CHAPTER 148

Screams or cries echoed indistinctly in his ears.

Limbs scattered everywhere.

A soldier, unable to die yet, wailed as he gathered spilled entrails.

"What... what is this?"

Stephen felt as if he were walking through a dream as he surveyed the scene before him.

This couldn't be real.

Just moments ago, they were certain of victory.

"Pull yourself together!"

A sudden grasp at his collar.

As the voice penetrated his muffled ears, Stephen could finally descend from his strange feeling of floating.

It was Godin, the knight commander.

"We need to move! It's not over yet!"

The compelling pressure in Godin's eyes subdued the chaos more effectively than ever before.

Though Godin's demeanor usually felt toxic, in the current situation, it strangely benefited Stephen.

"Yes... yes, you're right. It's not over yet."

Meeting Godin's gaze, Stephen finally managed to catch his breath and survey the battlefield.

Indeed, as Godin said, it was clearly not over yet.

His father was still on the battlefield, bellowing commands as loud as a whale.

The sudden onslaught of Bayezid's cavalry.

Though they had taken everything they wanted with their initial charge, Gaidar still stood unbroken.

"Wagner! Lead the cavalry! Break off those lunatics!"

"Yes, sir!"

Even though he was a knight who had lost his flag, in such situations, anyone would have to fulfill their role.

Wagner hurriedly regrouped the cavalry, separating from the main army.

And Sigmund moved their formation towards the right wall they had occupied.

Rutger, who was catching his breath for the second assault, bit his lip as he watched the Gaidar army gain composure faster than expected.

"Stephen! You foolish son! Can't you understand my words?"

Stephen could only return to himself fully when Sigmund bellowed his name.

His actions might be reckless and casual, but he had the clear judgment of a ruler.

"If you didn't hear my order to ignite the battering ram-!"

At Sigmund's shout, Stephen snapped back to attention and looked at the charred gates of Deomar.

Various siege weapons were scattered there.

They had just been used to breach the gates moments ago, but now they had become obstacles to block the Hainal army's advance.

"...Squads follow me! Each of you, grab oil and torches!"

Even now, the eyes of Bayezid's troops glaring sharply at them from the front were fierce.

But the presence that worried him more than them had to be Deomar, right behind their formation.

"Damn it!"

Caught completely between Bayezid and Hainal, there was no easy way out.

To rectify this situation, they had to step forward.

The walls of Deomar, already battered by their onslaught, had lost their functionality, so pushing forward would be futile.

"Quick, set it on fire!"

Following Stephen's command, the rams and siege towers began to ignite one by one.

As the heavy structures caught fire, thick smoke soon began to block the gates of Deomar.

"Good!"

Seeing the blazing flames, a hint of satisfaction crossed Stephen's face.

With such obstacles and fire, even if they managed to open the gates, they wouldn't be able to rush out immediately.

Clearing the scattered siege weapons would likely take hours, enough time to count on.

Now, Gaidar's forces only had to deal with Bayezid in front of them.

But then, Stephen flinched as he felt a sudden surge of energy.

"Oh no."

A chilling presence from behind the gates.

It was too quiet, eerily so, as if someone behind the gates of Deomar was watching him.

"That bastard..."

Though not audible, he could sense it.

The presence of someone behind the gates, calmly biding their time.

The unforgettable duel from that day began to slowly resurface in Stephen's mind.

※※※※

Soldiers descended the narrow staircase, relying on each other.

The stairs, which had been deliberately designed to be narrow for fear of the castle walls falling, were holding the soldiers' ankles and slowing down their movements.

Yet, despite the slow retreat, the fact that they could still tread on the ground safely was likely thanks to the one knight standing behind them, steadfastly holding his ground.

"Ugh, huff..."

Bayezid's knight, Vlad of Shoara.

His once magnificent blonde hair was now drenched in red, a testament to the intensity of the battle.

Yet, if there was one thing that remained unwavering, it was his solitary blue eyes, shining brightly amidst the blood-soaked armor.

"Come on in again, you bastards."

