Lemifs referred to humans as ‘Ugeh,’ meaning ‘fairy,’ and called themselves ‘Lemif’ or ‘Lemi Quap,’ which means ‘human.’ Although she had heard many stories about the Lemifs of the Sky Mountains from her mentor, Tanya had not specifically studied related subjects at Kainswick.
‘I never thought I’d regret my choice of elective courses at Kainswick now.’
Piecing together a few fragmented memories, these Lemifs were of the ‘Zvi’ tribe. Their most distinguishing features were their white faces, longer than human faces, long legs, slender builds, and white feathered wings.
In contrast, the ‘Fvoe’ tribe Lemifs traditionally had black faces, long hair, and black feathers on their wings. However, humans who had seen Fvoe Lemifs were extremely rare, so there was no document or testimony that accurately described their appearance.
Tanya had hardly encountered the Zvi tribe Lemifs, let alone the Fvoe tribe. The Zvi Lemifs who traded with Lutia were limited to a few villages, and Tanya had only observed them from a distance.
The Zvi Lemifs surrounded Tanya as they walked. They hadn’t bound her but were ready to stab her at the slightest yawn.
The intense hostility in their kind eyes puzzled Tanya. The Lemifs she had seen in Lutia were always calm and detested violence, not moving around in groups like an army.
They also disliked wearing armor or using sharp weapons. She had heard that even in wars, they preferred blunt weapons that could break bones, considering it the most cruel form of combat. They were not a tribe known for aggression to the extent of threatening with spears.
‘Something bad must have happened.’
This thought made her worry even more about Lutia.
Soon, the village of the Lemifs came into view. Unlike humans, they did not use flat, processed building materials but rather rough wooden planks as they were. There were many huts made simply by tying thick branches that had been trimmed of side branches. Many of these structures were built in trees. Though not as dense as the deep forests of the mountain range, the trees covering this area were large and thick enough that even an average branch could support a house.
The largest tree in the center of the village supported about thirty houses, with the most at the base and fewer as they went up, forming a sharp spire. The highest house was almost invisible from the ground. Tanya, looking up, turned her face away as the sunbeams pouring through the leaves dazzled her.
‘It’s already morning. The night passed without accomplishing anything.’
In the tree houses, little Lemifs hung, flapping their wings. While young, they could fly using their wings, but as they aged past fifty and became adults, their weight increased, and their wings did not grow, eventually rendering them unable to fly. When they became elderly, their wings almost regressed, leaving them with large ears as the only significant difference from humans.
By Lemif standards, fifty years old was just the threshold of adulthood. It was said they could easily live up to two hundred years, with rumors suggesting they lived as long as dragons, while others said they only lived slightly longer than humans.
The fortress made of trees and houses was enclosed by a perimeter of sharply pointed wooden spears. It was too flimsy to be called a palisade, but it was clearly a wartime setup by Lemif standards. And faintly visible were semi-transparent nets hung in areas without wooden spears. A few small birds were caught in the nets, weakly flapping their wings.
‘Are they using the nets to catch birds? I thought the Zvi Lemifs were herbivores.’
Just as she pondered this, Tanya spotted Lemifs detaching birds and other animals caught in the nets. The captured birds were either released on the spot or placed on tree branches to fly away on their own.
‘The nets weren’t for hunting then. They must be a defensive measure, like the palisade, to protect against some attack.’
The incongruity of the nets with the harmonious entrance of the village suggested they were a recent addition. Despite not knowing much about Lemifs, Tanya could tell the village was enveloped in an unusually tense atmosphere.
As Tanya ventured deeper into the village, more armed soldiers gathered around her. Cute little Lemif children floating in the air approached her, but the adults sternly stopped them. Tears welled up in the large, curious eyes of a young Lemif, resembling orbs that might pop out with just a gust of wind. An embarrassed soldier who had scolded too harshly apologized.
‘I wonder if they’d apologize to me if I showed them tears like that.’
The Lemifs led Tanya to a round hut in the center of the village. The hut’s wooden door, hung on two tall pillars, featured carvings of dragons in various poses, all seemingly threatening those who entered.
The pillars exuded a strong magical aura, strong enough that they could be carved into magic wands.
Taking these to Acrand could fetch their weight in gold. Yet, here, they were merely used as pillars.
Since her capture by the Lemifs, Tanya had plenty of opportunities to look for Kassel’s traces. She believed he might be somewhere in this village.
