Episode 5 : Crossing the River of Death - Part 4

"Caw!"

 Linda's scream rang out. She pulled her hand away and tried to cover her face so as not to look at the monster of the Kes River, which she could not face.

"Bollocks!"

 Guin shouted a loud reprimand as he fumbled with his neck.

"What are you doing? Hold on tight to the railing with both hands so that nothing can knock you off."

"If you fall, take a bite!"

 Istvan, still gripping the railing tightly with one hand, screams. In his other hand, he grasps the hilt of his greatsword tightly, and his eyes cannot escape from the monster that has emerged from the foaming water.

 But then again, what a monster it was! It was easy to see why it had been given the name "The Great Vitus Gummatius".

 Because it is nothing other than a living giant mouth. The diameter of its mouth is more than one meter when it is opened wide. Its tremendous jaws are filled with sharp fangs, and its mouth alone is reminiscent of the mouth of a shark in the Sea of Lent.

 But what is even more horrifying is that behind that mouth, there is no head, no limbs, no body to follow, nothing at all. Its mouth, crunching and biting ferociously, was really nothing more than a large bitumaguouth, and it looked like a huge, blind lust for destruction itself, brought to earth by the malice of the Devil Doll.

 Linda shuddered as she stared at the shape that had emerged from this nightmare. Every time her jaws bit into each other, water would spurt out of them in a white froth. Its huge mouth advanced toward me as if it were trembling with anger. One would think, then, that the part of the mouth that remains submerged in the water would have fins or limbs, but instead, the "Great Bigmouth" of the Kes River opens and closes its horrible mouth to spit out water, and its momentum allows it to move and change direction very quickly. It was able to move and change direction very quickly.

 Whenever he spat out a lot of water like that, the little raft shook violently. The people on the raft screamed and swung wildly on the raft, clutching the railings.

"Yikes! Guin!"

 Linda screams. The leopard-headed warrior had boldly tried to overcome the turmoil with her natural balance, without taking off her pole or holding onto the railing, when she was almost swept off her feet by a huge wave that suddenly hit her.

 The leopard man sticks his pole to the bottom of the river. Using it as a pole vaulting technique, he jumps back to the raft, which is so light that it is hard to believe that he is a giant. He does not forget to quickly pick up the heavy pole, which is his only means of controlling the raft.

"Guin!"

 Remus is crying.

"It's coming for you!"

The Red Mercenary screamed.

"If he comes at you on the raft, keep your hands on the railing and stay low. If you don't want to die, don't look up - I'll cut you in half with my sword when he comes!"

 And it struck!

 The huge, ferocious mouth spewed out blisters with ferocious persistence, and immediately rushed to the raft with a clear will to knock the stubborn rafters off the raft.

"Watch out, Guin!"

 Istvan rasps and flings his sword to the side. But the foaming water, which had come before the monster, struck his hand with great force. Istvan did not take down the sword, but he shouted and thrust himself from the raft, clutching the railing to keep from being thrown off.

 Linda's screams rang out. She grasped the railing and clung to the raft's plank, but as soon as the blunt creature passed her with a blink of its head and a gnashing of its teeth, she saw behind the gaping fangs of its huge mouth a pair of tiny eyes glowing with primordial malice. It seems that the Great Bitumaguemouth of the Kesu River has all of its sensory organs built into its ridiculously large mouth.

 It was this that gave his attack its terrifying precision. The Great Bitsu Gumaguchius flew over Istvan and the twins, dripping water and boldly setting its sights on the Leopard who was standing with them.

 But the prey did not wait quietly to be eaten. Guin raised his heavy pole, which was held out at the moment when the mouth of the targeted "big mouth" was engaged. Immediately, countless fangs clamped firmly onto the pole. Seeing this, Guin swung the pole as hard as he could.

 Even the "Great Bitsu Gumaguchius" was blown away. It slammed into the distant surface of the water and sank into the water for a moment. However, in reaction, the raft loses its equilibrium and violently shoots towards the direction where the "big mouth" disappeared.

"Heee!"

"Sniff!"

 Screams intersected. A light Semitic girl's numb hand is wrenched from the railing and blown into the water. Immediately a mass of white smoke, characteristic of the "big mouth", began to move towards her.

"Help Suni!"

