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Shadow of War
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On the forest's edge, where shrubs and grassland mixed, the hunting party of House Redforest had set up camp.
The vassals, determined to secure the finest gift for their lord whose name day it was, led their subordinates and rushed into the Lanari Forest, vying to be first.
Among them, the men of Sir Balduran, who had caught a massive wild boar, and those of 'Baldy' Sir Bonychel, who had brought down a giant palm stag, were quarreling, boasting of their respective achievements.
But when Reynold brought the pelt of a cave lion that still hadn't lost its warmth, everyone fell silent.
Sir Bonychel, who had been watching his men's squabble from the side, simply returned to his tent. Sir Balduran, who had been drinking, gaped in surprise before bursting into hearty laughter.
He filled a wooden tankard with lager beer and thrust it toward Reynold.
"Glory to the victor!!"
The surrounding people couldn't deny that the squire from the south had beaten his competitors.
As the hearty northerners clapped and congratulated him, Reynold raised his hand in acknowledgment and downed the lager in one gulp.
"Waaaaah!!"
With the victor emptying his cup in a single breath, the atmosphere heated up, and the people joyfully greeted the night at the hunting grounds.
However, Reynold's expression was not bright.
Balduran, who was beside him, asked with a puzzled expression.
"The expression of the brave warrior who caught a cave lion is rather poor. Why? Did something happen?"
Reynold gestured to Horkma, who had accompanied him.
He brought a sack containing a hobgoblin's head.
"We found an armed hobgoblin."
Reynold explained the situation to Balduran in detail.
The knight's expression gradually hardened into stone.
And for good reason—hobgoblins were the ancient nemeses of the North.
Over the long years, they had waged war against the rugged northerners, and without fail, armed hobgoblin scouts would prowl the North before war broke out.
It would have been better if it were a runaway or straggler who had left their kingdom by chance, but among hobgoblins, who lived in strict military-style communal groups, such individuals almost never appeared.
Hobgoblins eliminated the weak, strengthening the cohesion of the group.
For this reason, hobgoblins moving in small groups were highly likely to be scouts—or dispatched for some other reason.
"We must go to the lord first."
Balduran, his face grave, took the lead and headed for the lord's command tent.
Lord Zeon set down his wine cup the moment he saw the hobgoblin's face and summoned his vassals.
The knights who were called, thinking the excited lord was going to pour them drinks himself, came only to see the grisly severed head and their faces stiffened.
Especially the knights from Snowpost—their expressions were even graver.
Snowpost had been a city near Redforest, which had burned completely to the ground in the hobgoblins' final invasion fifteen years ago, turning into a desolate ruin.
Thus, the hostility they held toward this savage race was beyond words.
While everyone maintained their silence, Lord Zeon opened his mouth.
"We will halt the hunting tournament immediately. Send all non-combatants back to the castle at once and organize scouting parties. Sir Bonychel."
"Yes, my lord."
"Take your troops back to the castle and see to its defenses."
Bonychel, usually restless and fidgety, answered with a stern face.
Perhaps nervous, he rubbed his bald head.
"Understood."
"Sir Balduran."
"Yes, my lord."
"Install a wooden palisade around this campsite. I intend to remain here for several days to search for more hobgoblins. Therefore, establish measures for the defense of the main camp."
"Understood."
Redforest did not have many soldiers to begin with, and even fewer knights.
There were eight in total, with two waiting at the castle. If Bonychel returned as well, that left five by the lord's side.
All of them were middle-aged, experienced knights.
The forces remaining at the hunting grounds numbered roughly fifty or so.
Zeon issued orders for groups composed of one knight and about a dozen soldiers to begin scouring the Lanari Forest starting tomorrow.
And so the meeting ended.
Reynold emerged looking exhausted and was greeted by the duties befitting a Squire of the Body.
Trivial matters were handled by the squires beneath him, but inspecting the lord's arms and stationing sentries around the lord's tent were matters that required his attention.
After the day's many events, sleepiness came over him so strongly that his eyes kept drooping.
A strange temptation to do things half-heartedly washed over him in his fatigue.
'Should I just handle it roughly? Or should I tell the kids below me to do it and go to sleep?'
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he let out a deep sigh.
Even with such thoughts, he could only feel at ease if he handled things himself.
If he gave orders, his body would be comfortable, but greater worries would sprout.
'I'd rather just finish it quickly.'
Reynold immediately set to work.
It took some time, but driven by the desire to protect his sleeping hours, he finished it in a rush.
Having finished his work, utterly exhausted, he trudged toward the military tent.
By now, Bellabello would be sleeping, snoring away.
'What a carefree bastard. I'm jealous.'
Grumbling once, Reynold yawned and stretched.
But then, someone suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him.
It was a cold and soft hand.
"Eh!"
Startled by the unexpected event, Reynold's eyes grew wide.
Before him had suddenly appeared the face of Aidri, the lord's daughter.
"Surprised? *Giggle*."
She laughed playfully.
