CHAPTER 171

The shadow cast by the moonlight was drawing over the city of Mosiam.

A city without an owner, still bearing the scars of war.

Despite being captured by the forces sent from the center, Mosiam remained in ruins, not even able to recover its broken gates.

"Hmm..."

Now, only soldiers with no enthusiasm seemed to be guarding Mosiam.

The soldiers, who were nodding off, were those sent from the Northern Alliance, with no genuine affection or sense of responsibility for this city.

"Lord Pierre, it's done."

"Yeah."

There were those observing their lax posture from afar.

The guards felt that today's darkness was softer and denser, although they did not know why.

Yawns were heard from various places soon after it started with one.

Their eyelids began to feel heavy under the gentle embrace of the night, as if gently stroking their heads.

"They've fallen asleep."

To the guards who closed their eyes for just a moment, it might have seemed like only a short time, but to someone else, it was enough time to pass through the gates.

The unknown people who sent the blessing of peace over the flowing darkness succeeded in entering the city of Mosiam without any restraint, as they intended.

"Mosiam..."

The guard dozing off, a broken castle gate. And unidentified people passing through them.

Pierre, who momentarily paused among the passing people, looked up at the broken gate.

"Was this intentionally destroyed too?"

A tall man whose height does not suit his skinny body.

As he pulled back his hood, an old rosary symbolizing the Vatican dangled from his chest.

※※※※

There were three people walking through the morning haze.

Two people riding a black horse and a donkey.

"Hack... hack."

And a beastman, lacking any means of transportation.

"Are you out of breath just from walking with that thing?"

"No, it's just a bit difficult to keep up."

"Aren't beastmen supposed to have good stamina? That's what I heard."

"It's all about personal differences. Don't get caught up in stereotypes, Sir Knight."

"Well, at this moment, it's difficult not to move according to stereotypes."

"... "

Nibelun, who was walking with his tongue out, quickly closed his mouth as Vlad began to scold him.

Despite his appearance, this knight with a twisted character still harbored suspicion towards Nibelun.

"Here's some water."

"Oh, thank you, Priest."

"I'm still just a deacon. Don't call me a priest."

"Hmph. Even so, your benevolent act already makes you a fine priest."

Nibelun's ears perked up as he accepted the water bottle from Jean.

Jean, who had seen the beastmen for the first time through Nibelun, seemed to be quietly fascinated by the sight.

"Once we reach Mosiam, keep your mouth shut."

"Yes."

"Don't utter a word about wanting to do as you please like you did in the last village."

"... Yes."

Whether it was a warning or a reprimand, Vlad had his reasons for sternly admonishing Nibelun in this manner.

'He may say he won't speak, but... '

It had only been a few days of travel, but Vlad could roughly grasp the character of Nibelun.

A man seized by peculiar passion.

While Nibelun might seem normal on the surface, he could transform into a fanatic in his dedicated pursuits.

And Vlad, who had lived in the back alleys for a long time, knew well that people of this type were the most dangerous.

"Halt there! Dismount from your horse and state your identity!"

As they trudged along, their destination drew near, and finally, there it was, the city wall looming through the thick fog in the distance.

Mosiam. A city harboring evil being.

The guards defending it blocked the path of the three approaching figures.

"A beastman?"

"Hello. Nice to meet you. Is this our first meeting?"

Nibelun's greeting was fitting for the situation, but it carried an uneasy undertone.

Although Vlad had told him to keep his mouth shut, Vlad frowned when he saw Nibelun talking to the guard.

"Is this your first time in this city?"

"Yes, it is. But I've been eager to visit. The broken gate is quite impressive."

"... "

It only takes a brief conversation to distinguish between normal and abnormal.

The guards had already detected something amiss in Nibelun's conversation.

As a warning from the previous village, which sounded like a curse, Nibelun was a person who had no understanding of the world of others.

"Hey, you there. Dismount from your horse and state your identity."

A pale young knight, a young deacon, and a strange beastman.

