Chapter 18: Spring Day Passes (1)
Darkness engulfs the world.
That is referred to as “night.”
Light clings to the dark sky, indicating that it has not completely vanished.
That is a star.
Splashâ.
Before the night sea sparkling with starlight.
Cain was sitting.
Behind him, people who had gathered stories and information about the Arzweber fiefdom began to gather one by one.
The first was Vanderbilt, who had moved alongside Asher.
“It’s over today, but just yesterday, they said that the sun would bleed when evening came.”
Arna provided an explanation.
“It was really the color of blood, so the people who worked in the fishing industry in this village were reluctant to go out to sea.”
“Today, the Witch of the Horizon is absent, so nothing happened.”
“Perhaps…….”
“That woman wouldn’t do such a thing for no reason, perhaps it’s a ritual to call upon Arthuan.”
Cain’s decisive conclusion.
Oleciren expressed surprise and asked in return.
“Don’t tell me you inferred that from this brief information?”
Cain laughed inwardly.
Of course, if that were possible, he would have become a great sage and lived a lavish lifestyle.
There are many rumors about Arthuan’s identity in the Holy See. What is certain is that it has always appeared on the coast, and the sea bled before it did.
Of course, Cain knew this because of the hero Abel’s desperate efforts to save his mother.
So I went to the witches’ known locations and asked. What is ‘Arthuan’? They all said different things, but one thing they all had in common was a large mouth.
If combining incidents to obtain information is the specialty of a great sage, determining the type of enemy with information is the specialty of a warrior.
Cain was a warrior.
The sea, a massive mouth, various memories.
He had a suspicion about the identity of ‘Arthuan’.
Also, why was it known as ‘the darkest night’?
“What about the Witch of the Horizon?”
Isoel responded to that.
“Everyone said she was once the village leader. There are numerous testimonies that she was a long-time resident of this village.
Oleciren nodded to Isoel’s words.
“Some people even remember her deceased husband and children? “It doesn’t appear to be an illusion.”
“Perhaps she really lived.”
Oleciren expressed surprise at Cain’s words.
“Did the Witch of the Horizon live in a village like this?” Why? And finally, she sacrificed the villagers?
“Because she was crazy.”
A brief but clear response.
Oleciren couldn’t close her mouth and simply rolled her eyes.
Because she was insane, she could live like this and make sacrifices of the people she had spent so much time with.
“Well, there could be other reasons.”
Cain shrugged his shoulders.
It didn’t matter anyway.
The only thing that bothered him was Arna, who had turned pale even though they had purposefully arrived by carriage.
Arna gave Cain a wry smile and nodded.
“It’s okay, Young Master.”
“I’ll be fine soon and I’ll be able to live a new life with Abel in Ethelred Castle.”
Arna’s eyes grew slightly.
Abel was also surprised.
“……You’re a good person.”
Oleciren expressed surprise to Cain.
Vanderbilt smiled smugly, as if he were receiving praise.
Then he lit a bonfire in the center, casting a warm glow on the cold night sea wind.
The scarlet color of the flickering flames lit up everyone’s faces.
“It’s just something I had to do.”
Cain spoke unusually, looking elsewhere.
He was obviously changing the subject due to embarrassment.
Arna looked at Cain for a while before speaking up.
“One shot is possible.”
“Single shot. If Abel becomes more familiar with Ardvark, the two of you might be able to slay Arthuan.”
Cain smiled.
Depending on the bow’s characteristics, a full-force shot from mercenary ‘Flash’, who was none other than himself, could be more effective than a Master’s blow.
Arna frowned slightly, as if she found Abel’s name strange.
“Still not enough.”
Unlike Cloyd, who treated Abel as a ‘child’, Arna evaluated Abel as a ‘force’.
Cain smiled wryly but gently and patted Abel’s shoulder.
“In times of crisis, the real thing shines. “Abel, I believe in you.”
Abel looked up at Cain with sparkling brown eyes and nodded slightly.
“Yes, brother.”
He would not back down from any challenge.
The forest boy, who despised hurting others, had grown into a young man who understood the importance of fighting in order to progress.
Such a young man looked at the back.
Cain stood there.
The squire, Asher, looked at him and promised.
That one day, he, too, would become a knight trusted by others, as Abel was.
“What is one shot?”
Oleciren asked, tilting her head to the unknown secret conversation.
But Cain smiled and said a short word.
“Ethelred’s secret.”
Then she pursed her lips.
“Those who are not of the Ethelred family will be sad.”
Then Arna responded with a slightly playful smile.
“Can’t you change it if you want to change it?”
Oleciren tilted her head, and her face turned red instantly.
She only later realized what her words meant.
If they marry, they usually change their family name to the man’s.
In other words, if she wanted to change her current family name, Airian, to Ethelred, she needed to marry either Cain or Abel.
“Little Mother, stop teasing her.”
Cain shakes his head.
Then Oleciren shouted in anger.
“What do you mean by ‘her’?” “You are the ‘her’!”
“That’s what it means to be a child.”
“I am the Princess of the Gypsum Flower, who is said to be an adult in the royal capital. “This is the first time someone has called me a child!”
“Yeah, next child.”
“Hey!”
Cain and Oleciren continued their conversation.
Abel and Vanderbilt were relieved to see Cain at his age.
They were relieved that Cain, who had always shown only the difficulty of exceeding his limits, had such a side to him.
“Puff.”
A sudden burst of laughter erupted.
Everyone turned their heads to see Isoel, who was heavily armored.
Isoel’s expression was solemn, as if she hadn’t said anything.
“Child?”