 Linda screams. Guin's ape-arm stretches out and almost pulls the ape-man girl's light body up onto the raft. The "big mouth" was bubbling violently, as if it was thinking about whether or not to attack again, but then, just as it had done when it first appeared, the mass of bubbles suddenly sank to the bottom of the water and disappeared.

 For a while, no one even said a word.

"Whoo!"

 A moment later, as if waking from a bad dream, Istvan let out a breath.

"By Ishtar's tits as white as milk! By Garm with his thousand fangs! Hey, I hope they didn't eat all of you."

 No one found his joke amusing. Even Istvan could see this, and shrugged his shoulders and tucked in the waistcoat.

"Oh, my God. It's like we're in a huge squall."

 All of them were drenched from head to foot. For a time they were busy wringing out the water and wiping it off here and there.

"Suni, it's okay. It's already gone."

 Linda hugs and comforts the small shoulders of the Semites, who continue to shake and shake on the raft board.

 Guin was calm. With his pole, he pushed the raft, which was now so close to the No Man's Land side of the river that it might have struck the rocks on the shore, silently into the middle of the river, his yellow eyes darting in all directions.

"Mm, it sure looks like he's gone."

 It was not until the surface of the water had regained its composure, and he was sure that there was no sign of the haunting bubbles, that he finally said so.

"He wasn't that hungry. And for a Kesu River 'Great Bitsu Gumaguchius', it's a good thing he's not that big."

 He shook his round leopard's head in a gesture similar to that of a real beast draining water.

"What? A monster like that, not just that one, but a much bigger one still out there?"

 Remus says in surprise. Istvan laughs.

"There can be any number of them. And they're not the only ones on the Kes. Why do you think all the bodies of the dead that filled the river last night disappeared overnight? The monster of the Kesu River is always hungry."

"It's almost as if those corpses saved our lives."

 Guin pointed out.

"That's right. I'm soaked through, from food to underwear to everything."

 Istvan lamented. But he did not seem to be so anxious. They had the feeling that the present act had been a terribly long time, but in fact it had not been more than a zang, or the time it would take for a small hourglass to run down. The Kes River had regained its apparent peace, and the sun, glinting on its dull surface, was still shining so brightly that it seemed to sweep everything away at once.

"I don't know if he's going to attack me again.

 Remus is worried.

"Of course I'm coming."

 Guaranteed by a jolly mercenary.

"Don't worry. I know how to deal with him and those big leeches on the Kes. I've been training to guard this outpost for over six months."

 But wasn't it Guin who chased the big mouth off, Linda thought secretly. This Valakian-born mercenary with the big mouth is as good as the Big Bits Gummacus.

The Red Mercenary stared at the girl. His dark eyes glittered slyly. I know what you're thinking," he said, one edge of his lips lifting in a smirk, but he said nothing.

 The raft continued to descend without a hitch with its pole in the flow of the dark river, which had begun to slow down a little.

 Around that same time--

 At the castle of Alvon, now the stronghold of Mongol's frontier defense, there was a little commotion.

 The commotion began with a messenger sent out by the lord of Alvon along the road that stretched out from the city of Torus in all directions like the legs of a spider. As he listened to the report of the messenger, who came to the gate of the castle on a fast horse, drenched in sweat, the count of Rickard, captain of the red knights of Mongol, who was in charge of the castle of Arvon, changed his countenance.

"How dare you! So you're already in the Arvon Woods! Why didn't the road guard send a signal? No, we can't stay like this! Bring out the horses! Bring out the horses! I'll have to go to the wall myself.

"That won't be necessary, Count Rickard!"

 Suddenly, a dignified voice fell from above the reeling lord.

"I'm already in Alvon Castle."

"This is--"

 The Red Knight captain stuttered and shouted at the walls leading to the courtyard.

 There stood a mounted warrior. a white armor helmet, a long white cloak, and a pure white horse with a white harness. It was the same horse that had watched Guin's party on the raft from the cliffs overlooking the River Kes earlier.

 As the warrior walked into the courtyard, his horse was spurred by the horse, and with a certainty that made it seem as if the warrior and the horse were one, several riders with almost identical equipment appeared and followed him. However, if you look closely, you can see that, although they were equipped with the same equipment, which could have been mistaken for shadow warriors, the preparation of the several horsemen who followed them was much simpler than that of the leading one.

