Guin Saga 2: Warrior in the Wilderness Kaoru Kurimoto

WARRIOR IN THE WILDERNESS

by Kaoru Kurimoto 1979

table of contents

Episode 1 Crossing the River of Death

Episode 2 The Wilderness of the Barbarians
Episode 3 The Lady's Tent
Episode 4 The Valley of the Id

postscript
--and they walked on the Way to Nosferus as if they were drawn by a thread. And above the
m was always the Star of Dawn, guiding them to what they should be.

--from the Codex Ilon.

Warrior in the Wilderness
Episode 1 Crossing the River of Death
one

The morning mist hazes the surface of the kesu in a pale purple haze. It is the dawn of the f
rontier.
No Man's Land, as far as the eye could see, had a strange and unique beauty in its desolate
rock and sand, and in the few plants and trees of the same color as the sand. It is the beauty
of a kind of terrible conceit that is harsh and does not tolerate human intervention. The wil
derness, even in the same frontier, was different from this side of the Kesu River, as if it wer
e a completely different world in terms of its green color.
However, nowadays, the area around the Rude Forest on the north bank of the river does n
ot necessarily appear to the eye of the beholder as a peaceful world surrounded by greener
y. Linda raised a small fist to the sky and yawned. The middle of the Rude Forest was burnt
to ashes, and the majestic figure of Fort Staphorus, the protector of Gora, which had stood t
all in the middle of the forest, was also lost overnight.
"It seemed to tower so unwaveringly."
The girl with shining blonde hair, slender limbs and mysterious violet eyes hugged her sho
ulders and murmured, gently looking at the ruins of the castle. Some smoldering black smo
ke was still rising from there. The once impregnable castle of Staphorus had been defeated i
n a day and night-long siege by the invading army of the Shemites of Nosferus.
A small figure woke up beside the girl, who was looking at the aftermath of the battle that l
eft tens of thousands dead, with her violet eyes shaded.
"What did you say? Linda."

He asked in a sleepy voice and stretched out his head toward me. The morning sun illumin
ated what could be called a miracle of creation: a beautiful girl standing there with her arm
s folded, dressed in boyish leather clothes, lost in thought, and a beautiful face that was exa
ctly the same except for the length of her hair.
There, as if a polished mirror had appeared, the pretty boy leaned close to his sister's side
and looked into her violet eyes. When they stood side by side, it was almost impossible to t
ell which was the girl and which was the boy. This was Linda, the princess, orphaned from
Paro's now defunct royal family, and Remus, the prince, the only legitimate heir to Paro's th
rone, The younger brother, on the other hand, had soft, dreamy eyes and open lips, and as a
result, they were like two pearls, indistinguishable from each other if they stood in silence.
Their father, the king, and their mother, the queen, were killed in the Black Dragon War, w
hen the crystal city of Paro was overrun by savage Golar soldiers, and by an ancient machin
e hidden in the depths of the Crystal Palace. However, a slight deviation in the coordinates s
ent them unexpectedly to the frontier of Gora, close to the wilderness of Nosferus, so that
the twins were found and abducted to Staphorus Castle with strange companions they met
by chance, and encountered the Great Night Raid of Shem.
The strange pair of companions still slept in the shade of the huge rock beneath the cliffs of
Staphorus, where they and the twins had spent the night after their escape. When all Shem'
s troops were finally withdrawn and they felt confident that they were safe, the Chariot of L
ure, the Sun God, had already cast the first flash of light on the horizon, and they slept back
and forth, free from the tension of the night.
If they had heard a sound or a sign, they would have awakened from their slumber deeper
than the darkness of the Dole, and taken up their great swords, which were still drawn to th
eir knees. Thinking of this, Linda laughed faintly and brushed her dirty blonde hair back be
hind her shoulders with both hands.
"Linda."
His brother Remus says with a face that is finally waking up clearly. A whisper, as if he fear
ed to disturb the clear quiet of the doomsday morning.
"We're alive, aren't we?"
"It's not natural."
Linda replied irritably. Remus panicked.
"Hey, Linda! If you're yelling that loud, there's more of them out there. ......"
"No, you don't. You have no idea what you're talking about.
Linda made up her mind.
"The Shemites know that those flames yesterday were in full view of the other frontier fort
s. Reinforcements will reach Staphorus by the end of the day from Arvon, Talos and other n
earby forts. The Semites fear that. Yesterday, they would've spent the night picking up the b
odies and throwing a feast, but they sent canoes out before dawn to pull them away becaus
e they know if they run into the new Gora army, they're finished. Otherwise, they wouldn't
have missed us so easily."
"Oh, right."
"You're always using half your brain. Oh, and I'm hungry."

Suddenly brought back to reality, Linda clutched her flat stomach and sighed sadly.
"There should be fish around here, but I don't feel like eating them after the blood that was
spilled in the Kes River yesterday. There were so many dead Semites and Gora men in the K
es. I'm sure the fish in this river today are eating it up."
"But it was so full of blood and bodies at night, and now it's so clean and blue and quiet."
Remus was impressed. Linda clicked her tongue.

"They were washed downstream, you idiot. No matter how many fish there are in the Kes R
iver, we couldn't eat all those bodies in one night."
Linda was wrong. It was no wonder that the princess, who had been brought up like a flow
er in the peaceful midlands of Paro, did not have an accurate knowledge of the Kes River, w
hich was said to be a dark stream. Linda didn't know anything about it,
"We'll starve to death. That's all well and good, but Gora's reinforcements, which the Semit
es feared, are a threat to us as well. If we don't want them to find us, we'll have to get out of
here."
Linda looked around and shook her head, wondering which way she should run. The river
Kes stretched out before her, and she could not hope for much. To turn back towards the fo
rest behind them would be to risk running headlong into Gora's vast army. And the No Man
's Land beyond the River Kes is a lonely wilderness rife with monsters and barbarians, the
most terrifying place on earth.
"I hope Guin wakes up soon and tells me what he thinks."
Linda puckered her pretty lips. Her brother gave her a soothing look,
"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine with Guin."
"I hope so. We're on the Kess River."
Linda said. But when I looked back at her, her eyes suddenly softened.
"Suni. Guin."
I looked at them as they stood up and walked toward me from their hiding place in the sha
dows of the rock. They were two very contrasting people.
Suni, who comes running up to Linda, is a girl of the dwarf tribe Shem. The Shem are not th
e Karoi who attacked Castle Staphoros last night in large numbers. The Karoi are known for
their ferocity, but Suni's tribe, the Rak, are a more docile race.
The average height of the Semites is about one meter, though there are some differences b
etween the races. Their weight is only about the same, and their faces and limbs are densel
y covered with bristly hair. At first sight they look more like apes than men, and in fact their
intelligence is said to be quite low. But they are not animals at all.
As proof of this, they have their own strange language and can make weapons. They can lig
ht fires, wear furs, and dress themselves in cloth. And in their little heads they keep a little
bit of love too - you can see it in the walnut eyes of this Suni, whose life has been saved thre
e times by Linda and her companions, and who looks up to Linda like a faithful dog. I know.
Behind her stood a strange figure. It was Guin, the leopard-headed warrior.
His name is Guin. But that's all we know. His country, where he'd been, what he'd been doi
ng, the circumstances of his wandering-- he lay naked in the Forest of Ludes, with no memo
ry of anything.
He was more than twice as tall as Suni, and probably three times as heavy as Suni. Moreove
r, there was not a single inch of flesh on his magnificent physique. His body, armored with
massive steel-like muscles, reveals him to be a tough and hardened warrior, and the wet bl
ood, old and new scars, stuck here and there on his dark body seem to indicate his turbulen
t past.
And what gives a strange final touch to his god-like physique is the leopard's head that cov
ers his shoulders and hides his face - the head of a real rugged beast.
"Have you had enough?"
Guin says in a growling voice. The voice, though the twins had grown accustomed to it, was
heavy and muffled by the leopard's head, and quite difficult for the uninitiated to hear.
"You'd better save your strength. We've got to get out of Gora by the end of the day."
"Leaving Gora territory?"
Remus rolls his eyes and says.
"But how?"

"Don't be surprised. You know that once you cross this river, you're already in the middle o
f nowhere."
Suni ran over and threw herself at Linda's feet, looking up at the silver-haired girl with ad
miration. Linda unconsciously patted her small head and was struck by the fantastic beauty
of Guin, illuminated by the morning sun of the Kesu River, as if she were a mythical god.
"If you ever set foot on the frontier, ......"
Remus shakes his head.
"There is no other way. I was thinking last night that at any rate we should wrinkle the Kes
and cross the wilds of Nosferus and somehow reach the eastern edge of the Middle Plains.
Any other route would be not only difficult but dangerous and too far. And with Suni and m
e, we'd be too visible to penetrate the Gora territory."
"But the wilderness of Nosferus--"
"No, there's still one way to do this, Guin."
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them, and they turned their heads. What they saw
was the handsome face of a young warrior - Istvan of Valacia, the Red Mercenary.
Last night, the four of them, Guin, the holy twins of Paro, and Suni, who were pursued by b
oth the Semitic troops and the dead spirit of Rude, who had been bouncing around the castl
e in the guise of the lord of Staphorus Castle, ended up at the top of the Black Tower after r
unning away.
They crawled through the loopholes to the roof of the tower, and the flames and barbarian
s pursued them. No matter how much Guin's strength and skill are superior to the others, t
hey are outnumbered, and if they continue like this, it is obvious that one day they will be ki
lled.

Knowing this, Guin resolutely chose a dangerous gamble. He tied Linda, Remus, and Suni to
gether with a leather belt, and suddenly threw himself from the roof of the tower to the sur
face of the dark river Kes, which stretched far below.
A feeling of endless levitation, fear of falling forever, and as soon as their bodies slammed i
nto the water, darkness engulfed the four fugitives.
Nevertheless, they were unexpectedly lucky, or perhaps they were protected by Yarn, the g
od of fate. For, having leaped hundreds of metres, they would not have been surprised if
they had struck not the surface of the water, which protected them, but the rocks on the sh
ore, which smashed them to pieces. But once they were submerged in the water of Kes,
they floated up to the surface of the dark river, unconscious.
Their luck was twofold. If they had remained afloat, the great fish of Kes or something else
might have found them before anyone else had noticed.
But as they fell like huge birds without feathers, there was one who hid himself in a rock at
the base of a steep cliff near the surface of the Kesu River and watched them closely. It was
Istvan.
This jovial, bad-tempered young mercenary from Valacia, near the sea, had been sentenced
to death for rebelling against the lord of Staphoros, and was locked up in a cell next to Guin
and his men. However, determined to shape his own destiny, he worked through the night t
o weave a rope Ladder and escaped from Staphorus Castle ahead of the others. Just as Netozlumik
somehow knows when to escape from a sinking ship, he, who calls himself a psychic "demo
n warrior", seems to have a strange ability to know exactly when the right moment is.
Because if it had been that night, they would have been killed as prisoners by the Semites
who attacked the fort, and if it had been earlier, they would have been hit by the huge Semit
e army that was lurking at the bottom of the cliff.

No matter how good a warrior he was, it would have been impossible for him to defeat all t
he dwarves who came after him, and the fate of Staphorus Castle would have been greatly c
hanged if the people of the castle had heard the noise of the battle below the cliff. However,
Istvan escaped to the riverbank of Kes by the rope Ladder just after the Shem army, which
had secretly crossed the upper stream in the darkness, had completed its surprise attack by
dividing into two groups, one in the forest and the other at the bottom of the cliff.
For a while, the cheerful mercenary from Valakia looked at the figures floating and sinking
on the surface of the water, and pondered what to do, but eventually came to the conclusio
n that it would be to his advantage to help them.
So he crawled out and threw the rope with the key in his hand. It was already night, but the
fire that had engulfed the castle of Staphorus made it as bright as midday. It was only a
matter of time before Istvan pulled the four men, who had been caught by the hooks, up ont
o the rocks with great difficulty. As he dragged up their heavy, wet bodies with his strong ar
ms, muscles heaving like rope, the black, still surface of the river rose in waves, and at the s
ame time the huge mouth, with its fangs, snapped its teeth together. After biting its teeth to
gether two or three times, the monster took in the corpse of a castle soldier that was floatin
g nearby and disappeared.
"Whoa."
Istvan mutters and cuts the amulet.
"It's the Great Vitus Guma Mouthus."
When he was sure that they were no more, he looked at the four men he had saved and exa
mined them. It was a strange combination, but Istvan paid no attention to the Semitic girl.
He was solely interested in Guin, and tried to shake her and lift her leopard head secretly.
"Huh, by the fiery tongue of Garm the Hellhound! My God, he's got a real leopard's head!
He's a real Leopard! He's not a drunkard wearing a fake mask to hide his face."
He cried out lowly and licked his bottom lip slyly. He pressed Guin's muscles, took his long
sword and pondered, then looked at Linda and Remus. Istvan's long, slitted eyes suddenly n
arrowed.
"This one's the kid--this one's a girl. Wind! In ten years the nations will be at war over this g
irl. There's no way she's just some kid. No, wait, Red Mercenary, think it over!
He sat down on his haunches, Valakian style, looking into Linda's beautiful, unconscious fa
ce, mumbling incessantly, then suddenly jumped up.
Behind him, a Semite was creeping towards him with a poisoned arrow in his hand. Probab
ly he got separated from his troops or decided to be sneaky. When he found out that Istvan
had noticed him, he fired a poisoned arrow at him, but a flash of his sword as he dodged se
nt the ape-man's head flying into the Kes.
The mercenary glanced around to see if there were any more. Just then, Guin and the other
s began to move about.
And so they passed a dangerous and uneasy night in the shelter of a hollow rock, which Ist
van had previously chosen as a hiding place.

"I've heard the stories."

The Istvan folded his arms across his chest and spoke arrogantly.

Although he is not as tall as Guin, he is still very tall. However, his side is no match for Guin.
Rather, he is slender and has a body like a whip. But he boasts that he's been a mercenary si
nce he was twelve, and his lean frame looks strong and agile. The armor and helmet of a Go
ra soldier cover him, but when he was thrown into prison, all the emblems of the Gora were
stripped off.
His headpiece is flung back and his youthful face is exposed to the sun. He is only about tw
enty years old. His face is firm and lustrous, and though somewhat long, is quite handsome.
His black hair is trimmed short in the manner of a Mongol, and his smile is ironic as it appe
ars on his skinny cheeks.
But what attracts the eye of the beholder more than anything else are his black eyes, which
sparkle in his sallow face, as if he is always hoarding some evil scheme. They fluttered slyly
and had an untrustworthy glint in them, yet they were strangely charming and shone so viv
idly that those who saw them were drawn to them even though they thought them unworth
y. The long sword and dagger at his waist, his leather shoes up to his ankles.
"There's another way--I think you said so."
Guin gave him an impassive leopard's face. Istvan nodded impatiently, as if his muffled voic
e was inaudible.
"Anyway, we managed to get out of that mess last night, and fortunately for us, the Semites
are gone. But we're stuck here, waiting for Gora to find us, as you say, Leopard. But first,
there's one more thing I need to do."
"What?"
"I'm hungry.
Istvan said with a grin and magically took the food from behind him. It was what he had br
ought with him when he escaped from the prison. Cold roast meat and a lump of grain past
e.
As soon as they saw it, both the prince and the princess gulped down their spittle. Istvan cu
t up the food generously, but when he gave it to Suni, he looked regretful.

For the time being, however, they had their breakfast. Sitting on a rock, eating cold meat th
at they had kneaded into a paste with their fingers, they discussed their future plans. All fou
r of them, except Suni, agreed that they should not enter the Gora territory, and that they
must somehow cut through the frontier and reach the civilized world.
"I'm sure the Semites can find a friend somewhere along the way - I'm already a bit of a liab
ility in Gora anyway, and not only is there no one to hire me, but I confess I volunteered for
the Frontier Guard because I did something a bit wrong."
Istvan grinned and said.
"I exposed myself to a nobleman's son in Torus. In fact, I became an enigma in Yulaniya, drif
ted to Kumu, caused a dispute in the Kumu capital of Rouen, and came to Mongol, so as long
as I'm in the Three Kingdoms of Gora, I'm out of luck. I've already had enough of monkeys, s
o I was thinking of going north to Cheironia or even to the ancient kingdom of Hainam.
"We are--"
Linda thought for a moment. She didn't trust Guin, but she didn't think she could trust Istv
an yet. She wasn't sure how much she should tell him,

"We were going to go to Cheironia or Argos."

"Argos. The steppe country where the sister of the recently fallen king of Paro is married."
Pretending to be nothing, Istvan said, and watched the twins with narrowed eyes as they cr
inged.

"Leopard head, what are you going to do?"

"I'm not--"
Guin thought.
"I want to find out what the word 'Aura' means. If I can figure that out, then maybe I can fig
ure out who I am and why I look like this. That's all."

"So you have no objection to cutting through the frontier and setting your sights on Cheiron
ia first."
"Yeah."
"Okay, that's it."
The Red Mercenary is merry,
"So, what I was suggesting earlier is that, if we're lucky, there should still be a raft or two lef
t unmolested in the ruins of Castle Staphorus. Or if there's one that could use a little mendin
g, so be it. Let's find them and take them out to the Kes River, that's what I think."
"Are we going to the Kess River?"
Remus screamed in fright.
"No, you can't... you know why the river Kes is called the Dark River. I was told once that no
one has ever gone down this river and come back alive. It's the border between the wildern
ess of Nosferus, the realm of the demons, and the civilized world, and it's home to all sorts o
f strange creatures you can't find anywhere else."
"Oh, boy, I don't need you to tell me that. I was already traveling the world making money
when you were wrapped in diapers."
Istvan laughed mockingly. Remus glared angrily at the mercenary.
"What are we going to do down the Kess River?"
Linda listened, thinking that her brother's indignation was understandable. Istvan glanced
at the beautiful girl with a sly look in his eyes.
"We travel down the Kes River to the mouth of the Ross. At the town of Ross you will find a
merchant ship that will take you across the sea of Lent, and you will be allowed to board it.
Then we can reach Cheironia or Valacia with little trouble, and from there we can do what
we like."
"But that's assuming I can get aboard a merchant ship without attracting suspicion."
Guin, who had been silent until then, said in a whisper. Istvan licked his greasy fingers and
laughed.
"Can't you just do something about that big leopard head?"
After laughing for a while, he became serious and said. But his dark eyes are still twinkling
with mockery.

"If I could, I would have done it by now."

Linda covered for Guin.
"I think he's under someone's spell. He couldn't get it off. It's like a hood or something."
"I'm sure it'll only make you stand out."

Istvan sipped from the water bottle on his hip.

"You'll have to worry about that later, when you're out in the wild. The big gummies and corpse-
eating fishes of the Kes don't care whether Guin is a Leopard-headed monster or a Leopard
itself. So be it."
He gazed at Guin for a long time and added that he was impressed again.
"What kind of circumstances and what kind of magical curse could have created such a stra
nge creature? As a Red Mercenary, I've traveled all over the world, from the northern lands
of Quinnsland and Tarruan to the southern islands, from the beautiful land of Simhara to th
e muddy lands of the route, and even to the crippled kingdom of Ferrara, forsaken by the go
ds. But Istvan, who had seen and heard so many things, had never seen such an inexplicable
event. Girl, you don't know this, but the ruler of the ice and snow of Quinsland is Tavia, the I
ce Queen, a woman who is practically trapped in the ice and is still alive. Yes, the ruler of Si
mhara, the Jewel of the Corsair Sea, is a bull-headed, tailed high priestess, but the bull-head
is nothing more than a headdress, a horrible, jewel-encrusted mask of the world. There are
many strange things in this world, but most of them are just people.
But this leopard head!"

Istvan sighed.
"I can't help but think that they ripped off the warrior's head and put the head of a real leop
ard of the Moss Steppe in its place, and put the warrior's brain and soul into it. Oh, I'm so an
noyed. This leopard head gives me a strange feeling, though I don't mind it. I don't like thin
gs that can't be reasoned with, you know!
That doesn't make any sense, Linda thought, repulsed. Guin doesn't have to look like this b
y choice.
But Istvan replied flatly, as if Linda's unspoken thoughts had been said aloud.
"That's right, girl. It's certainly not his fault that he's been turned into a leopard-headed mo
nster, so it's only natural that he'd want to solve the mystery of the word 'Aura' that seems
to hold the key to his identity as soon as possible. I would have done the same.
But in spite of that, there's a providence in the world that keeps me on my toes. I'm Istvan,
the Red Mercenary. And yet, the thought that there's something huge that you and I can't co
ntrol and that I'm being manipulated by it... well, that's bound to make me angry.
For example-- Hey, girl, have you ever heard of the Lady of Light? Have you heard of the La
dy of Light?"
"The Lady of Light"?
Linda thought. The words seemed strangely familiar to her. But then she looked at Remus
and shook her head.
"So what?"
Then Istvan mumbled in his mouth and became silent.
"What is the 《Duchess of Light》?"
Linda asked again. But Istvan did not answer. Instead, he brushed the crumbs off his lap an
d stood up.
"Now is not the time to be talking like this. What are you going to do, take my idea of findin
g a raft and sailing down the Kes to the mouth of the Ross or not? Do you want to wander th
e treacherous and endless wilderness of Nosferus, risking getting lost and fighting barbaria
ns and monsters, or do you want to get rid of the monsters of Kes and take the easy way to
Cheironia? Either way, I'll be looking for a raft, and soon we'll have help from Fort Arvon,
so we can't afford not to cross the river."
Linda and Remus, unable to make up their minds, looked each other in the eye, holding han
ds firmly, and then looked at Guin. Suni, though he understood little of what was being said,
seemed to understand that it was a serious matter for the Masters, and waited quietly in th
e shade of the rock, nibbling on some meat. Istvan's black, impetuous eyes gleam as he watc
hes them.
Guin's expressionless leopard head slowly tilted forward.
His yellow eyes had an unfathomable look in them. He opened his mouth gravely. Even Istv
an knew that Guin's words would determine the rest of his actions. Guin was the leader of t
his party. Not just this, but in any case, that would have been true. Even the proud princess
of Paro knew that and waited for the decision. This cursed leopard-headed warrior had so
mething of the dignity of one who had been born to the throne of the world.

Guin said in a muffled, gravely voice...

"If we're looking for a raft, we're looking for a hole in the ground."
Istvan slapped his knee, and his armor shone in the sun as black and glittering as his obsidi
an eyes. The path they were to take had been decided.
two

The discovery of the rafts was not as difficult a task as it seemed. The Shemites, however,
were not interested in the many Mongol boats and cannon parts in the underground stores.
The Semites coveted mainly Gora's elaborate crossbow, as well as clothing and cloth. For in
the wilderness of Nosferus there were few plants from which to make cloth, and the Shem s
eized the few beasts that dwelt in the wilderness, or, more horribly, the likes of other hostil
e races, to skin, tan, and clothe them. Linda and Remus looked away as they saw the bodies
of the Gora soldiers lying here and there in the ruins of the once majestic castle, their clothe
s torn from their bodies. It was a dismal sight. Suni clutched at the hem of Linda's coat as if f
rightened.
Guin, and Istvan, did not seem even slightly moved by the sight. They mechanically pushed
the corpses aside to make way for them, and in front of the great door, which was half burn
ed down, they cooperated in throwing the corpses to the left and right. Istvan was almost a
s slender as the hulking Guin, but his slenderness belied his great muscular strength, and h
e lifted the heavily armoured corpse with ease.
Eventually, Istvan shouted with joy. He found a raft behind the door, untouched and
untouched.
The rafts were very solidly built, made of hard wooden planks strung together with iron st
rips, with a kind of bottom to hold a few necessary things, and with sails. A flat raft was mor
e stable than a long, narrow boat for sailing on a broad but fast-flowing river like the Kes.
The four of them and the Shemite girl sweated profusely and carried the raft out of the bur
ning place. Istvan made them gather round branches and roll them up, and pushed and pull
ed them to the wall.
They were at a loss as to how to get the raft safely down the sheer cliff, but this was soon s
olved. Istvan had found a rigging from within the castle to lower the raft into the water. By t
hemselves they attached themselves to a huge pulley and managed to lower the raft into th
e riverbed of Kes. By that time, the sun had risen high in the center of the sky and was shini
ng relentlessly.
They decided to take a sweaty rest. They knew that the friends of the Ghoras would come t
o the rescue of the fort, but they could not move. The heat of the fire and exhaustion made t
he Paro twins slump down, and they paid no attention to Suni's constant fanning of them. E
ven the Red Mercenary was covered in sweat and breathing on his shoulders.
"Hey, are you really human, leopard head?"

"With his own tail swallowed by the snake god Cetho, if you're a man, there must be no oth
er men. What kind of strength is that?"

Guin didn't bother to answer.

The mercenary gazed contentedly at the raft which he had finally lowered to the surface aft
er much effort.
"Anyway, we got the raft. It was made to help the men cross the Kes, but do you know how
we were trained at Staphorus Castle? We've tried many times to build a bridge across the K
es by hauling rafts with traps and pulling them from the other side. Hey, Guin, you know wh
at this means. Grand Duke Vlad of Mongol is very unhappy that the northwest boundary of
his lands is cut off by the Kes. He has an ambition to send a great army to extend his domini
on to the wilderness of Nosferus and beat the other two dukes, Prince Talio of Kumu and Pr
ince Or Kan of Yulaniya. Even in the dreadful wilderness of Nosferus, he is watching vigilant
ly."
"It's none of my business."
was Guin's calm response. He had not even dreamed that it was a false idea, and that in the
not too distant future the fearless ambition of the Grand Duke of Mongol would become a cr
itical juncture for him.

After a puff of smoke and a breath of air, they rushed to their feet. The threat of the Gora R
angers had made them hasty.
"For now, as much food as we can get our hands on, and water, since the water is undrinka
ble on the Kes, and there's no guarantee that the fish in the river will be that appetizing.
Then there are the weapons."
Istvan said. The twins and Suni searched for food as much as they could under his
direction. Under his direction, the twins and Suni searched for food as best they could, but t
he results were not good. All the food they could eat had been plundered by the Shem, and t
he drinking water containers had been broken.
Still they find some dried meat, some dried fruit, and some watered powder. They divided t
hem up and put them in leather bags and tied them tightly to their waist belts. And Istvan, s
eeing the dead body of a Semite, bent down to search for it.
"What are you looking for?"
Linda called out to him,
"I was wondering if you were hiding something valuable."
And then he smiled, showing his white teeth in an impudent manner. You can never be too
careful, Linda thought secretly.
As if I didn't see that coming,
"Hey, girl-- do you have any idea what you're doing in Cheironia? What happened to your p
arents? You're not the daughter of one of these settlers, are you?"

The Red Mercenary said. Linda freaked out,

"You, why are you looking for the Lady of Light or something?"
I'm going to ask you a stern question. The Red Mercenary laughed out loud.
"You're the girl in the corner. You're a tight little bitch."

You say that like you're impressed.

"As you stand there in the light, your platinum blonde hair catches the sunlight like a silver
doll. Could it be that the 'Lady of Light' is you? What family do you belong to?"
Well, he's just asking questions, Linda said angrily, biting her little ruby lips tightly. Remus
came up to her with a worried look on his face.
"What does my birth have to do with you? If I happen to be the Lady of Light, what does tha
t make you?"
He said sternly, and brushed back the silver hair that had won him the prize.

"The Lady of Light should be able to bring me luck."

was the answer of the Red Mercenary.
"A lucky break?"
"To tell you the truth, I don't know any more about it than that. But the prophecy..."
When he had reached that point, he suddenly stopped talking, as if realizing that he had sai
d too much. Just as Linda was about to nudge him, Guin approached with Suni in tow. He he
ld a crossbow in both hands, and seemed to be nervous in some way.
"Let's go out."
Guin said without warning.
"There's smoke rising in the direction of the Talos forest. If I'm not mistaken, it's the smoke
of reinforcements from Arvon or the stronghold of Talos using their midriffs. It takes about
two and a half days to ride from Arvon to Staphorus, and if we let them ride without a brea
k, they should be entering the Forest of Ludes by now."
"Okay."
Istvan wasn't dawdling.
They, in the order of Istvan, Remus, Suni, Linda, and Guin, followed a narrow path down th
e cliff from the wall to the water's edge.
Unbeknownst to them, their steps had become those of the pursued. Guin looks back at the
ruins of Staphorus' castle to see if he has left any evidence of their existence behind . The co
rpse-eating spirits that had lurked there and perpetrated their haunting evil must have bee
n consumed by the roaring fires of purification and perished, and there was not a shadow o
f a moving thing in the wiped-out fortress.
"Very well."

Guin muttered in his mouth and finally jumped on the raft.

The raft, reinforced with iron, swayed when he was heavy. Istvan came to the edge of the r
aft to keep it balanced. On both sides of the raft were iron poles, which he could hold onto
to keep himself steady.
"Girl, get a little closer to the mercenaries. Suni, stay in the middle. No-- yeah, that's good."
Guin says.
"Let's sail!"
As if in remembrance of the old days when he was born in Valacia, near the sea , Istvan crie
d out in a youthful voice, and raising his sword, he struck the rope that held the raft to the r
ock with a single blow.
Immediately, a swift current cradled the raft with the five men on it and carried it to the mi
ddle of the river. The raft set out into the dark river Kes.

Linda held on tightly to the bars with both hands, shaking. The river was running fast.
"Look, the last thing you want is to go down in the water. There's no way I'm going to be
able to go back and save you with the way things are going."
The Red Mercenary shouts. Guin is standing with his feet propped up in the direction of the
others, handling the heavy pole and making sure the raft goes straight.
It was a hot day, but there was a strong wind blowing on the surface of the water, and the
splashing water made them feel cold.
"The water is so clean! I can even see the stones at the bottom, I can't believe they call this t
he River of Darkness, the River of Death!"
Soon, Linda began to get used to the comfort of the raft, which was moving at a good speed.
She brushed her hair and shouted loudly.

Istvan shrugged his shoulders without saying a word. He crouched on one knee at the end
of the raft, grasping the railing with his left hand and keeping his right hand on the hilt of hi
s unsheathed sword.
"Stupid."
It was Guin who answered.

"The truth is this river is so deep you can't even see the bottom. And the name 'dark river' c
omes from the color of the stones you see from above. If you think you see a stone at the bo
ttom, be very careful. It must be some other creature disguised as such.

All right, everybody remember. This is the frontier. It's the middle of nowhere!"
Even as he cries out, Guin's strong hand never forgets to subtly adjust the pole to the curre
nt.
Linda looked at Remus, whose eyes were wide open, and then hugged him honestly.

"I'm sorry, Guin. But Castle Staphorus is so far away now. If we keep going like this, we can
make it to the town at the mouth of the river in no time."
"It's about fifty tads to the town of Paro--that's fifty days' worth of horse."

Calm down, says Istvan.

"Even if we count the speed of the current and advance ten tads a day, we must stay in this
river of death for five whole days. You'd better pray for Yarn's blessing."
"I was just saying what I thought."
Linda said angrily back to Istvan. Her long, platinum-blond hair was blowing in the breeze.
Istvan shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

They were all too much occupied with keeping the raft in good order through the rapids.
And even if they had not done so, on the right hand - that is to say, on the bank of the Gora,
on the top of a series of high cliffs, there would have been a blind spot which even Guin's ey
es could not have seen.
But on top of that cliff - far below, looking down on the flow of the Kes River, was the figure
of a mounted warrior.
The cheeks of his helmet are down, and on the top of his head a white tassel flutters beautif
ully in the wind. The white armor, the shin guards, and the harness worn by the horse are a
ll made of white leather inlaid with sparkling jewels.
The eyes of the warrior on his horse were fixed from beneath his helmet on the stream of K
es. From that height, the raft on which Guin and his men rode looked like a torn leaf on whi
ch ants were clinging.
The warrior, who had watched for some time the small, daring figure challenging fate, even
tually nodded in satisfaction. Without noticing the glistening blond hair spilling out from un
der the white helmet, he pulls on the reins and turns the horse around.
A slender, white-clad, chain-knit gloved hand was raised and a whip was applied to the hor
se.
"Hi!"
He scolded the horse with a sharp voice. The white horse ran down from the cliff with a lig
ht step. The narrow path must have led to Fort Arvon, of all places. After the horse had disa
ppeared, silence returned to the forest and the frontier river.
The five men on the raft going down to Kes, on the other hand, are not supposed to know t
hat.
"Hey, Guin--if we make it to Paro in time, what's the best way to hide that head? And Suni--"
Holding tightly to the railing and peering into the white bubbling water, Remus was saying
these things.
"We'll find a way."
"But Suni--"
"Suni, just drop him off somewhere and let him go home to his people."
"You're like a woman, you're a little boy who's all bothered about this and that, aren't you?"
Istvan said in a mean voice.
"Your twin sister is much crisper and manlier than you."
"That's not--"
When his usual weakness was mentioned, Remus was annoyed and almost said something,
but could not finish it.
He stops speaking suddenly and gasps for breath while clinging firmly to the railing with b
oth hands.
"What's wrong, Remus?"
Linda protested. Remus was shaking,
"Hey, look--there's something ...... wrong!"
"Weird?"
Linda frowned, looked at the water where Remus was pointing, and gasped.

"What--what is it, what is it, what is it?"