‘Was he captured like me? Is he imprisoned?’
Tanya entered the hut, which was more spacious and airy inside than it appeared from outside.
In the round room, elderly Lemifs sat on cushions made of straw, with guards holding spears standing behind Tanya. The oldest Lemif, hunched with almost invisible wings, spoke up.
Tanya, becoming somewhat accustomed to the Lemif language, managed to understand parts of their conversation. However, she missed the meanings of several words. She mentally translated their speech as she listened.
“Huiru lup ipt yoe gud oed.”
‘Leave this ‘lup’ and proceed with ‘gud oed.’
Another Lemif replied in surprise.
“Ked, mai hopt…”
‘But, Your Highness…’
“Tu fod worbi. Ugeh wazaiybt sipod urop doekl mu.”
‘Don’t worry. The ‘ugeh’ sorcerer won’t harm me.’
Tanya managed to catch the gist of their conversation and quietly spoke up, her rough voice filling the quiet hut.
“It’s unwise to speak so lightly of a sorcerer from Lutia, Your Highness.”
The guard who had threatened to stab her if she spoke raised his spear. Simultaneously, Tanya glared at the four guards behind her. In that instant, four spears snapped in half and fell to the ground.
The elderly Lemifs were startled, and the guards who had their spears broken immediately called for their comrades outside. But before them, a much louder voice, presumably that of the Lemif king, shouted.
“Jahpkuk!”
‘Silence!’
Both the soldiers inside the hut and those attempting to enter froze in place.
“Jai ziat pud oed ok lubu!”
‘Didn’t I command you to ‘oed’?’
The flustered guards spoke to the elderly Lemif, but Tanya couldn’t make out the muddled pronunciation of the guard. Eventually, the soldiers stepped back a few paces.
The Lemif king was short and his face was so wrinkled that its features were indiscernible. Yet, his vigor was comparable to that of the youth.
“Seems you understand Lemif language, sorceress from Lutia?”
Suddenly, the Lemif king addressed her in the language of Acrand. Tanya, taken aback for a moment, responded with a composed expression. Fortunately, her facial expression was almost fixed, making it easy to conceal her emotions.
“I can understand to some extent, but I’m not proficient in conversation.”
“Then it’s better for me to speak in the human tongue.”
The elderly king spoke Acrand’s common language almost perfectly, except for a slightly awkward accent that seemed to mix in some dialect.
After a brief pause, Tanya continued.
“I apologize for any disturbance caused. However, I wanted to indirectly show that I wasn’t captured by those guards but stood here on my own accord.”
“In such a situation, trying to prove yourself in that manner could cost you your life, Ugeh Wazaiybt.”
“I don’t see it being that difficult.”
At Tanya’s words, he burst into laughter.
“Only the Hopet of Aranthia or the Grand Master of Lutia could speak such words before me. What is your name?”
“Tanya.”
“My name is Hudintin, Hopet of Larden.”
Larden was among the Lemif nations closest to Lutia, with the most active exchanges. Thus, the Lemifs Tanya had seen long ago in Lutia were indeed from here.
Hopet, in their language, meant ‘king,’ but it carried a subtly different connotation than the human term. It more closely resembled the role of Lutia’s Grand Master. He represented, rather than ruled over, the Lemifs. He made decisions on major village matters but did not wield power.
“It’s an honor to meet you.”
Tanya bowed slightly, though unsure if such gestures were considered polite here.
“Such things are not honored here. So, why were you captured by my children?”
“Are you not aware?”
“Do you wish to prolong a conversation that could be brief? Have you not trespassed into our territory first?”
The Hopet used ‘our territory’ instead of ‘my territory.’
“It was not a trespass but rather a guidance. An important person I was escorting… no, a Ugeh was brought here. Whether captured or rescued, I’m not sure, but it’s clear his traces led here. Therefore, I must take him back.”
“Impatience seems a trait of nearly all Ugehs, Tanya. But do not hurry. If ‘Gider’ led him here, there’s a reason for his presence, not because he was dragged here.”
What was ‘Gider’ again? Tanya decided not to interrupt the flow of conversation by asking its meaning and continued.
“We cannot afford to linger here. A great danger looms over Lutia, and his power is needed there. If we delay…”
“Jahpkuk, Tanya.”
Hudintin cut her off in Lemif language then slowly extended his frail hand forward.
“Even if your power may surpass mine, this room is my domain, and as long as you are here, you must move within my time.”
