According to the Deserter’s Village, the White Wolves had gone to Coholloon. Even if that was a lie, it was too late to go back. Cassel continued to go south with the horse Falcon had given him. Jaenie, who was very caring, had slipped a few gold coins in his pocket so he had sufficient funds for travelling.
‘Thanks for this Jaenie. How will I ever repay you?...’
Coholloon was a very large city, so finding it wasn’t too difficult..
Cassel was scared of running into bandits or beasts so he moved from one village to another. The after-effects of the war were clearly visible in all villages and they all seemed to live in a similar fashion.
‘Even if you are a great knight, it is dangerous to travel alone.’ Cassel reminded himself.
The Red Rose Army had tried to warn Cassel right after they left Falcon’s town. Cassel knew about the danger, but felt uneasy with the Red Rose Army so he declined their offer. He was in a position where, if he met a rabbit he would have to wonder if it was a murderous rabbit first.
Luckily nothing happened on his way to Coholloon. Along the way he thought to abandon the sword and walk away, but he couldn’t. The guilt, responsibility, and feelings he received while inside Falcon’s Village were pushing Cassel to his goal.
Coholloon was not a target of the war, so it looked rather different from the other towns he had been to.
‘Since it is a war between nobles, I guess they don’t touch towns that are under a third-party noble’s protection? Or is it that the Lord of the town is underneath the protection of either the Count of the Rose or Lion’s army?’
The city is surrounded by a fortress and had an entry fee of 2 silver. The high price surprised Cassel, but no one else seemed perturbed by it. Cassel acted like it wasn’t much and passed through the gate, but all he had left now was 8 silver coins.
‘What to do now…?’
The city was too expansive to search randomly. There was a busy market with many people about. Cassel was from the countryside, naturally he felt overwhelmed when in a city. Coholloon was the 2nd largest city in Carmort right after Normart and had a very large floating population.
‘I need to find 3 people in a place this big??’
Cassel just laughed.
The large roads were different, but the back alleys were as dirty as the Deserter’s Village. In fact, there were even more homeless lying in the filth. In the market there were rats as large as a forearm running around, but no one batted an eye.
After riding around the whole day, Cassel went to an inn to rest. Cassel paid an extra silver so they would feed his horse, but from their unchanging reaction it seemed it wasn’t happening.
As any inn would do in a busy city, they sold alcohol. As soon as he opened the door a strong odor greeted him. It was surprising that this was the cleanest inn he could find.
All the people in the lobby were shady and dirty. A few were at a table eating some sort of soup. By appearance, it looked like something you would feed to pigs. It was too late to leave though, as he already left the horse in the stable.
‘Would it be any different anywhere else? Screw it.’
Cassel walked across the lobby into the bar.
“Welcome.”
A young owner greeted him.
“Give me a room.”
“How long?”
“Hm.. about 4 days or so?”
“A single day is 4 silver coins. If you want to pay at once, it is just one gold coin.”
“I will pay by day.”
Cassel paid like it was nothing, but he had barely any money left
“Room three on the 2nd floor.”
All the guests in the hall looked at Cassel as he ascended the stairs. One person who seemed to be on drugs whistled at him through his teeth.
“Hey that’s a fine sword you have there~.”
Cassel ignored him and continued to climb the stairs.
“You should be careful carrying something like that around here. You will become a target.”
Cassel stopped. All the store’s guests who were looking at him quickly averted their eyes from his.
‘You become a target with a good sword??’
It was unheard of. A knight having to worry about having his sword robbed.
Cassel spoke to the man who was still laughing.
“What did you say?”
“I am just giving you advice. Try to hide it, you know. If you flash it around like that, you are begging for people to steal it from you.”
Come to think about it Cassel had no idea how many people had eyed this sword as he was passing by on his horse.
‘It would be wise to give a warning.’
Cassel leaned on the handrail of the stairs and slightly showed off his sword. But of course he didn’t unsheathe it. The drugged or drunk man raised both his hands into the air and laughed.
“Hey, I was just warning you. You should be thanking me, not threatening me. No one here would be scared from looking at a sword. Plus if you did do anything funny, the guards here will just drag you into prison.”
“Thanks for the lesson. I will also give you some information in return. How does this sword look? Does it seem expensive? Then who do you think is holding onto it? Do you know how many bandits I’ve killed to still hang on to this sword after all this time? Don’t provoke me.”
Cassel spoke in an almost whispering voice as he unsheathed the sword a bit.
The man continued to laugh and stepped back.
“I am just warning you. I have no interest in swords.”
“And I was just returning the favour. I have no interest in you. I just want to rest but, I had to warn you in case things get bothersome.”
Those words were not really for the man, but rather everyone in the bar. They were all listening, despite pretending not to.
‘That was unnecessary.’
Cassel sheathed the sword and climbed the stairs.
‘Did that make me look weak?’
Cassel went to the room and as he lay in the bed all those thoughts stopped. After leaving Falcon’s village, he had not done much other than riding a horse, but that itself was very tiring.
Cassel revisited his plan while laying down. The city was too big to comb for the 3 people. However, if famous knights from Alantia had come, there would be rumours. If they were not here, he would have to go to Normount, every little bit of information was vital.
The problem was money. He didn’t even have enough to pay for his room tomorrow. It was no use planning ahead when he was in trouble now.
‘What if I sell the horse?’
He felt guilty for having to sell the horse that was a present from Jaenie, but right now he was so hungry he could eat that same horse.
‘How much is the horse worth? I don’t even know its value. Is it like selling wheat? Ah, I should’ve followed my father when he said he was going to sell wheat in Coholloon that time.’
Cassel thought it would be a good idea to wash up, but before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. It was already sunset when he finally awoke.
‘I blew the best time to search sleeping!’
Cassel quickly washed his face and got ready to head out. He grabbed the sword on his waist, but only weapon made him uncomfortable.
'He's right. A sword with jewels engraved in it is too eye-catching. But, I can't just leave this here.'
Cassel wore the worn out cape to hide the sword. The cape smelt very old, but it was bearable.
Nothing of concern happened as he left the bar. The drunk man and the others in the bar were nowhere to be found. In the market district Cassel's ragged outfit was a perfect fit to blend in with the crowd.
It was already getting dark so number of people on the streets were very small. As the sun set Cassel entered a pub.
'In stories, there are no better places to get information than pubs.'
Cassel was hoping for some luck and sat quietly for two hours in two bars, but there was no news about knights from Alantia.
Most of the conversations were about the war. As Cassel was about to move to the third bar a conversation caught his ears.
"...It seems when that Captain raised his sword the whole red rose army stopped in their tracks."
"Wow he managed to stop 30 soldiers by himself?"
