《When The Sword Falls》
Chapter 1: The Last Day
A young man walked leisurely through the forest path.
He had short black hair and light brown eyes.
He had just finished hunting for the day and was returning home.
Though he had his bow and catches on his back, he wasn¡¯t bothered at all by the weight.
Spring had just started again and he thought about the animals that he could hunt again.
He reached the end of the forest path and walked in to a clearing.
¡°WELCOME HOME!!!¡±
The young man was greeted happily by a little girl and a young woman.
They both had long, shiny black hair and brown eyes.
¡°Good to be back Emilia, Mila have you been good to your mother?¡±
The man said to his daughter as he approached.
¡°Of course, Daddy¡±
The girl said with a smile on her face.
¡°Here, let me take your bow, Ander¡±
His wife offered.
Ander complied and then picked up his daughter, and entered the house with his wife.
Emilia put the bow on its stand near the front door and took what Ander caught in to the kitchen.
Ander took off his shoes and stepped on to the straw mat floor of his house.
¡°Well I got us rabbits today so looks like its rabbit stew today¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine but I need you to head in to town tomorrow¡±
Emilia replied as she was preparing dinner.
¡°Low on supplies again?¡±
¡°Yea and I was planning to go to the lake with Mila¡±
¡°Ok I¡¯ll get them and meet you at home, I don¡¯t want to stay in town long¡±
¡°. . .¡±
¡°Daddy here! This is what I painted with mommy today¡±
Mila triumphantly showed Ander a painting of what appeared to be them in front of their house.
¡°Hmm, why is your mother¡¯s eyes red?¡±
Ander gave his daughter a confused look.
¡°TREE TRUNKS¡±
¡°Huh, well at least you got us right. Look you have your mom¡¯s hair and my eyes¡±
¡°Realllly?¡±
¡°See? In the light our eyes become almost amber¡± Ander leaned close to show his daughter.
¡°Oooooo¡±
Emilia peered over from the kitchen and smiled to herself as her husband and child were talking.
She carefully made enough proportions for dinner and left enough for breakfast.
By the time she was done, Mila was busy showing Ander all the plants they had collected that day.
¡°Alright you two, time to eat go wash your hands¡±
Ander helped Mila wash up, and they all knelt around the dinner table on the straw mat.
They ate and spoke more about random topics that came up one way or another.
After dinner, they opened the sliding door that lead to their backyard/courtyard.
They sat there admiring the stars that were out that night as they had every night.
Soon Mila fell asleep in Emilia¡¯s lap.
¡°Was this the right choice?¡±
¡°Hm?¡± Emilia responded as she was stroking Mila¡¯s hair.
Ander turned to Emilia and looked in to her eyes.
¡°The fact that she has no one her age to play with, the fact that you have to stay here with her, and the fact that we live in
THIS house¡±
Emilia placed her hand on Ander¡¯s and her head on his shoulder.
¡°As long as we¡¯re together none of that matters, right?¡±
¡°Emilia . . . are . . . are you happy here?¡±
¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry about me, we¡¯ve been through a lot. But now Mila is with us¡±
¡°What about you Mila?¡±
¡°!!??¡± Mila tried hard to pretend to be asleep again.
¡°Heh come on Mila I see you closing your eyes really hard¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
¡°Awww¡±
¡°Well are you happy here?¡±
¡°. . . yes. With mommy and daddy¡±
Satisfied with his wife and daughter¡¯s confirmations, Ander went to lay out their futon.
Though their house had two bedrooms and a guest room, they slept together as a family in the living room.
As Emilia tucked Mila in, Ander went to lock the doors and windows of the house.
Then with Mila between them, Ander and Emilia went to sleep.
When they felt the sun on their eyes, Ander and Emilia both woke up.
They left Mila to her dreams and started to prepare for their day.
Emilia quickly prepared Ander some breakfast while he got dressed.
Ander put on his cloak and brought his sword just in case.
He left after breakfast and was on his way to town.
When he had just past the town gate.
¡°ANDER!!!¡± A girl with shoulder length brown hair, and gentle brown eyes called out.
Ander smiled and replied.
¡°Hello Reimi it¡¯s been a while hasn¡¯t it, how are you?¡±
¡°Great! How¡¯s Emilia and Mila?¡±
¡°Oh, they¡¯re fine¡± Unknown to Reimi, Emilia and Mila had visited the town from time to time.
But Ander decided to not mention that to Reimi.
¡°. . . You haven¡¯t been to town in a while¡± She said quietly.
¡°Yea . . . life¡¯s been busy¡±
Though Ander and Emilia had used to be more active in the town¡¯s activities, raising
Mila had caused them to withdraw almost entirely.
¡°You¡¯re here does that mean Tai is too?¡±
¡°. . . Yea, my brother is around. We caught a lot yesterday so everyone decided to take today off¡±
Reimi replied with some reluctance.
¡°Hmm¡±
¡°I¡¯LL ACOMPANY YOU¡±
¡°Eh?¡± Ander thought with a surprised look on his face.
¡°If my brother appears, I¡¯ll tell him off. It¡¯s not fair to you . . . after all that you¡¯ve done for the town¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, he¡¯s entitled to that opinion. I mean he is going to be the next head just like your father, right? Let¡¯s
just get through today first¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. What are you here for?¡± Reimi tried her best to smile for Ander.
¡°Supplies¡±
And so Reimi joined Ander as he went through the town to put in delivery orders.
After he was done at the general store, Ander asked Reimi to wait for him as he quickly went to the blacksmith¡¯s.
¡°Ander? Haven¡¯t seen you in a while¡±
¡°Hello Ren, I¡¯ve come to get some whetstones¡± Ander said as he entered Ren¡¯s shop.
It was mostly the same as any other blacksmith¡¯s, Ren had a storefront and a forge in the back.
Usually he made equipment but wasn¡¯t too bad in making things like utensils as well.
¡°Here a fresh shipment just came in from the city¡±
The large man, Ren, said as he handed Ander a couple of wrapped stones.
¡°Anything new in terms of weapons Ren?¡±
¡°Naw, just the same old, unless you have a design in mind. Though I wouldn¡¯t mind looking at those swords you and your
wife have.¡± Ren said wishfully.
¡°No can do, I can¡¯t have you breaking our only links to the past¡±
¡°But they¡¯re made so well they could even be national treasures, if I found out their secrets. . .¡±
¡°We¡¯ll just leave it at that.¡± Ander said as he cut off Ren.
¡°Well I have other things to do so see you later¡±
¡°Yep see you later¡± Ren waved as Ander left.
True to Ren¡¯s words, Ander and Emilia did both own swords that were unlike any others.
While his was black from the handle to the guard and blade, Emilia¡¯s was white at the handle and had a silver blade.
They both seemed to emit a low hum of energy, Emilia¡¯s as a calming wave and Ander¡¯s as a raging tide.
But now they were locked up tight in their house for personal reasons.
¡°Is that Ander I see! Oh? And Reimi too¡±
A familiar voice called out as they walked by.
¡°How have you been granny? Long time no see¡± ¡°Hello¡±
After entering the bakery and chatting with the shop keep for a bit, they prepared to leave.
¡°Oh Ander, here for your wife and growing child¡±
The old shopkeeper, Kona said happily, as Ander and Reimi left.
¡°Thanks for the extra buns Kona¡± Ander called back.
Though he didn¡¯t notice Reimi slightly wince when the old baker mentioned his wife and kid.
¡°See? A lot of people miss you, you should come through more often¡±
Reimi causally mentioned as they headed for the gate.
¡°Well I would but . . . anyways thanks for coming with me today, I¡¯ll say hi to Emilia and Mila for you¡±
¡°. . Yea, at least we didn¡¯t run in to Tai right?¡±
¡°Yea. . . strange you¡¯d think he would come to bother me. Well, see you next time Reimi, it¡¯s been nice to see you again¡±
Reimi saw Ander off before going back in to town when she noticed someone nearby.
¡°Having fun Reimi?¡± The slightly charged words came at her from the man.
¡°Tai . . .¡± Reimi said with some reprehension in her voice.
The figure was indeed her brother, who had mostly the same features as her only he didn¡¯t have her gentle eyes and was
sterner looking.
¡°It¡¯s a simple question. When I see my younger sister smiling and walking around with THAT man. It makes me think what
else is he trying to take¡±
¡°STOP IT!! Emilia is Ander¡¯s wife . . .and now they have Mila too. You have to let go of it¡±
Reimi sharply replied to her brother.
