a dangerous fight with two of us there.”
Loyal tried to show humility. But this only fueled their expectations, and their disappointment was greater when he continued,
“And we can’t lead you.”
The expressions of everyone turned stiff just as Luder was about to introduce each person.
Master Luder, representing the twenty members of the Vigilante Group, asked in a low voice,
“What do you mean by that?”
Loyal, not lowering his voice, replied,
“We can’t lead. I’m usually the one following orders, and Dunmel has some tactical skill, but he’s not in a position to lead either.”
Loyal touched and then removed his lips, repeating the fact that Dunmel couldn’t speak.
“The two of us cannot be commanders.”
“But still, as knights, shouldn’t you be more skilled in this area than us?”
“Knowing something and being able to lead are entirely different.”
Koret glanced at the soldiers behind him, who had nothing to say and looked at each other. The atmosphere, which had been heated, suddenly cooled. It was like they had demoralized themselves before even fighting.
“Ah… then, would you like to tour the fortress first?”
To break the awkward silence, Koret took the lead in guiding them.
As soon as the two left the house, there was a noisy discussion inside. Hearing this, Loyal asked Dunmel using sign language,
‘Are they doubting if we’re really knights inside?’
‘From their perspective, it’s enough to cause such a misunderstanding.’
‘Did I say something weird? I was just telling the truth.’
‘It wasn’t strange, but it wasn’t impressive either.’
Koret, encouraging the soldiers on guard duty at the fortress’s watchtower with a gesture, said,
“The Mozes usually attack at night or dawn. But lately, they attack regardless of the time, so we have to be on guard all day.”
Koret diligently explained the village’s security situation. Dunmel, in the darkness, couldn’t fully understand his inaccurate lip movements. However, he could assess the situation just by looking at the parts of the fortress Koret pointed to and the positions of the soldiers holding spears.
Nothing was right.
It was fortunate that the enemies were beasts unaware of strategy, but the soldiers were equally ignorant about combat. And they only vaguely sensed danger, not feeling the urgency Dunmel perceived.
Dunmel wanted to convey this sense of urgency to them. If this place falls, Lutia will be destroyed! You all will die! But Dunmel said nothing. Telling them would only cause chaos and fear. He needed another way to communicate the crisis.
What could that be?
“To prevent the monsters from climbing up, we’ve sharpened the ends of the logs and are forming more archer units to counter large-scale attacks. We’ve also prepared stones and long spears at each watchtower for surprise attacks.”
Despite Koret’s explanation, there was no real sense of urgency. They were like people clinging to a rope about to snap, not realizing how weak it was.
Dunmel tapped the logs forming the fortress’s perimeter and asked in sign language,
‘What about preparations against fire?’
When Loyal translated, Koret shrugged.
“We sprinkle water during dry periods. Besides, this area receives a lot of rain, so there’s no need to worry.”
Luder ordered Koret to double up the logs at weaker points. Without any complaint, their work began immediately. Though their strength was limited, their eagerness to protect the town was remarkable.
Dunmel said in sign language,
‘We should stay near this fortress.’
Loyal replied in kind,
‘Why?’
‘If the monsters really attack, the soldiers won’t be able to stop them.’
‘They’ve been stopping them so far, why do we need to step in?’
‘Something’s off. Stop them? To me, it seems like the monsters are deliberately slowing their attacks. Seeing the inspection reports from inside confirms it. Like I said earlier, if someone is commanding these monsters, they could easily break through a fortress like this.’
‘Do you really think someone is commanding them?’
‘I don’t know. I hope not.’
Loyal didn’t press further.
Upon hearing that the two would stay in the Vigilante Group’s youth quarters, Luder expressed his reservations.
“No matter the situation, we can’t have esteemed guests stay in such a humble place. Stay in the tower and only join the Vigilante Group in emergencies.”
“We came here to follow your orders, but we’ll do as we please.”
Loyal was firm in his response.
Koret, hearing this, was more surprised than Luder.
“That’s impossible! There aren’t even private rooms here.”
“Aren’t there a few spare beds?”
“Those beds are for the soldiers of the Vigilante Group to use in shifts.”
“That’ll do. We’ll vacate them when the soldiers need to sleep. That’s enough for Dunmel and me.”
