Invitation of the Crescent Moon - Chapter 86

“Gasp.”

“Don’t say anything. Interfering now would be more dangerous.”

Ashika covered her mouth to suppress the scream that was about to escape.

It was instantaneous. In the clash of swords, the blades slipped past each other and struck at vital points. Drushia simply deflected the sword and stepped back.

“Not bad.”

The knights watched the two with wide eyes.

“What was that? What just passed by?”

“I saw it, but this is…”

In the blink of an eye, the swords clashed again, colliding from below to above, from above to below, crossing each other before coming to a stop. They had underestimated Nile because of his small stature, but his strength was no less than any other knight.

Drushia’s gaze quickly swept over Nile’s unwavering sword.

‘Now I understand why the knights were defeated by Nile.’

Swordsmanship learned from a martial family combined with deadly blade techniques gained through real combat experience.

“You served in the expeditionary force? Where was your posting?”

Even with swords crossed, Drushia remained composed. He was using his strength to press down, not giving Nile’s swift sword any room to move.

In the fleeting moment when the balance of power shifted, Nile’s sword wrapped around his opponent’s blade. As it deflected and clashed again, sparks flew from the colliding swords.

“Forest of Ghosts.”

“Ah.”

Now he understood the origin of those swift deadly techniques. There must have been natural talent as well.

As if to demonstrate this directly, silver arcs rushed forward rapidly. The sword that came dangerously close to Drushia’s neck and heart was repeatedly deflected.

The force with which Drushia’s sword parried the attacks was formidable. Nile frowned as he absorbed the continuous impacts. He quickly retreated before nimbly striking with his sword again.

Even while rapidly clashing swords, Drushia’s breathing remained unchanged from the beginning. Whether this annoyed him, Nile’s sword grew fiercer by the moment. Yet the two continued their trivial chatter, probing each other every time their swords separated.

“You managed to survive and return without being possessed.”

“Duke, you’ve been to the Red Sea, haven’t you? You must have quite a few scars left on your body. I heard the jellyfish there are terribly venomous?”

“Jellyfish? You’ve heard quite the wrong information from somewhere.”

Drushia found the current situation interesting. He had thought it suspicious from the beginning, but now his suspicion was becoming certainty. The knights had now completely stopped their work and focused on the duel between the two.

Drushia, who had been moving defensively, suddenly gripped his sword with both hands and struck downward.

“Gasp!”

In the moment Nile staggered from the impact, the sword shifted to one hand, parried the expected trajectory, and flew toward Nile. For the first time, Nile ducked to avoid it instead of counterattacking.

Without stopping, Drushia ran forward, drew a dagger from his chest, and threw it into the darkness.

“Aaah!”

A scream erupted from a completely unexpected location. Drushia leaped into the forest and shouted to the stunned knights.

“All personnel, alert positions!”

“Your Grace!”

“Drushia!”

A shadow suddenly emerged from the darkness and rushed toward Drushia. The sword the opponent was wielding collided with Drushia’s sword and flew away.

“Argh, wait a moment!”

The sword that had been heading for the opponent’s heart suddenly changed direction, and instead a fist flew forward. With a thud, one person was knocked down, and the other attacker who had been rushing forward hastily retreated.

“Cough.”

“Wait! We weren’t trying to harm you!”

The knights who had rushed over quickly surrounded the area.

There were three people hiding in the forest. One sat down after being hit by the dagger, and one was pinned under Drushia’s feet. The sharp tip of a sword was dangerously close to the throat of the opponent sprawled on the ground.

“What are you people doing?”

The fallen man was bleeding from his nose and didn’t dare think of getting up. His companion who had retreated raised both hands to show he had no intention of fighting.

“First, please do something about that sword…”

“Answer.”

“Eek!”

The chilling sensation was murderous, as if it would pierce his throat at any moment. His pale companion quickly spoke.

“Th-that is, we were investigating because an unverified outsider had entered. There have been stories recently about suspicious people wandering around.”

Drushia quickly examined the three people. They wore outdoor boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirts with vests – simple but not commoner’s clothing.

“That answer should come from someone in charge, not a subordinate.”

Drushia’s gaze moved beyond the three people toward the dark forest.

From the darkness that had been silent as death, soundless movement was felt, and a shadow that had been hiding in the shadows approached.

“I would appreciate it if you would lower your sword.”

A calm man’s voice approached as coldly as the darkness itself.

It was a man who appeared to be middle-aged, with dark brown hair and black eyes. His attire – a shirt with a neatly tied cravat and a hunting coat properly worn – and his dignified gait were clearly those of a nobleman.

