A Single Decisive Battle
There was really nothing left to ask. Once the battle had begun in earnest, any unexpected actions were severely limited. Somewhere within the camp established near Barbara, he would surely be found.
The clan members looked at me with anxious faces, quickly averting their eyes whenever I tried to meet their gaze. I sighed softly and took a step forward.
“As the clan leader, I’m embarrassed to show such a poor side of myself. Still… I truly appreciate all of you coming here despite being so busy.”
“Soo-hyun…”
“I’m in good health now. I’ll visit my brother and the Sword Queen later. For now, it might be best for everyone to return to their posts.”
“If you’re going, maybe we could…”
Jung Ha-yeon tried to hold me back with a small voice, but I calmly shook my head. Leaving the hesitant clan members behind, I exited the tent.
I didn’t blame the clan members. No, if anything, it was my fault for changing the final lineup. Shin Sang-yong was under my protection. If I had intervened somehow… Perhaps leaving him alone, thinking he could handle it, was neglect on my part.
Yes. Let’s meet him first. Hear what he has to say. With that thought, I quickly made my way to the third division’s tents. Even if Shin Sang-yong tried to avoid me like last time, I was determined to find him this time.
There were over 200 tents in the third division alone, but after asking around, I finally located Shin Sang-yong’s tent. As I entered, I saw him lying in a corner, looking as if he were dead. Fortunately, he seemed to have stayed in the tent today.
Sensing someone entering, Shin Sang-yong slowly turned his head to look at me.
“Shin Sang-yong.”
“Uh…?”
When I called his name, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Clan leader?”
“You can stay lying down.”
Realizing I was there, Shin Sang-yong hurriedly tried to sit up, but his arms slipped, lacking strength. I quickly moved to support him, catching a whiff of a sour smell that suggested he had recently vomited.
‘He must be having a really hard time.’
Up close, his face looked even more haggard and pained. The once gentle eyes were now hollow and lifeless. Only his gaunt face and empty gaze met mine.
We stared at each other for a long moment.
“User Shin Sang-yong. How are you feeling?”
”…”
“I heard you’ve been struggling.”
”…Ugh.”
My words seemed to touch something inside him, and he suddenly bowed his head. He didn’t want to show his worn-out face, but tears began to fall from his tightly shut eyes. He didn’t even try to wipe them away, silently sobbing for a while.
Watching him, shrouded in a darkness I couldn’t penetrate with words, I remained silent. After what felt like three hours but was only three minutes, his trembling shoulders began to calm.
Finally, a hoarse voice emerged from his bowed head.
“You might not remember, but… you once told me something.”
“What was it?”
“When you feel your limits, overcoming that wall must be done with your own strength. The process will be difficult, but once you surpass it, it will become a solid foundation beneath your feet.”
I remembered. It was something I had said when I first recruited Jung Ha-yeon and Shin Sang-yong. I nodded quietly.
“Before I met you, I was someone who always prioritized survival. I rarely ventured outside the city, always seeking safety… But after meeting you and living with my comrades, I slowly, very slowly, began to want to change. Or at least, I think I did.”
His words, filled with a mysterious depth, made me swallow hard.
“Participating in this war was part of that. I wanted to prove myself, to show that I could change… But now I realize it was just reckless bravado.”
”…”
“I wanted to prove that I could do it, that I could change… But maybe I’m just not cut out for it.”
“User Shin Sang-yong.”
At my call, he slowly shook his head. A faint, self-mocking laugh escaped him.
“I heard you collapsed. I’m sorry I couldn’t come. I wanted to rush over and check on you, but…”
Shin Sang-yong paused, then slowly lifted his head to show a sad smile. His mouth opened again.
“I didn’t want to show this side of myself to you, of all people.”
At his words, I immediately responded.
A faint moon hung in the sky. The dark clouds, tinged with ink, and the halo around the moon hinted at rain tomorrow. Before entering the tent, I looked up at the sky. A cold night breeze wrapped around me.
The eastern camp was quiet, but a heavy atmosphere lingered. It was likely the aftermath of yesterday’s battle.
The east had suffered the most casualties since the battle began. Twenty-two confirmed dead. The enemy’s explosive attacks on the front lines had been too much to withstand. The enemy must have suffered losses too, but we couldn’t confirm the details yet.
Personally, it seemed ironic that the loss of 22 lives had cast such a pall over the camp. It was all about morale. Having been consistently victorious, the near-defeat must have been shocking. At least my intervention had prevented a complete collapse in morale.
