Chapter 87 - The Moon Walking in the Wake of the Sun (13)

Chapter 87 - The Moon Walking in the Wake of the Sun (13)

That evening, the cadets once again got off the transport vehicle and began preparing for camping.

"Looks like it rained, huh?"

"Yeah, it really seems like it poured."

They had planned to camp near the river, and it wasn't hard for the cadets to notice that quite a bit of rain had fallen here until only yesterday.

The ground was still thoroughly soaked, and the river had swollen considerably from the downpour.

"It doesn't usually rain this much around here at this time of year…"

"Well, whether it rains a lot or a little, that's up to the sky."

The rainy season in this area should have ended a while ago. Even so, it had come down in torrents. It was a little strange, but since the sky was always unpredictable, everyone just accepted it without much concern. It hadn't rained while they were camping, so it wasn't really a problem for them.

They set up their tents and finished their meal.

Now that the cadets had become skilled at getting ready for camp, they even had some time left before sunset.

"Is it alright if we wash up in the river?"

"I don't care whether you go swimming or fishing in there, but be careful not to get swept away and drown. I heard it's been pouring in this area for a few days, so the river is much higher than usual."

The cadets thought they might bathe in the river and maybe play in the water a bit while they had the time. Thankfully, the instructors warned them to be careful but still gave their permission. They'd finished their training after toughening up thanks to the Rangers, so the instructors trusted the cadets to make the right call on their own.

"Wilfried, aren't you going to wash up?"

"I'm fine."

"But during the last training session, you took your clothes off and got in the water with us. Are you still worried about that kind of thing?"

"..."

Wilfried stubbornly refused to wash together with everyone, no matter what. It's not like anyone was getting completely naked just to wash up, but apparently, even that much was difficult for the Duke's son. He would still, even now, quietly slip into the tent alone, clean his body quickly with a wet towel, and come out. On the one hand, I could understand, but on the other, it was hard to believe he was still like this.

"At this point, I just want to toss him straight into the water."

"…Jimman."

"I'm just saying, it's just a figure of speech."

Robert really wanted to pick up Wilfried, who kept acting all high and mighty, and dunk him right into the river, but he gave up since, no matter how much he wanted to, he just couldn't deal with the consequences that would follow.

Wilfried shot Robert such a fierce glare as he called him "Jimman" that even Ernest, who'd received more than his fair share of Wilfried's sharp looks before, was startled enough to turn away.

The cadets heading to the river washed up together, forgetting about their social status for a while.

At first, they planned to just clean up and chat before heading back, but things soon took a turn.

"Huh, the current isn't as strong as I thought."

"It might be faster closer to the center."

"No, really, it seems fine."

A few cadets had already slipped into the river and confirmed that, despite the water level rising, the current was slow.

"Hurry up and get out. There are spots where the current suddenly gets a lot stronger depending on the riverbed, so it's dangerous."

"Oh, Krieger. I never thought I'd hear you say something so cowardly."

Ernest gave them a firm warning. But the cadets, convinced it was safe, taunted him for not getting in the water.

"I'm going to tell the instructor. It's dangerous, so get out right now."

Ernest warned them again. But even more cadets, glancing around, were inching their way into the water. The edge of the river was shallow, barely reaching just above their knees, so it didn't look at all dangerous.

"This much is really okay, isn't it? Huh? We'll only stay right here. We won't go any deeper."

"Yeah, it's barely up to our knees. What's the problem?"

"..."

Ernest hesitated, unsure whether to pull them out or just let them be.

"Alright. If you promise not to go any deeper."

"Ugh, what a buzzkill."

"Look at our top student, all ready to run and tattle to the instructor."

"If you keep that up, I really will go to the instructor and tell him everything, just like you said."

"..."

After shutting up his peers, Ernest sat down by the riverside. The sky was gradually getting darker. Soon, the sun would set completely. It should be fine since it's only for a short while.

The cadets, having forgotten all about keeping up appearances, played in the water.

Even though they had taken off their shirts, they'd gone in wearing their undershorts.

Ernest wondered how they were going to manage later when they had to sleep, but that wasn't something he needed to worry about.

…Actually, considering they all had to sleep in the same tent, this could turn out to be a real issue.

