1096. Spectator by day, orchestra by night
It was not much different from when Cyprus had jumped from the castle wall before. A knight stepped down to the ground.
He leaped down with a flick and rolled on the floor, executing a fall break. He
could have simply bent his knees and used his Will to land with a touch of style, but since there was no practical benefit, there was no need to expend his strength.
That was the extent of his pragmatic nature.
His name was Lien.
He was the master of a unique technique called “Iron Fragment,” which shatters and explodes the Will. He was a master of Ailkaraz-style martial arts and a knight who would not easily back down against any opponent in a duel, especially if it was not against a large group.
“If this bastard ran his mouth, he has to take responsibility. Where does he think he’s going to get away with it?”
He was also from the back alleys and his specialty was speaking in a way that irritated others. He brushed his hands together and approached the monster Lien had been talking about. His
steps were unhesitating. Scaler stared at him blankly.
Did your mom teach you that?
Lien grinned and repeated himself.
In a way, he possessed provocation skills on par with Encred.
If Encred were here right now, he would have lightly clapped out of respect, and if it were Rem, he would have let out a cheer.
The soldiers atop the fortress wall turned their gaze forward after hearing Lien’s words.
The monster who had revealed his name as Parta did not hold back. Perhaps he had come here intending to do just this in the first place.
Bang!
Most of the soldiers watching heard only sounds.
What they saw next was Lien stepping back three paces, and a silver-scaled monster named Partaran standing in the spot where Lien had been.
A whirlwind belatedly arose centered around the two. Since the light source used was fireflies and the unique natural light of the fairies instead of torches, the light swayed in the wind but did not go out.
Green stones embedded throughout the castle walls scattered a soft light.
A few strands of Lien’s severed hair mingled and disappeared amidst the whirlwind. Naturally, no one could recognize such tiny strands of hair through the dim light alone.
Only the one who struck and the one who dodged would know.
A harmony of soft white and green light supported Lien’s back, and the creature Partaran’s body faded in color from before, turning from silver to dark gray.
Wow, your hands are strong.
Lien spoke in a grumbling tone.
However, those who heard his tone all felt a strange sense of relief.
After all, no matter what that monster says, there are knights on this side, too.
Cypress isn’t the only hero who has defended the southern front so far.
My feet are spicy, aren’t they?
Lien speaks. Parta saw the traces left behind as it brushed past his belly. Two scales were broken.
Hiss.
He stuck out his tongue once and twisted the corner of his mouth. That was his smile.
Moths rushing to die.
Shhh.
Parta speaks and takes a stance. Lien raises his fist to meet his. Both are skilled at using their fists and feet.
Well, since one of them is a monster, something did shoot out of his body and stab.
* * *
How many people must have been unable to sleep due to the commotion of the night?
It was only natural that some of them were knights.
However, knowing that Lien was stepping forward, they did not take it too seriously.
After all, their attire was exactly what it was.
Sinar wore light green clothes instead of armor, and Cypress climbed atop the castle wall clad in white. Naturally, their eyes met.
Should one say that both were poorly armed? It would be more accurate to say that they had no intention of arming themselves.
A breeze blew and rattled Sinar’s collar. A white shirt was revealed beneath his green coat. Cypress’s clothes also swayed, revealing a clear view inside. They were dressed without any armor whatsoever.
“Shouldn’t one of you think about the consequences?”
“Why are both of you dressed so comfortably?” Sinar asked, and Cyprus replied.
“If Lien gets pushed back over there, there’s no one here who can defeat him intact.”
Sinar stared intently at Cyprus.
“Why? Are you suspicious?”
Cypress calmly accepted the remark.
Lien and that fellow named Parta were clashing for the second time.
The first time, Lien sensed the scaled creature thrusting a punch; he wrapped one arm around it, feigning to break it, before sweeping the sole of his foot across the creature’s belly.
In the meantime, Parta thrust his other hand forward as if stabbing, and the scales on the back of his hand actually sprang up and clumped together to form horns.
Lien dodged it by tilting his head back, resulting in only a few strands of hair being cut.
