Ashes and Kingdoms

Even with a primitive meal in exchange, the effect was great. Instead of tomorrow, the soldiers, who seemed powerless to even think about tonight, are visibly relieved and rejuvenated.

In anticipation of everyone relaxing fully, Finn stood up.

"Listen to me for a moment."

A quiet voice draws attention. Finn looked over at everyone's face and said slowly.

"Once again, I want each and every one of you to decide where you're going from here. I think Captain Valt explained the situation... because if we were expecting too much, we'd be in trouble with each other"

Lena.

When I called, there were signs of a light blink and a girl appeared beside me fluttered. They roughly conveyed what Finn wanted, just calling his name.

In the stare of the soldiers, Lena closed her eyes, but never hid behind Finn as before.

"She's the dragon who helped me. His name is Diaerfalena."

Did you remember?

Small signs of surprise. Finn smiled away for only a moment and continued the conversation.

"We call it Lena.... I think you could tell from just looking at it that it's very different from the dragon or dragon marquis in the epic."

So he turned back to Lena and asked questions out loud so that everyone could hear him.

"Lena. You bonded to help me. You recovered as if you were lying because you were dying. But besides that, can you tell me what you can do? I mean... like the old dragons, manipulating tornadoes, causing flames and explosions, something amazing."

That's not what Finn wants. Do you need to do that?

'Course not what I want. It's just that some humans assume that all dragons can do that. Anything you can do, it's universal.

It was precisely the feeling of being taken aback that returned to Finn's explanation. Lena blinked her golden eyes and looked around at the people on the spot and said:

"Why do you do such a rough thing without meaning? You don't have to. Because of this, the world is so tidy, it breaks again.... because our original purpose in bonding with other creatures is to use power delicately. Through the mind that dwells in a small body, we can unleash our power without breaking or changing anything extra"

With Lena's words, one image surfaced in Finn's consciousness. In a carefully crafted boxyard, a very thin reed tube is used to flush water from the river. Or send a breeze with bird feathers without fans. This adds new power to the boxyard and revitalizes the whole thing.

"I mean, then."

Valt's voice brought Finn's consciousness back to reality.

"You can't talk about burning down an enemy army, blowing it up, rattling up the city of Winnea and kicking up the commander's ass, can you?

"If it's enough to kick someone's ass up, I can."

The soldiers boiled back to laughter as Lena responded with a straight face, placing it between breaths. Finn grins bitterly, too, and strokes Lena's head properly. When the laughter subsided slightly, Finn raised his hand and quieted the field, concluding.

"Yes, indeed, Lena is a dragon, and I bonded with her. But that doesn't mean you can do anything special."

At least now, I'm alone in my heart. I can't believe I see people's minds. What kind of reaction would they return if they found out?

"If you run away with our family like this, everyone will lose their citizenship as deserters. When it comes to what you get instead, it just means that you can live and welcome your morning even in the dark night wilderness. No gold, no food, no identity,... no guarantee of the future, nothing"

That's it, Finn laid one eye on Euches and then looked around at them all again.

"If you want to go back to Winnea, do this. First, keep your eyes and ears blocked as to who else went where. And then you stay here for a few days, then you go back to Winnea, and you report it. He followed us north, but the first night he was attacked by the Dark Beast, and when he realized it, he was pretty much driven south. There were so many wounded that I wasn't going to be able to get back to Winnea within that day, so I went for this Shitsuji that was closest, generously nursed by the people here, and I finally got home...... and that's what I say.

Either way, Commander Dilgius will be furious, but at least it's better to treat him than to say he missed his congratulations while catching up with us. "

That way, you don't have to kill him on the mouth seal, or be killed. It should be a good way for each other, Finn let it seep out of the blue. But whether it's conveyed or not, Youtis is just biting his lips and nagging, twisting the hem of his jacket.

"I'll run away."

It wasn't even as strictly as I said, but it was Plast who told him so in a harsh way. Keep playing the bow with your claws without anyone looking at you.

"I don't want to go back north and I can't. I'm tired of Dilgius' dictatorship, too. I don't know where you're going, but at least I'll accompany you for the moment. It'll be convenient for each other."