Ernest was in his undershorts as well, but since he was calmly drying off after washing, he figured he'd be fine by the time he headed back to the campsite. He shivered a little as the chilly air brushed against his shoulders.

"..."

With his elbows resting on his knees and his chin in his hands, Ernest sat staring at the sinking sun in the west and the faint crescent moon above it.

Suddenly, something he had forgotten flickered through his mind, making his eyes twitch.

Erika.

Ernest was reminded of Erika's smiling eyes by the faint crescent moon, its shape obscured by the lingering sunlight. Until just moments ago, he had completely forgotten about her, but the crescent looked so much like her smiling eyes—or rather, her smiling eyes looked so much like a crescent moon...

Why did she smile at me like that?

Ernest pondered this seriously.

Why had Erika done that?

For a Saraan, who should have avoided even being near an officer cadet like him, what could she have been thinking to approach him, talk to him, touch him, and smile at him like that?

Compliments... Hmm...

Ernest replayed Erika's words in his mind. Ferdinand had told him that the best compliment for a woman was about her looks. Although Ernest thought he would never have a reason to meet Erika again, he decided to at least remember that her smile resembled a crescent moon.

"Got you!"

"Whoa."

Lost in his thoughts, Ernest was startled and violently struggled as Robert shouted and a group of cadets swarmed in, grabbing his arms and legs and lifting him up.

Then, though stumbling, they began carrying him toward the water. While Ernest had been pondering the connection between Erika's smile and the crescent moon, these treacherous bastards had been whispering together, plotting this ambush.

"Ernest, did you think you were some kind of Wilfried or something? Huh? If you thought you could get back without getting soaked, you were seriously underestimating us!"

"W-wait!"

Robert chuckled mischievously, and Ernest could already guess what was about to happen next.

"You know, if you'd just gone in nicely from the start, none of this would be happening."

"Hey, Ernest, you know how to swim, right?"

"How far are you planning to throw him?"

"Just in case."

"I can't swim! I told you, I can't swim!"

"Liar! There's no way you can't swim! Your father must have taught you!"

"Ugh!"

Since Robert had spoken with Ernest's father many times, Ernest couldn't argue with him. Even though Ernest wasn't an excellent swimmer, he managed well enough.

Ferdinand, who had slyly joined the water play under the guise of washing up, was watching Ernest being dragged away from a short distance. When their eyes met, Ferdinand grinned slightly.

Serves you right.

"For our Commander!"

"Come on, throw him! Dunk him in good!"

"You little—"

Ernest tried to resist, but with more than ten cadets grabbing his arms and legs, it was pointless.

He felt himself being lifted, flailed his limbs in midair, looked at his classmates in shock, and they, just as startled, stared back at him—and then Ernest fell into the water.

Splash!

"E-Ernest!"

"Krieger! Krieger!"

Fifteen-year-old boys didn't know how to control their strength in situations like this.

Ernest flew much farther than they expected and landed right in the deep spot he'd warned them to avoid.

"Pwah!"

Just as the panicked cadets were about to jump into the water after him, Ernest's head popped back up above the surface.

But instead of feeling relieved, the cadets' shock only intensified. In just an instant, Ernest was already far away, being swept rapidly downstream.

Just as Ernest had warned, and just as the instructor had cautioned, the deep waters of the swollen river were much swifter than they appeared after the heavy rains.

"Oh God! No!"

"Wait! Don't go in the water! You'll just get swept away too! Someone fetch the instructor!"

"Ernest! Ernest!"

The cadets broke into a panicked uproar. Ferdinand was shocked too, but he managed to keep calm enough to stop them from recklessly jumping into the water after Ernest.

"Ernest!" Ferdinand shouted desperately after Ernest, who was being swept farther away.

But Ernest didn't answer.

Everyone's face turned pale.

They'd thrown him with all their might, thinking Ernest would be fine—but now he was vanishing so quickly downstream they could barely see him anymore.

The thought that they might have just killed their friend sent them all spiraling into panic.

Ferdinand didn't let his fear stop him. He started sprinting barefoot downstream, chasing after where Ernest was being carried away. Maybe Ernest would get caught up somewhere and stop, and even if he didn't, knowing how far he went would help the search go faster.