¡°That¡¯s all in the past now¡±
she continued in a hushed voice.
¡°Really? It looks like you haven¡¯t forgotten¡±
Tai indicated to the two small tears that had streaked across Reimi¡¯s right cheek.
It took him awhile but eventually Ander noticed the figure waiting for him on the side of the path.
He was about two thirds of the way home and now it seemed so much further away.
¡°About time, I was starting to get tired of waiting for you¡±
The figure said cloaked in the shadows of the trees.
Ander nervously gulped some air since he knew exactly who this was.
It was someone he had spent chasing for a number of years in the past.
Though he and Emilia had amnesia when they were brought to the town, it was not the whole truth.
There were some things they hide from the people.
And there were some things Ander hid from Emilia, like recovering his memories.
¡°You must surely remember who I am, right Ander?¡±
They continued with a spite filled voice and pointed their sword at him.
¡°Yea, I knew this day would come¡± Ander nodded solemnly at the person.
¡°Good then I won¡¯t feel guilty about killing a man who forgot his crimes¡±
The next second, they leaped at Ander with an overhead slash.
Ander predicted this and dodged to the left.
In the same movement, he dropped everything on his back and placed his hand on his sword.
¡°Oh? You never change still using those BLADES?¡±
The attacker shouted as they closed the distance.
The sword that Ander currently had was one with no guard and a long slightly curved edge, the Katana.
His fighting style was landing fast lethal blows on the opponent and katanas suited him just fine.
He hesitated to draw his blade this time as he didn¡¯t want to kill this person.
And so, the fight continued with Ander dodging their attacks as much as he could.
Even if he fought back, this person could block his attacks easily.
Their sword shone in the moonlight as they lunged at Ander with a straight thrust.
This time Ander leaped backwards to avoid the follow up that would come from the sword turning left or right.
He rushed in planning to land a punch on their stomach but he was met with an elbow from the assailant¡¯s sword hand.
¡°KUH¡±
It landed on Ander¡¯s left cheek with a lot of force.
No sooner had that happened when they continued with a kick to Ander¡¯s chest.
¡®Shit¡¯ Ander thought as he was sent flying backwards.
¡®This is really bad, I never could take you on one on one¡¯
Ander¡¯s ultimate weakness was always endurance and so he usually overwhelmed his opponents to compensate.
But against someone with high endurance and high defense, he would always lose unless he came prepared.
Running out of breath and with his left cheek starting to swell, Ander turned to his final option.
He dropped his cloak and blade in to the darkness and ranin to the forest.
¡°HEY CAN YOU GRAB MY STUFF IF YOU¡±RE GOING TO CHASE ME?¡±
Ander shouted back to the other person.
With that the assailant watched as Ander ran in to the trees.
Though they were after his life, they knew exactly where he was going.
So, they sheathed their blade, picked up Ander¡¯s belongings and started to walk.
Their long silky black hair shone in the moonlight that was out.
Though their sword shined brilliantly as well, casting off silver flashes as they marched on.
Chapter 2: The Calm Before The Storm
The soldier hesitated when he came to the doors of the innermost sanctum of the cathedral.
Behind this door was the throne of the emperor, who no one outside of the generals had seen.
He took a deep breath and pushed the doors open.
Despite the door¡¯s regular appearance, the room itself was a marvel.
It was a large rectangular room with a red carpet stretching up to the steps that lead to the throne.
On both sides of the carpet were several columns that stretched from the ground to the ceiling.
But what surprised the soldier the most was the emperor himself.
He was a large and imposing figure, easily one head above the average man.
And most noticeably, he was clad head to toe in silver armor.
The soldier hurriedly locked the doors and walked to the foot of the stairs to kneel down before his king.
¡°My lord, the rebels are coming, you must leave this place¡±
He relayed disappointingly to the emperor.
¡°Oh?¡±
The emperor replied in a deep voice which seemed to increase the pressure in the room.
¡°The ¡°saint¡± is with them too and they¡¯ve already taken most of the cathedral¡±
¡°And YOU will protect me?¡±
¡°No, I . . I FAILED. This is my fault, I shall hold them back while you escape from here¡±
¡°You would give your life for me even though you could save yourself?¡±
¡°Yes. My lord, you have helped me out before¡±
¡°Hmm well then . . .¡±
The emperor stood up from his throne and walked down to the soldier.
¡°Receive my sword, so that you may cut down my enemies.
Return it to me when we next meet¡±
He pulled out a black blade from his waist and handed it to the kneeling soldier.
¡°My . My LORD THIS this is . . .¡±
The soldier was baffled at having been given the personal sword of the emperor himself.
As he examined it, he came to see how strange this blade was.
It was entirely made out of some black shiny metal that wasn¡¯t glossy.
It was darker than the obsidian he had seen in books, and it also seemed to have a slight hum.
When he placed his right hand on the handle he felt something strange.
¡°Kuh!?¡±
The soldier felt as if the veins in his hands had grown in to the sword¡¯s handle and guard.
He could feel his heart beat from the sword when he touched his other hand to it.
¡°Be careful, this blade is a wild one and unlike any other. Its twin is coming, so be sureto give them a nice reunion¡±
¡°Thank you. My¡ª¡°
Unfortunately, the soldier was interrupted by the sound of a sword bursting through the cracks of the doors.
It slid downwards and destroyed the lock.
Though no regular sword could break the lock without chipping, this silver one seemed to cut through it easily.
¡°Well then I shall take my leave, when you return I shall reward you. Perhaps with a title other than ¡°soldier¡±
The emperor walked casually to the stairs behind the throne that led downwards as the doors swung open.
A bunch of rebels piled in to the room with determined looks on their faces.
Though there were eight people that came in to the room, the soldier wasn¡¯t scared.
If anything, he was glad that he could go down taking out this many people.
But then they parted and another figure walked up.
She had white robes on that distinguished her from her companions and welded a silver sword in one hand.
The soldier¡¯s hand started shaking as what was probably his last battle started.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Ander rushed home as fast as he could and threw the front sliding door open.
"Daddy?¡±
Mila looked from her book in surprise as her father suddenly appeared.
¡°Mila are you alright?¡±
Ander asked with a short breath.
¡°Yea, mommy left me paints and went to help you¡±
¡°That¡¯s right Ander, though you shouldn¡¯t make me carry everything¡±
Ander turned around and saw Emilia carrying his things.
She had a smile on her face which put Ander on his guard.
¡°Hey Mila why don¡¯t you help your mother with some things and I¡¯ll put away the rest¡±
¡°OK¡±
As she gave Mila some light items to put in the kitchen, Emilia glared at Ander.
She shoved the rest of the items to Ander and he immediately left for the store house.
Ander threw the things in haphazardly and made his way to the courtyard.
He looked under the floorboards of the patio but what he was looking for wasn¡¯t there.
"Tch!?¡±
He looked up just in time to dodged a vertical slash aimed at his head.
¡°You wouldn¡¯t kill me in front of our child, would you?¡±
Ander gulped as he looked in to Emilia¡¯s piercing gaze.
¡°How long?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°HOW LONG did you know?¡±
¡°. . . about a year¡±
¡°Surprisingly you haven¡¯t tried to kill ME during that time¡±
¡°I had a lot of time to think, and I had hoped this day would never come. Even though it was inevitable¡±
¡°And you thought that we could just play house after all those times we fought?¡±
¡°. . . Maybe? I didn¡¯t have the same drive as I did and before I knew it we were married with a kid¡±
¡°You know it¡¯s funny, you used to come at us with such ferocity and force. We questioned if you were even human, creating
that amount of bodies by yourself¡±
¡°We said the same about you, no amount of people could stop you. Heh, though almost no bodies. But that doesn¡¯t matter
now, don¡¯t you see? It¡¯s over, the city fell and nobody¡¯s heard anything from them. We can just lead our lives here¡±
¡°Wrong, I know it¡¯s still there. I saw it today, it survived. Though we can¡¯t see it, if the city is there. That means HE¡¯s here
too¡±
¡°What will you do now?¡±
Ander asked, trying to gauge Emilia¡¯s intentions.
¡°The emperor, he¡¯s the end goal. I won¡¯t stop until he¡¯s finally dead. I don¡¯t have time to waste on a reject like you¡±
After she declared this, Emilia walked in to a bedroom and closed the door.
Ander saw Mila peeking from the living room and he went to tend to her.
