Walking in the dark woods, the full moon can be a great help.
Kept breathing the cold air in the forest of the night, my tipsy feeling is fading. Sanson is walking by my side, and the Dragon-Raja is surrounded by the soldiers, walking in a little away from our rear. I pointed out the direction to Sanson, and then whispered to him:
"That's a ridiculous dragon. Not dare to eat because the meat is fishy?"
"I've heard that it's because she got the habit. In the capital, people have been preparing a large number of mint well for her."
Sanson is looking a bit upset, because of this operation in the mid-night.
"Hmph! That's why the Dragon-Raja has the smell. But why is he coming along?"
"Because the dragon didn't eat, he seems to be worried. He said he couldn't wait any longer, so he had to come."
"Well, the friendship between Dragon-Raja and Dragon... Watch your steps. Here is all gravel, gotta be slippery."
"Got it."
I looked back with a glance. As it's blocked by the soldiers, I can't see the Dragon-Raja. That kid must be exhausted. It not easy to climb hills in the middle of a night.
"What's the name of that Dragon-Raja?"
"Isn't it Sir Hustheil?"
"That should be the surname of the family? Name of himself?"
"Are you crazy? How do I know nobles' names? Just Sir Hustheil."
This really messed up my mind. Well, civilians like us indeed don't need to know the name of the nobility. When would we have a chance to call him with that name?
But according to Karl, the child should be being adopted by the Hustheil family, so he was nobility at first. Probably lived in a broken hut like I am, somehow his qualification of Dragon-Raja got discovered, so he became an aristocracy. After all why didn't Upinel gift me this qualification? No, Upinel must have known everything, so she decided. If I was the aristocracy, that could be a more ridiculous thing.
"Wa ha ha ha ha!"
I ran down the valley within a breath. Sanson is surprised.
"Hey! Huchi, watch out!"
I don't even care. There is a rock in front, I jumped up swiftly, pedaled on the rock, then jumped to lawn in front. In order not to slip, I tried to lower my body. Sometimes when it's really slippery, I wave my arms and jump.
Gosh, my butt. Really slippery. I utilized the momentum of slipping forward, straightened my back, and then jumped up again. After Stepping on this rock, I am at bottom of the valley.
Because of the remaining tipsy feeling mixed together with the sense of speed, I even want to begin to dance. I looked upward from the bottom of the valley. I waved, but they possibly can't see me.
"Huchi! Where are you? You Okay?"
A high cry came from the top. I shouted back.
"You are really slow. Can't you come down faster?"
"We can't see, how should we get down?"
I crossed my arms and waited there. Looking upwards, the flickering torch light is still far away from me. The decline speed of light is slow enough to make me upset. The moon is so bright, why can't they see?
I calmed down for a while, began to notice the breeze in valley is chilly. It's even to an extent that my body started to tremble.
The moonlight is really beautiful.
In a night like this, I should sing a song with my crisp vocal, to suit the present atmosphere.
"The Grind Sound of The Waterwheel Mill Outside the Town is Really Loud..."
"Huchi! Oi!"
Sanson's screams came. Meanwhile, one of the torches began to get strange movements. Then I heard a sound of something sliding down. I was shocked, looked at see the dark hillside, but couldn't see anything.
Soon after, I heard the groans of Sanson.
"Uhh! My important part is seriously traumatized. I can never get a wife."
"...The Tears of the Girl Moistened the Sheet: My Lover's Thing is Finished."
Looks like Sanson is going to bite me, fortunately the other soldiers and the Dragon-Raja has arrived. The soldiers are all wiping and panting. They are not like me, who dressed in easy clothes, they are all wearing armor to get down this Savannah Valley, so everyone is almost completely exhausted. Although we call that light armor, but that just means that is lighter than other armors. It's still much heavier than usual clothes. If someone is wearing strong armor, I am afraid that he can't even run.
Escpecially Sir Hustheil. He is like going to faint. I threw him a word:
"Very tired, Dragon-Raja Your Excellency."
"Ha...Ha.., ah, yes. Ha."
"We arrived. Let's take a rest. That's the hill over there."
Sir Hustheil couldn't even answer, so he just nodded. I smiled at him warmly, then began urging soldiers.
"Hey, what are you doing? Stand up and assault the mint!"
Soldiers stood up and are still panting. They took out some bags they prepared, I whistled, brought them to the knoll. The knoll is full of mint. Sanson ordered three people to hold the torches, and the rest of the soldiers began to dig the mint. I am crossing my arms, standing aside and watching.
"Oi, Huchi! You should give us a hand!"
"My only mission is to bring you here."
"Alright forget it, forget it."
"A Moonlit Night, A Group of Warriors. Zeal Embraced in Our Chests , Poured Into the Mint -"
The soldiers began to laugh. That contributed to my arrogance, I raised my head in order to be able to sing louder.
The full moon of the Goddess Selena has gradually moved from the east to the central of the night sky, diffusing a beautiful and breathtaking chill moonlight.
