When Night Becomes a Blade
“……What did you just say, Kortzan.”
In an instant, a crushing weight settled over the hall, pressing down on every shoulder present.
Kortzan hastily bowed his head beneath the faint killing intent simmering in Krelmuk’s eyes.
“I—I apologize for the delayed report.”
Even though the sun had already set, they had still failed to capture the Imperial scouts who had entered the plain. Ulke and Bowukartaon were among Belikezel’s main force. Having set them in motion and received no word for so long, Kortzan knew punishment would be unavoidable if he kept silent any longer—so he had reported.
Of course, the present situation was hardly pleasant for him either.
“……Kortzan.”
“Yes, Taman.”
At Krelmuk’s summons, cold sweat ran down Kortzan’s spine. He had never imagined things would drag on this long. For a handful of enemies, deploying Ulke and Bowukartaon had seemed excessive, if anything.
But……
Now that it has come to this.
Whatever punishment fell, he would have to take it without complaint. The Taman he knew was not a man generous with mistakes.
“Take the warriors and move yourself.”
“……What?”
It was the last thing he had expected. Kortzan lifted his head and looked at Krelmuk—at those cold eyes looking down on him.
Krelmuk continued.
“That those two have failed to settle the matter even after sunset means the enemy far exceeds your expectations.”
“B-but……”
“Eliminate every variable. At this stage, we can allow none.”
Before long, the Imperial army would gather at the Helikel Canyon encampment. Belikezel was a land that had never tolerated intrusion from anyone. But Krelmuk had fought the Empire for a long time, and he knew well what made them terrifying.
Vast stores of matériel. Countless troops. And the Empire’s formations, moving as one body—those were a considerable threat. Until now, had they not always fought on Imperial soil?
But now……
Now it was the opposite. Which meant they absolutely could not surrender the advantage of terrain they would hold in the very first battle. That was why he had stationed the madmen’s unit at the plain’s entrance—to block Imperial scouts.
Krelmuk spoke.
“Go. Find every Imperial who has set foot on this land and cut them down. Not a single one—not one—is to escape.”
At the sharp flash in Krelmuk’s words—
“Understood.”
Kortzan rose from his seat and bowed his head in answer.
With the sun already down, further reconnaissance would be impossible. The enemy would try to use the dark as a shield and flee.
But this is our land.
Darkness, rather, was a powerful weapon for the hunters. He would not—absolutely would not—let them slip away.
As Kortzan turned and left, a complicated shadow sank into Krelmuk’s eyes.
After killing nine elite Kar warriors, no more of them ventured into the reed field.
Isaac glanced toward the outer edge of the reeds, then let out a quiet breath.
“……The sun’s going down. Once it’s dark, we use the cover and run.”
“Even when it gets dark, we won’t be able to escape.”
“What do you mean……?”
At Isaac’s question, Arteon dropped heavily into a seat himself. Keeping his senses stretched taut for so long had piled on more fatigue than he had expected.
Arteon said,
“This is their land, Captain. Even if we try to slip away under cover of dark, we won’t be able to fully avoid their eyes.”
In the end, they would be hunted. Hearing that, Isaac narrowed his eyes.
“So you’re saying we just sit here in the reeds? Time is against us the longer we wait.”
They had neither water nor rations. Another day, and the gap between them and the enemy would open into a chasm. Sitting in this reed bed would only mean waiting to die.
But Arteon shook his head at Isaac’s question.
Then he lifted his gaze to the sky. Far off, a wash of crimson light was staining the entire plain. Thirty minutes, perhaps. Within that span, the whole plain would be drowned in black.
Arteon sat down beside Isaac and leaned his back against the rock.
“Captain. Until night has fully fallen…… would you take the watch for me?”
“What?”
“The northern dark can be a shield—but sometimes it can also be a blade sharper than anything else.”
“……What are you talking about?”
Isaac asked, unable to make sense of Arteon’s words. The boy had to know how dire their situation was. Did he not also understand that they needed to get back before it was too late?
But Arteon calmly closed his eyes and let out a breath. And then—
“When it gets dark…… I intend to kill every last one of them and return.”
“……!”
It sounded almost like someone saying he was just stepping out to buy an apple. While Isaac sat stunned, Arteon looked at him with utterly serene eyes.
“So please stand watch for thirty minutes, Captain.”
And with that, Arteon closed his eyes and drifted into sleep. Isaac stared at him, unable to hide his incredulous expression.
“……You insane bastard.”
The one mercy was that the enemy seemed to be waiting for full dark as well; there was no movement from their side.
Thump. Thump.
With his heart hammering wildly, Isaac turned his head toward where the Kar warriors waited.
Those bastards……
Kill them all and go home. When darkness settled, vision would be blinded. Naturally it would become harder for the enemy to pursue them. But as Arteon had said, this was their land. Choosing to flee would be like giving them wings.
And yet—
The thought that they themselves might be the ones being hunted…… probably never even crosses their minds.
