On the day the cuckoo cries (2)
A deep night when everyone is asleep.
Alicia was climbing the hill behind the mansion alone, holding a lantern.
“Phew…”
A heavy sigh that does not match the light outfit.
She must have been tossing and turning on the bed just a moment ago, and her attire appeared to be just a shawl over her light clothes.
I probably wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep easily.
Even now, the tense air coming from everywhere was holding onto her and not letting her go.
“oh.”
The summer night wind suddenly begins to blow as soon as you step onto the edge of the hill.
Alicia ended up closing her eyes as it penetrated her eyes.
Alicia’s light blue hair began to flutter across the night sky due to a sudden and unexpected wind.
“Ugh. “It’s been like this these days.”
Alicia, who was rubbing her eyes against the strong wind that made her feel mischievous, grumbled with a frown on her face.
Lately, whenever Alicia climbed up the hill, an unseasonable wind kept blowing.
Since other employees said they had never felt it before, Alicia could only wonder if she was unlucky.
“huh?”
I don’t know if it’s my mood, but as the wind blows, the scenery on the hill looks different than before.
No matter how bright the moon in the night sky was, a familiar-looking blond head began to catch her eye in the strangely bright surroundings.
“joy. “It’s very shameful.”
After checking Vlad who was leaning under the tree, Alicia wrinkled her lips and grabbed the hem of her skirt.
“They just talk about it and it doesn’t really touch me at all.”
Now, Vlad comes up without any hesitation as if it were his own seat.
Looking at him like that, Alicia grumbled in a low voice.
No matter how much I call Lady Alicia’s knight, I have to call her to visit her at least once.
Vlad was so good at hiding in the small mansion that no trace of him was visible wherever he walked.
“······.”
As sad as she was, Alicia hurried up the hill, but what was waiting for her there was only Vlad, leaning against the base of a tree and bowing his head.
It looked like he was sleeping, but Alicia couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him still holding his sword.
“You are also good at selling.”
It’s night so you should be sleepy.
But do knights usually sleep so deeply that they lose their senses?
Alicia furrowed her eyebrows as if she was troubled when she saw Vlad not moving even though he made a sign that he had arrived.
“······Sleep well. “Aren’t you nervous?”
In a few days, a fierce war will begin.
However, Vlad was sleeping peacefully, showing no worries or concerns.
However, the sight of Vlad sleeping peacefully gave Alicia a small sense of peace.
“A scandalous knight that not even the lady recognizes.”
Although she was saying it was a shame, Alicia quietly sat down next to Vlad in case he woke up.
The fluttering fireflies were scattering in all directions as she landed.
A blue moon rising above a quiet summer night.
Alicia, who had been looking up at the moon next to Vlad for a while, quietly pursed her lips as if she had made up her mind.
Considering the way he was currently asleep, it seemed like he wouldn’t wake up easily no matter what he did.
“······Vlad is Lady Alicia’s knight.”
Alicia’s voice quietly resonates in the ears of a sleeping Vlad.
“So, from now on, I will visit Alicia often.”
Even though it was just the two of us, Alicia quietly covered her lips with her palm for fear of being heard.
Only the winds circling on the hill could hear her voice.
“I visit Alicia more often than Josef. Understand?”
Alicia starts talking over and over again, as if under hypnosis.
She knew that if she did this, Vlad wouldn’t do what she wanted, but even so, Alicia had no intention of stopping her babbling.
Words that are easier to say because they are hard to hear.
But her words were becoming more deeply embedded in Vlad’s mind than ever before.
“······Aren’t you listening to this?”
It may have been just a joke, but Alicia probably didn’t know.
The fact that Vlad was not sleeping right now, but was looking at his world through deep meditation.
“Why are your ears perking up?”
Alicia’s words were digging into Vlad’s world, which was wide open because he had to go deep.
Vlad was organizing the world through meditation in preparation for the coming battle.
Because it was a sensitive task, I asked them to wake me up if anyone came, but the white snake and young spirits on the hill who had actually been asked to do so just played it off as if they didn’t know about it.
※※※※
“Hmm.”
The next morning.
Josef climbed up the castle wall and checked the Gaidar army approaching from afar.
“It seems like there were only a few people who left.”
Count Gaidar, who did not let his forces disperse despite numerous sabotage operations.