If he had been even slightly delayed in dodging there, a hole would have been in his forehead, and humans die if a hole is pierced in the forehead for any purpose other than implanting a third eye. So, if he had been even a little late, Lien would have died.
The monster who revealed himself as Parta was indeed that formidable an opponent.
“Well, if things go wrong, I’ll step in and Ingis will fight too, but Lien is the best choice here.”
Cypress spoke again.
There is no one better than Lien to thwart an opponent’s intentions without pouring out everything.
Would the fairy think differently?
Cypress looked at her with such doubt. Her faded blonde hair had regained its original color, and strength had returned to her eyes.
She looked like a statue of a goddess atop a wooden castle wall.
Her appearance was unbelievably beautiful; not only were her eyes, nose, and mouth balanced, but her slender yet toned body amplified her beauty. The
fairy, who could rightfully be called a sculpture, opened her mouth.
“I’m worried that my fiancé will be sad if I back down here. But why are you speaking so casually? You human?”
Cyprus answered the fairy’s question without a second thought.
“You’re nitpicking about such things when we’re all growing old together? If I speak to you formally, it will make me look too snobbish to Knight Encred, so it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
It was so natural, as if he had prepared to say it in advance.
That makes sense.
Sinar replied. It was a trivial joke.
Naturally, it was rare for the Lord of the Fairy City to crack a joke in Enkrid’s absence.
It meant the conversation was somewhat calculated. To be precise, it was a response from a seasoned human knight with intent, which Sinar had simply played along with.
“Asking a lady’s age is not polite, and I did make an estimate based on her appearance. However, I admit that I momentarily forgot the importance of etiquette.”
Cyprus appropriately changed his tone.
“Fine, do as you please. Human.”
Sinar answered nonchalantly.
It was their attitude, rather than the content, that influenced those around them.
While others were tense thinking Lien was struggling in the distance, these two were carefree.
That was what brought a sense of relief.
Ah, so it is not necessary for both of us to step forward.
You trust Lord Lien.
Lord Lien won’t be pushed around. That is why you are not stepping forward.
It was the sea that most of the soldiers felt. Cyprus watched the battle calmly.
If Lien falls behind.
It was going to be a very difficult situation, and if the fight began as planned, a path of hardship several times tougher than expected would unfold.
So, does worrying change anything? If not, then I must trust.
Cypress smiled as he thought this.
Still, this made his heart ache a little. To think
they were being pushed back by a single monster clearly under their command, not even the Lord of the Demon Realm.
Here, on the Southern Front, the meaning of the two letters “Knight” was different from anywhere else.
If asked why, he would answer that it was because they had witnessed so many miracles performed by knights. No matter
how many named monsters appeared, those who cut, tore, and shattered them were the Red Cloaks who guarded the Southern Front.
Even though Lien was not wearing a cloak right now, everyone watching knew the color that suited his back. It
blended with the pitch-black night, the moon and stars, the light scattered by fairies, and the darkness brought by the monster.
As they struck, struck, and retreated, the sound of thunder could be heard.
Rumble, growl.
No one stepped forward from the fairy walls, nor did a single one approach from the monster army beyond the natural moat on the opposite side.
Everyone simply watched the battle between Lien and Parta.
Then, just as it had begun, it ended abruptly.
Parta and Lien retreated as if by prearranged agreement.
A brief silence flowed between them. Darkness and silence were a perfectly matched pair.
As they mingled, they had already moved slightly beyond the light source.
To be precise, part of Lien’s back was touched by the light, while the monster was completely shrouded in darkness. His scales no longer emitted light. Instead, they blended with their surroundings as if swallowing the darkness.
That was the state of darkness and silence playing together.
Lien quietly observed the creature.
Only its two eyes—its two yellow eyes—shined even in the darkness. It appeared that its pupils, slit vertically like those of a reptile, had tightened in response to the surrounding light. Was even this much light considered too much for that bastard?
If there had been a lack of light, its pupils would have dilated.
“Then I suppose his specialty is fighting in the dark.