“No, that’s not what I mean…”
When it came to insistence, Loyal was as relentless as Azwin. Logic seldom worked on him. Eventually, Koret and Loyal agreed to use the cleanest beds by the window as their private quarters.
‘Doing as told won’t change anything.’
As the soldiers tossed and turned, unable to sleep knowing Wolf Knights were in the same room, Loyal said in sign language,
Dunmel agreed.
‘But first, we must do what we can. Let’s sleep and think more tomorrow.’
Before lying down, Loyal said one last thing in sign language,
‘Will Azwin and Gerald be safe? They’re capable, but… they were discussing how to find them in the Lutiano earlier.’
Dunmel considered responding, then just folded his hands.
‘Let’s think about that tomorrow.’
“Right.”
They both lay down on their respective beds. Dunmel stared at the dimly lit ceiling and finally fell asleep at dawn.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Is that kid the one who killed three of our assassins?”
Two people quietly conversed in front of a boy chained in iron. They were whispering, but the boy was already reading their lips.
“Yes, Master. He’s the deaf boy from the wandering troupe and seems to be mute as well.”
“How old is he?”
“He can’t talk, so there’s no point in asking. Doesn’t he look about twelve years old?”
“He does seem to be.”
“Yet, he killed three of our agents, and with a broken sword at that.”
“What was he doing in the wandering troupe?”
“How should I know? In any case, it was wrong to take on a job we weren’t asked to do.”
“They were pretending to be a wandering troupe, but were actually going from village to village setting fires and stealing anything valuable, right? And the troupe’s owner was wanted with a bounty of a hundred gold coins. That’s why they were disguising themselves as that troupe. They were even kidnapping children with their puppet shows! You didn’t object to it, did you?”
“I agreed to go along with it only to get hold of what that guy had stolen, but now three of our men are dead, Master Karlsten.”
“Shall we try making a deal with this murderer who killed three of our agents?”
“What?”
The man called Karlsten approached the boy.
“Can you understand me?”
“Didn’t you say he couldn’t understand?”
“No, look. He was staring intensely while we were talking. You understand, don’t you?”
At Karlsten’s words, the boy nodded.
“Your name?”
Karlsten asked.
The boy couldn’t respond. Karlsten unlocked the chains binding the boy’s hands.
“It’s dangerous!”
One of his subordinates cried out in alarm from behind.
“Oh, so this kid is formidable enough to threaten me?”
Karlsten chuckled. His subordinate, embarrassed for having shouted, just scratched the back of his head.
“If you can write, write your name on the ground.”
“What would a kid like that know about writing?”
“Will you shut up or leave? I’m trying to concentrate here.”
His subordinate chose to remain silent.
“Now, write your name for me.”
The boy slowly extended his finger to write.
Themar.
That was the first conversation between Karlsten and Themar.
“Hmm, nice name. How old are you?”
Twelve.
“What did you do in the troupe?”
Sword dance.
“So, you know how to use a sword. Who taught you?”
Father.
“Your father is?”
Themar stopped responding. Karlsten leisurely asked again.
“Your father? Was he one of the troupe members our agents killed?”
Themar shook his head and wrote again on the ground.
Killed by the leader. Poisoned in his drink.
“Ah, so you were working under the man who killed your father?”
For revenge.
“Oh! So the revenge you were preparing for was carried out by our agents instead. Is that why you were angry? Is that why you killed them?”
Just to survive. They tried to kill me.
Karlsten stared at Themar’s face for a long while.
“Master, an important guest will arrive soon. It’s time for you to go.”
His subordinate spoke anxiously from behind, but Karlsten, still focused on Themar, didn’t reply.
“Besides writing, how else do you communicate?”
Sign language.
“Teach it to me.”
Themar stopped writing and blinked his large eyes. His subordinate looked equally surprised.
“May I ask what you are planning, Master?”
“From now on, I’ll take charge of this boy. First, I need to learn how to communicate with him.”
“If I speak out of turn, you might stab every vital point in my body, but I can’t hold back. Are you in your right mind?”
“I am. Think about it. When I was twelve, I could barely defeat an adult with a wooden sword. But this boy, at the same age, has already killed three trained agents. Who wouldn’t want to teach him?”
“There are plenty of talented individuals lining up to learn from you, Master, enough to cross Lontamon.”