That's it, he looked up at Finn and raised a single eyebrow.

"You know, bows and arrows can also help you procure rice."

It was too spicy irony to make a joke. It is the original purpose of bows and arrows to hunt birds and beasts to enrich the furnace of evenings. Not a killer.

Finn barely smiled and nodded.

"It would help if you could come."

"I'm coming too."

Valt raised his hand without putting it between them. Sentinel faces stare at the captain.

"As I said last night, I can't expect the Commander's eyes to spill. I'm not even willing to. Besides, I can tell you that this Dragon Marquis can't do much, but what, the sword's arm is pretty good when it comes to being just a young man. Just a month after I came to Winnea, I saved two lives"

Walt slowly said, "Euches, take me." As always, Euches don't look up. Instead, the five surviving eyes of the tracking team are poured on Finn. Finn didn't know what face to look like and blurred a little shoulder.

Watching such a fin, Valt continued in a mild tone.

"Wherever you're going, your arms are standing up and you're perfectly good at snapping, and yes, and this brother is ready for dinner. It doesn't hurt to be one of them. I don't know when or where, but I'm following you."

Following the captain who declared strangely great, his men nod to the sign of agreement with both me and me. Former tracking teams other than Plast also offered to accompany them, either face-to-face or determined to be alone.

None of us can go anywhere by ourselves, the beast of darkness eats us to the end. Even back in Winnea, Dilgius will kick you to death, or you will be banished and you will die wild after all. At least until we get to some city...

Reasons and thoughts vary, but still, no one stayed here. Except for just one, Euches, who kept quiet until the end.

"... I'll stay"

It was a voice so small that it could not be heard, but it instantly silenced the field. Exposed to the stares of all, Eucis said with a grudging voice, nagging.

"I'm going to be abandoned because I went with you. You and the captain, they all hate me anyway. You can go anywhere. I'm going back to Winnea."

White air drifts. Some shudder, some indifferent, but silent, that they do not care. Finn thought for a moment before walking over to Euches and kneeling beside him.

"Whatever you say now may not make sense. Sure, I don't like you, and I don't want you to come with me. But... I hope you're okay."

Ha, and Eucis looks up like he's been poked in the void. Finn remained intricate and still told his true intentions without falsehood.

"This is all true. I wish you could survive."

"You, …"

Euches tried to say something with a confused look, but in the end, he turned away and bit his tight lips. It was clear from that look that there were thorns in the words swallowed.

And suddenly a young voice broke in there.

"I'm going home, too"

Finn was only rare as soon as he got up. Farnayne, held by Oandus at the wall of the warehouse, pointing her lips and staring at him with a greeting from the queen reprimanding her servant.

Finn pressed and killed the sigh and said patiently, "No," he said.

"When we get back to Winnea, Niardo might pick us up with sweets and bouquets, but he'll kill us as soon as he gets tired of it. Even if he doesn't look at another kid, if you grow up after a few years, it's over. Growing up, he doesn't need you anymore."

"Something that doesn't make you an adult"

"Farnein......"

"I've always been a good kid. I'm not going to be big. I want to go home, take a bath, get dressed, and eat sweets."

"That's not how it works."

Finn roared with a headache. Valt speaks up, cheeks, and compares Farnayne to Finn.

"So you realized who that perverted bastard was and escaped"

"Do you know about Nialdo?"

"I'm famous. The commander's nephew and his crew have bad chest shit."

To that extent, Valt lifted his hips in relief, and went before the girl and gave in.

"Lady, don't make trouble by wasting your time. Phineas' family may be sweet, but I don't like deaf kids. If you're going to be too selfish, you're going to snap your ass till it turns bright red. I can't even ride a horse and I'll have to walk, but come on, which is better. Shut up and listen to the grownups or go dragged away crying."

Awesome, Farnayne is already crying. There was no oral answer, so Valt stroked his rough, little head.

"Oh, you know what?"

Valt releases Farnayne without hesitation and returns to the side of Hitoshi and Finn. Noticing Finn's blame, Valt whispers with a tiny nose.