About five meters to our right, in the waves, a mass of white bubbles buzzed as if trying to f
ollow the raft.
Then, as if to burst the bubble, something extraordinary appeared on the surface of the wat
er.
A colossal maw, lined with terrifying, spiky fangs!
"It's the Great Bitsu Gumaguchius!"
As soon as he saw him, the mercenary shouted and rushed to grab his sword again.
"Watch out. He'll hit the raft and take a bite out of you in the water!"
That's when the giant mouth opened in a flash!
three

"Caw!"
Linda's scream rang out. She pulled her hand away and tried to cover her face so as not to l
ook at the monster of the Kes River, which she could not face.
"Bollocks!"
Guin shouted a loud reprimand as he fumbled with his neck.
"What are you doing? Hold on tight to the railing with both hands so that nothing can knock
you off."
"If you fall, take a bite!"
Istvan, still gripping the railing tightly with one hand, screams. In his other hand, he grasps
the hilt of his greatsword tightly, and his eyes cannot escape from the monster that has eme
rged from the foaming water.
But then again, what a monster it was! It was easy to see why it had been given the name "
The Great Vitus Gummatius".
Because it is nothing other than a living giant mouth. The diameter of its mouth is more tha
n one meter when it is opened wide. Its tremendous jaws are filled with sharp fangs, and its
mouth alone is reminiscent of the mouth of a shark in the Sea of Lent.
But what is even more horrifying is that behind that mouth, there is no head, no limbs, no b
ody to follow, nothing at all. Its mouth, crunching and biting ferociously, was really nothing
more than a large bitumaguouth, and it looked like a huge, blind lust for destruction itself,
brought to earth by the malice of the Devil Doll.
Linda shuddered as she stared at the shape that had emerged from this nightmare. Every ti
me her jaws bit into each other, water would spurt out of them in a white froth . Its huge mo
uth advanced toward me as if it were trembling with anger. One would think, then, that the
part of the mouth that remains submerged in the water would have fins or limbs, but
instead, the "Great Bigmouth" of the Kes River opens and closes its horrible mouth to spit out wat
er, and its momentum allows it to move and change direction very quickly. It was able to m
ove and change direction very quickly.
Whenever he spat out a lot of water like that, the little raft shook violently. The people on t
he raft screamed and swung wildly on the raft, clutching the railings.
"Yikes! Guin!"
Linda screams. The leopard-headed warrior had boldly tried to overcome the turmoil with
her natural balance, without taking off her pole or holding onto the railing, when she was al
most swept off her feet by a huge wave that suddenly hit her.
The leopard man sticks his pole to the bottom of the river. Using it as a pole vaulting techni
que, he jumps back to the raft, which is so light that it is hard to believe that he is a giant. He
does not forget to quickly pick up the heavy pole, which is his only means of controlling the
raft.
"Guin!"
Remus is crying.
"It's coming for you!"
The Red Mercenary screamed.

"If he comes at you on the raft, keep your hands on the railing and stay low. If you don't wa
nt to die, don't look up - I'll cut you in half with my sword when he comes!"
And it struck!

The huge, ferocious mouth spewed out blisters with ferocious persistence, and immediatel
y rushed to the raft with a clear will to knock the stubborn rafters off the raft.
"Watch out, Guin!"
Istvan rasps and flings his sword to the side. But the foaming water, which had come
before the monster, struck his hand with great force. Istvan did not take down the sword, b
ut he shouted and thrust himself from the raft, clutching the railing to keep from being thro
wn off.
Linda's screams rang out. She grasped the railing and clung to the raft's plank, but as soon
as the blunt creature passed her with a blink of its head and a gnashing of its teeth, she saw
behind the gaping fangs of its huge mouth a pair of tiny eyes glowing with primordial malic
e. It seems that the Great Bitumaguemouth of the Kesu River has all of its sensory organs built into its
ridiculously large mouth.
It was this that gave his attack its terrifying precision. The Great Bitsu Gumaguchius flew over Istvan a
nd the twins, dripping water and boldly setting its sights on the Leopard who was standing
with them.
But the prey did not wait quietly to be eaten. Guin raised his heavy pole, which was held
out at the moment when the mouth of the targeted "big mouth" was engaged. Immediately,
countless fangs clamped firmly onto the pole. Seeing this, Guin swung the pole as hard as he
could.
Even the "Great Bitsu Gumaguchius" was blown away. It slammed into the distant surface of the water
and sank into the water for a moment. However, in reaction, the raft loses its equilibrium
and violently shoots towards the direction where the "big mouth" disappeared.
"Heee!"
"Sniff!"
Screams intersected. A light Semitic girl's numb hand is wrenched from the railing and blo
wn into the water. Immediately a mass of white smoke, characteristic of the "big mouth", be
gan to move towards her.
"Help Suni!"
Linda screams. Guin's ape-arm stretches out and almost pulls the ape-man girl's light body
up onto the raft. The "big mouth" was bubbling violently, as if it was thinking about whethe
r or not to attack again, but then, just as it had done when it first appeared, the mass of bub
bles suddenly sank to the bottom of the water and disappeared.
For a while, no one even said a word.
"Whoo!"
A moment later, as if waking from a bad dream, Istvan let out a breath.

"By Ishtar's tits as white as milk! By Garm with his thousand fangs! Hey, I hope they didn't e
at all of you."
No one found his joke amusing. Even Istvan could see this, and shrugged his shoulders and
tucked in the waistcoat.
"Oh, my God. It's like we're in a huge squall."
All of them were drenched from head to foot. For a time they were busy wringing out the w
ater and wiping it off here and there.

"Suni, it's okay. It's already gone."

Linda hugs and comforts the small shoulders of the Semites, who continue to shake and sh
ake on the raft board.
Guin was calm. With his pole, he pushed the raft, which was now so close to the No Man's L
and side of the river that it might have struck the rocks on the shore, silently into the middl
e of the river, his yellow eyes darting in all directions.
"Mm, it sure looks like he's gone."
It was not until the surface of the water had regained its composure, and he was sure that t
here was no sign of the haunting bubbles, that he finally said so.
"He wasn't that hungry. And for a Kesu River 'Great Bitsu Gumaguchius', it's a good thing he's not that
big."

He shook his round leopard's head in a gesture similar to that of a real beast draining wate
r.
"What? A monster like that, not just that one, but a much bigger one still out there?"
Remus says in surprise. Istvan laughs.
"There can be any number of them. And they're not the only ones on the Kes. Why do you t
hink all the bodies of the dead that filled the river last night disappeared overnight? The mo
nster of the Kesu River is always hungry."
"It's almost as if those corpses saved our lives."
Guin pointed out.
"That's right. I'm soaked through, from food to underwear to everything."
Istvan lamented. But he did not seem to be so anxious. They had the feeling that the presen
t act had been a terribly long time, but in fact it had not been more than a zang, or the time i
t would take for a small hourglass to run down. The Kes River had regained its apparent pe
ace, and the sun, glinting on its dull surface, was still shining so brightly that it seemed to
sweep everything away at once.
"I don't know if he's going to attack me again.
Remus is worried.
"Of course I'm coming."
Guaranteed by a jolly mercenary.
"Don't worry. I know how to deal with him and those big leeches on the Kes. I've been traini
ng to guard this outpost for over six months."
But wasn't it Guin who chased the big mouth off, Linda thought secretly. This Valakian-bor
n mercenary with the big mouth is as good as the Big Bits Gummacus.
The Red Mercenary stared at the girl. His dark eyes glittered slyly. I know what you're think
ing," he said, one edge of his lips lifting in a smirk, but he said nothing.
The raft continued to descend without a hitch with its pole in the flow of the dark river, wh
ich had begun to slow down a little.

Around that same time--

At the castle of Alvon, now the stronghold of Mongol's frontier defense, there was a little co
mmotion.
The commotion began with a messenger sent out by the lord of Alvon along the road that s
tretched out from the city of Torus in all directions like the legs of a spider. As he listened t
o the report of the messenger, who came to the gate of the castle on a fast horse , drenched i
n sweat, the count of Rickard, captain of the red knights of Mongol, who was in charge of th
e castle of Arvon, changed his countenance.
"How dare you! So you're already in the Arvon Woods! Why didn't the road guard send a si
gnal? No, we can't stay like this! Bring out the horses! Bring out the horses! I'll have to go to
the wall myself.
"That won't be necessary, Count Rickard!"
Suddenly, a dignified voice fell from above the reeling lord.
"I'm already in Alvon Castle."
"This is--"
The Red Knight captain stuttered and shouted at the walls leading to the courtyard.
There stood a mounted warrior. a white armor helmet, a long white cloak, and a pure whit
e horse with a white harness. It was the same horse that had watched Guin's party on the ra
ft from the cliffs overlooking the River Kes earlier.
As the warrior walked into the courtyard, his horse was spurred by the horse, and with a c
ertainty that made it seem as if the warrior and the horse were one, several riders with alm
ost identical equipment appeared and followed him. However, if you look closely, you can
see that, although they were equipped with the same equipment, which could have been mi
staken for shadow warriors, the preparation of the several horsemen who followed them w
as much simpler than that of the leading one.
"How can such a small group of people..."
Isn't that careless?" Earl Rickard tried to reproach him. But when the man reached the cou
rtyard, he waved his hand as he was helped down by the soldiers who were running towar
ds him,
"I have a company of white knights under my command waiting in the woods of Arvon. Send for them
and let them rest. And as for why I'm here, don't ask me yet."
It was a dignified and beautiful voice. The young, clever voice made me want to take a look
at the face of the owner of the voice, which was hidden behind a helmeted face.
And in the voice and attitude of the warrior, I could immediately sense a certain nobility, a
certain power that only those who are born accustomed to giving orders and having them
heard can possess.
This was of course felt by the brave captain of the Red Knights, whose name was known in
Mongol, and Count Rickard nodded graciously to his partner, who was only slightly shorter
than himself.
"Everything is as you wish."
"Castle Staphorus has been annihilated."
He said in a voice that showed no emotion.
"My companion the mage told me the crystal ball had stopped showing living, moving thing
s since last night. Perhaps Count Vernon is not alive."
"Fort Staphorus is a total loss."
Rickard purses his lips. A warrior of a hundred battles with the appearance of an old warri
or.
"Even the three battalions that immediately sent out when they saw the black smoke were t
oo late... I thought they would have arrived there by now."
"Too late. In recent years, Vernon must have been careless, for not since the Year of the But
terflies had such a large force of Semites crossed the Kes. Mongol has lost the castle of Stap
horus. Our ambition for Gora has been forced to take a step back."
"We should have kept in closer contact, General."
Then he drew his sword from its scabbard and drew it across his left breast, and took the o
ath of Gora. He then drew his sword from its scabbard and drew it across his left breast.
"It wasn't Hak's fault."
I admit it crisply.
"Staphorus is lost. Let's not ask why it's lost. Let's find the best path for us to take. You kno
w the story of the Black Dragon War."
"is."
"The elite of our battalion have acquired the Jewel of the Middle Plains, Paro, as we have lo
ng hoped. However, although we have captured the Crystal City and the Crystal Palace, and
raised the heads of the Holy King Aldross III and his Queen Tania who control Paro, there is
a royal family that has evaded the Black Knights' pursuit. In other words--"
"The Two Pearls of Paro, Princess Linda and her heir, Prince Remus."
"Yes. It was reported that they used some insolent white magic and appeared fearlessly in t
he Forest of Ludes.

The Golden Scorpion Palace of Mongol wants to know like a flame why two helpless childre
n could not only escape the hands of the elite warriors but also fly from the crystal of the Ce
ntral Plains to the rude of the frontier in one night. If there is some as-yet-unknown princip
le at work there, it may be the key to our quest for the unification of the Three Kingdoms of
Gora, and by extension, the unification of the entire Central Plains and the frontier.
And Count Rickard!"
"Ha!"
"Don't you think there's a connection between their appearance in Staphorus and the annih
ilation of Staphorus Castle by the Shemites?"
"It is."
Count Rickard was nervous.
"Is that an inquiry on behalf of His Excellency the Grand Duke, the White Knight Captain, or
the Right Prefecture General?"
"Yes."
"So I say. I regret to say that I cannot imagine how two young boys and a girl can destroy
the Tenth Battalion, its men, and Castle Staphorus, which is suitably equipped!"

"Fools! It was Shem's hordes that destroyed Castle Staphorus, as you know."
General Rofu said in a voice like a whip in his hand, and Earl Rickard turned pale.
"I mean, is it a coincidence that Paro's orphan and Shem's army appear at the same time? Is
n't Paro's orphan in league with the Shemites of Nosferus?"
"No-- no way!"
The Count was so astonished that he ran his mouth.
"The most traditional priest of the Middle Plains is the Monkey Man of No Man's Land!"

"Nothing is impossible, Count."

The general chided him. He raised the whip of his hand and pointed vaguely in the directio
n of the river Kes beyond the city walls.
"If Paro succeeds in joining forces with the barbarian tribes of Nosferus, and if Paro's loyali
sts who survived the Black Dragon War gather their forces and rise up to reclaim the Crysta
l, Gora will have enemies on his back! I will not take that risk, no matter how unlikely. No, li
sten to me. Wait, Count--
Now I drove my horse over the cliffs near the Kes River. And I saw something strange."
"A strange one - is it?"
"Or rather, the unthinkable. A raft down the Kes, along the stream from Staphorus to Arvon
and Thurid to Loth."
"The Kes River, on a raft?"
Count Rickard almost laughed. But then he remembered and fell silent. This slender, white-
robed agent of Archduke Vlad had a horrible rumor running through his mind that he only
punished incompetence but hated carelessness.
"And what kind of - in the Shemites?"
"No."
The white warrior seemed to sink in thought.
"I couldn't quite make it out. It looked like a strange combination - so far away that even my
hundred-golfer's eye couldn't make it out, but it was five people, two grown men, two child
ren, two women. And a dwarf, a Semite, I think. Only that--"
The Count looked on with interest. This right general, the deputy of the Grand Duke who is
famous all over Gaul, hesitated, not at all.
"One of the men-- he was very strange."
"Strange, if you say so."
The Count pursues. He laughs,
"All right, if it's an optical illusion, so be it. He looked like a human being from the neck dow
n, but from the neck up he looked like a leopard or a tiger that had been replaced by a huma
n body!"
"Leopard man?"
The Count almost laughed again, but his cheeks tightened.
"Why don't you send out your men and see what they say?"

Not that he didn't believe it was an optical illusion on the part of the general, but he knew
the kind of attitude and response he wanted. He seemed satisfied,
"I've already sent them out. So I sent a platoon of white knights to find out who they were
and bring them back if necessary, and then we entered Alvon Castle."
"I'm sorry, sir."
The Count is a little impressed. And on top of that,
"Have one company and two platoons ready for action. Ready to haul out the rafts if necess
ary. And I hope you've done the crossing drills I told you about at the court meeting at the b
eginning of the Red Moon."
"is."
"Very well. Prepare for that as well, if the situation warrants. And if you hear a signal from t
he dispatchers at Castle Staphorus, respond immediately and send up a signal. I'll tell you w
hat."
The content of the question was enough to take Count Rickard by surprise. He knew that s
uch a question would irritate him, but he couldn't help asking it back.
"With all due respect - why would the people of the Golden Scorpion Palace make such a de
cision?"
"It's a useless question."
was the answer I had expected.
"Then see that the order is carried out swiftly. I've been working tirelessly on the road from
Torus. I'm a little tired. Find me a place to sleep and I'll sleep until I hear the signal."
"Right now, right now."
The Count sent the samurai to prepare. Meanwhile the shogun slowly began to untie his he
lmet.
Count Rickard watched with a little breath as the general removed the helmet. What was hi
dden beneath the helmet, of course, Count Rickard could not have known, but it was still w
orthy of admiration.
A slender hand untied the last string and quickly pushed the helmet with the white feather
ornament to the back. Then, suddenly, there was a dazzling flood of light.
No-- the light, it seemed, was radiant. A rare, rich--and the purest golden waves of hair that
anyone had ever seen.
Count Rickard paused to catch his breath. He just gazed at the dazzling figure in the dying s
unlight.
The face that emerged from beneath the helmet was that of an incomparably beautiful you
ng woman, reminiscent of Ilana, the goddess of hunting and war.
She was still a girl, rather than a young woman, but she already possessed great dignity.
Her shapely head, fringed with golden hair that rippled down to her mid-back, was leaning
back beautifully, and her graceful lips were firm, as if imprinted with a will that would not f
alter no matter what she faced. But the lips were also a lustrous pink that made the viewer
think of how happy he would be if it smiled at him. Her green eyes were as deep as the surf
ace of the Kes River, and they held an uncanny sparkle of determination and passion, of nob
ility and ambition, of coldness and grace, that was rarely seen even in men.
In a word, it must be a portrait of a "beauty" that is still slightly unfinished, but is steadily
approaching its incomparable fulfillment, like a dawn. It was not the beauty of the pale, gra
ceful goddess of Iris. Irana, who is always depicted wearing armor and holding a spear ent
wined with ivy, seems to be a reincarnation of Irana, the beloved wife of the god of war and
the god of the sun, Luar, and the one who fights at his right.

"We're ready, Master Amneris.

The girl who is the incarnation of the goddess Irana slowly walks away after receiving the
news of the samurai children and being led by Count Rickard. Who does she not know? She
was none other than Prince Amneris of Mongol, the only daughter of the Grand Duke Vlad,
his agent, General of the Right, commander-in-chief of the Black Dragon War, and captain of
the White Guard.
four

On the other hand, there are five men on the raft.

For the next three zanzas or so, they descended the river, which was becoming wider and
wider, without being attacked by the great mouth of the Kes or the water leeches, as before.
The golden chariot of Lure, the Sun God, tirelessly made its way through the mid-heaven, gr
adually approaching the mountains, and the scene around them remained so peaceful that i
t made one doubt the name of the Kesu, the River of Darkness.
On the right bank of the raft, which flows downstream, there is an unbroken line of dark-gr
een frontier forests, and smoke suddenly rises from beyond them to announce the lives of t
he frontier settlers.
Long-tailed birds, ruby-red and cockatoo-colored, swoop down from the treetops and fly a
way with a piercing cry. A water snake twists its brown body and scurries away from the ra
ft.
And to the left was a desolate expanse of no-man's-land of rock and desert nosferous,
smeared with ash and white-brown. In many places, lichens clung to the ground in a faint g
rayish green, giving it a dreary hue, but the way the terrain had changed, as if it had been
smeared across a mere Kesu River, left those who saw it at a loss. The people's perception
of No Man's Land, where only monsters and barbarian tribes rampaged, was finally confirm
ed.
Beyond the desert, as far as the eye can see, there is a distant vision of a dark gray mountai
n range.
"The Asgarn Mountains, the roof of the world, separating the north from the frontier."
Without being asked, Istvan pointed to it and added a note.
"Quinsland, ruled by the Queen of Ice and Snow, who lives forever in the ice; the giant natio
n of Tarouan; the kingdom of the gods, Vanheim, ruled by the hero Baldur; and the norther
n tip of the world, Norn, is just over there."
No one says anything. The Red Mercenary continues to speak without any sign of displeasu
re.
"Still, I don't understand why Gora or the Grand Duchy of Mongol would be so obsessed
with the No Man's Land of Nosferus. We used to argue about it in the mercenaries' quarter
s. We wondered what kind of a trick Yarn had played on us that the frontier region, divided
in half by the infernal river Kes, which is inhabitable and rich in greenery, and the wilderne
ss of Nosferus, the true frontier, should look so different.
If Yarn, with his omnipotent hand, had created a demon ward on the other side of the Kes
River and a human world on this side, it would have made some sense. However, the
reason that the Nosferus region had been a stronghold for the ambitions of the nations for a
long time was that it was said to harbor poisonous miasma that prevented people from livi
ng there.
In stranger lore, there's this. That is to say, the only two races living in No Man's Land of N
osferus, the giant race Ragon and the dwarf race Shem, both of them are the ones that we
hesitate to call human, but they were originally just ordinary humans, But as they lived in N
o Man's Land with strange demons, they gradually changed into what they are now. He told
me that the miasma in No Man's Land has the power to turn all living things into monsters.
That's why in No Man's Land and the outlying regions surrounding it live the Great Bitsu Gumaguchius
of Kes, the Sandhills of Id, the Stepping Stone Flyers, the Giant Ant Digoku, and other horrible
creatures that can only be called monsters themselves. I'm told they're inhabited by creatur
es of the Doll.
Hey, leopard head, aren't you also from around there by any chance?"
"Guin is not that kind of monster."
Remus snapped, and Linda glared at the shuffling mercenary. The leopard-headed warrior
waved his sleek yellow-and-black head as if to say, "I don't understand," without anger.
"Come on, you've got to be able to remember at least one thing. I don't know if you're really
as ignorant as the water snake of the Kesu River, or if there's something convenient about
letting us think that."
"Red mercenary, you're an idiot."
Linda gets angry and interrupts. Istvan laughs and laughs,
"When you're angry, your eyes go from violet to almost twilight purple, like a starry sky. W
hy don't you keep your eyes on the water? If the big one attacks again, we'll have to kill it th
is time."
"Scumbag!"
Linda murmured in annoyance, then rushed back to the water. The evening was slowly app
roaching, and their raft had drifted past the lower reaches of the Alvon and was about to en
ter the territory of the castle of Twolead, at the southern end of the Mongol domain.
They ate on the raft a simple lunch of dried meat, dried fruit and vachaça fruit, which they
had brought with them. Their clothes, which had been soaked earlier in the fight with the "
big mouth," had become so dry after being exposed to the sun for two days on the raft that
they had never been soaked before. Guin's strong, tireless hands held the pole firmly in thei
r grasp, and kept them going.
"You're too quiet."
The Red Mercenary, who was apparently incapable of keeping his mouth shut, chewed his
vachaça fruit and mumbled.
"What the hell, now?"
Linda replied irritably. Linda is constantly annoyed, exasperated and bewildered by Istvan,
but strangely she seems to find something in this brazen, pushy and fearless Valakian that i
nterests her.
"It's too quiet. How can the Kesu, the river of hell, miss us so easily? It's going to be more th
an just the Big Bits Gummacchius."
"Is that a hunch about the Demon Warrior?"
Linda asked teasingly. I've already heard the boast of the jolly mercenary.

"I don't care what you say, but... hey, Leopard head, you're not planning on rafting down the
Kes River all night, are you?"
"Of course."
That was Guin's brief reply to his friend on the raft.

"Kes is a dark river . To be on the water after sundown, when the demons are in their eleme
nt, is like committing suicide. Shortly before sunset, we pull the raft ashore, build a fire that
doesn't draw too much attention, and spend the night alternating between watchers. At sun
rise, we set out for the river again."

"I'd like that."

Remus shouted at her. Linda didn't shout, but secretly she was deeply satisfied, thinking ho
w much better, more reliable and stronger a warrior our Guin was than that "demon warrio
r". Istvan had never even made an effort to take away Guin's command of the little party ,
but there was something about his lively black eyes that always seemed to secretly smile at
his opponents that annoyed the Paro twins.
"I'm thinking the same thing."
Istvan didn't even seem to notice the twins' animosity,
"In any case, things will get better once we get past the dukedom of Mongol. Beyond Turee
d, up to the free trade city of Paro, it's frontier land."
"It would be foolhardy to spend the night on the Nosferus side of the bank. So, for tonight a
nd tomorrow night, we must take some risks and camp on the Mongol side of the bank," sai
d Guin.

"Indeed."
Istvan said, looking at Guin with a sceptical look on his face. In fact, during this journey, Gui
n had already noticed that the Red Mercenary's eyes had been roving around him quite ofte
n. His curiosity about the leopard's head was a bit too much, but he didn't think that there
was anything else that could have attracted Istvan's attention so much.
Guin raised her eyes and met his impassive gaze head on. There was the Leopard-headed, y
ellow, glittering eyes, and the black, glittering eyes, which seemed to have an ironic look
about them.
But it was Istvan of Valacia who turned away. He made a deliberate gesture of looking at th
e cliffs in the direction of Mongol territory.

Suddenly, however, his face tightened.

"Hey, Guin."
His voice suddenly took on an urgent tone. Guin was at the controls of the pole, trying to tu
rn the raft around and bring it closer to the shore, as the water was turning red with the col
or of the setting sun.
"Wait a minute! Someone's coming!"
"Oh, my God, that's ridiculous."
Linda grabbed Remus by the arm and held him back. Istvan looked to the side of the forest
where the dusk was falling, but he was suddenly in a panic,

"No, wait a minute, wait a minute to bring the raft ashore. I'll see what's going on-- someon
e's coming out of the woods. There's more than a few."
"Gora soldiers!"
Linda's voice was stern. Istvan narrowed his eyes and looked at her,
"So if we're not just a bunch of settlers from around here, then we still have the blessings of
Yarn... wait! The goddess Ilana rides the white horse of the wind!"
"A platoon, at least that's what it looks like."

Calm down, Guin points out.

"That's weird-- it's not the Black Knights, that armor is white!"
The Red Mercenary leaned forward against the railing, his neat face scrunched up. The
others could now clearly see the figure of the group that had appeared as if it had suddenly
appeared from the shadows of the small dark forest on the other side of the river.
Despite the urgency of the situation, it was a scene of strangely dreamlike beauty that met
their eyes: out of the darkness beneath the trees of the forest, one by one, like wandering so
uls in a white daze, they emerged onto the shore, every one of them a white horseman. ever
y white horse.
Their long white cloaks are fluttering, and the simple headgear on their heads hangs down
freely. The horses, too, are all pure white, and all wear the same white harness.
"It's Gora's gear."

Guin pointed out.

"But-- that's the White Guard, that's ridiculous."
Istvan is still unconvinced.
"Why? The Black, White, Blue, Red, Yellow, and Five Great Knights of Mongol rang througho
ut the Middle Plains..."

"Boring stuff."
The mercenary roughly interrupted Linda's words.
"Don't meddle in things you don't know, little girl. Castle Staphorus is guarded by the Third
Blackguard under Count Vernon. The castle of Alvon is guarded by the 5th Red Guards und
er Count Rickard, the Black and the Red guarding the frontier."
"What about white?"
"The White are the Grand Duke's bannermen who guard the main city of Torus. The captain
of the White Knights is Her Highness Amneris, daughter of Grand Duke Vlad and General of
the Right Sector. There is no way the White Knights would show up here, even with a plato
on."

"But it's showing."

Guin said. Istvan replied with an irritated gesture.
But they had no time to dwell on the matter any longer. For they were white all over, as if
they had come out of the ice and snow of Asgard, and as if to break the last hope of Guin an
d the others that whatever they were looking for might not be this raft, they drew near the
water's edge, and the great white knight who stood at the head of them brought his hand to
his mouth in the shape of a trumpet The large white knight at the head of the group brough
t his hand to his mouth in the shape of a trumpet and called out.
"Hey-- hey there, raft!"
Guin glances quickly at Istvan. Istvan gingerly reaches for the sword at his hip. Guin shakes
his head. I'm dealing with a platoon, and it hasn't been decided yet that it intends to harm u
s.
"What about..."
The mercenary said in a cat-like throaty voice.
"The sun will be up soon."
"See how it comes out."
That was Guin's answer. On the shore, the white knight may have thought he was unheard,
but he spoke louder and gestured with his hands,
"Hey, rafters. We're from Alvon Castle on the Mongol frontier. Tell us your name, where
you're going, bring the raft to shore and answer our questions."
I invite them to come shouting.
Istvan clicked his tongue.
"You can tell me and the twins what to do, but the Leopard head and the suni-- hey, Guin, I t
hink this guy's gonna have to make a run for it."

"No."
Guin says slowly.
"Look."
The crew of the raft looked on and gave a low groan of despair.
The white knight's party had no intention of letting the raft escape, no matter what. The w
hole platoon of thirty men, fanning out behind the captain, raised their crossbows and filled
them with stone bullets, all of which were aimed at the raft.
"Why are you questioning us? We're just tourists. What have we done?"

Istvan raved angrily. The white-robed captain raised his whip again,
"No questions asked. I have firm orders to escort the entire raft to Castle Arvon. Bring the r
aft to shore or I will shoot."

"It's messed up!"

Istvan ranted.
"Guin, get out of here. Stay on the raft, you brats. The crossbow won't hit you after dark."
"Hold on tight."
Guin said without changing his voice and pushed his pole hard against the river bed to incr
ease the speed of the raft. On the shore they were shouting for him to come back. With all hi
s might he pushed off the rocks at the bottom of the river and the recoil sent the raft swoopi
ng up into the waves.
"Whoa!"
Istvan screamed.

"It's the Great Bitsu Gumaguchius!"

Suni screamed.
A horrible white mass of water bubbles up on the surface of the water and rushes towards
the raft at a tremendous speed!
Between the cries of warning from the shore and the screams of the children on the raft, a
monster of nightmares emerged from the foam.
And how big it is!
"No! No! We're losing the raft!"
The mercenary, who brandished his sword and was about to cut in half its huge, vicious m
outh, screamed, fell to his knees, and clung to the raft, which was slanting in the spray of wa
ter when it was hit by the big mouth.
A huge, mouth-only monster, incomparably larger than the previous one, spits out an aston
ishing amount of water from its mouth and dares a second time to hit you, trying to throw t
he tasty bait off the raft.

Each time, the five, relying only on the railing they clung to, were swung around with trem
endous force, like insects on a leaf. There was no way they could fight back; on the contrary,
it was all they could do to keep their hands from slipping.

On the shore, a great commotion was taking place. The Gora soldiers, under the command
of their captain, fired their crossbows at the monster in the water in an effort to save the pr
ecious prisoners who had to be brought back alive. However, because of the rampage of the
"big mouth" and out of concern for the humans, they could only aim at the surrounding are
a to intimidate them at best.
Even the leopard-headed warrior and the demon warrior Istvan were helpless on the wave
-tossed raft. Not only that, but the raft would capsize soon if it continued like this. The last t
hing he wants is to fall into the water and become living bait for the blind, insatiable appetit
e of the Big Mouth.
"Yes!"
The Leopard instantly realized it. He threw down the pole of the raft, and on the raft, which
was shaking and swaying under the impact of the [big mouth] coming up from below, he gr
asped the railing firmly and slowly approached the edge.
He grabbed the railing with one hand and pulled out the dagger at his waist with the other.
In the water, a dagger is easier to handle than a large flat sword. He quickly puts it in his m
outh and throws away the pouch on his waist. The leopard's yellow eyes blazed with the de
termination and will of a wild beast, and he was about to let go of his numb hand when only
Linda noticed and changed her color.
"Oh, my God! Guin, what are you doing?"
He screams and tries hard to crawl towards you on the swaying raft.

"No, don't! You're gonna get us killed!"

"Keep your hands to yourself, you idiot."
Guin, who had taken the sword from his mouth, shouted at him and took it back in his mou
th.
Just as I was about to dive headlong into the raging, hellishly boiling water of the Big Mout
h!
"Wait, Guin, look at that!"
Linda screamed.
"That's weird, that's a big mouth!"
The sacrifices saw-- and they saw!
The big mouth is in a panic!
Suddenly, the clear river water turned into a life-like jelly around the "big mouth. No - that'
s not it.
On top of the huge, rampaging mouth, a hideous monster swam up to it - assuming it could
be called a swimmer - and wrapped itself around the "big mouth".
"It's a ringworm!"
Suddenly a voice of hope rang out in Istvan's ears.
The Ringworm of the River Kes is, as its name suggests, a hideous, primitive creature with a
translucent, stubby, gelatinous body covered with millions of vaguely whitish tentacles. Th
e jelly-like creature, which is more than five meters long at its largest, swims in the water w
ith its short, rustling tentacles, and when it sees something moving, it comes close to it and
first envelops it in its translucent jelly, no matter what it is.
In the end, no amount of struggling or flailing can shake off the Ringworm. Its millions of tentacle
s will tightly wrap around its prey, crushing and digesting it softly and stubbornly.
The king of the Kesu River was not even a giant "big mouth".
The [Oguchi] had begun to rampage with such ferocity that it seemed as if its attacks on the
raft up to now had been nothing more than a flirtation, a joke. As the sun was setting, the su
rface of the water, which was illuminated in red and seemed to be a blood-colored river, wa
s obscured by the splashing water of the Oguchi's desperate struggle.
But no matter how hard it struggled, the Ringworm could not be dislodged from its gelatinous, shaking body.
The "big mouth" had turned from a hunter into something to be hunted. Driven by the blind
will to live of a primordial life-form, its fangs, which had grown in profusion, violently tore t
hrough the jelly-like substance. Even so, the ringworm's body neither felt pain nor bled, but only
stubbornly tried to crush the "big mouth".
"Not yet! We've got to get out of here while we still can!"
The mercenary ranted.
"No! I've lost my neck!"
Guin's cry of despair.
The screams of Linda and the others echoed over the Kes River as the setting sun cast its la
st rays.
The fierce battle at close range between the "big mouth" and the ringworm finally caused the raft,
which had lost its pole, to overturn in the last big wave.
People's numb hands finally fell away from the railing. Suni's high-pitched scream, Linda's
scream.
"You're okay!"
Once the five men were scattered on the surface of the water in pieces, they were submerg
ed in the water, but Istvan was the first to stick out his head and spit out the water.
He was born in Valachia, a city of the sea, and was an expert swimmer. He spat out a mouth
ful of water and looked to the shore on the side of Mongol, where he saw the White Knights
of Gora scurrying about, and the two monsters of the Kes fighting each other between him a
nd the shore, and when he saw that the opposite shore was much nearer, he took the initiat
ive and swam to the shore of Nosferus. He swims to the shore of Nosferus.
Finding Linda floating on the water, he put his hand around her neck and swam with her in
his arms. It was fortunate that, when the raft turned over, she was lifted high into the air
and blown no more than fifteen meters to the shore on the Nosferus side. Immediately,
without any further trouble from the horrible creature, he crawled like a wet rat to the rock
s on the shore and pulled up the unconscious little queen of Paro.
At the same moment Guin's leopard's head appeared in the waves, and he was about to swi
m towards them with the same decision. Before he could crawl up to the rocks, a strong han
d reached out and threw Suni's small body up onto the rocks, and then he went back and he
lped Prince Remus to crawl up again, and then, with Istvan's help, he crawled nimbly up on
to the rocks. He was on the verge of disaster. For the fearsome living gelatin, which had cru
shed and devoured the giant mouth without the least resistance from its ferocious fangs, w
as about to come after the Leopard man with its tentacles buzzing.
For a while there was nothing to speak of on the rock. Breathing hard, they slumped down
on the flat rock, soaking wet.
The sun had already set and the white knights on the other side of the river were but vague
shadows. And so they rode up to the shore of Nosferus.
Episode 2 The Wilderness of the Barbarians
one

"How dare you! How dare you!"