But why is his nickname Silver?” Lien was racking his brain with various thoughts.
It was the monster that broke the silence.
Parta stuck out his tongue with a whoosh, then opened his mouth with his eyes wide open.
“Come over here, human. Isn’t what originally filled you closer to pure murderous intent than upright justice? That is not the place to unleash it to your heart’s content. You have chosen the wrong side.”
Was it the devil’s temptation, as is often the case? However, Cypress, who was listening from atop the castle wall, agreed with those words. Because he felt that this was indeed Lien’s nature.
Even so, should he reveal his concern? There was no need for that. Lien would not betray him.
The time they had spent together had woven a long chain of bonds between them and formed a sense of trust.
“Ah, I’ll think about it if I’m born again.”
It is an obvious answer.
Cypress also knows that no matter what the monsters do, he will not leave.
He has no interest in saving the world, but he is a man who upholds the beliefs he has established.
“I decided to live over there in this life thanks to someone saving me.”
Lien answered, leaning on one leg.
No sooner had he finished speaking than one side of his cheek snapped open and blood flowed.
In truth, the silence was short, and the blow was so swift that the wound revealed its mark only belatedly; the flesh split open only after some time had passed. It was not a deep wound.
On the cheek of the monster Partaran as well, a scale snapped and fell off with a crack. Black blood flowed from his cheek, too.
A line formed between the two, marked by the color of the blood, which seemed to divide the symbols of monster and human.
“When lines that cannot meet meet, one is bound to be severed. Human.”
“Parta,” Scaler laughed. The corners of his twisted mouth stretched wide, revealing parts of his jagged teeth.
If the Demon Realm were to rule the world like this, Scaler might one day become a species and roam the world.
“Tell your mom to sew the scales back on.”
Lien answered.
“You madman. Fix your tone. Without respect, nothing will be left of you.”
“If you’re going to talk about respect, come here in broad daylight holding a white flag. Then I’ll listen.”
Lien’s manner of speaking might have sounded more vulgar than a monster’s, but he was not intimidated by the spirit. However, this was the true nature of the knight named Lien.
He was a man who valued practicality over superficiality, and while he knew nothing of antique etiquette, he ultimately knew where his place stood.
“If you’re done, get lost.”
“I’m going to get a bit of a scolding from my lord.”
The two turned around and parted ways. The fellow Parta did not jump over the natural moat but swam across as if blending in.
As he climbed onto the land on the opposite side, the moisture clinging to his scales dripped down.
Before he knew it, the broken or split scales left by Lien had recovered.
“It’s a monster, Captain.”
Liendo returned, climbed onto the castle wall, and whispered.
That’s why life is fun.
Cyprus’s answer was a bit odd, but Lien understood it perfectly. After all, they hadn’t been together for just a day or two.
“Didn’t they send such amusing fellows for this old man who is merely waiting for his day to die? So it is amusing. Very amusing. Listen, soldiers. I will surely kill all of them.”
These are the words of a knight who defended this land with oaths and vows.
It is the morale that Lien barely managed to preserve. It was a statement that boosted that morale to the fullest.
Ooooo!
The soldiers’ cheers stood in opposition to the monstrous roars unleashed by the monsters.
It was the first day. Just as Aurelia had predicted, the horde of monsters did not attack easily.
They cried at night and held out during the day. They simply increased their numbers from a distance that was just too awkward to attack. Two days passed like this.
Naturally, it was a sight that felt oppressive just to watch.
There are well over fifty direwolves alone.
Ingis muttered. Aurelia, listening from the side, nodded.
Even a single direwolf is difficult to take down with a squad-sized force.
And there are fifty of them. Does this siege operation even make sense?
No matter how well they held out, anxiety was creeping up on everyone. Should I say it was dizzying, even for Aurelia, now a knight?
But there was nothing more they could do here. If this side is the defense, the other side becomes a spectator during the day and a band at night, playing an orchestra of screams.
It is truly a time that is painful to listen to and unsettling to watch.
The number of soldiers losing sleep increased, but just as many people gathered on this side.
