Episode 6 : The Wilderness of the Barbarians - Part 5

 The mercenary was going to say something. Something to make fun of him. But he couldn't say it.

 A strange, almost awe-inspiring numbness overcame the young mercenary, as if he had suddenly stepped into a point in eternity that continued on into a very distant time and space. He looked at Linda.

 Now, at a point in the night darkness of this no-man's-land, time and space seemed to bare their silent fullness, standing still forever. There was no end to the darkness, and there was no end to the night either. Suddenly Istvan was seized by a fierce loneliness, a haunting loneliness that froze his heart, and he looked around in horror. Seeking the living, flesh and blood inhabitants of the human world whom he knew so well. What he saw was night and darkness, the eternal point of contact between the two, the face of a woman with half-lidded eyes like a grim mask, watching over him as if to seal his fate, and the image of a strange pagan god sitting upright as if he were its guardian. It was the leopard head of a half-beast, half-god, just like a strange pagan god.

 The faces of Shem's daughter and Paro's heir sank into the darkness, and there seemed to be nothing but a leopard-headed warrior and a prophetess who was oddly close to the realm of the gods.

 To the ends of time.

 Istvan shook himself. He was young, reckless, born with the promise of a different fate from that of ordinary men, a tremendously cheerful and confident warrior, and yet he trembled all over. He had never even felt fear in the midst of any of his blood-curdling adventures, and that was why he was called the Demon Warrior.

 Time had frozen and stopped. This was a realm where mortal man, in the hands of fate, should never have been allowed to set foot, let alone turn his head. The fright and coldness from the depths of his soul that made Istvan's body shake like a leaf probably came from the realization that he was cursed, a man who had looked into a realm he should never have seen.

"I'm--"

 He tore off his tongue, which was stuck to his upper jaw, and was still trying to say something when suddenly the embers of the fire cracked with a loud crack.

 The spell is broken. The fire flickered, and time began to flow aright again, and the fire illuminated five men and women, flesh and blood, who themselves were but a single being, being tugged by the yarn spinning wheel.

 Istvan drew a deep breath and squeezed all the breath out of his lungs. As if to say, "If I do that, I can replace all the horrible loneliness I'm feeling right now.

I'm not kidding.

 The mercenary murmured secretly so that no one could hear him.

 Guin's expressionless leopard head did not even seem to notice the strange time that had suddenly come and suddenly gone. He turned his yellow, glowing eyes with a disturbing radiance towards his companions and opened his mouth.

"We may be pursued by Arvon as night falls. If I were lord, I'd make sure of it. Those men saw us. It's not hard to see that it was the same men who were at Staphorus when the castle was destroyed, and if so, it's easy for a keen eye to see what threat they pose to the Shem of Nosferus when they bring the daughter of Shem with them against Gora. We must keep as much distance between us as possible, even at the risk of walking through No Man's Land in the dark of night."

"Yeah, I guess so."

 Still somewhat heavy-hearted, Istvan agreed, but he soon recovered his spirits,

"And it doesn't make sense to me. Why on earth would a white knight of Torus be in Alvon, the Red Knight's stronghold--there are too many fishy stories around here."

"Not at all."

 Guin nodded.

"That's why we have to find a place to settle down as soon as possible. And then we'll find a way."

"Policy?"

"Yes. Because if we don't, we'll just be running scared and blinking our eyes from the pursuers of the mighty Duke of Gora."

"Are you trying to fight back?"

 Istvan shouted in dismay and stared at Guin, forgetting the strange experience he had just had. He clapped his hands together as if he was completely dumbfounded.

"What the hell can we do with Yarn's long duplicity?"

"Then what were you going to do when you ran away to Kaylonia?"

 Guin asked back.

"That's right, I'm going to go to some general's office, take the test, and get in as a mercenary."

"You'll be fine with it . But what about Guin?"

 Linda screamed. Her face was no more than that of a pretty, carefree girl. There was no trace of the strange, mysterious calmness of the previous scene, and the viewer was left with the illusion that all of the previous events had taken place in a dream.

"How does he expect to join the mercenary army in this form? He'll be hunted down, interrogated severely, and then executed if they don't believe him! We'll be..."

 Linda bites her lip. The mercenary has finally regained his true form.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do about it."

 Laugh and point.

"It's none of my business what a monster he is. I can take care of myself, and I always have. I expect you to do the same."

"Very well."

"Mankind!"

 Guin nodded gravely before Linda could rant in anger.

"I don't need you to worry about that, I'm apparently strong enough to take care of myself. But we're in Nosferus, a civilized world that's hundreds of thousands of tads away in either direction unless we go back to Gora... and going back to Gora means jumping into the enemy's attack, so we have to think about what to do with ourselves here and now before we go to Cheironia. Isn't it?

 What do you think, Red Mercenary - are you against the idea of relying on Shem's Rak clan?"

"You're gonna ask Sal for help?"

 Istvan wrinkled his nose and stuck out his lower lip. The mercenary with the black hair and dark eyes looked strangely charming and even cute, reminding the viewer that he was still young, not yet 20 years old.

"Hey, Leopard-head, what the hell are you thinking in that beast's head? Is it thinking of seducing the monkey tribe to invade the Grand Duchy of Gora? This is crazy.