Aidri Marana Bometz, sixteen years old, was an impressive young girl with blonde hair so dark it was nearly brown and Lazula Blue eyes like pristine wildflowers.
"Dear me, what a mischievous little brat."
So active that she would gallop horses across the mountains, she had accompanied her father all the way to the hunting grounds.
Aidri had grown up alongside him, who had served under the lord since childhood.
The two got along famously, their relationship no different from real siblings.
But recently, she had begun to see Reynold as a man.
Whether it was because she had reached marriageable age or because there had been some other special trigger was a mystery even to herself, but lately, her heart would flutter every time she saw his face for no reason.
However, the quick-witted Aidri was well aware that he did not yet hold any special feelings for her.
When a mature maid bent her waist to draw water from the well, Reynold's gaze upon her held the peculiar ardor of a man aware of women.
He, too, had reached an age where he was conscious of the opposite sex.
But the gaze he directed at Aidri had not changed in the slightest from when they were children.
That fact brought her a strange sense of disappointment.
Of course, Aidri's slender figure and innate charm were more than enough to tempt a young man who had just opened his eyes to women, but Reynold still did not treat her as anything more than a younger sister.
Though his heart occasionally wavered at the sight of Aidri, such feelings somehow brought him a sense of guilt.
His respect for the lord also played a part.
He believed that Aidri's marriage was for his master, Lord Zeon, to decide, and that he must not recklessly involve himself.
Because the occasional wavering of his own heart felt almost like a betrayal, he continued to play only the role of a kind older brother.
Thanks to that, Aidri burned with impatience.
And so, she had ultimately slipped out of her tent in the dead of night and waited like a cat hidden in the darkness before snatching his hand.
She dragged Reynold to a place where no one could see them.
"Where are we going?"
"..."
The girl gave no answer.
Aidri was a woman of a new generation, filled with proactive thoughts unlike her mother's.
She firmly believed that love was something to be seized.
Unable to bear watching Reynold depart for the South as a knight without doing something, she had prepared a plan.
Of course, such matters were not without danger.
In the North, where all discipline was strict, the mere fact of a man and woman being alone together in the dead of night could become a serious problem.
However, Redforest, located at the very edge of the North, had a slightly different character.
Because of its barrenness, it was far from refinement, and with very few nobles, they conducted romances much like free commoners.
Moreover, within the territory, the two were an unofficial yet official couple.
Regardless of their own intentions, many people took it for granted that these two young people would marry in the near future.
Thus, even if Aidri, a grown maiden, were found alone with Reynold, there would be no one to greatly berate them.
But in truth, there was no promise whatsoever.
The girl realized this couldn't go on, and so she had seized today.
Even if it was a bit unrefined, even if it was unladylike, so what?
If she could only have the man she loved.
Since time immemorial, the victors of love had all been proactive people.
"Aidri, why? What's the matter?"
Reynold was inwardly flustered but spoke as if soothing her.
"It's nothing. I was just bored and wanted to chat with you, Brother."
Though she was actually steeling herself for something momentous, she first acted nonchalant with a fox-like attitude.
Reynold took her words at face value and smiled.
"Ah, I see. Then shall we chat? But let's return to the tent soon, alright?"
At these words, Aidri's insides burned black with frustration.
She blamed the oblivious him, repeating to herself, 'The tent? You idiot!' again and again.
But outwardly, she donned a bright smile and nodded.
Aidri had to somehow coax him gently and reach the conclusion she desired.
Good men were all a bit dull, after all.
She resolved that she, wise and clever, would endure.
'Why are men all so oblivious to a woman's heart? Haah. Really, I'm only letting you off because you're my man.'
She glared at him standing there blankly for a moment, then put on a pretty smile again.
Perhaps because he was hers, she couldn't easily hate him.
Already, her feelings of love were spreading frighteningly through her heart like wildfire.
But the problem was that he seemed to feel nothing special for her.
Aidri felt very bitter about this unfair situation.
This was worse than the strange displeasure she had felt when she first realized she liked Reynold.
She still stood at the boundary between girl and woman, and the emotion called love amplified Aidri's confusion.
This lively northern girl kept going back and forth between 'I love you!' and 'No! I don't know.'
But one thing was certain: if she didn't reach a conclusion, she didn't think she could endure any longer.
After walking briefly, the two soon sat at a quiet outskirts and began chatting amiably.
In the distance, soldiers could be seen drinking warmed wine around a campfire.
"...so, you see. That waddling Mela couldn't move forward anymore... Hey, Brother? Are you listening to me?"
At her remark, Reynold momentarily made an awkward expression.
Reynold, who had been thinking of something else for a moment, panicked and answered "Yeah!" but the problem was that his voice was louder than necessary.
In the end, he was caught listening half-heartedly and got his arm pinched.
"Ah, really! You never listen properly, Brother."
"Sorry."
"Fine. Since you seem tired, my dear brother, let's stop here for today. Now, escort me back to my tent. It's dark, and I'm scared to go back alone."
She put on a slightly pitiful expression.
Reynold readily agreed to escort her, but he had no idea that he was walking into a trap.