"No, no. I heard it was more like 50 soldiers. He did it without swinging his sword once. In my opinion he had already taken Falcon under his wing."
Cassel was surprised.
'Are they talking about me?'
Cassel sat back down and continued to listen in on their conversation.
"Well, I guess it's possible. Have you heard? Apparently you need to be able to beat a bear bare handed, as well as climb the walls of the fortress just to qualify to take the entrance exam"
"What I heard was even more extreme. Apparently you need to be able to withstand the attack of the Wolves Captain and Queen’s Royal guard Quayon's attack, which is capable of breaking any shield or armour. A pass or die exam."
"Well I guess that is appropriate, seeing as how he had enough guts to stop the whole Red Rose army by himself."
"But why did he come to Carmort? Did the King call him?"
"I heard it was on account of the Black Lion Count. I guess they plan on taking the whole country by joining forces."
"Is Alantia planning an invasion? Aren't they a country of peace?"
"Well there's nothing stopping them, is there? I mean, while we are on the topic, if they just came in with the wolves and a frontal attack, our kingdom would have no choice but surrender."
"Hey. Shush, don't speak of such things so casually"
Their conversation soon moved on to the previous war, due to the nobles. Cassel sat waiting for them to talk more about the Alantian people. He tried to ignore the waiter who was wondering if he had ordered anything.
There was also a man sitting in front of him. Despite Cassel staring back at him, he did not avoid eye contact, but instead the man stared even more intensely at him. Cassel instinctively avoided his gaze. His dark eyebrows and large eyes gave off a strong impression.
'I know I have met him somewhere. Where have I seen him?'
The man had a large spear by his side and his broad shoulders along with his tanned bulky arms, looked very strong and his curly hair came down to his shoulders.
'I know that face. But who is that? There is no way I would forget a face like that.'
Cassel tried desperately to remember the man.
'Was he in the same platoon as me?'
The man wasn't the only one staring at him; the owner of the bar was also staring at him. It seemed he figured out Cassel was sitting there without ordering anything.
Near the backdoor of the pub, a group of men nodded at Cassel with their heads to point him out to another group.
"Hey if you are not going to order anything......"
Cassel stood up as the worker complained.
"I'm sorry I will leave."
Cassel left the pub and the men, who exchanged looks, left through the back door as well.
'Maybe I'm being paranoid.'
When Cassel looked back just in case, the man walked towards him with a spear. It was impossible to ignore the large spear in the air.
'Wah, that's not even stalking. They are coming at me head on.'
The man took big strides towards Cassel, never taking his eyes off him. He was so focused that he didn't realize he was pushing past people. Those who were pushed turned to complain, but immediately changed their minds after seeing the man's size.
Large men were not new for Cassel, who had been in the army, but he was different than the rest. It was like a giant, the size of a house, following him.
Cassel ran. So did the man. The man’s scary face while chasing after him caused his legs to freeze in their tracks.
'He's trying to steal my sword. He must've seen me in the afternoon and been keeping tabs on me since.'
Cassel seriously considered the possibility of abandoning the sword and whether his chance of survival would rise.
As he was turning a corner in an alley someone grabbed him by the collar and pulled him. Cassel was easily dragged in without being able to resist.
"Hey where are you going rich boy? It was tough chasing after you."
Cassel found it funny how he was relieved to see a man point a knife to his neck in this situation.
'What? Is this guy with the giant guy chasing after me?'
Cassel managed sort out the confusion in his head. Six people surrounded him. Among them 3 of them were the ones sitting near the back door of the pub. one was the drunk man who had warned him in the inn the remaining 2 he had never seen before. However, judging from their clothes and overall atmosphere they weren't with the giant chasing after him.
"You know how nervous we were getting when you weren't leaving the inn? But we still thank you for coming into an uninhabited alley way by yourself."
As the man who had grabbed Cassel by the collar spoke his disgusting rotten breath hit Cassel's nose. His eyes were giving off a vibe of a killer's.
'It's different. It's not like Tiger nor the homeless nor that of the army!'
The man merely smiled and didn't demand the sword . He wasn't planning to listen to reason nor negotiate with him. He was probably the type to kill first then steal anything the man had on his possession. Cassel was troubled as he couldn't threaten them like he did the Red Roses with a face full of terror like it is now.
Cassel merely spoke,
"If you kill me, you will end up regretting it."
The man who was getting ready to swing at Cassel's neck paused.
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
The man laughed and looked back at his friends.
"What do you think?"
"HAHA, seems interesting. Ask him how we will regret it."
"We don't have time, just quickly kill him and leave.
The man looked back at Cassel.
"Ok friend tell me using 3 words, why would we regret it?"
The man's sword was pressed against Cassel's neck. Cassel put his back to the wall and spoke without pausing
"I have (a) bodyguard."
"What?"
Cassel tightly closed one eye. It seemed the bluff had worked the man did not stop him.
'What now..'
Cassel quickly hatched a plan .
"What body guard? We know you've been by yourself this whole time."
The man said with a frown.
"Of course you didn't. He is very skilled at hiding himself. You guys have no hope of detecting him! If you don't release me now he will come and take your heads."
Cassel faced the man he met at the inn.
"Hey, you remember what I said to you this noon? About how me still holding this sword despite many people wanting to take it from me is proof of how many I would have had to kill?"
The man with the sword looked back at the drunk man.
"Do you remember?"
"Can't remember."
The man simply shrugged.
Cassel continued to speak.
"It doesn't matter if you do or not! Listen well. All those who were after my sword are now covered in dirt and worms, dead. Why do you think that is? It's because my bodyguard takes care of them all. If you don't let me go it's over for you."
"Don't lie to us you bastard. How 'bout this, try calling him here in 3 seconds."
The man continued to push Cassel into the wall.
"One! Two!"
Cassel couldn't think of more words to distract the man. He merely closed his eyes.
'Damn! He might as well count to five.'
The man couldn't finish counting to three and eventually he let his grip go. As Cassel opened his eyes he saw the man with the large spear standing at the entrance of the alley. He tilted his head in confusion.
Cassel spoke as if the man was his friend.
"The sword is safe for now but these guys are trying to take it."
Cassel doesn't really expect a reply, his plan is to put the 2 groups of people who want the sword to battle each other.
"Who are these guys?"
For some reason the man spoke to Cassel as if they had already been acquainted.
Cassel replied in a calm tone.
"Can't you tell? They are bandits after the sword."
The man scanned the gang of bandits then spoke in a deep voice.
"Move aside. That sword will only bring ruin in the hands of people like you."
The gang of bandits were paralyzed by the man for a second but quickly regained composure.
"Yeah right. Who on earth are you?"
Rationally the men had no reason to run they had 6 men while the man holding the spear was by himself.