The end of his gruff words sounded like a beast's growl, but the Gaidar knights recognized it as a sharp warning rather than a simple threat, so they stopped their advance.

"That madman..."

"Let him go. Let's not lose our strength here."

With that, the Gaidar knights began to slowly withdraw, their movements seeming to open a path, but an unavoidable sense of defeat lingered in their steps.

Though the path along the walls seemed endless with the red trail of blood, from behind Vlad, the ground remained untouched.

As if severing the snake's head, that young knight had effectively cut off the path of blood.

"Sir Vlad. Everyone has retreated."

"······Good."

Glancing briefly behind him, Vlad could indeed confirm that all the soldiers had retreated, just as Stefan had said.

"Let's go."

Vlad and Stefan slowly retreated, looking at the Gaidar knights.

Though they had fought valiantly, they could no longer hold out.

The Gaidar soldiers had already swarmed the right wall of Deomar, and even now, knights with their blue flags stood watch over them.

"Be careful."

Vlad kept his gaze steady on the knights ahead, relying on Stefan as they descended the stairs slowly.

A strange distance emerged between Vlad and the Gaidar knights.

But while Vlad was the one retreating, a sense of relief seemed to emanate from the Gaidar knights.

'Gaidar······.'

Even as Vlad descended the stairs, he couldn't help but fixate on the flag fluttering above.

Not the tree engraved on the Hainal flag, but the eagle of Gaidar.

With the target of revenge now so close it was unavoidable, Vlad quietly prepared himself.

"Are you alright? Any injuries?"

Having escaped from the wall, Vlad and Stefan quickly joined the reserve troops behind.

As Vlad approached, voices of praise began to faintly ring out.

Exhausted Hainal soldiers began to rise to their feet as they caught sight of Vlad.

"I'm fine."

Vlad wiped the blood from his face with a towel handed to him by Zayar, then turned his head towards the aquamarine eyes watching him from afar.

"It had to be done."

Her lips were as firm as her tightly held posture.

But her eyes, filled with worries, revealed an unavoidable truth.

Vlad, whose hearing had always been sensitive, remembered the delicate voice calling out from afar, urging him to come down quickly.

"You've done well. Now rest," Josef enveloped Vlad's bloodied shoulders, offering words of solace.

Of all people, Josef must have been the one who watched Vlad's struggles atop the wall with the most concern.

"I will go."

"······Don't be stubborn."

"Please let me accompany you. Wasn't that our agreement?"

Yet Vlad seemed determined not to accept Josef's consideration, refusing to sheathe his sword.

The red trail still followed the blade, mirroring the fervor in Vlad's shoulders, but there was no stopping here.

"You promised to take me to Godin. That was our agreement."

"······."

The time for the promise had come.

The young knight had grown closer to the blue moon than ever before, now boldly asserting his rights.

"Yes. That's right, indeed," Josef remembered clearly.

You give me your trust and I will give you honor.

So, if the chance and qualification arise, I will make a place for you to seek vengeance.

That had been the condition Josef had set forth for seven years.

"I promise. I will definitely not act rashly this time."

Vlad wasn't just asking for a favor.

"I will prioritize my responsibilities and duties as a knight even when facing Godin."

I've made a lot of mistakes so far, but I hope you trust me this time.

Because I know who I am and what I should do.

Vlad, who shouldered the responsibility of being a knight, could no longer be a boy who only thought about revenge.

"I won't sabotage this war for my personal vendetta."

"······."

Duty adds weight to life, and weight eventually bestows gravity.

Josef could only nod as he looked at the boy, of whom only traces remained.

"Very well."

Josef ignored Alicia's prickly gaze approaching from behind and gestured with his hand, instructing him to bring Noir.

"I trust you. The trust you've shown me all this time has undoubtedly been genuine."

Josef hadn't stood by Vlad through countless mistakes simply out of a desire for talent.

Even as a boy, Vlad had always strived to uphold the words he spoke.

No matter how daunting they might have been.

Josef had valued that genuine aspect of Vlad.

"You must not lose yourself in anger. Losing yourself means losing your way forward."