Seeing a more suspicious combination than when they were in the fog, the guards of Mosiam lowered their spears without hesitation.

"Do we really have to dismount?"

"No more nonsense. Dismount. Bringing a beastman along, you're not thinking of entering quietly, are you?"

"Well, I guess not."

Actually, I will do the same.

Nibelun's expression, still smiling broadly, seemed strangely eerie, as if wearing a reversed mask.

Even if he were a beastman unwelcomed here, Nibelun's current demeanor was enough to warrant restraint.

"State your purpose and identity here."

"Just a moment. I had it here somewhere."

The guard's tone was sharp in the presence of suspicious individuals, but Vlad's tone, facing them directly, remained casual.

"Ah, here it is."

What if Nibelun is strange and Jean is young?

Vlad is no longer the boy who didn't even have the qualifications to go in and out of the castle gate and was digging holes.

In this moment, Vlad was someone who could open closed doors not just for himself but also for others.

"Just look at it for a moment."

"Huh?"

The items handed over so naturally.

Though handed over casually, the guard inspecting them gradually hardened his expression.

"This is a certificate from Shoara... For your information, Count Bayezid personally put his seal on it."

"Ugh."

"And this is a confirmation letter sent by Bishop Andrea."

"Ugh!"

"I am a knight named Vlad. And, look here, Bayezid's insigma is engraved on this pommel."

A knight appointed directly by Count Bayezid and a young deacon endorsed by Bishop Andrea.

And the knight of the North who can already prove himself with his name alone. Vlad.

"This identification badge was issued directly by the Varna Church. You can see Lord Andrea's endorsement here as well."

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry..."

Jean's face turned pitiful as he looked at the guard.

The proofs Vlad was bringing out one by one were too heavy for a mere gatekeeper to accept.

Each time Vlad took something out from his embrace, the faces of the surrounding guards grew increasingly grim.

"Can we pass now?"

"Please, please pass by..."

Vlad was smiling at the guards, still looking like a boy.

He looked like a child who wanted to show off something shiny.

※※※※

Vlad passed through the gate, gazing at the flags fluttering above.

Although it was difficult to clearly identify them due to the fog, there were definitely some familiar flags hanging among them.

'Rabnoma, Bayezid, and Hainal…'

The seven flags representing the North.

The only change seemed to be that the flag of Utman had been lowered, replaced by the flag of Hainal.

With multiple flags waving, Mosiam was currently managed under the name of the Northern alliance, without the rule of any specific lord.

"Follow me! I'll guide you!"

"Sure."

Following the overly disciplined guards' guidance, Mosiam seemed unsettling for some reason.

Though it was clearly a thoroughfare, there were only closed shops around.

Perhaps due to the thick fog, there was an eerie atmosphere, with even the passing people being unseen.

"It's too quiet..."

"That's why you've come here, deacon. This city needs the word of God more than ever."

Vlad comforted Jean with a warm voice, observing the unfamiliar cityscape.

As Vlad mentioned, Mosiam needed divine comfort more than any other city in the North.

Andrea had said that not only Jean but almost all deacons would eventually head to Mosiam.

"The sight of the fog reminds me of that time. I'm sure you'll do well."

"Are you leaving today?"

Jean, despite putting on a brave front until now, was still just a young boy. 

He knew well that the knight's duty to protect him had reached its end here, and he looked at Vlad with an anxious expression.

"I'm not going right away. I'll stay here for a while, maybe about a week."

"Oh. That's a relief."

Vlad smiled faintly as he saw Jean exhale a sigh of relief unknowingly. 

It was the beginning of his journey on his own, but Jean, still young, needed someone's help.

"Take good care of him."

Vlad knew well why Andrea had sent him with Jean.

Jean needed a guardian who came willingly, not just a simple mission.

Although Andrea was bound by the rules of the church, the young deacon whom he had raised since he was a baby was something that went beyond a disciple to Andrea.

"Wait for a moment."

"Yes?"