The Hopet’s hand was about ten steps away from Tanya, yet she felt as if his immense hand was directly brushing over her body. It was as if a gigantic hand was cradling her head like a doll, gathering her slender legs, and immobilizing her thin arms.
“Lutia is in danger, you say? That’s something you’ll need to resolve on your own. Because Lutia is in a position to be destroyed by its own power.”
It wasn’t just a feeling. Tanya truly couldn’t move.
‘Stay calm, Tanya. It’s not that you can’t escape with all your might. So, it’s better to pretend you can’t escape.’
Lemifs were physically and mentally stronger than humans. Apart from Lutia, no country in Acrand had more than ten competent sorcerers. However, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that one in three Lemifs was a sorcerer, given their proficiency in magic. Of course, what they consider magic and what humans consider magic have different systems, so neither was completely superior to the other.
Nonetheless, among the Lemifs, the strongest sorcerer became the king, or Hopet. Yet, Tanya was not intimidated. While Lemifs might be superior on average, she was not prepared to lose in a top-level confrontation.
“What did you say just now? By Lutia’s internal power?”
Hoping Hudintin had misspoken, Tanya asked for clarification.
“Yes. And that tremendous power is trying to suppress us too. Honestly, even I have to struggle not to be overwhelmed by it. You’re right. I can’t be careless against a master from Lutia.”
She broke out in a cold sweat. Hudintin’s words were calm but not friendly.
“That power is trying to attack us along with the ‘Mozes.'”
For a moment, Hudintin’s invisible force seemed to warmly envelop Tanya. But if she so much as twitched a finger, Hudintin could easily snap her neck. If she resisted, she would have to be prepared to fight to the death against all the Lemifs in the hut.
‘It’s better to comply until I understand the situation.’
“What are ‘Mozes’?”
“Creatures that stand on two legs and possess intelligence like Ugehs or Lemifs but emerged from the primeval ponds in bizarre forms.”
“So, the monsters attacking Lutia are also attacking here in Larden?”
“Yes. And the one drawing them into Lutia is a sorcerer from Lutia.”
“That’s absurd!”
Tanya involuntarily exerted her power, and the orb around her neck floated up. She quickly regained her composure and pulled the orb back towards her chest.
Hudintin smiled at this, and Tanya read the skepticism in the Hopet’s smile. Lemifs have large eyes that easily reveal their thoughts. In fact, the Lemif language doesn’t have a word for ‘lie.’ This was one of the first things Master Golbein taught her when he introduced her to the Lemif language.
“Do you think I’m that sorcerer?”
“If you consider the level of danger we’re facing, the fact that the guards brought you here alive is due to our nature, which abhors killing.”
Tanya nodded after scanning the other elderly Lemifs who were intently watching her.
“How can I clear up this misunderstanding?”
“Understanding our situation and realizing your current predicament will make the conversation easier. First, put down that orb.”
This request was closer to asking a knight to lay down his sword and armor than asking a noblewoman to take off her dress at a party. But Tanya no longer had a choice.
Tanya removed her necklace. An invisible hand grabbed the orb attached to the necklace and brought it in front of Hudintin. He placed the orb on a white cushion in front of his feet and said,
“Look behind you.”
There stood a muscular Lemif with a width twice that of Tanya’s shoulders. Although his wings were relatively small, his solid muscles seemed impenetrable even by a sword, unparalleled to humans. He glanced at Tanya with half-closed eyes before speaking to Hudintin in Lemif language.
Hudintin then said to Tanya,
“He is Pankentin, the commander of Larden’s army. Follow him. When you return, I’ll give you back this orb, Master Tanya.”
☆ ☆ ☆
Pankentin walked ahead silently, not looking back. Tanya followed him, focusing on his broad back, then glanced around. Assuming all the forest within sight was part of Larden’s territory, this area was clearly the center. There were more Lemifs and the houses were more densely packed than elsewhere.
In a large clearing where trees were scarce, many Lemifs were armed with swords and spears, practicing archery or receiving combat training. Curious women and children sneaked up to Tanya, whispering something, but she couldn’t understand them. Most were too afraid of Pankentin to approach properly.
Pankentin led her to the only stone-built house in the village. He knocked on the door and said,
“Sinabia.”
“Kumu aipf.”
A soft woman’s voice replied from inside, and Pankentin opened the door for her. His glaring look was a silent warning.
‘Don’t try anything foolish.’