“The ones I want to teach and those who want to learn from me are entirely different.”
“But the three he killed were all our agents!”
“So, if unknown adults were coming to kill you, would you just stand there and let them?”
“If I kept my hands up and stayed still, they would have spared me.”
“That’s why I’m not teaching you.”
The man was shocked and fell silent. Karlsten continued,
“Well, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll stop, and if this kid says no, I’ll stop. Did you understand everything I said, Themar?”
Themar immediately nodded.
“Then, will you become my disciple?”
Themar did not take long to nod again in response to that question.
“Good. From now on, you are my disciple. Call me Master.”
He helped Themar to his feet.
It was a decision made by a young boy with no room to think about his future, essentially not his own decision but Karlsten’s will. However, even if asked the same question now, he would make the same decision without hesitation.
Now, as Dunmel, formerly known as Themar, and a member of the Wolf Knights under Quain’s tutelage, his thoughts hadn’t changed. His teacher was still Karlsten.
And Karlsten had tried to assassinate Queen Sanadiel but was defeated by Quain and met his death.
By the treasured blade of Aranthia, now Kassel’s sword.
☆ ☆ ☆
Sheltering from the harsh afternoon sun under the watchtower, Dunmel looked out at the Outsearch forest spreading wide like the sea.
The trees swayed without a breeze, not due to the peculiar movement of the Sky Mountains, but because of the monsters. He remembered the red dots moving on the transparent magic map at yesterday’s meeting in Lutiano. Indeed, Dunmel felt there were more monsters than what was shown on the map.
Hearing a noise, he turned to see Flora, the teacher from Kainswick he had met the previous day. She had climbed up the watchtower steps and stood there politely, like a well-educated, sheltered young lady from a mansion.
“I was startled not to find you in your room. You moved to the Vigilante Group quarters?”
There was a hint of disappointment in Flora’s voice.
Dunmel nodded, and she smiled awkwardly before pausing. Seeing Dunmel remain silent, she hesitated and then seemed to be about to leave.
Dunmel gestured to stop her.
“Yes…?”
She looked flustered. Dunmel pointed to the spot next to him, and she approached with slow, measured steps. Dunmel wrote with his finger on the railing of the watchtower.
Didn’t you have something to say?
She waved her hands vigorously.
“No, I didn’t. I just wanted to talk, but I can’t understand your sign language…”
Dunmel wrote again on the railing. Suddenly, writing like this reminded him of his first conversation with Karlsten. He realized he had hardly ever communicated this way since then.
— It’s slow, but I can express myself like this.
“That’s true. But I feel like I’m bothering you.”
— If you think so, Miss Flora, you should talk more.
Flora burst into laughter, then quickly covered her mouth.
“Sorry. But standing in front of you, I get so nervous.”
Flora fidgeted, her face red up to her ears.
‘I thought she loosened up yesterday, but it seems not.’
Dunmel had no choice but to wait for Flora to relax on her own.
Flora looked towards the forest, tucking her long, brown hair behind her ears as she caught her breath. Her modest earrings, adorned with clear gems, accentuated her simplicity.
“Actually, I have a younger brother. We live apart now, but he aspired to be a knight.”
Flora spoke to Dunmel, ensuring he could see her lips.
“He’s talented. No one in our village could match him. He’s rough in nature, fitting for a battlefield, but sadly, his talent in fighting was only good enough to handle local drunks. He always dreamed of joining the Wolf Knights. I wanted to cherish his dream, so I tried to help in various ways, but he resented me for being a sorceress. Told me to stay at home and do the dishes.”
She laughed and waved her hand dismissively.
“But he’s not a bad kid. He tried hard. However, after failing the Irophis Royal Knight’s exam three times, he lost his drive and now bakes bread, taking over the family business. That’s why I’ve always admired the royal knights. I wondered how great the knights must be to pass an exam that even someone as skilled as my brother couldn’t. And among them, the Wolf Knights are said to be the best. That’s why, when I heard you were here, I really wanted to meet and talk to you. Is my story boring?”
She spoke with a content smile but soon fell into self-reproach. Having only dealt with women like Azwin, who got angry if her stories didn’t interest others, or royal maids who hardly conversed beyond a few words, Flora’s presence was refreshing, just as Loyal had said.