"How can such a small group of people..."

 Isn't that careless?" Earl Rickard tried to reproach him. But when the man reached the courtyard, he waved his hand as he was helped down by the soldiers who were running towards him,

"I have a company of white knights under my command waiting in the woods of Arvon. Send for them and let them rest. And as for why I'm here, don't ask me yet."

 It was a dignified and beautiful voice. The young, clever voice made me want to take a look at the face of the owner of the voice, which was hidden behind a helmeted face.

 And in the voice and attitude of the warrior, I could immediately sense a certain nobility, a certain power that only those who are born accustomed to giving orders and having them heard can possess.

 This was of course felt by the brave captain of the Red Knights, whose name was known in Mongol, and Count Rickard nodded graciously to his partner, who was only slightly shorter than himself.

"Everything is as you wish."

"Castle Staphorus has been annihilated."

 He said in a voice that showed no emotion.

"My companion the mage told me the crystal ball had stopped showing living, moving things since last night. Perhaps Count Vernon is not alive."

"Fort Staphorus is a total loss."

 Rickard purses his lips. A warrior of a hundred battles with the appearance of an old warrior.

"Even the three battalions that immediately sent out when they saw the black smoke were too late... I thought they would have arrived there by now."

"Too late. In recent years, Vernon must have been careless, for not since the Year of the Butterflies had such a large force of Semites crossed the Kes. Mongol has lost the castle of Staphorus. Our ambition for Gora has been forced to take a step back."

"We should have kept in closer contact, General."

 Then he drew his sword from its scabbard and drew it across his left breast, and took the oath of Gora. He then drew his sword from its scabbard and drew it across his left breast.

"It wasn't Hak's fault."

 I admit it crisply.

"Staphorus is lost. Let's not ask why it's lost. Let's find the best path for us to take. You know the story of the Black Dragon War."

"is."

"The elite of our battalion have acquired the Jewel of the Middle Plains, Paro, as we have long hoped. However, although we have captured the Crystal City and the Crystal Palace, and raised the heads of the Holy King Aldross III and his Queen Tania who control Paro, there is a royal family that has evaded the Black Knights' pursuit. In other words--"

"The Two Pearls of Paro, Princess Linda and her heir, Prince Remus."

"Yes. It was reported that they used some insolent white magic and appeared fearlessly in the Forest of Ludes.

 The Golden Scorpion Palace of Mongol wants to know like a flame why two helpless children could not only escape the hands of the elite warriors but also fly from the crystal of the Central Plains to the rude of the frontier in one night. If there is some as-yet-unknown principle at work there, it may be the key to our quest for the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Gora, and by extension, the unification of the entire Central Plains and the frontier.

 And Count Rickard!"

"Ha!"

"Don't you think there's a connection between their appearance in Staphorus and the annihilation of Staphorus Castle by the Shemites?"

"It is."

 Count Rickard was nervous.

"Is that an inquiry on behalf of His Excellency the Grand Duke, the White Knight Captain, or the Right Prefecture General?"

"Yes."

"So I say. I regret to say that I cannot imagine how two young boys and a girl can destroy the Tenth Battalion, its men, and Castle Staphorus, which is suitably equipped!"

"Fools! It was Shem's hordes that destroyed Castle Staphorus, as you know."

 General Rofu said in a voice like a whip in his hand, and Earl Rickard turned pale.

"I mean, is it a coincidence that Paro's orphan and Shem's army appear at the same time? Isn't Paro's orphan in league with the Shemites of Nosferus?"

"No-- no way!"

 The Count was so astonished that he ran his mouth.

"The most traditional priest of the Middle Plains is the Monkey Man of No Man's Land!"

"Nothing is impossible, Count."

 The general chided him. He raised the whip of his hand and pointed vaguely in the direction of the river Kes beyond the city walls.

"If Paro succeeds in joining forces with the barbarian tribes of Nosferus, and if Paro's loyalists who survived the Black Dragon War gather their forces and rise up to reclaim the Crystal, Gora will have enemies on his back! I will not take that risk, no matter how unlikely. No, listen to me. Wait, Count--

 Now I drove my horse over the cliffs near the Kes River. And I saw something strange."

"A strange one - is it?"