Tanya showed she was without her orb. Pankentin nodded and stepped aside, and Tanya entered.
‘They must think I can’t use magic without the orb. Let them think that. There’s no need to correct them.’
The interior was very dark, illuminated only by two oil lamps. The walls were bare, devoid of any decorations or furniture. The carpet on the floor was adorned with geometric patterns that resembled trees. At the edge of the carpet sat a Lemif woman.
Her light-colored hair, unusually long for a Zvi Lemif, cascaded down one side. The thin white garment she wore barely covered her small chest and abdomen. Her facial contours, faintly visible under the lamplight, were as smooth as porcelain.
The Lemif woman extended her hand towards Tanya and said,
“Zdipt drubu, Tanya.”
Then she continued in the common language of Acrand, with a much more accurate accent than the Hopet’s,
“Please, stand in front of me, Tanya. My name is Sinabia.”
Her voice was so enchanting that it could lure a man with its beauty alone. Tanya wished not to compare her own harsh voice, but it was hard to ignore.
“Take off your clothes.”
Tanya, doubting Sinabia had chosen her words correctly, asked,
“My clothes?”
Sinabia let out a soft laugh.
“Oh, I should have asked for permission first, shouldn’t I? Yes, you Ugehs have almost the same physical conditions and sense of modesty as we do. But don’t worry. No one can enter this room without my permission. And I cannot see in front of me.”
Sinabia brushed her hair aside to reveal her ears, tilting her head slightly towards Tanya. She continued slowly,
“I’ve gained the eyes to see the world at the expense of my ability to see in front of me. I’m not trying to look at you, but to see your past. To determine whether you pose a threat to us or not.”
“So, that’s why your Hopet sent me here.”
“He had no choice but to. My power is currently limited because Lutia’s force is suppressing me. We cut off trade with Lutia the moment we discovered this and have been trying to identify the traitor and their motives for attacking us. That’s why we have no choice but to be rude to a sorceress from Lutia like yourself.”
“I understand. To earn your trust, I must trust you first.”
Tanya slowly undressed. She thought it wouldn’t matter, but even in front of a blind person, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of shame.
“It turns out the person you came looking for underwent the same process. A very interesting past that Ugeh has.”
“Kassel too? Is he here?”
Tanya asked as she set aside her clothes.
“Yes. If you leave this room safely, you’ll be able to meet him.”
Tanya was curious about her use of ‘safely’ and asked,
“What if I turn out to be a traitor of Lutia?”
“You’ll die.”
Sinabia’s response was direct and without hesitation, contrasting with her beautiful voice and appearance. She slightly pushed her hair aside, revealing half of her face, and opened her eyes. At that moment, Tanya was dazzled as if she had seen a bright light. She staggered back and managed to regain her balance.
Sinabia had her eyes closed again.
“You have a sad past.”
“I may have complied with your request, but I hope you will keep my secrets.”
“Such ‘distant past’ matters are irrelevant to this issue. I had no intention of looking at them. I intended to see only your recent past. But your subconscious is so focused on distant memories that they showed themselves to me. I apologize. And you may consider those memories as having disappeared from me.”
Seeing Sinabia’s smiling face with her eyes closed, Tanya couldn’t help but feel angry, yet she had to swallow her feelings.
‘Kassel stood bare in front of this Lemif too? What was he thinking, what did they talk about?’
Sinabia spoke,
“Recently, you’ve encountered not one but two dark sorcerors you wouldn’t want to be close to. One in your memories is the Lord of the Undying, and the other is a sorceror from Lutia.”
“I’m not sure if the sorceror I met yesterday is from Lutia. They might not be two entities, but the same one. Different robe colors don’t mean they are different sorcerors.”
“You already know. One is a completely different being from you, and one is a sorceror of the same kind as you. If you piece together that deduction, you might be able to pinpoint exactly who it is.”
“You’re saying I already know who they are?”
“Yes. You may not know now, but you will soon. So, when you do, please inform me first. And the Lord of the Undying cannot enter the Sky Mountains, just as he couldn’t enter the White Gate.”
“I want to know more about this.”
“I learned from your memories. You know more than I do about it. I don’t have further knowledge. Find the answers. You know more than you think. Oh, and!”
Sinabia raised a finger and continued,
“The Hopet of Aranthia is quite impressive. The power seen in your memories of her is incomparable to a small being like me. It seems the saying that she’s the greatest Ugeh in the north of the Sky Mountains isn’t wrong.”
