SWY 150

Harrel, as if he had expected it, dodged easily and drew his sword to counter.

“Your opponent is me, Kaios!”

The knight who had come with Harrel flinched, then pointed his sword at Sharhan as he turned to move toward Lestel. Sharhan tensed, facing the knight. From the corner of his eye, he saw Lestel struggling against Harrel.

Harrel, the Marquis of Ailun’s closest aide, had once been Lestel’s sword instructor in his youth. Sharhan had also trained under him once or twice and knew just how overwhelming his skill was.

“Come on.”

“My name is Rollai. At least remember the name of the knight who will kill you.”

“We’ll see who ends up dead.”

Sharhan stepped forward and thrust his sword at the same time. Rollai blocked the blade with a twisted smirk.

Screeech!

The two blades clashed, letting out a chilling shriek of metal. Rollai wasn’t someone Sharhan had seen before, but his skills were formidable. Gritting his teeth, Sharhan stepped back, then swung again.

Each clash of their swords rang out in a wild rhythm, their feet growing faster with every exchange.

“You’re better than I expected.”

Admiration flickered in Rollai’s eyes, who had initially underestimated Sharhan. Sharhan didn’t answer, instead aiming a stab at Rollai’s side. Rollai let out a startled breath and leapt back to avoid it.

Sharhan kept pressing, not giving Rollai room to breathe. His blade shot toward his opponent’s side, shoulder, and stomach, targeting any opening he saw. Rollai blocked desperately, looking for his own moment to strike.

Lestel’s fight with Harrel was also growing more intense.

“I don’t know why you chose an axe over a sword, but you’ve improved. Even now, won’t you reconsider and help me capture Kaios?”

“Shut up! I told you. Sharhan means more to me than some damned empire!”

“I warned you many times, those who are swayed by emotion can never be great. I taught you, didn’t I? That Ailun’s glory should always come first for both of us. Have you forgotten?”

Clang! Clang! Screech!

Their weapons tangled fiercely. Lestel gritted his teeth as he fought Harrel. His former teacher, the loyal knight of the family, was anything but an easy opponent.

“Sharhan is what matters most to me. That won’t change even if I die.”

“I realized long ago that you treated Kaios differently. You were furious when you found out the count and countess of Kaios were killed for the family’s gain. But I noticed even when you were young. Still, I’m disappointed.”

“And I’m disappointed in you, Harrel. You’ve blinded yourself with the glory of Ailun and forgotten your duty as a man and a knight.”

“So you really have no intention of killing Kaios for Ailun’s sake?”

“I said I don’t. I believe Ailun should collapse immediately.”

“If that’s how you feel, then from now on, you’re my enemy. I will cut down anyone who stands in the way of Ailun’s glory!”

Harrel’s attacks grew sharper. He no longer moved like a knight facing his former master, but like someone confronting a true enemy.

Whisssh!

Lestel barely managed to block the blade that came flying with a menacing sound, stumbling five steps backward until his back hit the stable wall. He glared at Harrel, who looked at him with the cold eyes of a stranger, and tried desperately to push him back.

“Weren’t you ashamed, watching the people of the land starve and get torn apart by the dead while calling yourself a knight?”

“My duty is to the Marquis and the Ailun family.”

“There is no family without its people!”

Lestel shouted coldly and lifted his leg to kick Harrel’s thigh, but Harrel moved faster. Dodging without trouble, Harrel struck before Lestel could regain his stance. His sword sliced across Lestel’s wrist.

Clang!

The axe fell with a loud clatter.

“Goodbye, Lestel. I once served you, so I’ll pray for your soul.”

Harrel extended his sword toward Lestel’s heart, sneering. But then Lestel stepped half a pace to the side and reached up, his hand brushed Harrel’s earlobe, and in it was a sword.

“Wha–”

Before he could finish, Lestel slashed toward his chest. Harrel twisted away just in time, and the blade only cut through his shoulder and forearm. Blood streamed from the torn flesh, but Harrel smiled as if he felt nothing.

“Impressive. So you had a hidden trick.”

Lestel clicked his tongue. His trump card had failed. Things would be harder now. He adjusted his grip on the sword and faced Harrel again.