The western army he was leading began to appear at the edge of the green pastures of Deirmar.
“The soldiers are agitated. “Mr. Josef.”
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“······It was a good idea to boost morale in advance.”
The air of the battlefield can be felt even without seeing it.
5,000 to 1,300 people.
No matter how much they are inside the castle, it will be difficult for anyone to maintain composure if an army larger than their size is approaching.
Nevertheless, the morale of the Hainal army, although shaken, did not waver significantly.
“Of course, this was something you did in anticipation of this situation, right?”
“······Maybe.”
Vlad quickly nodded to Josef, who was looking at him indifferently.
In a way, it was an intense provocation that was no different from striking the first blow.
The soldiers of Hainal’s army were feeling considerable relief from the knight named Vlad along with the presence of Bayezid’s army that would arrive later.
“I heard you said hello to the Baron this morning.”
“yes.”
Josef folds the telescope and begins to slowly walk up the castle wall.
Bayezid’s knights who followed him began to form a long line.
“It’s a good thing. “No matter how nominal, the commander of this war is Alicia, so it is important to raise her status.”
Anyone in the castle would know.
No matter how much Alicia is the commander of this defense, it is only in name.
In fact, it was Gaidar and Bayezid who were driving this war, and it was Josef who was actually leading the troops here.
In such a situation, Vlad’s respect for Alicia was bound to be a morale-boosting factor for the Hainal military.
Even though he is Bayezid’s favorite knight, he does not mind bowing down to his lord.
Vlad’s attitude of respect for her was clearly something that could be called a political act of the highest order.
“Now, you can figure it out on your own without me having to tell you.”
“······.”
Seeing Josef smiling as if he was satisfied, Vlad ended up scratching the back of his head.
I just felt like I had to do it for today, but I can’t believe it continued like this.
Listening to Josef’s words, I felt like I could understand why Alicia and Duncan were so happy, even though it was just a greeting.
“Take a good look. “From here to here is your area.”
Gregory, Cade, and Maxim leave one by one according to Josef’s instructions.
And now it’s Vlad’s turn.
Josef, who had carefully assigned each person a zone, finally opened his mouth by telling them which zone Vlad would be in charge of.
This could have been simply announced through a meeting, but it was also a special consideration for Vlad, who was experiencing war for the first time.
“I heard intelligence that the Gaidar army is coming equipped with siege weapons. “He will definitely try to climb the castle wall.”
Although it has been well repaired, the walls of Deremar are inevitably small in scale.
Sigmund judged that he could break through the walls and was showing his sincerity through the siege weapons he brought with him.
“It will be intense. “This is probably a moment when your judgment is needed more than ever.”
“······.”
Which side will be defeated or overcome in countless close battles?
From now on, it will be Vlad’s job to judge all of that.
It was a short area above the castle walls, but from now on, Vlad was practically the owner of this place.
“Always keep an eye on the opposing knights. “Like you, they are people who can create any number of variables.”
“All right.”
Only a knight can fight a knight.
The inexperienced Vlad will always have to be wary of those who are as sharp as he is.
“······.”
There was more to say, but Josef decided to leave it alone.
Because his knight was already looking at the enemy.
“be careful.”
“All right.”
The two parted ways with a short greeting.
As Josef walked down the narrow stairs, he thought back to the cold winter day.
“Can you two get along?”
“I probably would if I had the chance.”
“······okay.”
Even though he was a boy from a shabby back alley, he confidently said that he would destroy the Western Moon.
At that time it was only a faint possibility, but now it has become a meaningful possibility.
“Can Vlad win?”
“······Not yet.”
Josef had made a promise to that bold boy.
If I can create an opportunity for you to take revenge, I will create it for you.
Those words at that time were not just empty words, but a condition that reminded me of Gaidar, who we might face one day.
“You did a good job of positioning yourself on the other side of me.”
However, it was not a promise to raise it in a situation where a certain defeat was promised as it is now.
Gaidar’s Godin and Shoara’s Vlad are destined to meet yet.
Josef planned to separate the two in a completely separate space, even if it was the same battlefield.
“I hope everything goes as planned, but…”
However, no matter how clever a commander is, he cannot control all variables on the battlefield.
Josef looked at the Gaidar army approaching with dusk in the distance and sighed quietly.