“I can’t comprehend her with my understanding. If you’ve seen her in my memories, it must already be quite distorted.”
“Every word you say about her deeply conveys your respect for her.”
Sinabia smiled broadly.
“Now, it’s done, Tanya. It’s over. You are not a traitor to Lutia, and there’s no reason for you to harm Larden. You may leave this room.”
Tanya dressed again. Although Sinabia claimed to be blind, she seemed to see everything as if her eyes were fully functional. If Sinabia had been a man, Tanya might have felt uncomfortable under such a gaze. It felt as if, like pulling out the past, she could see the present through some other power.
“Ah, Tanya. I don’t know much about the two dark sorcerors either, but I do know about the ‘non-human entity’ you met at dawn.”
Tanya paused as she was about to leave.
“The huge creature you’re talking about? The monster that spewed dark flames at me.”
Sinabia nodded. Tanya asked the question that had been bothering her all night.
“Is it… a dragon?”
“Yes. That being is…”
Tanya noticed Sinabia used an honorific when referring to the dragon.
“…one of the guardian dragons of the Fvoe tribe, ‘Guanil.’ Even though the Fvoe tribe is hostile to us, we have never involved dragons in our conflicts until now.”
“An unspoken rule, I suppose. Why was it broken?”
“Opai will explain that to you.”
“Who is Opai?”
“We call him Opu Aivm, which means ‘One Arm’ in our language. It became a nickname given by the women who admired him, and it stuck as if it were his real name. He’s a Ugeh staying in this village because of Guanil’s issue, and he’s the first answer to your question.”
The first question, who is Tuktuk? Sinabia just referred to Tuktuk as Opai.
‘The mystery isn’t solved, just more names are added.’
Tanya didn’t want the puzzle to grow any larger.
“Where is Kassel?”
“You’ll find him as soon as you leave this house.”
Tanya nodded slightly in greeting and opened the door. Stepping out, she felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Meeting two such imposing Wazaiybts in a row was more exhausting than running through the Sky Mountains all night.
‘If Kassel met these two Lemifs in a row, he must be passed out somewhere by now.’
Ordinary people couldn’t stay sane for half a day under the pressure that even a sorceror struggled to bear. Tanya worried about where she might find him, but as Sinabia said, she found him soon enough.
Kassel was playing a game of stones with Lemif children on the roadside, two houses to the right.
☆ ☆ ☆
Kassel was so engrossed in the game that he didn’t notice Tanya approaching. Watching his hands throw and catch the stones, the children’s eyes filled with admiration. After the demonstration, the children loudly discussed in the Lemif language before starting to imitate him.
“I risked my life to find you, and here you are playing with kids. Had I known, I would have just gone back to Lutia.”
Tanya said coldly from behind him.
“Tanya!”
Kassel jumped up and grabbed Tanya’s hand. His face was as dirty as if he had rolled around several times during the night. Stubble dotted his chin, and his tousled hair covered his eyebrows. His face, openly displaying every possible emotion, made Tanya so frustrated she almost lost her temper.
“Oh, I believed you would come. You have no idea how scared I was all by myself.”
Tanya glanced down at the children, unsure if they were playing with the stones or just watching them fall to the ground.
“Surrounded by a formidable force of five Lemif children armed with stones, it’s understandable you’d be scared.”
Kassel gave an awkward laugh.
“Terrifying, right? Their pleading faces are no less persuasive than a cat’s.”
“I’m not joking.”
Tanya’s tone became firmer, and Kassel quickly apologized, looking flustered.
“I’m sorry. Please understand. I’m actually at my wit’s end right now.”
“Because you’re tired?”
“No, because I’m terrified.”
Kassel nervously fidgeted, switching the grip from his left hand to his right, then back again.
“I feel like I might faint if I lose focus for even a moment. That’s why I played with the pebbles.”
“Skip the pebble story and explain the situation.”
“I’ve been chased by a dragon all night. Literally, all night! And just when I thought I had survived by entering here, an old Lemif’s glare nearly turned me to stone, almost like the dragon’s. Especially when I was naked and being inspected by a woman named Sinabia, I almost lost consciousness. She was stunningly beautiful, but as always, beauty comes with its dangers. Just like Queen Sanadiel, Azwin, or you, Tanya.”
“You don’t have to force me into that list.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. Turn around.”
Tanya, stopping Kassel from making more excuses, spoke firmly.
