“Bah! No matter what, life is still a sewer! What meaning is there in staying alive!”
Someone jumped up from their seat and shouted. One or two others slowly rose to follow. Seeing Evernight in person, his piercing blue eyes and murderous aura looked genuinely dangerous. The more dangerous one looks, the stronger they must be.
They decided to gamble. As Evernight had said, the moment they were replaced by another commander, they’d be dead men. Whether they did this or that, they were dead either way.
“Is there anyone here who can read the Commander’s mind?”
Everyone shuddered as if remembering what lay beyond the Wall. Evernight behaved exactly like someone ready to end his life. He would leap into the middle of enemy lines and swing his sword as if he had ten lives to spare, and afterward, covered in crimson blood, he looked no different from ‘those things.’ Even the vagrants who initially panicked and tried to flee when they saw Evernight’s strategy eventually followed him because of his impossible swordsmanship. It was a wonder how this man had managed to live in obscurity for so long.
It normally took at least 5-10 men to tackle a single monster, but Evernight alone would behead ‘those things’ and pull out their entrails. With such skill, his name should have been circulating in inns and taverns throughout the empire, yet his surname was unheard of. Evernight wasn’t someone who had always lived in Tildyen. Nobody knew where he had emerged from.
“Be content with living like normal people. If you do well, you might even form families and live on decent stipends.”
After the territorial battle ended, Evernight granted them freedom as promised. He invited those who wanted to become low-ranking knights of Tildyen Rock. Some of them wiped away tears when they received their first payment.
“Come to think of it, the Commander seems to have deliberately avoided taking the Tildyen commoner men with him. The ones with children, I mean.”
“Who knows. There were men with children among those who went with us.”
“Those men all went for the gold, didn’t they?”
The unknown lands were as rewarding as they were dangerous. They discovered treasures from ancient kingdoms in caves untouched by human hands for ages. Evernight casually handed them out according to merit.
“What I’m asking is, did he threaten the Tildyen natives like he threatened us?”
Thinking about it now, most of those who crossed the Wall with Evernight were wandering vagrants, criminals from other regions, or serfs who had fled from cruel lords.
“Anyway, we survived, and now we’re even knights, so who cares! Come on, have a drink.”
* * *
“Having a petty gossip session, are we?”
Someone’s arm wrapped around his shoulder like a snake. The eerie voice in his ear caused the low-ranking knights to fall from their chairs with a loud crash. Still sprawled on the ground, they looked up at a young man darkly silhouetted against the light.
“L-Lord Sisou?”
Sisou stood there smiling with his hands on his waist. Higher-ranking knights generally avoided the wooden dining hall, but since Sisou was a man who ate more than five meals a day, he made up for what he couldn’t get from the main castle’s cook at the wooden dining hall.
“W-what gossip are you talking about!”
They backed away awkwardly, half-raising their upper bodies with their hands pressed to the floor.
“Weren’t you all clinging to Lord Evernight’s legs beyond the Wall, begging?”
Sisou raised his voice. His youthful voice, not yet fully matured, spread throughout the wooden dining hall.
“Begging him to spare your lives? You haven’t forgotten that already, have you?”
Compared to other lords like Runfield in the south or Rivercastle in the east, Evernight was an extremely permissive person. Perhaps because he wasn’t originally from noble birth, he rarely concerned himself with minor affairs among his subordinates. His attitude was mostly “figure it out yourselves.”
However, when it came to certain military disciplines, he was more merciless than anyone. That’s why rumors were rampant about how he ruthlessly beheaded men who fled in terror from the Wall.
“And how dare you speak ill of the prince’s husband when His Imperial Highness is right here?”
Sisou walked over and sat in the chair across from Anya. Anya, who had been quietly spooning his stew in the corner, managed to swallow a chunk with a gulp.
“Ah, it-it seems like it’s time for our g-guard duty…”
“Yes, that’s right. It is.”
Only then did the low-ranking knights rise from the floor, pale with fear. Whether because of Rips Mohan’s death or not, Anya had long been an uncomfortable figure among the lower knights. Evernight had strangely taken Anya’s side, and the imperials believed that magic in any form was an ability that only a select few chosen by the goddess could wield, which was why magicians were traditionally not to be trifled with.
“L-let’s go right now.”
With expressions and movements awkward to anyone watching, the low-ranking knights rushed out of the dining hall.
“Such pathetic men.”