Today, the shadow coming from the west seemed to get longer.
※※※※
The northern grasslands are now in full swing.
In a place where numerous tents were fluttering, there was a man moving forward, proudly dividing the soldiers.
“Get out of the way.”
A man who does not lose his spirit even in the face of countless knights glaring at him.
Even under pressure that would have made ordinary people unable to even breathe, Timur the Steelmaster and the Northern Knights calmly paved the way forward.
“Duke. “Are you here?”
It was a powerful force that could be felt even outside the tent, but Radu of the Dragon Slayer Knights just came out, casually scratching his head as if he had finally realized it.
“It seemed like things were getting too late, so I came myself. “Do you think it was a burdensome burden?”
Steelsmith Timur.
As the ruler of the North, he decided not to accept any further checks.
“I came to relieve you of some of your burden. “Now that I see it, I should have come a long time ago.”
It was an expedition that lasted half a year.
Nevertheless, the central forces did not even set foot in Baron Utman’s territory, so the intention was obvious to anyone.
So I won’t be dragged around any longer.
Despite the advice of the Holy See, Timur came here with the intention of personally leading his soldiers and attacking Baron Utman.
Although there was bound to be some backlash, the intention was to completely eliminate the source of the excuse and drive out the Dragon Slayer Knights.
“haha! I don’t know what to do with you worrying about this ugly junior. “Duke.”
However, the commander of this expedition, Knight Radu, was just calm.
Timur may not be the only one who feels that his smile looks deep.
“I was already planning to report that I would be leaving here soon.”
“······Leaving?”
Timur’s eyebrows began to twitch at Radu’s unexpected words.
The inexplicable sense of frustration conveyed by his smile began to seep into Timur’s toes.
“The mission has been accomplished, so now it’s time to move.”
Radu, who recognized Timur’s faint confusion, gestured towards the knights with an exaggerated gesture.
The carts begin to move following Radu’s hand gestures.
Unidentifiable things shaking above him began to approach Timur little by little.
“It was fortunate. It was not an easy battle, but God was looking down on us.”
“······.”
Timur ignored Radu’s grumbling and quietly looked at the things loaded on the cart.
Faint glances that constantly meet along the line of sight.
Countless heads had lost their bodies and were crammed onto the cart like luggage.
“If you look here, you might look familiar. Baron Utman is there, and his wife and knights…”
“Now this.”
Timur, who understood the situation from traces alone, did not hide his anger.
The surrounding air suddenly starts to become heavy.
A knight among knights. Everyone around him held their breath due to the harsh energy that Timur Baranov gave off.
“What are we doing now?”
Grass that was being crushed even though it had no substance.
Timur was able to realize that this situation was not a natural outcome, looking at the heads showing no signs of resistance and the soldiers showing no signs of having been dispatched.
“······Please fix it. “Duke.”
Radu has finally wiped off his bitter smile due to Timur’s unusual momentum.
However, although he may have erased his smile, he did not lose his relaxed appearance.
The oldest dragon I had faced for a long time was much stickier and harsher than this.
“Baron Utman confessed his guilt at the last moment.”
However, there is one object that is passed through the fingertips that cannot be bent but trembled.
“What is this?”
“It’s Absilon. “It’s something that’s been talked about a lot in the center these days.”
When Timur opened the box, there was a refreshing smell.
Elven tea that has not yet been distributed in the North. It was Absilon.
“It’s a drug. They say they were trying to make the North sick through this. “It is said that an evil being requested it.”
No, it wasn’t.
However, the truth is like a broken piece in front of those in power.
Those who moved the world were people who were skilled at putting the scattered pieces together as they wanted.
“But do you know who was the first person in the North to receive that car?”
From the piece that was put together like that, the oldest dragon’s message to the steelsmith began to flow.
“They said she was Countess Oksana of Bayezid.”
“······.”
Quickly, hand over the dragon pieces.
Otherwise, I will destroy your North.
“I guess it’s suspicious, right?”
A dragon and a lion facing each other fiercely.
Timur could feel the dragon’s claws arriving much earlier than he expected.
The Dragon Slayer Knights and the central forces are slowly reorganizing their formation.
Their banner slowly fell under Bayezid’s leadership. It was leaning towards Sturmah.