‘Tomorrow will be the real test… Will we hold or turn the tide? I doubt they can launch another attack like that…’
“Mercenary Lord.”
Just then, a sultry voice interrupted my thoughts as I was about to retire for the night.
“You’re still awake. I’m glad.”
“Tower Lord?”
The woman who called me was Seon-yul, the tarot card magician. She shrugged and nodded.
“Is it hard to call me that? I’d appreciate it if you just called me Seon-yul.”
“It’s late. What brings you here?”
“Oh dear.”
When I asked directly, Seon-yul gave a wry smile, then quickly continued.
“Well, I have three reasons for coming. First, the user recruitment request you made. Second, I have a personal apology. Third, I have news to share.”
“Recruitment request… Are you returning from the division?”
“Yes. Someone else was supposed to deliver the news, but since I had business here, I took it on.”
I watched Seon-yul speak smoothly, feeling a renewed sense of curiosity.
“I don’t like leaving things unfinished before bed. Is that a problem?”
When Seon-yul raised her eyebrows playfully, I sighed and scratched my head. Honestly, it wasn’t a problem at all. In fact, I welcomed it, as I was the same way.
“Sigh. About the recruitment request… It turned out that way. I ask for the Tower Lord’s understanding.”
“I know User Shin Sang-yong well. I’ve been watching him closely. Anyway… I’ll allow the recruitment. But there’s one thing you should know, Mercenary Lord.”
“What is it…?”
“If you’ve heard any rumors about Shin Sang-yong, I’d like to assure you they’re false. I’ll vouch for that.”
The strange rumors about Shin Sang-yong involved his frequent absences during marches, which led to accusations of not participating in battles. But I knew the truth, so I nodded in agreement. Seeing my response, Seon-yul continued in a low voice.
“That’s settled, then… Now for my personal apology.”
“Did you do something wrong to me?”
“Yes. Do you remember the reading I gave you last time?”
“I remember.”
“Since you left that day, I took the liberty of looking at the rest of the cards. I couldn’t interpret them, of course… I’m sorry.”
‘Is that all?’
I couldn’t quite understand why she felt the need to apologize just for looking at some cards, but given her line of work, I supposed it made sense. Besides, she hadn’t even interpreted them, so there was no real harm done.
“It was just for fun. There’s really no need to apologize.”
“Hehe, thank you for understanding.”
Seonyul seemed pleased with my response, letting out a soft chuckle as she began to close the distance between us. She stopped just two steps away and suddenly extended her hand. In it was a rectangular card.
“This is a gift. For you.”
“Isn’t this… the exclusive magic card of the Tower Lord?”
“This was the last of the fifteen cards you saw that day. The first twelve are my usual cards, but the thirteenth to fifteenth are not. Think of it as a tool to aid in divination, like the clock I showed you.”
“Still…”
“The important thing is, while this card is useless to me, it might be of use to the Mercenary Lord.”
Her words were cryptic, but I swallowed my initial refusal. After a moment’s hesitation, I reached out and took the card. It didn’t emit any magical energy, nor did it reveal any unusual information to my third eye. I had no idea how this card could be helpful, but accepting it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
The card was face down in my hand. I gave it a slight shake, and Seonyul shrugged as if to say I could do as I pleased. I debated whether to look at it, but since I’d already accepted it, I figured there was no harm in just looking at the picture. I hadn’t seen any other connected cards, and my chances of interpreting it were slim.
So, I flipped the card over.
The card depicted a man and a woman. The woman, particularly striking, appeared to be an angel with wings. Though her face seemed expressionless at first glance, a closer look revealed a single tear rolling down her cheek. In her arms lay a man.
One peculiar detail stood out: the angel’s wings were black.
“Oh, Mercenary Lord. I almost forgot—I have news for you.”
Had I been too absorbed in the card? Seonyul’s voice sounded dreamlike, pulling me back just as I was about to look up from the angel. When our eyes met, I was momentarily speechless.
‘What…?’
“I haven’t shared this with anyone yet… Hehe, it’s good news. We’ve finally received word from both the North and the South.”
For some reason, the moment I saw the angel’s eyes, a familiar figure flashed in my mind. It was…
‘Seraph?’
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Haha, the holiday is over. Time to slip back into my gloomy mode. I bet many of you feel the same, right? ^_ㅠ I’ll be taking a break from comments and replies today. I hope you understand. (I’ll catch up on replies tomorrow!) :)