"The only thing we can't touch is what belongs to Count Gordimer. Who are you, the Count's guard?!"
"This is the final warning."
The man lowered his giant spear. The 6 men readied their swords.
"Same here."
One of the men just rushed in.
"Enough talk, just kill him."
All the men excluding the one holding on to Cassel rushed towards the giant man. Within an instant, all the men's swords fell to the ground.
The giant man had blocked all those attacks while barely moving his weapon. He then slowly stepped back out of the alley.
"He's trying to get away! Kill him!"
Even to Cassel it was clear that the man was merely getting out of the narrow alley and into a wider space so that he could use his spear. However, the men had lost composure and chased after him as they picked up their weapons.
Cassel quickly smacked the distracted man holding onto him.
"Argh!"
"Argh!"
The man screamed while holding his nose in pain. Cassel also screamed holding onto his fist. It felt like all the bones in his hand were broken.
"Stop!"
The large man shouted at him but Cassel continued to run into the dark alley. What followed were the clanking of metal along with screams of pain.
Cassel stopped only after he was fully out of breath.
He could still sense someone chasing after him but he was too scared to look behind him.
'That gang was just after the sword but the man with the spear seemed to be different. Who is he? Where have I seen him?'
He seemed to know about the sword.
'No, that's even more so why he could be after the sword as well. He could deliver it to Alentia for a large reward or sell it on the black market and judging by his skilled spear techniques he could pretend to be a White Wolf better than I could.'
Cassel stopped his thoughts and tried to remember back to the Deserter's Village.
'Wait, was he one of the 3 men from that village?'
The women with braided hair had such a strong impression that Cassel could not remember the other two men's facial features.
'If he were a White Wolf it would be a great chance to return the sword.'
Cassel made it back to the inn. He didn't want to return as some people knew he stayed here but he had no choice as everything he owned was stored there. Now that it was night time, the inn was full of people enjoying meals and drinks much like the pub in the Deserter's Village.
He was hungry but had no more money and was scared to be out in the open he quickly went up to the second floor. In the corridor there were two man singing with each other and another man who had fallen asleep with his head to the wall. A worker grabbed the sleeping man by the collar and shouted in his ear 'How many times does this make!'
Cassel rushed past the small corridor as if running away from the rest.
The darkness comforted him. he light the candle and took off his cape.
"!"
There was a black shadow sitting on his bed. Luckily Cassel held back his scream
'One surprise after another....'
Cassel placed the cape down on a chair as he screamed in frustration inside his head.
"May I ask whom you may be to carry that sword."
His voice was strong yet formal.
'The sword again!'
Cassel cursed his stupidity for walking around flashing the sword. 'Citizens of Coholloon look at me I am carrying around a priceless sword that seemed to be important to the Atlantia kingdom. Anyone who would like it please come and take it from my corpse.'
Cassel changed his tone to match the big shadow's voice in his room.
"May I first ask how you know of this sword?"
Judging from the faint silhouette provided by the candle the opponent was not large did not wield a large weapon nor were they a gangster judging from their speech.
"From my knowledge that sword belongs to Master Quayun. As for me, I had met him briefly and his sword about 5-6 years ago and you are not him."
"You are right. My name is Cassel and....."
Cassel thought carefully about what to say next for what seemed to be a long time but in reality it was almost immediate.
"I am from Alantia."
He sat down with the back of the chair near his chest as if he was hugging it. He thought it would make him look relaxed but it was quite awkward. But it was too late to change his posture.
Cassel coughed and asked.
"And you are?"
"I am the Lord of Coholloon Count Gordimer."
"I am the Captain of the White Wolves."
It was the first time saying this lie after leaving Falcon's Village, he really did not like this lie. His heart pounded.
The count seemed unfazed as if he was expecting it.
"I heard that the captain had defeated the red rose army, took Falcon as his men and got the black lions to surrender with nothing but words."
'How much has the story evolved?'
"I knew that you would pass by Coholloon sooner or later which is why I have been strengthening security and one of the guards informed me that you were staying at this inn.
"So you came with knowledge that a man with a fancy sword came? Nothing more?"
"Well I had no other way of finding you, maybe if you had hidden your sword i wouldn't have known."
"Am i the only one you found? In other words..."
Cassel hesitated for a moment.
"What about my men?"
"Shouldn't you know that better than me?"
Cassel spoke as if it was nothing.
"Things happened and we got separated. But what business did you have such that you would come to my room unannounced?"
"There is something you should know. You are being targeted by one of the '2 Counts'. I am not the only one who got information that you entered this city the one who wants you dead will also know. I had no choice but to come in such an uncivilized manner. It is to protect you"
Cassel remembered the man with the spear.
'He could've been an assassin.'
He shook his head.
'Would an assassin come at me head on?'
Cassel coughed again.
"What about you? You have named yourself but it is hard for me to identify you with just that and do you really think a captain of the white wolves would let himself be under someone else's protection?"
Cassel unwillingly doubted the man. Not because he truly wanted to but this seemed like the appropriate response to hide his own farce.
"If I were an assassin I would've had your neck the moment you entered the door. May it be an inn you entered without being aware of your surroundings."
Cassel simply shrugged.
"Show what do you suggest?"
"First let's go to my castle, I serve the king thus I know how to treat guests."
"Sounds like a plan."
Cassel replied and immediately regretted this.
'what do you plan to do after you enter?'
*
The main difference between Coholloon and the Deserter's Village was not only the size but the night life as well. The village was full of drunks and rowdy at night. But here it was dead silent once there was some distance from the bars. Also lack of lights caused more reliance on the moonlight.
Lord Gordimer continued to lead Cassel into a darker passage. he would stop occasionally and carefully check the surrounding area. To Cassel this seemed abit over the top.
He strayed from the large road heading towards the mansion mentioning a shortcut in an alleyway. The alleyway was very complicated that someone like Cassel who did not know the city would immediately be confused in which way they are going. Cassel's sense of direction let him realize that they were basically walking in circles.
'Come to think of it it's strange. A Count comes out by himself just to find me?'
For a moment he compared the man who believed that he was captain of the white wolves and himself who believed the man to be the count.
Falcon saw through Cassel immediately. Cassel had no such talent in reading people. But he could not shake the feeling that this man seemed closer to the sword than a man of noble status. Ofcourse most nobles are well acquainted with the sword. But he did not give of the air of a noble. The man seemed to resemble Falcon.
Gordimer suddenly drew his sword in the narrow alleyway and looked around.
"Someone's following us."
Cassel looked behind him but didn't see anyone
"Where?"
"I am not certain but he has been following us for a long time now. Did you not know?"
Cassel nodded
'I don't know about this stalker but I do know you aren’t being truthful.’'
