Chapter 12: A New Journey

Thousands of men and women gathered at the Central Plaza to gaze upon the corpse displayed near the fountain. Its body was hanging upside down against a wooden pole, and its severed neck was neatly placed upon the adjacent small wooden table.

Those that were able to squeeze through the crowd and enter the front cringed in total disgust upon seeing it up close. And some turned pallid upon gazing at its eyes-opened, broadly grinning face. Mothers hushed their crying children, while men silently thanked their god that the creature was dead. If it was alive, there was no telling how many of them here would have died.

A woman with crimson hair flowing down till the waist cleared her throat. Her white armor shone brightly upon the touch of the morning sun. Everyone’s gaze landed unto her, then to the man beside her.

With a serious face and a surprisingly loud voice, she proudly said, “Citizens of Rube! We present before you the corpse of the monster from the legends! The corpse of the King that had long defiled the lands of us humans!”

Her voice echoed through the heavens. “The corpse of the Goblin King!”

Sounds of amazement followed, and claps and cheers immediately erupted. Petals somehow ceremoniously rained down from above.

Lady Sophia grabbed the arm of the man beside her then shoved him forward. He almost stumbled, and after he scratched his scar-filled cheeks, silence had already turned absolute. Everyone awaited the introduction of the soldier beside their supreme commander.

She once again cleared her throat. “This soldier here—Raymond Falxen—made all these things possible! I am sure most of you have heard the news. The news about how a soldier—a single soldier—killed the invading army of monsters that threatened this land!”

Raymond glanced left and right, and he violently turned red when the realization that everyone was staring at him finally sunk in. How did it come to this? Just a few days ago, he was a nobody. He was one of the innumerable nameless soldiers ready to die for their supreme commander. But now, everything turned an opposite direction.

“This soldier is our hero! The protector of this fortress! The guardian of Rube!” said Lady Sophia. Her voice reverberated in the entire Central Plaza.

The crowd once again erupted into cheers, and the Raymond wanted to hide into a corner. He had never been good with crowds, with his childhood filled with bad memories of the other kids teasing him about his ugly appearance.

He almost jolted when Lady Sophia suddenly grabbed his hand. Hers was soft, as though she had never once held a sword. He should have taken a bath this morning. At the very least, he should have washed his hands.

“L-Lady S-Sophia?” said Raymond. He could not help but stutter. It felt like a dream come true. Even if his life was taken now, he would die smiling.

Lady Sophia smiled, and her dimple sunk in response. “The hero of Rube shouldn’t be making such faces. Come. Let yourself be shown to all these people.”

Holding hands, they walked towards the crowd. Amazingly enough, it parted into two, giving way for them to pass through. The cheers continued to rumble through the earth and the heavens, and it drowned Raymond’s loudly beating heart.

No one knew who said it, but a shout was heard among the crowd: “The eighth Holy Apostle has appeared in Rube! The guardian of the fortress! Raymond the Immortal Soldier!”

The title quickly spread through the mass. Raymond heard Lady Sophia giggle upon the mention of the title: Immortal Soldier. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. They continued to walk through the crowd, with the goal of reiterating his heroic deeds in mind.

“I guess it’s pretty normal for people to start comparing you to the Seven Holy Apostles. After all, no one but those seven heroes could fight someone like the Goblin King—and win,” said Lady Sophia. The two of them had returned to the place where the corpse of the Goblin King was. “Well, it should be the Eight Holy Apostles now. Once the neighboring cities and kingdoms hear of this, they will have no choice but acknowledge your existence.”

Lady Sophia stared straight into his eyes, and Raymond’s mind went totally blank for an entire second. She said, “I haven’t properly thanked you yet.”

Raymond’s eyes widened when she suddenly bowed her head. She added, “For saving this city. For saving all those that live here—thank you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

***

Lancelot raised his sword to the heavens. It glinted after the rays of the morning sun touched its edges. He mumbled, “Still perfect.”

After he sheathed the large piece of metal into the scabbard, he hopped onto his mount. The horse almost stumbled for a second after taking the full blunt of his weight. Lancelot said to Moonsol, “I guess this is where we part.”

Moonsol furrowed his brows. He glanced towards the direction where the cheers were coming from, but he was unable to see anything beyond the numerous stone houses haphazardly built in all directions. He returned his gaze onto Lancelot and his men. All of them were fully armed, prepared to leave anytime.

“Is this really fine? Sophia will yell at me once she found out that you guys left without notice,” said Moonsol. “That woman may look like an angel, but she has her bad side—and you definitely won’t like to receive her wrath.”

Lancelot grinned. His horse neighed for a second before he chuckled, “Not my problem. Here, take this.”

Moonsol received in his hands a small pouch the size of a fist. After he opened it, he saw five small beads inside. He said, “What’re these?”

