Chapter 36: The Knight's time on a Village

She followed the Saclea house through half of the spring season. Throughout the journey, she encountered no harm. The war leader and the Lady of Saclea have taken into consideration most of the war band in the journey. The Lady wasn’t hasty or careless. She would keep the word of the war leader accompanying her to heart. The war leader was quite impressed with the lady.

Along the road the war band of the Saclea’s daughter encountered trouble. She witnessed the lady attending the battle and leading most of the war band. She took the lead while the rest of the war band promptly stands by her side in the battle. Most of the battle compromised of her using her ascended knight abilities to take down key targets while the Mages kill the lesser one.

The battle was bloody no doubt. She vomited what she ate that day and could never forget the enemies of hers being roasted alive. The journey then went back to being smooth. The war band would encounter a few problems. But it was something that the war band could not deal with. The war leader and Lady Sena had a good relationship and she listens to the war leader without any problem.

Currently, the war band is staying on top of an isolated village. The village is surrounded by rather moss stone walls that hide the village from bandits and monsters. The war leader negotiated with the village elder for the war band to take shelter from the road. It took the village elder seeing the banner of the sword shining under the moon to convince the village elder. The village elder apparently respected the House of Saclea. Lady Sena was glad to hear praise for her house. She then told the men and women under her banner to take a rest and camp inside the village.

The village had cottages as houses. They were made of the trees from the forest around the village. They call the trees elder wood for their oldness. The area inside the village was quite large. Most of the carriages fit inside the village. The tents of the war band neatly lined up. In the middle of the Camp, there was a bonfire shaped like a square. The war leader told the men and women of the warband to keep the fire down. It would be careless to have smoke rise up above the village. It would reveal the location of the isolated village and possibly a raid could happen. That is why the war leader ordered the men to dig a square pit with one of the side having a slanted rock. The rocks around the square absorb the heat while the slanted rock makes the smoke rise up thinly. It looks like an empty grave with a slanted rock for a tombstone. But this method allows the smoke to be as thin as possible.

Of course to be extra careful all of the cooking was done when the sun is up. Due to this, there have been no attacks on the village. The war leader explained how things like this are one of the mistakes that most war band does. They attract attention. And attracting any attention is something that no one should do in the overworld.

...

The war leader is a knowledgeable man. Lady Sena is fond of the man’s teaching when it comes to surviving. She didn’t miss any lessons that the old war leader could teach. Susan also listened to the war leader along with Bruno. She went along fine with Bruno. He is a good knight that follows Lady Sena. He is loyal, kind and is good when it comes to fighting.

She fought with him during the encounter with the bandits. He was good with his sword and didn’t need any help like the Lady. He also tried to help her but since she was taught by a Magus killer in some few moves. She really didn’t need the help which made Bruno and Lady Sena impressed with her.

Bruno wanted to know how she learned all of these moves. But she purses her lips in silence. She just could not say that the Magus Killer and his foster son taught her. Doing so would surely put her rather reckless foster brother in danger. Thus she could smile and tell that there was once an old master that taught her and her brother such style of fighting. Bruno accepted her reasons after all he also heard that she was related to the foolish Magus of the Academy that could fight well.

Lady Sena also got curious how her brother was like that. She told her that the eyes he had were quite desolate and bottomless. She didn’t know how to explain to Lady Sena. So Lady Sena just brushed the topic off. She was no meddler. She was quite happy that Lady Sena didn’t inquire further. She wasn’t a good liar and she thinks that she might spill the beans.

She stood just outside the village. She saw Lady Sena looking at the mountain ranges in the distance. Her white cloak blows with the wind. The Lady was staring at the scenery. She didn’t want to disturb the Lady who was sightseeing so she looked at the ranges too. She felt the blow of the wind caressing her forehead. Her eyebrows felt like it was going to freeze. She took a breath and saw what she exhaled. The village was located high in the mountains. The war band is taking a fast route to the middle continent to visit the Capital of the kingdom of Altria.

So instead of taking the long route, the Lady decided to take the rather mountainous route. The war leader at first objected to the idea but since the lady decided. The war leader can only agree and thus the war band is in a village isolated on top of a nameless mountain.

The lady stared at the scenery for a while before turning around. She saw her looking at the scenery. The lady smiled as she approaches Susan. She said.

“The view is quite great.”

“Indeed it is M'lady.”

“Hmm, the roads are dangerous but the beauty of the world is wonderful. Such wild lands could not be conquered.”

“I think that there might be a day that humanity will brave these lands. A village could stay in this place. So it might not be impossible for new cities to rise.”

She told the lady. The lady looked at her with a rather playful smile. She rather finds the lady quite cheeky at some times. The lady was strict, arrogant and confident, but that was because of her upbringing. She remembered Bruno talking about how the lady got a bit mellow the moment she got out of Mesh Academy. The lady has a one track mind and when she wants something done she will get it done. That is why days like this might be a relaxing time for her.

“That would be great. Most of the overworld hasn’t been fully explored. The western plains, the Eastern Tall lands, the frozen continent past north, the land of Galzaea, and the Pacific Seas that has many islands that still could not be explored is out there. This world is filled with things to explore.”

“Do you like seeing sceneries like this milady?”

“I do. The war on the middle continent with the demis is something that I should be concerned off.”

She smiled and then continued.

“But even I do not like fighting. We are born in this age where fighting is natural. I was born in a House that has lived their lives fighting. If it wasn’t for my blood then I wouldn’t be here.”

“I see. But I am surprised, M'lady.”

“What do you mean?”

“Most of the time you were quite unapproachable. Yet, talking you now made me a bit shock.”

“I find that a bit insulting.”

Sena said.

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

She got a bit worried.

“It’s fine. But even someone like me that was born with battle-lust could learn. “She looked at the pommel of her sword. “Let’s just say that a certain event happened that made me think.”

The Lady said that with a sad smile on her lips. She thinks that the lady must be thinking of something. She didn’t want to pry what that event was so she purses her lips. The Lady saw how she acted and looked like she appreciated how she didn’t pry further.

With that conversation done, the two silently stared at the nameless mountains of the overworld. The Lady gazed upon the mountains while she looked at the streams of water down below. The two silently stayed there until the sun started descending down. Back in the village the two separated and went their own ways taking care of their tasks. Despite staying in the village the war leader has taken his time to consider to have everyone not let their guard down.

This was still the overworld after all. It is not a kind place for the reckless and the weak.