Chapter 22

"What are you saying to me now?" Catori cries out as she lightly punches someone's chest.

"Me? Your Kin? You are making me laugh, I'm not even sure if my family is still alive" she tiptoed in front of a man, she wears a servant maid outfit with her hair tied in a bun. She goes near a tall man but his face was a bit blurry.

"I'm telling you the truth Catori, you are one of us and I came here to get you. This way you'll be free from the Marquis!" The man told her

"You're saying I'm a member of this group? It's just a mere child's story. Free? How can you free me from this estate?"

"Let's escape, tonight, I'll be in your room to get you, just promise me you will come with me to meet them" the man pleaded

Catori thought for a while and gave him a warm smile "I will if you'll guarantee my freedom then"

The two were talking cheerfully unknowing the presence of someone listening behind them.

---

Catori wakes up to the sound of crackling wood inside a burning fire.

[A dream? About me?] She thought

She rubbed her eyes and saw herself covered in a warm blanket near the fire.

[I fell asleep? For how long?] She looked and saw Ciar kneeling beside her

"What?" She asked

The shadow shrugged his shoulders but it seems he was worried about her.

"I had a dream" she raised her hand and put it on her chest "a dream about me"

She looked at Ciar, "Why am I telling this to you as if you understand, hahaha"

"Oh! You're awake, just in time!" Gin interrupted them

"We must make haste, I just went to check outside and saw King Gayu's army took base not far from here"

Catori immediately stands up "So that Lars person did notice our presence"

"Were not so sure about that, I already told his majesty about this and is preparing for battle in Corhall"

Catori nodded "How many men did you saw?"

Gin showed her a worried expression "About more than a thousand"

"Ah, they mean business"

---

"This is absurd! Why would they want to engage war to us so badly!? I don't understand!" Arkynn shouts inside the war room.

King Ryu, who just arrived in Corhall within minutes using his Airship stroke his forehead "Can you please calm yourself? You've been noisy since I got here"

"How can I not panic!? Gin said that they have more than a thousand men coming here!"

Arkynn walked anxiously from side to side "I tried talking to other nobles but they're not being cooperative. Some were even happy, they see this as an opportunity to get rid of you"

"The Church?" Leon asked

"They will help but it might take a while for the Holy Trinity to arrive since they came from Abarith"

"How about the Duke?"

Arkynn was silenced instantly "I- I did not try to call him yet"

"Then, please let me be the one to convince him" Leon offered

"No, don't call him" the King interrupted

"But your majesty, if the Duke will help us then we will have a chance"

"Can't you hear me? I said don't bother asking that person" the light in Ryu's eyes show no remorse when they mentioned the

Duke.

The two averted their eyes.

"I'll go into battle then"

"No! Your Majesty! We will find ways to defeat them no matter what, your safety is the utmost priority right now" Arkynn stopped him and pull out a communication orb in his pocket.

"First, let's know more about the situation outside. Leon, prepare all available knights, I'll be with the King"

Leon nodded "Very well, your majesty" he bows and goes out of the room.

"You know how sensitive he is when it comes to the Duke," Arkynn said to the Ryu

"I don't care, you are both making a fuss. If they arrived here, a thousand men wouldn't be enough to clear my head"

"Don't use your powers recklessly your majesty or they --"

Ryu, "I know, you don't have to remind me"

A voice from the orb suddenly speaks.

*Your Majesty!?*

"This is the chancellor speaking" Arkynn answered

*Oh! My Lord! I apologize I thought that its His Majesty*

"Where are you right now? Can you tell me the situation out there so we could prepare our men"

*Uh-*

Arkynn looks at Ryu with a worried look

"What's wrong?"

*It's just that, we were supposed to call His Majesty first but then you called us so -*

"What is this about? Are both of you in trouble right now!?"

*No! No! We're okay, it's just we wanted to ask permission if we could engage combat here, Catori - * they can hear Gin inhaling deeply

*Catori has a plan to lessen King Gayu's people*

"What!?" Arkynn shouted "How can that be possible when there are only two of you! No- I don't -"

"Permission granted" impedes Ryu

"Are you crazy!? What if they die!? We can't afford to send someone else to observe King Gayu's plan of action"

*We won't die* a feminine voice can be heard from the communication orb

The King smiled and gets the orb from Arkynn's hands.

"Impress me white hair"

*clicks*

"How rude, that knight of yours to immediately shut off our communication," Arkynn told the King but the heavy atmosphere they had before the call suddenly calmed down.

"Well, whatever, let's just hope they'll do what they promised to do"

----

Gin puts back the communication orb inside his pocket and looks at Catori with uncertainty.

"So explain to me again about your plan?"

The two were hiding on high ground behind a tree and just below them were hundreds of knights camping in for the night.

"Platoon" she mentions

"Ha?"

"In an army of soldiers, they are divided by squads, if there is more than one squad in a certain group it's called a platoon" Catori explained as she observes the knights preparing for camp "notice something is missing from them?"

Gin stands beside her and observed with a furrowed brow "I- I don't know"

"King Gayu and that Lars man is not with them and guessing by their numbers they must have separated themselves to confuse nearby enemies like us"

Gin got more confused "I'm sorry I don't get it"

"They have grouped themselves into platoons and purposely got separated from the main platoon where those two are part of. They will be arriving in Corhall tomorrow at night and most likely their plan of action is to attack the village in different areas."

"Then your plan is?"