“Hebaya Stones. It helps cure… you know… uncontrolled micturition,” joshed Lancelot. “Told my priest to make you one of those. It works well for my kid. Don’t worry about any side effects.”

Moonsol’s face flushed red. Even now, he had not forgotten the time wherein he suddenly lost consciousness and peed himself. He did not know what happened nor what struck him that day. He would rather not find out.

“ Commander Lancelot! You little—.”

Lancelot laughed. He wordlessly signaled his men to set off. “Then, until we meet again!”

The mounts kicked off the ground, and a rumbling sound echoed as numerous knights rode out the walls of the city. Moonsol idly stood as he watched the group eventually disappear into the distance.

***

Inside one of the carts used to transport their supplies, Faith silently sat. Her eyes were closed as she mumbled her prayers. She prayed her praise and gratefulness to her God. She knew that it was nothing short of a miracle that they had survived that catastrophe.

“I have so much to report once I get to the Kingdom,” she said. She stared at the sleeping child beside her. His body was bent to accommodate the lack of space, and a large drool dripped down his partly opened lips. “What a weird sleeping stance.”

Even after trying all kinds of humane methods to wake him up, Jiablu remained asleep. There was a soft snoring sound filling the cart as of the moment, and Faith could not help but give an amused smile as she fondly gazed at his sleeping face.

“No need for such trivial things, eh? Look who’s talking!” she said. She could not wait to tease him once he woke up.

Now that she looked at him, Faith was sure that he would become a heartbreaker in the future. An enemy of womankind. His nose was prominent. Not too crooked, and not too wide. Just the right shape and angle. Moreover, his lips seemed velvet, almost enticing. Coupled with his almond eyes that sometimes glared with its crimson color, his ashen hair, and a slim body, Faith could honestly categorize him among those that were good-looking. Of course, she had no intention of telling him that.

“Good looks mean nothing if you remain that way,” she said to the sleeping kid. The cart kept dancing against the unpaved ground. “First, we’ll have to instill some manners into you.”

Once they arrived at the temple, Faith had decided to tell the Cardinal everything she had come to know about Jiablu. She was sure that with proper guidance, even someone like him—a kid utterly condescending and rude—would someday become a gentleman worthy of any woman.

She hoped with her fingers crossed. She whispered, “We’ll be parting ways in the city. It’s been a short time, but it was an enjoyable experience, little Jiablu.”

The snoring sound from the sleeping kid crescendo for a second, and Faith could not help but associate it with the sound of a pig being slaughtered. She giggled as she wiped the tears that started to form at the corner of her eyes.

“What a weird kid, really!” she exclaimed. The cart stopped and she peeked out the window. She asked, “What’s happening? Why did we stop?”

One of the knights answered, “Ma’am, the bridge is broken.”

Faith went outside. It was already late in the afternoon, and it would soon be dusk in an hour or two. They were currently inside a forest, and before their group was a broken wooden bridge that easily spanned over a hundred meters in length. It was wide enough for five carts to pass through side by side. Below it was a deep ravine that reeked of the word bottomless.

She approached Lancelot. “What’s the plan, commander?”

Lancelot remained staring at the broken bridge. “Why now? Damn it. We should have restocked more rations in Rube Fortress.”

Faith remained silent. She knew this bridge very well. It was the only route—the only safe route—towards the Dry Valley. If they took a detour now, it would take them several more days before they reach the valley that served as passageway towards the Kingdom of Tesma. But she knew that the real issue was not the time it would take to reach their destination. It was the safety of the route itself.

“Can you fix this bridge with magic?” said Lancelot. He sighed when he saw Faith shook her head. “I guess not. Sorry for asking.”

Gaston, the only elderly man in the group, soon entered the conversation. “I’ve scouted the area with the younglings. No bandits around.”

“Of course. This passageway is protected by the Fifth Holy Apostle’s magic. It’s basically suicide to stay in this place for anything longer than half an hour. It’s relatively safe if we just casually pass through… but with the bridge in this state…,” said Faith.

“Those damn bandits must have done this,” huffed Lancelot. Faith almost flinched when she saw the murderous glare coming from their commander. “Desperate to ensnare new victims, huh? Those damn lowlifes!”

“Destroy the bridge so that people will be forced to take the other routes,” said the old man, Gaston. He clicked his tongue. “Distasteful bunch.”

Faith glanced at the cart where Jiablu was sleeping at. She was somehow worried that he would get caught up with another catastrophe again. If that child was caught by those unruly people, then she could not bear to imagine the pain he might once again go through. He had watched his entire village burn down to crisp, and he had watched his love ones die before him. And now, he faces the risk of being a victim of forest bandits.

She silently vowed that she would do everything to make sure he arrives at the temple safe and sound. She heard Lancelot snarl, “No use wasting time. It’s their biggest mistake not to let our army cross over.”

Commander Lancelot roared, “Let’s go!”