Chapter 15 (2/2)

Amber looked down at her hands. Color now returned to those greyed hands just as color began to return to her and Gawain’s bodies, their rejection from the shadow realm increasingly apparent.

Shadowy objects began to coalesce from the thin fog around them, shapeless, yet malevolent. Now, the natives of the shadow realm would finally be able to sniff out outsiders, and the low-level ones emerged, their behavior akin to a gathering of hyenas smelling blood.

“We have to flee!” Amber said to Gawain. “We’re no longer welcome here!”

Gawain cast a last meaningful glance at the ruins that had once been a hut, and tried to etch the glowing lights and sigils into his memory. Then, tugging at Amber’s elbow, he barked, “Let’s go!”

After a brief moment of vertigo, the light of reality appeared before his eyes again.

The malevolent fog had dissipated and the dense forest returned to its original state. Rebecca and Herti, who had both spent their power, were supporting each other under a tree. Meanwhile, Knight Byron was holding himself up with his longsword as he tried his best to protect the two ladies by his side. However, the two soldiers who had survived were now collapsed on the ground.

Betty looked in the best shape out of all of them—she was hugging her pan as she stood beside Rebecca, a blank look on her face. It was as though that expression was permanently frozen on her features.

After Herti saw Gawain, she straightened up immediately and said, “Ancestor—we’re so glad you’re safe!”

She then spotted Amber behind Gawain, and her face instantly morphed into surprised. “So this thief hadn’t fled?”

“Hey! What kind of discrimination is this!” Amber sprang up as though she were a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “I’ve just traveled to the shadow realm with your ancestor to save you from near death, excuse you! You big-breasted, no-brain woman…”

Herti had never imagined that this young thief would insult her like this, and her expression turned sour. “Hold your mouth! That’s an utterly rude thing to say! Do you know what will happen to you if you insult a noble like…”

Gawain cut in quickly and said, “Stop fighting. Amber wasn’t lying; we did just solve the crisis together earlier, though it is wrong for her to have insulted you…”

Everyone present fell silent. Rebecca raised a timid hand. “Lord Ancestor, did you just pardon Amber for the sole positive thing she said out of everything else…”

Herti looked like she had lost the will to live.

Gawain: “…”

Luckily, Herti was a woman of common sense and did not dwell on such trivial nuisances for long. After Gawain explained what had happened clearly, all the misunderstandings melted away.

Also, the sights and sounds Gawain and Amber had experienced in the shadow realm surprised everyone. Even Knight Byron, who knew nothing about magic, could not help but listen intently.

After all, this was an experience that was hard to imagine.

“You could actually enter the shadow realm?” Apparently, Herti’s first concern was Amber’s special abilities. She looked her up and down with suspicion, as though trying to seek the answer from the half-elf girl’s face. “Only a few powerful shadow mages or the ‘chosen ones’ of the Shadow Gods have this ability. How did you do it?”

Amber looked away. “I was chosen by the Goddess of the Night, okay?”

Herti glared at her. “Don’t lie. How can a chosen one be struck to the ground by Byron’s ordinary steel sword?”

“Enough of this questioning.” At last, Gawain stopped Herti’s interrogation. “I’ve already promised to not ask her about this—she’ll reveal it when she’s ready.”

After the Heavens and the Earth, the will of their ancestors commanded the greatest respect. Since Gawain had already spoken, Herti could only give up.

“Let’s bury the dead first.” Now that the fog had cleared, warmth returned to everyone’s bodies. Seeing that everyone had recovered a little of their strength, Gawain rose and stood beside the soldier who had died because of his broken soul. “He had put up a brave fight, and should be buried as a warrior.”

The two soldiers who had survived stared at Gawain in shock.

Gawain was confused. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“He was the son of a serf.” Knight Byron walked over. “It was by the Viscountess’ grace that he could enter the army to redeem his freedom—but because he had only been in the army for half a year, he is still a serf whom cannot be buried as a warrior.”

Gawain frowned and turned to look at Rebecca. “Is that so?”

Anxiety washed over Rebecca instantly, as though she had committed an offence. “S-Sorry! But I thought that serfdom wasn’t… wasn’t very fair, so I thought to make them earn their freedom by serving in the army. I know this is against the rules, but…”

Gawain’s frown softened. “No, I wasn’t blaming you.”

He then crouched over and fumbled for a coin from his breast. Then, he slipped it into the dead soldier’s front pocket against his heart.

That coin was placed in Gawain Cecil’s breast pocket by Charlie the First’s own hand when he was buried.

Upon seeing the coin, Amber realized what it was immediately and covered her eyes. “Goodness… at least half the manor…”

However, Gawain had no idea of this, only going through the motions according to the rules in his memory. Then, dusting his hands as he rose, he said, “Now that the debt of his soul has been redeemed, bury him.”

Byron hesitated slightly. “But the laws…”

Gawain looked him in the eye. “I am the law.”