Due to constantly lying to others himself,he instantly recognized the man's poor lie.
"There are lots of them. This may be trouble. Let us hurry, my men are waiting not far from here."
The man extended his hand as if to lead the way into darkness
"I don't understand, why are you hiding in your own territory?"
Cassel refused his hand
"We have no time for you to doubt me."
"You are not Count Gordimer."
In that instance the man showed the undeniable face of a liar who had been exposed
"Who are you?"
"What are you talking about?"
The Count tried to regain composure but it was too late. Shadows each wielding a weapon approached them from the alleyway the man was leading them into.
The man pulled out his sword
"Who goes there? Do you not know who I am?"
They approached silently
Cassel quickly surveyed the area and ran into an alleyway where there wasn't anyone.
"Wait for me dammit!"
The man shouted but Cassel did not stop. He could hear the clanging of sword in the background. He could hear more people chasing after them in a different alley. Cassel continued to zig and zag in the alley, he had no idea where he was going but he felt that it was safer that running in a straight line.
His footsteps were loud as there was no other sound in the silent night. During his escape he stepped on an apple peeling and slipped, luckily he didn't fall. But the sound was more than enough to announce his location.
Cassel quickly hid behind the trash bin full of peelings. He confirmed the direction that the men ran in and ran in the opposite direction.
'Was he really trying to fool me? He could've killed me at the inn like he said. Dam just how many teams are chasing me?'
Cassel slowed his footsteps and walked as quietly as he could. There was no more sounds of people chasing after him. He was in total darkness he followed the faint voices of people and a light at the end of the alleyway.
'Let's rethink this. Would the Lord of Coholloon really try to invite the captain of the knights so secretly? It is an honour to serve the King's guest. Then they would've had a grand welcoming...'
"Ak."
Cassel stopped in his tracks
In front of the alleyway were a group of swordsmen blocking the way. Looking back his escape route was also blocked. Among them a rather old man who came to him out of breath
"Who are you?"
"I am Count Gordimer."
Cassel inspected the man he was very different from the man from before.
"Listen to me for a moment. We have no intention of harming you."
"So, what would you call this?"
"It is because you refuse to listen. That man who decalred himself as me is one of my knights Aike Ampler. I sent him on my behalf because as you can see I am a coward who cannot move without being escorted by many guards."
"You could've just come here yourself like you did now."
"There was a need for discretion."
"Discretion? In a city that you own?"
"This is not the place for such things. Not to mention there are assassins here. Let us go to my castle and continue there."
Cassel could not easily make a decision
"Trust me. In fact my life is in danger as well If I am not meeting the real captain wolf in other words if you are lying than my life is over as well."
Gordimer paused
"So I want you to trust me as I trust you."
'Wait what if it's revealed that I am lying he will die as well?'
Gordimer looked around with unease
"If they find out I have made contact with you it may spew another war"
"I don't know."
Cassel shook his head in confusion
"Oh well, its understandable since you came from foreign territory. I am currently opposing both the red and black counts and only have legions with his majesty. If it is found out that I met with you one of the 2 sides may think I am conspiring against them.”
“You mean there’ll be trouble for just making contact with me?”
“The reputation of a Captain of the Wolves is not something to be taken light of.”
Gordimer replied with a smile.
“Now, let us hurry and where is Aike? The one who lied to you about being me.”
“Ah, well to tell you the truth…”
As Cassel spoke two shadows appeared from behind the guards and 2 in front and one was hanging upside down from the top of the alley.
“Uhm… hey guys you… you see….”
As the count was at a loss for words, the previous Count that is to say Aike’s voice could be heard.
“Protect the Count and Captain.”
Aike lead the battle. The other guard also drew their weapons to fight. The count quickly snatched Cassel’s wrist
“This way.”
As Aike and the guards fended off the attackers Cassel was led into a narrow pathway by the Count. Aike slowly backed to cover the Count. Two soldiers fell defeated as the attackers dashed towards them. Aike managed to hold up against 2 of the attackers, but the other soldiers fell at the hand of the other 2.
“This way, over here”
The count ran to a different alley. But more men in black clothes were waiting for them there. They ran towards the Count and Cassel.
“Let us spread out. Aike, protect the Count.”
Cassel sent the Count to an alley in the right as he went to the left. Aike after defeating two attackers rushed to the Counts side.
He couldn’t bring himself to beg to be protected by the man he abandoned.
‘There might be a real war if I am not the real captain?’
Cassel threw away any needless thoughts and just ran using the legs he had been relying on the whole day. Thankfully there was an opening to a larger road. But before he could pass through another shadow blocked his path.
Is it a soldier from the Count’s army or a black robbed attacker? The answer was neither the man standing there was the man who had saved him from being robbed earlier.
The large man dropped the torch and reached out for his spear. Cassel stopped in his tracks and began to go back the way he came. But two men in black robes caught up to him.
The two men rushed in with their swords pointed at Cassel.
Cassel had never seen someone so fast before. One of them suddenly ran on the wall as if it was the floor while the one running on the ground lowered his posture. It looked like to bulls charging at him with their horns.
Cassel was frozen on the stop.
“Step aside.”
The man with the spear threw Cassel aside. As Cassel fell on his nose he thought death was inescapable. But it seemed the man’s target was not him but the two attackers chasing after him.
The attackers lunged forward.In a blink of an eye, the large spear seemed to always bend like thin branches in the wind and flung the attackers and their weapons into the sky.
The dissembled corpses fell next to Cassel as well as blood gushing out from the pieces. The dead eyeball of one of the attackers met with Cassel’s eyes filled with fear.
He blocked his mouth to prevent himself from screaming. The man looked at the corpses and muttered
“These guys again.”
He turned himself to Cassel and approached him. Then without remorse pulled the sword from his waist.
“Before you leave me with the bandits and now you bring assassins with you. Tell me kid how did you get this sword?”
His stern eyes were confirming that he already knew everything. He was not from the black lions nor the red roses nor was he Falcon. They had all survived life or death situations yet could not match this mans aura.
“Who are you?”
Cassel asked as his mind grew blank
“I asked you first.”
His confident posture, his skill in using a spear and the way in which he spoke about the sword so knowledgeably allowed Cassel to figure out the identity of the man. All the more why he felt the urge for the man to introduce himself. Even if it meant facing death.
Cassel spoke up to the man.
“If you know what that sword symbolizes you should speak up first!”
The man laughed in disbelief.
“You’ve got guts. Well I guess if you are going to go pretending like you are the captain you would need it.”
‘Yes, this is the voice I heard in the Deserter’s Village, the one who was with the braided hair girl.’
“You must be a White Wolf from Alantia”
The man grabbed Cassel by the collar and put him to his feet
“Took you long enough Captain.”
