“Come, we must go now.”
At Amina’s request, Cayden quickly mounted the horse.
Horseback riding was also one of the teachings from Amun, who had been his only teacher. Compared to the dagger training that he had almost given up on, Amun had patiently taught him riding for quite a long time.
“The horses like you, Cayden. It’s just that your body doesn’t move as the horses wish.”
Though Amun had lamented this until the very end.
Cayden had no talent for horseback riding. There was a reason why he couldn’t dissuade Assad, who had made the uncomfortable choice to ride with him all the way—from when they used the portal built inside the imperial palace to travel to the riverside until they set foot in the campsite.
To shake off his nervousness, Cayden took a deep breath. Then he inadvertently looked back. A harsh voice scolding someone had pierced his ears.
Not far away, a young servant had fallen. Seeing how the child couldn’t get up immediately even in this urgent situation and was whimpering while holding their ankle, it seemed they might have sprained their leg.
“The horse ran away because of you!”
Assad’s… cousin, a man named Matan, was waving his finger at the fallen servant child and raging furiously. It didn’t appear like the servant had fallen on their own. It seemed they had been pushed by Matan.
“……”
After hesitating, Cayden turned his reins toward them. Even knowing how impulsive his action was, he couldn’t stop himself.
Hiding his anxiety, Cayden stopped in front of the two people. Then he extended his hand to the girl on the ground.
“Take my hand. I’ll help you up onto the horse.”
The servant child, who had been staring up in bewilderment at the handsome man who suddenly appeared on horseback before her, forcefully raised herself. It was because she belatedly realized he wasn’t some prince from a foreign country who had come to help her, but the Crown Prince’s consort.
But soon her master intervened in front of the servant. The man grabbed Cayden’s outstretched hand firmly. Cayden didn’t even have time to pull his hand back.
“Crown Prince’s consort, welcome! I am the Crown Prince’s close friend, and today I finally get to meet you in private!”
“……”
“First, please help me, help me!”
Close friend? That was nonsense. Cayden knew that Assad didn’t even treat this man as a person. Even just looking at Assad’s eyes, one would feel that… This man seemed to be even more insensitive than himself.
Time was short. Looking at his hand firmly gripped and the girl visible behind the man, Cayden composed his mind, which was about to spread with fear. He tried to feign the most indifferent appearance he could show.
With all expression wiped from his face, Cayden looked down at the man. In truth, he didn’t even hope to appear indifferent. He just hoped not to look stupid and easy.
Cayden gathered his thoughts once more. He inhaled and exhaled inwardly. And then, he imitated Assad.
“The one who should take my hand is not Your Lordship but that servant child. I am trying to help someone who will find it difficult to move due to an injured leg, shouldn’t Your Lordship, with two perfectly fine legs, yield?”
“What?”
“What is needed in dark day and bright night is, above all, compassion. One must first help those who are weaker than anyone else. I heard that Goddess Tara said so. His Highness told me.”
“……”
“Do you think I made the wrong choice? Or do you think His Highness’s teachings were wrong?”
Perhaps he had imitated not Assad but Amun.
Trying not to reveal his inwardly trembling state, Cayden struck away Matan’s hand. He pushed aside the stammering man and reached out to the servant child again.
“There’s no time. Come with me.”
“I-It’s an honor, Crown Prince’s consort.”
The bewildered servant hurriedly grabbed Cayden’s hand. And with Cayden’s help, she quickly mounted the horse.
Cayden, who had trapped the person seated in front of him between his arms, turned his gaze toward Amina, who had been waiting for him nearby. Cayden recalled Assad riding with him in front and gripped the reins again. His heart fluttered with tension.
“His Highness instructed me to prioritize the Crown Prince’s consort’s safety above all else. Since I fear incurring His Highness’s displeasure more than fighting that snake monster alone, I really must depart now.”
“…I, I was wrong.”
“No, you did very well. If His Highness had been beside you, he would have smiled broadly.”
Amina then lowered her voice and added a few more words. They were directed at the servant child, not Cayden.
“You should know you’re lucky. Think of it as not being eaten by the snake thanks to the Crown Prince’s consort.”
“Y-Yes.”
Amina, who gave a small smile to the tense servant child, immediately began to gallop. Cayden urgently followed behind her. He didn’t think to look back at Matan, who was standing dumbfounded with an incredulous expression.