 The mercenary laughed loudly. Linda glared at him hatefully as he burst into tears, choking with laughter. Istvan's natural hatred of her did not help Linda at all, and it seemed to make her even more angry.

"Why don't you just stop?"

 The honest Linda doesn't understand that her childish exasperation is making her even more happy.

"Linda, if he doesn't like it, let him do what he wants. Hey, Guin, we're going to Suni's. I'm not thinking of asking for Shem's help, but for now, I'm going to hide out in Argos or Cheironia, and while I'm there, the remnants of the Crystal will gather their forces..."

"Remus!"

 Linda almost snapped out of it, but it was too late. Istvan's dark, apricot-shaped eyes rolled back, then narrowed slowly, slyly, and he stuck out his tongue and licked his lips in satisfaction.

"Ha ha."

 She purposely looks at the twins and makes catcalls.

"I knew it... I thought it was strange... but then I realized that you..." he pointed at Linda... "and you... And you - pointing to Remus - are the orphans of Paro, who escaped the fires of the Black Dragon War."

"Remus, you idiot!"

 Linda clicks her tongue. She glared at the Red Mercenary with a fierce fire in her violet eyes that would allow nothing to stand in her way.

"Yes. I am Princess Linda the Oracle, of the rightful line of the sacred royal house of Paro, and this is Remus, the pearl of Paro, heir to the throne of Paro, the heir apparent. And now you know. Now what will you do-- sell us to the Gora if you must. If you bring us back or if you don't but bring us back with a place for us, Castle Arvon won't condemn you as a deserter, they'll give you a place in the Order.

 In return, you will be cursed for eternity by the holy royal family of Paro and all its loyal subjects!

 Now, choose!"

"What the hell are you--"

 Istvan grinned. In truth, though he did not like to admit it, when Linda challenged him so decisively and with such dignity, he was inwardly reluctant, and not only that, but he could not help admiring the proud beauty of the little queen, whose violet eyes blazed with fire and whose cheeks flushed with blood. I couldn't help but admire the proud beauty of the little queen.

 However, he was a very stubborn and selfish person, and he had no intention of admitting such a thing to anyone or even to himself secretly.

"What are you gonna do, red mercenary?"

 The girl questioned him, not even noticing his inner turmoil.

"There is nothing we can do. Neither can we kill you to silence you, nor can we promise you a reward or a position in return as a wandering prince and princess without a country. All we have is our unquenchable royal pride - we are so helpless. What will you do with this helpless us?"

"It's ...."

 Again Istvan licked his lips, but this time with some trepidation. Then Guin made a sudden movement.

"I don't know, Princess."

 Slowly, he opens his mouth as if it were a revelation.

"Are you so helpless? I don't think so, but you have at least a knight to protect you, and that knight could easily twist the head of a despicable traitor with his bare hands. --"

"Guin..."

 Istvan paused for breath. But Linda and Remus did not.

 She stares at him for a moment, then suddenly calls out his name as she bites the Leopard-headed warrior from both sides.

"Oh, Guin!"

 And Linda - the proud little queen of Paro - nuzzled her face into the warrior's strong, thick shoulder and cried out.

 Guin made no attempt to soothe him, but kept him clinging to her shoulder, his yellow eyes shining over the fire at Istvan.

"Oh, Linda, don't cry, hey, Linda!"

 Remus rubbed his sister's shoulders and Suni cuddled into Linda's lap, looking worried.

 For a moment, Istvan couldn't decide whether to laugh or be indignant, and he blinked his lips.

 And then suddenly, with a wild gesture, he strikes his fist into his palm.

"Goddamn it, what the fuck!"

 He ranted out loud.

"How dare this wicked little girl and her Leopard-headed monster put me in this mess, with Janus, the ruler of this world and no-world and everything in between! All right, all right. When on earth did you think Istvan would sell Paro's child to survive in Gora? I don't care if we go with him to that stinking monkey village or to the far side of Canaan or wherever he wants to go. I'm desperate. You can take me to the print of Dole or the bed of the monkeys. Damn you!

"Very well."

 That's all Guin said gravely. He stared at the fire for a while and then..,

"In that case, the sooner the better. Let's ask Suni how long it will take to get to Rak's village from here."

 They talked back and forth in Soon-hee and Seum's language for a while,

"It'll take us a day and a half to get there from here. With Suni's legs, we might be able to get there in a day."

"I hope so! We've only got a handful of vacha for food, and we're almost out of water. If you don't give us some stinky monkey food, I'll certainly eat that little monkey."

"If you can do it, you can do it!"

 Linda screamed. Guin restrained her with his hand.

"All right, let's go out. In the meantime, let's make something to replace the torch, and we'll be at least one tad east by dawn."

 Before they knew it, all of their friends were listening and obeying Guin's words without saying a word. It was as if a silent agreement had been made. They said not a word, but stood up to do Guin's bidding. Soon they were ready.

 Thus, the leopard-headed warrior Guin, the Valakian Istvan, the Paro twins Linda and Remus, and the Raku Suni, all of whom had lost their memories, became friends, working hand in hand for the same goal.