Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Stance
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The man was waiting with his sword held upright. Her mind was a whirlwind. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and then opened them, emptying her thoughts.
She forgot about the situation and intentions, all of it. She reverted to her mercenary days, before meeting her master, when she would charge in without a thought for what lay ahead or behind.
She was thrilled. Before her stood a monster who seemed as strong as her master, perhaps even stronger. Clashing blades with the strong. Hadn't she always dreamed of such a duel?
She leaned her upper body forward. Widening the grip on the shaft, she bent her forward knee a little more.
Just once. She glanced at the blunted tip of her halberd. She should have maintained it better. It was a weapon specialized for slashing over cutting, but still.
"You're about to die soon, so will you grant me a chance to ask some questions?"
She lifted her chin and asked. She was fully prepared to charge.
"Ask away."
"Are you a mage?"
"I wanted to learn, but no such connection came."
"As I thought, a swordsman. Your physical techniques are unbelievable."
Her lips cracked from the tension pressing down on her entire body. Feeling the stinging pain, she posed her final question.
"Are you reinforcements from Anke's side?"
"If I say no, will you believe me?"
"Right now, yes."
The man smiled as he replied.
"I'm on my way to Anke after accepting their invitation. Once I leave here and arrive in Anke, I'll strike at Shilder right away. In that process, people you know will die."
It was the worst-case scenario. She clamped her mouth shut. Shilder was a good man. She had decided to serve him because she admired his character. If this monster was sent to Shilder's side, everything would be over.
She had no master to plead with, no subordinates to help her. She was the only one who could stop this monster here. Strength surged into her hands gripping the shaft.
She prayed to some nameless god. To grant her the miracle of dying together with that damned monster. If not, then at least one arm.
With a shout that expelled all the breath she had gathered, she charged forward. The stance she had imitated countless times while watching her master's back. She staked everything on that single blow.
The distance closed. He would soon enter the halberd's range. She pushed off the ground with her foot. Her thighs swelled as if they might burst, and she gritted her teeth.
It was a speed even seeing it wouldn't allow her to catch. No point in fancy techniques; it wouldn't reach. Better to strike straight and true.
The man's body moved just before the clash.
Her heightened nerves caught the signals. The slight twist of his shoulder, the dropping elbow, the weight shifting forward, the clenching fingers, the twitching eyebrow hinting at the attack, and the lips curved in certainty of victory.
It was information flooding her mind in an instant. She had experienced it before.
Back in her mercenary days, facing an enemy mercenary far superior in skill. In the moment she thought she was done for, her eyes caught the opponent's minute movements, and based on that, she pierced his heart.
That miracle had returned!
One beat faster, she swung the halberd. Like a great prophet, she envisioned the future. The man being sliced by the halberd!
The air whistled sharply as it was rent apart. It was a strike infused with her all, cleaner than she thought herself capable of.
But there was no impact. The man who should have been bisected from waist to shoulder stood in place, sword lowered.
Had she swung at empty air?
For a moment, she couldn't comprehend. At the timing she predicted, the man should have advanced with his sword out front.
All the signals he showed, the tiny bits of information, had indicated his path. It was like knowing the answers before taking the test. Yet the result was off.
Forgetting even to recover her deflected halberd, she stared at the man.
It felt like common sense itself had been denied. Even if the sun burned black, it would seem less bizarre. Even if fish swam through the air, it would seem more plausible.
The man had proclaimed with his entire body: he would attack one step faster. She had seen it and hurried her halberd one beat ahead.
Just like when she pierced that mercenary's heart in the past, this time too she should have cleaved the enemy's body....
"You seem to have had a good teacher, though it's a bit regrettable. Still, usable enough. The Empire's future remains bright."
The man said. She blinked several times, lowered her halberd, and asked.
"I clearly saw it. The moment you charged at me."
"Yes, that's how it would have looked."
"But why are you still standing there?"
"Because I only took the stance to make it look that way. We call that 'stance.'"
"Stance?"
"You'll learn it one day for sure. Since you have the eye to see it."
She was about to throw the next question at the smiling man. Without warning, he closed in and swung his sword.
Really, there was nothing she could do.
* * *
Lander caught the fainting knight in both arms and gently laid her on the ground. The soldiers who had discarded their weapons and watched in awe came rushing over.
"Moving on emotion often ruins things."
He said to the approaching soldiers.
"It's just a brief faint, so no need to worry. And the others will be fine after a few days' rest. Ah, those three over there need treatment for their wrists."
"Wh-what does that mean?"
"Exactly as I said. No one died. The three of you remaining can handle the cleanup nicely."
The three soldiers exchanged glances and scattered to the sides. Confirming their comrades' conditions, they muttered "They're alive" with dazed expressions.
"I guess I'm not worth much as a hostage."
Lander turned his head to look at Guchi. Approaching with a calm expression, Guchi looked down at the fainted knight and said.
"That blow from her just now made even me, watching from the side, flinch. For a very brief moment, enough to worry about you."