Kassel turned around with a gloomy expression.
“You’re overexcited because you’ve experienced strong magical powers three times. You’re someone who faced the Lord of the Undying head-on with a sword. Meeting two Lemif sorcerers isn’t really what scared you.”
Tanya lifted Kassel’s shirt and placed her palm on his back.
“You’ve managed not to faint, after all.”
‘If he had fainted, I might have felt some sympathy, but to keep up with that talk about beauty until the end…’
Tanya stroked Kassel’s back, infusing it with healing power.
“You’ll feel a bit calmer now. Can you tell me what happened throughout the night?”
“Where should I start?”
Kassel paused to gather his thoughts, then intervened when two Lemif children started arguing over the pebbles. Despite his efforts, the excited children didn’t listen, flapping their wings and kicking at each other in mid-air. Their short legs failed to reach each other, and sometimes they spun in the air due to their own force.
Kassel yelled out.
“Zad!”
Despite their fuss, the children eventually sat down again and resumed their game.
Tanya asked, puzzled.
“You speak Lemif?”
“I’ve picked up a few phrases since being here. The kids kept saying ‘zad, zad’ to me, so I guessed it meant to sit down.”
“Come to think of it, you asked me a few words in Lemif back in Aranthia, right? Saying the sword spoke…”
“Ah! That’s why their language sounded somewhat familiar.”
Kassel nodded emphatically.
Tanya removed her hand from Kassel’s back.
“That’s enough. You won’t faint. But it won’t take away the fatigue from the night, so try to get some rest later.”
“Ah, truly, thank you. Tanya, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m a sorceress.”
“Sorcerers prefer sitting down to standing while talking, right?”
Kassel pulled up two wooden chairs from nearby. A few Lemifs looked on curiously at the two humans sitting by the roadside, but there was no major reaction.
Even in Lutia, where interactions with Lemifs occur yearly, everyone would rush to see them upon their appearance. Yet, to the Lemifs here, the two seemed to be merely outsiders who had entered an isolated village.
‘Shouldn’t they be more astonished? Perhaps a bit more turmoil?’
Tanya thought of Tuktuk.
‘Opai. Yes, there’s a human named Opai living in this village. That’s why the existence of humans isn’t as mysterious to them.’
The protagonist of Kassel’s story was also Opai.
“When the giant monster opened its mouth and black light poured out, I thought I was dead for sure. I did see the light that passed by your heading straight for me, but my legs wouldn’t move. Then, someone from the forest snatched me away, saving me from the dark flames. Later, I learned that this person is known as Opai in Larden. Opai threw me into the bushes and waited for the dragon and the sorcerer to disappear.”
“Did you immediately know the monster was a dragon?”
“I found out later. They said it was one of the guardian dragons of the Fvoe tribe.”
Tanya nodded without interrupting his story.
“Opai immediately dragged me away. At first, I was scared. Who is this person? What happened to you and Jaymer? I was worried about everything. But with the dragon right behind me, there was no time to worry about following a stranger.”
Tanya matched her observations of the tracks to Kassel’s story.
“When we finally hid under a tree where the monster couldn’t see us, I told Opai I was worried about you and Jaymer. He said both had escaped the flames, and you had even dodged them. Honestly, to my eyes, it seemed like you were engulfed in flames.”
Tanya was inwardly surprised, becoming even more curious about who could observe such a situation in that brief moment. However, Kassel annoyingly structured his story with a beginning, middle, and end, and Tanya found it interesting enough to keep listening.
“At that time, I didn’t know who Opai was. I was very anxious and scared. Then I heard Jaymer calling for me. I said I had to go. But Opai, having heard the same voice, advised against following it, saying it was as much a trick to him as to me. Opai then took my hand and started running. Funnily enough, until that moment, I didn’t realize Opai only had one arm. Opai, whose name in the Lemif language means…”
“One arm.”
“Yes. That one-armed man seemed to drag me aimlessly to strange places. Because of the explosion, my ears were ringing, and I was out of it, just being dragged along for almost half an hour. I thought I was going to die of exhaustion. I asked to rest, but Opai said we couldn’t stop because ‘Guanil’ might be following us.”
Kassel often lost himself in storytelling, going all out without realizing he was even imitating voices to recreate the situation. But this made the listener get drawn into his voice and focus on the story.
Tanya found herself visualizing the scenario in her mind as well.