The voice of reprimand never grew louder. But it had a tone of annoyance that put all the o
ld masters in the room to shame.

Count Rickard, the captain of the 5th Red Knight and the lord of Alvon Castle in Mongol, an
d Gora's loyal servants in the "Lion's Hall" all shrank their heads. Needless to say, the one
who was most embarrassed was Vron, the platoon leader of the White Knight SS, who had r
eceived the order directly from him.
"I'm sorry, sir. But--"
The big, ugly man took off his feathered helmet and put it on his left breast and began to sp
eak softly. A stern voice interrupted him.
"Don't tell me what to do! You couldn't catch them. I'm not blaming you for that. We all mak
e mistakes.
I blame you for the negligence of your men, who, seeing them, did not make any decision fo
r themselves, but turned back in vain without crossing the river, simply because they had n
o orders to do so. First, Vron, when you noticed the strangeness of the party, you should
have known at once that it was necessary to seize them even by pushing across the river Ke
s. Secondly, you should have sent a messenger to Alvon at the same time to report what had
happened and to ask for reinforcements. Then I could have ordered Rickard to have a comp
any, two platoons, and a raft of rafts on standby, so that we could have immediately sent th
em across the Kes and captured the monsters.
Have you decided that crossing the Dark River with a horse is a needless loss, Vron?"
"Is--"
Captain Vron was in a cold sweat. He comes from an old noble family of Torus. As his name
implies, he is not entirely unrelated to Grand Duke Vlad of Mongol.
But there is no one in all of Mongol who would dare to speak against or defy the tall young
nobleman who now stands before him. Not even Grand Duke Vlad himself. --
Amneris, Princess of Mongol, General of the Right Sector and Commander of the White Gua
rd, had stripped off her white armor and was wearing a long white toga. Underneath were t
ight, narrow trousers. Her hair, more pure than the pure gold of Arceis, hung down to her w
aist, gleaming. She was an exquisite beauty, but apparently more of a rare noblewoman tha
n a beauty of the world.
A crisp mouth. Cold, mysterious eyes that shine faintly in blue-green. Few men, not even gr
eat men, can look into those eyes and not be shaken by that cool voice.

Captain Vron's ugly face contorts and he nods. Look at that,

"Very well."
Amneris changed the tone of his voice.
"Henceforth, be mindful to carry out my orders mechanically only, and not to make any mis
takes. Count Rickard has already sent a squadron across the Kes River. If my fears are unfo
unded, there's no problem. Count Rickard, escort the sorcerer Gayus to my quarters.
"Yes, sir."
The lord of the castle was gracious. With a white toga fluttering in the air, he watches her
walk away with all the grace and smoothness of a capable warrior.
"Vron, that's unfortunate."
He consoled the heavy-hearted White Knight platoon leader as he waited for her to disapp
ear. The platoon commander of the White Knight Corps, who stands above the other four G
rand Knights as the SS, and the battalion commander of the Red Knight Corps' 5th Squadro
n are almost equal in rank, and Rickard is an old friend of Vron's.
"I didn't understand what the princess was afraid of. It wasn't until I heard the results of th
e investigation at Staphorus that I realized. If I had known that strange party was Paro's or
phans, I would not have let them cross the river of death by horse."
"It's not your fault you didn't know."
As he said this, Rickard secretly thought that he was lucky that it was not his crime.
"But I am part of the Crystal Expedition under the command of the Right Honourable Gener
al, even though I protected the princess and withdrew first. How is it that His Highness Am
neris and I, despite being given the same information, see things as differently as night and
day?"
"That's why the duchess is the right-hand general of Mongol and the agent of the Grand Du
ke. It can't be helped."
"Since she was born, she has lived less than half the time that I have lived, and she can see a
hundred times more than I can."
Count Vron let out a small sigh of relief.
"Well, good - but what a strange kingdom Paro is! It's no wonder it's so old. I couldn't believ
e my eyes when I saw that bizarre leopard-headed man, not to mention the bizarre trick of
moving through the middle of the plain overnight."
"I think he was wearing a mask."
"No, it did not seem so. The leopard's fur seemed to change color and climb up from the ma
n's shoulders and wrap around his head. And if it were an ordinary mask, it would have
come off with the impact when the raft capsized and was thrown overboard."
"That's also the reason why Amneris-sama is so particular about one line."
Rickard pondered.
From the traces left behind in the burnt ruins of Staphorus Castle, it is impossible for him
to understand the truth of the unimaginable, especially that Count Vernon, the lord of Staph
orus Castle and the captain of the 3rd Black Knight, known as the Black Count of Mongol, w
as possessed by a mysterious spirit of death, and that he slaughtered Shem, the barbarian o
f Nosferus, to provoke his rage and bring about the upcoming catastrophe. There is no way
to understand how he could have caused this catastrophe.
However, the record of the wolfsbane made by the recorder of Staphorus Castle and other
writings that were burned in the fire revealed that when Staphorus Castle was defeated by
Shem's attack, a strange leopard-headed man and the twins of Paro who were looking for hi
m were locked up in the castle. The fact that they appeared on the river Kes in a raft sugges
ts that they had somehow and miraculously escaped the fires of hell and were trying to esc
ape from the territory of Mongol together.
"In the Crystal City, there was never any mention of such a half-breed, half-man guarding th
e Paro Royal Family. If he looked like that, he would've gotten a tremendous amount of pub
licity even if he showed himself just once. Where did that monster come from, and who is h
e?"
Vron said. Rickard shook his head.

"I can't imagine that. I haven't even seen him. But I have to go. I can't keep the princess wait
ing."
"Paro may excel in culture and art, but in terms of military power, it is no match for the thre
e great duchies of Gora."
Count Vron said dreamily.
"It was a city as beautiful as a dream. When the crystal city fell, I thought it was an easy vict
ory, but ...... it's strange. The royal family was destroyed and the kingdom was gone, but stra
ngely enough, the things related to [Paro] will always be stuck in my mind."
The maidservant came and told him that Mage Gayus had already arrived at the princess's
chamber. Count Rickard stood up in a panic, but Count Vron, unaware that his old friend wa
s leaving, was deep in thought.

When Count Rickard entered the comfortable but not luxurious room that he himself had p
rovided, Amneris was already talking with the mage Gayus, who had come from the capital.
A silver cup and a platter of fruit lay on the table of the koktan. The mage, skinny as a needl
e, refuses to take a drop of water, but the lady, with the hem of her long white robe flung ba
ck and the legs of her slim trousers clasped, holds the silver cup in her milk-white hands
and brings the cup of honey wine to her lips only while she collects her thoughts.
"Now, assuming we have the minimum number of men in Staphorus to rebuild and guard t
he city, and a regular defense in Arvon, how many other hand soldiers can we move, Count
Rickard?"

He comes in, looks at him as he closes the door behind him, and says without warning . It is
his character to skip all the useless preamble and go straight to the requirements.
Count Rickard knew the lady's character. He didn't ask any questions.

"The total number of men in the fort is three battalions, so if we put two companies to Stap
horus and one battalion to Arvon, we'll have two companies of cavalry, three platoons of inf
antry, and if we need Transportation Corps, one platoon.
"Ghayus! Which would be more effective, sending reinforcements immediately from the ne
arest two-lead or Gailin's fortress without interfering with daily security, or sending a mess
enger to Torus and mobilizing the Red Knight Battalion?"
The skeletal fortuneteller replied in a cracked voice.

"We'll get troops from the Two Reed, and then we'll call Torus for logistical support."
"That's not going to be enough time."
Amneris chews on his shapely lips. Thoughts are whirling around in his golden head at gre
at speed. Rickard stifles his desire to question everything in a hurry.
"Very well."
Amneris concluded.
"Rickard, since we don't need Transportation Corps, can't we add another company of caval
ry? A platoon of infantry would be fine, perhaps even useless. Walking is dangerous in the
wilds of Nosferus where the earth is covered with a poisonous miasma. I'll send them acros
s the river Kes as a party and I'll lead them myself. On the other hand--"
"The Princess is going to No Man's Land!"
In his astonishment, Rickard forgot his fear of offending the lady and shouted.

"No, sir! No! No! As a loyal vassal to the Grand Duke, I will not put my precious body in such
danger."
"Count Rickard, there is no time."
The noblewoman said firmly, and put her thin, strong hand into the crystal ball of divinatio
n that Gayus held.

"I will not take unnecessary risks, but I will take the ones I have to. But I will be well prepar
ed. What I meant to say was that while the three companies I was leading were crossing the
Kes River, the remaining guards would build a temporary bridge across the river and a
simple barrier on the other side of the river. The Kes River has always failed to be permane
ntly bridged because of the violent changes in the volume of water, but this time it should b
e temporary as long as it can be maintained until the end of this campaign. In the meantime,
the Turid reinforcements and the Torus expeditionary force will arrive. The full-scale attac
k on Nosferus will begin then."
"The advance on Nosferus?"
This time, Count Rickard jumped up and down with a loud shout. He had always known
that the Golden Scorpion Palace of Mongol had its eyes on the Nosferus Wilderness, and he
had always had a secret suspicion as to why such a toxic and uninhabited wilderness was s
o important.
But this is way beyond anything he could have expected!
"The Golden Scorpion Palace takes the loss of Staphorus Castle extremely seriously."
Amneris explained.
"The border between Staphoros and Arvon was not only Gora's line of defense, but also the
northwestern limit of the frontier. And Staphoros was the keystone of Mongol frontier deve
lopment. As I said earlier, our greatest fear was that the remnants of Paro would somehow j
oin forces with the barbarians of Nosferus and that Gora would be attacked on its back.
It is essential that we pursue them as soon as possible, and seize them and interrogate the
m before they meet Shem. And even if this is unfounded, and Shem and Paro have had no co
ntact, and even if we could have prevented what they are about to do, we cannot stand by a
nd watch the loss of Staphorus. We must make a long march to Nosferus and destroy at leas
t the major tribes of Shem. Do you understand, Count Rickard? Now that he has entered the
heart of the Middle Kingdom, Mongol cannot afford to lose his footing by force from the fro
ntier. Mongol's attack on Paro was at the sole discretion of his father. The Grand Duke Talio
of Kumu and the Duke Or-Kan of Yulaniya congratulated him because it would benefit the t
hree great kingdoms of Gora, but they were extremely afraid that this would upset the bala
nce of power of the three great kingdoms and the situation was very difficult. If necessary,
Kumu and Yulaniya will join hands to strike Mongol."
"For the sake of Mongol!"
Without thinking, Rickard shouted and drew his sword, and took the oath of Gora.
"Yes - that's why we need Nosferus."
Amneris's green eyes suddenly take on an enigmatic glow.
"It is as a rear guard--"
Count Rickard inquired cautiously. The man-dressed lady of Mongol laughed in a pleasant t
hroaty voice.

"There's that too."

"If you say so, sir..."
"Count Rickard, this belongs to the highest secrecy even in the Golden Scorpion Palace."
Amneris said nonchalantly, but when he saw Rickard's face, he added.
"But I'll tell you this. Nosferatu's no-man's-land is extremely important. And so far, only the
minds of the Golden Scorpion Palace have realized why it's so important, which is why we
must seize it while we still can. Thank you!"
"is."
The mage replies in a hushed voice.
"What about the stars?"
"I was just watching you while you were speaking."
The mummified mage replied, rubbing his scabby hands over the surface of the Ouija boar
d and the Ouija ball.
"It's not good. It's more like a strange arrangement of the stars."
Amneris waited for the old man's next words. Mage Gayus fumbled with the divining cord
across his chest,
"To put it bluntly, I don't know exactly what it means. But something has begun to move--s
omething tremendous, something ...... that will cause turbulence in Nakahara not only now,
but for a long, long time. The Star of War, the Star of Providence, and the North Magnetic St
ar are attracting each other and about to enter the same palace.
"What does it show, Mage Gayus?"
"Encounter, change, and destiny."
Amneris glared at the mage sternly. But when he saw that Gayus would not open his mout
h any longer, he shrugged his slender shoulders and looked at Count Rickard.
"This is what fortune tellers always do, my lord. They know and they don't know, and they t
ell you things that don't really help you."

"The stars do not foretell things, Lord Amneris. They only reflect events on earth. So it is ma
n who makes things happen, and the thread must be followed one at a time, for there is no
other right way to go from one end of the thread to the other."
and Gayus .
"I know, I know, I know."
Amneris replied blankly.
"Anyway, you say the stars can't be judged as either a bad omen or a good omen."
"With all due respect, the way the stars are attracted to each other is a mixture of good and
bad luck, and although we don't know where it will lead, it is certain that it will bring about
some kind of avalanche of change in destiny."
"Do you know anything about that strange leopard man?"
The lady said, deep in thought.

"I never dreamed that such a mysterious thing could actually live in this world. I wonder w
hat it was."
"With all due respect, I didn't realize that some karmic disease made you look like that, or t
hat you were wearing an elaborate mask..."

He was about to say, "Don't you think? He remembered the words of his ally, Platoon Com
mander Vron, and realized that the Count had never been so careless as to dismiss anything
without considering it.

Amneris did not bother to answer. To Gayus,

"Well, mage. The world is wide and the frontier is deep. Is there any record of the birth of s
uch an aberration anywhere in it?"
"What the--"
Gayus sank into thought.
"I'm afraid that's only a myth. Mages may perform all sorts of mysteries, but they only deal
with things from a slightly different angle than what people usually think.
"Mythology--I think there was a myth about a half-breed god like that. Silenos. ......"
Amneris drank from the cup with a white hand and rose slowly to his feet. The toga softly c
lings to his slender body.
"In any case, capturing them will clear up some of the mystery. We may even be able to solv
e the mystery of the leopard man."
"Your Highness, why are you so obsessed with that monster?"
Suddenly, in a slow voice, Gayus said. Amneris stopped and looked back. He seemed to be
in some kind of a panic.
"Your Highness senses something. The stars are about to enter the lion's palace, which is
akin to a leopard. In the center of the gathering of the stars is a huge predator. The stars cower and
move for him. I'm afraid, Your Highness, that among the many stars that have followed you
to the Lion's Palace, there is one that was hanging over the tower of the Golden Scorpion Pa
lace when you were born."
The mage's appearance has changed.
His eyelids are drooping in a half-awake state, and the half-lidded eyes peeping out from u
nder them are filled with a strange, thick light. Its ghastly face seems to be listening intently
to some faint sound coming from far away. His hood cast a shadow over his face, and he loo
ked like a skull that had opened its mouth to tell us something.
Amneris said nothing for a moment. Her green eyes are fixed in the air with a harsh light th
at is neither anger, surprise, nor dismay. His lips are clenched, and he seems to be
wondering how to answer. Rickard gasped faintly.
But--
A moment later, to the utter surprise of Count Rickard, the handsome face of the lady in ma
le attire broke into an unexpectedly charming smile.
"Nonsense!" - "Nonsense! Gayus, you're getting old."
With a lustrous smile, Lady Amneris said, and with a rustling sound, she left the room, leavi
ng them to prepare for battle.

The two stranded men looked at each other, their eyes averted from each other in a panic -
Count Rickard in bewilderment, and Mage Gayus as if trying to keep his mind clear. Neither
of them tried to say a word.
two

Two hours later, a messenger announced that all preparations had been made.
At the same time, the huge bell at the top of the red tower of Alvon Castle rang ten times in
a regular pattern. All the people in the castle emerge from their posts according to their rol
es and come out from the courtyard to the place overlooking it.
Fort Arvon was almost equal in scale to the fallen castle of Staphorus, but it was much larg
er in numbers. It was a splendid sight to see the beautiful but rugged horsemen in armor an
d helmet lined up in front of the garrison that remained in the castle to defend it.
A company of Gora consists of about 150 men. Three companies, each with five platoons, a
nd two platoons with different equipment, the princess's SS, lined up beside them.

Count Rickard, the lord of Alvon Castle, is the captain of the 5th Red Guard, so every one of
the three companies of knights lined up there, holding the reins of the horse, wore austere r
ed leather armour with a scarlet helmet, shin guards and basket hands. On the breast of the
armour was the emblem of the Grand Duke of Mongol, a combination of the scorpion of Mo
ngol and the lion of Gora. The headdresses of the three company commanders at the head o
f each line were decorated with crimson feather ornaments, and the headdresses of the fifte
en platoon commanders behind them were decorated with the same ornaments, about half
the size of the headdresses, to indicate their rank.
The two platoons lined up to the right are the White Knights of Torus. They were the bann
ermen of Princess Amneris, and were the best of the best defending the Grand Duchy. Pure
white armor and helmet, the same crest of Mongol. The feather ornaments of the headdress
es worn by the two platoon leaders, Count Vron of Torus and Baron Lint of Torus, are simil
ar to those of the captains of the Red Guards.
When Amneris appeared on the balcony with his sword, which he had made especially slen
der, he gazed at the expedition of more than five hundred men with satisfaction. Nowhere
did he see a look of fright, a look of hesitation, or a look of vulnerability. All five hundred fac
es looked up at the Lord standing alone on the balcony with tension and boundless admirat
ion.
It was a fine sight, indeed. Amneris has replaced his relaxed appearance with the armor of
a warrior. A long white cloak flung over his shoulders. A jeweled dagger hung from her wai
st, her fine blond hair, still without a helmet, glistened in the bonfire, and her white face, su
rrounded by it, was as dignified as that of a young and glorious hero of myth. She nodded to
her men and took the slender sword from the hand of the samurai.
"From now on, we, three squadrons of Red Knights and the White Knights of Vron and Lint,
will march by night across the River Kes in the direction of Nosferus to capture the two orp
hans of Paro and their protectors that we lost earlier. Amneris himself, Lord of Mongol and
General of the Right, will take command. Because of the night crossing and the march, great
danger may be expected. All the companies will light fires and use them as torches to keep t
heir surroundings illuminated and to keep their saddles close to each other while checking
each other out. We have three days' rations, and we will return to the castle as soon as we h
ave achieved our objective. Make sure that you do not act alone or delay in carrying out you
r orders."
"Long live Mongol!"
A shout of joy shook the walls of Arvon.
"We're off!"
Amneris holds the sword in his hand and holds it out to you.
Under the watchful eyes of Ricard's troops, the dispatched troops jumped at once to their r
espective horses. Amneris, his white cloak fluttering, disappeared from the balcony for a m
oment, but he soon appeared in the courtyard, striding lightly on the back of a white horse
pulled by a samurai.

Count Vron, a huge, ugly man, and Baron Rindt, a small man by contrast, were flanked on ei
ther side by horse, a mage named Gayus, and a samurai child. The White Guard follows him.
Finally, the Earl of Rickard and his guards leave the castle with the usual simple girdle.
It's already well past dark. It's night on the frontier. If the lady hadn't stressed that not a mi
nute could be wasted, no one would have wanted to join her in her quest to cross the Kes in
the dark of night.

But the elite of Mongol did not complain a single word. Solemnly and beautifully they follo
wed the right general through the forest of Alvon, driving their horses with many feet. Five
lines of knights on either side of them, each holding a torch in his hand, so that the darknes
s of their path was replaced by the smoky day, and as they went, from the darkness beneath
the trees, from the shadows of the undergrowth, they fell asleep - or their lives were broke
n. In the shadows of the undergrowth and the darkness beneath the trees, we see the shado
ws of strange creatures who are fleeing in panic into the deeper night. The valiant knights p
aid no heed. But still they breathed a secret sigh of relief when at last they passed through t
he forest of Arvon and came to a place where they could see the river Kes, lit up by the pale
moon of Iris.

It was a dreamlike scene, something that made one's heart beat wildly.
They stand still on a cliff overlooking the Kes. Behind them is the Black Forest of Arvon,
and further up is the castle of Arvon, its outline illuminated by the bonfires of the troops on
guard duty. In the background are the forests of Talos and Ruud, and beyond them, the
burnt castle of Staphorus lies still under the same moon.
It is the surface of a dark river, swaying gently in the darkness. Unaware of the myriad thre
ats, horrible deaths and demons hidden therein, the face of the water making a quiet sound
against the rocks is faintly glowing with a pale iris. And standing looking down on them are
the silent troops of horsemen, half lit up by the gleam of the torch, the other half sinking int
o the darkness of night with a pensive look.
Amneris's white armor, his blond hair flipping behind his helmet, stood out in the gloom w
ith a dim glow like a star of light guiding them on their journey into darkness.
"More lights."
For a moment, Amneris looked at the river Kes, as if he feared the danger it held, but his he
sitation was short-lived. A clear voice commanded, and all the knights took one of the torch
es on their backs and lit it from their comrades. The crossbow was strapped to the side of t
he saddle crucible. Soon a little daylight is born.
Amneris raised his white-gloved hand to indicate, and once again the troops began to desc
end, this time in single file down a narrow path.
The road wound its way down to the riverbank of Kes. The riverbank was extremely narro
w and rocky, and there was no place for five hundred men to go down at once. Two platoon
s of Red Knights, who had been ordered to take the lead, went down from the horse, took th
eir sandals and went down to the water's edge.
The Earl of Rickard's engineers have already made their preparations. A raft with a railing,
the same as the one carried by the fugitives from Staphorus Castle earlier, but with more ir
on and more care for protection, is being slid across the water.
Once the horse has been left behind, the knights in the front line tie their torches to the raf
t. They drew their swords, took full precautions, and waited in rafts of ten men each. The th
ree rafts were pushed out of the water by the craft behind them, and the pole at their comm
and successfully propelled them to the surface.
Unlike Guin and his party, who were able to go downstream and follow the current, the Mo
ngols had to plunge straight through the river and had to take great pains. The ten poles on
each side of the raft entered the water at once, and they felt as if they were paddling the raf
t by pushing off the bottom of the river. The lights of the torches wavered anxiously as the r
aft swayed, and the knights paid such close attention that they had no time to worry about t
he other two rafts that had left the shore at the same time.
Suddenly, there was a scream from one of the ships and a tremendous sound of water, whi
ch made the people jump and grab their swords.
"Whoa!"
"The Great Bitsu Gumaguchius!"
The spray of water extinguished some of the torches attached to the raft, and a fierce strug
gle continued there for a while.
"First team up! Report, damage!
The Earl of Rickard, advancing to the water's edge, cried out loudly. For a few moments the
y were talking to each other on the raft and checking that there was no sign of an attack, wh
en a loud voice came over the water,
"Two men were killed. One was snatched by the Big Bitsu Gumaguchius and one was thrown off the raf
t by it. The others are safe. Shall we return the raft and search for those who fell into the wa
ter?"
"Unnecessary! Go ahead. I'll send a team after you to find him."

Rickard shouts back.

In the meantime, the first raft had apparently reached the opposite shore safely. Breathing
a sigh of relief, the ten riders jumped onto the shore one after another and stepped onto the
safe ground. In fact, it was the border between Nosferus and the frontier region, so it was di
fficult to say that they had finally reached safe ground.
They brought the raft in and firmly fastened its ends to the rocks on the shore with chains
and nets. The next two boats arrived at the shore and began the same work.

When the three rafts were fixed to the shore side by side, the knights began to manipulate t
he chains attached to the bottom of the rafts by hand. Pulleys had been inserted for this pur
pose. At the end of the chain were three rafts that had been put out into the water for the n
ext crossing.

The hardest part was the first time. From then on, the combination of the pole and the forc
e of the chains from the shore made the work much easier. The second party, without fear o
f the big mouth or any other monster, reached the opposite shore, and fastened their rafts t
o the rafts of the first party by means of the iron locks which were attached to each of them.
In the meantime, the advance party was at work reinforcing the iron plates alongside their
rafts. There was nothing to be said except what was necessary. By torchlight, the knights cr
ossed the river one after another, thirty to a dozen at a time, and as they did so, the bridge t
hat had been their raft grew little by little from the opposite bank to this.
When the same work had been repeated nearly ten times, a floating bridge had been built,
albeit a dangerous one, by covering the wooden raft with iron. At the end, an iron dedicatio
n was firmly placed to reinforce the bridge. The next group, still on the horses, formed thre
e lines and were able to cross the swaying bridge.
From then on, the progress was swift. The knights went on and on, and the horse riders wh
o had crossed on the raft with Norite arrived at Norite's side.
"Very well. Phase one is complete."
Amneris says with satisfaction.
"Gayus, time."
"It will be about three Xangs before sunrise."
"There's still time."
All the Red Knights had crossed to the other side of the river and only two platoons of Whit
e Knights were left. Amneris looked back at Rickard and gave him an order.
"Send a platoon of men here tonight as a precaution and withdraw to the castle. Tomorrow
morning at sunrise I will send out a company of men to cross the river and, as I said before,
build there a simple but sufficient barrier for a temporary defence. In the meantime, the tas
k force will make sure that this temporary bridge is completely extended and reinforced . M
essages will be sent out to each other twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, an
d other communications will be made by smoke signals. Let the reinforcements from the T
wo Leads cross the river after they have had a good rest and protect the defensive line. Goo
d."
"Yes, Your Highness. Your Highness, please be careful."

Rickard looked worried.

"Nosferus is Nosferus, the devil's own version of himself... if anything should happen to His
Highness, it would be my fault if the Golden Scorpion Palace were to suffer."
"As soon as you have caught them, return to the wall. If, in the meantime, the river rises and
the bridge falls away, bridge it again as soon as you can. As often as you can, you understan
d."
"I'm sorry."
"Be mindful of the situation in Staphorus. For all we know, Shem may be coming for you ag
ain."
"I am mindful of that, sir."

Amneris was satisfied. He nodded to Count Rickard, and holding his white helmet back in h
is hands, he pulled it on tightly and lowered his face. Not a strand of her lustrous hair was v
isible. He flings back his cloak,
"Come on, let's go!"
They called out to Vron on the right and Rindt on the left. Spurred on, the troop of white ho
rses rode at once to the floating bridge. Among them, the mage Gayus alone, dressed in a bl
ack hooded cloak and black horse, looks like black ink dropped into milk.

The torches on both sides of the bridge guaranteed a modicum of safety. Count Rickard, an
xiously clutching his saddle jar, watches the damsel in distress.
Amneris and sixty SS men crossed the bridge without delay while being watched over by t
he absent troops. The Red Knights lingered on the shore and waited for the arrival of their c
ommander with horse gloves.
And they set out for the wilderness of Nosferus without a moment's rest.

Nosferus-- it's the legendary No Man's Land.

At this time, the territory of the demons and barbarians in the so-called frontier, or in the d
eep forest where only rocks and deserts are left in the wilderness, or in the deep forest whe
re only strange creatures are wandering and humans cannot survive, is far more extensive
and threatening than the territory of human knowledge and civilization, the Central Plains.
In terms of breadth and threat, it far surpassed the Central Plains, the territory of human k
nowledge and civilization.
The people clung to the frontier and to the few fertile lands bounded by the two seas of Len
t and Corsair, and built their civilization by fighting over these few lands. They clung to the
few fertile lands surrounded by the two seas of Lent and Corsair, and built their civilization
by fighting each other for the little land they had. There were the verdant Middle Plains,
and then the endless steppes around the Ross River, the southeastern limit of the frontier a
nd Middle Plains, where the Kes River flows into the Lent Sea after a few thousand tad. In t
he snowy north, the ice and snow clans of Quinsland, Vanheim, and Tarruan took root. To t
he people of the Middle Plains, the world was still a very unknown place.
Because of the color of the stones, the transportation network between the countries locat
ed in the Middle Plains has been opened and the trade between the countries has been acti
ve.

However, this red road, which would later become a ray of human wisdom penetrating far
into the frontier, at that time only connected the countries of the Central Plains with their
major cities at most. The so-called frontier regions between the frontier and the middle
plain are still left in the hands of the settlers and face civilization with their deep and wild n
ature intact.
But--
Even that frontier region is but a peaceful fertile field in the face of the real frontier threat
across the Kes.
It was in such a place that the chase team consisting of three companies of Red Knights and
two platoons of White Knights led by Amneris, the Lady of Mongol, had set foot. A no-man's
land where the only inhabitants are the barbarians of Nosferus and unborn demons.
They turned to the eastward, behind the crossing where the lights of Fort Alvon were shini
ng like old guardians on the opposite bank. This is the direction from which the last of the f
ugitives were seen heading in the evening.
There is no road-like path in Nosferus. It is simply a barren wasteland of huge gray rocks,
with a few mosses nestled between them. The darkness is so deep and dense that it does no
t even reveal what kind of horrible monster is hiding there.
Amneris's men held up torches and walked in five lines without a sound. The lighting of th
e torches might have alerted the fugitives to their pursuers, but to walk through the dreade
d No Man's Land at night without a light was like death. The knights constantly checked on
each other, and when the torches of their allies were about to go out, they would light the n
ext one from their own torches.
As they went, five hundred torches swept away the darkness and created a little temporary
safety. Here, even the darkness seems to cling more tightly than on the farther bank of the
Kes, which should not be far away. It is as if the darkness itself has taken on an impure life
of its own and become a dense and vicious jelly-like creature of blackness.
In the dense darkness, I could clearly sense that some unknown small creatures were lurki
ng as if they were assimilated into it. As if they were only an arbitrary part of that sticky jell
y, they seemed to hide in front of five hundred torches, even to hide their breath, but their u
nvoiced murmurs, their panic, their indignation, and their shaking that threatened were tra
nsmitted. There is nothing that is filled with a murmur and the life of impurity as much as t
he silence of the night of Nosferus.
Amneris was walking in the midst of a line of horsemen, guarded by five hundred knights.
But even above her hooded head a great winged thing whirled past with a strange voice, m
oaning like a woman sobbing, and when a torch was held out to it, it scurried away from th
e circle of light, a strange thing with many short legs, neither leech nor frog. It was a strang
e thing with many short legs, neither leech nor frog.
Amneris did not move his face at the sight of these strange inhabitants of Nosferus . He sim
ply pulled down the large, loose-fitting hood that he wore over the lowered cheeks of his he
lmet, hid his green eyes in the shadows as if he were lost in his own thoughts, and walked o
n. The knights, of course, do not utter a single word.
It should have been nearly sunrise by now, but darkness crawled over the ground forever,
and there was a faint, strange odor in the air. It was a smell that could not be compared to a
nything else, but it was an irritating smell that would never leave his nostrils. It seemed to i
rritate the mage Gayus more than anyone else, and he pulled his hood down deeper and de
eper, and with the edge of his cloak over his mouth and nose, he continued to murmur
secretly in an unheard voice as he rode his donkey.
It's the scent of a maggot. It's the scent of a terrestrial Nosferus. Ominous. Ominous. That's no h
elp. The princess is ruled by a star. And the stars are such that I've never seen them arrange
d like this before... and they have so many different elements in them that I can't tell wheth
er it's a bad omen or a good omen or neither. The only thing I can say is that these stars hav
e come together to form a terribly complicated and tangled pattern, and that pattern has no
t even begun to be drawn yet. Now, what kind of astrologer can read such an intricate array
of stars as if they were his own heart - a wise man and seer named Locandorus who lives in
the West, or, as they say Agrippa, the great sorcerer, who is said to have lived for 20,000 ye
ars, and Gratian, the "Dark Priest". Compared to those three, I know no more than a newbor
n goose chick. even a mage with more training and mastery would need thousands of years
to understand this planet. I can think of no one else but these three who are the highest pri
ests of magic.
I don't know. Gracchus is the master of the dark arts and the supreme priest of the demon
god Dole. You can't do that!
And what about Agrippa, one of the greatest mages of all time, living from an unimaginable
past, who is now more than a legend, and whose whereabouts, true power, and even wheth
er he still exists, would require an arduous adventure, as narrated in a long poem by a kitha
ra player. In order to find out where he is, what his true power is, and even whether he is st
ill real or not, we will have to go through an extremely difficult adventure that is itself told i
n a long poem by a kittara player.
If I had to ask, it would be Locandorus the Seer, but even Locandorus, the wise man of the s
teppe and astrologer of the White Magic, is said to hide himself away in the mountains and
watch the stars, rarely appearing in public. In any case, it is a difficult thing - a difficult thin
g, though it is understandable that Yarn, who holds the spinning wheel of fate in his hands,
does not intend to make the patterns of the fabric so easy for mortals to read.
In any case, this chart is beyond my grasp. All I can do is to see if the princess is on the righ
t path. And with the scent of the magistrate lingering in the air, there's no telling how many of our 500 warriors will retur
n to Torus or Alvon unharmed. (Do it, do it, do it!)

"Gayus!"
Suddenly, the lord's sharp, whip-like voice snapped the old mage out of his reverie.
"What are you talking to yourself about?
"is."
Gayus pulled down his hood even more and nodded. Amneris, too, made no attempt to rep
eat the question, but, as if awakened at last, removed his hood from its deep covering, raise
d his face, and surveyed the scene from his horse.
The night darkness that had soaked the area was finally fading away. The edges of the mou
ntains to the east were dyed a deep orange, and the air was stripped of its blackness like a t
hin sheet of paper, and instead was clothed in a bleak transparency of white and gray.
"All right, turn off the light."
After a moment's pause, Amneris gave the order. Five hundred torches were blown out at
once.
"Your Highness, with all due respect, are you certain that we are heading in the right directi
on in our pursuit?"
Platoon leader Lint moves his horse lightly closer and whispers. Amneris waved his hand,
"The Ouija board in Gayus' hand did indeed point in this direction, eastward toward Canaa
n. And night will soon fall. Let's climb the nearby cliffs and let our scouts survey the land in
every direction. Then we'll advance again. I don't want to split the army in two at Nosferu
s."
"I understand."
"Have each company commander turn over his horse and check whether there are any falle
n soldiers in his unit."
"Yes, sir."
Baron de Lint gave his white horse a light whip and broke ranks. Soon a message was sent
out, and at last, after a long night of gloomy marching, the party was alive and moving agai
n.