According to the Deserter’s Village, the White Wolves had gone to Coholloon. Even if that was a lie, it was too late to go back. Cassel continued to go south with the horse Falcon had given him. Jaenie, who was very caring, had slipped a few gold coins in his pocket so he had sufficient funds for travelling.
‘Thanks for this Jaenie. How will I ever repay you?...’
Coholloon was a very large city, so finding it wasn’t too difficult..
Cassel was scared of running into bandits or beasts so he moved from one village to another. The after-effects of the war were clearly visible in all villages and they all seemed to live in a similar fashion.
‘Even if you are a great knight, it is dangerous to travel alone.’ Cassel reminded himself.
The Red Rose Army had tried to warn Cassel right after they left Falcon’s town. Cassel knew about the danger, but felt uneasy with the Red Rose Army so he declined their offer. He was in a position where, if he met a rabbit he would have to wonder if it was a murderous rabbit first.
Luckily nothing happened on his way to Coholloon. Along the way he thought to abandon the sword and walk away, but he couldn’t. The guilt, responsibility, and feelings he received while inside Falcon’s Village were pushing Cassel to his goal.
Coholloon was not a target of the war, so it looked rather different from the other towns he had been to.
‘Since it is a war between nobles, I guess they don’t touch towns that are under a third-party noble’s protection? Or is it that the Lord of the town is underneath the protection of either the Count of the Rose or Lion’s army?’
The city is surrounded by a fortress and had an entry fee of 2 silver. The high price surprised Cassel, but no one else seemed perturbed by it. Cassel acted like it wasn’t much and passed through the gate, but all he had left now was 8 silver coins.
‘What to do now…?’
The city was too expansive to search randomly. There was a busy market with many people about. Cassel was from the countryside, naturally he felt overwhelmed when in a city. Coholloon was the 2nd largest city in Carmort right after Normart and had a very large floating population.
‘I need to find 3 people in a place this big??’
Cassel just laughed.
The large roads were different, but the back alleys were as dirty as the Deserter’s Village. In fact, there were even more homeless lying in the filth. In the market there were rats as large as a forearm running around, but no one batted an eye.
After riding around the whole day, Cassel went to an inn to rest. Cassel paid an extra silver so they would feed his horse, but from their unchanging reaction it seemed it wasn’t happening.
As any inn would do in a busy city, they sold alcohol. As soon as he opened the door a strong odor greeted him. It was surprising that this was the cleanest inn he could find.
All the people in the lobby were shady and dirty. A few were at a table eating some sort of soup. By appearance, it looked like something you would feed to pigs. It was too late to leave though, as he already left the horse in the stable.
‘Would it be any different anywhere else? Screw it.’
Cassel walked across the lobby into the bar.
“Welcome.”
A young owner greeted him.
“Give me a room.”
“How long?”
“Hm.. about 4 days or so?”
“A single day is 4 silver coins. If you want to pay at once, it is just one gold coin.”
“I will pay by day.”
Cassel paid like it was nothing, but he had barely any money left
“Room three on the 2nd floor.”
All the guests in the hall looked at Cassel as he ascended the stairs. One person who seemed to be on drugs whistled at him through his teeth.
“Hey that’s a fine sword you have there~.”
Cassel ignored him and continued to climb the stairs.
“You should be careful carrying something like that around here. You will become a target.”
Cassel stopped. All the store’s guests who were looking at him quickly averted their eyes from his.
‘You become a target with a good sword??’
It was unheard of. A knight having to worry about having his sword robbed.
Cassel spoke to the man who was still laughing.
“What did you say?”
“I am just giving you advice. Try to hide it, you know. If you flash it around like that, you are begging for people to steal it from you.”
Come to think about it Cassel had no idea how many people had eyed this sword as he was passing by on his horse.
‘It would be wise to give a warning.’
Cassel leaned on the handrail of the stairs and slightly showed off his sword. But of course he didn’t unsheathe it. The drugged or drunk man raised both his hands into the air and laughed.
“Hey, I was just warning you. You should be thanking me, not threatening me. No one here would be scared from looking at a sword. Plus if you did do anything funny, the guards here will just drag you into prison.”
“Thanks for the lesson. I will also give you some information in return. How does this sword look? Does it seem expensive? Then who do you think is holding onto it? Do you know how many bandits I’ve killed to still hang on to this sword after all this time? Don’t provoke me.”
Cassel spoke in an almost whispering voice as he unsheathed the sword a bit.
The man continued to laugh and stepped back.
“I am just warning you. I have no interest in swords.”
“And I was just returning the favour. I have no interest in you. I just want to rest but, I had to warn you in case things get bothersome.”
Those words were not really for the man, but rather everyone in the bar. They were all listening, despite pretending not to.
‘That was unnecessary.’
Cassel sheathed the sword and climbed the stairs.
‘Did that make me look weak?’
Cassel went to the room and as he lay in the bed all those thoughts stopped. After leaving Falcon’s village, he had not done much other than riding a horse, but that itself was very tiring.
Cassel revisited his plan while laying down. The city was too big to comb for the 3 people. However, if famous knights from Alantia had come, there would be rumours. If they were not here, he would have to go to Normount, every little bit of information was vital.
The problem was money. He didn’t even have enough to pay for his room tomorrow. It was no use planning ahead when he was in trouble now.
‘What if I sell the horse?’
He felt guilty for having to sell the horse that was a present from Jaenie, but right now he was so hungry he could eat that same horse.
‘How much is the horse worth? I don’t even know its value. Is it like selling wheat? Ah, I should’ve followed my father when he said he was going to sell wheat in Coholloon that time.’
Cassel thought it would be a good idea to wash up, but before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. It was already sunset when he finally awoke.
‘I blew the best time to search sleeping!’
Cassel quickly washed his face and got ready to head out. He grabbed the sword on his waist, but only weapon made him uncomfortable.
'He's right. A sword with jewels engraved in it is too eye-catching. But, I can't just leave this here.'
Cassel wore the worn out cape to hide the sword. The cape smelt very old, but it was bearable.
Nothing of concern happened as he left the bar. The drunk man and the others in the bar were nowhere to be found. In the market district Cassel's ragged outfit was a perfect fit to blend in with the crowd.
It was already getting dark so number of people on the streets were very small. As the sun set Cassel entered a pub.
'In stories, there are no better places to get information than pubs.'
Cassel was hoping for some luck and sat quietly for two hours in two bars, but there was no news about knights from Alantia.
Most of the conversations were about the war. As Cassel was about to move to the third bar a conversation caught his ears.
"...It seems when that Captain raised his sword the whole red rose army stopped in their tracks."
"Wow he managed to stop 30 soldiers by himself?"
