“Yes. I’ll be careful.”
Assad’s face brightened instantly as he smiled happily. It was a bright smile that soothed Cayden’s shoulders, which had stiffened with tension.
“But rather than me, the magical beasts should be more careful. They might try hard not to catch my eye.”
There was laughter mixed in the voice of the one speaking those words.
Regardless of what he was facing, Cayden thought that Assad always seemed confident. After seeing him act awkwardly toward him since early dawn until now, it felt good to see him smile so brightly.
“Cayden. Don’t fall asleep, wait for me.”
“…”
“Finally, we can face each other again. I want to finish… the words I couldn’t complete with you.”
The look in Assad’s eyes as he said this was heavy, even though his smiling face remained as bright as ever.
Cayden couldn’t know what unfinished words Assad was referring to. He couldn’t dare predict what would come out of Assad’s mouth.
But Cayden felt that whatever it was, it would be alright. He didn’t mind if they would have another awkward encounter in the dark night. It would be fine even if he heard talk about negotiations. At least, he could tell Assad who had returned… something like “you’ve worked hard.”
Cayden only wished that Assad, standing on the sand, could cut down the magical beasts with a single stroke. Above all, he hoped that he would return safely.
After opening and closing his mouth several times in hesitation, Cayden finally managed to speak.
“Yes. I’ll wait. I’ll wait… hoping you’ll return without injury.”
Finding it difficult to speak while facing him directly, Cayden reflexively lowered his head.
Assad didn’t forcibly lift Cayden’s face. He didn’t arbitrarily try to make eye contact. He just quietly held Cayden’s two hands, silently feeling his body temperature.
In a silence that was both the same as before yet different, Cayden looked down at the warm hands enveloping his own. He saw the thin-banded ring that shone alone on Assad’s hand, which unlike usual, wore no other accessories.
* * *
The unexpected incident occurred in the early evening, when the sunset began to spread like flames over the sand ridge, and found the campsite.
The sound of the tent flap being roughly pulled aside broke Cayden’s reverie.
The person who opened the door was a tall woman with a sword at her waist. Without any questions or guidance, the woman abruptly stepped into the tent. She was an unfamiliar warrior with a distant expression.
“Please understand my hasty actions.”
The woman, who had by now come closer, bowed her head in a disciplined greeting. Her face looked as impassive as her voice, unwavering. However, her exposed forehead was drenched in sweat.
‘Something must have happened.’
Cayden quickly rose to his feet. Without realizing it, he grasped the sturdy cord around his neck and the short whistle attached to it.
“You need to leave the campsite,” the woman told Cayden.
The outside noise pouring in through the open tent was gradually becoming rougher. The booming voice of someone—whether a royal or noble, it was unclear—erupted in anger, echoing throughout the entire campsite.
The man continued to raise his voice. He became furiously angry, demanding to know why they were arbitrarily trying to drag people out when this place was supposed to be the safest. He also threw a fit, almost screaming, asking what they were trying to do to him.
It wasn’t just that one person raising their voice. It was like they were all singing a terrible song together.
The woman, who had glanced back briefly, couldn’t contain herself and spat out a curse. It was a word Cayden had never heard before in Helio, but he could easily recognize that it was a swear word.
“…I’ll comply.”
Cayden spoke to the woman. It wasn’t because he completely trusted this woman he was meeting for the first time. It was more that he thought it would be better to follow her, acting contrary to those whom Assad had repeatedly expressed displeasure toward.
He also had a feeling that this woman might be the guard Assad had said he would leave behind. Her briefly uttered curse somehow sounded similar to Assad’s crooked speech habit.
“I am Amina, a warrior who has sworn loyalty to His Highness the Crown Prince. It is an honor to serve His Highness the Crown Prince’s consort.”
As expected. She was someone who worked with Assad.
Amina, who had once again offered a respectful greeting, led Cayden out of the tent. The red-feathered arrows in the quiver on her back rattled uneasily, following their owner’s movements.
Amina’s steps gradually quickened.