"Spoiled kids don't know the limits or the pull. I don't know why you've been so nice to me, but I'll be in trouble later. each other."

…………

Finn nearly opened his mouth, but rethought and just nodded vaguely. When I asked him about his experience, he remembered the story of his wife being murdered by bandits.

Such care was spared, Valt slapped Finn's shoulder roughly before turning to everyone.

"Well, we'd have had plenty of breaks already. We're going bumpy! I'd like to run a little farther before the commander finds out. The closer we get to the state border, the less we'll be able to turn our backs on you. The southern country is exhausted, and the eastern hills are always searching for excuses to plug into quarrels with strangers. I'm getting mixed up somewhere."

Oh, well, oh, well, the vague voice of consent. Though not cheerful, each of the soldiers aroused his temper and raised his hips.

Did you get your stuff or the wound meds, the water? Get ready while you go out of your way and check with each other. One Euches, unrelated to it, was standing blurry, paying off straw crumbs on his ass. Its eyes are turned away from its former companions.

Finn captured him at the edge of his sight and felt indescribable. I follow his gaze in vain, thinking that Euches might be miserably depressed. And tight.

- No.

I'm not looking at my people. I'm looking at something else.

Furnaine.

(No way)

Doubt boded in my mind and my desire to be sure arose unconsciously. At the same time, it puts a blur on my vision. Finn shook his head in a panic and turned away.

(No, don't, don't look!

I meditate and nag my eyes, trying to tighten the Euches thing out of my consciousness.

I don't want to know. I don't want to doubt him any more. If you doubt it, you can't help but be sure, if you see it, you can't help but warn me. Then in the end, wouldn't we just hunt down Euches and make them run as they suspected?

Finn.

Raising her face to a gentle whisper, Lena smiled lonely beside her.

Turning away won't change anything. You can see that, right?... he will betray you again.

I haven't decided yet.

Finn immediately denied it, but felt sorry for himself for the voidness of the words. The wax I intended to shake off was unconsciously stained, like smoke sneaking in through the gap between closed doors.

Oh, yeah, I know. He will betray again. Without that awareness, he would tell the commander that he had witnessed the abducted child, just because of his sense of justice. Believe me, it's the right thing to do to bring the girl back to the city the way you want.

(I can't believe you figured this out)

Forced to suppress emotions, push moans to death. But it was futile. His impatience passes to Lena, and I'm sorry, and sad thoughts return. Finn shook his head and smiled bitterly at Lena, stroking his fluffy hair.

"It's okay."

Whispering, Finn walked out. To Euches.

(Just because you understand doesn't mean the future is set. If you decide to do so, that's where it ends)

Grab Euches shoulders with determination. He looked back in horror, as if he had been touched by Reaper. Looked straight at by Finn, Euches eyes move with fright and vigilance.

"Eucis."

As soon as he called his name, the eyes that were running around turned to the front so that they could be sucked in, and stopped. As if you were fascinated by yourself in the eyes of the sea.

Finn lowered his voice so that no one would hear him, whispering quietly.

"We'll cross Calsum and go home."

Euches breathed small and stared back at Finn without blinking. Keep silent and gaze at each other like they have become stone statues. After one breath, Finn smiled, relieving her nervousness all the time.

"Wish me well. I hope you're okay, too."

"Ah...... ah, yeah"

Temperantly swallowed, Euches answers half-heartedly. Finn slapped his opponent firmly on the shoulder and then let go of his hand.

Shortly afterwards, a group of fugitives left one in the warehouse to travel.

Take Shitsuji west. i.e. towards the town of Comlis at the western end of the continent.

Mac looked back anxiously as he walked ahead alongside Finn.

"What's up, Mac?

"I was wondering if someone had seen me."

Mac said to deceive and shook his head.

"Even if you don't, you know where the footsteps went."

"Right."

Finn spilled a bitter laugh. Mac looked up at Finn in suspicion and asked.

"Brother, do you know if he's going to snitch?"