"Or rather, the unthinkable. A raft down the Kes, along the stream from Staphorus to Arvon and Thurid to Loth."

"The Kes River, on a raft?"

 Count Rickard almost laughed. But then he remembered and fell silent. This slender, white-robed agent of Archduke Vlad had a horrible rumor running through his mind that he only punished incompetence but hated carelessness.

"And what kind of - in the Shemites?"

"No."

 The white warrior seemed to sink in thought.

"I couldn't quite make it out. It looked like a strange combination - so far away that even my hundred-golfer's eye couldn't make it out, but it was five people, two grown men, two children, two women. And a dwarf, a Semite, I think. Only that--"

 The Count looked on with interest. This right general, the deputy of the Grand Duke who is famous all over Gaul, hesitated, not at all.

"One of the men-- he was very strange."

"Strange, if you say so."

 The Count pursues. He laughs,

"All right, if it's an optical illusion, so be it. He looked like a human being from the neck down, but from the neck up he looked like a leopard or a tiger that had been replaced by a human body!"

"Leopard man?"

 The Count almost laughed again, but his cheeks tightened.

"Why don't you send out your men and see what they say?"

 Not that he didn't believe it was an optical illusion on the part of the general, but he knew the kind of attitude and response he wanted. He seemed satisfied,

"I've already sent them out. So I sent a platoon of white knights to find out who they were and bring them back if necessary, and then we entered Alvon Castle."

"I'm sorry, sir."

 The Count is a little impressed. And on top of that,

"Have one company and two platoons ready for action. Ready to haul out the rafts if necessary. And I hope you've done the crossing drills I told you about at the court meeting at the beginning of the Red Moon."

"is."

"Very well. Prepare for that as well, if the situation warrants. And if you hear a signal from the dispatchers at Castle Staphorus, respond immediately and send up a signal. I'll tell you what."

 The content of the question was enough to take Count Rickard by surprise. He knew that such a question would irritate him, but he couldn't help asking it back.

"With all due respect - why would the people of the Golden Scorpion Palace make such a decision?"

"It's a useless question."

 was the answer I had expected.

"Then see that the order is carried out swiftly. I've been working tirelessly on the road from Torus. I'm a little tired. Find me a place to sleep and I'll sleep until I hear the signal."

"Right now, right now."

 The Count sent the samurai to prepare. Meanwhile the shogun slowly began to untie his helmet.

 Count Rickard watched with a little breath as the general removed the helmet. What was hidden beneath the helmet, of course, Count Rickard could not have known, but it was still worthy of admiration.

 A slender hand untied the last string and quickly pushed the helmet with the white feather ornament to the back. Then, suddenly, there was a dazzling flood of light.

 No-- the light, it seemed, was radiant. A rare, rich--and the purest golden waves of hair that anyone had ever seen.

 Count Rickard paused to catch his breath. He just gazed at the dazzling figure in the dying sunlight.

 The face that emerged from beneath the helmet was that of an incomparably beautiful young woman, reminiscent of Ilana, the goddess of hunting and war.

 She was still a girl, rather than a young woman, but she already possessed great dignity. Her shapely head, fringed with golden hair that rippled down to her mid-back, was leaning back beautifully, and her graceful lips were firm, as if imprinted with a will that would not falter no matter what she faced. But the lips were also a lustrous pink that made the viewer think of how happy he would be if it smiled at him. Her green eyes were as deep as the surface of the Kes River, and they held an uncanny sparkle of determination and passion, of nobility and ambition, of coldness and grace, that was rarely seen even in men.

 In a word, it must be a portrait of a "beauty" that is still slightly unfinished, but is steadily approaching its incomparable fulfillment, like a dawn. It was not the beauty of the pale, graceful goddess of Iris. Irana, who is always depicted wearing armor and holding a spear entwined with ivy, seems to be a reincarnation of Irana, the beloved wife of the god of war and the god of the sun, Luar, and the one who fights at his right.

"We're ready, Master Amneris.

 The girl who is the incarnation of the goddess Irana slowly walks away after receiving the news of the samurai children and being led by Count Rickard. Who does she not know? She was none other than Prince Amneris of Mongol, the only daughter of the Grand Duke Vlad, his agent, General of the Right, commander-in-chief of the Black Dragon War, and captain of the White Guard.