Sisou briefly clicked his tongue. Soon, the young man turned to Anya with a broad smile.
“Hello, Your Imperial Highness.”
It was a bright and cheerful greeting. His friendliness was always surprising.
“He-hello, L-Lord Sisou.”
Anya’s fingers fidgeted on his knees. Anya was especially weak to people who were warm toward him.
“How is your back?”
“Ah, thank you, Bel.” Sisou nodded to Bel while stuffing a freshly baked bread into his mouth in one go, seemingly not minding the heat. He continued talking while chewing the bread. “Mil is doing well. The weather today is absolutely fantastic.”
“Y-yes, thanks to the m-magician, my back is f-fine now.”
Having already suffered one grand embarrassment, Anya felt tense without realizing it. But at the same time, every night before falling asleep, Anya imagined himself riding across the vast snow plains. Sometimes, self-loathing would engulf him, making him feel he was hoping for something far beyond his station.
“The weather’s good today, perfect for horseback riding, Your Highness.”
Sisou grinned with bread crumbs around his mouth.
“There’s not much time left until our journey, so we need to resume training diligently.”
As he said, the day to depart for the Wall wasn’t far off. If Anya couldn’t ride a horse by then, he might have to endure the humiliation of clinging to Evernight like that day… He’d rather die than go through that again. Although he knew it was ridiculous and petty, Anya felt a strong determination to prove his abilities to Evernight at least once.
“The Commander isn’t as heartless as you might think.”
“Ah, thank you, Bel.” Sisou said, gulping down grape wine. Anya, who had just been thinking of Evernight, pressed his lips together and stirred his stew with a spoon. He had heard what the low-ranking knights were saying earlier. In fact, he had been eavesdropping the whole time, his ears perking up unconsciously at the name Evernight.
“Well… he is deeply distrustful of people… and he especially hates those who act above their abilities…”
The more he listened, the more it seemed like these words were directed at him. As Anya’s complexion paled, Sisou hurriedly waved his hands. He spoke so urgently that food particles from his mouth flew onto Anya’s face.
“Ah! Are you alright?!”
Sisou stood up and vigorously wiped Anya’s face with his sleeve. The delicate skin quickly turned red and swollen.
“Ah… I’ve messed up.”
Sisou’s eyebrows drooped dejectedly. Surprised, Anya firmly grabbed the edge of Sisou’s sleeve and mumbled an apology.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for, Your Highness? I should be the one apologizing!”
“I’m f-fine.”
Bel and another maid watching from a distance giggled and whispered.
“They’re just like brothers, aren’t they?”
* * *
After aggressively exchanging “apologies” for quite some time, Anya and Sisou made their way to the yard near the training grounds. There, two horses brought by the stable keeper were set loose.
“He-hello, Mil.”
Anya carefully extended his hand toward Mil, copying Sisou’s actions from the corner of his eye. The small animal, as if remembering the painful incident from a few days ago, let out a sorrowful neigh and shook its head. Anya quickly withdrew his hand.
“It’s alright. Don’t look away and keep eye contact. Give him food too.”
Sisou was already skillfully mounted on Tion. He tossed a piece of carrot to Anya, who caught it reflexively and slowly extended his hand.
“There, g-good boy.”
Anya gazed into Mil’s eyes with desperate hope. Please, please. Stay still. As if reading his thoughts, although still breathing roughly, Mil obediently flared his moist nostrils. Anya’s face lit up with joy. Mil crunched on the carrot in Anya’s palm. Anya reached out and stroked Mil.
“Well done. Now put your foot in the stirrup and mount up.”
Sisou leaped down from Tion and moved close to Anya. He looked tense, worried the prince might fall again. Anya inserted his mud-stained boot into the stirrup and, using his core strength, sat up on the saddle.
“Your Highness, even if you fall, never let go of the reins.”
At those words, the pain from a few days ago returned like a hallucination. The cold wind seemed to blow again, and the muscles in his back ached. Anya shook his head to dispel the afterimage. To avoid making the same mistake, he carefully gripped the reins and stroked Mil’s mane.
“P-please take care of me.”
Anya nodded toward Sisou. Sisou, who had remounted Tion, gently tapped his horse’s flank with his heel a couple of times. Anya did the same. The eight hooves made pleasant sounds as they began walking.
“Wow…”
A pure exclamation escaped from Anya’s lips. He was riding a horse. Just like the protagonists in the novels he’d read while confined in the detached palace.