"I don't know. I feel like I will, but I may not. Even if I do, I have no idea when I'm going to run into the Commander. If you bother me for a day or a moment longer, we can earn some distance."

"I wonder if it bothers me. He was watching Farnayne. As soon as Nialdo's name came out, things suddenly changed..., and even the silver coins that were falling down the road seemed to have been found"

Mac glanced at his face and kicked the pebble at his feet.

"It's not just your brother's responsibility to protect Farnayne. I'm worried too."

"Oh, I'm sorry"

Although I apologized with my mouth, Finn was delighted with his inner heart, Mac's reliability. I guess that came out of his voice, and Mac looked him in the eye and asked if he really knew. Finn rushes to fix his expression and turns forward.

"I'm fine. I taught Euches we were going to cross Calsum."

"What!?

"If you think about it properly, it's not the path that deserters choose. Besides, if you were listening in the footsteps, you'd know you headed west. But he did hear that I was going to choose, so he's going to worry."

Whether to teach the commander or not, and how to let him know even if he teaches. Is the fugitive headed south or west?

"But... you can lie about that right away, right?

"I can't."

Finn ran out quietly, but with certainty.

I know.

I know it for myself. We need Euches to get Finn's words down. Though I feel strange, I can't correct the assumption that I headed south, he said.

(I wonder what I did)

He blinks slowly and peeks himself into the darkness of the moment. But I don't see anything.

Finn sank into silence, so Mac couldn't go on with any more words, too, and he shut his mouth.

Yangtze rises on the streets leading west, melting and relaxing views of the goers. Just like the future, uncertainly, at stake. The leg hesitated, losing sight of the direction to go.

(Still have to go. I'm sure... there must be a peaceful life ahead of this street)

And the only way to get there is step by step, anyway.

When Finn looked back and ascertained what his family looked like, he walked forward again with a firm foothold.

Around the same time, in the warehouse of Shitsuji, Euches were still sitting around with their heads in their arms.

"Is it one of your brothers left?

A farmer comes and asks in a carefree or exploratory tone. To that suspicion, Euches did not notice at all. I had a lot of problems with myself. I don't even have a voice, I snort and nod small.

"When are you going back to Winnea? If you're alone, I don't mind staying for a few days. That would help the captains."

Leave me alone.

Euches raised his high voice in a harsh manner. I didn't know what to do. We should return to Winnea immediately to inform the commander, a voice that hurries. A voice stopping me from selling the person who told me to wish me well.

But you had a kid, which way did they run, I'm sure the commander would be pissed off, but if I let him know about the kid, he might be complimented...

Various voices insist so casually that the thoughts are confusing rather than cluttering together. Euches shrugged his head and moaned.

"I don't know, you seem troubled."

The farmer said sympathetically, but that's just annoying now too. Euches wanted to get rid of him and roared to intimidate him. But the farmer was dull or something, there was no sign of walking away, and on the contrary, he came even closer.

"Hey brother, I'm just a farmer, but there will be a word for years of kung fu. I don't think I can help you."

Finally Euches shook up his hands and called out.

"I'm telling you to leave me alone!

That, while the sound of the end of the phrase was indelible, his consciousness broke off.

His body tilts and falls as he is stabbed in the forehead and his eyes open with anger and amazement.

"Oops."

He was about to get hit in the leg, and the farmer flew away small. Ugh, take a breath and then gently bend over to make sure he's dead.

"Oh man... I'm glad I was alone. I'm sorry, brother, but it's not dangerous for the commander that you went through here."

The excuse for the dead was almost a good voice to speak of fear. The motion, however, is as careless as pulling the plug. Once the head of a bandit was cracked open, he glowed in colors and blood, as he declared that he would no longer do firewood cuts or anything else.

The farmer only slightly unfortunately compared the prayer to the Euches, then lay down his shoulders small and put together a finger of one hand to create a sign of prayer.

"Because these are the times. You were unlucky, too. Well, I can't give you a funeral, but I'll get you a proper burial."

He turned his back so he could forgive me.

Footsteps disappear outside.

Far and faint on the wind, the bell of the temple announcing dusk rang sadly.

(Part I - Completion)