— Please continue. There’s no such thing as an uninteresting story to me.
Dunmel wrote again on the railing to reassure her.
“I feel like I’m taking up your time with such trivial stories.”
Flora seemed uneasy and tried to leave again. Dunmel, bored of just staring at the forest, quickly moved his fingers, not wanting his newfound conversation partner to flee.
— If trivial stories worry you, would you tell me something important?
Flora watched Dunmel’s fingers for a while, then smiled broadly.
“You’re a kind person. You’re different from the Wolf Knights I imagined… I don’t mean that in a bad way. What should I talk about? I’ll tell you everything I know.”
— Please tell me about the fairies of the Sky Mountains.
“That’s a difficult topic. I’ve only seen them twice. We don’t call them ‘fairies’ but use their word, ‘Lemifs.'”
When saying ‘Lemifs,’ Flora made her lip movements more precise and wrote the word with her finger. She was trying to understand how to communicate with someone who couldn’t hear.
“They look slightly different from us, speak a different language, and have different customs and lifestyles, but they’re similar to humans. We sometimes exchange food or magical potions for their fabrics or livestock. We even received livestock from the Sky Mountains’ forests like ‘Bedon,’ but couldn’t tame them, leading to losses in trade.”
Flora laughed joyfully, remembering that incident.
What do Lemifs look like?
“They’re a bit taller than humans but look almost the same. They’re more slender or fragile, maybe. They have large, pointed ears as big as my palm and white, feathered wings like a bird’s on their back. Some Lemifs have drooping ears.”
Flora held her hand to the side of her head to illustrate the large ears.
“Children of the Lemifs are said to fly, but the adults can’t. The word ‘Lemif’ is what they call themselves, originally ‘Lemi Quap’ in Lemif language, meaning human. And they call humans ‘Ugeh’, which means fairy in their language.” (TL Note: They call humans ‘ìš°ê·¸’, which is ‘ugeu’, and sounds like ‘ugeh’. Also, keep in mind that ‘ìš”ì •’ means Fairy, but it’s also used to describe mythical creatures like Elves, Gnomes and other humanoid creatures.)
Dunmel showed interest, and she smiled.
“To them, Acrand is like the Sky Mountains to humans. We’re the fairies, and they are the humans. Isn’t that not incorrect?”
— Do they still come to Lutia? I’d really like to see them.
“Unfortunately, the Lemifs haven’t visited in recent months. They don’t come regularly, but around this time, we usually hear from them. Probably the Mozes are to blame. Seeing a town under such attack, wouldn’t they just turn back?”
While Dunmel enjoyed Flora’s story, a sudden disturbance caused him to turn towards the forest. Soldiers on the other watchtowers noticed too and were watching the forest. Several Mozes were loitering on the outskirts of the forest, staring at the fortress.
The Mozes started shouting in a language that Dunmel, being deaf, couldn’t tell if it was meaningful or just howls.
Having only encountered the Mozes a day ago, Dunmel quickly discerned their behavioral pattern. This was a strategy to unsettle the fortress’s guards. The inexperienced soldiers, frightened every time the Mozes appeared, reacted precisely as the Mozes wanted.
It wasn’t just the soldiers. Flora, her hands gripping the railing, turned pale. Her eyes, which had been smiling at the stories of fairies, now trembled with fear at the sight of the monsters.
Dunmel took her hand. Startled by his touch, she gasped. He nodded and wrote on the railing.
— It’s okay. I’m here with you.
The monsters continued their meaningless shouts for about half an hour before disappearing back into the forest.
Flora stood by Dunmel’s side, holding his hand, enduring her fear. She finally spoke, even though he said she could leave if scared.
“Actually, I didn’t want to come this close. When the Mozes first attacked Outsearch, I was outside teaching students. We had to be outside because it was a lesson involving explosions. That’s when the Mozes attacked.”
Flora’s grip on Dunmel’s hand tightened.
“I fought desperately to protect my students, but it was no use. Yes, as you know, the Mozes are immune to my magic and even to the masters’. Five of my students were bitten, and two of them died. And my most precious person… they died trying to save me. Just seeing the Mozes brings back that memory…”
Tears welled in Flora’s eyes, but she held them back and removed her hand from Dunmel’s. He couldn’t keep holding her hand.