"Damn it!"

Even when he stepped on a rock and tore his foot open, Ferdinand kept running. But this was untrodden ground—trees and rocks blocked his way, making it impossible to get any real speed.

"Ernest!" Ferdinand shouted at the top of his lungs for Ernest, who was already out of sight, slipping past mossy, slippery boulders along the way.

But there was no answer.

'Thank goodness.'

Contrary to what everyone feared, Ernest kept his cool and actually felt relieved, convinced he wasn't going to die.

As he drifted along with the current, the river gradually widened. The current, which just moments ago had seemed impossibly fast and inescapable, was slowly losing its power.

Instead of struggling, Ernest calmly floated along on the surface. Once the water became shallow enough and the current grew weak enough, he began swimming toward shore in a composed manner.

"Hoo... Hoo..."

Fortunately, Ernest made it safely to dry land. Even though he hadn't spent much energy, the moment he lay down on the riverbank, he started gasping for breath. He had been so calm in the face of real danger, but now that he was finally in a safe place, the realization that he could have died hit him like a wave, and fear rushed in.

"Damn. Those bastards."

Gritting his teeth, Ernest cursed his damn peers under his breath.

There was no way he could just let this go.

He wasn't joking—he really felt like he needed to slam all of them to the ground and beat the frustration out of his system. Honestly, except for Ferdinand, Ernest was confident he could pin every single one of his classmates in wrestling. They'd better be trembling in fear, worried for their safety.

Still lying there, Ernest finally calmed down after a while and slowly got up to survey his surroundings.

The sun had almost set, and the sky was growing dark. The crescent moon was coming into sharper focus.

After a moment's thought, Ernest decided it was best to stay put and wait.

If he moved around unnecessarily, he could get injured, or worse, end up missing the instructors and get lost. It was best to quietly wait until the instructors came to rescue him.

Ernest slumped down at the base of a tree a little ways from the water's edge.

His hands trembled from shock, anger, and fear.

He couldn't understand why something like this had happened to him.

Rustle. Rustle.

Just then, Ernest caught the faint sound of footsteps near his ear. As darkness crept over the riverside, Ernest tensed up and reached instinctively for his belt, only to remember that, of course, he didn't have his sword attached to his cadet uniform.

Who would approach the riverside this late at night, in the dark? It could easily be someone dangerous—a criminal on the run, someone with bad intentions.

Or maybe even a wild beast.

Staying perfectly still and listening, Ernest soon spotted the silhouette of someone approaching the water.

The person sat down by the riverbank, grumbling softly as they took off their boots and then cautiously dipped both feet into the cold water.

"Haa..."

A sigh.

She—no, he realized it was a girl—sat with her knees drawn up, resting her chin on them, gazing up at the crescent moon tilting over the western sky.

The tension in Ernest's body slowly started to melt away.

Erika.

Just from the silhouette illuminated by the dim light of the fading twilight and that quiet sigh, Ernest immediately knew it was Erika.

He exhaled slowly, his heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally starting to settle.

Ernest hesitated for a moment, then got up, intending to approach her.

"Upon the river tinged with red, I see her

Her gently curved smiling eyes are so lovely"

A humming sound. A melody softly recited, with barely a quiver. A voice that tickles the ear.

"She resembles the sunlight so much

Yet how can she shine with such darkness?"

Was that faint laughter laced with just a hint of affection?

"She brought starlight along with her

And stole away my little moon."

She brings starlight and steals away the moon, tilting her head with a smile in her eyes.

Though it is utter darkness, beneath the night, she glows bathed in the pale light of the crescent moon.

Then, she looks back at him.

In surprise, it becomes a full moon, then quickly wanes, becoming slender again, shining as the crescent moon hung in the night sky, sparkling toward Ernest.

"To think you'd spy on a woman washing by the riverside, looking like that—you're such a pervert."

"..."

Still in only his underclothes, awkwardly leaning against a tree, Ernest froze at Erika's words and the look in her eyes. It wouldn't be strange for her to doubt his intentions in this situation. Yet, strangely, just as before, Erika only props her chin on her knees and flashes him a mischievous smile.

Just like her song, like the crescent moon in the night sky Gently and tenderly.