Chapter 179: For You
The cold in the north was merciless. Blizzards raged fiercely, and biting winds sliced through the air without pause.
The Red Hawk Knights pressed forward in silence. Even when wagon wheels caught in rocky crevices or someone succumbed to a cold, they didn’t halt.
After a grueling week, they reached the northern frontier. The border guard stood assembled to greet the knights.
Damian leapt from his horse, pulling back the hood of his black cloak. His silver hair glinted in the winter sunlight, his sharp features harmonizing with the stark, desolate landscape of the north.
“We’ve been expecting you, Lord Vandermir,” said the guard captain, his head wrapped in bandages, as he approached with a salute. Damian’s golden eyes narrowed.
“You’re injured. Was there a battle?”
“Yes, last night the nomads launched a surprise attack. They raided one of our food storages.”
“I see.”
“Would you like to come inside?”
With a slight nod from Damian, the captain led him to the guard post. Isaac took charge of the men, organizing the unpacking of supplies.
The interior of the guard post was tidy yet somber, steeped in a brittle atmosphere. The constant battles, large and small, cast a heavy shadow of death over the place.
The winter wind howled, rattling the windows like the wail of a restless spirit. Snow began to fall again, obscuring the sun and deepening the gloom.
“We were surprised to hear of your assignment here, Lord Vandermir,” the captain said quietly, his heavy footsteps cutting through the silence.
“Whatever your personal circumstances, the northern border is in greater peril now than ever. Seizing victory and surviving will not be easy.”
He was well aware that Damian had been sent here in lieu of execution for the charge of patricide. Even in this remote outpost, where news from the outside was scarce, information about the new commander was within reach.
Damian met the captain’s veiled warning with a steady gaze and asked bluntly, “Do you want to die fighting here?”
“…What? Of course not,” the captain replied, his voice tinged with disbelief as he turned to face him.
Their eyes locked, and the captain flinched. Damian’s golden eyes burned with an intensity like molten iron.
“Then don’t be so quick to speak pessimistically to others. I’ll come back alive, and I’ll bring everyone with me.”
“…My apologies, I spoke out of turn. This way, please.”
With a polite bow, the captain opened the door to a room on the upper floor. It was a meeting room previously used by the representatives of dispatched knight orders.
A large map of the northern border hung on the wall, with a long oval table positioned in front of it.
“This is where we’ve planned our strategies,” the captain said. “Feel free to use it as you see fit, my lord.”
“Understood.”
Damian took the head seat at the table, crossing his arms. Soon after, Isaac arrived with the senior knights.
“We’re here, Commander,” Isaac announced.
“Sit.”
“Yes, sir.”
The knights took their seats one by one. Damian turned to the captain standing across from him.
“I want a precise report on the current state of the guard and the border.”
“Nearly half our forces have been killed or injured by nomad and beast attacks,” the captain said. “The previous reinforcements suffered a major failure and have all withdrawn.”
It was a grim situation. While the capital bickered with words, this place was being pushed closer to the edge of a cliff.
The captain stepped to the map and pointed to the western sector of the border.
“The nomads primarily set up camp and operate here. Our defenses in the west are tight, but last night they struck from the south, catching us off guard.”
“No activity from the north or east?”
“Correct. The east is the beasts’ stronghold. Their range is wide, reaching both north and south, making it difficult to approach.”
Damian’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Yet they risked coming from the south to hit the food storage. That suggests they’re facing a serious food shortage.”
Both the guard and the nomad coalition avoided confrontations with the beasts whenever possible, as they caused greater losses than human conflicts.
Not disputing Damian’s deduction, the captain spoke with a hint of gloom.
“We’re short on food as well. The terrain to the border is treacherous, making supply deliveries difficult, and the nearby villages are too poor to sustain themselves.”
In the north, where winter reigned year-round, food was always the greatest challenge. With the recent outbreak of war, supplies were depleting even faster.
Isaac raised his hand.
“No need to worry about that anymore,” he said. “We’ve brought provisions, and someone in the capital has promised to send more regularly.”
“Truly?” the captain asked skeptically. “But supplies often get damaged or stolen en route.”
“That person’s daughter is the future head of the Magic Tower. She’ll ensure strong protective spells are in place.”
Isaac winked. The captain, a beat late in recalling that Damian’s wife was the famed future head of the Magic Tower, glanced at him.
Damian, who had been deep in thought, spoke slowly.
“When the enemy is desperate for food, that’s the time to strike. Set up a decoy food storage to lure them in, and we’ll launch a surprise attack.”
“Then we should place some actual food there to make it convincing,” the captain suggested. “The challenge is how many troops the nomads will divert from the west.”
“They don’t need to divert any,” Damian said. “In fact, let them concentrate their forces there. We’ll circle through the east and hit them from behind.”
The room buzzed with murmurs. Crossing the beast-infested eastern sector to attack the nomads was an audacious, high-risk plan.
The captain, alarmed, tried to dissuade him. “Lord Vandermir, that’s far too dangerous!”
“I know. But they’re not fools. If we set up a food storage, they’ll target it while keeping their forces near the border to counter a possible ambush. That’ll leave other areas vulnerable.”
“Still, fighting humans is safer than—”
“You can’t win a battle by playing it safe. They took a risk to strike us, so we’ll take a greater one to strike back.”
Damian’s unwavering resolve began to sway the Red Hawk Knights. They knew their commander had never lost in such high-stakes gambles.
“I think we should follow the commander’s plan,” one knight said.
“I agree,” another added. “We’ve fought beasts before. If we’re lucky, we might pass through without encountering them.”
“Exactly! Our order’s always been blessed with good fortune. Let’s do this!”
Despite the captain’s objections, the plan to attack through the east was approved.
