Death Can’t Sleep - Chapter 71
Chapter 71
***
Victor didn’t say anything for a long time. It was as if the world had been muted.
Amarion couldn’t even bother to intervene, and after looking at the map for a long time, she started the meeting.
People began to gather around the table. After confirming that Victor and his knights had come, she finally opened her mouth.
“Sorry for coming late. Did you receive my report?”
“Yes, my Lady.”
“The situation was roughly explained by Lady Julianna. May I continue to leave the cleanup to the Count and Sir Ulan?”
“Don’t worry, Madame.”
The Count replied politely.
Amarion turned to Sir Leonard.
“We have to hurry up with the subjugation. Fortunately, since we have a big group now, we can get a lot done quickly.”
“Do you have anything in mind?”
“The Knights will keep cleaning up the castle and hunting Drakadas, and Victor will clear the plains and the base of the mountain. I will clear the top.”
“What? But…”
Sir Raoul frowned and glanced at Victor. Judging from their previous conversation, they seemed to know why Victor was here. He didn’t hide that he was worried about her, even with his harsh tone.
However, it was dangerous to put both their leaders in such an urgent situation.
Surprisingly, Victor agreed.
“She’s right. To finish the subjugation quickly, we must move separately. Marion knows the situation better, so it’s right for her to take the top of the mountain.”
Victor looked straight into Amarion’s eyes. Contrary to how he glared at the knights, his gaze was soft.
“Promise me you’ll call me when it’s dangerous.”
“…”
“You won’t need much of my help, but… That’s why I came here.”
Amarion clasped her hands and answered quietly.
“I promise, Victor.”
Victor nodded his head.
There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but there wasn’t time. The other details were fleshed out, and as soon as the meeting was over, she excused herself.
* * *
They moved frantically for a while.
As long as monsters attacked the castle, it was impossible to use the method of clearing the area little by little as before.
The Count and Lady Julianna were really talented, so damage recovery was quick, but there were some people who had no home and lived on the food provided by the castle. It would be devastating if they were attacked again.
So, Amarion climbed the mountain every day with Raoul or Leonard.
Griffins, Chimeras, and all kinds of wolves ran their way.
The cause was still unknown, but the stream of monsters was endless. The Chimera’s teeth were so plentiful that there was no need to bring swords.
Victor also seemed to be dealing with the monsters on the plains at a tremendous speed. She heard about Victor through stories and gossip.
“I heard that the Grand Duke took care of the wolf pack in the Southern forest.”
“You mean those fire-breathing wolves? He’s amazing!”
“Of course, isn’t he the greatest hero of the Empire? He cut them into pieces.”
“Ah, even so, there are few lords who go out of their way to do this.”
Amarion polished her sword without saying a word.
She hadn’t talked to Victor since that day. They were very busy, so they left and returned to their room at different times.
Whenever she saw him, he was sleeping. Meeting her really relieved him, so he was always in a deep sleep.
And it was the same for her. Lying next to Victor, she fell asleep strangely quickly.
‘Is it reassuring? He doesn’t have nightmares because he’s not a weakling who needs my protection. Even if a monster appears while he’s asleep, he won’t get hurt.’
It was the first time she had such a person, so she was able to fall asleep easily even in such a dizzying situation.
When she woke up while he was still sleeping, she secretly watched his pursed lips and closed eyes for a long time. It was very painful to not be able to talk, even when she was by his side. When they were at the estate, they exchanged happy and sweet stories every night.
‘Was this why Victor didn’t want to let me go?’
But she soon let go of that thought. She did not regret coming here. Because she saved people.
A few more days passed. The knights swung their swords frantically. The Drakada near the castle were wiped out, and the fire wolves were extinguished. Reconstruction work on the wall had also begun.
And around that time, Amarion stood in front of a dark road with a sword.
“Is it okay for only three of you to go?”
Mary asked anxiously. Amarion comforted the nervous girl.
“I don’t know what’s up there, so only the three of us should go. It’s dangerous for the other knights.”