“I asked, ‘What’s Guanil?’ He said, ‘The guardian dragon of the Fvoe tribe.’ ‘And what’s Fvoe?’ ‘Can’t you ask that later? It only takes two strides for that thing to catch up to my ten. Moreover, it’s not easy to flee carrying an extra burden like you!’ …I always end up being treated as a burden wherever I go. But then, I became curious. I don’t know what Fvoe is, but why would a dragon, whom I’ve never met or heard of, chase after me? He simply said, as if it were obvious, ‘Because you’re the captain of the Wolf Knights!'”
That was one of the questions Tanya had been pondering all along. An unknown sorcerer and an unknown dragon had attacked Kassel. And Tuktuk, who saved Kassel, also knew who Kassel was. It had been only four days since Kassel was officially recognized as the captain of the Wolf Knights. How could someone in the Sky Mountains know that?
“I was shocked and asked how he knew that. But then he said, ‘Are you asking because you don’t know?’ At that time, I wondered what he meant. However, there was such certainty in his voice, and gradually, I started to trust him.”
“The fact that you’re the captain is something even Master Dethain didn’t believe, so how could a stranger know?”
Tanya couldn’t help but ask, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“I was dying to know as well. So, I first asked for his name. That’s when I learned his name was Opai. He said he had lived with the Lemif tribe for 3 or 4 years, and they had given him the name Opai. Opu Aivm Wibov. Ah, I really liked the ‘b’ pronunciation in the Lemif language.”
Tanya wanted to scream, ‘Get on with the story!’
“Anyway, it means ‘the one-armed warrior.’ Then I asked for his human name, but he wouldn’t tell me. Instead, he said, ‘As Captain Wolf, shouldn’t you be able to figure out who I am?’ and laughed. How could I know someone I’ve never seen? Just then, Guanil was hot on our heels.”
Kassel lowered his voice.
“At that moment, I thought I was dead. We hid behind a tree. I saw the monster breaking all the trees around it and spreading its huge body, and I thought, ‘How could the Carnelock Dragon Knights live with such a gigantic creature? How did the Excelon Knights manage to kill it?’ It was a moment of despair. As the dragon discovered our location, Opai suddenly drew his sword and stood in front of it. And when he spoke in the Lemif language, his sword began to emit a red light, just like Master Irine’s sword.”
“Master Irine’s sword?”
Tanya’s eyebrows twitched.
“Do you know? Vena Esarck. It’s a sword only the queen’s guardian knights can have, equivalent to Vena Silk. But Opai’s sword emitted the same light as Vena, blocking Guanil’s path. It was a very dangerous moment, but I even thought I wanted to preserve that scene as a magnificent mural. Guanil couldn’t spit dark flames or crush him with its gigantic feet in front of that red light. It just circled around and then backed off.”
Tanya finally understood the significance of the tracks left by Kassel’s companion and the dragon.
“So, Vena Esarck is a sword capable of stopping a dragon.”
Tanya said.
“I also asked the same thing. ‘Is that a magical sword that can block a dragon’s advance?’ Looking back, it was a rather foolish question. He said, ‘It’s similar to Vena Esarck.’ So, I said, ‘Wow, that sounds dangerous.’ And he replied, ‘You think this is dangerous? Don’t you ever think the sword you carry is dangerous? If there’s one sword in the world stronger than Vena, wouldn’t it be the Ztokh Worg that you possess?'”
“Ztokh Worg?”
Kassel held up the sheathed sword from Aranthia.
“It means ‘Wolf’s Sword,’ supposedly more formidable than Vena Silk.”
Kassel tried to smile through the burden clearly written across his face.
“So, both the dark sorcerer and Opai saw that sword and deduced you’re Captain Wolf.”
The sword from Aranthia, glowing even in the dark, allowed both the dark sorcerer and Opai to pinpoint Captain Kassel’s location accurately. The dragon, surviving and roaring furiously, did not pursue Jaymer but vanished following Kassel, targeting him, or more precisely, the sword from Aranthia.
‘No, there’s still a loophole. Even if the sword glows, how could it be precisely located in the vast Sky Mountains? It means someone knew Dethain’s route and that Captain Wolf was among his party. This wasn’t a spontaneous attack; it was a premeditated ambush.’
While Tanya was deep in thought, Kassel’s story continued.
“The black dragon kept pursuing us, and we kept descending the mountain to escape its attacks. Suddenly, Opai slowed down and said, ‘Now that we’ve descended the Sky Mountains, it’s safe. This area is under ‘Nontil’s’ domain, so Guanil won’t be able to follow us here.'”