¡°Mommy and daddy are having a little argument right now ok?¡±
¡°mmm¡±
Mila showed some acknowledgement but was clearly on the verge of tears.
¡°Hey don¡¯t worry, here we can eat the sweet buns I got today for dinner¡±
¡°. . .ok¡±
After comforting Mila some more, the two ate the buns in silence.
Then while Ander pulled out the futon again, Mila left an extra bun on a plate with a note in front of Emilia¡¯s room.
That night, Mila felt for the first what it was like to sleep without one of her parents.
The next day, Ander woke up to the sound of a wagon slowly pulling up in front of the house.
He sighed when he saw who it was and changed clothes quickly in order to meet them.
The wagon was being pulled by an old horse that was past its prime but still had some energy left.
Though this could also be said of the driver too, he was a little more.
He was older man who was very disheveled looking and a little dirty.
But his striking feature was much he reeked of alcohol.
Though he disliked this man, Ander tolerated him since he was the only one with a horse and wagon that would deliver
supplies here.
¡°Su . . Supplies are hereerr uh Ander¡±
The man said slowly through his beard.
From his slurred speech, Ander knew that he was already drunk and was once more, amazed at his driving abilities.
¡°Forgetting something Guy?¡±
¡°Hehehhee what? Evvveerything¡¯s he. . he.. here¡±
Guy managed to squeeze out before he belched.
At this point, Ander was pissed off and laded it out on Guy.
¡°Don¡¯t try to cheat me old man, I needed those water barrels three days. And you still don¡¯t have them. We haven¡¯t been
able to bathe so that we could drink water. Don¡¯t make me get the head to kick you out of town¡±
¡°Ok Ok, I¡¯ll have them here by tonight¡±
After Ander¡¯s warning, Guy seemed to magically get soberer.
Shaking his head, Ander got to work taking the supplies he bought yesterday in to the storeroom.
Just before he left though, Guy shared with Ander some surprising information.
¡°Ya know, I saw your wife walking to town on my way here. She¡¯s still a looker¡±
¡°I wonder, can you go faster than my bow and arrow?¡±
¡°WELP, time to go¡±
And with that Guy whipped his horse and sped away.
¡°I don¡¯t like him daddy, he smells really bad¡± Mila told Ander just as wentback in to the house.
¡°Wow, you actually can smell that bastard from here huh?¡±
Ander knocked on Emilia¡¯s room and just as Guy said, she was gone when Ander went
¡®Hmm she ate the bun at least¡¯
Ander saw the note Mila wrote that said ¡°For Mommy¡± on one end and turned it over.
In Emilia¡¯s writing it said
¡°I wouldn¡¯t traumatize Mila but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t get you later.
I¡¯ve gone to think things out for a bit. Don¡¯t wait up for me.
I¡¯ll be back when I feel like it¡±
Annoyed, Ander decided to head to town to find someone to take care of Mila while he took care of his duties.
¡°Come on Mila, Mommy¡¯s taking some off. She¡¯ll be back soon. So that means you have to go town with me¡±
¡°ok¡±
Mila responded in a low voice.
Now that Ander was missing both his swords, he took a small dagger with him instead.
He carried Mila on his back-piggyback style and started the trek to town.
When Guy was close to town, he stopped his wagon and moved cautiously to his meeting spot in the trees.
¡°Well? Any news?¡± The voice called out to Guy as he approached.
¡°Yes, well young master, I saw Emilia walking down the path on my way there. Though I did try my best to hail the fair
maiden, she shot a look of blood lust at me¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you dare go near her Guy, and what of the supplies?¡±
¡°Here, and he was a bit pissed his water wasn¡¯t on time¡±
Guy said as he handed a list of the things Ander had ordered to the man.
¡°Good, let him be. Deliver it normally and report back to me with anything you see.
I have work to do now¡±
The man handed Guy some money and promptly left.
Ignoring some stares as he got to town, Ander made his way to the bakery.
Kona, the old bakerwould always help him out just like she did when he first got here.
But on his way there. . .
¡°Ander?¡± She said with a surprised look on her face.
¡°Reimi, . . . two days in a row. It¡¯s a new record huh? Me appearing here¡±
¡°Remi, Hi¡±
Mila chimed in, to greet the person she hadn¡¯t seen in a while.
¡°Hey. . uh . . you wouldn¡¯t happen to be busy?¡±
Ander brought up hopingly.
¡°I have to go hunting today. But if you need my help. . ., I could tell my uncle and the
others. I¡¯m not paired with Tai today, so he won¡¯t say anything if we don¡¯t¡±
Reimi stated with a concerned look on her face.
For Ander to appear twice in town on consecutive days means something is wrong she thought.
¡°Emilia had to go take care of something and won¡¯t be back for a while. So, can you watch Mila while I take care of some
things?¡±
¡°Sure, I¡¯d love to play with Mila¡±
¡°Mila, stay with Reimi for today and don¡¯t cause trouble. Oh, and Reimi, she¡¯s been in to painting recently. So, if it¡¯s not a
bother to go to the general store, I¡¯ll leave you some cash¡±
¡°No problem, but I expect some compensation later¡±
¡°Anything¡±
¡°How about you, Mila, and I share a cake from Kona¡¯s later¡±
¡°Please¡±
Mila added with a shining look in her eyes.
¡°Why not? Well then I¡¯ll see you two later¡±
With that, Ander turned to leave as his daughter and friend both waved.
Chapter 3: The Calm Before The Storm II
At the end of the forest path there was a large log building.
Though it was one story tall, it could easily encompass two single story homes.
It had five large logs making up the longer sides and four making up the shorter sides.
Its roof was strangely enough, made out of green tile.
This grand, almost unnecessary display of architecture was owned by the flashy merchant Kei.
He was a slender, energetic man who had the aura of a barrucuda that wanted all your money.
His shop wasalso protected by two tough looking guards outside and two more inside.
One recognized Ander as he walked up to the shop and welcomed him inside.
¡°Ander!! Nice to see you¡± Kei said as Ander stepped in to his shop.
¡°Hey¡± Ander curtly responded and went to browse the store.
The merchandise at Kei¡¯s were more expensive since they came from the cities, but their quality was higher too.
There were all sorts of things imaginable in this shop.
Weapons, armor, clothes, food and even specialty items that you could order.
¡°I heard you were in town again? Thought I was all that you needed. You¡¯ll break my heart¡±
A small laugh broke out of Ander as he heard those words.
¡°You know I can¡¯t afford your delivery fees¡±
¡°Come on, it¡¯s got to be better than having that unreliable bum deliver? Even though I did employ him at some point. . .
anyways what do you want?¡±
¡°I need a bow I can borrow, I couldn¡¯t carry mine today. Also, a quiver and arrows are a given too¡±
¡°Hmm, you know I don¡¯t rent weapons!¡±
¡°I¡¯ve been coming here for years, how about something for a loyal customer?¡±
¡°Ok, well for a ¡°loyal customer¡±, I¡¯ll sell it to you on credit even though you¡¯re nearly piss poor. Take it or leave it¡±
¡°. . .¡±
Though he didn¡¯t want debt from this scheming merchant, Ander didn¡¯t really want to walk back to get his bow.
¡°Well. . . I guess I could use a new one. But how about that one¡±
Ander motioned at the display case in the corner of the weapons section of the store.
This particular bow had the trait of having an odd greenish hew to it, almost like moss.
¡°!!!¡± From Kei¡¯s shocked eyes, Ander knew he could force him lower on this one.
¡°Come on, that things been here since the first time I stepped foot in here¡±
¡°Hahahaha, I didn¡¯t know you were so bold even after I¡¯ve told you its origins¡±
¡°Yea, yea it¡¯s from a ¡°dryad¡± tree that killed some people or something¡±
¡°Cursed weapons are no joke, the last guy who returned it said it started leaking blood.
And he was one of the ones who came back alive.
I had customers who died because of it and their friends came back to me talking about the curse¡±
¡°Look, will you give it to me or not? I know you¡¯re just trying to get me to buy an expensive one¡±
¡°Your funeral, just sign here then¡±
Ander signed his name on the contract and was happy to leave with such a good deal, to him at least.
He left Kei¡¯s and started to go to his usual hunting grounds.
His spot was usually far from town where the other hunters didn¡¯t go.
This way he could avoid any unwanted individuals from the town.
The place that Ander arrived at after an hour was a meadow, surrounded by tall trees on all sides.
He climbed them and used the height of the trees to scope out his prey.
