The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 19: The Knot in Rae’s Heart 

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

Fern took Stan’s cloak and covered himself up fully. Following that, he took a seat on a tree stump outside the house and kept watch on his surroundings. Darkness had descended upon him, and the temperature kept falling. However, there was not even a star in the sky. It’s so dark out here, Fern thought. Then, he wriggled his limbs, which at the moment were numb, and he rubbed his hands together rapidly. 

Just then, the door opened, and a figure covered in a cloak stepped out. With the help of the light from inside the house, Fern figured that it was Niss, so he beckoned to her. Thanks to the dim light from outside, Niss saw him as well, then she closed the door and left a small gap so that they wouldn’t be completely in the dark outside the house. 

“Have you gone out to make sure I’m not frozen to death yet?” Fern asked with a smile. “I’m fine. Go back in.”

“No. I can’t sleep, so I want to have a chat with you.” Niss took a seat right behind Fern on the tree stump.

Fern moved a little to give her more space to sit on. Then, he took off his cloak and placed it on her body. “Sure. We can have a chat. I know the journey must have been a distressing one for you, so you can share with me your anxiety.”

“Fern, I’ve been hiding something from you, but I have no choice.” Niss said after she gave it a thought.

“I know, and I don’t mind it. Everyone has their own secrets.” Fern replied as he watched his surroundings. “Moreover, I know more than you’ve expected.”

“Really?” Niss asked in surprise. “I’ve heard that brilliant mercenaries are excellent at observation. You must be one of them.”

Fern smiled. “You’re thinking too highly of me. It’s just that I’ve experienced things you haven’t.”

“Then, can you tell me some of your secrets?” Niss asked curiously as she swayed her legs.

“My secrets… I don’t have any secrets.” Fern lowered his voice. “My life should have ended a few years ago. I’m still living in this world because of a promise with someone. Now, I’m just trying to fulfil that promise.”

“What kind of person is it? Is that your relative? What happened to that person?” Niss questioned.

“She’s Kaya, one of my companions in my previous mercenary group.” Fern cleared his throat, and for some reason, his voice had turned hoarse. “She lost her life to save me.”

“I’m sorry.” Niss pouted apologetically, even though he couldn’t see it. 

Fern stretched his stiff back. “After that, I never joined any mercenary group and I worked on my own. That’s because I don’t want to see my companions die before my eyes again.”

“Now I understand why you risked your life to lure the wolves away for us.” Niss suddenly realized the reason.

“Yes. Just like what I had said, I don’t care what will happen to me as long as I can save my companions…” Fern continued.

“No, Fern. What if there are people in this world who want you to live?” Niss turned her head and stared at his back.

“I don’t take that into consideration.” Fern still faced away from her, not allowing her to enter his world.

“You’re wrong, Fern. You didn’t understand Kaya at all!” Niss was irritated, for she didn’t expect that this reliable man would be so pessimistic deep down in his heart.

Fern fell silent, and seeing that, Niss never said anything again. After a long while of silence, snowflakes started falling from the sky and landing on the ground. When the white snowflakes landed on their bodies, it was as though their souls had been cleansed as well.

***

“Oh, yes. Regarding what we encountered on White River, the Magician’s Tower might not have been involved.” Fern broke the silence and said.

“Really? Why did you say so?” Niss raised her voice, for this was the problem that had been plaguing her for days. Fern’s words were the life-saver for her.

“They could have sent two or more magicians, then we wouldn’t have been able to escape.” Fern told her his guess. “According to Rae’s and your judgment, there was only one magician at that time. So, I figure that the evil magician acted on their own, and it had nothing to do with the Magician’s Tower.”

“Yes! That’s right!” Niss turned around excitedly and stared at his back. “Thanks, Fern.”

Fern turned sideways a little and looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Do you feel better now? You can go to bed with peace of mind.”