The man examined Drushia with sharp eyes and checked the knights surrounding the area.

“Aren’t you Duke Talion?”

“You know me? I don’t recall seeing your face before.”

“I’ve only heard rumors of your distinguished appearance. Who else but Duke Talion would be worthy of leading knights all the way here?”

Even while surrounded by sword-bearing knights, the man showed no sign of intimidation.

“Your status?”

“I am Resus Pollardrin.”

“So you’re Count Pollardrin.”

After confirming his identity, Drushia gestured to the knights. When Drushia lowered his sword, the other knights also lowered theirs.

The man who had been pinned to the ground hastily got up and supported his companion who had been hit by the dagger. Drushia spoke coldly as he watched the three retreating men.

“I’m sorry about the injury.”

“It was due to our lack of caution.”

They had been caught monitoring an unapproachable opponent at close range – the fault was theirs. Count Pollardrin acknowledged his mistake.

“Nobles belonging to the Grand Duchy are prohibited from raising knights and soldiers, aren’t they?”

“It’s merely a vigilante group. The soldiers of Talion and Igraine don’t take responsibility for public safety as well.”

Count Pollardrin smoothly deflected the question.

The nobles of the Grand Duchy were prohibited from training knights and thus couldn’t confer knighthood. But that didn’t mean the lineage of knights had disappeared. The expressions of the Talion knights grew bitter.

Drushia didn’t press further. If he said no, then they would believe him.

“I heard you left the town because you couldn’t secure lodging. Why did you come here concealing your identity, Duke?”

“Has the rumor spread that far already? You have many eyes and ears.”

“It’s a closed-off place.”

“What’s this about suspicious people wandering around? Talion and Igraine would be wearing their family crests, so you’re not referring to our people.”

“Exactly as I said. There have been more outsiders of unclear purpose recently.”

“You’re saying there are people entering without passing through checkpoints.”

“It seems to be so.”

Drushia narrowed his brow and searched his memory.

Checkpoints were installed or guarded by soldiers at all entry points into the Grand Duchy. To avoid surveillance, one would have to go upstream along rivers or cross treacherous mountains without roads – both difficult methods.

“If they’re going to such trouble to come here, they’re at least not peddlers with packs.”

“We thought the same and were keeping a close watch. We apologize for startling you. However…”

Count Pollardrin’s gaze shifted to Ashika.

“I see there’s a lady among your party. She doesn’t seem to be a knight – may I ask her name?”

“Ah, I am…”

As Ashika started to speak, Drushia grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Displeased with the attention directed at her from earlier, he subtly blocked the way.

“She’s merely a companion who happened to join me.”

At the obvious wariness, the Count’s expression relaxed genially.

“There’s no need to be so guarded. The combination of black hair and black eyes is quite rare. If she’s from the capital, there’s one noble lady with such features who comes to mind…”

Even though blocked by Drushia, the Count’s gaze remained directed toward Ashika.

“I heard that Young Duchess Igraine has such distinctive features. Of course, I understand she’s not someone who would be traveling amicably with Duke Talion.”

The probing tone was obvious. Mihail couldn’t manage his expression and quickly turned his head away. Seeing the subtle reactions of the knights, Count Pollardrin seemed certain.

“If I were to meet Young Duchess Igraine, I would like to express my gratitude at least once. She would know the reason well.”

“I’ll convey the Count’s gratitude on your behalf.”

Without the tremendous support pouring from the Igraine ducal house, the Grand Duchy would have become even more impoverished. For decades, even in the extreme situation of blockade, the Grand Duchy could endure without collapsing because of such backing.

The Grand Duchy maintained by Talion pouring in massive military forces and Igraine pouring in endless financial resources – that was the bitter reality.

Drushia concluded that prolonging this encounter would serve no good purpose.

“Let’s pretend today’s incident never happened. I never saw the Count, and neither did my knights.”

The Count, who had been looking at him steadily, spoke again.

“There’s a story passed down among the people here: ‘Beware what lies behind the mirror. The hand that touches the other side cannot remain in the present.'”

“What does that mean?”

“The Grand Duchy is a place where time has stopped. From that day forty years ago until now. I suppose nothing would seem strange anymore, no matter what happens.”

His tone felt somehow even hollow. At the cryptic story without beginning or end, Drushia’s brow furrowed. Seeing the bewildered reactions of the knights, Count Pollardrin calmly offered his farewell.

“I look forward to meeting you again while I’m still alive.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Count and his party quietly disappeared as if dissolving into the darkness. Looking at the forest where deep darkness had descended, Ashika gripped Drushia’s hand tightly.