Though he was use to using a bow now, it was actually his most hated weapon.
He used to have a small hobby of making traps to catch the deer, but the town wanted him to stop.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Now Ander had to use a bow and he could hit people just fine with it but animals were a different matter.
Their organs were located on their undersides and their agility was usually much higher than humans.
But the animals that Ander shot were deer most of the time.
And as luck would have it, a male with large antlers started walking in to the meadow to graze.
The wind as well as blowing from the deer to his direction.
Ander took a deep breath and started to nock an arrow.
Then he pulled back the string and waited for the moment.
Since he was unlucky with hitting the heart, he waited until the deer rose its head up.
In the moment that it was doing this action, its head could only go to one place.
So, Ander fired the arrow and . . .
It struck at the base of its brain stem stayed plunged in the deer¡¯s neck.
¡®Wow this bow packs a punch¡¯ Ander thought as he climbing down.
Then all of a sudden, his head started swimming and he dropped everything to lay on a branch that could support his
weight.
After a few minutes, Ander managed to get some strength back and continued to climb down.
When he got to a third left, he jumped and rolled to mitigate the fall.
¡®What the hell? Is it this bow after all?¡¯
Still a little bit slow, he decided to just cut his losses and return to Kei after skinning this one deer with his hunting knife.
While Ander did this though, he left the green bow on a tree far away from where he was.
When he examined the impact point though, he saw a green residue left on the neck.
Slightly concerned, Ander cut the section of neck that had been hit by the arrow out and threw it away.
After he carefully wrapped the meat that he could carry, the head was also taken off with some effort.
Ander grabbed the bow and started the long trek back.
But he had to take breathers several times until finally, Kei¡¯s was in sight.
¡°Welcome back, wow you look like shit¡± Kei remarked with an amused look on his face.
¡°Shut it, I only got a buck before I had to come back. So, I got all of this from it, even the less wanted parts are here. Just
put only a small part towards the debt¡±
¡°Of course. How¡¯s the bow treating you by the way?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a good one, but . . . maybe there is something wrong with it¡±
¡°Well you still owe me 13 silver then¡±
Ander finished trading with Kei and went back to town.
He felt extremely groggy when he got past the gates.
Ander saw Reimi with Mila on a bench laughing and walked towards them.
¡°Welcome back¡± Reimi said as Ander approached.
¡°Hey. . can we go eat another time? I¡¯m feeling terrible right now¡±
Reimi saw Ander¡¯s tired face and understood, so she decided to see them off at the gate.
¡°. . here another picture¡± Mila happily gave Ander the picture she painted that day.
¡°Huh? What¡¯s this supposed to be?¡±
¡°A knight see? And he¡¯s fighting the hidora from the lake¡±
¡°A hydra? Well I guess this explains all the heads, is he saving someone?¡±
¡°No, the hidora wants to eat him¡±
¡°Hahaha well, did you have fun today?¡±
¡°Yes, Remi took me to . . .¡±
By the time the two-arrived home, the sun was starting to set.
Ander left Mila to her books as he prepared for dinner.
But before that, he decided to wrap up the green bow tightly and placed it in a trunk under the patio.
¡®Emilia . . . I hope . . just please come back¡¯
Ander thought as he prepared venison stew.
As much as he could do, Ander was worried that he wasn¡¯t enough to raise Mila on his own.
Especially now that Emilia had remembered, though he did as well, Ander resolved to forget the past.
All the things he did, he did it for a future and this one didn¡¯t seem that bad to him.
But it wouldn¡¯t the same without her, as they both agreed to pursue it, together.
A little while later . . .
Just as he finished making food, Mila alerted him to something.
¡°Daddy, someone¡¯s coming!¡±
¡°Hmm?¡±
When he went to the front door, Ander was greeted by the sight of a woman making her way to the house.
By it was dark outside and the clouds were out, but Ander recognized it to be the figure of Emilia.
She slowly approached the door and had her head hung low.
The oddest part to Ander was the fact that she was wearing a pitch-black robe that covered her entire body.
When she entered, she walked right past Ander and Emilia to sit on the patio in the backyard.
¡°Umm, Mila why don¡¯t you start eating without us¡±
¡°. .Ok¡± Mila responded with a hint of worry in her voice.
Ander smiled at her and set her bowl in front of her.
Then he went to sit next to Emilia outback.
¡°. . . .¡±
¡°. . Hey. . . so you came back¡±
¡°. . . . yea¡± Emilia responded with a coarse voice.
¡°Do you have your answer now?¡±
¡°Not yet¡±
¡°Well anyways it¡¯s good to have you back. You can have some of my food, Guy finally delivered the water barrels. So, I¡¯ll
prepare the bath for you¡±
Emilia nodded and slowly made her way to sit at the table.
Ander went to the front yard and started rolling the water barrel slowly towards their bathroom.
He stopped the barrel on the wall outside the bathroom and started to pour it carefully through a small trench leading
inside.
Then he lit the fire wood under the giant urn he used heat up the bathwater.
When it was nice and hot, he poured it in the space in their bathroom that was the ¡°tub¡±.
After that, Ander went back inside to find a shocking scene.
Mila was crying over two spilt bowls on the floor, and Emilia was facing away from her.
¡°Mila what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ander asked, confused at this scene.
Instead, Emilia responded
¡°. . Nothing, I got . . a little angry when she asked too many questions. She¡¯ll get over it¡±
¡°What!?¡±
Though he didn¡¯t like Emilia¡¯s answer, she had just returned to them.
Ander wrote it off as her frustration, since she was probably not use to this family yet.
He cleaned up the spill and decided to get Mila to the bathroom.
After she was done bathing, she still had teary eyes.
¡°Daddy, don¡¯t . . . I don¡¯t want to be alone¡±
Mila said while pulling on Ander¡¯s leg.
¡°Ok, here sit outside, I¡¯ll try to be quick then¡±
¡°Mmm¡±
After he finished bathing, Ander heard an unlikely request from Mila.
¡°I want to sleep on the bed today¡±
¡°You want some space from your mom huh?¡±
¡°. . . . . .¡±
¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯ll---¡°
¡°AND DADDY TOO, I don¡¯t want to sleep alone¡±
¡°Huh? Ok then¡±
Ander went to the living room and found Emilia sitting quietly, still with her head hung low and her hair covering her face.
¡°Bath¡¯s ready, better go quick before it gets cold¡±
¡°. . .Thanks¡±
Emilia got up and walked past Ander but then suddenly stopped and hugged him tightly.
¡°Eh?¡±
¡°Nothing, I just wanted to do this once¡±
She rubbed her face in to his shoulder and they stayed like this for a while.
Emilia slowly broke off and walked through the courtyard to the bathroom.
Ander read some stories to Mila on the bed in an effort to get her to sleep.
When she finally started getting sleepy, he tucked her in.
Then he went to go see Emilia, but he didn¡¯t see her in the living room.
So, he went to the bathroom but all he found was her black robe, neatly folded in the clothes basket.
¡®What the? Damn it Em what are you thinking?¡¯
Perplexed, Ander decided to ignore this until the morning.
He was extremely tired and as soon as he got next to Mila, he fell asleep.
Usually, there would be a lot of noises out in the forest at night.
But tonight, when the clouds were covering the moon, it was unusually quiet.
And a single figure walked through the forest.
She took one last look at the house and with a smile on her face, went on her way.
Chapter 4: The Rising Tide
The soldier stared at the determined group before him.
This was the worst-case scenario for his fighting style.
Here in the throne room, there weren¡¯t many things to use to his advantage.
Of course, not even taking in to account that there were nine people now, one of which could alone take on a squad.
He placed his own sword on his right hip from his left and started to loosen his cloak.
They were watching his every move and calculating the best option.
¡°COME ON!!!¡± The proud imperial shouted at his opponents.
The rebels started running towards him and the one on the far left was faster than the others.
Smiling, the soldier stepped forward and threw his cloak at the center of them.
He used this distraction to slash the rebel on the far left with the black blade.
Their swords clashed together and the soldier then pulled his other sword with his other hand.
¡°GAAHHH¡± The rebel screamed as his hand was cut off and blood started flowing.
But the soldier wasn¡¯t done yet, in the same attack he switched directions and brought another cross slash on the man with
his other sword.
The soldier then turned his attention quickly to the next rebel who came at him.
Once again, he deflected the attack but this time he used his sword to slash the man¡¯s stomach.
¡°Uggghh¡±
The rebel then saw a black blade plunge in to his stomach and dropped his sword.
