Spectre of the Sinner - Chapter 4 part 1: Military diplomacy at work-on a private level, at least
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- Chapter 4 part 1: Military diplomacy at work-on a private level, at least
POV: Freida von Wagner, quarta hora matutina, Mellanphalia Kingdom
After 3 days of traveling through the woods located between our [Kingdom] and the [Holy Empire], we finally reached the frontier city of [Vest Schëld]. Ordinarily, it would have taken us an extra day or two to reach the city. But ever since last night, the kind-hearted foreign soldier, Mister [An], had offered to carry me through the night, sacrificing sleep in the process, something that I protested loudly but to no avail. While I understood that there would be times when an army needed to seize the initiative for an important battle, thus justifying the need to march through the night, I had mixed feelings about him going that far for me.
During those traveling days, I learned that the foreigner had both his legs and left arm amputated due to trauma sustained during his days as a prisoner of war. The horrors of those days still haunted him clearly, for his visage wore a distant look the one time he briefly mentioned it, which drew immense sympathy from me. But thanks to the advancements in the medical field, he was given a chance to live like an ordinary person by grafting remarkably realistic-looking prosthetics. And as for the story about his scarred face, it was the price for his freedom as he orchestrated a daring escape plan from what he dubbed [Their Majesty’s Hellhole], earning my admiration for his audacity.
Another thing that I learned from him was that his arsenal of amazingly destructive weaponry consisted of [Guns], which operated on an entirely different mechanism from the usual bow, which somehow excited me to no end despite its audibly loud crack every time the man had to pull the trigger. At least thanks to other weird contraptions that the man possessed, one was a thick metallic cylinder attached to the muzzle end of his weapon to muffle the loudness of the shots, and the other was a pair of sleek, black-colored earmuffs that softened the noise, my ears didn’t suffer much during the journey.
“Multiple signatures detected 2 kilometer east,” an inhuman announcement was made, snapping me back to reality, “please brace yourself, Miss [Von Wagner].”
It seemed that his [Burevestnik], the small bird-like inorganic device that he linked with his mind, had discovered signs of disturbances ahead. Unconsciously tugging at his sleeves, I timidly posed a question to him, with memories of the ambush still clear in my mind.
“Is there any… person entangled with… those monsters?”
“Rest assured, there’s none. I think this might be a once-in-a-lifetime treat. Peel your eyes open and be surprised.”
Despite being reassured by him, I still anxiously trailed behind him, clinging to an irregularly patterned forest-green blanket-sized cloth that was draped over my body. While its camouflage pattern was excellent in performing its expected duty, it belied yet another marvelous feature, one that the foreign warfighter would invoke soon.
“Activating [Chameleon] protocol,” amidst the faint roars of battle could be heard from afar, an inorganic chant resounded before the man reverting to his raspy whisper, “and as always, stay frosty.”
As we quietly approached a clearing, the identity of the road-blocking noisy festival was clear: a raging battle between a horde of [Goblyns] and a [Ogre] troop over the carcass of a couple of gigantic bodies. Numbering a little over 200 individuals and 30 entities respectively, the [Goblyn] crowd was dancing around the [Ogres], shrieking at them while brandishing their crudely crafted weapons at them.
In return, the giant [Ogres] roared threateningly at the mass of child-sized competitors before swinging their proportionately massive weapons at the horde. Unlucky fiends were squashed flat while their kin quickly dispersed away, only to close in to engage in a bloody melee. The little greenish critters rushed in, using their agility and small stature to cling to the colossal brutes’ shadow and harry at them. The enormous monsters responded by swinging and flailing their massive armaments to shake off the fiendish menace while chomping down on any unlucky schmuck.
I could not help but be mesmerized by such a rare and violent event like that, where the two opposing forces collided with each other, spraying and splattering a ludicrous amount of blood, gore, and corpses. No wonder why Mister [An] told me to feast my eyes at the epic sight.
“Good thing for us that those bastards are fucking busy brawling to their fucking death,” Mister [An] spat out harsh words at the sight of the clash, “for fuck’s sake, why the fucking hell do they have to conduct their business on public’s road. I’m sick of watching those fuckers fucking around. Please fucking finish your affair soon, fucking lowlife brutes.”
Desperately holding back my laughter at the string of profanities uttered by the foreigner, we took a detour through the scene as I glanced at my injured arm. Soon we were back on the path, continuing our journey to the fortress city.
________________________________________
POV: An Nguyễn, 1033 UTC+09:30, Mellanphalia Kingdom
“Multiple signatures detected 3 kilometers northeast,” the drone caught a cluster of heat signatures, prompting me to switch to the dynamic color mode to confirm, “and good news for you, Miss [von Wagner]. A convoy of armed mercenaries, including your fellow knights, is marching this way.”
Jolted by my statement, the lady knight soon became excited at the prospect of being freed from this nightmare of a trip. As much as I wanted to join her in celebration, the preparation for the handover process soon exhausted my mental capacity.
“Why you’re sighing so much here, Mister [An],” in a half-teasing half-reproaching tone, the lady knight questioned me, “or perhaps you want to keep this lady accompanying you through the miserable wilderness? Oh my, you’re one hell of a nasty man here.”
