I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 125

Kelrag commanded his compatriots who were following him, as he stood frozen before the man drawing his sword from the sheath.

“Stop.”

“But, Chief…!”

The grave tone of his voice caused his subordinates to show distress.

It’s only one person at most. There’s no issue with trampling him down, and a few of us could easily chase after Yulken.

Stopping now would mean giving up on chasing Yulken.

For this reason, some tried to offer a word of advice, but Kelrag’s mouth opened faster.

“Though he is an enemy, he stands before us with such determination and loyalty. Even if we are not the knights referred to by the Empire, at least treat him with the respect due to a warrior.”

“…Understood.”

Although their nationality was slightly being forgotten as they resorted to plunder and thievery to survive, they had called themselves warriors of the North since they were born.

Consequently, the reason they bit their lips at Kelrag’s words was not dissatisfaction with his orders, but rather a feeling of baseless self-loathing, as if his statements were reminding them of an identity they had forgotten.

Crunch. Crunch.

As he stepped through the snow piled up to his ankles, Kelrag reached Edgar, glaring at him with sharp eyes.

He understood well what it meant to stand here.

He didn’t look like he was begging for his life; it was unlikely that a man like that would draw a sword.

That meant he was prepared to fight against at least two hundred of the enemy.

‘The report was accurate.’

Kelrag, examining Edgar from head to toe with his eyes, nodded slightly.

This man bore the same appearance as the guard he saw on the walls.

That means this must be the one who jumped into Whitewood to save Yulken all by himself.

“Step aside. If you retreat now, I promise to let you leave safely, given your determination.”

Thus, Kelrag offered his last mercy.

Even though they were enemies, he was not the kind of man who would spit in the face of someone who held to their beliefs.

While there may be a desire for revenge against Yulken, who was a foe to his clan, there was no hatred involved.

In that light, the man standing before him, despite looking young, was undeniably remarkable and worthy of respect.

However, that respect could only be expressed when he wasn’t an enemy.

At present, all Kelrag could do for the man standing before him was to spare his life.

However, despite this mercy, Edgar lifted one corner of his mouth, stuck the sword he was holding into the snow, and retorted.

“Does that include His Highness as well?”

“…Are you asking knowing the answer?”

Kelrag’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

After all, their target was Yulken, not Edgar and the rescue team.

So there was no room for negotiation on this part. If this point were to be further pressed, Kelrag would also be unable to show mercy any longer.

“There are always minimum lines that cannot be crossed when negotiating. In that regard, you and I are in similar positions.”

“Are you saying you will stop us? Even if you were to immediately form a separate pursuit team to go after them, it’s not something that cannot be done.”

“That would be difficult. They are set to meet reinforcements soon. My goal is just to buy time until then.”

Kelrag had anticipated that reinforcements were coming, but he didn’t think the meeting point would be so close, causing him to slightly furrow his brows.

At this, Edgar looked at Kelrag with a smirk, as if to say, “What will you do now?”

Essentially, since they had all stopped here, Edgar’s plan had already succeeded.

“Looks like a rookie who’s still wet behind the ears has gotten bold.”

“A rookie who’s still wet behind the ears sure talks a lot about being held up.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

With Edgar maintaining his relaxed demeanor, Kelrag sighed in defeat and drew his beloved sword from his back.

A gigantic sword that could easily compare to Edgar’s frame.

The small blade Edgar held seemed to boast such a fragile presence that it could shatter upon one clash.

“That’s some size. Think you can swing it properly?”

At this point, Kelrag spoke provocatively, a deep smile spreading across his face.

Among the finest warriors in the tribe, even those who knew his skills wouldn’t dare to challenge him.

It wasn’t just because he was a chief, but because they all knew they couldn’t defeat him.

Thus, he used to judge his own prowess only when he was in battle, and they often approached him with bloodlust or desire for revenge.

But what was this man before him?

Although the glint in his eyes was surely competitive, there was no hint of complex emotions.

Just pure ambition. A pure desire to best him while proudly drawing his sword.

Kelrag found it quite fascinating.

He’d thought him a pitiful man who had to step forward out of loyalty, but now he seemed like someone deserving of a genuine fight.