No one has fallen. Satisfied, Amneris saw a rocky mountain appearing on his left and sent o
ut a message to halt all troops.
"We will rest here for the rest of the day. You may dismount, take rations and take a nap in
shifts. But be sure that half of you are awake, do not pack your gear, and do not leave your h
orses in a position where you can ride them immediately."
When he had made the signal, Amneris ordered Vron and Lint, the two platoon leaders,
and Gayus and the samurai to follow him, and drove the horse to the rocky mountain he ha
d spotted.
The great white horse, carrying the duchess, seemed glad to be able to ride lightly after its l
ong and solemn march through the night, and raised its legs in the air as it rode up the rock
y mountain. At its slightly flattened summit, Amneris halted the horse, and with the reins st
ill in his hands, looked out over the expanse below to Nosferus.
Then, without remembering, he let out a small sigh. A sea of white and gray, rock and sand,
as far as the eye could see, that resembled a wave head and even undulated like the sea, but
nothing but the vague miasma and the shimmering of the air there resembled the sea. Even
though it is not yet that time of day, there is an uneasy shimmering flame at the edge of the
mountains, and the wilderness is slowly dawning, but nowhere can you find the chirping of
birds or the life that makes the morning so peaceful.
The desolate, unsettling scene turns a fierce red for a moment, and the sun appears, strang
ely limpid compared to the color of the river beyond. It is the dawn of No Man's Land.
White angel hair on the wind clings to the lady standing on the back of the horse and the k
nights watching over her, and then quickly melts away.
Suddenly, Amneris narrowed his eyes.
Her lips faintly fluttered, then suddenly tightened. She raised her hand and silently pointed
in that direction.
A line of smoke shimmering from behind the rocks.
Amneris nodded. Give the horse a whip and run straight down the mountain. The knights f
ollowed. Their prey has been found.

"We're off!"
The lady's sharp voice pierced the area.
three

And before them was the wilderness of Nosferus.

"Guin-- hey, Guin."
The raft hit a rock and was wrecked, and on the other side of the river, the White Knights o
f Arvon kept shouting for them to come back. A shot from the crossbow, intended as a warn
ing, pierced the rock right next to them. Soaking wet, they scrambled to the shore of Nosfer
us and ran without looking.
At last the exhausted twins fell to their knees, and Guin and the others stopped, but by then
the sun had already set on the river, and even if it hadn't, it would have been too late to go o
n.
"Guin-- please, rest. I can't take another step."
Linda, panting, did not have time to finish what she had said before she slumped limply aga
inst a small rock. Remus, too, slumped down at her feet.
Guin and Istvan looked at each other, but Guin didn't know, and the Valakian mercenary, b
reathing heavily, sat there without waiting for a nod.

"Don't worry. No one's going to be chasing us across the Kess River at night."
Gasping for breath, he grabbed the vacha fruit from the leather bag on his waist and put it i
n his mouth. All the flour and dried meat, which he called gati, were soaked in the poisonou
s water of the Kesu River.

"Let's build a fire."

Istvan said. Guin made a show of trying to stop him, but the mercenary..,
"I'm fine. First of all, are you going to cower in the wilderness of Nosferus in the dark of nig
ht without a light?"
And Guin approved of it, for it was a good saying. They gathered up the dead moss from ar
ound them and made a fire. When they gathered around the fire, they felt relieved at last.
"Oh, dear--"
The Red Mercenary, who is the first to say anything, chews on his vachaça fruit and says.
"The raft's gone to hell, and the Gora soldiers are chasing us... now we've ruined everything
we set out to do."
Linda rubbed shoulders with Remus and pulled Suni close to her, staring anxiously into the
fire. As she wrapped her hands around Suni's small, hairy body, she felt a sense of comfort.
And as he gazed at the mythical leopard-headed half of Guin, illuminated by the fire, he felt
some comfort from the anxiety that gnawed at his heart over his present helpless state.
"There's no going back to Gora now. We don't even have a raft. But there's no way we're cr
ossing No Man's Land on foot without any gear. Oh, well... there's nothing else to say but th
ank you for Yarn's hospitality.
Or do you have something to say to me, Leopard?"
"Not that there aren't."
Guin replied taciturnly. He thought for a moment,
"Rather, there's nothing we can do about it if we keep talking about it. As long as we can't g
o back, we have to move forward."
"Huh?"
Istvan made a loud noise and seemed to be trying to make fun of Guin, but suddenly,
"Whoa."
He shouted and swiped something off his face.

"What's wrong?"
"It's a friggin' doll, a bunch of angel hair. Came flying at me, stuck me in the face."
"You'd better be careful. They're harmless, but in large numbers they can get in through the
nose and choke you. It's the most common species of Nosferus."
"You know a lot."
Istvan said hatefully,
"Well, I suppose you're right. You're probably just happy to be back where you came from."
"How would Guin know that Nosferus is his birthplace?"

Linda's mad at me.

"All monsters are Nosferatu."
was the mercenary's irresponsible reply.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, we gotta move on, right? Let's hear your thoughts. Where are w
e going to go in the middle of no-man's-land with not much to eat? Canaan?"
"It's the only way."
"Do you know how many tadds it is to the Canaan Mountains?"
"Maybe."
"If you pass over Canaan, you will find the great jungle of Ross and the Ross River. Beyond t
hat, past many mysterious eastern nations, you will finally reach Cheironia. Do you underst
and that?"
"I don't have a choice."
"Well, that's a journey that would probably take a year on foot. What about food during that
time? We could eat the id of Nosferus. Or maybe we'll just eat this skinny little Shem to kee
p us going for the time being."
"Well!"
Linda raised her willow eyebrows and hugged Suni. She was so angry that her words choke
d in her throat.
"Eat Su-ni"? You savage! You're such a beast!"
"Don't they eat monkeys in your country of birth? In Valakia, monkeys were always roasted
on festival days."
Istvan's dark eyes glittered.

Linda, realizing that she was being teased, drew back her pretty lips in a stubborn manner
and fell silent. Suni was looking at the humans with an expression that seemed to indicate
whether she knew what was being said or not, when she suddenly struggled out of Linda's
arms and turned to Guin and began to chirp in a fearful manner.
Guin listened gravely to the high-pitched, chirping voice, but then, with a hint of excitemen
t, he spoke back in Shem's language. Sun-hee became more and more excited.
"Hey, what's going on? What the hell is that monkey talking about, Guin?"
"You can't call Suni a monkey--!"
Linda said indignantly, but Guin stopped her with his hand and replied.
"Suni says. She owes him a debt of gratitude for saving her life. It would not be good for her
to wander around Nosferus like this, so she asks that we stop at her tribal village and thank
her, and then the young men of Rak will guide her wherever she wishes, safely through She
m's territory."
"Well, Suni!"
Linda bites the little ape girl's neck. Suni makes a squeaking sound. She's happy to see Lind
a's appreciation.
"You want us to stay here and be monkeys' guests?"
Istvan wrinkled his nose and shouted.
"To the village of Sal. I've never heard such a masterful joke on the fiery tongue of Dole!"
"Maa! You dare to speak the Doll's name so carelessly! And you forget where you are! This i
s Nosferus, the very heart of Dole. And you want us to be part of your carelessness?"

"How can a man make a living on the battlefield if he's afraid of the doll? In Valachia, dolls
were cursed in the gambling parlors every day."
"Well!"
Beyond indignation, the eyes of Linda and Remus were round with real fear. Linda gently c
uts the sign of Janus.
"With you in tow, even the safest journey is unlikely to be a successful one."
"Let me tell you something. I am Istvan of Valyria, the warrior known as the Red Mercenar
y, but I have another name for myself. It's called... the Man Who Brings Misfortune."
Istvan seemed to be good at it.
"That's really true."
Remus says. Istvan chuckles,
"So, look, on my way, a nobleman's son got into a fight with me and was killed, a
pretentious noblewoman found out about my affair with her and was thrown out of her ho
use, and finally, the castle of Staphorus was even destroyed. And I, the one who brought mis
fortune to the land, can always, at any time, miraculously, slip through a crisis in the nick of
time. Only I am always able to avoid the disaster I bring. Even I sometimes think that this is
a superpower. Anyway, because I am, my protector is not Janus or old Yarn, but maybe Doll.
There's nothing more reassuring to have on your side."
"Don't you dare sell your soul now! I'm not going to play with dolls. ......"
Fearful, Remus starts to warn him. But sooner than that, Linda opened her mouth.
Guin, Istvan, and Remus suddenly stared in horror. Linda's appearance had changed.

Illuminated by the fire, the girl's half-face was strangely transformed, as if she were someo
ne other than Linda.
The face of the princess of Paro, who was born a small queen with dignity and pride, but
who had not yet lost her innocence and youthfulness, had a dark and mysterious coolness,
as if she were a priestess in the temple of Janus, and her eyes were darkened and seemed to
reveal the dark wisdom of thousands of years. Her eyes were dark and seemed to glimpse t
he dark wisdom of thousands of years. The three of them listened with bated breath.
Linda raised her hand in a gentle gesture. She pointed straight at the chest of the Valakian
warrior with a grave and divine gesture that was so different from her normal gesture.
"Now..."
She said it in a faint, mature voice that didn't sound like her.

"Now you know. Every plague does not miss the messenger who carries it because he is the
messenger. You will see that the plague is always near and it returns to you. When the lion'
s star, which is strong enough to eliminate the star of your misfortune, is victorious, your st
ar will disappear, and only then will you be at peace. Nakahara will be troubled by the misf
ortunes he carries through his endless travels, which will only disappear when his star is ex
tinguished.
He will know that the star of calamity has not omitted his messenger, nor any of his peopl
e."
Linda stopped talking as if something had disturbed her. Her white eyelids suddenly flutter
ed down over her open eyes, and she relaxed and leaned against Remus.
"What the--"
The mercenary was going to say something. Something to make fun of him. But he couldn't
say it.
A strange, almost awe-inspiring numbness overcame the young mercenary, as if he had
suddenly stepped into a point in eternity that continued on into a very distant time and spa
ce. He looked at Linda.
Now, at a point in the night darkness of this no-man's-land, time and space seemed to bare
their silent fullness, standing still forever. There was no end to the darkness, and there was
no end to the night either. Suddenly Istvan was seized by a fierce loneliness, a haunting lon
eliness that froze his heart, and he looked around in horror. Seeking the living, flesh and blo
od inhabitants of the human world whom he knew so well. What he saw was night and dark
ness, the eternal point of contact between the two, the face of a woman with half-lidded eye
s like a grim mask, watching over him as if to seal his fate, and the image of a strange pagan
god sitting upright as if he were its guardian. It was the leopard head of a half-beast, half-go
d, just like a strange pagan god.

The faces of Shem's daughter and Paro's heir sank into the darkness, and there seemed to
be nothing but a leopard-headed warrior and a prophetess who was oddly close to the real
m of the gods.
To the ends of time.
Istvan shook himself. He was young, reckless, born with the promise of a different fate fro
m that of ordinary men, a tremendously cheerful and confident warrior, and yet he tremble
d all over. He had never even felt fear in the midst of any of his blood-curdling adventures,
and that was why he was called the Demon Warrior.
Time had frozen and stopped. This was a realm where mortal man, in the hands of fate, sho
uld never have been allowed to set foot, let alone turn his head. The fright and coldness fro
m the depths of his soul that made Istvan's body shake like a leaf probably came from the r
ealization that he was cursed, a man who had looked into a realm he should never have see
n.
"I'm--"

He tore off his tongue, which was stuck to his upper jaw, and was still trying to say somethi
ng when suddenly the embers of the fire cracked with a loud crack.
The spell is broken. The fire flickered, and time began to flow aright again, and the fire illu
minated five men and women, flesh and blood, who themselves were but a single being, bei
ng tugged by the yarn spinning wheel.
Istvan drew a deep breath and squeezed all the breath out of his lungs. As if to say, "If I do t
hat, I can replace all the horrible loneliness I'm feeling right now.
I'm not kidding.
The mercenary murmured secretly so that no one could hear him.
Guin's expressionless leopard head did not even seem to notice the strange time that had s
uddenly come and suddenly gone. He turned his yellow, glowing eyes with a disturbing radi
ance towards his companions and opened his mouth.
"We may be pursued by Arvon as night falls. If I were lord, I'd make sure of it. Those men sa
w us. It's not hard to see that it was the same men who were at Staphorus when the castle
was destroyed, and if so, it's easy for a keen eye to see what threat they pose to the Shem of
Nosferus when they bring the daughter of Shem with them against Gora. We must keep as
much distance between us as possible, even at the risk of walking through No Man's Land i
n the dark of night."
"Yeah, I guess so."
Still somewhat heavy-hearted, Istvan agreed, but he soon recovered his spirits,
"And it doesn't make sense to me. Why on earth would a white knight of Torus be in Alvon,
the Red Knight's stronghold--there are too many fishy stories around here."
"Not at all."
Guin nodded.
"That's why we have to find a place to settle down as soon as possible. And then we'll find a
way."
"Policy?"
"Yes. Because if we don't, we'll just be running scared and blinking our eyes from the pursu
ers of the mighty Duke of Gora."
"Are you trying to fight back?"
Istvan shouted in dismay and stared at Guin, forgetting the strange experience he had just
had. He clapped his hands together as if he was completely dumbfounded.
"What the hell can we do with Yarn's long duplicity?"
"Then what were you going to do when you ran away to Kaylonia?"
Guin asked back.
"That's right, I'm going to go to some general's office, take the test, and get in as a mercenar
y."
"You'll be fine with it . But what about Guin?"
Linda screamed. Her face was no more than that of a pretty, carefree girl. There was no tra
ce of the strange, mysterious calmness of the previous scene, and the viewer was left with t
he illusion that all of the previous events had taken place in a dream.
"How does he expect to join the mercenary army in this form? He'll be hunted down, interr
ogated severely, and then executed if they don't believe him! We'll be..."
Linda bites her lip. The mercenary has finally regained his true form.
"I don't need you to tell me what to do about it."
Laugh and point.
"It's none of my business what a monster he is. I can take care of myself, and I always have.
I expect you to do the same."
"Very well."
"Mankind!"

Guin nodded gravely before Linda could rant in anger.

"I don't need you to worry about that, I'm apparently strong enough to take care of myself.
But we're in Nosferus, a civilized world that's hundreds of thousands of tads away in either
direction unless we go back to Gora... and going back to Gora means jumping into the enem
y's attack, so we have to think about what to do with ourselves here and now before we go t
o Cheironia. Isn't it?
What do you think, Red Mercenary - are you against the idea of relying on Shem's Rak cla
n?"
"You're gonna ask Sal for help?"
Istvan wrinkled his nose and stuck out his lower lip. The mercenary with the black hair an
d dark eyes looked strangely charming and even cute, reminding the viewer that he was stil
l young, not yet 20 years old.
"Hey, Leopard-head, what the hell are you thinking in that beast's head? Is it thinking of sed
ucing the monkey tribe to invade the Grand Duchy of Gora? This is crazy.
The mercenary laughed loudly. Linda glared at him hatefully as he burst into tears, choking
with laughter. Istvan's natural hatred of her did not help Linda at all, and it seemed to make
her even more angry.
"Why don't you just stop?"
The honest Linda doesn't understand that her childish exasperation is making her even mo
re happy.
"Linda, if he doesn't like it, let him do what he wants. Hey, Guin, we're going to Suni's. I'm n
ot thinking of asking for Shem's help, but for now, I'm going to hide out in Argos or Cheironi
a, and while I'm there, the remnants of the Crystal will gather their forces..."
"Remus!"
Linda almost snapped out of it, but it was too late. Istvan's dark, apricot-shaped eyes rolled
back, then narrowed slowly, slyly, and he stuck out his tongue and licked his lips in satisfact
ion.
"Ha ha."
She purposely looks at the twins and makes catcalls.
"I knew it... I thought it was strange... but then I realized that you..." he pointed at Linda... "a
nd you... And you - pointing to Remus - are the orphans of Paro, who escaped the fires of th
e Black Dragon War."
"Remus, you idiot!"
Linda clicks her tongue. She glared at the Red Mercenary with a fierce fire in her violet eye
s that would allow nothing to stand in her way.
"Yes. I am Princess Linda the Oracle, of the rightful line of the sacred royal house of Paro, an
d this is Remus, the pearl of Paro, heir to the throne of Paro, the heir apparent. And now yo
u know. Now what will you do-- sell us to the Gora if you must. If you bring us back or if you
don't but bring us back with a place for us, Castle Arvon won't condemn you as a deserter, t
hey'll give you a place in the Order.
In return, you will be cursed for eternity by the holy royal family of Paro and all its loyal su
bjects!
Now, choose!"
"What the hell are you--"
Istvan grinned. In truth, though he did not like to admit it, when Linda challenged him so d
ecisively and with such dignity, he was inwardly reluctant, and not only that, but he could
not help admiring the proud beauty of the little queen, whose violet eyes blazed with fire
and whose cheeks flushed with blood. I couldn't help but admire the proud beauty of the lit
tle queen.

However, he was a very stubborn and selfish person, and he had no intention of admitting
such a thing to anyone or even to himself secretly.
"What are you gonna do, red mercenary?"

The girl questioned him, not even noticing his inner turmoil.
"There is nothing we can do. Neither can we kill you to silence you, nor can we promise you
a reward or a position in return as a wandering prince and princess without a country. All
we have is our unquenchable royal pride - we are so helpless. What will you do with this he
lpless us?"
"It's ......."
Again Istvan licked his lips, but this time with some trepidation. Then Guin made a sudden
movement.
"I don't know, Princess."
Slowly, he opens his mouth as if it were a revelation.
"Are you so helpless? I don't think so, but you have at least a knight to protect you, and that
knight could easily twist the head of a despicable traitor with his bare hands. --"
"Guin......"
Istvan paused for breath. But Linda and Remus did not.

She stares at him for a moment, then suddenly calls out his name as she bites the Leopard-
headed warrior from both sides.
"Oh, Guin!"
And Linda - the proud little queen of Paro - nuzzled her face into the warrior's strong, thick
shoulder and cried out.

Guin made no attempt to soothe him, but kept him clinging to her shoulder, his yellow eyes
shining over the fire at Istvan.
"Oh, Linda, don't cry, hey, Linda!"
Remus rubbed his sister's shoulders and Suni cuddled into Linda's lap, looking worried.
For a moment, Istvan couldn't decide whether to laugh or be indignant, and he blinked his l
ips.
And then suddenly, with a wild gesture, he strikes his fist into his palm.
"Goddamn it, what the fuck!"

He ranted out loud.

"How dare this wicked little girl and her Leopard-headed monster put me in this mess, with
Janus, the ruler of this world and no-world and everything in between! All right, all right. W
hen on earth did you think Istvan would sell Paro's child to survive in Gora? I don't care if
we go with him to that stinking monkey village or to the far side of Canaan or wherever he
wants to go. I'm desperate. You can take me to the print of Dole or the bed of the monkeys.
Damn you!
"Very well."
That's all Guin said gravely. He stared at the fire for a while and then..,
"In that case, the sooner the better. Let's ask Suni how long it will take to get to Rak's villag
e from here."
They talked back and forth in Soon-hee and Seum's language for a while,
"It'll take us a day and a half to get there from here. With Suni's legs , we might be able to ge
t there in a day."
"I hope so! We've only got a handful of vacha for food, and we're almost out of water. If you
don't give us some stinky monkey food, I'll certainly eat that little monkey."
"If you can do it, you can do it!"
Linda screamed. Guin restrained her with his hand.
"All right, let's go out. In the meantime, let's make something to replace the torch, and we'll
be at least one tad east by dawn."

Before they knew it, all of their friends were listening and obeying Guin's words without sa
ying a word. It was as if a silent agreement had been made. They said not a word, but stood
up to do Guin's bidding. Soon they were ready.
Thus, the leopard-headed warrior Guin, the Valakian Istvan, the Paro twins Linda and Rem
us, and the Raku Suni, all of whom had lost their memories, became friends, working hand i
n hand for the same goal.
four

And--
Once again we are in the wilds of Nosferus.
By this time, though the fugitives had no way of knowing it, the pursuing party from Arvon
had successfully crossed the Kes on a floating bridge based on a raft. The fugitives had not f
oreseen the blitz, for even the wily Istvan had not imagined that it would be the Lady Amne
ris who would lead the chase, but something inexplicably unsettling drove them deeper an
d deeper into the wilderness to the east. But something impelled me to go deeper and deep
er into the wilderness to the east.
They were not as well armed as the trackers, and their way might have been much more di
fficult, but instead Suni, a native of the wilderness, was at the head of the way, and they
were able to go on their way in the night without much fear of running into danger. In that
sense, they were able to proceed without fear of running into a dangerous area. In this sens
e, there was not much of a handicap between the pursuers and the fugitives.
Even for Shem, the wilds of Nosferus could not be a safe haven, and Suni would often look i
n the dark, unsure of his direction. Shem's way of doing this was very different. At night, he
would carefully pick up an angel hair that was floating on the wind with a faint blue phosph
orescence. In no time at all it melts away in the heat of his palm, but by then Suni has alread
y seen what he wanted to see.
Linda and the others tried to reach out and take them, wondering what difference there wa
s in the angel hair that revealed the direction in which Suni was looking. But no matter how
they strained their eyes, the pale threads of light, which seemed to have emerged from a vis
ion rather than from primitive life, soon melted away, and it was impossible to distinguish t
hem, or even to look at them for a while.
"If this strange thing is edible... This is a hell of a place. It's inhabited by the foul Shem and t
he stupid Ragon, the land-dwelling Biggummacouth, the Sandworm, the flesh-eating, rock-like monster
Null, the Blood Moss and this creepy Angel Hair. How did this area become such a hive of m
onsters? According to historical records and the legend of the kithara player, this is the hell
of the world since the beginning, and when Janus and Dole played a game for the world, Jan
us won, but forgot to put the name of Nosferus in the land he bet on, so this is the only map
of Dole that still remains on earth. It is said that Janus won, but forgot to include the name
of Nosferus in his bet.
Anyway, it doesn't change the fact that I'm a madman. My companions are all monsters or l
unatics and with this damn throat thing churning, I won't be able to hum for the rest of my l
ife. When the sun rises, this dismal land will be the bottom of a burning pond. Oh, the hexag
onal rhinoceros that Janus and Dole played with all the world, only this time the Red Merce
nary is a little more on edge."
"Don't talk to yourself so much. You're making me thirsty."
Guin warned him. Istvan licked his lips, which were not yet dry, but he could see that they
would be soon.
"That's why you're so gloomy and silent and wandering aimlessly through the darkness on
this doll! That's not my thing, that's-- I like to be cheerful, no matter what."
"If you hear them talking, you won't be able to tell if there's some creepy creature creeping
around here."
When Guin said this, Istvan was silent for a few moments.
However, he immediately began to complain again and demanded Suni to teach him some
edible plants or animals in the area.
"Well, that can wait until the sun comes up. I'll just fall over like this. I don't care what the
monkey eats. I'll eat Nosferus' caterpillar if I can. So, please, leopard head... ask the monkey
in that beepy language. Is there any chance we can get something to eat and drink around h
ere? Yo, Guin, please."
"You're in trouble, man."
Guin spoke to Suni. Suni listened carefully and seemed to be thinking about something.
"Well, you were eating vachaça all by yourself earlier, without telling us."
Linda said. Istvan drew a figure eight across his beautiful forehead,
"It's not even worth a tooth. Oops, I used a vulgar word in front of Paro's princess. Fuck yo
u."
He spat into the dark ground with a vigorous swoosh.
"Ymir!"
Suddenly Suni stopped talking to Guin and, in a panic, raised her voice in a tone of reprima
nd, ran back and struck Istvan on the chest.
"What the hell is wrong with you, you monkey?"
Istvan became angry and tried to stab Suni, but as soon as he did so,
"Whoa, help me! The darkness is biting!"
I screamed and turned over.
"Heee!"
She clutches at him and Suni falls over. Linda and Remus jumped out of the way.
Indeed, the darkness had taken a bite. On the young mercenary's right leg, as if the jet-blac
k darkness itself had taken on a life of its own and was flowing out, a formless black amoeb
a-like thing was clinging to it.
"Help me! He's trying to chew off my leg!"
Istvan cries out and clasps his feet. He has no time to seize the sword at his waist, and the
others twist their hands together helplessly, lest the sword should strike him in the leg.
"Whoa! It's coming up!"
Istvan rolled over, trying to rub the darkness that had crawled up to his waist into the grou
nd.
"Help me, do something, you heartless bastards!"

"Wait, wait!"
Linda stretched out her hand nervously, but Guin quickly brushed it away.
"Don't touch me. It's Ido, it's dangerous."
"Because I'm going to die!"
"It's okay. Get out of the way!"
Suddenly Guin changed his appearance. He crouched down, grabbed Istvan's id-covered ri
ght leg and pulled him up.
"All right, keep your hands over your face. It's hot."
He suddenly pushed the torch in his right hand.
"Whoa! Guin, you burned me to death. ......"

"Turn your face away from me!"

Relentlessly, Guin set it on fire.
"Caw!"
Linda screams. Istvan's right leg was engulfed in fire and turned into a giant human torch.
The blunt creature burst into flames with a crackling sound.

"Stop, I'm dying, it's hot."

Istvan screamed like a woman.
"Water on me!"
"Guin! There's no water! We're gonna die!"
Remus cries out. Regardless, Guin picked up his burning leg, twisted it in the sand and laid
his own body on it.
"Ah, guin!"
The smell of burning flesh made Linda cower, unable to stand and covering her face. Guin's
Leopard head recoiled, and he stifled a moan that threatened to escape his mouth.

"Very well."
Eventually he woke up. Istvan lay there as if in a daze. From the waist of his robe to the feet
of his leather boots, the filthy black, burnt remains of the id were sticking to him as if they h
ad burst. But thanks to the boots that covered his legs, there was no sign of injury or blood
anywhere.
"Guin!"
Linda and Remus are on their way.
"Guin, are you okay?"
"That's nothing. More importantly, watch the mercenaries."
Guin raised her hand and brushed the burnt remains of the id off her chest.

"Guin, you're badly burned! You can't put out a fire with your own body!"
"It's nothing. Injuries like this happen all the time in Randoc."
He was about to say something when suddenly Guin gasped.
"Guin! Did you just-- did you just remember something? You remembered something, didn'
t you? Landok? Is that your... country?"
Linda coughs. Guin forgot all about her burns and seemed to be trying to think of somethin
g to say, but she quickly put her head down.
"No."
He says bitterly.
"Landock-- Remus, you've never heard of me, you idiot!"
"Landok--Langart would be the capital of the Duchy of Kauros, and Rygor is the port of the
Free Trade City, but ......"
Remus says with a shrug.
"Istvan, you've never heard of him? You've been all over the place, haven't you?"
"You're a-- you're a terrible little girl."
Istvan, who was still limp, his eyes fluttering with a startled look of youth, shouted, and in
his indignation regained all his strength and sprang up.
"A man is dying, and all you care about is the trivial memory of a Leopard head."
"Guin didn't save him! It was your carelessness that caused Guin to get hurt in the first plac
e!"

"What do you mean, 'cause who'd know there'd be a strange thing like that there? I'll take D
oll's scaly tail and I'll never see her again. Whoever didn't get stuck with him, as soon as he l
atched onto my leg, my leg went numb and cold and I couldn't feel a thing."
"Suni says you got what you deserved."
Guin translated in a funny way.
"The id is fearsome, but it is rather less aggressive than the other monsters of Nosferus, the
Great Mouth and the Sandworm. You spat at it, and it knew there was food there, so it jump
ed on you."
"Goddamn it!"
was the mercenary's helpless reply.
"But we got lucky. I could've lit it right away. The id can't be cut with a sword or scissors. It
covers its prey with a thick layer of food and slowly digests its unconscious prey alive. Fire i
s the only thing that works on an ido."
"How did you know, though we are no longer frightened of you?"
Linda whispered. Guin shakes his head.
"I knew it. Something was whispering in my head, 'Fire, fire.'"
"Mysterious man--!"
Linda gently rubbed the painful burn on Guin's chest.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Oh . --is everyone here?"

"Oh, my God, Suni. ......"

As I looked around, a small figure appeared out of the dying night. He was holding various t
hings in both hands.
"He said he picked up some medicinal moss nearby. Tell him to put it on his chest to cool it
down. It's okay, Suni."
Guin nodded to the monkey-like barbarian child and placed a piece of his hearty moss on h
is muscular chest, then put his leather belt back on.
"It's Landock, though."
Guin was about to urge him to start walking when suddenly, from behind him, the "Red Me
rcenary" said in a low voice.
They all turn. Istvan turns away. Stubbornly refusing to look at us,
"I think I've heard that somewhere before."
He still whispered. So everyone knew he regretted it.
"Where? Country, or town, or ......"
"I think that's what you're trying to remember now . Shut up, you little shit."
He just said it, and then he remembered,
"Yes! -- "Hey, I used to sail on a Valakian merchant ship on the Sea of Lent until I was fiftee
n."
"You're lying. It's a pirate ship."
Linda was harsh. Istvan grinned, implicitly affirming the point, but then continued,
"Then I came across a ship from somewhere - a strange streamlined ship that I had never s
een before. It was very fast. I've never seen a ship that fast. It was a white ship, the throne s
hip of a king or something of the sort, and as I was preparing to attack it, it disappeared int
o the horizon."
Istvan flicked his tongue out, realizing he had just confessed.
"Then, in the instant that the ship passed me, I could read the words on its starboard side. "
LANDOCK."
"Name of the ship?"
Remus exclaimed excitedly.
"Or not." That's all I saw. There was also a bust of a beautiful woman on the bow with wings
and a harpy. Well, Leopard, what did you say the woman's name was?"
"Aura."
"......"
When Istvan stopped talking, everyone was lost in thought. It was not a thought that could
be answered.
"Guin could have been the king of that Landok . Then the rebels put a leopard curse on him
and forced him off his throne. ......"
"You're a girl with a big imagination. But guesswork won't get you anywhere."
Istvan's done. Linda is annoyed and keeps silent. She doesn't care that Remus is glaring at
him,

"But it's strange. I've been completely oblivious to such trivial things for five years now. But
now, as soon as I heard the Leopard's words, it came back to me as if I had been drawn to i
t."
He said, tugging at his lips. While they talked and walked on, without stopping to rest their
feet, they found that it was becoming brighter and brighter, and that the sun was beginning
to shine on the wilderness, as if a hot day were coming.

They decided to take a rest for a while. They were hungry and tired. They clung to the little
green moss that Suni had gathered, but it only made them spit.
It was decided that they should take turns in taking a nap, and that Istvan should be the fir
st to wake up with moss on the fire. When he saw Guin's wound, he stood guard meekly, wi
thout so much as a whisper.
Good grief, I've never been so stunned. If it had gone on any longer and the Leopard hadn't
been able to come up with that wild treatment, I would've pulled out my sword and cut off
your legs for sure. Then the demon warrior would be helpless. I have to admit... you're a tou
gh guy. He's a fine warrior and a fine man. He might even defeat Lure, god of war, god of the
sun. He's like the legendary Helm the Great with the white goatee of Moth. I'd hate to be his
enemy.
That said, those twins--
This young man is not a man who can keep quiet. He secretly took out the last vacha fruit,
which was still hidden in the bottom of his shoe, and while he was chewing it, he was
mumbling to himself in his mouth.
The sun, in the meantime, hastened onward to ascend tirelessly. Suddenly Istvan jumped u
p and down.

"What's wrong with you? I got a bad feeling we're in danger!"

Spit out the vacha fruit and shout.
"The back of my neck feels like it's on fire, and the enemy is close! But I don't think they're--
Ah!"
Something glittered on the rocky mountain. That is to say, it was Amneris, who had just go
ne up to scout and found the smoke of their camp, and his armour of white gold and his blo
nd hair shone like a rainbow in the sun.
For a moment, Istvan narrows his eyes and looks back as if he were trying to wake the gro
up. But then a tongue appears and licks his lips - and he makes up his mind instantly.
"Yes!"
As soon as he muttered, he gathered his things, fastened the sword he had beside him to hi
s belt, and looked at his companions. The leopard-headed warrior seemed to have been wo
unded and weakened, and he seemed to be sleeping languidly, and the twins were asleep w
ithout any identity.
Once more Istvan licked his lips. He was about to crawl out from under the rock, looking
for his friends.
Then a small hand grabbed him by the hem of his jacket!

"Wow!"
Istvan, biting back his voice,
"What's that, a monkey? Shut up, you idiot. What are you mad about? He's after us-- he's go
t an idea. Don't you get it? Hey, you're a messy monkey."
Immediately, he hugged Suni's small body to his side, covered her mouth with his palm,
and ran off without looking after her.
East--
And the little dust that stood in the wilderness near the shore of Kes in the west grew quic
kly until the whole of the five hundred horsemen appeared in the smoke, at first as grain,
then as stone, and then as four hundred and fifty red and sixty white. Guin awoke with a sta
rt.
As soon as he saw the crossbows of the horsemen in the dust, a roar came out of Guin's mo
uth.

"What--what?"
"How: ......"
"There are no mercenaries--not even Suni!"
"He betrayed me!"
Pulling the twin's mournful cries to either side soothingly, the Leopard warrior stood in th
e cloud of sand that had begun to surround him.