Late that night, Damian massaged his stiff neck.
For days, they had discreetly spread rumors of a fake food storage while meticulously planning the attack route.
The nomads had taken the bait, and the Red Hawk Knights had completed their preparations. Tomorrow was the day before the operation.
When Damian led his first battle tomorrow, every day thereafter would be steeped in blood—a grueling war until one side surrendered.
Damian wasn’t afraid. His life, from birth to now, had been a far fiercer battle than this.
It had been a profoundly unfortunate life, but looking back, not entirely so.
In exile-like studies abroad, he met Lucas. When he became a sword master and formed a knight order, his current comrades rallied under him.
In the capital, where he settled to seek vengeance, he fell in love with a madcap mage as if it were fate, and her eccentric family became his own.
“We’ve received word that Count Yohim has offered to send troops to support us.”
This morning, Count Yohim, a business acquaintance, had stepped forward to offer his aid. Even though staying out of the fray would have been more advantageous for him, he valued the bond forged through their luminous stone trade.
Damian realized that the life he once thought solitary was no longer so.
His gaze swept over the room, touched by the hands of many who had come before him. Everyone who had passed through here had either left in failure and misery or never left at all.
Even the current captain of the guard had been hastily promoted after his predecessor died in battle.
But Damian had no intention of meeting such a fate. He had someone to return to, someone to share his heart with.
He refused to close his eyes without fulfilling either of those promises.
His eyes scanned the desk, where pens of various owners stood in a holder, abandoned. His own pen would never join them.
He vowed it with unwavering resolve.
The Red Hawk Knights moved before the tribes did. With a much greater distance to cover, it was only natural.
Before the short northern sun set, they entered the eastern sector. Perhaps because it was a primary haunt for magical beasts, no traces of other living creatures could be found.
The knights crossed the silent forest without a sound, not even the chirp of a bird breaking the stillness. They were ready to fight any beast that appeared, but there was no need to draw attention with unnecessary noise.
As they marched, the sun sank, and darkness settled over the land. Soon, the tribes would begin their activities. It would be best to reach their stronghold before then, so they quickened their pace.
Damian, leading the group, came to an abrupt halt about halfway through.
“Prepare for battle.”
His hand rested on the sword at his waist as he issued the quiet command. The knights behind him drew their blades in unison.
Soon, a magical beast appeared—a creature with a wolf’s head, a bear’s body, and an alligator’s tail.
“Grrr…”
“I’ll take it first.”
To conserve his men’s strength and minimize casualties, Damian willingly launched himself forward. The beast roared ferociously, swinging its razor-sharp claws.
With agile movements, Damian dodged and slashed at its white-furred body. Though its hide was thick, his blade confirmed it wasn’t impenetrable.
“Kraaah!”
“Attack! Pin it down by driving your swords into its body!”
“Yes, Commander!”
The knights nimbly evaded the beast’s wild onslaught, striking in coordinated thrusts.
The cold air grew heavy with the hot stench of blood. The beast writhed in agony, its movements growing erratic as it lost all reason.
“Fall back! Don’t get hit by its forelegs!”
Warning his men, Damian put some distance between himself and the beast. It was too frenzied now for a reckless approach.
Hiding behind a snow-covered rock, he steadied himself against the ground but froze when his hand brushed something soft. Turning his head, he investigated the sensation.
What is this…?
The culprit was a small flower blooming beneath the rock. Its petals, each a different hue like a rainbow, glowed vividly even in the darkness.
It was identical to the Dilai flower, the key ingredient in a truth serum Sally had once described to him.
Why is this here…?
Confused by the sight of a flower thought to be extinct, Damian examined it closely. It was unmistakably a Dilai.
Glancing at the beast, now tiring from its thrashing, he carefully uprooted the flower, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and tucked it into his coat.
It was a vital component in the magical potions Aracila was researching. He thought it might be useful to her when he returned.
With that, he stood.
“All together—strike now!”
At Damian’s command, the knights moved as one. As blades rained down from all directions, the beast flinched, and swords pierced its flesh in a flurry.
It shook violently, throwing off the knights, and raised its head to let out a long, anguished cry.
In that moment, Damian’s black eyes gleamed above it, his sword raised high. Without hesitation, he drove the blade into the beast’s gaping maw, throwing his weight into the strike.
“Krrk…”
Unable to even scream its final cry, the massive creature collapsed with a thunderous crash. Wiping the blood splattered on his cheek, Damian turned to his men.
If the beast’s blood spread, others would surely creep in.
“Move quickly now!”
“Yes, sir!”
Cutting through the darkness, the knights pressed forward. Fortunately, they encountered no more beasts.
When they reached the entrance to the tribes’ encampment, as expected, only a handful of guards remained. Silently dispatching them, the knights infiltrated the camp.
Setting fire to the enemy’s weapon storage, as scouted in advance, and destroying tents one by one, the Red Hawk Knights advanced relentlessly.
The tribal coalition, belatedly realizing the situation, descended into chaos.
“Intruders! We’re under attack!”
“Take down the enemy!”
“Destroy as much as you can!”
Shouts erupted from all sides. Cutting down the panicked tribal warriors, the knights charged forward. As Damian swung his sword, only one thought consumed him.
Surviving to see Aracila again.
That was why he’d gathered the Dilai flower—to fuel his urgency to return to her with it as soon as possible, making him stronger.
The tribal warriors, initially overwhelmed, began to regroup and launch a counterattack. Damian calmly fended off the onslaught, recalling Aracila’s words.
“I’ll tell you when you come back.”
Aracila, I have so much to say to you, so much I want to hear.
So I’ll return to you, no matter what.
And I’ll claim victory in this war.
His grip tightened on his sword. A fierce will to live, stronger than ever, drove Damian forward.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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