The man was then kicked towards the rest of his companions.
The soldier ran behind one of the pillars that filled the room.
They were each about twice his width and he used them to hide.
¡°My lady leave him to us, go after the Emperor¡±
¡°Are you sure? I can take him out without anymore of you dying¡±
¡°He¡¯s just buying time; the real target must be eliminated¡±
¡°Yes, we are ready to give our lives for the cause¡±
She hesitated for a moment but then ran to the stairs behind the throne.
¡®Shit, I have to end this quick¡¯ The soldier thought as he tried to catch his breath.
The remaining rebels slowly surrounded the pillar in order to stop him for good.
He took a deep breath and then threw his sword towards the right end of the pillar and rushed left.
With the black blade, he did an upwards slash towards the rebel in front of him.
¡°Not bad for a dog¡±
The rebel narrowly avoided the soldier¡¯s strike but the black blade nicked his cheek.
He threw a counter slash to force the soldier backwards in to a pincer.
¡®Shit¡¯
The soldier barely blocked the attack to his back and managed to fall back in to the center of the room again.
The six rebels walked towards the soldier while brandishing their weapons.
To reduce their casualties, they decided to attack in a coordinated formation.
Four of the rebels started rushing forward to hold the soldier down while the last two would finish him off.
The soldier¡¯s breathing was getting heavy and his heart was hammering but he knew what to do.
The black blade was lighter than he thought and so he was able to maneuver it a great deal faster than his regular sword.
He blocked the first strike towards him and kicked his opponent¡¯s¡¯ knee in.
Next, he sent his blade through the throat of the next rebel and kicked him towards the others.
As the blade drew blood, the soldier could feel it almost howl and he started to feel a burning sensation go through his arm.
¡®Looks like it¡¯s time to end this¡¯ He thought as he saw his chance.
The soldier rushed towards the standing four and aimed for their limbs.
¡°AHHHH!!!¡±
The man screamed as his sword hand came off.
But no sooner as he screamed as the soldier grabbed him and turned him around.
He was stabbed from behind and his throat slit before he was tossed to the ground.
The three were shaken and didn¡¯t know what to do next.
One man dropped his weapon and started running towards the entrance of the room.
Another man ran forward as a final charge but he was too slow.
The soldier struck his blade his blade through his throat and threw the man¡¯s sword at the running
man.
¡°AAAGGGHHH¡±
The man yelled as his knee was sliced by the thrown sword and he crashed to the floor.
The soldier approached the last man who fell to the floor shaking.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
He raised the black blade and brought it down in to the man¡¯s heart.
Next, he walked to the man whose knee he had kicked and pierced his heart.
The man with one foot was crawling now to get away.
¡°Cowards get to die last¡±
¡°Hahhahhaha, you .. you think .. you¡¯ve won? No we have you where we want you. . . you won¡¯t----
gaaahhhhh. . . .¡±
The soldier stabbed his sword through the man¡¯s back to his heart and went on his way.
He picked up his old sword and cloak and started to run after the saint on the stairs.
The next morning, Ander woke Mila up and the two headed in to town.
Ander wrapped a cloth around Mila to keep her on his back.
When they got to town, he bought them some breakfast and sat with her on a bench.
¡°Look Mila, your mother and I are going through some things right now. But that doesn¡¯t mean that
we don¡¯t care about you¡±
¡°. . . Why is mommy so different now?¡±
¡°. . Uh we . . . a long time ago we were different people. But now we remember who we are. Your
mother is trying to decide who she is¡±
¡°So, you¡¯re not mommy and daddy anymore?¡±
¡°No that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. It¡¯s like . . . we are more than just your parents now you see?¡±
¡°. . . not really¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry we¡¯ll get through this Mila, but today you have to stay with Kona¡±
¡°But I want to stay with you¡± Mila looked at Ander with a sad look on her face.
Ander smiled and rubbed her head.
¡°Look you have to strong now, WE have to be strong. Your mom will come back. But you have to
believe ok?¡±
¡°. . .ok¡± With a quiet voice, Mila agreed with her father.
¡°I¡¯ll be back later¡± Ander said as he dropped Mila off at the bakery.
As he walked towards the forest he saw a familiar face.
¡°Reimi¡±
¡°I heard Emilia still hasn¡¯t come back?¡±
¡°Yea, she has . . . things to deal with¡±
¡°Need help?¡±
¡°Haha if it¡¯s not too much trouble¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, my uncle said that they can cover for me for a while¡±
Ander nodded and Reimi followed behind him with her bow.
While the town hunters tracked their prey down, Ander liked to wait for them in the trees.
With Reimi, he could potentially get more animals.
¡°Well this is my spot¡± Ander said as they got to the meadow.
¡°Wow its REALLY out of the way¡± Reimi said with amazement.
¡°But it¡¯s really beautiful here¡± She added.
¡°Can you tell if anything¡¯s been through here recently?¡±
¡°Hmm¡± Reimi started looking around and Ander just walked behind her.
¡°Wait here, look at these tracks¡±
They followed the tracks for a few minutes before they came across a doe grazing in a small
clearing.
Ander started to nock his arrow but
¡°Wait Ander what if she has kids¡± Reimi said blocking his hand.
¡°My kid has to eat too¡±
Reimi placed her bow down and laid both her hands-on Ander¡¯s to lower his bow.
She stared in to his eyes and said
¡°Please¡±
¡°Tch, fine but if we find another one I¡¯m shooting it¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a pretty good tracker if you remember. Not to mention I taught you how to use the
bow too¡±
¡°Yea yea just keep praising yourself more¡±
Ander said jokingly to his teacher.
¡°So how do you usually hunt them?¡±
¡°Well why don¡¯t I show you¡±
They decided to walk back to the meadow and Ander helped Reimi up in to a tree.
He didn¡¯t go back to his usual height in fear that he didn¡¯t recover yet.
They sat there in silence, with their bodies touching.
The sun moved across the sky yet nothing seemed to come.
¡°Ander want to have lunch now?¡±
¡°Yea, I guess so. Nothings coming¡±
They climbed down and Reimi pulled out a lunch she prepared.
¡°Here I made this extra one for you¡±
¡°Oh thanks. It looks better than having meat buns again¡±
It was a lunchbox packed with rice, curry and some beef stew.
Ander took several bites before hungrily finishing the whole thing.
¡°How was it?¡±
Reimi asked with an expectant look on her face.
¡°Delicious¡± Ander replied with an approving look.
Reimi sweetly smiled and said
¡°I¡¯m glad¡±
The two finished up lunch and decided to take a new approach.
This time they wandered the opposite direction from the meadow.
¡°Usually I can catch a deer or two here and just spend the rest of the time skinning them. But it
looks like today our luck is bad¡±
¡°If worse comes to worse, I can make you dinner¡±
¡°I¡¯m grateful but I don¡¯t want to depend on you too much Reimi¡±
¡°I¡¯d be happy if you depend on me more¡± She said in a hushed voice.
¡°What was that?¡±
¡°Oh nothing¡±
Reimi said as she walked off ahead.
They walked through more bushes and came to a river.
¡°Reimi look!!¡±
Ander pointed to a doe with two fawns behind her.
¡°Wait Ander over there¡±
Reimi said just as Ander reached for an arrow.
A male deer started to come by the river as well.
The two looked at each other and nodded.
They both nocked their arrows and took aim.
Ander¡¯s arrow missed as the buck noticed at the last second.
His arrow hit the buck¡¯s back left thigh as Reimi¡¯s hit his belly.
¡®Shit¡¯
Ander thought as he was quickly struggling to get another arrow up.
But fortunately, Reimi was faster at nocking and managed to fire another one in to the buck¡¯s heart.
¡°THANK YOU¡±
Ander shouted as he hugged Reimi out of joy.
When he let go, Reimi looked down.
¡°. .Uh. . .uh . .um yea no problem¡±
The doe and the fawns had already sped away as the arrows came flying.
As a result, Reimi was glad that they didn¡¯t have to let two fawns potentially die in the wilderness.
Ander on the other hand, was glad that they caught something that day.
They took out their knives and started to strip down the body for resources.
By the time, they were done and walked in to town, the sun was starting to set.
¡°Are you going to sell this?¡±
¡°Not the meat, but I¡¯ll bring the antlers to Kei¡±
¡°Oh, him¡±
Kei had moved near the town for retirement and had set up shop for fun.
Some of his prices competed with the town¡¯s stores.
