The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 28: Old Friends

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

“Fern, how do you find my new cloak?” Kaya tiptoed and turned around as her cloak swayed along with her movement. Fern could smell the mild scent which wafted from her body. The red cloak with intricate embroidery was a luxurious item for a mercenary. 

“It’s beautiful. But are you sure you want to carry out our missions wearing it?” Fern asked with a smile. 

“Yeah. I’ll wear it as long as you like it.” Kaya chuckled and looked lovingly at him. “I sewed this flower myself. Do you want one on your cloak?”

“No, please. Will and the others will laugh at me.” Fern pulled his cloak closer as though he was protecting a precious item.

“Come on. Don’t be shy.” Kaya said as she inched closer to him. “Come on, Fern. Don’t run.”

“Fern, don’t run. Fern…”

***

“Fern! Fern! Are you alright?” Rae almost wanted to slap him directly while Niss and Stan called out to the mercenary as well. 

Finally, Fern snapped back to reality and gazed at his companions in a dazed state. “Sorry. I think I saw my deceased friend.”

“You mean one of the zombies?” Niss heaved a sigh of relief after Fern came to his senses.

“No. It’s the warrior who is fighting with the fiend. His name is Miles. He’s a mercenary as well. We used to be in the same mercenary group.” Fern tried to search for the familiar figure on the battlefield.

“The battle will be over soon. We’d better make a move now.” Stan moved forward and observed the fight eagerly. “The fiend is going to lose.”

Fern was observing the battle as well. The warrior was on the winning side, and the fiend could barely parry his attacks.

“Let’s go. There’s not much left for us to do now, but since we’re in the Source of Magic, we should play it safe.” Rae thought that it was the right time to make a move.

“Alright. Let’s do it now. We’ll attack them from behind. Don’t let any one of them flee!” Fern pulled out his sword and charged toward the nearest zombie. 

“Come on! Let’s fight!” Stan raised his sword with both hands and dashed forward. “For Doyle! For honor!”

With the magic canes in their hands, Niss and Rae followed their steps. Following that, Niss lifted her palm and formed a fireball. 

Hearing the noise from behind, the zombies grunted and raised their weapons before launching themselves at Fern and the others.

“Be careful. These zombies have weapons in their hands!” Fern remained calm and dodged the sword that was coming at him. After that, he raised his weapon and slashed across the zombie’s waist, cutting it into half. 

On the other hand, Stan clanged his sword with another zombie’s weapon. He was strong, so even the zombie wasn’t a match for him. After a growl, he exerted more force with his hands and pushed the zombie away. The zombie staggered backward, and before it could stabilize itself, Stan dashed forward and hacked at it several times.

Behind them were Niss and Rae who shot fireballs and dark mist respectively at the zombies. Amidst the shriek, the zombies were either engulfed by the fire or the dark mist. 

“Something feels off. The Dark Tide’s army shouldn’t be so weak.” Rae said to Niss as she continued casting her magic. 

Niss was equally puzzled. “I think so too. If that’s all the power the Dark Tide has got, they wouldn’t have been able to send the entirety of Wallis into chaos.”

Just then, all the zombies suddenly seemed to have lost their will to keep fighting as they were frozen on the spot, waiting for Fern and the others to hack them off.

***

In the middle of the battlefield, the fiend remained seated on a horse, but its head was already missing. The warrior who battled the fiend pulled his lead rope to make his horse stop and observed what was happening on the battlefield. 

Seeing Fern and the others, the warrior got off his horse, whereupon his subordinate came over and took the lead rope. 

“Miles! Why are you here?” Fern asked excitedly. 

“Thanks for your help, but I don’t think I know you. Also, how do you know my name?” Miles looked at Fern doubtfully, for he didn’t know the man before his eyes. 

“Miles, it’s me. I’m Fern. Fern Woodrow.” Fern replied in an agitated manner.

“I think he just wants to join the Black Crows. Miles, you’re famous as the leader of our mercenary group after all, so it’s not unusual that he knows you.” A young warrior sneered. 

“Will! It’s really you! I’m Fern!” Fern recognized the young mercenary, who was also his friend, Will.

Arching a brow, Will examined Fern and his companions. “I didn’t expect that I’d be so famous as well. Anyway, it’s useless to butter me up. You have to make a registration first, then we’ll see what skills you have.”

“We’re not interested. Only he’s joining.” Rae pointed at Fern and snorted. 

“Beautiful lady, if you’d like to join us, I can put in a word for you. However, I won’t help you for nothing.” Will placed one hand on his hip and gripped the hilt of his sword with his other hand as he gazed at Rae with a smile.

Suddenly, a glint of ruthlessness flashed across Rae’s eyes, whereupon Will widened his eyes in fright and crouched down in pain as he covered his head with his hands.

“What’s going on? Will, what happened to you?” Fern immediately lowered his body and helped Will up.

“I’m just teaching him a lesson.” Rae’s eyes returned to normal. 

Will slapped away Fern’s hands and struggled to his feet. After shooting a glare at Rae, he turned to leave without uttering a word. 

Miles narrowed his eyes and sized them up. “You do have some special skills, but if you want to join us, you have to pass our test first.” Then, he looked around and shouted at a girl in the distance. “She’ll tell you what you need to do.”

The girl seemed to be of the same age as Rae. Her facial features were exquisite, and her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail. On her back were a bow and a quiver of arrows. The feathers of the arrows were tucked inside the quiver. 

As Miles explained to her what was going on, the girl nodded repeatedly. After that, Miles nodded at Fern and the others before going somewhere else to take a rest.

Fern was rooted to the spot as he stared at the girl and couldn’t utter a word. 

“Do you want to join us? We always welcome powerful new friends.” The girl sized them up with her energetic-looking eyes. “Ignore Will. He’s always like that. He can’t control himself whenever he comes across beautiful ladies.”

“Well… You can just talk to him. We’re not even sure what he’s trying to do.” Niss looked at Fern and nodded slightly. 

The girl then shifted her attention to Fern, and upon realizing that he was staring fixedly at her, she blushed. “What happened to your companion?”

“I think it’s because he’s met his old friends.” Stan replied with a smile.

“Old friends? Do you know me?” The girl waved her hand in front of Fern’s eyes. “Can you hear me? What’s your name?”

Fern came to his senses and looked sorrowfully at her. “Kaya, don’t you recognize me as well?”

***

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