Five hundred crossbows and swords encircled the three of them, and a sharp voice comma
nded them to disarm. Guin obeyed without resistance.
The three of them fell into the hands of the Gora once again.
Episode 3 The Lady's Tent
one

The frontier sun now rose high in the middle of the sky, its white, ruthless radiance shining
on the desolate rocks of Nosferus as if it were trying to dry up all life.
In the shadow of a strangely shaped rocky hill, a leather tent has been pitched as a tempora
ry camp. It is the tent of Amneris, the Lady of Mongol, who led the pursuit party across the
Kes and into Nosferus.
On the roof of the tent fluttered the black lion banner of Gora and the golden scorpion bann
er of Mongol, and two samurai children were huddled at its entrance. The five hundred knig
hts are resting on their horses in a circle around them, resting quietly and waiting for the si
gnal to depart.

Guin, guarded by several knights, and Linda and Remus were kept huddled in front of the t
ent. The sun scorched their skin, especially Guin, who had burns all over his chest and belly.
Linda protested to the knights against this cruel treatment, even though she had not been
nabbed. However, the knights of Mongol only said that she should wait a little longer. She c
ould not even wait to return to the temporary fort she had built on the banks of the Kes to i
nterrogate the prisoners she had finally taken possession of.
"If you want me to wait, you could at least give me a glass of water... How long do you want
to hold me like this? Is this the justice of a knight of Mongol?"
Linda cried out in frustration because of her concern for Guin, her anger at Istvan for succe
ssfully escaping on his own, and her concern for Suni's well-being.
"Yarn who gave such a Mongol victory, even for a moment, may be cursed a thousand times
over!"
Furious, Linda screamed, but then..,
"Let the prisoners proceed to their tents."
I heard a sharp command.
The three of them look up. They were poked in the back from behind.
Although they felt humiliated, they were indescribably grateful to be inside the cool tent, a
way from the blazing sun. The three prisoners staggered into the large tent.
In a moment, eyes accustomed to the intense sun can see nothing. Remus quickly helps Lin
da when she trips over something.
"Is this all you got? It can't be!"
I heard a cool voice, crisp and clear, with a crack that was somehow familiar to me from giv
ing orders to others.
"Vron! Lint!"
"is."
"There are two more rafters that I saw - have a platoon search the perimeter immediately."
"Yes, sir."
"But, well, we've pretty much accomplished what we set out to do. Therefore, there's no ne
ed to have a platoon search so far away from the main body. Just as long as they don't feel i
n danger."
"I know what I'm doing."
"Well--"
The prisoners, whose eyes had finally become accustomed to the darkness in the tent, raise
d their heads and blinked their eyes.
The first thing that came into his eyes as he slowly raised them was a long white cloak and
a pair of white leather boots attached to a pair of silver shin guards. The boots were made t
o look light and comfortable, with silver carvings scattered around the edge as decorations,
and the slender, slender legs were tightly wrapped around them like a sheath around a swo
rd.
It extends smoothly and evenly, and leads to the body of the slenderly tailored armor of th
e same color. Looking at the slenderness of the armor, if the armor were removed, the splen
did elongation and slenderness of the body of the wearer would be a sight to behold. And on the breast of the ar
mor, lavishly painted with silver and precious stones, is the beautiful crest of Mongol.
A supple hand, wrapped in a white chain-knit glove, rests on his hip, and a cloak of armor a
nd cloak covers his throat, but on top of that, his helmet is removed, and he has no hood.
"Oh ......"
At last she raised her eyes and heard the low gasp of astonishment from her brother, who
had also seen the figure standing there.
My first impression was that it was white and gold.
(What beautiful pure gold hair!
The man's hair, which rippled in a natural wave that had not been twisted with any trowel,
was as bright as the gold of Arceis, and fell carelessly over his shoulders without being tied
up. On his high, white forehead was a silver band, very thin, with a small diamond in the mi
ddle.
There was not a single ring to adorn her body, yet she looked as dazzling and gorgeous as a
work of art painted by a master artist against the backdrop of darkness in a dusky tent.
Remus just stares blankly at her. Guin's leopard's head could not see the expression on his
face, but Linda glanced over at him and thought she saw something in those yellow, unfatho
mable eyes that certainly resembled the glow of admiration and praise.
The proud little princess of Paro suddenly shrank back. She suddenly realized that she had
not bathed well since the war at Paro, that all she wore was a dusty, scratchy, leather man's
garment, that her crumpled, platinum hair had not a single comb in it, and that her limbs, to
o slender to be a boy's, were soiled and scarred by the perils she had endured. I felt the pai
nful exposé of the fact that he was soiled and scarred by his peril.
A white hand reached out and brushed back her blond hair. Like the statue of Ilana framed
in a golden frame, her face was revealed, infinitely graceful, infinitely dignified and beautifu
l. The prisoners of war stared in amazement, not even noticing the warriors who flanked th
e white and gold goddess of war.
"So you're the Paro twins."
Said the alto with the enchanting sound. Linda blinked her lips and didn't answer, so Remu
s opened his mouth cautiously.
"That's right. You are ......."

Rems, you're the head of the enemy, Linda thinks angrily.

"I am Amneris, Princess and Agent of the Grand Duke of Vlad, Captain of the White Guard a
nd General of the Right Sector."
The noblewoman said her name quietly. Immediately, a cold electric shock ran through Lin
da's body.
The captain of the White Knights... the captain of the Black Knights and the White Knights w
ho overran the beautiful city of Crystal, killed your father and mother, and ostracized us fro
m Paro!
It became unbearable and she closed her eyes. In the back of Linda's eyelids, she could see
the ranks of black knights running through the crystal city with black smoke and raging fire
s, looking as if they had just stepped out of the darkness, and the white knights behind the
m with their white cloaks fluttering like sinister ghosts, cutting down the brave warriors of
Paro. The image of the white knight, his white cloak fluttering like an ominous ghost, cuttin
g down the brave warriors of Paro.
"What does this Lady Amneris want with us ......?"
Her timid brother, pressured by the older man-dressed beauty, tries to protest. Amneris ga
zed at the three prisoners before him with keen, penetrating eyes, as if he could see to the v
ery bottom of things.
What the lady saw were three very strange, almost mythical, yet somehow compelling and
striking figures - two children in tattered leather garments, holding hands, looking so helpl
ess and insignificant, yet with eyes like stars. Two children who looked so helpless and insi
gnificant, and yet had eyes like stars.
They looked like two naughty boys who looked exactly alike, only their hair was different i
n length. And the leopard-headed warrior standing arrogantly beside them as if he were th
eir guardian god.
Amneris's deep green eyes stared in amazement. Unwillingly, she leaned forward a little,
showing that she had not lost her famous, perfect restraint and unfeeling quietness, but
that she was so intensely interested that she could be recognized.
"This again."
He murmured lowly and clutched the arm of his chair. It was the first time in my life that I
had seen a creature like Guin.
Its strange appearance of course drew people's amazement and attracted their attention,
and the remarkable beauty of its physique, its wonderful muscles that no warrior could hel
p but feel a pang of envy and jealousy, also drew the breath of those who saw it.
But - it was rather something else that made Amneris' eyes linger on Guin.

There was something inexplicable about those shining yellow eyes. It made Amneris's hear
t beat unjustifiably hard and made him uneasy.
To a duller or more cynical eye, it might have been seen as a mere boisterous ferocity, a be
astly savagery, or simply a strange quality that made one feel unsettled. But for people like
Linda and Amneris, who were closer to the truth of things than most people in the world, it
evoked feelings that were unsettling even to put into words--though for Linda it might have
evoked different feelings. But it will inevitably induce a strange feeling of trepidation.
It was, perhaps, too selfless to be ambitious. The will to change--even so, it was too uncons
cious.
Guin's eyes, the air around his leopard-headed physique, the tremendous vitality emanatin
g from his robust body--there was a sense of isolation in them that made me want to call th
em noble.
But that's not all. The thing in Guin that Amneris had unconsciously sensed, that had made
him tremble slightly, inexplicably, was something that, if he had to name it, he would proba
bly have to call "fate". If he had to name it, he would probably call it "fate.
Guin seemed to be a manifestation of some grand and tumultuous "destiny" itself. The fate
of something else, crystallized into a half-beast, half-god warrior. Something fierce, even fie
rce, that would not let even Guin himself be caught up in it and could change everything.
It was no wonder that Amneris's thin hands were trembling like unstoppable waves as he
gripped the arms of the chair.
Amneris swallowed a few spits. Seeing the agitation of the unmoved young right general,
she suddenly noticed that the knights in the ranks, the white knights Lint and Vron, the red
knights Melum and Cain, were looking away in bewilderment. They should have started qu
estioning her, but she just stared at them as if she were utterly fascinated by the other side.
Amneris swallowed another spit.
"You're--"
He spoke to the Paro twins, his voice faint, as if he were a different person from the flowing
Alto.
"Who are you?"
"Me?"
Guin meets her eyes without showing any emotion.
"Guin."
"Guin?"
"Yes."
"Is that your name?"
"Yes--perhaps."
"What's a maybe?"
Like a sleeping lion chasing away a noisy insect, Guin only moved his round head a little, b
ut did not answer.
"Your Highness, Amneris, I have an answer for you!"
Captain Vron says angrily. Amneris holds up his hand to stop him. Little by little, the dream
iness fades and the calm returns.
"Why do you look like that?"
"I don't know."
was the answer of the Leopard.
"Are you born that way? Or were you changed that way by some curse?"

"I don't know. When I found out, I was like this. You don't have to know the story to be like i
t."
"Where were you born?"
"I don't know."
"This--"
Vron, frustrated at the loss of ground, leans forward. He signals with his eyes to the knights
who stand guard over the prisoners behind him.
"If they will not answer honestly, let them answer. We will not hesitate to whip our prisone
rs like the weak knights of Paro."
"When Guin appeared in the Forest of Ludes, he had lost all memory of what he had done b
efore."
Linda, who had been nodding off, looked up and shouted in disgust.
"How can you answer something you don't know. ......"
With green eyes, Amneris slowly looked Linda up and down, as if he was annoyed at her
rudeness, wondering why the child was meddling in such matters.
Linda's words became smaller and smaller in her mouth. She shrank back with a heavy hea
rt, but in her mind she was burning with an unhappy defiance against this beautiful, arroga
nt older girl.
"Is it true that you've lost your memory?"
Satisfied that he has gotten Linda off his back, Amneris turns to Guin again. Guin nods grav
ely.
"I've tried to remember various things myself, but I can't."
"There are many ways to find out what you don't know, even if you don't know it."
Amneris said, turning to look at the mage who was hovering like a ghost behind him.
"Gayus!"
"is."
"Use the Ouija ball and the Ouija board to read this man's fortune."
"Yes, sir."
"How about Guin: ......"
What are you going to do? But, (skinny little girl!) Amneris's cold glance made her feel as if
she had been shouted at, and she sank back into silence. Linda must have been at least four
years younger than Amneris. Linda felt infinitely miserable, and at the same time, a vicious
fire of hatred for the gorgeous and handsome avenging princess burned in her heart.
"No matter how hard you try to hide it, it will show up now. If you're thinking of hiding at al
l, don't do it."
Amneris warned him. Guin doesn't move his head.
"Then for the time being, let's just say that until Gayus is able to divine your identity, you ar
e unrecognizable and have lost all memory of what you've done so far - but if that's the cas
e, why are you taking the side of Paro's orphaned son who escaped?"
Guin does not answer. Amneris nudged him again. Guin is still silent.
"Say, if you're just a random guy with no real connection to Paro, why are you working for
him? Or are you related to Paro? Answer me!"
Amneris hissed. Suddenly a twinge of fierce annoyance appeared on her white face, and th
e duchess rose abruptly from her comfortable chair, stamping the floor violently with her w
hite and silver booted feet.

"Why are you serving Paro's orphans?"

"Let me answer to His Highness, Amneris!"
The voices of Amneris and the captain intermingled.
Guin turned his leopard head slightly to the side. But then he suddenly did something unex
pected. He began to laugh as if he were making fun of him.
"What the fuck is wrong with you!"
Amneris was furious. Her little feet kicked the floor.
"You are mad, Lady of Mongol."
Guin's answer made her even more agitated.
"What--why!"
"Beautiful lady of Mongol, it is noble of you to dress yourself in armor like that in the body
of a gentle woman, and to boast that you are a general of the Right Prefecture and a captain
of the White Knight, but don't you think it is a bit painful to do so even in front of true warri
ors, let alone against the cowardly knights of Gora?"
Remus opens his mouth.
Linda suddenly shook her silvery head and looked up. Her eyes began to sparkle.
"This, this--"
Amneris choked on his breath.

"You monster, how dare you disrespect Her Highness!"

Vron and Lint, enraged, try to jump out from both sides with their hands on the hilts of thei
r great swords.
But at the last moment, Amneris' hand reached out and stopped them.

They were all struck again by the strength of the princess's spirit. It was only for a moment
that Amneris' voice trailed off in fury. Immediately, she regained herself with perfect self-c
ontrol, and even smiled bitterly at her pale face.

"I see you have a secret that must anger and distract me, Guin."
She pointed out in a calm voice .
"Very well, the matter will be settled slowly in the dungeons of Alvon Castle, even on the to
rture table. Now let me ask you something. I saw you from the cliffs of Arvon... going down t
he Kes in a raft. There weren't three of you then-- what happened to the other two? One wo
re black armor that could have been that of Staphorus, and the other, oddly enough, looked
like a Semite from Nosferus."
"I don't know."
Guin said matter-of-factly. Amneris was almost irritated again, but he held his ground.
"Gayus... are you there yet?"
"Right now."

Answering the gloom, the mage stepped forward.

"The Ouija ball depressed this man."
"The result."
"Come on, it's--"
"What do you think? Don't be shy, just say the word."
"That's ......."
For some reason, Gayus's hideous, sunken face seemed to be fading into a deep bewilderm
ent and anxiety. He raised a scabby hand and placed it on the divining ball, then ducked it a
s if it had been burned.
"I placed the divining sphere on the divining board, said a prayer in runic script to reflect th
e phase of the righteous, and looked at it..."
"......"
"The only thing in the water was a giant Leopard."
"Leopard--"
Amneris raised an eyebrow.
"What, that's . What's that supposed to mean? Don't be vague, like you always are, and don'
t say anything that I don't understand.
"I'm afraid a Leopard is only a Leopard."
Gayus replied with some trepidation.
"The soul of this man is in the form of a huge Leopard. The rest is strangely blank - rather t
han losing their memories, they were not given them in the first place,......, and the memorie
s of their race are stored in the unconscious layer and are passed on. In the event that you'r
e a newborn baby, you will certainly have a lot more than what this man has right now depi
cted in the water table. In addition, if this sphere of contemplation can see through any mas
k, the true face will not be depicted even if it is seen through this sphere,......."
"......"
"This is the first time I've ever done anything so unfathomable."
"You idiot!"
Amneris shouted as he spat. He raises a thin eyebrow and waves his hand to make the mag
e back away.
"Good."
Annoyingly,
"All right, let's say that this guy is a Leopard that's been released into Gora - or Nakahara its
elf - in the shape of a man. Even if that is the case, what does it matter? Could it be that the
Middle Field is the seat of human knowledge and civilization, or could it be that this is nothi
ng more than the foul magic of Nosferus?
Very well, if the demon doll who claims to be Nosferus wants to make fun of us, we have a
way. Vron!"
"is."
"Lint!"
"Here."
"Order all troops to return. We'll leave as soon as the platoon that went to search for the ot
hers returns. Send horses to Alvon and send men to meet them. And these men...
Amneris suddenly looked at the three prisoners who had angered her, with a hint of some
disgusting, almost brutal pleasure on his cool face. A gentle, cold mockery crept up on her li
ps.
"There is no need to give them horses. Tie him around the waist and hands with a leather t
hong and tie the end of the thong to the last horse of my platoon and pull him along. If he is
a true leopard, he should be treated as such."

"is ......"
Lint hesitated, glancing down at Paro's twin, its slender, immature limbs.
Sooner than that, the squeaky Guin came forward.
"I don't mind, but give the children of Paro a horse. One horse for each of them. They're tire
d. And they're the only bloodline of the Holy King Aldross now. It would not disgrace Gora t
o extend that courtesy."
"Your Highness: ......"
Lint looks at Amneris appealingly. Amneris's face stiffens.

"No use! You're going to make the Lady of Mongol give the same order twice."
"Ka--okay, sir."
"My Lady! Then at least give the children some water and food--they're about to collapse."
Guin raised her voice.
But then Guin felt a cold little hand on his arm and turned. His yellow eyes slowly narrowe
d.
"Linda, prophetess and little queen of Paro, I say to you. I don't need your intercession."
Linda said.
The people were suddenly struck by something and stared at the frail girl who was being h
eld there like a slave.
Linda no longer felt any guilt for the glorious princess before her. Her back was straight, de
spite her extreme fatigue, and her head was held up proudly as she stared straight ahead at
Amneris.
Anger - and the unyielding pride of royalty, the outpouring pride of nobility - had fed the in
nate and terrifying fire in the veins of the little queen of Paro, only fourteen years old . Linda
's lips were clenched and her eyes were shining like stars.
His cheeks were bright with the color of blood, and even a noble smile, untainted by the hu
miliation he had suffered, came to his clenched lips.
Yes! I am Linda the Oracle, Princess of Paro, the only princess of the Holy King Aldross III, a
nd the Jewel of the Crystal Palace. Mongol, by blood, is but a pretender, a descendant of the
old and proud Paro royal family. Hold on, Princess Linda, hold your head high-- you are the
rightful symbol of Paro!
Linda's sullenness, humiliation, and even the humiliation of a loser were gone. All that was
left was an unquenchable fire of dignity and a dreadful dread that no one could douse. Though sh
e hadn't even realized it, Linda had become a different person from the miserable, muddy c
hild who had first staggered into the tent after being shoved from behind. Skinny and pale
as the moon if Amneris were the dazzling sun, even her immature appearance shone with a
silver and white charm that drew the eye, and people, even Guin, watched her with rapt att
ention.
Amneris was sensitive to the change in their relationship. Her green eyes grew steely and c
older than ice, her lips tightened, and the fury of a fierce queen flared in the air. It was a
rage that was a mixture of distrust, frustration, and the will to overwhelm her insolent opp
onent who dared to oppose her as queen.
Amneris stared at the Princess of Paro. But Linda, no longer shying away, met her eyes and
turned her back. There was the head of her father and mother, the bitter enemy who had dr
iven her and her brother from their kingdom, the eternal enemy with whom they could not
share the heavens.
The green eyes, full of fierce anger, and the violet eyes, glittering with dreadful rage, clashe
d with each other, and they met head on, and sparks flew furiously. It was the first glance th
at Linda, the Little Queen of Paro, and Amneris, Princess of Mongol and Captain of the Whit
e Knights, exchanged as their greatest enemies. And it was not only the enmity of the proud
goddesses of Paro and of Mongol, the murdered and the murderer of their fathers, the
captive and the captors, but also - though they themselves did not realize it - the incompati
bility of their different beauties. But they themselves did not realize it, but there was a
mixture of jealousy and enmity between women, each with a different beauty.
Amneris stared at the captive princess with disgust. Linda tried to look away, furious that s
he could kill a man with her eyes. Amneris's shapely mouth twisted.

"Your Highness. The Red Knight Platoon has just returned."

At that moment of heightened tension, the curtain at the entrance to the tent suddenly lifte
d, and a red knight wearing a platoon leader's ornament appeared to report.
"I'm sorry, sir. The fugitive is nowhere to be found."

"Alright!"
Amneris would not hear the end. She fell to her knees violently, shook off her rich hair, and
cried out in a high tone.
"Touch your departure!"
The knights, mages, and samurai stood up behind him in panic. Amneris arrogantly ignore
d his captors and almost walked out, but stopped short in front of Linda. She willfully and c
ompletely ignores Guin, as if she must hide even from herself the depth and intensity of her
interest in him. She looks down at Linda coolly, her rich golden hair rippling in a showy ma
nner.
She was about a head taller than Linda. Her limbs were wrapped in ornate armor, and her
skin, the skin of a girl of eighteen about to reach perfection, was glowing with a rosy, milk-c
olored luster from within, and there was a fearless confidence in her demeanor and in her
mood, as if she were more than aware of her beauty and power and what it might inspire in
her opponent. He has a fearless confidence in his attitude and in his atmosphere.
Linda's head snapped up nervously, but even though she wasn't exactly small, she was no
match for Amneris' height. Linda's violet eyes blazed with anger.
"Tiny, tiny little girl!"
Amneris lashed out with a sharp tongue.
Walk away without looking and leave the tent. The knights follow.
Linda bit her lip so hard that it bled, and did not notice Remus peering at her anxiously. Sh
e was determined to hate Amneris, Princess of Mongol, for the rest of her life.
two

The Knights of Mongol are on their way. Their goal is the castle of Alvon, beyond the river
Kes.
The prisoners were tied up with two leather straps around their waists and wrists. The en
ds of these straps were tied to the saddlebags of the horses, and they were driven into the
middle of the two platoons of white knights escorted by the Red Guards.
"Linda--Linda, my hand hurts."
Remus whispered. His childish face twisted as if he were about to cry.
Linda did not even try to resist when the rope was applied. Rather, she held her slender,
irresistibly slender wrists together and arrogantly stretched them out in front of her to hav
e the rope applied.
"Remus, your father is in the hands of these White Knights."

Say it in a low, stern voice.

"Remember it for ever. And of the prince and princess of Paro, whom the Lady of Mongol ha
s made the prince and princess of Paro. If one day we are fortunate enough to survive and r
eestablish your father's kingdom, the first thing you must do as King of Paro is to extermina
te the accursed Mongols and, by extension, the three Grand Dukes of Gora from the face of t
he earth. "
"Are we gonna live, or are we gonna get killed?"
Remus stared at Linda in horror. Linda didn't try to ease her brother's fear.
"Do you think I wouldn't have done it even if I were the Lady of Mongol? But we'll be togeth
er in death. And, Remus, please, remember that you are Paro's heir. I want you to die with y
our head held high and proud until the last moment. You must listen to your sister."
Remus shook his head. His soft, sensitive eyes were filled with tears, both from the pain tha
t had already begun in his wrist and from Linda's hints.
"I don't want to die."
He says it softly, knowing he's going to get mad.
"You're--"
Linda almost said angrily, but Guin, who was tethered to Remus's left side with a rope that
was much sturdier than those of the children, soothed her with a small barking laugh.
"Princess of Paro, not everyone is born as high-minded, strong and upright as you. Do not blame a
soul that is not like you, even if it has the same face as you. Because it's no credit to you that
you're like that.
And you, Prince Remus. You're a fine boy. It's hard for a prince of the world to honestly say
he doesn't want to die without hesitation. I don't see why you're an ordinary man.

"You think I'm stupid, don't you?"

Remus asked pathetically. Guin shook his head.
"That's what I'm saying is good about you, boy. You know, you are who you are."
"We're off!"
From the front came the shouting voice of the messenger. Five hundred men and horses be
gan to move slowly. The three prisoners of war were immediately yanked violently by the t
aut leather straps at the wrists, and had to stop in their haste to catch up with them.
The sun is in the middle of the sky, rubbing things slowly, and gradually shifting itself to th
e western horizon.
"Guin."
Linda said, panting fast and hard.
"What the... Don't talk to me like that. You'll wear yourself out."
"Guin, I don't know what's wrong with them. They're, uh..."
"Don't tell me!"
With a snap Guin interrupted. The hippopotamus that had bound them together turned to l
ook at the voice that had risen.
"What did you say?" he said sternly.
"It's the only time you can talk nonsense. In less than half an hour, the children will fall dow
n, their wrists will be gouged and they will be dragged away by the horses."
"The Devil of Mongol!"
Linda's eyes filled with tears and she cursed in a hoarse voice. Guin waited with his head d
own until the knights lost interest and turned forward again.

He made sure that they could not hear him, and then opened his mouth low in the midst of
the hoofbeats of five hundred horses and the sound of their feet.
"Don't say his name. He may be the only thing keeping us alive."

"That bastard! I bet he's long since betrayed us and is sleeping peacefully."
"That's not what we decided. And even if it were, we can't blame him, since we didn't hire h
im as a mercenary. Anyway, we should trust Yarn and his crippled child hope for now."
Yeah, Guin said.

It was Istvan.
He's long since gone to bed somewhere, Linda said wickedly, but that wasn't necessarily a f
air accusation.

However, that does not mean that Istvan felt kindly responsible for the predicament of the
three people who became his companions by chance. It is rare to find a person whose inter
ests are not obscured by a veil of compassion or justice as much as the Red Mercenary.

However, the jovial Istvan of Valakia could not be satisfied with the fact that he had manag
ed to escape from the clutches of Mongol.
Because this was Nosferus, a no-man's-land full of unknown threats, and if he had at least j
oined forces with a superhuman warrior like Guin, he would have known that no matter ho
w good a warrior Istvan was, he would not have survived there for more than two days wit
h only a single sword in his hand and no horse at his side. For no matter how good a warrio
r Istvan was, he could not have survived two days there.
In addition, Istvan was not familiar with the situation in Nosferus, although it was only nat
ural for a man of the Middle Kingdom.
Thinking of the horrible id that had just latched itself onto my leg, and of the "Great Bitsu Gumakchius
" of Nosferus, a land-dwelling water demon of the same species as the one that lives in the K
es River, made me shudder. However, there was no way to return to the Gora territory with
out a raft.
"Well, I'm in trouble, I'm in trouble - I must admit I'm in a bit of trouble with a hundred lon
g ears of Yarn in heaven."
In the morning, as soon as he saw the dust and smoke of his pursuers' horse, he abandoned
his duty as a watchman, and abducted even Suni of the Lakhs, who was chasing him to repr
oach him, and successfully escaped from the spot. Whatever other character flaws Istvan
may have had, his fearful shrewdness was second to none.
It was based on intuition and correct reading that almost rivaled Guin's superhuman physi
cal and mental strength, almost to the point of superpower. Istvan expected that Mongol's p
ursuers, while almost satisfied with the capture of Guin and the three others, would still de
vote a certain number of men to the search for the other two.
So he dragged Suni, who was shouting in a language he did not understand at all, and
instead of trying to stay back a little to the east, as he had generally expected, he went arou
nd behind the knights and watched from the top of the cliff as the search party went eastwa
rd. And then, from the top of the cliff, he watched the questing party head eastward, and too
k it easy.
At the bottom of the cliff, a temporary settlement has appeared with tents and knights resti
ng in the shade of the horse.
The mercenary looked down at it and laughed fearlessly.
"Hey, hey, Sal. You wouldn't know what I'm talking about if I asked you, but I'll tell you. Do
you know what the trick is to hiding? To hide completely, you get as close to the other hand
as you can and follow it from behind. Anyway, by the gods of trickery, the best way to escap
e is to chase your pursuer. But you wouldn't know that. Well, it's never been safer to sit on t
his rock in the sun.

Damn it... what kind of sun is it anyway? It's like the legend of Lala, the frost nymph who ca
relessly climbed into the lure's disk... it'll melt you in half an hour. I'll get hungry on top of t
hat... what? What? What are you trying to say?"
Istvan twisted his handsome face and half-raised his head, and scowled at the ape-man girl
who suddenly began to chirp. Suni pulled Istvan's hand in a fiercely irritated manner.

Without thinking, he looked down where Suni was pointing and his mouth quirked up. He
could see Guin and the Paro twins being led out and held in front of a luxurious tent that lo
oked like the commander's.

The Valakian-born mercenary could not understand a single word Suni said, but in fact, Su
ni's body language made it clear what he meant.
She shuffles her little hairy feet, points downwards, makes a pleading gesture to Istvan,
and pulls the sheath of her sword from her waist. Suni's walnut eyes, with a fearful and seri
ous light, do not turn away from the mercenary even for a moment. Suni is demanding that
Istvan save Linda and the others quickly.
"Alura, iminit, gras!"
The tone of his voice sounded like he was cursing her, "You coward, idiot! Sun-hee ranted,
as if she was cursing him.
"Quiet, you monkey, or I'll burn you."

Istvan shouted angrily, then rushed to put his finger to his mouth in a universal gesture.
But Suni, who was desperate, did not show any sign of understanding, though he might hav
e understood.
Even more frustratingly, he glares at the fugitive with his round, reproachful eyes and pulls
on the scabbard of his sword.
"You stink--don't touch me with your beastly hands."
Fed up with the urging, Istvan raised his voice.
"What the fuck do you want me to say? Those guys-- leave those guys alone. Look, that Guin
guy, he can take care of anything on his end. Even that monster. He's a man. So, Sal, the pro
per thing for us to do is to let him take care of him and mind our own business.

Istvan's obsidian eyes narrowed wickedly. Suni, who had been ranting in a high-pitched vo
ice, let out a yelp and jumped. He suddenly grabbed the sword at his waist and made a sign
that he intended to cut Suni down at any moment.

Suni hurriedly retreated to a place beyond the reach of Istvan's sword and cautiously looke
d at him. Looking into his frightened round eyes, the unscrupulous mercenary could not sto
p laughing again.
"You monkey, you know I'm gonna eat you. You're scared."
He folded himself up and laughed, and laughed again when he saw the angry Suni glaring a
t him with round eyes. He himself would have been very disappointed if he had been told th
at, but the mercenary, who was not yet twenty years old, sometimes had moments when he
looked like an unpredictable little boy, and when people saw that, even if they were very an
gry with him, they could not be angry with him.
But Suni could not be so sure. Because this little Semite had already given her heart to Lind
a, who had saved her life, and perhaps it was Suni who was more distressed than anyone el
se at her master's predicament.
Suni glared at the laughing mercenary with disbelief. But he did not pull his sword by his si
de any more, as if he thought that he could not count on him anyhow, and he was thinking a
bout something, but suddenly he jumped up with a suddenness that was very beastly.
And then, in a flash, they begin to climb down the rocky mountain with a swiftness of move
ment that is only possible for a race born and dying on this rocky mountain.

"Oh-- hey, Sal!"

Startled, Istvan was halfway down the rock when he raised himself.
"Hey, wait, where are you going?
Istvan stretched out his hand and tried to catch Suni's small arm, but Suni was much quick
er. But Suni was much quicker. Suni scowled at the mercenary with scornful walnut eyes,
and, springing to his bare little feet, ran down the path without a second glance.
"Oh--"
As Istvan looked away in dismay, a small, hairy figure fluttered off in the opposite direction
from where the Gora soldiers were hanging out on the cliff and disappeared.
Istvan looked away for a moment in a daze. But then, suddenly,
"Che, what the hell is that monkey?"

He wakes up shouting in a strangely annoyed manner.

"Why'd you have to look at a man like that? What did I do to deserve that three-and-a-half-f
oot tail of a yarn?"
The mercenary's youthful face was twisted in a strange way. But then he looked towards th
e cliff, hesitated for a moment, and then, deciding that it was none of my business, he
slumped down again - not long after that he jumped up again.
"In short, they got what they deserved. The Leopard-head can take charge of his own destin
y... but there's no point in me just running away like this... if I'd known this would happen, I
should've surrendered to Gora much earlier, taking back the whereabouts of the prince and
princess of Paro. I should have been able to get a position in the Order. However, I really wa
nted to see how the power relations of the three lords would be changed by Mongol's captu
re of Paro.
I'll just have to think of the best way to deal with them. It's true that even a demon warrior
like me won't be able to make it across Nosferus on my own... but I don't owe them that mu
ch... and I'm not a hired hand... --
Oh?"
Suddenly the mercenary stopped his usual monologue and squinted under the bright sunli
ght.
The knights of Mongol, below, suddenly began to move in a hurry.

It appeared that the order to depart had been sent to the troops. All at once, the knights pu
t away their canteens and rations, stood up, cleaned themselves, and got their horses up.
The horse of the captain's troop ran between them again and again.

The mercenary, cautious, moved to a place where they could not see him, but where he
could see well enough, and lay down on the cliff.
From the east, a small mass of dust was gradually approaching, and then it became the figu
re of the platoon that had left the main force earlier to search. As they joined together, the
formation of the hikikomori, shaped like red petals around a white core, was complete, and
the drums of the departure signal, beaten by the drummers seated at the head of each troo
p, echoed through No Man's Land.
Finally, a company of people emerged from the tent. Even from the top of the high cliffs the
y could easily make out the leopard-headed majesty of Guin, towering high above the heads
of the people, and the slender twins, like two bellflowers on a rock, flanking him on either si
de.
The knights would prod them forward, and kneeling down, would place nappies on their w
aists and their outstretched wrists, and tie them to the saddles of their horses. And Istvan w
atched the prisoners being led thus between the ranks, without raising an eyebrow.
Suddenly, however, his eyes were fixed on something that startled him. After the tent had
been folded and everything was ready for departure, a tall, slender figure appeared at the la
st moment, straddling a white horse.

"......"
From there, he was too far away to see, but the mercenary sensed something. Because his f
ace suddenly tightened, his eyes suddenly sank into thought, and then he suddenly raised h
imself up and gave a big nod. His appearance had changed.
Something was finally moving now.
three

"Guin--"
Five hundred horsemen rode solemnly through the wilderness of Nosferus.
At the head of the line is the brave man of Gora, Captain Melum of the Third Red Order of
Mongol. Behind him is Cain's squadron, followed by two platoons of white knights, Rindt's s
quadron and Vron's squadron, and behind them is the pride of Arvon, Astorias' squadron of
one hundred and fifty cavalrymen.
In the center of the troops under his command, guarded by more than 500 elites, is a single
rider in a brilliantly shimmering white outfit - Amneris, Princess of Mongol.
His armor of silver, and his golden hair with its helmet removed, glittered even from afar
in the late afternoon sun that was now slanting across the frontier. Even the "winds of Dole," as the
y are commonly called, which blow over the hot sands of Nosferus and turn men to dust, se
em to flutter fearfully from side to side only in the face of this glorious figure.
"Guin--ah,Guin......"
And behind their proud ranks, the last survivors of the royal family of Paro staggered along
like slaves or beasts on the rope, tied to horses, dragged by horses, and chased from behin
d, their wrists scraped and bloody and miserable.
"Guin--I'm dead ......"