"Selena is Shining From the Heaven, Swords of Warriors Are Getting More Murderous -"
"None of the Mint, Can Escape from the Outstretched Hands of the Warriors -"
"Plants Collected Under the Full Moon, Are Diffusing the Top Notch Aroma-"
"Full Moon who Blesses Lycanthropy, Please Also Bless the Warriors -"
Sanson shouted right away.
"Do you mean you want us all to turn into a wolf? Do we have to howl like this? Ah ooo, wooo..."
Ooo, woooo, ah wooooo ...
All the hairs of my body suddenly erected. This wolf howled at an exactly right timing. Some soldiers were not just frightened, but actually lost their balance and fell to the floor.
"Wow, ha. Really scary. Sanson, your friend is calling."
Sanson stood still there. After he heard what I said, he finally smiled.
"Really shocked. That thing howled at a right point."
Right at the moment.
Woo oh oh ...... phuuu...phuuu... ...... Ah woooo...!
It sounded even closer. Soldiers' faces are all changed.
Closer and closer, and after a while, even the popping sound of kicking those small stones could be heard. That thing is approaching. I've never heard of a wolf that would run towards torches. And we have so many people here. That thing is coming, it must not be a normal wolf.
Sanson quickly pulled out his sword.
"Man your lyrics came true. Now we are screwed."
Each soldier pulled out their own sword. I am scared and pale, looking around and see how can I escape. I saw the Dragon-Raja. The child is curling up, looking like frightened. Sanson hastily instructed:
"Everyone surround Sir Hustheil and Huchi. Jarron, Haley...Who else has a plated sword?"
"Me!"
Turner, the eldest son of the brewery stood out. Sanson nodded. Sanson and the three soldiers immediately stood in the front, and the rest of the soldiers are surrounding me and the Dragon-Raja. I'm so scared that I don't know what to do. Footsteps sound not a lot, there could be just one enemy. But the footsteps are very loud.
"Right there!"
Approximately 70 cubits ahead from us on the top of the hill, a huge shadow appeared. From the shadow brought out by the moonlight behind it, it seems like 5 cubits tall. That is not a wolf. It stands on two feet, above its slightly curved waist there is a spacious shoulder that, in fact, 3 or 4 heads can be put on it. I find on the arms extended from the shoulder, there are flashing nails like dagger reflecting the moonlight.
"Werewolf!"
Sanson is stretching his sword as far as possible in the front. Under the moonlight, the reflections of the sword is very bright. A"Don't move or I'll kill you" warning is like fired from the tip, to the werewolf on the hill. The werewolf is standing still, looking down at us.
Sanson is kind and simple, a guards captain who shows no fear in snowball fights. However, if it's not a snowball fight, but a real combat, what will happen? If a werewolf swings it's arm, it can knock down an ox. That summer night 4 years ago, when a werewolf came to the village and made trouble, I clearly saw it.
I looked at the werewolf , my teeth are chattering.
Damn. This Mint Collection team has no bow and arrows. When an opponent is standing still like a fool, we should fire him a few shots. No, wait. Is a werewolf going to die after it gets shot? If it still roams like a tiger with arrows on it, everyone would just get more uncomfortable.
Sanson gave the instructions softly.
"Jarron, to the left. Turner, to the right. Haley, behind me. Once it moves, Jarron and Turner, slash it from the left and right sides. Haley, stab its head."
After the instruction, Sanson maintained the T-formation, and is advancing slowly. Because Sanson is so bold, the three seem to have forgotten the fear. Sanson probably want to makes himself the shield, in order to allow Haley behind to get the opportunity to attack safely. Haley's tall, arms are strong, should be able to find the opportunity behind Sanson and stab the werewolf's head. In case that's evaded, Jarron and Turner would attack from both sides.
I don't know whether the werewolf knows the tactics of Sanson, anyway, it is standing still. Maybe it was attracted by the song, yet found so many soldiers here, it got panicked too. If the werewolf gets to know that so many soldiers came here to help to dig mint for a dragon's dinner, such a strange thing, what kind of reaction would it have?
The werewolf jumped.
"Caaa ah ah!"
The werewolf rushed straight into Sanson. Although the 5 cubits high body is charging in with a strong attack, Sanson probably had found it fell into his trap, he laughed, and waited there. Is he actually laughing?
The werewolf reached his face and raised it's arm, Sanson immediately stooped, tried to chop its legs. Haley is also ready behind to stab forward from Sanson's back. The timing is perfect. The werewolf noticed Sanson wanted to chop its legs, it backed off a bit and watched down, so it didn't see the sword of Haley which came behind Sanson suddenly.
The sword punctured the werewolf's neck accurately.
"Kha, uh!"
"Take this!"
