Chapter 129: Small Talk
The cold waves stirred, snow mist swirling like a winter wonderland, and sharp gusts carried dense clouds of ice particles that tumbled down like a mystical veil. The bitter wind made my throat dry, and chaotic shouts seemed to echo from far away, as if boiling water was bubbling violently, about to erupt.
On the snow-covered ground, the shallow valleys were packed with people; it looked like a giant black mass.
“Gather—!”
As the cargo team from Erin Castle emerged from the hills, a soldier ahead was waving a flag and shouting. That call, faint yet powerful, came with a distant, melodious horn. It wasn’t just us; I could see on the left, down further by the foothills, an even larger cargo team hurrying toward the sound.
“Move it! Move it! Why are you all standing around like idiots?! Go—”
At the front of the line, the squad leader waved his arms, yelling at us to keep moving. People who were about to stop snapped back to life. The cargo team resumed its march, but all the logistics folks seemed a bit restless. Someone kept asking, “What’s going on? Why are there so many people up ahead…?” They got shot down with a sharp retort of, “Didn’t you hear the horn? We’re assembling!” Soon after, a rider on a horned horse came galloping over.
“Why are you all so slow—”
The shouting echoed as the iron cavalry thundered closer. That voice sounded familiar, and when I took a closer look, it was none other than Handsome Uncle Taku, leading two warriors from Erin Castle on huge beasts. He spoke hurriedly, “Hurry! Everyone, get to the front! The New City of Kaliye is waiting for us!”
“What’s going on—”
In the crowd, the scruffy guy Ral craned his neck, loudly demanding answers. Taku glanced at him, then at everyone else, and said, “We’re heading back to Baihao City…”
The man paused, a barely noticeable smirk creeping onto his face: “Prepare yourselves; it might really be a fight.”
“…We’re going to war?” Everyone froze at his words.
But then, a few soldiers from the escort turned to one another, chuckling, and raised their arms in cheers: “Hell yes! Let’s do this!”
“I’ve been itching to take out those bastards in the Royal City—”
“We’re not being left behind, ha ha ha—”
“Shut the hell up! I only said might! Might—”
Taku saw the warriors getting hyped up and immediately tried to rein them in, but honestly, he was already bursting with excitement himself, trying to hide it behind a fierce demeanor: “Don’t go crazy! Like a bunch of wild savages, save your strength for the battlefield! We don’t know what’s happening in Baihao City yet, so don’t get your hopes too high… Just follow me for now!”
After shouting that, he turned on his heel and started to walk away. I exchanged a glance with the Sword Demon, nodded for her to stick with the group, then dashed out, weaving through the crowd. Just as Taku shouted “Go!” to urge the horned horse to speed up, I swiftly climbed onto its back, settling comfortably behind him.
“Who the hell—”
The horned horse stumbled under my sudden weight, almost tripping over a stone. Taku shouted in surprise, thinking it was some hasty soldier. But when he realized it was me, his eyes widened in shock.
“You… how did you get up here!?”
“Ran up.”
I tightened my grip on his back armor, disregarding his astonishment, and asked, “Tell me, what’s going on in Baihao City?”
“You…”
It took him a few seconds to recover from his surprise, “You can’t really… look at you, such skill… so earlier—”
“You guys are going to war?”
I definitely wasn’t going to let him ponder too long, so I interrupted, “Baihao City, is something happening?”
“…Why do you want to know?”
He got defensive…
So I blinked quickly, “I… might have family in the city…”
“…Is it the person you mentioned wanting to go look for?”
Taku hesitated, the tension in his face easing slightly, then he turned back to see the path. After a moment of consideration, he couldn’t resist adding, “A man?”
“It’s my uncle…” I mumbled shyly.
“Oh…”
Taku nodded, saying, “So, you’re planning to go into the city.”
“Yeah, I want to—”
“I advise against it.” He cut me off with a serious warning.
“…Because of the war?”
I peeked around from behind his back, tilting my head.