“I’m sorry for showing you such an ugly side of me. And thank you.”
Flora hurriedly left the watchtower. Dunmel felt bitter, wondering if his attempt to comfort her had inadvertently caused her more distress.
☆ ☆ ☆
Loyal was giving the young members of the Vigilante Group a basic swordsmanship training session. As someone who had never learned the basics himself, Loyal’s training consisted mainly of repeating the overhead strike practice he had been teaching Kassel before coming here. Even so, it was a big help to these young lads, as there was no one here who truly knew swordsmanship.
Dunmel watched the training for a while before calling Loyal over.
“What?”
‘Teach them spear instead of sword.’
“I don’t know spearmanship.”
‘Just thrusting and swinging. That will be more effective in a short time.’
“I’m not very confident in that.”
‘When you think of spearmanship, you think of Sheyden, right? Don’t. Your spearmanship is among the top ten in the Wolf Knights. You can teach it.’
Loyal asked with a smile,
“Are you in the top five then?”
Dunmel shook his head and signed,
‘My technique is above Sheyden’s.’
“I’ll tell Sheyden that later. Anyway, I’ll switch to spears from tomorrow.”
Loyal continued in sign language, mindful of those around,
‘You know it’s not just about stopping them with spears, right?’
‘We can stop those climbing over the wall. We’ll handle the rest. You take care of the gate. I’ll handle the north side, it looks the weakest.’
‘What about the south?’
‘Pick a few of the best from here and assign them there.’
“Got it. But where are you going?”
Loyal asked aloud again.
‘To the tower. I want to see if they found those two.’
“Shouldn’t I go? It might be hard for you to communicate.”
‘It’s okay.’
Dunmel left Loyal and went to the central tower of Lutia.
The anxious eyes of the townspeople were evident. The only things showcasing Lutia as a city of magic were the sky-piercing tower and the large gem at its top, glittering in the sunlight.
Dunmel visited the office of Dethain. He was busy organizing documents. Even though Dunmel had sent a message in advance, he had to wait until nearly evening to meet him.
“Would you like some tea?”
Dethain, though haggard, spoke with vigor. Dunmel shook his head and handed over a note he had prepared for communication.
— Have you found Azwin and Gerald?
Dethain silently read the note, then spoke in a subdued voice,
“Finding those two hasn’t been easy. Even with Master Ruskin’s best efforts, the forests of the Sky Mountains are vast. It takes time. And if we divert all the power of the White Mystery there, the already weakened sacred power of Lutia might collapse.”
Dethain, visibly fatigued from lack of sleep, continued,
“I understand you’re worried about your comrades, but there’s much to handle here too. Work has piled up while I was away.”
He stopped, leaving unsaid the rest of his thoughts.
“I’ll do my best to find them. But I can’t promise more than that.”
Dunmel wanted to understand Dethain’s position, but his anxiety was growing.
Leaving Dethain’s office, it was already getting dark. Back at the quarters, Loyal was drinking beer with the young men from the training. Dunmel joined them, but the beer was so diluted he couldn’t get drunk.
Dunmel relayed Dethain’s message. Loyal spoke worriedly,
“I’m also anxious. Why am I so worried about two people who’d survive even falling off a cliff?”
‘If it had been a simple accident, I wouldn’t have worried. If I were lost and wandering, I wouldn’t want you all worrying about me. So I thought I shouldn’t worry about their disappearance either. But I’m increasingly anxious.’
Loyal finished his drink in one go and moved to a secluded corner.
The two continued their conversation in sign language, in case anyone was listening.
‘You have a bad feeling?’
Loyal asked.
‘Was their disappearance really just an accident?’
‘If it’s not an accident?’
‘I don’t know. And I don’t want to jump to conclusions either.’
‘What about the battle with the monsters? Will we continue following the strategies of these people?’
‘I’m considering it.’
‘I’ll try as far as I can…’
Seeing Loyal’s disheartened expression, Dunmel resolved more firmly. It’s time for him to take a more active role!
‘We may not be able to solve this on our own, but let’s try as far as we can.’
Exhausted, they ended their day and went to sleep late, finding empty beds. Whether they could resolve it or not, they would find out the next dawn.
–TL Notes–
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