036 | Sword Fight...?

The sun was coming down. The night sky was about to show.

"Ultimately, things had to turn out this way."

A knight went up to me and saluted.

"Captain!"

Right, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Waryun, the Captain of the Knights. The Knight who came up to me was a rookie. Only a few months as an official knight that just graduated. He was a pebble in comparison to me. Size and all.

"Truly, I wonder how long you can last out there."

"Sir?"

"Apologies, what is it?"

"The artillery is in position. Eight ballistae and cannons are fully loaded and stocked on ammunition."

"Good. Have everyone fully prepared for action. Double-check and triple-check everything. Nothing should be wrong. One mistake in war can lead to many more casualties."

I see the annoying red-haired "royal" Captain approaching. The Knight saluted me and him and ran off.

I greeted this idiot, "Haydon."

"Haha, don't have such a sour expression, my friend!"

"How are you STILL able to laugh?"

"Why must we be sad? Is it mandatory? Was it an order? Haha, my friend, even if all hope is lost, as long as someone stays hopeful, there is always a chance."

This guy...

"Whatever you say. Though, I hope you'll wake up and face reality once they begin their attack."

"Haha, no need to worry. My men and I are more than prepared. As a matter of fact, Royal Guards are always able to step into battle at any given moment!"

"Really now? Even in the shower?"

"Haha! Of course! The FINEST OF SWORD EXCHANGES SHALL BE HAD!!"

Pardon me?

"What?"

"Indeed, haha! It will be a tight squeeze though, hard to say what can happen if you swing a sword around in an enclosed space."

"Oh, I thought you meant something else..."

Haydon tilted his head in confusion.

"Haha, whatever could I have meant?"

"Nothing, nothing, go away I'm sure you have other things to do."

I shooed Haydon away with my hands. Unluckily, looks like my luck ran out as he replied with:

"Haha! I have already finished everything I am required to do!"

"Did you double-check every-"

"-I have! Thrice! Haha!"

There's just something about this guy that ticks off my vibe. I'm not really sure EXACTLY what it is but he just makes me annoyed for some reason.

Perhaps it's his hair? In Yanalia, it's not very common for people to have red hair.

Unironically though, Haydon will prove to be the most powerful asset we can have on our side. Not the mercenaries from the AU or even Pen, the manager himself. What we are facing are monsters that are categorized as undead beings. The unholy. Our ex-priest just so happens to fight with combinations of Holy Magic.

Now that I think about it, Haydon's hair isn't even naturally red. Before he came to Yanalia, he was a priest working somewhere close to the Allied Central. The outer reach of the main capital is Centrum Orbis.

As everyone knows, there are five major continents. Four of which surround a centerpiece and are off in each main cardinal direction. The piece in the middle is where most of the world's major powers reside, and allied at that.

Hence how the middle continent got its name, the Allied Central.

There's also the Northlands, a cold and freezing place, just like my refrigerator but way worse.

In the Earthen West, people tend to describe this as a very natural and bizarre landscape. People tend to live in higher elevations thus resulting in better stamina. I read a demographic report once and it stated how immigrants from the West are the top-class workers in labor-intensive jobs.

The Blazing South is quite literally the opposite of the Northlands. It's incredibly hot, I also heard that the current manager of the AU branch in Yanalia came from the South. I'll have a chance to ask him some other time.

Lastly, we have the Enlightened East. A place that is full of inventions and ingenuity. They say that if you want to be a scholar, they'll make good use of you in the East. Though, competition is fierce. I've heard many famous strategists that are known in history all had links to the East.

"Haha, what are you thinking of so hard?"

Haydon asks as he pinched my nose until I couldn't breathe.

"Man, stop it!"

I sighed and Haydon continued to laugh.

I must be tired and exhausted from preparing so quickly for war. Actually, perhaps I'm more stressed out than anything.

I might have a higher chance of living than my other knights, but it stings and pains my heart that the very next day I could wake up to find that the familiar faces I always used to see, are already gone.

"Haydon."

"Hmm?"

"Oftentimes, war is blind. It will take from you without a second thought. Keep your men safe."

"Haha, my friend. That is something we all know, deep inside. Yet, we chose to lay our lives to protect the future of our kingdom. I will admit it. Yanalia is weak, haha. We are ALL weak in comparison to the REAL talented individuals."

"Despite seeing those geniuses for yourself, you still haven't lost hope? Or have you already gone mad seeing as how you're always cheerful?"

"Haha! Please, I am always ready to share a laugh with another, or by myself."

"..."

"..."

There was a reason we were both quiet. It was because we felt it. The absolutely putrid and repulsive magical energy coming from the horizon.

"They're coming, Haydon. I'll see you another time. Hopefully, alive and fighting on the battlefield."