Once, this knight had stood tall like a mountain, his protector. Now, he was the worst kind of enemy.

Drawn by the noise of battle, a few corpses began to shamble over. Glancing briefly at them, Sharhan kicked one hard in the gut just as it got close while still locked in combat with Rollai. Rollai flinched, and in that moment, a corpse bit down on his arm.

“Aaargh!”

His scream echoed as flesh was ripped away. Rollai, clutching the wound with his other hand, stared in disbelief. Sharhan used the moment of confusion to charge at Harrel.

Just as Harrel turned, startled, Sharhan thrust his sword. The blade plunged into Harrel’s side, then slid out again. It didn’t seem deep, but that didn’t matter.

When Harrel staggered back, Sharhan and Lestel darted into the stable and locked the door behind them. Adam, waiting anxiously near the hidden passage, waved them over in a panic. Rael was nowhere in sight, he must have gone ahead.

“Q-quick! Please hurry!”

“Adam! Shut the passage!”

“Yes!”

Adam pushed the lever from inside. With a deep rumble, the entrance began to close. Sharhan and Lestel ran with everything they had.

“Kaios! Lestel! I’ll kill you!”

Harrel pounded on the door from outside, shouting furiously. Apparently, Sharhan hadn’t pierced deep enough to be fatal. Still, the injury would slow him down.

Sharhan and Lestel slipped into the half-closed passage. Right then, the stable burst open with a crash. Harrel dashed straight to the entrance.

Sharhan collapsed to the floor, staring through a tiny gap between the stones. He saw Harrel’s twisted expression and sneered. Lestel leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, and Adam slumped beside Sharhan, muttering, “I thought I was gonna die…”

“Brother?”

As they caught their breath, a voice pierced the darkness. Iris’s voice. Sharhan bolted upright.

“Iris? Why didn’t you go ahead? Well… even if you did, it would’ve been hard to climb up from the well.”

He had cut the rope. With just Iris, the nanny, and Kuph, they wouldn’t have been able to make it up.

“I didn’t want to go without you. Where are you?”

“I’m near the entrance. It’s too dark to see, right?”

“Yeah. I want to go to you.”

“It’s a tight space…”

“I’ll carry the young lady.”

Rael’s voice answered, and Adam added, “Me too.” Between them, they brought Iris to Sharhan. He reached through the darkness, gripped her hand, and lifted her into a hug.

“I’m heavy, brother! Put me down!”

She squirmed, but Sharhan held her tighter.

“It’s okay. You’re not heavy at all. Just like old times.”

“It’s not the same. Iris is way bigger now.”

But she didn’t really want him to put her down. Soon, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested quietly in his arms. Like when she was little, she chattered away.

In the cramped, dark, and airless tunnel, her bright voice echoed. Smiling from ear to ear, Sharhan answered her softly, “Yeah” and “I see,” holding back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

Just like before, the group walked single file down the narrow, dark passage.

Though it took a while, not a moment of it felt tedious. They were too happy, having finally found Iris and the others alive.

At the well, Sharhan and Lestel wrapped a rope around their waists and lifted Adam up the wall from below.

Soon after, Adam dropped the rope. Iris, the nanny, Kuph, Rael, Sharhan, and finally Lestel all climbed up. Outside, daylight had returned. The air was cold and clear.

Sharhan closed his eyes briefly against the glare of the sun. Then, seeing Iris run toward him, he opened them and pulled her into a hug. The tears he had been holding back finally fell.

“Why are you crying, brother?”

Tears were streaming down Iris’s face too, even as she asked that.

“Because I’m happy to see you. Let me look at you. Why are you so skinny?”

Her once-chubby cheeks had grown slender. Whether from growing up or from hunger, it was hard to tell.

“It’s because you’re becoming a proper young lady,” Sharhan said, smiling through his tears. He gently caressed her face. She was warm and alive, his sister.

The only family he had left.

‘Mother. Father. I saved Iris. I wasn’t too late. I’ll never let go of her again. I’ll protect her for the rest of my life.’

Sharhan silently swore, holding his sister tightly once more.