Linda's voice was faint and almost did not sound like her usual voice.
"Linda! Stay with me. ......"
Remus tries to cheer him up, but his knees buckle with each step.
"What's the matter, boys - you're not acting like proud pearls of Paro, you're acting weak."
Guin whispered to her as if scolding her. Linda's hazel eyes looked up at Guin, who was bei
ng dragged along by the horse and leaning her head back without any sign of distress, and
it seemed to her that his tremendous wild energy was pouring into her frail, battered body,
and that she could go on again, even if she had to stagger for a while. for a while.
"Remus--good. Remember this torment and this disgrace--the envy of your father and moth
er, the curse of Paro's people, and this torment of ours, so that one day it may all come to pa
ss. ...... be sprinkled upon them--"
"Don't talk too much."
Guin scolded. Linda laughs in a faint voice.
"It's a little easier ...... to talk to you. Guin, why do we have to go through this? How could th
e peaceful days at the Crystal Palace, which were just a few days ago, end so suddenly ......?"
After all, no matter how strong-minded and hard-hearted she was, Linda was only a child o
f fourteen. A sobbing moan escaped from her dust-chapped lips. But her throat, which had
not been watered for a day, was dry. Even his eyes were dry, so it seemed as if even his tear
s had evaporated into sweat from every pore of his body.

"Yarn's will is unknown to us. The fact that I've lost my memory and have been thrown into
this kind of transformation without knowing how it happened before and after must mean
that there is some kind of immense fate that is gripping me."
"Oh, Guin, I need some water."
Remus groans. The Red Knight in front of him looks back at him softly. Not all of the Red K
nights of Gora possessed the soul of a demon god. They had given their absolute allegiance t
o Amneris, and it had never occurred to them to disobey his orders, but secretly, not a few
of them had felt a pang of disgust at the sight of the two children, Guin notwithstanding, sta
ggering along in the sunshine.
"Don't talk about the water. You'll make it worse."

"But--oh, I can't walk anymore. ......"

"Get a grip--Rems......"
Linda gasped. Then suddenly, as if trying to take her mind off of it,
"Hey--Guin."
"Yeah."
"It's like - it's like this sand and rocky ground is always hot - and it's like my feet are wobbli
ng as I walk on it. ......"
"Actually, I've been noticing that for a while now myself."
Guin admitted.
"Isn't there some kind of noxious miasma in the air? The air of Nosferus is sticky and clings
to you like a creature, or like water mixed with jelly. When it enters your throat, it is strang
ely impure and makes you want to scratch your throat."
"I wonder if the knights of Mongol feel anything at all..."
"Don't talk to me too much!"
The knight in front of him shouted and then added in a low voice.
"You're only going to fall faster - okay?"

He had said it with kindness, but the mercy of the enemy had aroused Linda's noble heart.
With all her strength she licked her lips and searched for a word to say in reply.
At that moment, however, a slight commotion suddenly broke out among the leading troop
s, disrupting the orderly formation of the march for the first time.
"The Gluttonous Bitsug Eater!"
"It's in the sand!"
Screams came from the front, and soon the area was abuzz with the terrified whimpers of t
he hippopotamuses, the cries of their attempts to be subdued, and the mad rantings of the c
aptains.
The Gluttonous Bitsug-eater is a terrestrial monster of the same species as the Great Bitsugmouth of t
he Kesu River. It is a carnivorous monster with sharp teeth and jaws, but instead of water, i
t hides in the sand to look for an opening, and is usually much larger than the giant bitumen.
Without warning, the gluttonous Bitsug Eater suddenly burst into a flurry of sand and attacked the
young knight of Merum's troop in the lead and sucked in his horse.

With the first bite, the horse's body was ripped off and the knight fell into the sand pit mad
e by the remains of the Big Eater's body with a scream. The gluttonous bitgutters bit the bleeding ho
rse as if they were gnawing off the powder of a gourd, while the knight tried his best to cra
wl up the sand.
"Gah!"
Suddenly, he screamed and rolled over. He had almost succeeded in escaping when a disgu
sting white, sticky tentacle suddenly came out from his waist and dragged him to the botto
m of the sand pit.

"Help me!"
The young knight's desperate screams deafened the allies.
"Help him, now!
The captain shouts.
"No, sir! Not with a giant antsy goblin!"
Hearing the answer of despair, the people turned their faces away. And yet, just before the
figures of their companions, struggling madly and being drawn into the pit, were completel
y lost in the sand, they saw, at the base of the horrible swell of the tentacles, a huge, disgusti
ng, hairy, blood-sucking mouth, with an indescribably unpleasant odor coming out of it. I
could see the indescribably unpleasant odor wafting from the mouth.
There was nothing we could do. This was the third victim since we left Alvon. The people
covered their ears and waited for the horrible screams and noises to cease, and then, in a fu
ry of vengeance, they pointed their spears at the gluttonous bitwig-eaters who had chewed up the h
orses and pulled them to pieces on the sand, and they poured oil into the sand-holes of the
giant anteaters and set them on fire.
Blood, guts and flesh were scattered on the sand. The horse was no longer in its original st
ate. The people threw the corpse of the gluttonous bitwig-eater into the fire of the giant anteater and ba
cked away long enough to avoid being entangled in the long, writhing tentacles of the grim
creature in agony. The stench of the giant anteater burning alive made many of us vomit. M
ost of the creatures of Nosferus are nothing more than cursed monsters, not unlike those of
the Central Plains.
If only 500 cavalrymen rode there for a day and a night and suffered only three casualties,
this would have been an achievement that could have been called an unexpected good fortu
ne.

They did not even bother to make the graves of their victims, nor did they watch the flames
of their comrades burning with the monsters, but resumed their march at once. In Amneris'
s opinion, they should have been able to take the three prisoners and, by nightfall at the lat
est, enter the defensive wall which should have been built by now on this side of the river K
es by the garrison led by Count Rickard.
When they finally reached the place where they could see the stream of the Kes River, the
purple darkness was already growing thicker. When we finally reached a place where we c
ould see the Kes River in the distance, it was already dark and purple.
The wind must have been blowing that way that evening. As darkness enveloped the area,
white angel hair, which had been absent during the day, began to fly around the area, and a
s they approached the Kes River, it began to grow faint, as if it were trying to block them.
The angel hair, which was neither animal nor plant, and which collided with people's faces
in white and melted away softly, was just a harmless wilderness thing by itself, so for a whil
e they brushed it off with their hands without paying it any attention and went on.
But as they went along, the angel hair did not diminish, but gradually began to gather arou
nd them, as if they were calling to each other.
Or perhaps it was the amount of heat generated by the multitude of people and horses, so r
are in the wilderness, that stimulated their primitive senses. At any rate, Angel Hair began t
o gather noiselessly from here and there, and eventually they were all crowded together
like a small cloud.
The captains gathered their horses and discussed the matter, but decided that it was know
n to be harmless and would not be a serious obstacle in any case, and ordered them to proc
eed again. At that moment, however, someone casually looked up and said
And let out a little scream.
"That one!"
The people looked up in panic and gasped.
Angel Hair in the sky!

The twilight of Nosferus was sticky, heavy, and violet--not unlike the starry, mysterious vio
lets of Linda's eyes, but a dark purple that hid a kind of unholy, suspicious sloppiness, and
in which not even a star could be seen. It was as if the sticky jellies of the night had turned i
nto a translucent film and were trying to separate the clear stars from the people on the ear
th - a great gathering of angel hair dyed the night sky of Nosferus faintly white and misty! T
here!
It was such an uncanny view that even if it had been known to be harmless, it would not
have diminished the anxiety and shudder of those who saw it. It was as if they were clouds
sent by Janus to rain down on them, or as if they were millions of tentacles of a ringworm buzzing
in the water. .
They felt as if their pale, fluttering haze filled the sky as far as the eye could see, but that
was only because their angel hair blocked not only the sky above them, but also their sides,
front and back, as if they were trying to cover the whole area with their ghostly white.
And there was consternation among the heroes of Mongol. They could have fought off the h
ordes of Shem, or the dragon and lion horsemen of Cheironia, but this white, wavering, mut
e creature took away the resistance of the heroes, and aroused the deepest fears of their he
arts.
"Gayus."
Amneris called out for the mage - his voice might have had a faint, uncontrollable tremble i
n it.
"What the hell is this?"

The mage was fumbling with a prayer cord in the shape of a rune with his aged hands. The
gesture was strangely irritating to the viewer.
"Angel hair is supposed to be harmless, but it's not like they're coming at us in droves, is
it?"
"......"
Gayus shook his head.
"I've never heard of anything like this."
"A sign!"
"And if there be such a thing, it shall not be a bad omen, nor a good omen, as the Gentile."

"Enough!"
Amneris said irritably. This exchange between the commander-in-chief and the mage was,
of course, unheard by most of the army, but that was a blessing in disguise.
Because the knights looked up at the white curtain of angel hair in a weird way , and began
to sneak around it, brushing it away with considerable panic now whenever it was stuck to
their faces.
"Have you ever heard of a story like this, Mars?"
"No, I don't. My cousin's family have been frontiersmen for a long time, living near the Twol
ead Forest, and they always said that Angel Hair was harmless, if a little creepy. When I was
assigned to Alvon Castle,......, he said.
"Hey, listen. I don't think this is normal. I got a bad feeling about this-- it's like a bad omen."
"Don't say it, Hendry."
"You know, it's rumored that I have a well-developed sixth sense."
"Yurek knows his stuff. Let's go talk to him. Yurek, Yurek."
"......"
"Do you know, I don't know if this happens all the time."
"Never heard of it--but this is Nosferus, where anything can happen."
"Hey, guys, listen up. Don't you know there's a myth that these angel hair things, each one o
f them, is a restless soul that came out of a dead man's mouth?"
"Don't tell me what to do, all of you!
"Over the face of the Mother of Mercy of Janus!"
"When the Crystal City fell by surprise, how many innocent civilians did we, the Black Knig
hts and White Knights of Mongol, kill on top of horse?"
"Oh, no, don't say that! Bad luck!"
"But that was ......."
The wind, which had died down for a while, came up again a little, shaking the sticky darkn
ess, and the white gauze coverings of the angel hair swayed gently without a sound, as if the
cilia of the ringworm were all waving together in the deep water.
It was an awe-inspiring and terrifying sight. Someone lit a torch and brought it close to the
drifting mist, and once around it, the cilia melted in great quantities and disappeared into t
he brittle darkness. But before long, the angel hair that had gathered from the surrounding
areas would fill the hole, blending into a darker whiteness than before.
At last, the five hundred troops had come to a complete standstill. Although there was no si
gn that they intended to do any harm, if they had come down and clung to the faces or mout
hs of the party, it would have been easy to suffocate them all with such numbers, and what
was more, it could not be said that they were harmless. They were so blinded by this
spectral dusk that they almost slipped into the sand pit of the giant ant colony.
Even if it was harmless in itself, there was more than enough danger that it would block th
eir vision and plunge them into the myriad dangers of the night of Nosferus. The three capt
ains, Melum, Cain and Asturias, consulted their pigeons and rushed to break into the ranks
of Amneris' bannermen.
"Your Highness, Amneris, with all due respect, it would be far too dangerous to proceed any
further with horse."
"My men are beginning to fear, sir."

"As a result of our discussion, we have decided to suggest that you stay here for the night."
They're all talking. Amneris frowned and glanced at the Obergruppenfü hrers on either side
of him.
Vron and Lint nod with an eye face .
"Very well."
Amneris pondered for a moment and then made his decision.
"The rations I brought with me lasted three days. It's better than forcing our way forward n
ow, so send word and prepare to camp here for the night. However, if the situation is as abn
ormal as you see, line up the horses in a circle to form a barrier, triple the number of sentin
els and rotate them constantly, and light a large bonfire in the center of the circle to keep th
e fire burning. Keep your armor on even when you take a nap. In the morning, you will stan
d at sunrise and enter Alvon Castle by the time the sun rises in the middle of the sky. Do yo
u understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
"I'll make sure he's careful."
"Each of you must carry a torch at your waist, so that you can light it from the bonfire at an
y time, in case this Angel Hair should show any harm. Angel Hair melts easily when exposed
to high heat, so it's not much of a threat if you're prepared."
"I understand."
"Go!"
After sending the third captain running, Amneris turned around. Not to Gayus, not to the se
cond captain." It's a damn shame - I was determined to reach the walls of Arvon tonight, no
matter what, even if it takes a little effort."
"I'm afraid I can't help you, sir, not like this."
"I'm curious. I've never heard of anything like this before. What kind of change could have b
rought about such an anomaly?"
"Because this is Nosferus--"

"What I'm saying is, it's not that obvious!"

Amneris was harsh and determined. She bites her rosy lips and glares at the ghostly pallor
that flutters above her head.
"We'll set up a tent for you. You may rest now."

The samurai said, but Amneris did not even show any sign of trying to get off the horse.
The knights hurriedly prepared the camp for the night. Huge bonfires were lit and ghatis w
ere kneaded with water.
The prisoners had the rope of their wrists removed, and they were given a rug behind a ho
rse. They immediately fell down on the rug, and for a while they could not move - their spiri
ts were so exhausted that they could hardly breathe.
Amneris gave no instructions, as if he had forgotten about the captivity. Taking advantage
of this, the knights, who were secretly feeling some distress, hurriedly took with them cant
eens, jars of grain, and grease for their wrists.

Linda and Remus put the water bottles to their mouths and gulped them down. For a long t
ime they didn't even try to remove the canteen from their mouths. But they could not bring
themselves to eat Gati's powder. His hunger was so great that he could not pass it down his
throat.

Guin sipped from his water bottle and slowly gargled his mouth with it, sipping for a while
to let the water flow into his mouth before spitting it out. He picked up a dried fruit that he
had buried in the grain and began to suck on it, taking his time.

While he was trying to recover his strength, the twins collapsed into a limp state and looke
d up at the sky in a daze.
"Huh--that's strange."
Linda mutters in a weak voice.
"Even though the soldiers of Mongol are so afraid of Angel Hair, so frightened by the prospe
ct of something strange, I'm not the least bit afraid of it. On the contrary, it gives me a stran
ge and nostalgic feeling when I look at it. ......"

"Oh ......"
Remus agreed in a hushed voice.
"It's not scary, and ...... it's beautiful, like the cloth woven of spider silk and morning dew tha
t Aino the Maiden will spread out for us when we die and ascend to the throne of Janus. Yea
h."

"When I look at it, I feel like my body is floating and I'm flying in it."
Linda said with a swoon.
"Maybe it's true that Angel Hair is the soul of the dead. If only it were the image of the mort
al Paro, of the tens of thousands who came to see us, burned in the fire. ......"
Guin looked at the twins. He seemed displeased, but he must have seen that the twins foun
d the idea terribly comforting, because without saying a word, he began to bite into a loaf of
battered bread.
The knights on guard looked at them as if they wanted to say something, but when they sa
w them, and saw the white living darkness above them, they said nothing, and cut the sign
of Janus.
The swarm of angel hair swayed in the windless air, and the area looked like a white botto
m. The second night in Nosferus drew to a close with anxiety and an unceasing awe-inspiri
ng throb.
four

Night has fallen.

In the tent, until late at night, the captains of the troops surrounding the princess were disc
ussing the matter, but this finally came to an end, and the captains retired to their respectiv
e troops. The attendants used the precious water to wring out the cloth, wiped the duchess'
s hands and feet, washed the dust of Nosferus clean, and made the Lord comfortable on the
floor covered with layers of linen, and the lights in the tent were blown out.
Outside, of course, there would be no peace and quiet, as if this were Arvon's chambers. Bo
nfires were lit to scorch the heavens, and more and more dead moss and portable fuel was
poured into the air.
The soldiers glanced upward, rushing to feed themselves and thirsting for the taste of the h
oney wine they were forbidden to drink. Their faces were stained white with the dust of No
sferus, and there was no water to wash them away.
But when they began to light fires, probably because they did not like the warm air rising a
bove them, the angel-hairs turned into doughnuts, avoiding the sky above them, and they di
d not seem to be gathering any more, and the situation seemed to have settled down for the
moment.
The anxiety and agitation of the soldiers, who seemed to have nothing to do but to wait for
the attack with ringworms on their heads, subsided little by little with the efficacy of the fire whic
h began to kindle, and with Angel Hair showing no sign of doing anything, and the people bega
n to grow somewhat accustomed to the haze above them. And when they looked up, they sa
w the meek monster fluttering and wavering, as if looking down upon them with pale, emot
ionless eyes. But the fire burned brightly, and the soldiers at last regained their spirits enou
gh to exchange a few words in private.
Their attention was divided between two things: the extraordinary gathering of the Angel
Hair, and their prisoner, a monster with a leopard's head, a man's body, and a huge body, a
nd an extraordinary energy.
"I've never seen or heard of anything like this."
In every unit, there are men who are respected for their knowledge, and others who are
relied upon for their somewhat superior sixth sense and intuition.
They were half-lit by the flames, talking to their colleagues who were listening with their
mouths open.
"It's a bad omen. It has to be. Otherwise, I'll take this sword by the scabbard."
"Is it the angel hair, or is it the--" he hissed, looking toward it--"the monster?"
"Both!"
The man replied and took a sip from his water bottle.
"If it had been either one of those things, I might still have an explanation. Coincidence, or
that whatever happens on Nosferus is not to be feared, or that whatever lives there will nev
er be fully revealed.
But - since the two occurred in such unison, and since the tragedy of Staphorus came befor
e and after it -"
"In Staphorus, there was my countryman Garun and young Oro."

Another knight says, his face flushed with fire.

"If the tragedy of the destruction of Staphorus was brought about by some fate connected t
o that monster or indicated by that monster as an omen, tell me. I have a small price to pay
for letting my friends die so miserably at Shem's hands."
"No, it's no use, if fate can be cut with a sword at the hip, there's no need for magic."
The curious man made a muffled laugh and then,

"But--I think--"
He looked around at his companions who were listening closely, trying to hear every word
he said, and his voice trailed off.
"Look, I'm telling you this between you and me, because I know I shouldn't be telling you th
is. ...... To be honest, I don't know. I have a feeling that the palace shouldn't have messed wit
h the golden parrot. ......"
His voice finally got low.
"And why is it that--"
I look around at the shocked faces, faces, faces.
"Think about it. Where the series of specters that began with the destruction of Staphorus t
akes place, there is always the Pearl of Paro and the figure of Silenos guarding it. ......"
"Speaking of which, sure."
"The spinning wheel that Yarn uses is called Fate, and the loom in his hand is called Chance, and onl
y Yarn knows which thread will fall on the pattern he weaves.
But this is ......."
"Then why don't you quickly string those pearls together like a necklace and seal the curs
e?"
"I do not mean that they themselves are the source of the curse, nor that they are the
originators of the demons."
Around them, little by little, people began to gather. The man who was speaking looked aro
und at them in pity for their ignorance,

"But the City of Beauty, Paro, with its Crystal Palace, is also the home of the City of Magic,
the Temple of Janus. It's a kingdom that's thousands of years old, and there are many things
that happen there that we new Gora people can't imagine. For example, don't you know
that beneath the Crystal Palace there is another sealed palace where mages and women wh
o were picked up from the stream of time and sealed away long ago are still alive, guarding
the holy remains of Aldross the Great of Paro. And you whispered to me that whoever sits o
n the throne of Paro must at least once go down to the sealed palace in the depths of the ear
th and have a talk with the mummy of Aldross the Great? No, it is true that Paro was not to
be trifled with!"
"Are you saying that this series of demons is the fault of none other than our lord, Grand Du
ke Vlad, who, before the other two lords, razed the Crystal City to the ground in fire and blo
odshed?"
"It's just that, if that's all, I'm rather lucky--"

As he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly felt a searing whip pain in his shoulder
and jumped up.
He turned in a panic, saw Captain Cain glaring at him angrily from his horse, and fell flat on
his face.

"Whoever seduces a man's heart with false words will find himself face to face with the mo
uth of the Kes with bare hands."
Cain yelled in a sharp voice.
"Be mindful, others, and put flour in your ears rather than listen to fanciful gossip."
He glances in all directions, kicks the horse in the side and leaves the fire.
The knights fell silent for a moment.
But then, someone suddenly shouted and pointed upwards.
"Look!"
People looked up.
And then, just as I had done earlier when I found the sky filled with angel hair, I gasped
with a sharp sound.
While they were talking, the wind blew into the night sky and swept away the curtain of w
hite silk that had filled it.
"Oh--!"
I hear someone whispering low. The sky was clear.
The milky-white depths of the past are gone, replaced by violets and a blue night sky, high
above their heads.
That wasn't all. Strangely enough, the cleansing wind that blew through her angel hair see
med to have dispelled the sticky, unholy heaviness peculiar to the night of Nosferus.

The sky is clear, there's a breeze blowing, and--

"The stars are ......."
The knights look up in silence.
The starry skies of Nosferus are seldom seen, for they are somewhat obscured by the heav
y clouds which are peculiar to the place, and for this reason it should have been called the p
rint of Dole, where not even the light of the stars can penetrate. But now, above their heads,
the flickering stars were unmistakable.
The astrologers say that the shape of the stars, and even their positions, have been so disto
rted and altered since time immemorial that they cannot be regarded as the same. But to th
e people of this age, the positions of the stars are their familiar guides.
There are two stars that stand out from the rest: the light-weak one, and the giant red star
of the god of war, which is decorated with various legends and teachings.
One of them was the Polar Star, commonly called the North Star, the polar bear star that guid
ed the sailors and whose position had not been changed since time immemorial. Its clever li
ght seemed to measure, judge, and mock the folly of mortal men in their fate.
And the other was the star of the east. In the east of Canaan, in the ancient mountain range
of Canaan, black with miasma and silent at the edge of the wilderness, shrouded in mystery
and legend, at the edge of a mountain in the shape of a sleeping lion, flickered the star of da
wn, Marinium, shining with a high, white, subtle, but unmistakable light.
If the northern star, the Polar Star, was the lighthouse of the gods to guide men in their peaceful voyag
e, it was the single eye of Yarn itself, which with unclouded eyes, uninfluenced by anything,
invites and rejects the earth. That is why people also call the Star of Dawn the Eye of Yarn.
The stars shone in the night sky, and the hearts of the Knights of Mongol and their prisoner
s were softened. They listened to the sacred music of the stars, and felt soothed and forgive
n. It was, perhaps, a moment of calm before the storm. For a moment, the people forgot the
darkness of the night in the frontier, and even the anxiety of being outside Janus' peaceful
map.
The lady's tent is quiet and the lights are out.

At the bottom of that same night, there is a shadow that does not sleep, but quietly moves a
bout.
The shadow was slender and tall. He wore armor and carried a sword, but he made no sou
nd at all, even as he crawled along the hard rocky ground. He is as supple and unflappable a
s the water snakes of Dunedin.
Their shadows had begun to appear in the vicinity in an unobtrusive manner from the time
when the group of noblewomen had set off after folding their tents in the early morning.
Of course, they do not make a mistake that would be taken unawares. When there was a rock, he
would hide behind it; when there was sand as far as the eye could see, he would lie down o
n the ground without hesitation; and when the sun was high in the sky, he would follow wit
h such caution that he could barely keep out of sight of it, but as the sun set and darkness fe
ll, his work became much easier.
But once he got too close for his own good, and was nearly caught unawares. Captain Astor
ias, a handsome young nobleman of Torus birth, who led a party of shinobi, was always on t
he lookout for signs of something strange following him as he rode back to the rear of the c
olumn. In the last glimmer of the setting sun, the armor's clasp glinted brightly.

The dark haired, dark eyed young officer's beautiful face was filled with doubt, and he raise
d the whip in his hand,
"What the hell was that?"
I asked no one.
"I don't see anything, sir," he said.
"No, I'm sure--

Asturias felt a heavy responsibility as a Shinigari. For a moment, he wondered if he should

turn the horse over to see if it would work, but then,
"Whoa!"
"It's the gluttonous bitguy eater!"
I could hear the commotion from the front.

"What's wrong!"
Immediately, Asturias took advantage of the horse, and concentrated all his attention on ke
eping his ranks undisturbed, so that the minute glow, which might have been an optical illu
sion, was completely forgotten. And after that, there was the usual Angel Hair fuss.
By the time it was over, the fire had been lit, and the people were ready for the night, the d
ay was long gone, and suspicious figures could easily move about.
He was dressed in black, so that in broad daylight he would have stood out like a black wor
m on a blank sheet of paper in the rocky terrain, but once darkness enveloped the area, he
would have gone unnoticed by the Mongols who had taken up fire.
Istvan - needless to say, it was the Valakian Istvan - still had not given up the habit of mum
bling in his mouth.
Goodness gracious. The Doll's 13 ugly daughters, oh, my! What is it with those angel hair?
Mongaur's men must have been astonished. I'm even more astonished. I've never heard or
seen anything like it. I wondered what would happen. But... well... now I have another curio
us story to tell my grandchildren when I'm old enough to sit on the stone steps outside my
house with my mouth open.
Oh, thank goodness we all got tired of all that ruckus and fell asleep in shifts. At this rate--
oh, by the light of the Eye of Yarn overlooking Canaan to the east, this tent is where the capt
ain, the commander, and the white knight from before are. What the hell was that thing? Ma
ybe it was just the light, but it was a young-looking knight with golden hair that looked like
it was about to burst.
The main captains among the White Knights are Count Vron, Baron Rindt, and among the y
ounger ones, Liath, Arion, and Lenz-- Sir Arion. That's about it. But it's odd: ......
Well, that's not the point. Oops--that was close.
The mercenary, muttering to himself to cheer himself up, gradually approached the tent to
scout out the situation, but at that time, he heard the whispering of what appeared to be a s
entry unexpectedly close by, so he panicked and ducked down, completely blending in with
the darkness and killing even the presence of others. .
"You've done a terrible thing."
What was heard was a hoarse voice with a strong frontier accent.
"You're a prisoner of war, you're a child..."
"I don't know what you're thinking that we can't..."
"You'll be tortured in the castle anyway, but that's not the same as--"
"I'll give up if it means I get put on the torture wheel a little sooner. But it's a shame , that lit
tle girl is quite a sight. She's still got the body of a child, but she's got the skin of a royal and
she's quite good-looking. To have her limbs crushed by a wheeled platform so recklessly..."
"Shh!"
At that time, there was a sound of the entrance to the tent being lifted up.
"Well, good night, sir.
A thick man's voice was added. And then a youthful, somehow dignified voice,

"Then be ready to set out at sunrise. By now the first horses will have entered the defensive
wall of Kes and will be ready to meet the welcoming party in the morning. Until then, keep
your heads up.
Especially Lint!"

"is."
"Keep watch over the prisoners, lest they hold their tongues."
"I understand."
"Asturias!"
"is."
"Tomorrow morning, you'll take over the rear guard with Cain's troop and put them in the
middle. It's hard on the nerves to keep them in the back."
"No, that kind of--" "Yes, sir."
A young voice with a faintly disconcerting tone is heard at last, and the curtain is lowered a
gain.
Istvan stretched out his head to get a better look at the owner of the voice, who seemed to
be very used to giving orders. He crawled out of the tent to take a peek. When I had seen hi
m earlier in the day, from the top of a high cliff, I had been unable to discern his form. Howe
ver, there was something arrogant in his dignified voice and the way he spoke, something t
hat irritated the young Valakian mercenary and aroused his urge to see his face and appear
ance.
The Red Mercenary raises himself up slowly and begins to spread the tent's panels to both
sides. There was a low voice speaking inside. Then..,

"Oh--"
Istvan almost shouted out reflexively, and covered his mouth in a panic.
He noticed that there was a disgusting looking thing stuck to his hand. It was a fuzzy, phos
phorescent, disgusting sand-sand worm-meat, with a ring-shaped, disgusting mouth, as if it was angry th
at the thing it was sucking was so hard that it could not suck up its blood no matter how mu
ch it sucked. The small red eyes beneath its mouth seem to be gazing at Istvan with the rele
ntless malice that only a creature created by a doll can possess.
"Wow, that's creepy."
It was so small that it had just been born as a sandworm, so it was harmless, but the horror
of its shape and the unpleasantness of the squishy little thing threatening him with its head
made the mercenary reflexively brush it off and crush it with a crunch. He did not know fea
r to the extent that he was called a demon warrior, but to be honest, he was a little weak ag
ainst slugs and leeches. He shuddered and tried to get rid of the horrible feeling he felt even
through his boots on the soles of his feet when he crushed them.
That's why I've been a little careless.
"Who are you?"
At the sound of the sentry's sharp voice and the sign that he was coming towards him, he p
anicked, abandoned his ambition to look into the master of the tent, and fled to safety.
He didn't seem any more suspicious than he already was, so the sentry decided it was just
his imagination and waited for him to leave. But the moment was not in vain. Because as he
lay there on the rock breathing heavily, the Red Mercenary suddenly thought of the trick he
had been looking for.
It was a somewhat unpleasant idea, and he didn't want to do it if he could help it. But he co
uldn't let that stop him. Soon the sun god Lure's chariot would make its first hoofbeats in th
e eastern sky.
"The goddamn dollar.
He shuddered and muttered.
"If things go well, I'll put the fifty-thousand-tad gold sack of Igrek, god of wealth, on you and
hold the Paro twins to ransom for a million runs."

Still mumbling and cursing his own bad luck, he went back to the desert of Nosferus to loo
k for what he had come for.

It was about a year later.

Suddenly, the knights of Mongol, who had begun to believe that the night had apparently p
assed without incident, were startled by a tremendous scream.
"Help me! It's the Sand Sand Worm! The Sand Worm is chasing us!"
"Where is it!"
"It's a sandworm!"
Immediately, the whole camp was in a beehive of excitement. The confusion and panic bec
ame insurmountable as the pale, gnarled sandworms of tremendous size, undaunted by fir
e, grabbed the fleeing knights and ravaged the unlucky sacrifices with their blood-sucking
mouths.
The Sandworm of Nosferus is the worst of all the vicious monsters in the wilderness. For
this lowly creature has no sense of pain, and even if you poke it or break it up, it will always
wiggle around as long as you don't crush it to pieces or crush its primitive brain to shreds. I
t will always be wiggling without a care in the world.
"Help me!"
"Protect the tent!"
Screams and shouts filled the area, the horses roared and scrambled wildly, and the knight
s ran about in panic and panic.
"Your Highness, we're in danger. Evacuate!"
"Not important . Bring the crossbowmen forward! I'm in command!"
In the midst of the panic, the fires were extinguished and smoldering, and no one noticed
that the armor was different in color from red and black, while soldiers wearing armor that
at first glance looked like Gora's approached the prisoners.
Only one of them tried to complain about the mercenary who ran up to him and suddenly c
ut off the rope of a prisoner tied to a rock with his sword,
"The captain's orders are to move you to a safe place!"
I nodded when he shouted that at me with a pale face.
"Do you need help?"

"This is good. Get that thing out of here! Look, we got another one down!"
Istvan's voice was rumbling, but he did not need to feign panic. For he had indeed run and
run and run at full speed in his heartfelt panic as he searched for the sandworm's hole in th
e desert and lured it here to feed on himself.
"Shit! I'm really, really not going to help anyone ever again! Not on Janus' two damned fucki
ng necks!"
Istvan cut the rope of Guin, who stared at him without saying a word, and, handing over th
e dagger, he rasped in a stifled voice.
Without a word from the twins or Guin, the rope was cut and they were set free. They ran i
nconspicuously to the other side of the camp, where there was great confusion, and Istvan
and Guin caught the running horse and put the twins in front of them one by one.
"East," said Guin.
"Hi-ho!"
The mercenary ranted and kicked the horse in the side as hard as he could.
When the horse began to gallop like a madman,
"The prisoner has escaped!"
Someone's screams followed me from behind!
Episode 4 The Valley of the Id
one

"Oh my God!"
"The prisoner has escaped!"
"A prisoner of war has taken a horse!"
The frantic fugitives, clinging to the back of the madly galloping hippopotamus, heard the
mingled shrieks of the Mongols' camp like the roar of Garm, the dog of hell.
"After them!"
"Go after him!"
"Bring out the horse!"
Amneris's high-pitched scream and the crack of his sword as he tried to kill the sandworm
were interspersed with the throaty commands of the captains who were trying to organize
their ranks.
The two horsemen, their manes fluttering in the dawn breeze of Nosferus, gallop eastward
between the rocks. To the east, where the light of the dawn star has faded and the sun is no
w shining over the mysterious mountains of Canaan, towards the eastern horizon of freedo
m and life.
"Hi, hi!"
Again and again Istvan struck the horse in the belly. Now a crossbow and shouts of anger c
ame from behind him, and he could not shake off the fear that a long hand would stretch ou
t and grab his mane and drag him down.
Guin was far more calm. With Remus clinging tightly to his waist, he pulled the horse over t
o Istvan's horse,
"Don't be so hasty. If you push too hard, the horse will get sick sooner.