"No, no. I heard it was more like 50 soldiers. He did it without swinging his sword once. In my opinion he had already taken Falcon under his wing."
Cassel was surprised.
'Are they talking about me?'
Cassel sat back down and continued to listen in on their conversation.
"Well, I guess it's possible. Have you heard? Apparently you need to be able to beat a bear bare handed, as well as climb the walls of the fortress just to qualify to take the entrance exam"
"What I heard was even more extreme. Apparently you need to be able to withstand the attack of the Wolves Captain and Queen’s Royal guard Quayon's attack, which is capable of breaking any shield or armour. A pass or die exam."
"Well I guess that is appropriate, seeing as how he had enough guts to stop the whole Red Rose army by himself."
"But why did he come to Carmort? Did the King call him?"
"I heard it was on account of the Black Lion Count. I guess they plan on taking the whole country by joining forces."
"Is Alantia planning an invasion? Aren't they a country of peace?"
"Well there's nothing stopping them, is there? I mean, while we are on the topic, if they just came in with the wolves and a frontal attack, our kingdom would have no choice but surrender."
"Hey. Shush, don't speak of such things so casually"
Their conversation soon moved on to the previous war, due to the nobles. Cassel sat waiting for them to talk more about the Alantian people. He tried to ignore the waiter who was wondering if he had ordered anything.
There was also a man sitting in front of him. Despite Cassel staring back at him, he did not avoid eye contact, but instead the man stared even more intensely at him. Cassel instinctively avoided his gaze. His dark eyebrows and large eyes gave off a strong impression.
'I know I have met him somewhere. Where have I seen him?'
The man had a large spear by his side and his broad shoulders along with his tanned bulky arms, looked very strong and his curly hair came down to his shoulders.
'I know that face. But who is that? There is no way I would forget a face like that.'
Cassel tried desperately to remember the man.
'Was he in the same platoon as me?'
The man wasn't the only one staring at him; the owner of the bar was also staring at him. It seemed he figured out Cassel was sitting there without ordering anything.
Near the backdoor of the pub, a group of men nodded at Cassel with their heads to point him out to another group.
"Hey if you are not going to order anything......"
Cassel stood up as the worker complained.
"I'm sorry I will leave."
Cassel left the pub and the men, who exchanged looks, left through the back door as well.
'Maybe I'm being paranoid.'
When Cassel looked back just in case, the man walked towards him with a spear. It was impossible to ignore the large spear in the air.
'Wah, that's not even stalking. They are coming at me head on.'
The man took big strides towards Cassel, never taking his eyes off him. He was so focused that he didn't realize he was pushing past people. Those who were pushed turned to complain, but immediately changed their minds after seeing the man's size.
Large men were not new for Cassel, who had been in the army, but he was different than the rest. It was like a giant, the size of a house, following him.
Cassel ran. So did the man. The man’s scary face while chasing after him caused his legs to freeze in their tracks.
'He's trying to steal my sword. He must've seen me in the afternoon and been keeping tabs on me since.'
Cassel seriously considered the possibility of abandoning the sword and whether his chance of survival would rise.
As he was turning a corner in an alley someone grabbed him by the collar and pulled him. Cassel was easily dragged in without being able to resist.
"Hey where are you going rich boy? It was tough chasing after you."
Cassel found it funny how he was relieved to see a man point a knife to his neck in this situation.
'What? Is this guy with the giant guy chasing after me?'
Cassel managed sort out the confusion in his head. Six people surrounded him. Among them 3 of them were the ones sitting near the back door of the pub. one was the drunk man who had warned him in the inn the remaining 2 he had never seen before. However, judging from their clothes and overall atmosphere they weren't with the giant chasing after him.
"You know how nervous we were getting when you weren't leaving the inn? But we still thank you for coming into an uninhabited alley way by yourself."
As the man who had grabbed Cassel by the collar spoke his disgusting rotten breath hit Cassel's nose. His eyes were giving off a vibe of a killer's.
'It's different. It's not like Tiger nor the homeless nor that of the army!'
The man merely smiled and didn't demand the sword . He wasn't planning to listen to reason nor negotiate with him. He was probably the type to kill first then steal anything the man had on his possession. Cassel was troubled as he couldn't threaten them like he did the Red Roses with a face full of terror like it is now.
Cassel merely spoke,
"If you kill me, you will end up regretting it."
The man who was getting ready to swing at Cassel's neck paused.
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
The man laughed and looked back at his friends.
"What do you think?"
"HAHA, seems interesting. Ask him how we will regret it."
"We don't have time, just quickly kill him and leave.
The man looked back at Cassel.
"Ok friend tell me using 3 words, why would we regret it?"
The man's sword was pressed against Cassel's neck. Cassel put his back to the wall and spoke without pausing
"I have (a) bodyguard."
"What?"
Cassel tightly closed one eye. It seemed the bluff had worked the man did not stop him.
'What now..'
Cassel quickly hatched a plan .
"What body guard? We know you've been by yourself this whole time."
The man said with a frown.
"Of course you didn't. He is very skilled at hiding himself. You guys have no hope of detecting him! If you don't release me now he will come and take your heads."
Cassel faced the man he met at the inn.
"Hey, you remember what I said to you this noon? About how me still holding this sword despite many people wanting to take it from me is proof of how many I would have had to kill?"
The man with the sword looked back at the drunk man.
"Do you remember?"
"Can't remember."
The man simply shrugged.
Cassel continued to speak.
"It doesn't matter if you do or not! Listen well. All those who were after my sword are now covered in dirt and worms, dead. Why do you think that is? It's because my bodyguard takes care of them all. If you don't let me go it's over for you."
"Don't lie to us you bastard. How 'bout this, try calling him here in 3 seconds."
The man continued to push Cassel into the wall.
"One! Two!"
Cassel couldn't think of more words to distract the man. He merely closed his eyes.
'Damn! He might as well count to five.'
The man couldn't finish counting to three and eventually he let his grip go. As Cassel opened his eyes he saw the man with the large spear standing at the entrance of the alley. He tilted his head in confusion.
Cassel spoke as if the man was his friend.
"The sword is safe for now but these guys are trying to take it."
Cassel doesn't really expect a reply, his plan is to put the 2 groups of people who want the sword to battle each other.
"Who are these guys?"
For some reason the man spoke to Cassel as if they had already been acquainted.
Cassel replied in a calm tone.
"Can't you tell? They are bandits after the sword."
The man scanned the gang of bandits then spoke in a deep voice.
"Move aside. That sword will only bring ruin in the hands of people like you."
The gang of bandits were paralyzed by the man for a second but quickly regained composure.
"Yeah right. Who on earth are you?"
Rationally the men had no reason to run they had 6 men while the man holding the spear was by himself.
