Chapter 9 – Part 6

Katlan had always been a peaceful small nation. Not one to boast about, but also not one to be trifled with.

“Ugh…”

Cotton pressed his calloused hand to the wound in his abdomen to stop the bleeding. It was a pitiful sight for the commander of the Katlan Army’s First Division.

“It’s… not enough to kill me.”

Cotton muttered to himself, trying to stay conscious as blood continued to flow from his wound. He crawled into the tall grass, hoping to buy a few more minutes.

“The attack… it had to be done.”

Cotton recalled the events of the previous day.

He had defied the royal order and led an attack on the Donau territory. It was all orchestrated by him.

To shake a nation, all you need is a small, reliable group. Cotton had secretly placed cannons near the demilitarized zone, choosing broad daylight on purpose. He figured it would be noticed more quickly by Vanitas that way.

‘The idea came from that woman.’

Cotton shivered as he remembered the woman he had met in the tent.

Olivia Charbert, also known as the Marchioness of Donau. She had been searching for the person who smuggled explosives to attack the demilitarized zone. Cotton had taken inspiration from that.

There’s nothing more sensitive between nations than security and war. Cotton, seeing the recent events in Katlan, had decided he couldn’t let it go any longer.

‘I hope she figures it out herself.’

Though they had spent long years on opposite sides, Cotton held a certain admiration for Olivia.

Despite being a noble, she never hesitated to attack when necessary. Though she appeared timid and delicate, she always led from the front. They could become enemies at any moment, but he respected her knightly skills and sense of responsibility.

“Cotton! If you want to die cleanly, you’d better show yourself now!”

A sharp command rang out as footsteps drew near.

Had his men escaped safely? Cotton hoped his lackluster leadership hadn’t caused them harm. It was a selfish thought at this point, but he couldn’t help it.

Cotton silently pushed through the grass, inching closer to the intruders. When he was within arm’s reach, he stood up and drew his sword.

“Ugh!”

Whether it was his scream or someone else’s, Cotton couldn’t tell as he fell, hoping only that his comrades were safe.

* * *

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

“I’m sure. Hold on tight.”

With her hood pulled low, Olivia trudged along, trying to avoid getting stuck in the mud that seemed to cover this entire area.

“Do you think I’d lead you down the wrong path?”

“You’re certainly capable of it.”

“That hurts. But this is the only path that won’t get us caught by either Vanitas or Katlan.”

Upon hearing Marsden’s information, Olivia set off immediately. But taking the main road would have risked detection by both nations. So, they took the only hidden path, which turned out to be a muddy, overgrown forest trail.

“Just hold on a bit longer. Another thirty minutes, and we’ll be able to sneak into Katlan. The only place with weak security is up ahead.”

“I didn’t want to go on an trip like this.”

Olivia grumbled as she pulled her foot free from the mud. Marsden steadied her so she wouldn’t fall.

“I’ll take you somewhere nice next time, once you’re all healed.”

Olivia looked down at the sturdy, gloved hand holding hers. As long as she held this hand, she felt like she could face anything.

“Forget it. You’ve done this kind of thing a lot, haven’t you? You walk pretty well.”

“Think of the Kettlelin Forest. This could be a kind of proof.”

Olivia flinched and glared at the ground. Now that she thought about it, there hadn’t been any recent rain, yet the mud was everywhere.

“It’s not certain. If we don’t find anything substantial, let’s return immediately.”

“Fine. I’ll head back to Flatd Castle, and you to the Duke’s estate.”

“We’ll discuss that later.”

Marsden wrapped it up playfully, pulling Olivia’s hand just as she was about to step into a small puddle of mud.

“Be on guard, Buddy. It’s just the two of us out here.”

“You mean maintain perimeter security, right? Okay, roger that!”

Marsden found Olivia’s response adorable, even if he didn’t fully understand what she was saying. If the situation were different, he’d have liked to just sit in the shade, holding her hand.

“We’re almost there.”

Marsden provided updates without being asked, acting like a pretty reliable navigator even if he wasn’t always precise.