Vlad blocked Jean's path, realizing that his as Jean's guide had ended the moment they entered the city. Vlad still saw himself as Jean's protector without hesitation.

"The guard in front, stop."

Vlad's sudden intervention startled both Jean and the guard. But Nibelun, as attentive as ever, was perking his ears, following a sound coming from beyond the fog.

"Someone's crying."

"..."

"It sounds like a woman."

The sound coming from beyond the fog was the sound of a woman's sobbing. 

A low, shallow, but continuous crying sound.

After seeing the fog, the woman, and the crying sound, Vlad slowly placed his hand on the sword sheath, feeling a sense of déjà vu as if he had experienced this before.

"Sob, sob..."

In the middle of a city street with no one around.

Jean and the guards, now aware of the crying sound, turned their heads in the direction of the sound, swallowing dry saliva.

"Please, find my child. Mister, my child..."

Emerging from the dense fog of the city was a weeping woman. 

Carrying an empty cradle on her back, she approached the guard and leaned on him, beginning to cry sorrowfully.

"What's going on?"

The atmosphere was similar, but they were not the same. The woman crying now was neither peculiar nor shedding black tears.

"Oh, this is..."

The guard, awkwardly holding the weeping woman, explained the situation to Vlad.

"There are quite a few mad women like her in this city."

"Why?"

"That's..."

The guard, who hastily handed the woman over to another soldier, scratched his head.

"They say the evil being here harmed many children. I don't know the details, though."

The weeping woman approached Jean and offered him the empty cradle.

Jean had no reason to enter there, but the distraught woman seemed unable to bear the absence of the cradle's occupant.

"Right now, there are hardly any children in this city who are the same age as deacon. And even if there are, their parents don't think of letting them out."

".....Is that so?"

Vlad listened silently to the fading cries of the woman, getting farther away under the guard's escort.

The armor he received from the elves and repaired by the dwarves, now warmer than before, still bore the inscription from San Rogino.

※※※※

"I apologize. The commander is currently absent."

"I understand, considering my sudden arrival. I'll wait."

The now vacant city hall was occupied by the Holy Knights from the Northern Orthodox Church.

"Hmm..."

Vlad, sitting in a chair waiting for the absent commander, stifled a yawn that was threatening to escape.

'I'm so sleepy.'

Looking at Jean and Nibelun, who had already dozed off, Vlad used his fingers to wipe away a few drowsy tears, forcing himself to stay awake.

But once sleep began to take hold, it was heavy, and his eyelids gradually stuck together, making it difficult to keep them open.

"Ugh..."

Inside the warm building, unlike the chilly outside air, combined with the relief of finally reaching their destination after days of travel.

Vlad crossed his arms, thinking of the commander who might come at any moment, then lowered his head and fell asleep.

※※※※

Round and round, spinning around the matches.

Let's go around the matches singing happily.

Until the bright red hair turns black.

Until the song I sing ends...

"..."

A dark yet bright place.

Could it be a festival happening?

Children's laughter could be heard from up ahead.

In the swamp-like depths of his dream, there was a large bonfire illuminating the surroundings with its gentle flames, casting light into the darkness all around.

"..."

The space in the dream was as cozy as a mother's embrace.

This was a safe and happy place.

Feeling this, Vlad found himself smiling and laughing like the children playing in front of him, without realizing it.

It would be great if there was a place like this in the back alleys too.

Vlad, who had always suffered from cold and hunger in that place, was now slowly moving forward, drawn by the warmth of the bonfire.

Within that bonfire were everything Vlad had longed for in his childhood.

Warm soup, a roof over his head, a cozy blanket, and even his mother's laughter.

All of those things were waiting for Vlad within the bonfire.

Round and round, spinning around the matches.

Until the song I sing ends.

Until everyone singing falls.

[Vlad!]

"...!"

In an instant, his shoulder felt excruciatingly painful.

Though it was a dream, Vlad snapped back to reality with a startled expression, looking behind him.

[Get out of this city immediately!]

And there, as he turned around...

An unknown man with a face painted black was shouting at him.

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