He pointed out in a calm voice. Istvan turned around with Linda in front of him.
I exhaled a low breath of relief, knowing that the camp of Mongol, illuminated by the morni
ng sun and obscured by the white and gray rocky ground, was already as small as a distant
vision or moss clinging to the ground, and that the ominous clump of dust heading towards
us was not yet recognized.
The rest was just a flood of abuse and curses.
"By the fire-breathing black pig of Dole! By that foul, stinking mud! By its owner, whom I sh
all never see again, I shall--never again, I shall--"
"I, Ist--Vern."
As the fierce and horrible curse was spat at her, Linda's pretty face crumpled up in a hyster
ical voice that could not be described as crying, laughing or screaming.
"Oh--thank you, and forgive me, Red Mercenary, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I told you you'd be asl
eep by now. While you were being chased by Sand Sandworm! You can hit me with one of those. ......"
"If I slap you, you'll give me a gold coin."
Istvan was in a bad mood.
"Your gratitude, you nasty pearl of Paro, I'm an idiot," he said with a ragged cape of limp-wr
isted yarn, "for one thing, a mercenary should never work for free, which is the first rule of
battlefield business. The next is that a mercenary should not be swayed by passion.
Goddamn it, don't say thank you. Thank you ain't nothing."
Guin, who was running alongside the horse, heard the mercenary's indignation as if he wer
e a naughty boy.
He didn't say anything, and his leopard head was incapable of such a gesture as a grin, so it
wasn't at all obvious from the surface, but behind the round leopard head, his yellowish, ste
ely eyes glowed with a funny, irresistible light. He could see that the mercenary was unchar
acteristically embarrassed.
He must have thought it was a noisy embarrassment, by the way. Guin's eyes flashed humo
rously.
But poor Linda didn't understand men well enough to understand such things. The little qu
een of Paro was terribly displeased to have her gratitude and apology rejected in such a ma
nner.
"I would ask you to refrain from using such vulgar language, even in my presence, Istvan of
Valachia."

Linda said coolly, trying to put on as much dignity as she could as she clung to the horse's n
eck and straddled Istvan's saddle.
"And if my gratitude is so unworthy of you, it is not worthy of being accepted. Don't be so s
orrowful about your free labor. But if the throne of Paro is restored, I will repay you tenfol
d. So you have nothing to worry about."
"You say you'll pay properly."
Said the mercenary with a pout.
"The Red Mercenary is expensive to hire."
"I don't know."
"A million runs."
"That's not usury."
Linda was angry.
"You take advantage of people's weaknesses."
"Or a position. How about adding me to the ranks of the Lords of Paro?"
"How brazen of you!"
"Now the only two heirs to the Holy Royal House of Paro, the Prophetess Linda and her suc
cessor Prince Remus, have been saved from the fate of being tortured at the hands of their
avenger, Gora, and then put on a high execution platform!"

"Alright. Then I promise, if we can rebuild Paro in good time, I will appoint you as the Holy
Knight Captain of the Crystal Palace."
"If you take comfort in the fact that it's a fairy tale that can't possibly be true, you might be i
n trouble later on if you shoot off a bunch of empty bills."

Istvan was so eager to remind the princess that he was secretly counting on Paro's rebirth
that he revealed his secret account.
Linda didn't notice one bit,
"There are no two words for the men of the Holy Royal House of Paro, Istvan of Valachia."
"You must make him the Holy Knight Marquis of the Crystal Palace."
"Yes."
"Of course, you'll have to pay the market rate, not to mention the million, but that's besides
the point."
"I know."
"Very well."
Istvan licked his tongue with a smile, like a cat that has licked milk. In his black, lively eyes
there was an inauspicious gleam, as if he had thought of something inauspicious.
"By the way--"
He said with great pleasure.
"That's for saving you and your brother from Mongol's pursuers earlier. But we're not safe
yet. We'll be pursued from behind, and we'll have to make a difficult journey through Nosfe
rus, a journey that may take many months, and beyond that, the land of Canaan, an ancient
mountain range full of mysteries and legends.
What do you think, if I manage to overcome all those difficulties and bring you safely to Arg
os or Cheironia, what will I give you for your reward?"

"Come on, it's--"

"Don't forget the market price that the work you did just now is the Holy Knight Marquis of
the Crystal Palace."
Istvan reminded him slyly.
"Depending on that, I'm a mercenary who can't say no to you if you hire me. I'll give my swo
rd to you without question and swear to be loyal to you and your brother until my contract
is broken or renewed."
"No matter what you say, we're the heirs to a throne with no country..."
Linda clammed up.
Istvan licked his tongue.

"How about, for starters, a crystal public to your left!"

At the same time, he broke in two and burst into laughter, nearly knocking me off the saddl
e.
"Well!"
Linda's face immediately turned red,
"My God! Lord Crystal! You don't mean to tell me that my husband, the regent, the third in li
ne to the throne, is the Lord of Lords, Istvan of Valachia!"
"If I help you rebuild Paro properly, you still won't marry me, will you, Princess?"
Istvan gasped and gasped and laughed like a madman. Suddenly he became serious,

"I'm not all that ugly, I'm afraid."

And then he starts laughing again.
Linda finally became so angry that she couldn't even speak.
"Get me off the horse! Put me down now! I'd rather be fed to the sandworms of Nosferus th
an have to insult the Princess of Paro by letting this rude man do whatever he wants! Stop h
orse now!"
"What are you two talking about, childish?

Guin, unable to restrain himself, chided him with a barking laugh. This time, however, Istva
n was offended.
"Oh, I see. So it's nothing but an insult to the Paro royal family for the princess to even think
of me marrying her. Because I'm the son of a poor fisherman from Valyria, a lowly horsema
n born with mud on my toes and a scoundrel who's been slinging mud for war work since I
was four. All right!
All right, I'll apologize for insulting the princess! In return, listen, I was born with a ball in
my hand, and the witch foretold that one day I would be king of some kingdom. And that on
e day the Lady of Light would appear before me and give me a kingdom and a darkness.
Look, I'll never forget. When I'm king, I'll remember that you, the little queen of Paro, took
my praise as an insult. ......"
"I have no--"
"Come on, that's enough."
Guin clicked his tongue, breaking up their endless argument.
"Istvan, Linda is only a child. You can't blame her for trying."

She licked him, but in her mind she was smiling, thinking that Istvan was still a child. With
indignant eyes, Linda looked out over the wilderness of No Man's Land, where it was alread
y dawning and the hot day was about to begin again.
The sky is a hazy mixture of violets and blues, and in the wilderness, where only whitish-br
own rocks and lichen cling to them, angel hair like a faint white thread flies and flies in the
air.
The desolate scene suddenly reminded Linda of something she had forgotten, and she forg
ot her indignation and twisted her head to look back at Istvan.
"Yes! What about Suni-- what about Suni! You're not really eating it, are you? ......"
"Don't joke about it."
Istvan is still in a bad mood.
"That skinny, stinky monkey that I took in, it took off faster than you could see it fall into Go
ra's hands. It splashed happily across the rocks. What an ungrateful, ungrateful monkey-- a
damnable one, anyway."
"Suni?"
Linda seemed shocked. She realized that, far more than she had expected, she had found so
lace in the loyalty of her small, loyal, furry friend during the many hardships they had share
d since they had met in the small room in the tower of Staphorus Castle.
There was nothing Linda could say in reply, so she kept her mouth shut and rocked silently
on the back of the horse. But her violet eyes were filled with distrust and defiance of the me
rcenaries, and her eyelashes with sorrow. The wilderness of Nosferus went on forever, and
the sound of the horse's hooves alone echoed on the deserted rock.

The horse has moved on.

It was Guin who first found it.
"--look."
He said in a calm voice and turned his head back. Everyone turned to see what was going o
n and then turned pale.
There's a small patch of dust to the west.
"It's the tracker.
Istvan says with a swooshing sound of his breath.
"Yeah."
"You're finally catching up. Even though we got off to a slow start, I thought it was too good
to be true."
"Yeah."
Meanwhile, the dust grew larger and larger in front of their eyes. It was time for their hors
es to get tired.
In addition, each of them was carrying an extra burden, albeit a light one, the Paro twins.
For a while their pace was much slower, and while they were quarrelling, their angry pursu
ers were steadily closing in on them.
No one spoke to me for a while.
After a while, Istvan became languid,

"So, what do you do, Guin?"

"Yes."
Guin shrugged his thick shoulders .
"Let's hear what you think."
"We hide! If you can't run, you can't fight, there's no other way!"
"Hide and seek?"
Guin seemed to be thinking,

"But how long will it last?"

"No," said Remus, "they will not give up! We don't have any food and they do, and they just
have to be patient and wait.
"Nobody's asking you, kid."

Istvan said bitterly.

"So you got a better idea, monster?"
"There's no such thing as a good idea."
Guin said gravely, strangely oracular.
"Then what?"
"Only, you said you couldn't run and fight, but I'm thinking that's not true either."
"You will fight! By the flaming sword of the Lure!"
Istvan shouted in dismay, and looked at the soldiers who were still far away, but certainly c
losing in on them.
"Can't you tell which platoon it is?"
"Of course - I've got my eye on a Baltic bird in a tree a tad away. ...... There's a whole compa
ny of them, at least by my reckoning. Two white cavalry in the lead, the rest red."

"A squadron, huh?"

Guin sinks into thought.
"Maybe two platoons in addition to that."
"It's a little tough."
Guin said in a slow tone.
"Well, I'll see what I can do. Istvan, you don't know the geography of this area."

"I'm not proud of it, but I don't know what's going on."
"Look-- straight to the east, over there, even in daylight, is the ominous blackness of Canaa
n, the legendary ancient mountain range."
"I know that much."
"It is impossible for us to reach Canaan at once, but the village of the Laks mentioned by Su
ni must not be far from here. But the village of the Laks that Suni spoke of must not be far
from here. Suni said that the village was 'where the head of the dog of Canaan looks like a fi
nger on the left'."
"What the-- what the hell is that?"
"Look, and you will see a mountain on the leftmost side of Canaan. It is the highest peak of C
anaan, the sacred peak of Pherath, and it is called Dzug Hetud, or Dog's Head Mountain, because it
resembles a dog's head when seen from the west."
"......"
"Right now, you can only see half of its head, but here we are."
Guin straightened his hand and held up his index finger.

"Close one eye and run to the point where the length of your finger matches the height of th
e mountain's silhouette. Somewhere in a circle with a radius of one tad from there, you will
surely find the village of Rak."
"......"
Guin turned and measured the distance between him and his pursuers, who could now ma
ke out each of the knights in the dust.
"Three men on one horse may not be fast enough, but you'll have to try somehow."
He says, as if this explains everything.
"Huh?"
Istvan made an unsure face. His black, apricot-shaped eyes, like those of a Kitai beauty, roll
ed back.
"Hey, Leopard head."
"And I'm sorry, but they took mine. Give me your sword, mercenary."
"Hey, hey--"
"No, don't! Guin!"
The mercenary and Linda shouted at the same time.

"It's okay. I know a lot of ways to stop it."

Guin lets out a little laugh,
"Hey, kids, maybe the Red Mercenary is right and my birthplace is here in Nosferus. Becaus
e I've just realized that I know more about this wasteland, its creatures, its geography, than
I'll ever know about anything else."
"No, you can't. I won't let you! We don't have the right to make you sacrifice your life for u
s."

"Let's go!"
Guin seemed annoyed. He suddenly grabbed Remus by the waist, gently tore off the prince'
s hands, which were clinging to him in panic, and threw him violently at Istvan. The mercen
ary catches him at the last moment and places him back in the saddle.

"Guin, no--!"
"Don't, Guin--"
He does not care if the twins scream, he will hold out his hand. The mercenary pulls out the
sword at his waist by its scabbard and throws it.
The leopard-headed warrior's strong hands firmly caught the great sword.

"Guin--!"
"Don't worry. We'll go to Suni's village later."
The warrior's fearless, howling laugh!
In the meantime, Mongol's pursuers had begun to reveal themselves, as if they had just em
erged from the depths of obscurity!

Now the sound of their armor clasps touching their swords, and
"Oi, oi."
"Wait, men, halt. If you don't, the crossbow--"
Even the loud voice of threats and intimidation shouting in the mouth can be heard clearly
on the wind.

"All right, go."

Guin said, swinging his sword just once, powerfully.
"I'll see you in the village of Rak!"
"All right, it's Rak's village. The dog's got a finger on his neck!"
Istvan screamed, his eyes glittering, and tried to kick horse in the side. Linda clung to his le
g.
"No, no! Please!"
"Heigh ho! You've got to do something about these kids!"
Istvan screams. Guin brings the horse close and raises his sword and strikes Istvan on the
horse's rump with the scabbard.

horse, exhausted, was surprised by this abuse. She summoned her last strength and ran.
"The village of Rak. It's three tads east!"
Guin shouted and turned the horse around without looking at him.
"Stop, stop!"

"Deserters, halt!
"I'll shoot!"
The cries of the pursuers now came like stones from a crossbow. On the horse's back, Guin
grasped the reins in one hand and drew the scabbard of his sword in his mouth and threw
it away.
"Leopard man, wait!"
"If you do not resist, I will not kill you. Surrender!
The cries that were being hurled at him were as imperceptible as the wind's roar and angel
hair,
"Well... I don't know what to do. If only there were a colony of sand sundew worms or gluttonous bitgutte
rs around here, it would be quicker."

"Guin!"
Hearing the sound of hooves running behind me and calling out,
"Idiot! Why did you come back?"
He yells in a voice like a whip. His eyes blaze with pale rage as he turns his head.
"Guin--no."

Istvan faltered and said.

"You can get that at ......."
His trembling hand rises and points to the east. Linda and Remus cling to the mercenary's s
addle, their lips pale as they stare at Guin.
He turned his head slowly to look at them, and they pointed at him.
And I saw it.
From the eastern horizon, the horizon that should have promised them life and liberty, the
y will see a lump of dust approaching them slowly but steadily.
"You scissored me..."
The Red Mercenary says in a weak voice.
A horrible roar escaped from Guin's throat.
Just once.
two

From left to right, the dust is slowly narrowing the space between them like two harpoons
trying to swallow the helpless prey in their midst.
"Guin - you're done."

Linda says in a small voice. There are tears in her eyes.

"They'll take you back again-- this time you won't escape. They'll take you back to Torus
and execute you. I hope the demons of Torus are proud enough to give the last two member
s of the House of Paro the peaceful end they deserve and the honor they deserve.
But Remus and I will remember you until the moment you breathe your last. Guin, you gav
e yourself to fight for our survival after your country was destroyed... and all the other thin
gs you did for us.
And, Istvan."
Linda turned around. Her violet eyes clashed with the obsidian ones she had been looking
at in horror.
"Thank you... thank you so much for risking your life to save us from Mongol's tent. We're s
ad we couldn't give you any of the rewards you promised. I'm sure you would've looked gre
at in the fur-trimmed robe of a holy knight. I don't care what you say or do... at least you'll li
ve. Please."
Istvan suddenly blinked his eyes in a very panicked manner and began to mumble somethi
ng like, "I don't know anything.
But it was Guin's firm voice that interrupted him.
"Don't give up hope. I've told you before, children of Paro. At the last moment, don't give up
hope and fight. You don't have to pick up a sword, just don't give up the fight!"
"And, but--"
Remus gasps and says something.
That's when.
"Wait."
Suddenly, Istvan's unusually tense voice interrupted his words.
"Wait--something's wrong with ...... something!"
"What's ......"
"That--that squad!"
For a moment, the twins almost thought that the Valakian warrior had finally gone mad wit
h despair.
The mercenaries, who had been exhausted, suddenly sprang up in their saddlebags and be
gan to laugh as if they were going to break their bodies.
"Istvaan!"
Linda screams. Guin's eyes narrow suddenly.
"So, yeah! I didn't know that! This guy--this guy ......"
Istvan gasped and screamed, and struck the saddle-crucible like a madman in a sudden lea
p from black despair to mad hope.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, Guin's mouth also let out a crazy cry.
"Guin! What the--"
"It's Suni!"
was Guin's bellowing answer.
"Hey, run--just throw yourself into the saddle, and if they shoot a crossbow at you from beh
ind, leave it to chance, and run, even if it kills you, east!"
"Hi-ho!"
Before you can ask, Istvan's foot kicks the horse in the stomach.
"Hold on tight, kids!
"S--snip is ...... what ...... snip is ......"
Linda still doesn't understand. Istvan turned back a moment ago, shouting as he drove his
horse madly in the direction of the dust,
"Suni came back with a Semitic warrior to save us! Ha, that was a close one! That thing was
even more dangerous than the mouth of Biggumaus!"
"Well, Suni!"
And then Linda couldn't say anything else.
Now Linda, clinging to horse's neck in front of the saddle, and Remus, clinging to Istvan's w
aist, could clearly see the advancing army in a cloud of dust. The reason it seemed so far aw
ay was because they were Shemites, only half the size of the Gora army, and they were stan
ding or walking. Istvan kicked the horse again just before it fell.
The great army of Shem - a small band of soldiers, their faces smeared with tannin, their backs
covered with leather machetes, bows made of vines, and short arrows smeared with poiso
n, and adorned with strange furs and bird feathers.
In the beginning of it, a small figure springs up and rolls towards you.
"Suni!!! "
Linda screamed and jumped off the horse. She fell to her knees in the sand below, but quic
kly sprang up again and ran. The sand sinks her feet into the sand, and she does not care if s
he gets caught on a rock.
"Leanda!"
Suni screamed too. Her small, ape-like, faithful face is crumpled and stained with tears.
"Sniff!"
Behind them, the crossbows of the Mongol soldiers whistled and dusted on the sand, but n
o one cared. Linda's outstretched hand finally found Suni's small, hairy hand, and the two gi
rls fell to the sand in a tight embrace!
"Oh, Suni, Suni, Suni: ......"

"Linda, Linda!"
They could not speak a word to each other, except to call each other's names in a fierce cho
rus. Though they were of different races, and could not have been more different in appear
ance and upbringing, the two girls, both still young, embraced each other tightly in the sand
s of Nosferus, and discovered how much they loved each other, how much one worshipped
the other, and how fervent their friendship was. They found how much they loved each oth
er, how one worshipped the other, and how the other had a deep friendship. Even though t
hey could not speak to each other, they could communicate with each other.
"Suni--oh, Suni, thank you, Suni, my little friend!"
Linda pressed her cheek against Suni's clean little head and whimpered.
"Arla, alfe, eemir, al, eratoo! "
The Suni said in an agitated tone, and drew himself up, and pointed to a large force behind
him. At that moment Istvan sprang from his horse, which had broken his leg in a cloud of s
moke, and came running with Remus.
"Three hundred in all, I'd say. Two hundred Mongols, well, with me and Guin, we should be
able to manage that."
He says it all with a toothy grin, as if it's to his credit that he got Shem's reinforcements.
"My noble lord."
Linda twitched at the sudden call.

Suni, away from Linda, points happily to the little Semite. The Semite, who at first glance
appears to be of high rank - perhaps a chief - is quite old, and his hair has turned white in m
any places, and his speech is slurred and almost inarticulate, He spoke a language that Lind
a and the others could understand.
"We thank you for rescuing the daughter of our tribe... and we ask that you strike them dow
n and stay in our village."
"Well - I'm ......"
"I am the Great Chief of Rak, named Lothor."
I wonder who taught him, but Nakahara's slurred speech was polite.
"In the meantime, please enter the rear choke and rest."
"I am Linda, prophetess and little queen of Paro. This is Remus, my brother and the only leg
itimate heir of Paro. Istvan of Valachia, our ally. We accept this welcome with gratitude."
With the perfect etiquette of the Crystal Palace, Linda dropped to one knee , took the hand
of the Great Chief of Shem, and bowed.
"Hey, hey! This is no time to be playing court with a monkey!"
Istvan's loud voice, as if in desperation.
"Look at him! With the legendary Silenos' double-edged sword, the leopard head is rampagi
ng alone against two hundred knights of Mongol!"
Linda and the others came to their senses and looked over.

And breathtaking.
There, a terrible battle was already unfolding. Preoccupied with the reunion with Suni, Lin
da and the others did not realize that Guin had not escaped after them towards Shem's troo
ps with his horse's head.

Instead, Guin had his horse put on, held his greatsword aloft in his right hand, and rushed i
nto the midst of the two hundred elite Mongols, accompanied by the Leopard's battle roar!
"Whoa!"
"Fight, fight! The enemy has one rider!"
"Don't hit the crossbow. You'll hit a friendly!"
The army of Mongol could not hold back the only warrior who leaned in like a cone , and
fearing the momentum of the demon god, once flattened to the left and right, but immediat
ely the splendid captain Asturias raised his red ensign and continued to shout, and gathere
d his troops.
Guin's great sword strikes the knights horizontally and vertically, knocking them off the ho
rse and sending them sprawling to the ground.
"I'd make a live bird if I could. Don't depress the crossbow!"
Asturias ranted in frustration. If it had not been for the duchess's strict orders to bring him
back alive, he would not have had to do anything to him. If it had not been for the two white
knights, Sime and Feldric, who were at his side as chaperones, he would have said that he h
ad resisted, even if the princess had ordered him to do so. He would have screamed, "Kill
her!
Although it is said that he is only one horseman, that one horseman is as many as the ten h
orsemen of Mongol. Whenever the legendary Silenos swung his sword with a bloodbath
and a shout, there would be a scream and a spray of blood, and the horse would be knocked
off his feet and fall, and the Red Knights, who were proud of their valour, would flinch and g
ive way.
It made the young Astorias' heart even more furious.
"Stay back! The enemy is only one rider. Cover him and take him in."
But in the midst of Asturias's angry shouts, another warrior in black armor, his cheeks bar
ed, rode into the field of battle on foot,

"I'll help you!"

Shouting, he sprang at the first knight and dragged him from the horse, striking him with h
is dagger. With the agility of a black leopard, he snatched the sword from the horse and jum
ped on it, and immediately this knight also fought with great vigour.

"Guin, you're okay!

"Oh."
In the midst of the two hundred knights, the two mad warriors danced their swords from s
ide to side as they approached with their horses, and finally came face to face.
"Guin!"
"Oh!"
"That's the first time I've ever fought alongside you!"
"Yeah."
The elite were surrounded by only two horsemen, and they faltered before them like a sur
ging wave.
And then--as if in a haze of clouds, a large contingent of Semites came screaming down the
hill!
"Aie, aie, aie!"
"Ee, ee!"
"It's Shem!"
"Intercept the Shemites!"
Immediately, unrest spread among the Mongols.
At last, Asturias, who had been standing back as commander, lost all patience.
"For the sake of Mongol!"
As soon as he had shouted for help, he gave a flick of the whip to the belly of the stag or furbearer

horse on which he was riding, and ran forward to join the fight. Sime and Feldrick, who wer
e standing by his side, had no time to restrain him.
It resembled two giant sand dwarf worms approaching each other from the left and the right, roaring
viciously, and then finally colliding and tangling each other with all their might. Rather, it
was more like a swarm of fierce, whitish-brown giant ants filling up a huge, red sandworm.
The ape-men of Shem darted between the horses and blew their poisoned arrows at the
slightest weaknesses in the armour, such as the eyes and the throat. Each time, the knights
screamed and fell down from their horses, and the ape-men rushed upon them and choked
them to death.
Of course, the swords of Asturias and the other heroes of Mongol beheaded, cut down, and
cut down countless Semites from above. The Semites, however, were able to overcome thei
r disadvantage in height by the teamwork method of fighting, in which one of them put his s
mall foot on the shoulder of another, and the one who used it as a stepping stone to climb u
p to his companions jumped down from the top to the horse. He was protected by his
armor, so he burrowed into the chests of the knights like a tick and clung to them.
Seen from as high as Lure's red Chariot, it must have looked like a smear of living, churning
blood, an amoeba stretching and shrinking as it breathed, strewn across the white and bro
wn wilderness of Nosferus. The screams, exclamations, and shrieks continued without end,
"Al, Alura, Alfetu!"
"Eeeeew!"
"For the sake of Mongol!"
"For the sake of Mongol! Hoist Shem!"
His voice, which was so tangled up in his tongue, is now on the verge of breaking.
And look--
"Feldrick!"
The white knight Sime whispered to his colleague, who was standing back cunningly.
"I'm afraid this is not in our favor."
"Indeed. The enemy is not only outnumbered, but also has the strength of those two brave
men as its cutthroats."
"You Leopard, you're a fearsome swordsman!"

"Aside from the leopard man, that other black warrior, that armor looks like it belongs to G
ora, even though it doesn't have a crest."
"If so, you're a traitor. It's a shame."
"Oops--that was close."
Feldrick flung his whip from side to side at the Semites who happened to try to come at hi
m,
"At any rate, this confirms that Lord Amneris' fears were true. The Semites showed up to sa
ve Paro's orphaned son. Paro is in league with Shem."

"Then this is a grave danger to Mongol."

"Indeed. We shall return immediately and report to the princess what has happened."
"But Asturias is--?"
"It is unavoidable, the fate of Mongol may depend on it."

Feldrick and Sime looked at each other, nodded once to each other, and turned their heads
to the west.
"Hi!"
The whip is up.
In the midst of the sword and blood battle, it was the Leopard-headed warrior who noticed
that the two white knights were about to abandon the battlefield.
"Wait! I won't!"
Immediately aware of the intentions of the two horsemen, Guin shouted and charged after
them, throwing aside the red knight who was rushing towards him.
"Mercenaries! Don't let them leave. I'm going to call for reinforcements!"

"I know what I'm doing!"

Istvan, too, followed Guin with his horse. But when he saw that he could not finish the desp
erate Mongols around him quickly enough, he raised his sword in the manner of a Valakian,
drew one arm behind his shoulder, and threw it like a spear.
His aim was not misplaced, and the greatsword plunged into the buttocks of Sime's white h
orse, which was running behind him. The horse springs up and Sime is knocked to the rock
s in midair.
Istvan runs to finish him off. Feldric did not even look back to see his ally's end. His figure g
rew smaller and smaller as he made his way toward Alvon Castle on the far side of the Kes.
"Now there's one!"
After Sime's death, when Istvan tried to catch up with Feldrick.

"I'm your opponent!"

A horseman of the Red Knight, who was probably about the same age and height as Istvan,
and even had black hair and shining black eyes peeping out from under his helmet, suddenl
y put on a horse and stood between Feldrick and Istvan.
"Get out of the way, scum!
"I am Astorius, Captain of the Hunt! You, too, are a traitor who wears the armor of Gora and
treats the barbarians as if they were your own!"
"What? Astrius? Astorias, the Red Lion of Gora, is that him?"

Istvan rushed forward, and from beneath his cheeks, which were drawn down even more d
eeply, he fixed his eyes on the other man. A youthful, handsome face, as firm and sallow as
his own, with lively dark eyes and short black hair, which, if he had been dressed in the sam
e manner with his cheeks down, might have made the two men indistinguishable.
However, in his red armor and captain's helmet, his face had the dignity of an aristocrat an
d the fire of loyalty that Istvan did not have, which made the Valakian-born mercenary with
lustrous eyes and a mouth twisted with irony feel that he was a man he did not like.
"Asturias! All right, I've got your head!"
As soon as he had shouted, Istvan forgot about Feldrick, who had already disappeared into
the dust, picked up his sword and charged at the young nobleman.
"Oh, yeah!"
The young warriors respond with a resounding "yes" and draw their swords together. The
swords of young men who are similar to each other clash with each other, and blue sparks f
ly.

Twice, thrice they cut each other's throats. But the blood drained slightly from Istvan's fac
e: Istvan's skillless swordsmanship, which he had learned on his own in order to survive on
the battlefield, and Astorias' sword, which had been drilled into him from an early age by th
e best teacher in the court of Torus. But when all other conditions are equal, the regular wil
l surely one day overcome the evil.
As they fought each other for two or three rounds, the Valakian pirates began to be visibly
aware of their disadvantage. They were tired and exhausted from their continuous adventu
res.
His hands began to slip with sweat, and every time he caught Asturias' sword, numbness b
egan to run down his arms and into his shoulders.
"What's the matter with you, you can't take the head off the lion of Arvon!"

Asturias, on the contrary, began to be convinced of his own superiority. But if you look aro
und you, you can't help but immediately notice that Shem and his men are now overwhelmi
ng the Mongol army by 70%, not to mention their superiority - but Astrias is still not yet 20
years old, and his name is Gora. He was young enough to be more concerned with his own b
attle than with his duties as a commander.
"Tell me your name. My sword is not for nameless riffraff. Name yourself, coward."
Asturias shouted in triumph.
"Guin! Guin!"
Istvan, by the way, has been earning his living on the battlefield since he was four years old
and is a realist who has no scruples about this kind of knightly justice and pride. As soon as
he sees that he can't win, he calls out loudly for help.
Around the leopard-headed warrior, there was no one left who dared to stand. Guin took a
dvantage of the horse and approached. Istvan is grateful and scurries away behind him.
"You're a coward with a new trick up your sleeve!"
Asturias stood his ground, but this time it was the other way around.
Guin's strength, skill, and stamina all exceeded that of the young officer by an order of mag
nitude. Asturias didn't last more than a couple of rounds. He was knocked off his sword and
fell from his horse, and Guin's huge frame sprang down and held him in place.
Asturias gasped as a sword was held to his throat.
"Kill. Stab him now!"
He groans, his cheeks flushed with humiliation. Guin stares down at his youthful, sincere fa
ce, his sword still at his side.
"You are the devil incarnate, who brings misfortune to Gora! Quickly, kill the bravest man i
n Arvon!"
Asturias cries out in grief, while the mercenaries behind him rant and rave about giving hi
m what he wants.
And you don't care,

"My name is Guin."

The leopard-headed warrior said gravely.
"Tell the rebellious Lady of Mongol. Do not touch the barbarians and monsters of Nosferus
who live in peace, or I will become Mongol's eternal enemy."

Then he draws his sword and helps Astorias up and moves back.
The young man stared at the monster in disbelief. He could not believe that his opponent h
ad let him go without inflicting a single wound while he had the absolute advantage. He clut
ched his hands to his throat, his eyes downcast in a miserable sense of defeat, and
staggered away to horse.
Eventually, they'll say, "Fall back! Fall back!"
When Astorius gave the humiliating order in a muffled voice, only fifty or so Gora soldiers
managed to gather to obey it.
three

It was a humiliating defeat that the young Captain Astorias, the Lion of Arvon, would never
forget.
He was born into a noble family, and since his first battle in the fifteenth year of his age, he
has done many deeds of valor, and has even earned the nickname "the young lion of Gora.
He was pursued one-sidedly by Shem, a race of dwarfs not half as great as theirs, and savag
es who had never even heard of the crossbow, and he was forced to gather his troops and fa
ll as a blue gleam.
Under the helmet Asturias's fair face grew paler than paper, and he bit his lips and beat the
saddle with his fists more than once. But it was too much for the pride of the Mongol nobilit
y to allow him to fall into Shem's hands here.
Shem and his men did not try to annihilate the Red Knights, who were falling with their he
arts set on a later date, and the Arvons, who were now down to less than fifty cavalrymen.
No, the chiefs wished to do so and jumped up and down with their bows, but the leopard-he
aded warrior, who was now looked up to by Shem as the god of war himself, stopped them.
"Why stop, Guin?"
Istvan was not happy either.

"Let's show Mongol what happens to those who follow us without knowing their own fate b
y sticking the head of that cheeky little nobleman in the sand with a dead branch."
"Well, you'd better."
was Guin's reply.

"Why?"
"Lord Astorius comes from a distinguished family, and is a young nobleman who likes the G
rand Duke of Vlad, and his father, Count Marcus Astorius, is the Grand Duke's right-hand m
an and the pillar stone of the Torus. If you kill him, Mongol's revenge will be fierce."

"Yes, you did."

A little wilted, Istvan said, and then suddenly turned his eyes.
"Hey, Guin. I thought you lost your memory. How do you know about Torus when even I di
dn't? You're a dumb son of a bitch, you know that?"

The mercenary looked creeped out and tried to get away from Guin. Guin made no reply.
The sand was stained with the blood of the two armies' victims. Lothor, the great chief of t
he Rak, approached, pushing aside the sodden corpses. Linda and Remus followed him, and
Lothor, his head adorned with a feathered headdress, and his figure covered here and there
with whitened bristles, was full of dignity even for an ape-man.
Roto graciously stepped forward in front of Guin and Istvan and struck them on the head .
When he looked up, there was a glow of admiration and deep wonder in his eyes.
"O brave man!"
In a high-pitched, Semitic voice, I say it as gravely as possible.
"The god Alfetu has sent you to the desert. The bow and arrow of Raku are yours."
Behind Lotho were five petty chiefs lined up in a row. They bowed their heads,
"Liard."
We chorused together.
"They call you Leopard Riad. You are the son of Alfetu."
"Hey, it's the son of a monkey god!"
Guin stopped the impudent Istvan from shouting in a fit of giggles.
"My name is Guin."
Says the gravely voice.
"Thanks for helping us out, man."
Roto waved his hand hurriedly.
"You have saved my grandson, Liard."

"Suni is your grandson?"

"Yes, the fourth. We went out to gather herbs for a desert festival and were caught by a blac
k devil who came across the river Kes. The black devil stripped us of our skins and squeeze
d our blood."
"It's all right now. Guin killed the demon that lurked in Castle Staphorus."
Linda, who was staring at Suni, hand in hand, assured him. Roto shook his head.
"After the black devil, the red devil comes over Kes. Why don't the devils let us live in peac
e?"
"I see you were not part of the great advance on Staphorus."
Guin said. Roto nodded.
"Rak likes peace. The sign of the council of chiefs came to him from the chiefs of Karoi and G
lo, but he refused. Raku's wish was to escape trouble, not to become trouble himself to get r
id of it."
"Castle Staphorus was destroyed, and tens of thousands of Shem and Mongol lives were los
t."
Guin said dreamily.
"Rak welcomes you and your noble companions . Liard the Brave. --Stay in the village of Ra
k forever."
Istvan speaks in a complaining tone.
But Guin seemed to have other things on his mind.
"It's good to know that the Rak love peace and don't like to fight unnecessarily. But there's
one thing that worries me... the white knights who broke away from the army and headed f
or the Kes River. I killed one of them but I lost the other. If I'm right, one of them may have
already crossed the river and entered Alvon Castle by now, and they may have formed a ne
w strike force against us."
When Roto delivered Guin's words, there was a visible uproar among the petty chiefs.