The wails of Noir were gradually drawing nearer from the distance.

Yet Josef couldn't take his eyes off Vlad because his words now held so much weight.

"Gaidar has blocked the gate. The path will be narrow, and there will be no one to help."

"I understand."

Vlad finally tore his gaze away from Josef's eyes and looked firmly at the broken Deomar gate.

The pathetic gate, now ruptured in many places, had been its best effort.

But to venture into a wider world, one must eventually leap beyond the safety of the castle walls.

"Good. Go and assure your well-being."

As the gate slowly began to open at Josef's command, Vlad could see only obstacles blocking his path through the narrow opening.

Yet, even so, Vlad could discern the path he must take, visible through the deep-set left eye.

The traces left by Auguste were guiding Vlad's direction, so there was no reason for hesitation.

"Then I'll be off."

Where there's a path, there's no reason to hesitate.

Vlad, once trapped in a world blocked by obstacles, was now prepared to break through even the narrowest opening.

Beyond the red flames and thick smoke, Vlad's blue eyes began to peer beyond the castle gate.

※※※※

"Damn it!"

Stephen involuntarily cursed at the sight before him.

Beyond the black smoke quietly burning was a single blue torch, now advancing relentlessly towards him.

"Block it! Block it!"

Despite the fierce assault, the gate of Deomar barely budged, only partially open. But even that much would be enough for a quick escape for the boy from the alley.

He's charging!

No way through! Only a few obstacles!

The siege weapons, ablaze and strewn about, formed an impassable barrier. No matter how good a person is at horseback riding, they will not be able to overcome these obstacles.

Stephen, who knew this well, kept his eyes wide open, waiting for the moment when Vlad would stop.

Heeeeeeeeh-!

The black horse of the grassland is a spiritual creature, an entity surpassing his understanding, and had already recognized Vlad's path perfectly. Without hesitation, it pierced through the flames and smoke, disappearing ahead.

"Good heavens."

Stephen opened his mouth in a daze as he watched Vlad jump over his head.

A knight who had his sword taken away.

Vlad had been gnashing his teeth at him until now, but now he was looking beyond him.

"Let's go! Noir!"

Heeheeh-!

The blue moonlight Vlad remembered was flowing through his closed left eye.

No matter how painful the wound is, it cannot be denied that it is the foundation of Vlad's world.

The world of knights he first encountered amidst the campfire, and through it, the nest he lost. 

Vlad, who had been constantly reminding himself of these things, had finally earned the right to proclaim the name of the moonlight.

"Go-din! Godin, Knight of Gaidar!"

Vlad and Noir pierced through the yet-unformed ranks of Gaidar's soldiers, cutting through the blockades.

The sudden charge from behind made all of Gaidar turn their heads.

"I am here! A knight who hasn't got his fair price!"

Vlad rode alone through the surging waves.

Godin's passing glance was looking at Vlad as if he couldn't believe it.

"Take this back, you bastard!"

Although Vlad can't fully reach it yet. But now the blue moonlight sees him.

A black lump thrown by Vlad flew into Godin's wide-open eyes.

"I told you!"

There was a boy who cried out on a cold winter day, as the ground turned red.

"I'll kill you for sure!"

Rose's Smiles filled with silence.

A place where only Jorge's shaking neck and the sobbing cries of the prostitutes became the boy's witnesses.

".....Ha."

A knight only takes a fair price.

But Vlad, who was once a boy, did not accept the false price offered to him.

He merely kept it close for a long time.

Like scars left by wounds...

"······Do you still have this?"

A clumsily bundled lump of meat.

The crude jerky that had once fallen onto Vlad's head that day returned to Godin's hand once again.

Godin smiled helplessly as he looked at the black lump that flew straight at him.

"Out of the way!"

Vlad pierced through Gaidar's military formation straight towards Bayezid.

Like the path of an arrow, the formation split in a straight line.

In that gap, Vlad threw everything he had towards the blue moonlight, including the painful memories of that day, along with the jerky.

[T/L: Read more chapters here: - https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]