“The battle might be prolonged, but no accident worth worrying about will happen. If all those warriors and magicians can’t take down one snake, they should go out and die.”
“That’s fortunate……”
“Though some high-ranking individuals who neglected their training will likely experience special incidents. They’re most likely to have bones broken by colliding with the snake’s tail or body, or by being hit by flying debris. They might even end up inside the snake’s mouth.”
“…Could such accidents harm His Highness?”
“Surely not. It was they who ignored His Highness’s warnings. Since they volunteered to join the subjugation force, they won’t even be able to complain.”
Slowing down slightly to stay beside Cayden, Amina continued.
“If they succeed in driving away or killing the snake, they will sound drums to announce the end. They say it’s a sound the monsters can’t hear, so you needn’t worry.”
Hmm. After briefly raising her head to check the color of the sky, Amina made a distressed sound.
“The desert night is very cold. We need to find a place to endure the night, a place to light a fire.”
Cayden wanted to look around with Amina. But just riding the horse properly was challenging enough. The servant child seated in front of him also seemed to have noticed his lack of horseback riding skills and had become very tense.
“Oh no.”
Amina, who had been looking around to find a suitable place, stopped her horse. It was right after she had briefly looked back.
“What’s the matter?”
Cayden also held the reins carefully, following Amina.
“Small monsters have been following us. They seem to have ridden on the snake’s back. It’s just three or four of them, so I’ll take care of them. You go ahead.”
“But……”
“Those things can be eliminated with just one sword.”
After finishing her words, Amina threw a small pouch toward the servant child seated in front of Cayden. The servant child, who caught the rather heavy pouch, seemed to know what was inside. However, she gave Amina an obvious look as if she needed to confirm once more.
“They’re stones. The small ones will become fire when thrown on firewood. The large one, throw it on the sand when it gets completely dark. A light resembling a flame will burst forth. I’ll follow that light.”
“I-I understand.”
“This person saved your life. Serve the Crown Prince’s consort wholeheartedly.”
Amina, raising her voice as if to ensure she was heard, quickly repeated the same words once more. After conveying everything to the servant child, Amina raised her head and met Cayden’s eyes.
“You should ride at a moderate speed toward the front. Look for dry wood that can be used as firewood, a low sand dune or oasis that will protect the fire, or a campsite set up by hunters and merchants waiting for the subjugation to begin. The fewer people gathered, the better, so a place where people have already left is preferable. Wait for me in such a place.”
“…Yes. I’ll do that. I believe you will return safely.”
“Of course. I will come to see you again after I finish my task.”
Amina, who bowed her head in greeting, moved her bow to the front of her body. Then she drew one sword from her waist and immediately turned back.
Cayden also began moving forward again as Amina had said. It was with hope that the red sky of the sunset desert would not completely sink into darkness.
How much time had passed?
Cayden was riding across the barren plain with the servant child who had introduced herself as Sen. He drove the horse, hiding his anxiety. Sen, on behalf of Cayden whose vision had narrowed due to tension, diligently looked around.
What happened to those who remained at the campsite? Had Amina, who had sent him and Sen ahead and stayed alone, defeated the monsters? Questions that he couldn’t answer alone flooded Cayden’s mind all at once.
‘Assad… did he finish the hunt safely?’
Reflexively, Cayden touched the cord around his neck, the small whistle it held. But as if burned, he quickly removed his hand. As if to rebuke him for having unnecessary thoughts, the wind carrying sand struck his cheek and ran away.
It wasn’t time yet.
He couldn’t know how the hunt, meant to announce the beginning of the monster subjugation, was progressing. Cayden didn’t want to interfere with the sacred task Assad had to complete.
Even if that task had been finished long ago, nothing would change. After all, he wasn’t the first person Assad needed to help. Assad was the Crown Prince of this desert. He had to go to those who remained at the campsite. Hadn’t Amina said the battle would be prolonged?
Moreover, the sky was quickly darkening. The desert, which had seemed like it would never lose its heat, began to grow chilly as it welcomed the darkness of night.
He couldn’t just sit in the middle of the desert waiting for Assad to come. Following Amina’s advice, he had to find a place to comfortably light a fire first.
If he had been riding the horse alone, he might have stood still, not moving forward, hoping for someone to help him. But he was with Sen. The servant child, who had injured her leg and was wearing only thin clothes without an overcoat, needed warmth.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