"The only thing we can't touch is what belongs to Count Gordimer. Who are you, the Count's guard?!"
"This is the final warning."
The man lowered his giant spear. The 6 men readied their swords.
"Same here."
One of the men just rushed in.
"Enough talk, just kill him."
All the men excluding the one holding on to Cassel rushed towards the giant man. Within an instant, all the men's swords fell to the ground.
The giant man had blocked all those attacks while barely moving his weapon. He then slowly stepped back out of the alley.
"He's trying to get away! Kill him!"
Even to Cassel it was clear that the man was merely getting out of the narrow alley and into a wider space so that he could use his spear. However, the men had lost composure and chased after him as they picked up their weapons.
Cassel quickly smacked the distracted man holding onto him.
"Argh!"
"Argh!"
The man screamed while holding his nose in pain. Cassel also screamed holding onto his fist. It felt like all the bones in his hand were broken.
"Stop!"
The large man shouted at him but Cassel continued to run into the dark alley. What followed were the clanking of metal along with screams of pain.
Cassel stopped only after he was fully out of breath.
He could still sense someone chasing after him but he was too scared to look behind him.
'That gang was just after the sword but the man with the spear seemed to be different. Who is he? Where have I seen him?'
He seemed to know about the sword.
'No, that's even more so why he could be after the sword as well. He could deliver it to Alentia for a large reward or sell it on the black market and judging by his skilled spear techniques he could pretend to be a White Wolf better than I could.'
Cassel stopped his thoughts and tried to remember back to the Deserter's Village.
'Wait, was he one of the 3 men from that village?'
The women with braided hair had such a strong impression that Cassel could not remember the other two men's facial features.
'If he were a White Wolf it would be a great chance to return the sword.'
Cassel made it back to the inn. He didn't want to return as some people knew he stayed here but he had no choice as everything he owned was stored there. Now that it was night time, the inn was full of people enjoying meals and drinks much like the pub in the Deserter's Village.
He was hungry but had no more money and was scared to be out in the open he quickly went up to the second floor. In the corridor there were two man singing with each other and another man who had fallen asleep with his head to the wall. A worker grabbed the sleeping man by the collar and shouted in his ear 'How many times does this make!'
Cassel rushed past the small corridor as if running away from the rest.
The darkness comforted him. he light the candle and took off his cape.
"!"
There was a black shadow sitting on his bed. Luckily Cassel held back his scream
'One surprise after another....'
Cassel placed the cape down on a chair as he screamed in frustration inside his head.
"May I ask whom you may be to carry that sword."
His voice was strong yet formal.
'The sword again!'
Cassel cursed his stupidity for walking around flashing the sword. 'Citizens of Coholloon look at me I am carrying around a priceless sword that seemed to be important to the Atlantia kingdom. Anyone who would like it please come and take it from my corpse.'
Cassel changed his tone to match the big shadow's voice in his room.
"May I first ask how you know of this sword?"
Judging from the faint silhouette provided by the candle the opponent was not large did not wield a large weapon nor were they a gangster judging from their speech.
"From my knowledge that sword belongs to Master Quayun. As for me, I had met him briefly and his sword about 5-6 years ago and you are not him."
"You are right. My name is Cassel and....."
Cassel thought carefully about what to say next for what seemed to be a long time but in reality it was almost immediate.
"I am from Alantia."
He sat down with the back of the chair near his chest as if he was hugging it. He thought it would make him look relaxed but it was quite awkward. But it was too late to change his posture.
Cassel coughed and asked.
"And you are?"
"I am the Lord of Coholloon Count Gordimer."
"I am the Captain of the White Wolves."
It was the first time saying this lie after leaving Falcon's Village, he really did not like this lie. His heart pounded.
The count seemed unfazed as if he was expecting it.
"I heard that the captain had defeated the red rose army, took Falcon as his men and got the black lions to surrender with nothing but words."
'How much has the story evolved?'
"I knew that you would pass by Coholloon sooner or later which is why I have been strengthening security and one of the guards informed me that you were staying at this inn.
"So you came with knowledge that a man with a fancy sword came? Nothing more?"
"Well I had no other way of finding you, maybe if you had hidden your sword i wouldn't have known."
"Am i the only one you found? In other words..."
Cassel hesitated for a moment.
"What about my men?"
"Shouldn't you know that better than me?"
Cassel spoke as if it was nothing.
"Things happened and we got separated. But what business did you have such that you would come to my room unannounced?"
"There is something you should know. You are being targeted by one of the '2 Counts'. I am not the only one who got information that you entered this city the one who wants you dead will also know. I had no choice but to come in such an uncivilized manner. It is to protect you"
Cassel remembered the man with the spear.
'He could've been an assassin.'
He shook his head.
'Would an assassin come at me head on?'
Cassel coughed again.
"What about you? You have named yourself but it is hard for me to identify you with just that and do you really think a captain of the white wolves would let himself be under someone else's protection?"
Cassel unwillingly doubted the man. Not because he truly wanted to but this seemed like the appropriate response to hide his own farce.
"If I were an assassin I would've had your neck the moment you entered the door. May it be an inn you entered without being aware of your surroundings."
Cassel simply shrugged.
"Show what do you suggest?"
"First let's go to my castle, I serve the king thus I know how to treat guests."
"Sounds like a plan."
Cassel replied and immediately regretted this.
'what do you plan to do after you enter?'
*
The main difference between Coholloon and the Deserter's Village was not only the size but the night life as well. The village was full of drunks and rowdy at night. But here it was dead silent once there was some distance from the bars. Also lack of lights caused more reliance on the moonlight.
Lord Gordimer continued to lead Cassel into a darker passage. he would stop occasionally and carefully check the surrounding area. To Cassel this seemed abit over the top.
He strayed from the large road heading towards the mansion mentioning a shortcut in an alleyway. The alleyway was very complicated that someone like Cassel who did not know the city would immediately be confused in which way they are going. Cassel's sense of direction let him realize that they were basically walking in circles.
'Come to think of it it's strange. A Count comes out by himself just to find me?'
For a moment he compared the man who believed that he was captain of the white wolves and himself who believed the man to be the count.
Falcon saw through Cassel immediately. Cassel had no such talent in reading people. But he could not shake the feeling that this man seemed closer to the sword than a man of noble status. Ofcourse most nobles are well acquainted with the sword. But he did not give of the air of a noble. The man seemed to resemble Falcon.
Gordimer suddenly drew his sword in the narrow alleyway and looked around.
"Someone's following us."
Cassel looked behind him but didn't see anyone
"Where?"
"I am not certain but he has been following us for a long time now. Did you not know?"
Cassel nodded
'I don't know about this stalker but I do know you aren’t being truthful.’'