"So that's all of Rak's total strength?"

Guin asks.
"No way. The Rak are the largest tribe in all Shem, and all Shem are warriors, women and c
hildren. If you call together all the men who can fight, not just the old men and babies, the t
otal number of Rak would be nearly 2,000."

Only at the number "two thousand" did Roto revert to Semitic and say "two tentacles of the
Ringworm of Kes". Guin nodded, thinking it was two thousand.
"Two thousand?"
He said thoughtfully. Linda, Suni, Remus, and Istvan looked up at Guin like a group of childr
en waiting for their father's words. Guin's yellowish eyes are fading, and he seems to be lost
in thought.
"It's Leard."
Roto stepped forward and touched his firm arm.

"I fear it is not right for you to remain here long. Much blood has been spilled here. Not long
from now, the smell of it will bring gluttonous biteguiners, sandhills, bark beetles and many other
things."
"Oh--I almost forgot."
Guin nodded and stood up.
"Let's get the hell out of here."
"To the village of Rak?"
"No."
"Guin--?"
Linda makes a surprising sound.

With a soothing nod,

"I've been wondering about that white knight who ran away. Chief, I'm sorry, but I need 50
of your young warriors. I'll scout them out and enter Raku's village later."
"As the brave man commanded."
Roto got his head bashed in.
"Whoever you choose."
"I want the children to rest in the village first."
"Well, Guin, I, Guin can't be--"
Linda is about to complain. But..,

"Soon. We'll find out what's going on and we'll be there soon."
Guin soothed her, placing his large hand on the girl's slender shoulder. Linda shook her he
ad, but did not dare to intervene. In truth, she was as exhausted as mud from her peril.

"Hey, I hope it's okay for me to go with you. I don't understand a word you're saying and I d
on't want to get eaten by a bunch of monkeys."
Istvan shouts. Guin was about to object but changed her mind.
"Is there anyone who will scout the Red Devil's castle with me?"
Shouting in the language of Shem. Fifty young and vigorous little monkeys lined up at his w
ord. They're already tired from the battle, they're not wounded and they're as full of energy
as if they'd just come out of a bed of straw.
"Leard, make them what you want them to be."

Roto said. Guin nods.

"Soon, we'll be in the village of Rak."
"Welcome, you can't have a black pig, but you can roast some sandhill meat and wait for m
e."
Istvan closes one eye and shouts. Roto and the others were startled.

Guin and Istvan seized two of Mongol's horses that had lost their masters, and replaced the
ir swords with ones that were still sharp. The fifty Rak youths who followed him were give
n poisoned arrows by their companions on their way back to the village. Just as they were
about to leave, Linda suddenly ran out and clung to Guin's horse's bridle.
"Take me with you, Guin."
A small, sunburned face with a desperate expression on it.
"No."
Guin said curtly.

"Why not?"
"Of course. You look like you're about to fall. You have the soul of a true warrior, rare amon
g men, but your body is but a little girl. Go with Suni into the village of Rak and rest."
"Guin I have a bad feeling about this. It's not necessarily a bad one, but it's a bad one that I'd
rather avoid. Hey, Guin, please. Take me and make me an eye that can see through the dark
ness. With me, you'll be able to see what's beyond before you turn the corner."
Guin pondered. This time Linda could see that Guin was seriously considering it.
But when he did make a decision, it was a decision that disappointed Linda.

"No, no."
He said it clearly.
"Not the worst," you say. Well, then, with my power, my planet, and this strange knowledge
in my head that I don't know where it comes from, as long as I behave properly, we'll get th
rough this. Don't worry, Princess. I will go to the village of Rak."
"All right, Guin."
There was no point in crying foul. Guin had made up his mind. Linda's shoulders slumped a
s she realized this, but then it occurred to her,
"Then I'll just tell you what I see. Good, Guin, listen to me. "Okay.
It goes like this. Be more careful on the way home than on the way there. And be more afrai
d of what you can't see than what you can. What seems like bad luck is actually good luck, b
ut you have to make your own way to it.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"That's more of a saying than a prophecy, Princess."
Istvan interjected teasingly.
"--Okay."

Guin taps Linda on the shoulder.

"We'll be careful."
He promised to hold her soft, warm shoulders in his stout hands. Linda's worries did not se
em to be allayed, but she moved back to remind him to be careful.

It was time to leave. A small detachment of fifty Semites, led by the two horsemen Guin and
Istvan, rode west, while the rest of the Semites and the Twins rode east. On their way back t
o the village, Lotho and his men brought their comrades who had been wounded in the batt
le with the Arvon soldiers inside the ranks so that they could give them a shoulder to lean o
n. Those who were badly wounded were carried on a stretcher made of fur and a bowstrin
g. However, only those who could be restored to their original state with medical treatment
were taken away.
Those who are badly injured, or those who are likely to be crippled even if they are healed,
are left with the dead. It is a ruthless way for the barbarians of Nosferus to survive. The nat
ure of Nosferus is harsh and food is always in short supply. Those who can't fight or who ca
n't benefit the tribe in some way don't deserve to survive. And soon, all the strange and fier
ce carnivorous monsters of Nosferus will end their suffering by burying their dead and wou
nding their wounded on the sunlit rocks.
Linda shuddered softly. She loved Suni, and she had no objection to having the Rak as her f
riends, but she couldn't help thinking.
Well, how lucky I am that I wasn't born in the wilderness of Nosferus.

The column started moving left and right.

The sun is high in the sky, and the smell of blood is being blown in all directions by the dus
ty winds of Nosferus. The wounded are groaning, the horses are whinnying, and when you l
ook up at the sky, there are angel hairs floating in the air, crashing into your face as if in ter
ror, and then melting away like a fleeting dream or light snow.
The elite of Shem who had been guarding the tail end of the line called out the name of the
god and ran. Guin and the others looked back and saw. The sand had risen into a hideous sh
ape and a mouth full of vicious fangs peeped out of it.
"Riyolat."
A young man of Shem who was walking behind him pointed to him. The gluttonous Bitsuig'eater o
f Nosferus snatched the corpse of the Knight of Gora into his red mouth and sank back into t
he sand.
Not long after, a white, disgusting tentacle, known as the tentacle of the giant anteater, cam
e out of the sand and snatched the corpse of a Semite. And one more.
"Lal."
The young man says. Nosferatu has started its brutal activities.

By night, the corpses lying there and the blood stains would be gone, and all that would be
left would be the same sea of sand and rocks, and there would be no way for people to find
out what had happened to each other.
There was no need to linger. The gluttons of Nosferus never know when their ferocious hu
nger will finally be sated. Once the dead and the badly wounded are taken care of, we'll sme
ll the live bait. Roto gave the order in Shem's language. Raku and his men will retreat as soo
n as possible.
What Linda saw at last was a band of half-beast, half-human warriors led by a god of war, v
anishing like a distant mirage over a sea of sand filled with monsters.

Guin didn't even look back. He did not seem moved by the gnashing of the teeth of the glutt
onous bitgutters, by the hair-raising sounds, by the crunching of bones and the chewing of flesh f
rom bone, by the noises that made him want to cover his ears.
"We're too late. We may have fallen behind, so hurry."

He said a few words and hurried the horse in the direction of the Kes River in the west, the
direction of Alvon's tent from which he had escaped just yesterday.
They did not need to worry about the Semitic youths who followed them on foot. The deser
t was their land, and their feet were fit to walk in it. Without delay the fifty elite of Raq follo
wed behind the two horsemen.
A little more than a dozen yards away, Guin narrowed her eyes.
"Stop."
I command you to bark. Even the best-trained troops under his command did not do so qui
ckly, and Sem and his men stopped and waited for orders.
"What's wrong?"
And Istvan. Guin pointed beyond the rocks.
"They're the remnants of Asturias."
"You're still wandering around here. All right, let's do this one at a time."

"You're a short-tempered man."

Guin growled lowly,
"We're fifty cavalrymen away from the main army now. Don't forget that. Let's go around. G
et to the rocks on that side."
"That's not funny."
Istvan blurted out.

But then he suddenly changed his mind again and smiled.

"Naa, Guin."
"What?"
"It's a strange story, just a moment ago, you and I were tired fugitives, chased by Mongol's
pursuers, with only two swords and a bunch of lame kids.
And now you're giving orders to 50 monkeys like that's what you've been doing all your lif
e. Hey, Guin."
"......"
"I think, whatever it is you're looking for, Landok or Aura, with the two boulders in my han
ds, your predecessor must have been none other than the king or the grand marshal of that
country. If not, I will burn your leopard head to a crisp."
Guin didn't answer.
Their party, to avoid detection by the soldiers of Asturias, made a great detour, and ascend
ed a craggy mountain. And the juice of the herbs which they sprinkled on the ground drove
away from their path the sand-snakes, the sand-worms and the carrion mosses.
Soon they had a good position from which they could look out over the desert from the top
of the cliff. All that was left to do was to follow the rocks and watch the scene below.

Below me, I could see the defeated troops of Asturias fleeing towards Arvon. The proud Re
d Knights, who had marched proudly through the wilderness of Nosferus with more than t
wo hundred cavalry, now looked a sorry sight. Their horses are wounded, their armour is t
orn, and the wounded are moaning incessantly.
"Almost there. You're almost to the Kes River. Hang in there."
Asturias constantly raised his voice to scold his men, but his voice was often choked and m
uffled, and was often muffled by the moans of his men who had reached the point of exhaus
tion and disappointment.
When he saw this, Asturias took advantage of the horse and went to the front of the colum
n, and then to the rear, and tried to unite and encourage the men himself. He had only just t
urned twenty, and his pride was badly wounded because he had never before suffered such
a merciless defeat, even in a small battle, in his life. It was he himself who needed consolati
on and encouragement most, and yet he kept running back and forth, looking out for the thr
eatening Shem behind him, for the fallen, and offering his own canteen to ease the wounde
d man's pain. This was the spirit of the young, proud, upstart Gora himself.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no sign of the ape-man tribe, who were vindictively
pursuing the miserable defeated soldier, and Alfetu, in the form of a sand frog, the god of th
e desert, seemed to pity the miserable young nobleman. nor any other dangerous plant or a
nimal.
Even Asturias could not have imagined that a Leopard-headed madman astride a horse
and a black-robed mercenary, accompanied by fifty Semitic youths, were staring down at hi
m with glowing eyes from the white cliff above.
Swords without sheaths were dragged and struck against the rocks, making a clattering so
und that irritated those who listened. The faces of the knights, their cheeks raised, were soa
ked with dust and stained with blood.
Some of them, unable to bear the weight, threw down even Gora's helmet, and clung to the
neck of the horse without strength. Asturias, seeing this, and knowing that if an arrow were
to fly at him from behind he would be in danger, turned the horse over, picked up the head
piece with the point of his bow, and moved it back to give it attention and put it back on its
head.
That's when.
"Captain ...... that."
The Polack on his right arm pretended to wither as he entered while he still had some ener
gy left in him to follow Asturias' horse.
"You can get that at ......."
"Oh--?"
Asturias blinked his hazy eyes. He could not keep his eyes open because of the dust in the
m, and even when he looked in the direction Pollack was pointing, he had only the vague im
pression that there was a haze all around him.
Asturias lifted his cheeks, pulled off his chain-knit gloves, and rubbed his eyes carefully. Hi
s eyes twitched violently, but then slowly came into focus.
"Captain--!"
Pollack whispered again. This time there was a germ of something that could be called a st
ern joy in his voice.
"Stop--stop!"
Asturias licked his chapped lips and gave the order. Suddenly his heart began to palpitate v
iolently. He clapped his eyes again and looked at the unbelievable vision that had spread ou
t there, as if he wanted it to disappear if he believed in it carelessly.
And I saw it.
"--Polak."
He says in a hushed voice.
"Captain!"
"Pollack . --go."
"Okay, sir!"
Pollack's loud voice. He suddenly lashes out at the horse and starts running.
Asturias looked away, breathing on his shoulder. Suddenly, in his humiliation and anger, th
e sweet hope of mad revenge and humiliation flooded his heart. It sent strength into his lim
bs and poured new life into them.
His youthful face flushed bright red. He stretched out, watching Pollack finally be sucked in
to the mirage, fist-beating the saddle jar and shouting.

"Leopard-headed monster! Black-robed traitors and vicious barbarians, the apes of Nosferu
s! Behold, your fate is at an end. Soon Nosferus will be a no-man's-land for all intents and purposes!"
four

Of course--
What Asturias and Polack saw was equally visible to Guin's party, who stood like leopard-h
eaded gods on the cliff.
The scouts would have noticed it sooner than Asturias and his men. At first it appeared to t
hem as a misty band of dust that interrupted the blue glow of the river Kes in the west.

But eventually, the dust clears and the whole picture of what is there becomes clear.
As soon as I saw it.
"No, no, no, no, no, get down!
As soon as Guin shouted, he jumped out of the horse.
Raku's reaction was swift. Without saying a word, they lie down on the rocks. Some of the
m already have poisoned arrows in their bows.
Guin has got it under control.
"No, no-- stay down, stay down. If you see anything that reflects light, put it under your bod
y."
Istvan drove Guin and his horse to the back, let them rest there, and then, thinking that his
black equipment was particularly conspicuous on the white cliffs, crept slowly up to Guin's
side, flat and still.
"Hey, what the--"
"Yeah."
Guin nods his head. However, the leopard face is always the same.
With a small gasp, Istvan gazed at the astonishing scene unfolding below him.
"To the lure and his army of fire-- damn it!"

I can hear him whispering curse words in my ear. Guin didn't care.
He squinted and stared at them with a disturbing gleam in his eyes. And when the dust had
cleared, what they could see was beyond all their expectations.
The great army of Mongol, which filled the west bank of the Kes River in a splendid and bril
liant formation.
At a rough estimate, there were probably more than ten thousand of them. Their armor, he
adgear, swords and spears glittered in the sunlight of the frontier, creating an untimely poo
l of light in the desert.
"The White Knights in the center - the Red Knights on the right are probably Arvon's remna
nts. The blue-robed troop spreading out to the left could be the friendly troops from Castle
Turid. It might be led by Count Mars, the Lord of Two Reed Castle and Captain of the 8th Bl
ue Knight.
The Black Knights who will be taking up the rear are probably a force from the Talos stron
ghold, or--"
"......"
"Or they could be the spies of a larger force being sent from Torus."
Istvan's voice was calm, but if you listened carefully, you could sense a faint hesitation in it.
"10,000 to 15,000, something like that. 5,000 crossbowmen, 3,000 foot soldiers, and 5,000
elite cavalry, something like that.

This arrangement is a smaller version of the Five-Colored Formation, the pride of Mongol.
There is only one color in the Five-Colored Formation, but officially, five troops painted in e
ach of the five colors capture the enemy as if they were squeezing from each direction . Why
do you think the Mongol army has such a color-coded formation? It is to prevent the two ar
mies from fighting each other, and also so that the commander can distinguish at a glance w
hich direction is inferior and from which direction the troops should be sent.
"Asturias' troops have been welcomed."

Guin, who was looking down from above, pointed out.

"Is that the rebellious girl in charge, Istvan?"
"Yes. The troops under his command are the white knights, and the flag is the grand duke's
flag of Mongol and the black lion's flag of the three grand dukes of Gora on both sides, and
the reason it is so high is because it is indeed the flag of a princess."
"Are you planning to lead an army of 15,000 women and take charge of the No Man's Land
expedition?"
Guin said. There was a sarcastic mockery in his voice that would have made Amneris blush
with humiliation if he had heard it.
"The Lady General of Mongol is a famous female heroine in the Central Plains. I believe that
the one who commanded and brought victory to Mongol in the Black Dragon War during th
e Paro siege was none other than the Lady herself. It was widely rumored that she would ev
entually assume the position of Grand Duke of Mongol with her fake beard and white mantl
e, since her only son, His Highness Prince Meir, was ill. Ha! So Mongol, as far as his troubles
are concerned, is a twin of Paro, who is not now."
"What do you mean?"

"The woman is strong, and the rooster just cries with eggshells stuck to his ass."
Istvan said bitterly and laughed himself silly.
Guin shook his head.
"Is that supposed to be an insinuation against Princess Linda and Prince Remus? Then you'
re letting the prince's soft cheeks and smooth hair fool you into thinking you're missing the
dragon that lies inside the egg. I know that boy...
Ya!"
Guin suddenly stopped talking and looked down, and the people looked at him to see what
was the matter.
"The Mongol army is on the move."
Guin says calmly.
It was a magnificent and imposing sight that was quite fantastic, but also strangely familia
r, like a mural.
Red on the right, blue on the left, and black at the back. One of the four petals is missing,
and at the center of the flower, which has opened to the front, is a dazzling white.
The human flowers, clearly smeared in the desert, each forming a triangle that tapered out
ward in the order of cavalry, crossbowmen, and infantry, moved smoothly without any
hesitation or hesitation, as if they were all made of the same huge creature of the same colo
r, rather than hundreds or thousands of soldiers. They moved smoothly without any hesitat
ion or hesitation.
The movement, however, seems to be that of a faithful puppeteer, with invisible strings att
ached at key points that converge at one point and move in accordance with the commands
issued from there. And the point where the invisible thread concentrates would be the whit
e, gentle fingers of Amneris, the duchess of Mongol, who stands proudly protected by knigh
ts who are loyal to her under many banners in the center of the white heart.
"Tsk!"
Suddenly, Istvan murmured.
"Why did they suddenly manage to arrange the formation so perfectly? With this formation,
it's as if they've known about this day for months and prepared for it."
"Probably, yeah."
Guin lowered his voice gravely.
"Perhaps we were just the catalyst, or perhaps we were just pouring the last oil on a fire tha
t was already burning. It seems that Mongol had already decided to advance to Nosferus
and to pacify Shem and Ragon as his next move after Paro, and it seems to me that, while he
stretched out his hand to Paro and neglected the back, he had already decided to send his
army to Nosferus in case Kumu, Yulaniya or the remnants of Paro should be killed. This is p
robably due to the fear that they might advance their forces to Nosferus and hit Mongol fro
m behind.
The fact that I - and Paro's twins - had relieved Astorias' troops with Shem's help had given
them the final assurance, so to speak. Probably not all of the expeditionary force, but certai
nly another 20,000 or 30,000, the main body of the expeditionary force from Torus, would
be heading down the road to Nosferus right now, hurrying ahead to meet up with the advan
ce troops.
It's a good thing you didn't immediately enter the village of Rak, Red Mercenary. If this exp
editionary force had rushed into a village with only 2,000 defenders and we hadn't even he
ard of it, no matter how brave Shem is, we would've been helpless and we would've been ki
lled or beaten to death."
Guin looks back at the Semitic youths and repeats in Semitic.
The Lak youths were visibly upset. The head, a young man whom they called Shiva, spoke l
oudly to Guin.
"What are you saying, Guin?"
"We must return to the village now and prepare for war. It's the last day of Nosferus, they s
ay."
"Ha! Two thousand monkeys against 15,000 of these well-equipped troops?"
Istvan laughed.
"Oh, my God, this is so funny! It's so sweet!"
"At any rate, it is to our advantage that we are thus aware of the enemy's intentions, and
that he does not yet know that we are aware of them."
Guin was trying to discourage him,
"And the exact location of the village of Rak is certainly not known to them, who have not y
et travelled more than a day's ride to Nosferus. And the village of Rak is guarded by an obsc
ure valley. If we're lucky, we'll make it five or six days. If we're lucky.
"I don't care what you know, I'm not surprised anymore."
was Istvan's resigned reply.

"So you also know the position of the great village of Raku, which you've never been to."
"Don't get me wrong."
Guin snarled,
"I don't know everything. I don't know the exact location of Raku's village, but I can vaguely
see the scene around it as if it were in a fog."
"Whatever--anyway."
Istvan groaned.
"Anyway, there's nothing we can do but stay here. As soon as possible, I'll have to tell you
to leave the village of Raq or whatever and run, or fight like hell, or do something. Isn't that
right, Guin?"
"Oh, well."
was Guin's answer.
The scouts decided that by that time they had seen all there was to see. So Guin made a sha
rp warning in Semitic, and they prepared to pull out. At the bottom of the cliffs, like a giant f
our-coloured amoeba shifting and moving, Mongol's expeditionary force was beginning to
move towards the depths of Nosferus.
"We will follow the rocks until we are out of sight of their camp, and then we will go down t
o the sand, and then we will ride eastward."
Guin told the Semitic youths.
"On your feet depends the life of your village, your women and your children."
The little monkey men nodded and stood up quietly.
Then, as Istvan tried to stand, his leather boots suddenly slipped!
But the fragile sand at the top of the cliff was shifting, and two or three pebbles that had be
en buried there were falling down the cliff.
The mercenary yelped, as if he wanted to scoop up the falling pebbles with a net. Guin's str
ong hands grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and held him back.
"Hmm? --"
One of the soldiers on Mongol's left flank, startled by the pebbles, looked up.
"Oya: ......"
Unlike the sentinel in the noblewoman's tent, he is a warrior who is already in a state of re
adiness for battle and has his heart set on it. In spite of the silent prayers of the scouting pa
rty gasping for breath on the cliff, there is no way they would leave anything even slightly s
uspicious as it is.
The blue knight looked at the cliff with a puzzled face for a while, but then he suddenly
came to an understanding and left the ranks and ran to the company commander.
The company commander, who was about to scold him for disrupting the line, listened to h
is words and suddenly became stern. Immediately, a message was sent to the battalion com
mander and then to the general commander.
Amneris didn't take the matter lightly. Immediately, "All troops, halt!" and the army of 15,0
00 halts as if held back by an invisible rope. Amneris summoned a company of his men.
"No!"
Guin and his friends, who are watching from the cliff, are in a sweat.
"They know we're coming. Lady, they're sending a platoon to scout the area."
Istvan doesn't dare say "I'm sorry". He stares back at Shem and the others with a reproachf
ul stare and keeps silent.
"Run!"
Guin said simply. He ran to the horse and jumped out of the way. Istvan followed him.

"Going straight east would be like giving away the village of Raq. For now, let's run north,
and when we're sure we've killed them all, we'll turn east and send word to Rak's village."
"Aye!"
Shem and the others nod in unison.

There was a flurry of activity below the cliff, but they did not even see it anymore. Just as a
small amoeba breaks off from a giant amoeba by cell division, so a small clump of blue knig
hts breaks away from its mother and begins to search for a way up the cliff.
Shem and his men are not waiting for that. The two leading horses, one carrying the half-br
eed, half-human Silenos and the other carrying Gora's deserters, rode northward across the
rocky mountain, with the wind blowing in their faces, followed by Shem's dwarves as they r
olled along. They were followed by the dwarfs of Shem as they rolled.
"There it is!"
"We're just over that rock pile!"
Three times, Guin and the mercenaries heard the screams of the Gora soldiers chasing the
m from behind.
"Hi, hi!"
"Run!"
He knew all too well that the lives of two thousand five hundred Rakhs depended on their s
afe arrival. Even Guin had lost his cool, and, like a madman, he threw himself into the belly
of the horse, and the two horsemen and fifty men began to gallop as far as their legs would
carry them, towards the Asgarn Mountains, far to the north, white with everlasting snow.
"Run, raks, run!"
"Eek!"
"Liard, Liard!"
Their hearts were of one mind, and under their feet the sands of Nosferus creaked and shri
eked. O Sand," they might have whispered in the strange language of their Shem. O Sand, w
hich hast borne us and brought us up - become, if thou wilt, living sand, and fly up, and be a
veil to hide them from the eyes of the brave pursuers, and be ashes to blind them, and save
the children of Nosferus from the dreadful intruder.
From behind them a loud voice with a Mongolian accent followed them for a long time, and
soon it became a volley of stones. The stone pellet, which whistled around them, rubbed the
ir cheeks and sent up a cloud of smoke as it struck the sand at their heels. Two or three of t
hem, running at the end of the line, were struck by a stone pellet and fell.
"Liard!"
Shiva screams at Guin to sue and hits her with a poisoned bow and arrow.
"Leave me alone!
Guin yelled and urged horse to hurry.

"One or two of them, and it's all the same."

"Gras, Ymir!"
Shiva cried out in grief and anger, but he would not be dissuaded by the words of Guin, wh
om he had praised as a hero. The heart of Raku is loyal once he has sworn to be a friend.

The Mongols were horses and the Raks were foot soldiers, but the Mongols had the disadvantag
e of having to go around the rocky mountain, and the soft sand on the northern side of the r
ock was more suitable for the Raks' bare feet. The soldiers beat them with their saddles. Th
e soldiers pounded their saddles, uttered threats and curses, and fired their crossbows in a
vain attempt to keep their mouths shut, but only a few shots had any effect, and after that t
he rakus were far out of range, even at the rear. And the gap was widening.
At last the Mongols gave up. Fearing their captain's wrath, they grumbled and cursed, and,
catching three Rak who had fallen against the crossbow, they turned back to the main body.
The only sign of the whereabouts of the fifty or so men who had disappeared in the directio
n of the Asgarn massif to the north was a small cloud of dust that sprang up on the horizon
between the rocks, which eventually disappeared from sight.
A strong wind is blowing, and twilight is coming to the wilderness again. The Asgarn wind,
blowing from the north, blew many angel hairs on the faces of the expeditionary force, and
the soldiers of Arvon, who had been part of the strange night of the past, looked up at the d
arkening sky anxiously.

On the other hand--

It was only after they had traveled north for about three zangs that Guin and the others ma
de up their minds that they would be all right, and were willing to loosen their exhausted h
orses and legs a little.

And there came no more the voice of the pursuers behind them, nor did the crossbow fly.
And they stopped, and caught their breath, and called each other's names.
"Three, down, Liard."
Sheba's coming to tell Guin.
"I hope you're dead. But if you're caught alive, those colored devils will do you more harm t
han you can say."
Guin nods somberly. Not out loud,
"We had to make a great detour to sow them."
That's all I said.
"We must turn our course to the east at once, and at the risk of advancing through the nigh
t, we must tell Rak of Mongol's ambition as soon as possible, even if it takes a minute or a secon
d. "
"All right, Liard-- we're not tired. We'll run all night."
"Don't run. Just walk fast."
And they turned to the east. And when they had finished with the sun on their backs, they
began to walk towards it with some calmness. They did not have time to dwell on it, but by
that time the setting sun in the middle of nowhere, not softened by clouds, had become a hu
ge, terrible orange disc, and was gently approaching the horizon of Kes, as if it were Dole hi
mself, watching them with a single, malicious eye. It was as if he were a doll watching them
with a single, malevolent eye.
The road soon became a gentle descent, and the cliffs on either side of it slowly became ste
eper and steeper.
It was Guin who noticed it first.
"You idiot!"
He said, raising a huge hand and trying to brush it away from his face like a white thread.
"Silly me, there's a lot of Angel Hair around here again."
"I guess it's their meeting place, too."
Istvan says grimly. He had been puffed up and silent ever since the Mongols had come to fi
nd him on the cliff.
Guin didn't say anything. He just looked around and let out a low growl.
It is true that the number of white angel hairs dancing in their limited field of vision has inc
reased dramatically since the cliffs began to rise up and block their view. The fact that it wa
s dusk might have had something to do with it. Shem and the others seemed to have
become completely accustomed to this monster that simply melted into their faces, and
they brushed it off with their small, hairy hands and proceeded unconcerned.
"Shiva!"
I'll call out in a stern voice.
"Yes, Liard."
"I'm sure this is the right way."
"Yes, the village of Rak."
"But the road gets narrower and narrower..."
It must have been unimaginable to everyone who knew him that Guin would have cried ou
t in such a way, laced with wonder and, even more astonishingly, fear.
But then--
No one could afford to be frightened at the thought of it.
They all gasped for breath, as if struck by an electric current, and then suddenly, around a c
orner, there opened up neither a nightmare, nor a fabric prison, nor a picture of a mad artis
t...
The reason is that I was standing in front of that horrible scene which I could not describe.
In front of them, the road suddenly dipped, revealing a deep valley in all its glory.
And that valley-- a pale and infinitely terrifying sea of phosphorescence!
With their tongues numb with horror and disgust, they saw that the soggy, swollen, pale jel
ly was a colony of tens and hundreds of millions of indeterminate amoebas, living mucus th
at was a sight to behold.
Oh-- Id's cleavage!
Their cries clung to their tongues, and the warmth of life fled from their limbs in fear, and t
hey stood facing despair and ruin at the edge of the narrow road, unable to go, unable to ret
reat.
And--
And suddenly the monsters noticed them!
postscript

This "Warrior in the Wilderness" is the second volume of the story of Guin, the leopard-hea
ded warrior, which began with the previous work "Leopard Head Mask".

In the prologue of the story, "The Leopard-Headed Mask", the peaceful and quiet kingdom
of Paro in the Middle Plains fell before the surprise attack of Mongol, one of the three great
dukes of neighboring Gora, who had defeated the other two dukes, and its king and queen
met their untimely deaths at the hands of Mongol's blade. The twin heirs of Paro, Prince Re
mus and his sister, Princess Linda, who is also a seer, narrowly escaped the disaster by mea
ns of a mysterious machine (probably a matter transporter or a small-scale warp device) th
at has been handed down in Paro since ancient times, and they were supposed to be sent to
the safety of Argos with the only hope of rebuilding Paro. But they were not.
However, the slightest deviation in the operation of a precision machine in the midst of tur
moil had an ironic result, and the two woke up from the shock of the transfer in the forest o
f Ludo, a remote area of the enemy country of Mongol.
And at that moment, as if it was all intended by Yarn, the God of Fate, in that same forest of
the Rood, he lost all memory of the past, forgot his identity, his birth, and the circumstances
leading up to this point, remembering only his name "Guin" and the mysterious word "Aur
a". The cursed leopard-headed super-soldier Guin has also regained consciousness.
The three are captured by the frontier guards of Mongol, who learn of their situation, and
held prisoners in the castle of Staphorus, which guards the frontier. There they meet Suni, t
he daughter of a barbarian who from then on follows Linda like a shadow, and Istvan, a you
ng and roguish mercenary of Valakian birth, who is to play a very important part in their fat
e.
On the other hand, Vernon, the "Black Count" who rules the castle of Staphorus, is haunted
by the spirit of the dead of the Rude Forest due to his karmic illness, and has brought bad lu
ck to his castle, inviting a great counterattack by Shem, a barbarian from the wilderness of
Nosferus.
Guin and the others who escaped from the hands of the Shemites, who destroyed the castle
of Staphorus by killing the spirits of the dead, followed Istvan, who had escaped in good tim
e, and threw themselves into the dark Kes River. After that, the story unfolds in the remote
wilderness of Nosferus.
In "Warrior in the Wilderness", Amneris, the Princess of Mongol, appears, and with that, ap
art from two more characters, we have almost all the characters who will play a major role
in this long and complicated story. As this is an unprecedentedly long story, there is no dan
ger that it will be ill-conceived, but I hope that you will watch the development of their dest
inies with a long and watchful eye.
I will add a few necessary remarks. At this time, the world was made up of four regions: th
e North, the Middle Plains, the Frontier, and the South, of which the South was covered wit
h oceans, and the Middle Plains and the Frontier were on the only continent known to its in
habitants as Cyrenaica. The main means of transportation are giant quadrupeds called "hor
se" (which is not the same as "Ma-horse" as it is known today, and it is a strange coincidence that
the sound is the same), Ratakundak, and ships that rely on sails and human power.
The people know that the gods are real and often interfere with the human world, and that
man cannot touch them, and that magic and divination are not superstition but a very real s
ystem of power. Animals, plants, trees, mountains, rivers, and the earth are real "things"
that live close to them with a soothing power that is several times greater than that of our
weakened twentieth-century minds. The main deity of the common belief in the Central Pla
ins is the two-faced god Janus. There are gods of the frontier, gods of the north and gods of
the south, but they are not allegories but realities, and people do not deny or mistreat the g
ods of other faiths, calling them superstitions. There is one demon god, whose name is Dole.
Dole is the king of Hades and the lord of the underworld. He takes seven forms, and one of
them may be that of Sasaydon.
July, 1979
Kaoru Kurimoto

Also known as Azusa Nakajima. Born in Tokyo.

Graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Waseda University. In 1977, won the Gunzo New No
velist Award in the criticism category for "The Contours of Literature" under the name Azu
sa Nakajima. In 1978, he won the Edogawa Rampo Prize for "Bokura no Jidai" (Our Times).
Since then, he has been engaged in a wide variety of writing activities, using the names Kao
ru Kurimoto as a writer and Azusa Nakajima as a critic. His novels cover a wide range of ge
nres, including mystery, science fiction, historical fiction, and aesthetic novels. His life's wor
k, "The Guin Saga," reached 100 volumes in 2005, and is still being published by Hayakawa
Shobo. He is the author of "Gen no Seikyu", "Makai Suikoden" and many others.
The Guin Saga 2
Warrior in the Wilderness

August 10, 2011 E-book version published

Author Kurimoto Kurimoto Kaoru Kaoru
Publisher: Hiroshi Hayakawa
Publisher: Hayakawa Shobo Co.
Postal code 101-0046
2-2, Kanda-Tacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-32-52-3111 (Main representative)

Hayakawa Shobo Official HP

http://www.hayakawa-online.co.jp

2005 Kaoru Kurimoto

This XMDF is based on Hayakawa Bunko JA's "Guin Saga 2: Warrior in the Wilderness" (pub
lished on October 15, 1974).