“I’m only coming because you insisted that you wouldn’t take us. You’ll be alone in the middle of the night without a torch, really…”
Murmured Raoul.
Amarion smiled.
She was constantly looking for the reason why monsters came down the mountain, and she finally found a suspicious place. Oddly enough, the area where monsters avoided gave off a very ominous energy.
After talking with the knights, she made a plan to set off late in the evening when there was a high probability that whatever was there was sleeping.
She didn’t research properly because she didn’t have time, so she wanted to go by herself…
The knights, Sir Ulan, the Count, and Lady Julianna were against it, so it was impossible.
Victor was patrolling outside the castle, so he didn’t know she was leaving.
Mary bit her lip.
“Then take his highness with you. Didn’t he come all the way here for that?”
“Are you not afraid of Victor anymore, Mary?”
“It doesn’t matter!”
Amarion smiled and stroked the cheerful girl’s hair. Before, Mary was afraid to even talk about Victor.
The girl mumbled softly, knowing the meaning of her smile.
“…I’m still afraid of him. I thought he was a bad guy who kept his wife locked up. But he knows that his wife is a really strong knight, and he cares for her very much. I know why he came all the way here.”
The girl lamented.
“Madame keeps jumping into dangerous things by herself.”
Amarion glanced at Leonard, who was talking to Lady Julianna, with a bitter smile. That was what he had said before. In fact, she knew that the hearts of those who wait for a loved one were more anxious than those who were leaving.
But…
“I don’t know what will happen to the village while I fight on the mountain. So Victor should be here.”
“Madame…”
“And he didn’t lock me up.”
Amarion lowered her voice.
“Actually, I felt like I wanted to be locked up forever.”
The girl widened her eyes.
Amarion laughed quietly.
“…So I’ll fix it quickly and come back. Then we can go home and have tea.”
Mary looked up at Amarion with a curious expression. Then she nodded resolutely.
“I see, Madame. You must come back safely!”
Amarion waved briefly and rode with the knights. As she steered her horse silently, the dimly lit castle gradually faded away.
It was the beginning of a long night hunt.
* * *
The mountains of Fidelburg were rough. It was unusually rough even in Morte, so apprentice knights often came here when they were training. On a dark mountain where even the sky could not be seen because of thorns and dense evergreens, Amarion remembered her hometown.
The Black Mountains…
Amari was the land closest to the Black Mountains. Every day, she wandered through the Black Forest, which was still unknown to humans, with her sword. The forest was dangerous and bizarre, and human rules didn’t apply there. Still, she had to fight. To protect Amari.
She remembered Amari as they climbed the dark and dangerous mountain road. Memories of a cold and helpless place, before she met Victor.
Raoul shook his head.
“I’ve only been to the Black Mountains once when I was in the mercenary corps.”
“Really? What mercenary group did you go there with?”
Suddenly, Raoul shut his mouth tightly.
Leonard bluntly intervened.
“Hydra’s Green Nostrils.”
“Wow, Raoul. Hydra’s Green Nostrils? You’re incredible.”
Raoul grunted a little.
“…You’re the only person who would tell me that that name is cool.”
Amarion smiled faintly.
‘Hydra’s Green Nostrils’, like ‘Troll’s Right Calf’, was a unit directly under the Mercenary King, and was a very strong group. Unlike the ‘Troll’s Right Calf’, which was known as an intelligence unit, it was a group that focused on hunting and fighting.
It was a history he should be proud of, and she wished he would show off more.
The knight rubbed his nose.
“And you scold Madame for being shy… Anyway, we wanted to kill a lot of Orcs and make a lot of money! But we left without even reaching halfway. It wasn’t something we could deal with.”
“It is not a place that you can climb, even with that level of determination.”
“But didn’t Madame go?”
His voice suddenly became serious.
Amarion lit up Raoul’s face with a torch. The knight looked serious.
“I told you before, Raoul. Madame is a genius.”
“…”
“Madame’s skills are not lacking. Her skill set is the longing of mercenaries and the dream of knights. You do not believe in yourself.”
***
Kofi shop updated till chapter 79.