Leaping off the tree stump, Niss took off the cloak and passed it back to him. “Yes, I’m sleepy now. I’ll go back to the house.”

After she took a few steps forward, Fern suddenly called out to her. “Niss.”

Niss stopped in her tracks and turned to gaze at him. “Yes?”

Following a pause, Fern said, “You’re stronger than I thought.”

In response, Niss smiled. “So Fern, you should not lose out to me.”

Fern beamed, and for that moment, he realized that he had to reexamine his understanding of the girl before his eyes.

“Everything will get better.” Niss muttered.

“Yes. Everything will get better.” Fern repeated her words. 

When the door was closed, Fern was engulfed in loneliness again. He raised his head to let the snowflakes land on his face and imagined it to be Kaya’s touch. 

Some time later, Fern woke up from his dream and realized that he was the only one in the house. New firewood had been added into the fireplace, and the fire was crackling. Fern struggled to his feet and took a seat on a chair for a long while before he was fully awake. Just when he wanted to go out to see where the others were, Rae pushed the door open and stepped in.

“You’re finally awake. I had wanted to wake you up, but Niss didn’t allow me to do so.” Closing the door, Rae leaned her back against it and looked at him.

Fern blinked his listless eyes. “Do you want to tell me something?”

“Why is your mind always so sharp even when you’ve just woken up?” Rae’s lips curved into a beautiful smile.

“My mind isn’t as sharp as yours.” Fern snorted and stared at her. “Just spill it.”

“I’m not sure if we should head to Wolfsburg.” Rae’s voice sounded even colder than the climate in this Northern country. “What Niss said on the ship could be true.”

“You mean the king of Wolfsburg turned a blind eye to Sara’s plight when the latter was destroyed by the Dark Tide?” Fern arched his brow, for he didn’t expect that she would be bothered by this issue.

“Yes. If that’s true, going to Wolfsburg is akin to walking right into the trap for us.” Rae said glacially.

“I don’t think so. The king of Doyle must have his own reasons for not saving Sara. Perhaps it’s due to a power struggle or a conflict of interests.” Rising from the chair, Fern walked toward the window and made sure that no one was outside before asking, “Do you think the king of Doyle is under the Dark Tide’s control?”

“No. The king of Doyle wouldn’t be so weak, but I’m afraid that he’s in a partnership with the Dark Tide, and Sara is the sacrifice.” Rae was still leaning against the door as she crossed her arms.

“I have to admit that this is possible.” Fern gazed out the window with narrowed eyes for a while before shifting his attention to her. “But, this has nothing to do with us. Furthermore, if the king of Doyle finds out that our target is the Dark Tide, he would be more than willing to lend us a hand. After all, he doesn’t need to collaborate with the Dark Tide anymore.”

“What do you mean it has nothing to do with us?!” Unlike her usual calm self, Rae suddenly became agitated. “Do all the mercenaries only care about their own interests? Do you have no conscience at all? Sara and her people are innocent…” Tears started streaming down from her eyes.

Fern didn’t expect that she would react in this way, so he looked at her and asked in puzzlement, “What happened to you, Rae?”

“No. Nothing. Sorry.” Rae brushed away her tears and dashed out of the house.

Fern immediately stepped out of the house, and as he watched her leave, he had a speculation in his heart.

***

Snow was still falling from the sky, but the amount was less than last night. The snow on the ground was so bright that Fern’s eyes even welled up with tears. In the distance, Stan and Niss were standing on a frozen lake as they tried to catch fish with a fishing net and laughed among themselves.

Moments later, the four of them took a seat by the fireplace and gobbled up the roasted fish. While Fern avoided talking about Doyle and Sara, Rae remained impassive, as though nothing had happened just now.

After cleaning up the house, the team went on with their journey. Stan and Niss were leading the way on their horses as they chatted about the people and culture of Doyle. Meanwhile, Rae and Fern followed them and fell into their own thoughts as they headed for Wolfsburg. 

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