"Haha, I shall see you as well, my friend! Maybe we can conduct an experiment together on exchanging a few blows in the shower!"

"PLEASE GIVE MORE CONTEXT WHEN YOU SAY SH*T LIKE THAT!"

"Haha! I do not know what context you're talking about! Until next time, haha!"

With that said, Haydon turned around and dashed to his post.

I could already see the thousands and thousands of enemies approaching on the horizon. Skeletons that wielded various different types of equipment. Somewhere in the middle of that mosh pit of bones, there would be their leader.

"...Grim Reaper."

Another man's voice spoke from above.

"Yep, I sense that alright."

I looked up and felt a tiny bit happier. It was one of my long-time friends.

Built like the average person, not too buff and not too thin, with just enough muscle mass to not be considered anorexic. He's quite short, at the height of 166 centimeters. His messy brown hair with bangs covering his forehead just above his eyebrows as well as his circular glasses really suited his look.

He was suspended in the air using some sort of fancy pants spell. His dark yellow hooded cloak made him stand out like an idiot though. Poor choice of color.

"Welcome back, Yanalia's Sorcerer."

He has the same tired but pitchy voice.

"Don't call me that. I'm not even that talented."

"Really now? The Sorcerer who supposedly came from a weak nation known as Yanalia? The one who got accepted into the Sorcerer's Guild? The one and only Felix from Yanalia?"

"My god Waryun, would you shut up already? And, I was always here."

"Wait really?"

"Yes! Didn't Bridgette tell you?"

"The Captain of the Scouts, Bridgette?"

"Who else has her name in Yanalia?"

True. I never once heard of a similar name to hers. Now addressing the main topic, I never knew that Felix was always here. I had thought he was somewhere far away.

"I thought you told me you were studying at some branch of the Sorcerer's Guild?"

Felix sighed and adjusted his glasses with his palm.

"Well, I was. Yanalia isn't even that far away from the main capital where our main branch is located at. Plus, I was nowhere near the Allied Central."

"Really?"

"Yes! I was deployed somewhere closer. The Sorcerer's Guild has many branches. They're everywhere. I came here as fast as I could after receiving word from Bridgette."

"That girl works fast."

"Mhm, I've been here for a few days already. Meditating and inspecting all my equipment to make sure everything is functioning properly."

"Now we can definitely win. You can probably blow them all away with one spell, right?"

Felix sat down on the floor and slowly lay down. He got comfortable as if he was going to take a nap.

"You're overestimating my abilities, Waryun. Don't you remember the Sorcerer's Guild's rankings?"

I itched my neck.

"Uh, no? Why would I? You know I'm not really a magic guy."

"Well, you should. Then you'll have a more accurate sense of how powerful a Sorcerer is. The Guild ranks their people based on Magic Power and to rank up, you will have to pass an examination for each. Everyone starts off as a Trainee, otherwise known as the lowest rank, a Novice Sorcerer."

"Right?"

"The bare minimum to be accepted is having at least 20 or more measured Magic Power. To move up to the next rank of an Apprentice Sorcerer, you must double it to 40 Magic Power and pass a written test as well as an examination."

"Damn, I guess you failed it."

A pebble flew at my face and bounced off my forehead.

"No, of course not. I studied for a straight week and passed easily. The examination was a bit harder but I still managed to pass. Though, this was quite a long time ago. Currently, I'm the rank above an Apprentice Sorcerer. Requiring 80 Magic Power and passing another test and exam is the Veteran Sorcerer rank."

"Bah, so many tests and whatnot, why don't they keep things simple?"

"Like?"

"Once you graduate from knight school, you're immediately a knight-in-training."

"Surprise, Surprise! Even knights can be stronger or weaker. Classifying people into their respective ranks allows the Sorcerer's Guild to be able to dispatch people on missions in a very organized manner. Like how we don't need you, the Captain of the Knights, to go save a cat stuck on a tree. We can get someone that's more suitable for the job in case you have more important matters to tend to."

I hate how Felix makes sense sometimes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. As long as you're here, I'm sure it'll help us one way or another."

"Mhm, now sit down and relax. At the rate that they're traveling, they won't make it here until midnight."

"What if something happens? Like a surprise attack?"

"With such large and intense magic energy pouring out of that guy, I'd be surprised if he even managed to sneak around unnoticed. Trust me. I'm a Sorcerer."

Well, I guess we should all get some shut-eye and relax before everything goes haywire. I shouted to everyone. Mercenaries, Knights, and Scouts alike....and I suppose the Royal Guards as well.

"Everyone! Our Veteran ranked Sorcerer says they won't be here until midnight! Get some rest before then!"

"Sir!", was the response I heard. This time it was louder as it wasn't just MY knights responding to my order. Quite literally, the whole of Yanalia was with me.

Just knowing that soothed my mind, allowing me to rest until then.