Tanya extended her hand.
“Wait a minute. ‘Nontil’ must be the name of the guardian dragon worshipped by the Lemifs here, right?”
“Ah, you guessed quickly. It took me several questions to find out.”
“What does ‘we’ve descended the entire Sky Mountains’ mean? Are we not in the Sky Mountains now?”
“I naturally thought we were inside the Sky Mountains. It was like walking earnestly through the forest, surrounded by dense trees, and then someone next to you says you’ve exited the forest. ‘Wait, then where are we if this isn’t the forest?’ Something like that.”
Kassel laughed, but seeing Tanya’s lack of response, he quickly continued his story.
“The Sky Mountains, as perceived by Lemifs, and as humans perceive them, are indeed similar concepts. Opai explained that humans see the Sky Mountains as ‘a massive boundary blocking the south,’ while Lemifs see them as ‘a massive boundary blocking the north.’ Essentially, this place is not inside the Sky Mountains but another continent that exists beyond them.”
Even the people of Lutia, who have exchanged countless interactions with the Lemifs, referred to this place as ‘inside’ the Sky Mountains, not ‘below’ it.
Kassel was elaborating on a story that didn’t need much explanation, as if he was teaching someone completely unaware of the Sky Mountains.
“Clearly, Lemifs don’t get lost in these woods like humans do, so there’s no ‘forbidden area’ for them. Conversely, in the lands of Arcand without forests, Lemifs lose their sense of direction…”
Tanya murmured, touching her lips thoughtfully. Kassel gave her time to ponder over the story. Then Tanya asked again.
“I have many questions, but I can narrow them down to two essential ones. Why did the guardian dragon of the Fvoe tribe attack humans, and who is this Opai who lives with the Lemifs?”
Suddenly, a man appeared behind them without a sound and said,
“One of the Fvoe tribes is leading their guardian dragon and plotting something sinister.”
The man had one empty sleeve flapping loosely, signaling he was one-armed, and in his other hand, he held a smoking pipe.
‘This must be Opai.’
The man with short black hair that flowed freely smoked his pipe leisurely, looking down at Tanya who was seated, and continued,
“Of course, by that dragon, I mean Guanil, and their target includes not just the Zvi tribe but also humans. The first targets are ‘Lutia’ and the land of the Zvi Lemifs, ‘Larden.’ And I am here to help with that issue.”
The man looked weary, his clothing was shabby, and his eyes were half-closed as if sleepy, not fitting the image of someone who had confronted a dragon. His cheeks, nose, and chin had evenly grown beard stubble, not looking unkempt.
Tanya typically disliked men with beards, but somehow Opai seemed to suit his beard well.
Because of the conversation flow with Kassel, Tanya’s gaze naturally went to the sword Opai wore, comparable to Vena Esarck. The sheath was densely inscribed with ancient texts that would take about a week to decipher.
“Any more questions?”
Opai asked, puffing out smoke from his pipe.
“It seems you know a lot more about things we’re unaware of.”
Tanya stood up to meet his gaze and continued,
“Who is attacking Lutia? I heard it was unknown monsters.”
“Ah, the Mozes. They are attacking Lutia, right. And who’s leading them? Well, I thought it was a sorcerer from Lutia, but wasn’t it?”
“Hudintin said something similar. Does this mean there’s a traitor in Lutia?”
“Well, weren’t you somewhat suspecting that too?”
The man’s relaxed demeanor made Tanya increasingly irritated.
“Who exactly are you to speak so lightly of Lutia?”
Tanya deliberately used a stronger tone. Her gravelly voice combined with her status as a sorcerer typically made people cower, but as expected, Opai calmly met Tanya’s gaze, casually puffing on his pipe.
“I’m Opai.”
“I know that.”
“My real name is Lofin.”
“So it is. How do you know about Aranthia’s sacred sword?”
“Well, I used to be in the Wolf Knights.”
The exchange was rapid.
Kassel, scratching his nose, added,
“He’s one of the four retired White Wolves. Quain, Meylumil, Irine, and here, Lofin. Everyone wondered where the one unreachable person had gone, and here he is, beyond the Sky Mountains.”
While Kassel merely laughed, Lofin scratched his messy hair.
“Now that I’ve explained who I am… any other questions, Master Tanya?”
–TL Notes–
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