Episode 2 The Black Count's Fortress - Part 1

 And above them was a soft canopy of blue and purple.

 Their feet will tread the black ashes of the burned-out undergrowth, as if they were still retaining the warmth of the Fire. And their puffy nostrils are tickled and filled with the morning air of the frontier, fragrant, fresh, and at the same time somewhat acrid, from the nightly purification of the Fire and the rain.

 They were silent, and the twins looked at each other, holding hands tightly, as the thirty or so mounted warriors, dressed in black headgear, black armor, black cloaks, and black horse trunks, who at first glance appeared to be members of the Black Knights of Gora, stepped on the ashes and approached through the black, skeletal trees. The twins gazed at each other holding hands tightly. In any case, it was quite out of the question for them to hide now, or to turn and run away. For the black headgear of the knights was pointed straight at them, and the crossbows in the hands of their vanguards were poised to fire small, deadly lead balls at their throats at any moment. So they did not speak, but stood still and waited for the approach of the company.

 They had been discovered by a party sent from the stronghold of Staphorus, and no doubt the knights of the stronghold were more perplexed by what they saw than they were by their own confusion.

 It is true that the three of them are an extremely odd combination, to say the least. They were the holy twins of Paros, Linda and Remus, with platinum blonde hair like clouds in the morning light and violet eyes like the sky just after sunset. Their leather boots and leather clothes made them look like two pearls, like mischievous little fairies in a forest of ludes, and their silvery hair, wilted by the night before's horrible experience, was at last mellowed and beginning to shine even brighter.

 If that were all, it would not be a sight to be doubted, but a monster that would make the knights turn their eyes and doubt their own sanity stands behind them with his arms crossed over his thick chest, like a giant guardian god! .

 Guin the Warrior--even the twins, who had already begun to feel an unusual affinity and strange sympathy for him after sharing a night's adventure with him, could not help but suspect that he was the product of a fantastical, demonic imagination when they looked at him from the front. Their dismay and bewilderment were great when they went to investigate in the forest of the Rood, which had turned to ashes overnight, and found him in the midst of the charred and grimy remains of the trees and the heaving ashes.

 From the neck down, Guin was a fine, even champion-like figure, a warrior of the old and strong. When Linda and Remus saw him for the first time, he was only a shabby footstool, wounded, stained with blood and mud, and looking very much like a ruffian. He then took off the armour, shin guards, baskets, great sword and cloak of the knights of Gora whom he had defeated - his own companions who had left the fort in the morning in search of him - and dressed himself in black, so that his well-muscled body, huge but not dull, was even more conspicuous.

 But so much so that, from the neck up, it aroused a superstitious awe.

 For Guin's face had no human features whatsoever - even the most hideous of Nosferus' primitives would not have been as eye-catching as he was. Sitting sturdily on his broad, muscular shoulders, with his black cloak flung aside, was a round yellow face, with round ears set apart at the top, a fearsome beast's mouth full of huge fangs, and a rasping lower jaw - a perfect, black speckled face on a yellow background. It is nothing less than the head of a perfect Leopard.

 If a careful, reasoning and imaginative person were to examine it closely, he might find that it was perhaps a leopard-headed mask that had been placed on the warrior's head by the cursed hand of some mage, and that he was not the real-life manifestation of the half-beast, half-man monster of legend. You may think that he is not the real appearance of the half-beast, half-man monster in the legend. However, no one could be 100% sure of that either. For, although the border between the leopard's head and the human neck was covered with fur on the shoulders, it could not be lifted up by hand like a mere headgear, nor, of course, could it be tried to be pulled off. Moreover, Guin's two eyes were not strange at all, for they were yellowish and glittering with the light and spirit of a fierce wildness.

 The knights had stopped to cut off the three men's path of retreat behind the wreckage of the trees, and were watching the spectacle as if fascinated. But, of course, they were the brave men of Gora, and, since they had been sent to guard the frontier, they were the best of the best, and they kept the reins of their horses tightly reined in, and all their crossbows were aimed right at them. They numbered about thirty in all, but they did not take up their positions ready to attack until the commander, who was easily recognized by the tassel on his helmet, gave the order.

 The captain seemed more fascinated by Guin's form than anyone else - he tapped the black horse on the neck and stared at the three of them for a while, then opened his mouth dreamily.

"This is a surprise. I left the fort with the morning sun with orders to find out the cause of the great fire in the Rude Forest, to discover the fate of the two platoons that had disappeared in succession, and to ascertain the fate of the twins of the young princess and prince of Paros who were supposed to be their sole source, and to bring them back to the fort if possible. Without knowing the cause of the great fire, we found the bones and burnt bodies of our allies in the middle of the forest, and now we also found the two pearls of Paro, but...

 But even I, as expected, did not expect to encounter such a monster like Silenos in the ruins of the Rood Forest, which had turned to ashes.

 Who the hell are you?"

 The captain raised his ornate whip and pointed at Guin, making a strange gesture, but Linda and the others knew that it was a spell of the dark Gora to ward off evil.

"Children."

 Guin glared at the knights with his yellow eyes, and whispered in a grave voice that sounded like the bark of a beast to the untrained ear.

"These are the men from last night's party. The crossbow and bow and arrow are a bit tricky, but we'll make it. On my count of three, split right and left and run. I'll take the captain as a shield first."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

 Linda screamed in horror and held Guin's arms back with both hands.

"Can't you see that crossbow has all thirty levers aimed at us, ready to fire at a moment's notice? There's no way we can fight against this many enemies."

"What did you say, you monster?

 The captain rebuked her in hushed tones. Linda gave her brother a look to keep Guin at bay and bravely stepped forward.

"The twins of Paro will not run and hide, dog of Gorra. So bring the Two Pearls back to the lord of Staphorus and take credit for them. But this man-- this warrior is a stranger, a stranger, so bring him back only to us!"

 The captain tapped his saddle, his cheeks flushed and his eyes smiling. Linda was tall for her age, but looking down on her from the horse, she looked slender and helpless.

 However, his whole body was filled with a pellucid pride - a fierce and powerful pride that only the rightful heir of a noble royal family could have. The captain was lost in thought. But when he tapped the saddle jar again and looked at Guin, a dark, cunning smile appeared on his face.

"O princess of Paro, who was destroyed by my Mongols."

 He said in a thick frontier accent, his eyes downcast.

"It is to my credit that I have captured you and the heir to the throne, for which I will be awarded the Black Lion. But my lord will be even more pleased if I bring that man, that monster, back to him. I've never heard of this warrior in all my life... but what muscles does he have? If he is half as strong as he seems, his muscles and his monstrous appearance will make him a treasure to my lord... and if he is not, and he is an agent of some demon doll, then my lord will deal with that. However, judging from the fact that what he is wearing is indeed a dress made by the guardians of Fort Staphorus, I have no doubt that he knows the fate of our ally.

 In any case, it is our duty to bring you three back to the fort unharmed. You can either put down your swords and be carried before the horse, or you can be dragged by the horse with leather straps."

"Are you going to link the Paro twins to horse's back like some kind of nasty slave?"

 Linda screamed in anger. Remus flinched and put his hand on his sister's arm. But then, slowly, the Leopard stepped forward, his hands on the twins' shoulders.

"Okay."

 Guin said it even more slowly, word by word, so that the knight could hear it.