Due to constantly lying to others himself,he instantly recognized the man's poor lie.
"There are lots of them. This may be trouble. Let us hurry, my men are waiting not far from here."
The man extended his hand as if to lead the way into darkness
"I don't understand, why are you hiding in your own territory?"
Cassel refused his hand
"We have no time for you to doubt me."
"You are not Count Gordimer."
In that instance the man showed the undeniable face of a liar who had been exposed
"Who are you?"
"What are you talking about?"
The Count tried to regain composure but it was too late. Shadows each wielding a weapon approached them from the alleyway the man was leading them into.
The man pulled out his sword
"Who goes there? Do you not know who I am?"
They approached silently
Cassel quickly surveyed the area and ran into an alleyway where there wasn't anyone.
"Wait for me dammit!"
The man shouted but Cassel did not stop. He could hear the clanging of sword in the background. He could hear more people chasing after them in a different alley. Cassel continued to zig and zag in the alley, he had no idea where he was going but he felt that it was safer that running in a straight line.
His footsteps were loud as there was no other sound in the silent night. During his escape he stepped on an apple peeling and slipped, luckily he didn't fall. But the sound was more than enough to announce his location.
Cassel quickly hid behind the trash bin full of peelings. He confirmed the direction that the men ran in and ran in the opposite direction.
'Was he really trying to fool me? He could've killed me at the inn like he said. Dam just how many teams are chasing me?'
Cassel slowed his footsteps and walked as quietly as he could. There was no more sounds of people chasing after him. He was in total darkness he followed the faint voices of people and a light at the end of the alleyway.
'Let's rethink this. Would the Lord of Coholloon really try to invite the captain of the knights so secretly? It is an honour to serve the King's guest. Then they would've had a grand welcoming...'
"Ak."
Cassel stopped in his tracks
In front of the alleyway were a group of swordsmen blocking the way. Looking back his escape route was also blocked. Among them a rather old man who came to him out of breath
"Who are you?"
"I am Count Gordimer."
Cassel inspected the man he was very different from the man from before.
"Listen to me for a moment. We have no intention of harming you."
"So, what would you call this?"
"It is because you refuse to listen. That man who decalred himself as me is one of my knights Aike Ampler. I sent him on my behalf because as you can see I am a coward who cannot move without being escorted by many guards."
"You could've just come here yourself like you did now."
"There was a need for discretion."
"Discretion? In a city that you own?"
"This is not the place for such things. Not to mention there are assassins here. Let us go to my castle and continue there."
Cassel could not easily make a decision
"Trust me. In fact my life is in danger as well If I am not meeting the real captain wolf in other words if you are lying than my life is over as well."
Gordimer paused
"So I want you to trust me as I trust you."
'Wait what if it's revealed that I am lying he will die as well?'
Gordimer looked around with unease
"If they find out I have made contact with you it may spew another war"
"I don't know."
Cassel shook his head in confusion
"Oh well, its understandable since you came from foreign territory. I am currently opposing both the red and black counts and only have legions with his majesty. If it is found out that I met with you one of the 2 sides may think I am conspiring against them.”
“You mean there’ll be trouble for just making contact with me?”
“The reputation of a Captain of the Wolves is not something to be taken light of.”
Gordimer replied with a smile.
“Now, let us hurry and where is Aike? The one who lied to you about being me.”
“Ah, well to tell you the truth…”
As Cassel spoke two shadows appeared from behind the guards and 2 in front and one was hanging upside down from the top of the alley.
“Uhm… hey guys you… you see….”
As the count was at a loss for words, the previous Count that is to say Aike’s voice could be heard.
“Protect the Count and Captain.”
Aike lead the battle. The other guard also drew their weapons to fight. The count quickly snatched Cassel’s wrist
“This way.”
As Aike and the guards fended off the attackers Cassel was led into a narrow pathway by the Count. Aike slowly backed to cover the Count. Two soldiers fell defeated as the attackers dashed towards them. Aike managed to hold up against 2 of the attackers, but the other soldiers fell at the hand of the other 2.
“This way, over here”
The count ran to a different alley. But more men in black clothes were waiting for them there. They ran towards the Count and Cassel.
“Let us spread out. Aike, protect the Count.”
Cassel sent the Count to an alley in the right as he went to the left. Aike after defeating two attackers rushed to the Counts side.
He couldn’t bring himself to beg to be protected by the man he abandoned.
‘There might be a real war if I am not the real captain?’
Cassel threw away any needless thoughts and just ran using the legs he had been relying on the whole day. Thankfully there was an opening to a larger road. But before he could pass through another shadow blocked his path.
Is it a soldier from the Count’s army or a black robbed attacker? The answer was neither the man standing there was the man who had saved him from being robbed earlier.
The large man dropped the torch and reached out for his spear. Cassel stopped in his tracks and began to go back the way he came. But two men in black robes caught up to him.
The two men rushed in with their swords pointed at Cassel.
Cassel had never seen someone so fast before. One of them suddenly ran on the wall as if it was the floor while the one running on the ground lowered his posture. It looked like to bulls charging at him with their horns.
Cassel was frozen on the stop.
“Step aside.”
The man with the spear threw Cassel aside. As Cassel fell on his nose he thought death was inescapable. But it seemed the man’s target was not him but the two attackers chasing after him.
The attackers lunged forward.In a blink of an eye, the large spear seemed to always bend like thin branches in the wind and flung the attackers and their weapons into the sky.
The dissembled corpses fell next to Cassel as well as blood gushing out from the pieces. The dead eyeball of one of the attackers met with Cassel’s eyes filled with fear.
He blocked his mouth to prevent himself from screaming. The man looked at the corpses and muttered
“These guys again.”
He turned himself to Cassel and approached him. Then without remorse pulled the sword from his waist.
“Before you leave me with the bandits and now you bring assassins with you. Tell me kid how did you get this sword?”
His stern eyes were confirming that he already knew everything. He was not from the black lions nor the red roses nor was he Falcon. They had all survived life or death situations yet could not match this mans aura.
“Who are you?”
Cassel asked as his mind grew blank
“I asked you first.”
His confident posture, his skill in using a spear and the way in which he spoke about the sword so knowledgeably allowed Cassel to figure out the identity of the man. All the more why he felt the urge for the man to introduce himself. Even if it meant facing death.
Cassel spoke up to the man.
“If you know what that sword symbolizes you should speak up first!”
The man laughed in disbelief.
“You’ve got guts. Well I guess if you are going to go pretending like you are the captain you would need it.”
‘Yes, this is the voice I heard in the Deserter’s Village, the one who was with the braided hair girl.’
“You must be a White Wolf from Alantia”
The man grabbed Cassel by the collar and put him to his feet
“Took you long enough Captain.”