“Shall we test it out?”

“Let’s.”

As Kelrag aimed the great sword he held with both hands at Edgar, he too raised his sword beside his head and assumed a stance.

“Last thing, what’s your name?”

“Edgar. Edgar Billhark.”

“Sounds good. Though you are my enemy, I will remember you as a true warrior.”

The hidden fighting spirit within Kelrag erupted all at once, transforming it into blades and arrows that sharply began to wear at Edgar’s skin.

‘Honestly, I underestimated him a bit.’

Since the one he used to clash swords with was Creed, he thought he could at least deal with someone of a comparable caliber.

However, facing this pressure head-on made him reconsider.

It certainly wasn’t something that could be merely brushed off as light or dull; it was perhaps even more dangerous than anything Creed had ever shown him.

Nevertheless, the smile on Edgar’s face showed no signs of fading.

At least, dying in a clash with someone whose name was known was a fate he could accept over being done in by some nameless lackey.

‘What a silly thought.’

As he continued with this line of thinking, Edgar soon shook his head to clear his mind and focused solely on the enemy before him.

Any remaining shaking within him came to a halt, the surrounding sounds faded, and only the tiny sensation felt through the hand gripping the sword lingered in his consciousness.

The strike that Edgar swung that day rushed toward the enemy commander more cleanly and swiftly than it had in any of the hundred or thousand swings he had taken before.

* * * * * * *

Ariel barely held herself up as her body almost swayed from the recent report that had come in, her hands trembling violently.

She couldn’t believe it.

No, it was something she couldn’t believe.

That kind of tragedy was never supposed to happen, for she had sent off her dearly beloved.

And he had promised. He would definitely return.

Although he was a mischievous man who constantly made playful jests, there was no one more serious than him in keeping the promises he made.

That was why Ariel had been waiting.

She was certain he would return with a smile on his face after rescuing her father.

Yet reality turned out to be a merciless blade that ripped apart her heart.

“I’m sorry… According to the messenger from the detachment, Duke Billhark stayed there to buy time for His Highness to escape…”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I will try to contact the messenger myself…”

With a crash.

As Ariel was about to storm off, her new model suddenly collapsed.

It wasn’t unreasonable. Despite the overwhelming shock, she had been holding on mentally, hoping against hope as she listened to the report.

But when the heartless reality struck her, her body could no longer hold.

The other vassals, including Shuri, who were guarding her, rushed to support her.

“Miss!”

“Someone call a doctor right now!”

“Understood!”

As the soldier who had just entered for the report rushed to the door at the cry of a man, Ariel stopped him.

“…No… it’s fine, I don’t need a doctor.”

“But, Miss…”

“I said I don’t need one!”

Though Shuri tried to suggest that it might be good to at least show the doctor her condition, she was left with no choice but to retreat, rendered speechless by Ariel’s furious voice.

At that moment, she had nothing else to say.

Knowing how precious Edgar was to her master, she couldn’t offer any consolation.

No, perhaps the fact that she recognized that was itself a mere fraction of what mattered, for that man was undeniably a monumental presence for Ariel.

“Ed, Ed…!”

In the end, Ariel sank to the ground, repeatedly calling out his name.

He truly was a foolish man until the very end.

She had warned him not to go. She had asked him to stay by her side.

Even that night, he himself swore that he would always be there for her, yet now he had left in such a meaningless way.

‘You promised to come back. You fool.’

It had been the first and last promise he failed to keep.

If she had known this would happen, she would have preferred if he had failed to keep any of the promises they ever made, just so this one would have been honored.

Even if he were thirty minutes late to the time they agreed on, it would have been fine.

He could have postponed the promise to stay together all day, or even briefly gone somewhere else.

Even if he saw another woman and smiled at her from time to time, or was somewhat kind to her, it wouldn’t have mattered.

She just wanted him to come back.

Only the faded wind remained, coldly filling a corner of the room.

Amidst the silence, only the sound of a woman’s weeping reached the ears of those standing nearby, none of whom dared to pat Ariel’s back.

Only one presence could have filled that role.

But that presence was not there.