Was that the opening he meant to strike? There were far too many risks, and yet—
“You really are a madman, Arteon.”
Something boiled and overflowed in his chest. And before long, as the sun sank, the entire plain began to drown in darkness.
Ssssssssshh—
It was the same wind that always blew, carrying the cold of the north. And yet somehow, today that wind felt more eerie than usual—or was that only his imagination?
Bowukartaon stared toward the reed field in silence. More than two hours had already passed since they had locked into this standoff over the reeds. In that time, six warriors from Ulke’s unit had died, and three of his own men had lost their lives as well.
“Are we just going to keep watching like this?”
“Wait a little longer. Night has fallen. They’ll move again under cover of the dark.”
The enemy had to know there was no point in holding out forever. The reeds might blunt the wind somewhat, but—
In this cold, no one can sit still and do nothing for long.
Northern cold was not something winter gear alone could endure. Proof enough that even the other warriors kept shifting their bodies, generating heat. If he himself had not used mana to ward off the chill, he would have frozen solid long ago. How much worse, then, for enemies who had completely sealed their mana to hide their presence?
“They’ll move soon.”
At Bowukartaon’s words, Ulke nodded.
And at the same moment—
“Urgh…… uuh……”
Isaac’s lips trembled as he let out a faint groan, his body nearing its absolute limit. Using mana would risk detection by enemies sensitive to its fluctuations. While they remained hidden, mana was off-limits.
And so the northern cold had worked its way deep into his body, bringing a cold he could no longer bear.
The strange thing was—
“……This bastard. He’s not dead, is he?”
Isaac muttered, looking at Arteon with his eyes closed. The boy’s frame might have filled out somewhat since before, but it was still smaller than his own. And to sleep in a situation like this—
“Are you worried?”
At a question that was half a murmur, Arteon opened his eyes and rose. When Isaac looked at him in surprise—
“Thank you. Thanks to you, my strength is fully restored.”
Arteon said, looking at him. Then, seeing Isaac’s lips turned blue, he slipped the bracelet from his right wrist.
Shhk!
The moment the bracelet came off, a crushing cold rushed in. Yes…… this was the northern cold. The artifact he had taken from the Imperial Palace’s treasure vault had let him forget it for a very long time.
Arteon held the bracelet out to Isaac.
“Put it on. Any more exposure and it could cost you your life.”
“What is this……?”
“When I move, run the opposite way.”
“That’s insane. You’re telling me to run alone?”
“Of course not.”
Arteon smiled faintly—a smile that resembled the one he had worn once before, when he had gone ahead to keep them alive. Only this time, the outcome would be very different.
“I’ll catch up shortly.”
“……”
At that, Isaac paused and looked at him. The boy was clearly not even of age yet. On any battlefield, Isaac had rolled through far more than he had.
So why……
Why did looking at him feel like staring up at a vast mountain?
“……Hey. This thing’s damn effective. You’ve been wearing something like this the whole time?”
Once the bracelet was on, the cold no longer bit into him. The body that had been shaking from the chill gradually steadied.
Isaac said,
“I’ll go on ahead. Catch up quick. And don’t overdo it trying to wipe them all out.”
“Understood.”
With that, Isaac dropped low and began to move slowly in the opposite direction.
And then—
Arteon turned.
Rest…… I’ve had enough.
Thanks to Isaac, he had been able to sleep. Even if one searched the entire north, there would be few who could rest so comfortably with the enemy right in front of them.
I need to get back.
If they delayed any longer, the main force might take other action. Left alone, that might not matter—but—
If they move troops trying to rescue us……
The very first step of the northern advance could start to creak.
“Huu.”
Arteon let out a quiet breath and looked ahead. Beyond the reed field, the enemy’s restless movements registered with perfect clarity. Fixing their positions in his mind, he slowly parted the reeds and slipped outward.
And then—
Boom!
With a hard stamp of his foot—
Swoosh!
Arteon’s body shot forward like an arrow, driving straight at the Kar warrior standing farthest forward.
“Now!”
Pa-bat!
At Arteon’s signal, Isaac wrenched up his mana and broke into a run the other way.
And in that same instant—
“……!”
A fierce surge of mana from inside the reed field. The Kar warriors sensed at once that the prey had begun to move.
“They’re running! After them!”
Bowukartaon roared, chasing the mana signature fleeing in the opposite direction. Of course—that was the only choice left to them.
What puzzled him was—
To reveal themselves this openly.
He had expected them to move with a little more caution. But even as the mana signature fled the other way—
“……?”
Bowukartaon’s pupils trembled slightly. Why was that direction—
Toward us?
The question had barely formed when—
Thud!
With a dull impact, the subordinate standing at the edge of the reed field crumpled to the ground. There was no time even to grasp what had struck him.
But then—
“A-ambush!”
At his subordinate’s cry—
Slash! Thud!
—a vivid painting of blood began to unfurl across the snowfield under the fallen dark.