“Oh! Is that it?”

“Yeah, keep your head down and don’t straighten up until I give the signal. Got it? Even though we’re in Katlan uniforms, it’s better if we’re not seen.”

With a determined expression, Olivia nodded. Marsden reluctantly let go of her hand in order to move more quickly. She missed the contact.

“Don’t stray more than a hand’s width away. No matter what happens, don’t stop.”

Ordinarily, sneaking around might have been thrilling, but this was about crossing a national border secretly. Naturally, the tension was high. Olivia followed Marsden into the underbrush as soon as he entered.

They sensed movement in the distance, but it seemed they hadn’t been detected yet. Olivia stayed alert, moving forward cautiously.

‘It smells like manure. There must be a field or a farmhouse nearby.’

It could also be a temporary camp for soldiers. As they moved, Olivia checked the sword and small pistol at her waist. Both were securely fastened.

‘Bullets are scarce, so I’ll save them for the… wait?’

Just as she was running through scenarios in her mind, Olivia turned her head in another direction. Marsden seemed to have noticed something too, as his pace slowed slightly.

“Marsden, this is…”

“Shh.”

Marsden brought a finger to his lips. If it wasn’t her imagination, there was definitely a smell of blood.

“What should we do?”

She wanted to check it out but knew better than to act rashly since she wasn’t alone. After a moment of thought, Marsden looked in a different direction and then suddenly stopped.

“I think we should go this way.”

Marsden gestured eastward, away from the source of the blood scent. Olivia hesitated but followed him.

As they moved in the opposite direction of the blood, Olivia felt a sense of déjà vu. The persistent smell of blood suggested the creature or person bleeding was losing a lot of it, but that wasn’t the case.

“What’s this?”

Olivia kneeled beside Marsden, who had found an injured man lying in the grass. The man had a severe abdominal wound. Marsden, with a calm expression, grabbed the man’s shoulder and rolled him over.

“Hmm, he looks familiar.”

“Really? I don’t recognize him. Or maybe… do you know him?”

“Maybe.”

The two of them whispered closely. Marsden picked up a twig and poked the man with it.

“Ugh…”

“He’s alive.”

“You can tell that just by looking.”

Olivia chided Marsden, who reluctantly set the twig aside.

“But I don’t feel like helping him nicely. Don’t you recognize him?”

“Hmm?”

Had she seen him before? Olivia studied the dying man’s pale face for a moment. It made her feel like a sociopath, having no emotions about it, so she waved the thought away.

“Never mind.”

Marsden, looking oddly satisfied, hoisted the man onto his shoulder. The man squirmed as if pleading to be left to die, but Marsden ignored him.

“But are you sure this is okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know we should save him, but he looks like a knight.”

It was pitiful, but Olivia knew she had to set aside personal feelings. Marsden nodded, signaling that it was fine.

“I know him. You’ll recognize the name when you hear it.”

“Who is it?”

“Let’s get moving first.”

Even though the man’s limp body should have been heavy, Marsden moved easily, keeping low as he went. At times like this, Olivia thought he really lived up to his size.

They emerged from the underbrush. Marsden checked that the nearby house was empty and moved quickly. Soon, they reached a small village.

Being close to the border, the village was quiet, with no one passing by.

“Where are we going?”

“There’s an empty house I scouted earlier. It’s shabby, but it should be safe. Let’s lay him down there and take a look at his condition.”

Olivia wondered how Marsden had managed to find an empty house in a village in a neighboring kingdom. She briefly considered whether Marsden had magically cloned himself. The thought was a bit surreal, but she quickly dismissed it.

“This is the place.”

Marsden kicked open the old wooden door with one foot. The house was only protected by a small fence, which made it feel even more abandoned.

“Ugh…”

The man groaned, pressing his hand firmly against his abdomen. Beads of sweat rolled down his sharply defined face.

“Hmm…”

Olivia widened her eyes. The déjà vu she had felt earlier was becoming more certain. Seeing him again in this dark, quiet place, she finally recognized him. He looked familiar.

“Where have I seen him?”