“A mage who was checking the barrier set up on the outskirts was attacked by a magical beast. Trying to make himself look good to His Highness, he unnecessarily got involved in a matter that didn’t require his intervention, and this is the unfortunate result.”
Cayden hurriedly followed Amina as she explained the situation to him. There was no time to observe the increasingly chaotic campsite.
“Because the caster of the barrier suffered a significant blow, the campsite’s barrier has also begun to waver. Other mages are lending their strength, but the magical beast trying to enter the campsite is powerful. If the barrier breaks, we’ll have no choice but to confront the beast… I think it will break soon.”
Amina’s expression soured instantly.
“Warriors from the subjugation team like myself will evacuate the high-ranking individuals. If luck is against us, they might die before leaving the campsite. The ones shouting over there, I mean. But this is all far removed from you, Your Highness. There’s no need for you to worry.”
“I-I see.”
“You have a competent guard like me with you. You will safely leave the campsite.”
Having arrived at their destination, Amina momentarily stopped in place and pulled a sword from the weapon rack, attaching it to her waist as a second one.
Amina, with a bow and quiver on her back and two swords at her waist, turned to look at Cayden. She handed a dagger to the surprised Cayden.
Finding himself with a dagger in hand, Cayden slowly recalled the dagger-using techniques that Amun—no, it was actually Assad—had taught him. It was something he had been forced to learn the day after the banquet held for Commander Jahan.
“Most desert magical beasts prefer places with many people. They target only such places. Like creatures that crawl out from under the dark sand, they use senses other than sight.”
Amina headed toward the tethered horses, continuing to speak.
“However, since those senses aren’t very delicate, they can’t detect just three or four people together. There’s a reason they mainly attack places where many people gather, like caravan campsites, guard camps, and nomad settlements.”
“…So our only option now is to leave the campsite.”
“Yes. There’s a saying that the desert is the safest place when you’re alone, and it’s not for nothing. Right now, getting as far away from the campsite as possible seems to be the only way to escape the threat. We’ll think about what to do next after we get away from that chaotic crowd.”
Having finished speaking, Amina immediately untied two horses. She gently stroked the manes of the horses, which were beginning to get excited after sensing danger. She also whispered something to them while putting something sweet in their mouths, as if believing the horses understood everything she said.
“Can you ride a horse on your own? This morning, I saw His Highness embracing you from behind as you rode together…”
“I may not ride well, but I know how to.”
Cayden hastily cut off Amina’s words. A grown man being held by a younger man while riding a horse must have looked ridiculous. He didn’t want Amina to recall that strange sight.
“In that case…”
Amina’s words were interrupted. It was because she saw a sight that made her forget what she was saying.
Swoosh. A sound like water parting came from far away.
In the distance, a sand dune was splitting open. The moment a massive snake, bearing the color of scorching heat, raised its head through the gap, another curse flowed from Amina’s lips. The crimson tongue the snake flicked out looked painfully vivid.
Even though the scene seemed distant, gasps erupted from various parts of the campsite. The chaos grew when the snake’s body crashed down on a small sentry tent right in front of it. Someone screamed—sounds made by members of the imperial family whose faces Cayden recognized.
“The warriors who were in that tent have already evacuated and are preparing for battle, so you needn’t be concerned.”
“…”
“Those busy-mouthed people here should also move quickly if they don’t want to end up like that tent. Well, the horses wouldn’t let those people mount their saddles anyway.”
“…Will the servants be alright?”
Cayden was worried about those struggling amidst the panicking nobles. There weren’t many servants who had accompanied the magical beast subjugation. Most were those brought by a few royals and nobles.
To bring so many boys and girls who seemed to have not been working long to a place where dangerous things might happen—even amid the urgency, he couldn’t help but worry.
“Most of them were born and raised in the desert. They know how to protect themselves. And, Your Highness…”
Amina handed the reins of a white horse to Cayden.
“When you’re with His Highness later, please speak informally to me.”
“I understand.”
Cayden responded to Amina’s awkwardly added request, thinking that it wouldn’t be easy to speak informally to someone who had come to protect him.
“Now, we must go.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