"We have to eliminate at least three platoons"

[What the hell is she talking about? Platoon? Squad? Soldiers? What is that?] the words were all new to him but he understands her point. He has so many questions to ask but the grievance of their situation held him up.

"I don't understand but what do you want me to do?" He asked because Catori was seriously looking at him and smiling.

"C'mon follow me"

---

The first platoon of the Kingdom of Seith's Knights finally settled their camp for the night and started preparing their weapons for tomorrow's battle. Catori and Gin got inside the camp without getting noticed, the usual Gin was following Catori from behind but this time he almost ran out of breathing.

[Gosh. That was tiring as hell and now what are we gonna this time?] He thought as they secretly walk through the tents.

Some of the knights were already asleep and some were pampering themselves by drinking, while they were busy they focus their attention on the knights who were patrolling.

"What are you going to do?" Gin asked

Catori pulls out her daggers

"Uh-- you know, I'm really in no condition to-"

"It's okay, I'll do the killing, just make sure they go where they are meant to go" Catori looks him in the eyes.

Gin suddenly got flustered [How can you look so innocent and say those kinds of words?]

"S-sure"

Two guards were coming in their direction and as soon as they passed by Catori gets behind them and slashes their napes, and both fell dead on the floor. It was dark and because of the laughter and cheers of the knights who were drinking they didn't hear them.

"Wait here"

"Hey, how will I know when I'll use my magic?"

"Don't worry, you'll know it soon enough."

She runs towards the tents and one by one she goes inside, Gin's hair starts to get up by imagining how Catori will kill those knights in their sleep.

[H-how can she be so brutal?] He thought

but he got used to it that he doesn't mind anymore. He recalled awhile ago when Catori was sleeping Ciar kept looking at her, though he can't see the shadow's expression he knew he was worried. Catori was having a dream and he cannot describe if she was having a bad dream or not. What he was more curious were King Gayu and that man's conversation, he already reported them to the King together with the news. [The answers are all in the palace huh?]

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He suddenly heard an explosion at the far end of the camp.

[Did she get caught? How long was I spacing out?] Gin rushes to the scene to look for Catori and one by one start opening the tents. It was morbid, every person inside was already killed.

[How can she act so fast? Don't tell me she can eliminate these people? There are hundreds of them!]

Boom! Boom!

Another explosion and just like Gin all the remaining knights went to the area where the explosion was. When they arrived at the scene he saw Catori in a pool of dead bodies her eyes glowing electric blue with Ciar beside her.

"Gin" she called him

"Y-yes!"

"You know what to do.."

Gin's eyes widen [What does she mean I know what to do!? I know I'm smart but what!???] He looked at the knights around him who were busy attacking Catori and the others escape into the forest.

Ping!

[The forest!]

All of the knights were already present in the area and he looked at Catori fighting the ones attacking her, so all he got to do is to trap the ones who escape.

With both hands, he slowly raises them as he creates huge walls surrounding the area up to the forest, from there the knights who ran away had no other choice but move straight ahead.

[That should lead them there] he thought

Aaaarghhaaaghh! An enemy screamed.

Catori was dragging a knight towards him that's when he realized she defeated everyone [She's not human] another thought pops in Gin's head

"Let me go! You scoundrel! Who do you work for!??" The pained knight fought back as

Catori bends down in one knee and looked him in the eyes. When the knight saw her silver eyes, fear began to strike him "M-monster" he whimpers

"Where's your King?" Catori directly asked the question

"What makes you think I'll tell you?"

Using her dagger Catori stabs the man on his leg.

Aaaaaaaah!!!!!

Gin who was watching behind was frightened [What is she doing?]

"You know, I don't want to do this but if you won't cooperate with me then I don't have a choice but to do this kind of things to you" threatened Catori

The knight began to whimper in pain "Why are you doing this? The only evil in this world is that King of Etilania! He deserves to die!"

Catori drags the daggers to his legs slowly as the man screamed harder in agony.

"I told you, I don't want to do this"

"Stop! Stop! You're opening my leg! It hurts! God! It hurts!"

"God? So you believe in them?" The light in Catori's eyes glimmer as she keeps moving the dagger upward.

"Aaaaah! No! No! Please Stop! Stop! I'll tell you!!! I'll tell youuu!!!"

Catori stopped "Don't lie because I can easily identify if you're not telling the truth, if that happens I'll immediately cut you in half"

"No! God! Please no!" He looks at his dead comrades who Catori easily killed with no conviction.

"Th-they're already ahead of us. We consist of five groups, th-that- that's all I know I swear" the Knight shakily answer.

Catori pulls out the daggers in his legs as he cries in pain.

"Aargh!"

She stood up and Goes to Gin.

"I'm sure some of my comrades already escape and they will warn his majesty!"

"I'm not sure about that" Catori butted as she grabs the man's arms and drags him again inside the forest

"W-what are you doing!? I thought you're going to kill me anymore!"

"I'm not"

"Catori, do you think he had seen enough dead bodies for tonight?" Gin followed them

"No, he must see it"

"Why?"

"To warn him"

When they were farther inside the forest there was a deep hole in front of them and Catori threw the Knight near it just enough so he won't fall

When the knight opened his eyes, there he sees the remaining knights in his camp all impaled by sharp objects made from soil.

"N-no..." The sight of the bodies made him vomit in front of Catori and Gin.

"Wh-who the hell are you people?"

Catori walked out of the scene and Gin follows.

"Take this as a warning, to never underestimate the King of Etilania's pet" and the two knights drifted from the darkness leaving a wounded man crying for the death of his comrades and his pride.

--- end.