So, he agreed to move out of town in order to continue his business.
But that didn¡¯t stop people from disliking him for driving prices down.
¡°Hey he¡¯s not so bad, he only trusts money. I mean at least coin is more reliable than people¡±
Reimi stopped in front of Ander and clasped her hands-on Ander¡¯s right hand.
¡°Ander . . .no matter what, I¡¯m there for you. Even if no one else, . . .just let me stand with you¡±
Ander pulled his hand from hers and with his back turned said
¡°I¡¯m not alone. I have Emilia remember¡±
Though he knew Reimi was loyal to him, Ander didn¡¯t want her to strain her relationship with the
town for him.
¡°Come on, I have to pay that bum Guy¡±
They found him pasted out in the alley of the tavern.
¡°Well let¡¯s see here, water or should I kick him?¡±
Ander asked Reimi jokingly.
¡°He¡¯ll catch a cold if you douse him¡±
¡°Kick it is then¡±
Ander walked up to Guy¡¯s unconscious body and kicked his shoe really hard.
¡°HUP!!?? HUH?!!?¡±
Guy jolted awake in surprise.
¡°Here old man¡±
Ander threw a package to Guy.
¡°This isn¡¯t money¡±
Guy said, puzzled at the meat inside.
¡°It¡¯s called meat, you cook it and eat it.
This way, you won¡¯t blow your money on alcohol again¡±
Guy turned from Ander and looked at Reimi.
¡°Well if it isn¡¯t the young miss, your wife¡¯s away and you¡¯ve already turned your sights elsewhere¡±
Guy said with a grin on his face.
¡°You¡¯ll get the rest in coin when the next delivery is done. I want it by tonight¡±
¡°WHAT!!??¡±
Guy exclaimed as he saw the sun¡¯s position.
¡°Here¡¯s a list and the coins for Kei¡±
Ander said as he tossed the money wrapped in the list to Guy.
¡°Oh, and give him this too¡±
Ander then tossed the antlers to Guy.
Ander walked away with Reimi briskly after this.
¡°The people you interact with now are terrible¡±
¡°Hey, they¡¯re better than HIM. Speaking of which I haven¡¯t seen that shithead you call a brother¡±
¡°. . .Yea it¡¯s strange he hasn¡¯t confronted you yet¡±
They walked in to the bakery and were greeted by Mila running up to them.
¡°DADDY, I missed you¡± Mila said as she buried her head in to his legs.
¡°Haha I missed you too¡±
Reimi watched this scene with a small tugging feeling in her heart.
¡°We have some time, so Reimi how about that cake now?¡±
¡°Sure¡± Reimi smiled happily.
Kona brought out her special cake for the three and they enjoyed a quick meal.
They laughed and talked about their day.
Finally, Ander got up with Mila and prepared to leave.
Reimi walked with them to the gate and exchanged some last words with Ander.
¡°Thanks once again Reimi¡±
¡°No problem¡±
¡°Goodbye Remi¡± Mila waved from Ander¡¯s back.
¡°Can you carry all that?¡±
Reimi asked as she motioned to Ander¡¯s deer meat, bow, quiver and Mila.
¡°Yea it was a struggle getting here with Mila and the bow. Here why don¡¯t you hold on to it for me?¡±
Ander handed his bow and quiver to Reimi.
He wrapped Mila tight on his back and held the venison in both hands.
¡°I¡¯ll keep them safe until you come back¡±
¡°I know you will¡± Ander said smiling as he left.
The sun had set by the time they got home.
Ander prepared the bath for them and was starting on food when Mila came running.
¡°DDDDAADDDYY, there¡¯s someone out there¡±
Ander dropped what he doing and pulled out the sword he hid in the kitchen.
¡°Just stand behind me Mila¡±
He said in a low voice.
The figure Mila mentioned was slowly approaching their front door.
They stopped when the light from the house revealed their face.
¡°WHO ARE YOU?¡± Ander shouted calmly with a scared Mila behind him.
The man approached further to reveal his attire.
¡°Don¡¯t you remember a Hawk when you see one?¡±
Chapter 5: The First Step
The man walked in to the light of the porch and Ander saw a very familiar uniform.
It was a simple black military jacket with the color red out lining the edges and a golden winged badge over the heart.
The rest of the man was covered in either shadow or a part of his cloak.
The man was probably in his late 40s with a bit of graying hair, but his look certainly stood up to his title of a Hawk.
¡°I didn¡¯t know anyone survived from the city¡±
Ander said cautiously while holding on to Mila.
¡°Oh? Then care to tell who is that child¡¯s mother?¡±
The man gestured to Mila with a smirk on his face.
¡°. . .¡±
¡°Don¡¯t even bother to hide it, we know. We¡¯ve been monitoring you for quite some time now. How was playing house while
you neglected your duties?¡±
¡°Get to the point, what do you want?¡±
Ander angrily said as he looked around.
The man smiled and started to pace left and right.
¡°Well, lucky you I¡¯m not in charge otherwise you¡¯d be executed for treason. But our Emperor would like to see you¡±
¡°EMPEROR CARNISUS IS ALIVE!!!??¡±
Ander said in shock.
¡°Of course, why wouldn¡¯t he be? Well anyways, he wants me to escort you to him¡±
¡°How do I know you¡¯re telling the truth?¡±
¡°You don¡¯t¡±
The man motioned to the woods and six people in hoods stepped out.
They walked next to the man and pulled out swords.
¡°Now come with me quietly and all will be fine. Don¡¯t worry my subordinates will take care of your child¡±
¡°. . kch you bastard¡±
Mila started shaking when she saw that they were surrounded.
Even Ander couldn¡¯t take on all these people if he had to protect Mila as well.
Ander thought about it and weighted his options.
Finally, he dropped on one knee and put his hands on Mila¡¯s shoulders.
¡°Mila your old mans¡¯ going to go with these nice people. Just stay here and be good okay?¡±
Ander tried to say with a smile on his face.
¡°Come on, while the night is young¡±
The man motioned and Ander complied.
¡°. . . . Daddy don¡¯t go. Mommy¡¯s already gone¡±
Mila said with tears in her eyes.
¡°Mila have some faith in me. I¡¯ll definitely come back, your mother too. Just wait in the house¡±
Mila started sniffling but walked back in to the house.
After she went back in, four of the figures followed her in.
Ander stopped one and spoke firmly.
¡°If you so much as harm a hair on her head, I¡¯ll end you and all your buddies. Got it?¡±
The figured was surprised but nodded twice and hurried in.
The man started to leave down the path and Ander followed, with the two-remaining people behind them.
¡°You never did mention your name?¡±
¡°Just call me Herman. Captain Herman¡±
The man said nonchalantly as they walked through the forest.
¡°Now we ride¡±
Herman motioned to the four horses that were tied to the trees.
Ander got on a horse and the others got on theirs.
They rode for a while in the dark forest with only the moonlight guiding their way.
Yet it seemed that the riders and their horses were undeterred by anything in the forest.
¡°We¡¯re here. . . Ander¡±
¡°The lake?¡±
¡°Yes. What were you expecting? The city?¡±
¡°At a more permanent place perhaps¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Ander mentioned as they rode in to the camp.
The camp was composed almost entirely out of huge circular tents.
There were bon fires lit and many people were sitting around them.
Since it was mostly soldiers, Ander could tell that a big operation was underway.
Herman led Ander personally as he waved off his men to go tend to their horses.
They walked towards the lake where the deepest part of the camp lay.
This section had no light, only the moon and the reflection from the lake.
They finally stopped on a small cliff that hung over the lake.
Ander saw three figures waiting for them and dropped to his knees torwards the one in the middle.
¡°M. . My lord¡± ¡°My lord¡±
Herman dropped as well and the Emperor motioned for them to rise.
His armor was just as Ander remembered it, only here it was glistening in the pale moonlight.
But it wasn¡¯t blinding to Ander, it seemed to glow almost like a ghost.
¡°You¡¯re all dismissed, Ander and I have much to discuss¡±
The Emperor¡¯s guards as well as Herman nodded and they left the two.
¡°So how long has it been Ander?¡±
The Emperor asked with no emotion as his voice boomed from his armor.
¡°Four years my lord¡±
¡°I see you¡¯ve been busy in that time. You¡¯ve started a family, that¡¯s commendable¡±
¡°. . .yes¡±
With a quiet voice, Ander managed to squeeze out a word.
¡°Now then, you should know why you¡¯re here¡±
As he spoke, Carnisus turned directly to Ander.