The biting wind howled past me, and the robust horned horse quickly left the slow-moving cargo team behind. Ahead of us, over Taku’s broad back, I could hear shouts growing louder, with the sounds of carts, the clanking of armor, and thumping hooves becoming clearer.
“War… probably won’t actually break out, right?”
Taku’s voice wavered, as if he were thinking about whether to share more information, but the words spilled out anyway: “While we’re hoping to storm the Royal City, the truth is … so far, no one has a clear grasp on the situation, neither we nor those in the New City of Kaliye. For now, neither side knows the reason for the troops mobilizing…”
…Why?
That makes no sense.
I was puzzled: “But haven’t you received orders…”
“Our orders were just to gather here and retreat to Baihao City with the surrounding troops from the New City of Kaliye. That’s all. Just that one military order that came through this morning, sent on a rush last night, very strange… But I believe once everyone is assembled, there will surely be an explanation, and most likely, it’ll align with what I suspect.”
“Did you know, Lady Count Annie is here? She’s our top commander in Erin Castle, and she’s nearby; I’ve already seen her accompanying cavalry…”
…Count Annie?
He must be talking about Firebird Annie.
I remember seeing her once…
She might even recognize me.
“So, it’s really not about going to war.”
As all these thoughts swirled in my head, I let out a deliberate, exaggerated sigh: “Ha… then I can relax…”
“Relax what?! My god… you still don’t get it? Clueless young lady…”
Taku, clearly frustrated with my naivety, slapped his forehead, his tone growing impatient: “I’ve already spoken with people from the New City of Kaliye. It’s unclear in other regions, but in the south, nearly all checkpoints were withdrawn last night. Look at the army in front of you—where do you think these people are coming from? What are they doing?!”
“I… I don’t know…”
“Let me tell you. Although it hasn’t been said outright, everyone seems to agree we’re gearing up for an assault; otherwise, there’s no reason to pull those outposts and let the Royal City’s supply teams waltz in… Ugh, I’m rambling, and you wouldn’t understand either way. Just a heads-up, you better have your maid pack up; you two should hide in the nearest town… There’s a town called Chuanhe nearby; it’s not far and should be safe. I can show you the way.”
“No…”
I shook my head like a bobblehead: “I’m going to Baihao City… I heard, Duke Skarlij is in the city… If there’s going to be a fight, that place must be… the safest…”
“…What’s wrong with you?!”
Taku was clearly exasperated by my foolish reasoning: “Who told you Duke Skarlij is in the city? Even if he is, so what? Swords don’t recognize faces; if a fight breaks out, who knows what will happen in the city! Who’s going to protect you? You don’t think you can just run to the duke for shelter, do you? Do you have any idea how chaotic Baihao City is right now…?”
“Y-You don’t need to be so fierce…”
I replied softly, my dark eyes darting around: “So the duke is not in the city?”
“I don’t know!”
The horned horse sped through the valley snow, and in the howling wind, Taku’s voice sounded a bit frantic: “Do you think I’m some sort of oracle? How could I possibly know the duke’s whereabouts?! Why are you asking all this? I swear, I’m starting to think you’re from the Royal City!”
“I’m not…”
“Little girl, if you want to live, listen to me! Baihao City is the most dangerous place right now; people are flooding there, and the various factions are all tangled up. The Church, the Royal City, even the Queen of Ethanbel was trying to get in on the action the other day. It’s a daily riot, robberies, murders; even if you two have some skills, you’ll end up dead before you know it!”
“V-Victoria… the Queen of Ethanbel, is also in Baihao City?”
I suddenly felt a bit anxious.
In my rush, I accidentally yanked a piece of armor off his back.
“She’s not your concern, dammit!”
Of course, Taku had no idea what I was thinking. As the wind and snow rushed around us, he didn’t notice my little mishap. Now probably thinking I was hopeless, he couldn’t help but curse, ready to say more, but we had already arrived at the makeshift camp filled with red-armored soldiers.