"She's a talented one. In time, she might become quite famous."
"I see. More importantly, tell me. Is my ransom really that cheap?"
"If you put it that way, I feel embarrassed."
"Embarrassed? I was the hostage. When you were negotiating this and that, my heart stopped for a bit. Do you know that?"
"You seemed awfully relaxed for someone whose heart had stopped."
Guchi twitched his eyes and then slyly grinned.
"Honestly, when the blade touched my skin, I thought 'oh no.' But I pondered it. Would this woman slit my throat faster, or would you cut off her arm faster? The answer came quick."
"I didn't know you'd trust me that much."
Groans rose from here and there. The ones recovering quickly were regaining consciousness and getting up.
"What's the next plan?"
"We should leave. After making this much of a mess, sticking around will cause headaches."
"You've stirred things up, so yeah, we need to run. But why provoke that woman? You've basically painted yourself as Anke forces now; there might even be a wanted order."
"It'll be fine. She'll handle it properly when she wakes."
He pointed at the fainted knight as he spoke. While Guchi gathered their belongings, Lander called over a soldier handling the aftermath.
He handed a money pouch to the hesitant soldier who approached. The soldier inspected the contents and asked.
"What is this?"
"Payment for the horses. I'm taking two; is it not enough?"
The soldier shook his head.
"Good, then."
"Why are you sparing us?"
"Did I have to kill you all?"
"Well, no, but...."
Lander smiled at the soldier and said.
"When she wakes, please explain simply. We're not connected to Anke at all, and we paid a fair price for the horses."
The soldier nodded with a face that still didn't understand. Guchi emerged from the tent with their luggage.
"Let's depart."
"Traveling with you lets me experience all sorts of things."
They moved to where the horses were tied. Well-trained, the horses didn't spook at the approaching humans. He approached the nearest one, greeted it with his eyes, and stroked its neck.
"That's the one from earlier."
Guchi said from behind. Turning his head, he saw the reddish-brown horse looking at them. It was the knight's mount.
It was on full alert, warning with its whole body. You two, just try coming closer. I'll kick you with my hind legs.
"Doesn't seem to like us."
"It probably saw its owner get attacked."
It looked ready to charge any second. If not tied to the post, it would have already lunged. A fine horse.
A smart one loyal to its master. He too had once ridden a warhorse across battlefields. Now retired, grazing leisurely.
"Don't glare like that. Your master was the one in the wrong."
Guchi said. He saddled up from the makeshift stable and mounted. Soldiers watched from a short distance away.
"If I were in your shoes, I'd have punched her jaw first. This unbelievable stuff usually happens in dreams."
"There's even one over there slapping his own cheek."
He lightly flicked the reins. He and Guchi left the camp behind.
"Riding horses through the night isn't ideal."
"Indeed."
After putting some distance from the camp, he slowed down. The well-trained horses moved their legs without hesitation even in the dark.
"Now we can breathe easy."
Guchi pulled up beside him and said.
"But why did you do that earlier? There was no reason to lie to that woman. And you even provoked her."
"Resignation brings out no true skill. I wanted to give her a reason to grip her weapon. And, well, a bit of teasing too. Snooping in someone's diary without permission. Rude girl."
"The teasing was way too intense. What do you gain from it?"
"I gain nothing, but the Empire does. She has precise eyes. This incident will make her realize something. She'll grow, and the Empire will gain a fine soldier."
"You're a fervent Empire citizen. I didn't realize you cared that much about the Empire."
Guchi chuckled softly.
"Apart from the grand reasons, isn't it a waste to leave talent untended?"
"That doesn't mean the knight will thank you for it."
"We won't cross paths again. Whether she thanks me, hates me, or tries to capture and torture me, it won't matter to me."
"If a wanted order really comes and they come for us, what about me? You can escape with your skills, but I can't. Plus, she knows our names."
"Change your name."
"Traveling with someone as reckless as you means only I take the losses."
"Shall we part ways here, then?"
Guchi, who had been staring, grinned widely.
"A hunter doesn't let go of prey once caught."
"So I'm Mr. Guchi's prey."
"Only realizing it now? I'll get even closer and make you my partner, so take care going forward."
Guchi took the lead.
Hunting, huh. He had never thought about how to end this journey.
Even arriving at his wife's hometown wouldn't bring dramatic change. He'd still be a monster without purpose, and by then, he might have completely forgotten the sorrow of sending his wife away.
What am I doing, clutching my wife's diary and heading to her hometown?
The emperor's question from the day he left the Holy City resurfaced.
And once even that is done, what do you plan to do?
"I still don't know, Ardhen. What I want to do. Whether I want to die, or shake it all off. I thought properly crying would change something, but I'm the kind of guy who can't even do that."
He murmured into the oncoming wind, then glanced back.
Far behind, a mounted figure was pursuing them. Even in the darkness, its distinctive reddish-brown coat stood out.
"What the hell."
Guchi had spotted the approaching horse too and expressed it very plainly.
(To be continued in the next installment)