Though Ander couldn¡¯t see his eyes, he knew Carnisus was staring in to his.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I do not¡±
Ander answered, a little concerned at his lord¡¯s intentions.
Carnisus then broke Ander¡¯s train of thought as he walked towards him.
Immediately, Carnisus pulled out a blade and swung at Ander in the same motion.
The slash went upwards and stopped short of Ander¡¯s neck.
Ander could feel his heart thumping but he did not blink. Carnisus scoffed at this and was satisfied.
With one hand, he stabbed the blade in to the ground in front of Ander.
He turned around and walked to the edge of the outcropping to look at the lake.
¡°My blade is once again yours¡±
¡°!!??¡±
He didn¡¯t see it before, but now Ander recognized the blade in front of him as the black blade.
It was the one entrusted to him long ago.
¡°How. .?¡±
¡°I hope you don¡¯t lose all your precious things so easily or is this not precious to you at all? The oath that you made¡±
A million questions swirled inside his head, Ander couldn¡¯t reason how this blade was here.
He had locked it away and so assumed when Emilia used hers, that she had taken it.
And yet that same black blade was just handed to him by his king.
Giving the only answer he could, Ander calmed his thoughts.
¡°I will try harder this time, my lord¡±
¡°You won¡¯t try, you will do. While I should do what Herman proposes and kill you¡±
Ander gulped at this and made a small mental note to deal with Herman.
¡°But you are special and you have some use to me yet. I see she¡¯s gone missing¡±
¡°Um, yes my lord. Emilia has gone to the city to buy some----¡°
¡°Enough lying to me¡± Carnisus said as he interrupted Ander with a calm voice.
¡°You should know that I had the Hawks spy on you for a while. We know that you two have been living outside that town.
We also know that you two ¡°forgot¡± your memories. We know that she¡¯s awakened since she was spotted swinging that
silver sword again. My sword was returned to me after they searched your house¡±
¡°!!!¡±
¡°You should know that I won¡¯t kill you here where you stand since I believe in your loyalty. I¡¯ll forgive the fact that you
decided to just settle down with her. I¡¯ll forgive the fact that you didn¡¯t kill her when you had the chance. I¡¯ll even forgive you
for lying to me¡±
¡°Th-Thank you my lord¡±
Ander bowed deeply as Carnisus finished his statement.
¡°All that matters now is what you¡¯ll do for me moving forward. I have decided to conqueror all the surrounding lands. My
generals have been dispatched to the other countries surrounding the lake with sizable amounts of forces. But
unfortunately, one met with an accident recently and the space needs to be filled. You would have taken his place, but
things have changed. Wergil is now the general and is in charge of taking this country. Do you follow so far?¡±
¡°You want to wage war against with four countries at once, my lord!!??¡±
Ander said with alarm in his voice.
¡°Yes, I have seen their troops. They are nothing, I will unlock the Libracon to reduce their number advantage¡±
¡°What. .What is to be my role?¡±
¡°You will now lead the Hawks, with Herman as your second in command. Also, you will report to Wergil, but you will notify
me first of all proceedings¡±
¡°. . .¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll spare your child even if HER blood runs through her veins. But should you stray from the path again, I¡¯ll
deliver your heads to your wife myself¡±
¡°Then I must request something, my lord¡±
Ander said with resolve in his eyes as he looked at Carnisus¡¯ helmet.
¡°Oh? What could you possibly want to demand from me?¡±
¡°The town, I want it to be left alone¡±
¡°It was never to be touched in the first place¡±
¡°?¡±
¡°After all, why remove a place that we know she¡¯ll return to?¡±
¡°So, my daughter¡¯s life and my own is secure in exchange for. . . for Emilia¡¯s?¡±
¡°Of course, what other conclusion did you have?¡±
¡°. . .¡±
¡°Now on to business, you will stay in your house and command the Hawks. You are not to leave the town. Money will be
provided to you and supplies will be delivered by your subordinates now¡±
¡°How will I led an intelligence unit if I can¡¯t move from the town?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll manage, Herman will handle the intelligence gathering while you get to sort through it. Your first assignment is to
find a way to take down Tesuto. It¡¯s not the capital but I want the city taken without devastating it¡±
¡°By your command¡±
¡°If she comes back to you, you know what to do¡±
¡°Of. . Of course¡±
¡°Now leave me, and go home, there is much to do¡±
Ander bowed and picked up the black blade then he walked back in to the camp.
He saw Herman waiting and approached him.
¡°Hmm? You¡¯re still alive, I thought the Emperor wanted to kill you himself¡± Herman said slyly.
¡°Not only alive, but your boss as well. So, all your men are mine now¡±
¡°WHAT!!??¡±
¡°I don¡¯t remember you in the Hawks all those years ago old man. But you should know I killed a lot of rebels. So, don¡¯t you
dare threaten me or my daughter again¡±
He said as he pointed the black blade at Herman.
Just as Ander was staring down Herman, another man approached.
¡°Ahh, here¡¯s my new Hawk¡±
The man was even older than Herman and looked like he was in his 60s.
He was wearing a black and green coat with the badge of a general on his chest.
He gripped Ander¡¯s arm tightly as he put his arm around Ander¡¯s shoulders.
¡°General Wergil!!!¡±
Herman said while saluting the man.
¡°Well now come along Ander, we don¡¯t want to keep your daughter up do we?¡±
Ander was dragged in this man¡¯s pace and was soon walking out of the camp with him.
¡°Our lord made you the commander of the Hawks against my suggestions. But that still means you¡¯re reporting to ME. Got
it?¡±
¡°Of course¡±
¡°Good. I¡¯ll send all the documents and the rest of the squad tomorrow¡±
Ander was then led to a woman on a horse and was puzzled.
¡°This is Ophina, she¡¯ll be in your care now.
She can cook, clean, take care of your daughter, and assassinate a target or two¡±
¡°Hello Commander, I¡¯ve been instructed to take you home tonight¡±
Ophina smiled and bowed her head a little to Ander while reaching her hand out.
¡°Please just call me, Ander¡±
¡°As you wish¡±
When he got closer, Ander could see that her eyes were also the same color as her hair, reddish brown hair that was tied
up in a bun.
With a slender frame and a fair face, one wouldn¡¯t expect her to be a trained killer.
But Ander could see her cold eyes evaluating him.
He did the same thing to most people and it was how he intimidated his opponents.
But Ander could feel that Ophina had a better grip of her emotions and her acting skills were top notch.
He got on the horse and wrapped his hands around Ophina¡¯s waist and they set off.
Chapter 6: The Two Canaries
Ander held on tight to Ophina as they rode to his home.
She was a surprisingly good rider and managed to navigate the forest easily.
Ophina slowed the horse down as they reached Ander¡¯s house.
As Ophina brought the horse around to the back of the house, Ander went inside.
Three of the soldiers were hanging around the living room while the fourth was with Mila.
She looked up as he approached and introduced herself.
¡°Ander right? I¡¯m Karen¡± Karen approached with her hand out.
Ander was surprised but shook her hand.
She had removed her hood unlike the others and was interacting with Mila.
She had long black hair that hung over her right shoulder and gentle brown eyes.
Mila seemed to actually be getting along with Karen.
¡°Daddy, Karen is fun¡± She smiled as she ran to her father.
¡°Hmm?¡±
¡°I was showing off my drawing skills, you know pencils are considered rare in this place?¡±
¡°Yea it¡¯s a luxury item for the nobles here¡±
Ander affirmed her words with a nod.
¡°Anyways, emperor Carnisus just made me your new commander¡±
¡°Seriously?¡±
One of the soldiers spoke up in amazement.
¡°Why should we believe you?¡±
Another soldier said abrasively.
¡°Because I said so¡±
Every one turned their heads as Ophina walked through the door.
¡°YOU!!? Aren¡¯t you the emperor¡¯s aide?¡±
Karen said with a shocked look on her face.
Ander was also surprised at this revelation, but he stifled his shock.
¡°Of course, our lord made me Ander¡¯s aide now and all of you will now obey him. Is that clear?¡±
Under Ophina¡¯s gaze, everyone assented to her words.
¡°Well then, can all of you clear out of here? It¡¯s been a long night. You guys can sleep in the unused rooms¡±
After Ander dismissed them, his new unit went off to retire for the night.
¡°Mila, this Ophina. She¡¯s . . .uh. . . your new .care ta-ker?¡±
Ander said as he looked over at Ophina.
¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice to meet you Mila¡±
Ophina gave Mila a small curtsy as she spoke.
Mila didn¡¯t say anything and hid behind Ander while peering at Ophina.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll get use to you. Maybe. But I don¡¯t think we have more space in those rooms so you¡¯ll have to join us
here in the living room¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine¡±
They set out the futon and Ander handed Ophina some extra blankets to sleep by herself.
Ander hugged Mila close and wondered what was going to happen to them.
Mila as well could sense the changes around her.
But what she didn¡¯t know was how far reaching these changes would soon become.
In the morning, Ander woke up to the smell of food being cooked.
¡°Ophina?¡±
¡°I took the liberty of making us some soup¡±
Ophina replied with deep concentration on the pot.
¡°What about the soldiers?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, their rations will come soon. After all you have a lot to go through today¡±
Ander nodded and got changed.
After Ophina finished making food, he woke Mila up and they ate.
Mila seemed to still be wary of Ophina but ate nonetheless.
¡°Ander, when they come I¡¯ll help brief you on everything. But you won¡¯t get the whole picture. The only one who truly knowsThis story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
where the entire intelligence network runs through is me and the Emperor. So, you won¡¯t get to control the actions of the
splinter cells¡±
¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be leading the hawks?¡±
Ander said with a puzzled look.
¡°. . .¡±
Ophina looked Ander directly in his eyes and smiled before returning to eating.
¡°!?!¡±
Ander became warier of Ophina but decided to let things be for now.
The soldiers entered the living room after getting ready.
Everyone just sat around, waiting for the dispatched units to come.
Mila got bored and asked her father to let Karen play with her.
Ander agreed, and Karen took Mila to the courtyard.
¡°Oh, they¡¯re here¡± Ophina got up and went to receive them.
When Ander walked outside, he saw a caravan of people staring to arrive.
There three wagons being pulled with people around them.
They of course were all disguised as regular citizens.
Gone were the complex military uniforms and in their place, were simple robes of the region.
At the head of the wagons rode General Wergil on a black horse.
Even out of his uniform, Wergil looked like a commanding figure.
As all the soldiers started to unload things, Wergil, Ophina, and Ander met in the living room.
¡°We have brought all the supplies you would need and more¡±
Wergil said as he stroked his chin.
¡°What do you mean by that?¡±
¡°It¡¯s simple, Ander. Your home is now one of our bases. None of the members are allowed to enter unless you give consent
though. Since we are also going to store the weapons here for an eventual armed occupation of the town¡±
¡°. . .¡±
¡°Anyways, your first assignment as decreed by our lord is the subjugation of Tetsuki. You are to lay out a strategy that gets
us the city without resistance and the least amount of notice by the inhabitants¡±
¡°What? That¡¯s almost impossible. That city is almost comparable to the capital itself¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, our scouts have already gathered a ton of information about it and plus you have Ophina here¡±
¡°I will do my best to help¡± Ophina nodded in support.
¡°Well then I have to get to actually handling the rest of the invasion here. Did you know that our army the 4th, is the only
one that isn¡¯t going to go in to all-out war?¡±
Wergil got up and headed for the door.
¡°Yea, why is that?¡±
Wergil stopped just as he opened the door and said.
¡°Carnisus wants something in the city. I heard that it¡¯s a special item and those who have it will run if they find out that its
why the city is being taken. So I urge to you to find a way to resolve this quietly. Otherwise our emperor will be angry, and
I¡¯ll be forced to burn the city down looking for it¡±
With that, Wergil left and the caravan cleared out. Just after that, Karen and Herman walked in.
¡°Hello, commander. Karen and I are the only ones assigned to you right now. The others are being used for recon. But
there will always be a unit watching this house from outside¡±
¡°Okay then, Karen and Ophina get changed. I don¡¯t want any signs of the imperial uniforms in this house got it? Burn your uniforms if you have too¡±
Karen and Ophina nodded and went out of the room.
Ophina had on a uniform that could be described as a house keepers¡¯.
But this was the standard in their old city and wasn¡¯t a good disguise for here.
So, she put on a new robe that was called a ¡°kimono¡± in the town.
She choose an especially artistic one.
It was dark blue and interlaced with a black flowery pattern throughout.
Next, she got rid of her bun that wasn¡¯t common around here.
Ophina let her hair hang around her shoulders and finally chose her weapons.
She wasn¡¯t a direct fighter and so grabbed two sharp daggers.
Then she equipped herself with some other hidden blades.
As for Karen, she wasn¡¯t as dramatic in her change.
She chose a simple green robe and used the sword that had been with her till now.
Meanwhile. . .
¡°Herman¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°You will obey my orders, right?¡±
¡°Of course, after all you are a higher-ranking officer¡±
¡°Mine? Or Ophina¡¯s?¡±
¡°I do not know what you mean. I¡¯ve only heard about the fact that she worked directly for the emperor ¡°
¡°Well then, what are your combat abilities?¡±
¡°Mostly some skill with a sword¡±
¡°How about a bow? I have acquired an interesting one recently. It just needs the right owner¡±
¡°We¡¯re done¡± Before Ander could continue with Herman, Karen and Ophina walked back in.
¡°Oh? You two look great, like some noble ladies¡±
¡°Really you think so?¡± Karen said with a little red in her face.
¡°Mila what do you think?¡±
¡°Nn, Karen looks pretty¡±
¡°Well time to get to work. Ophina if you would please?¡±
¡°Of course¡±
Ophina left and brought back a box filled to the brim with documents.
Ander, Ophina, Herman and Karen got to work sorting through them.
As they worked, Mila was pre-occupied with some picture books the soldiers had brought.
When they were done, it was a little after high noon.
By this point, Mila was bored and so asked her father to go out.
¡°Well I guess we can use a break. What do you guys say?¡±
¡°If that¡¯s what you want¡±
¡°Sure¡±
¡°Fine¡±
¡°Ok, Karen and Herman stay here. I don¡¯t want to go as a group in to town. And I need Ophina to help me with something¡±
Karen went to look over the supplies while Herman took stock of the weapons.
Ophina offered to carry Mila, but Mila was still uneasy around her and preferred Karen still.
Though Ander also didn¡¯t feel quite right with Ophina, he thought that he could at least trust her for now.
Instead, Ander carried Mila as always and handed the emperor¡¯s sword to Ophina.
¡°What did you do for the emperor?¡± Ander asked Ophina as they walking.
¡°Many things, mostly recon and target removal. Of course, I also guarded the emperor from time to time¡±
¡°How come I¡¯ve never heard of you?¡±
¡°I was part of a covert and elite part of the emperor¡¯s personally selected forces. In fact, there used to be a whole unit of
people like me¡±
¡°What happened?¡±
¡°Your wife did¡± Ophina smirked as she laid the news on Ander.
¡°We were sent to get rid of her but she was more than what we could handle. In fact, I only escaped since I was the most
skilled. Everyone else was slain by her. The emperor wasn¡¯t shocked at our failure and promoted me out of the shadows.
But I was kept out off duty after my failure, as a sleeper agent of sorts. It was only after the fall that I was reinstated¡±
¡°Yea, Emilia¡¯s pretty strong isn¡¯t she Mila?¡±
¡°Mommy is the best¡± Mila nodded in strong support of her mother.
¡°She is indeed, after my unit was gone many more created and dispatched. But of course, she survived them all. I wonder
where she got all that strength from, I have never fought anyone who wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by us¡±
¡°Yep sounds about right. But I need your old skills, I need you to sweep the town for any suspicious individuals I missed¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do my best¡±
They continued to stroll through the path after that.
On that night, Guy was making another delivery to Ander¡¯s house when he spotted something.
He quickly stopped his cart and went out on foot.
He noticed multiple figures approaching Ander¡¯s house.
¡®Oh? Looks like something interesting is happening¡¯
He silently followed the figures from a distance and stopped far enough just to see the house.
A man started to walk up to the house and then Ander came out.
Guy noticed that Ander wasn¡¯t happy but he left with the man.
When all the figures had left the forest, Guy left and went back to his cart.
He decided to ride back and report to his employer.
¡°I have news, several military types entered his house¡±
¡°Did see what country¡¯s it was?¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t any country that I have seen. But it seemed like he knew them. I didn¡¯t hear anything of course¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine then, continue to observe¡±
¡°As you wish¡± The man nodded and left after receiving the news.
Guy watched with a dark glint in his eye as the man left.