Three swords flashed under the moonlight simultaneously, at both sides and legs of the werewolf. Sanson did a strong strike, then rolled forward naturally. The werewolf's neck was pierced with a hole, it's legs are also hit, so it kneel down. But it's still clutching Jarron and Turner's swords with it's hands. Boo! Terrifying sound of swords hacking muscles came, along with noises of bones knocking metals. The werewolf has a sword in its neck, a sword on each hand, and kneeling legs, so it's actions are completely blocked. So when Sanson rolled behind it and stood up, stabbed its back, it was totally unable to stop.
"Poof!"
Sanson's sword pierced the body of the werewolf, blood is splashing from its stomach. Haley in front of it is sprayed all over with blood, but he didn't move, while kept rotating the sword inserted in the werewolf neck, and then pull it out diagonally. The neck is immediately crumbling. After a while, the werewolf was finally down. Four swords once again stabbed its back.
The werewolf is dead. So even with swords stabbed on it's back, it didn't move. Sanson took his sword back, made a sigh of relief. The others also pulled the sword back, took out a handkerchief from their chests and began wiping the blood. Haley covered with blood, that look is crazy enough to see.
After a while, Sanson's eyes turned to me. His eyes are sharp, which makes I suddenly disturbed.
"Dude! Have you ever heard 'Random Prophecy'?"
"Wow!"
I wanted to run, but the soldiers gathered around, smiled and grabbed my shoulder. Then Sanson kept beating my head softly.
My neck is coerced by Sanson, and I desperately cried out:
"Cough uh, you, you did win the fight? ...Aren't we fine now? ...... Eh-hem! "
Sanson laughed and released me. I touched the neck, coughed for a long time. Then I saw the Dragon-Raja's blue face. Sanson probably saw that too, so he said:
"We are good now, Sir Hustheil. Please be assured."
Sir Hustheil stammered:
"Unc...Uncle, you are really amazing!"
Dragon-Raja is terrified and using the language of civilians again. He should have been a civilian. Sanson heard these words, as if surprised, and had stopped for a while, finally answered:
"No, you flatter me."
Dragon-Raja seems to have rallied then.
"However... How could you kill a werewolf with normal swords?"
Sanson raised his sword to him.
"Mine and the other three's swords are silver plated. Isn't its glare pretty?"
Dragon-Raja seemed to understand, nodded. This is one of the reasons why our thane made himself so poor. Where can you find someone who plates sliver on soldiers' swords in Vyseus? But this is absolutely not for the appearance. It's for utility. Generally of course, to make a special weapon for dealing with Lycanthropy, you have to build the entire weapon with blessed silver. But in the financial situation of our thane, he can't even make one. So it's the last resort to gild silver. Nevertheless our guards are very strong, holding such a shitty weapon can still show off in a battle. The reason is...
"Gentlemen, you are all ordinary soldiers... However when you fight, you are more courageous than the knights of the capital."
"Ah. Soldiers like us, are all elites carefully selected by a sieve called Amurtaat."
"Huh?"
Sanson smiled, put his sword back into the sheath with a very handsome action.
"Because of Amurtaat, there are numerous monsters in this area. In the battles with the monsters, many soilders died. Who survived are extremely tempered warriors. Any one of us could be killed in the next battle, therefore, we fight without fear. "
The moment before the sword disappeared completely in the sheath, the sword reflection under the moonlight made me felt very dazzling. At that moment in my eyes, that blacksmith's son, the innocent Sanson who always gets pissed by my song, became a greater hero than King Rhuterino. Could it be the magic of the full moon? Or Sanson is really not inferior to hero like King Rhuterino?
Sanson won't know the question in my mind. He turned to Turner who is checking the werewolf's body. Turner, with an expression of pain, shook his head and said:
"I know this man."
"Do you?"
"He is Culler, missing since the invasion of werewolves 4 years ago. He used to live beside the river."
Everyone is silent. Sanson nodded heavily, and then immediately said:
"Come on, let's move. Tidy up the body, I'll write the report tomorrow. It's very late already. When we are back, I'll offer you a drink. So work harder."
"Wow, Captain Sanson Hooray!"
"You wouldn't say Hooray except it's under this kind of circumstances?"
The melancholy mood of the soldiers seemed to be swept away, and began joking, gathering mint into their bags energetically. Sanson picked up his bag, looked at me and giggled:
"Oi, Huchi? You have to pay for the song you sang!"
"Huh?"
Sanson is laughing, while putting the bag on my shoulder all of a sudden. I deliberately pretended to sway, and everyone laughed uproariously. In fact, a bag of mint can't weight much. But I still muttered and turned away. I started muttering softly, Sanson said:
"Hey, what do you want to say, speak up. Why are you muttering?"
"......! Is that Aroma of Dishes from the Kitchen, Aroma of Soaps from the Laundry? or Aroma of Wine from the Vault?"
Sanson shouted excitedly:
"Shit! You....You bastard!"
I changed my mind. Sanson is definitely not a hero like King Rhuterino. But if I have to pick one of them to be my friend, I prefer Sanson. Since I don't think that I can tease King Rhuterino like this.
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