Flashing a teasing grin at me, the girl coyly circled in front of me. A ray of sunlight shone upon her blonde ponytail, creating an illusion of a cascading golden waterfall, accentuating her feminine charm. For the first time since the meeting, it seemed that I let myself momentarily captivated by her. Deciding that counterattack was the best policy, I took off my helmet, gazing straight into her emerald-colored eyes while lifting her chin with my right hand.
“Oh my, am I that terrible? Be careful with your words, Miss [von Wagner], because I may…”
Curving my lips into the evilest grin I could ever muster, the sight of her rapidly swimming eyes as she was overwhelmed by my counterattack was something to behold. As her face dyed a shade of tomato, the figure of a squirming lady from embarrassment unexpectedly affected my heart. The temptation to continue to tease her was growing, yet I desperately held back my desires.
Loudly clearing my throat to return us to reality, I pulled out the most disgusting thing that ever existed out of my rucksack: a large piece of white cloth the size of a restaurant-issued tablecloth.
“Please be ready, Miss [von Wagner],” I tiredly shook my head as I conveyed my intentions to her, “they’re looking for you, not me so please…”
“Fufufu, please don’t do that Mister [An],” flashing a knowing grin, the lady knight proudly puffed her chest, “I can make them listen to me, so please rest assured.”
Giving her a dumbfounded look, I still put the damned white cloth in a ready position, hoping that the day I could push back the day I have to use it according to its intended purpose a bit. The knight was struggling to unsheathe her sword; thus, I helpfully lent her a hand.
After giving me her gratitude, the lady knight pointed her sword skyward, triggering a wave of bad feelings in me. To think that my ploy would backfire on me in this spectacular way, I silently marked her as my dangerous enemy. Oi, take it easy, folks; I’m just joking.
An unknown spell of the [Pyro] attribute was launched into the sky after a ridiculously lengthy chant, resulting in an elaborately flashy firework in the shape of a sword and a shield. Huh, so this was one of the many surprises that [Evrylandia] had in store for me after 200 years of being transferred to [Earth]. I was looking forward to learning more about the changes and comparing them with my memories.
The knight’s showy performance seemed effective after all, as the live feed from [Burevestnik] showed the crowd of armed folks getting positively agitated. Soon their excitement could be heard creeping closer as my companion was hurrying her footsteps. Not wanting to be left behind, I also quickened my steps while suppressing the sense of trepidation in my heart.
A band of the kingdom’s knights led the caravan of armed folks, numbering at least 50. At the very front of the assembly rode a lady knight who looked senior in rank to my traveling partner. Even from afar, one could tell that her anxiety over meeting her surviving subordinate was apparent, as her horse was jittering in agitation. Seeing the sight stirred up in my heart the same emotions that Miss [von Wagner] was experiencing, eliciting a silent chuckle over such mundanely trivial thought.
“My dear [Freida]!”
With an amplified joyful shout, the riding knights all burst into sprinting, and soon they reached Miss [von Wagner]’s position. After dismounting from their steeds, helmets were hastily shed to reveal faces brimming with tears of joy, and soon the knights embraced each other while words of concern were exchanged. Occasionally my companion would point her fingers at me while explaining something, eliciting interesting responses from her fellow knights. Please don’t talk shit about this poor sod, or else his heart breaks.
As for the escorting adventurers, some watched in relief over the heartwarming scene, while some heartless others clucked their tongues in annoyance as their paycheck was threatened by the premature reunion of the knights.
“With such a mercenary attitude, oh I won’t get bored with it anytime soon,” a quiet musing rolled off my lips as I observed the crowd at the far back, “been a while since I last encountered that kind of attitude. Oh, such nostalgic memories.”
Letting the heat of the reunion subside, I piped up the most obvious question that was forgotten in the heat of the moment as I took off my helmet and lowered my balaclava, startling the crowd.
“Excuse me, may I ask this question? How has your Prime Minister doing?”
The member of the knight order, briefly stunned by my inquiry, soon regained their composure. While Miss [von Wagner] was still being consoled over her injury, the leader of the troupe walked forward. Slightly taller than her injured subordinate, the strawberry-blonde lady leader seemed to be in her mid-20s. Her facial features stirred a sense of familiarity, yet I couldn’t pinpoint where I had met her or any of her relatives.
“Good day sir, I am [Carolyn von Wagner-Kukulins], an officer of the [Western Command] of the [Order of Kuckucknidum]. Thank you so much for saving and looking after my sister. And yes, the Prime Minister and his entourage have reached safety this early morning.”
No wonder why I got that feeling. Giving her an understanding nod, I introduced myself as well.
“Good day to you too, Mistress [von Wagner-Kukulins]. My first name is [An], and my last name is [Nguyễn]. I’m a soldier of the [Union of Democratic Socialist Republics], currently due to unfavorable circumstances, I’m being stranded here.”
Secretly heaving a relieved sigh over not making yet another blunder, I lightly bowed to the elder sister. First impressions are important, after all.