The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 31: An Enchanting Night

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

After following the Black Crows for four days, they hadn’t come across any of the Dark Tide’s armies as they headed North with peace of mind. 

Initially, Ril would approach Stan and talk to him occasionally, then eventually she started walking along him. On the other hand, Stan stopped being shy and started chatting with her casually. 

Kaya remained by her companions’ side. Sometimes, she would turn to look in Fern’s direction, and when she realized that Fern was also staring at her, she would immediately turn her head back. 

Meanwhile, some of the mercenaries from the Black Crows would approach the magicians and chat them up. While Niss would always reject them politely, Rae just ignored them. 

Fern teased, “It seems that the Source of Magic wants the two of you to stay here with Stan and me as well.”

Upon hearing that, Niss blushed and never responded to him. With a frown, Rae shot him a stare and threatened, “Would you want a taste of my dark magic again?”

“Don’t be so serious, Rae.” Fern continued to tease her. “I know some good mercenaries in the group. Why don’t I introduce them to you?”

“If you dare utter one more word again…” Rae gave him the ultimatum. 

Fern hurriedly kept his mouth shut as they trudged forward.

***

In the evening, the members of the Black Crows stopped in their tracks in front of a forest as Miles told his subordinates to look for a suitable location to set up tents. 

“We’ll soon reach Doyle. Let’s stay the night here, and we’ll enter the territory of Doyle tomorrow.” Miles gave the order to the mercenaries. 

“Is there any danger in Doyle? It’s supposed to be safer than Tarantara. After all, there are soldiers who patrol around Doyle. Why don’t we stay the night there?” a middle-aged mercenary asked in puzzlement. 

Miles scowled and clenched the hilt with his left hand. “It’s hard to explain. I just have a bad feeling.” He sighed. “Quentin, take out all the beers. We’ll take a rest now.”

Without asking further, Quentin nodded and turned to leave. Miles leaned against a tree and stared attentively into the distance.

“Where are we going exactly?” Fern and his companions approached Miles.

After taking a glance at Fern, Miles turned to look into the distance again. “It’s Doyle—our best hope for destroying the Dark Tide.”

“Doyle?” Niss whispered in Rae’s ear. “Doyle shouldn’t exist in this era.”

Rae nodded slightly and asked Miles, “How did the Dark Tide go past Doyle and reach Tarantara?”

Miles turned to look at her and put on a smile. “Miss, you must have stayed in the Magician’s Tower for too long. Doyle is no match for the Dark Tide at all. At that time, they fled to somewhere else to preserve their power. It was just not long ago that they returned to somewhere near Doyle.”

“If that’s the case, why do you appear to be so uneasy about the place we’re going?” Fern looked ahead as well, but he couldn’t find anything unusual. 

Miles looked up at the sky. “To be honest, I don’t even know why I have such a feeling, so I told all of you to stop here and set up tents.” After a moment of silence, he turned to gaze at Fern and his companions. “You should take a rest now as well.” Upon finishing his words, he nodded at them and shuffled toward the tents.

Fern and his companions exchanged glances, not understanding what was going on.

“Everything in the Source of Magic seems to be different from reality. I can’t believe that Doyle already exists in this era.” Rae broke the silence.

Stan shook his head and added, “According to the historical records of Doyle, the country was founded after the people of Wallis defeated the Dark Tide for the first time. Otto Edra, who had made a huge contribution, was recommended to be the king of Doyle. Since then, the country has been in charge of defending the Northern border.”

“What’s written in the historical records may not necessarily be true as some might just be rumors or…” Fern paused. “Someone had rewritten history.”

“I’d rather believe what Stan has said is true than anything we see in the Source of Magic.” Niss hung her head low and looked at her magic cane in a dejected manner.

***

When night descended upon them, the mercenaries were seated in a circle as they drank beer and chatted among themselves. Some of them were even singing and dancing inside the circle. Everyone was mesmerized in this jovial atmosphere. 

Fern and his companions were also seated with the Black Crows as they beamed at the sight.

After the song ended, Kaya was pushed to the middle, and as the people started singing again, she began dancing in a bashful manner. The song was slow and somewhat melancholic. In the past, Fern and his companions in the Black Crows used to sing this song for the girls to dance to the music, and this time was no exception. Unknowingly, Fern also sang along with them. 

“The stars and the moon seem to have stopped shining for me. The entire night sky has lost its luster, becoming cold and indifferent. I wonder who is now warming your hands in my place. Without you by my side, every day feels like eternity. Even though loneliness and pain just won’t go away from me, I’m still hoping to reunite with you one day. Time goes by, and my world turns dim. Your smile has left my memory along with the wind. One day, I won’t be able to keep waiting for you. Perhaps there will be nothing that could be written on my tombstone. But don’t come crying in front of my grave, for I won’t stay sleeping there.”

Gradually, Kaya immersed herself in the music. As she danced to the somewhat sorrowful rhythm, her slender figure aroused the pity of a particular man. As Fern was singing in a choking voice, his eyes had welled up with tears, and memories from the past kept flashing across his mind. He thought time would heal, but it was then did he realize that there were memories he could never forget. 

While he was in a dazed state, someone approached them. 

“Stan, I want to pick some flowers over there. Can you protect me when I do that?” Ril flashed a smile at Stan. 

“Sure.” Stan got to his feet and left the place with her. 

Fern came to his senses and realized that the song had ended. After a long sigh, he tried to search for the girl in the crowd. 

“Are you disappointed that it wasn’t Kaya who had approached us?” Rae had seen through his mind.

Fern smiled in self-mockery and left the crowd. As the noises behind him became faintly audible, he stopped by a short tree and jumped up to a tree branch. Looking up, he realized that he could see the stars through the gap of the branches, whereupon he was engulfed in his thoughts again.

***

“Stan, will a knight risk his life to protect his loved one?” Standing in front of the flowers, Ril tilted her head and gazed at Stan instead of picking the flowers.

Bending down, Stan picked a red rose and passed it to her. “Yes. A knight will always protect his loved one’s dignity, life and honor with his own life.”

However, Ril didn’t take his flower. “Stan, can you put it into my hair?” She lowered her head slightly. Her smile was as beautiful as the rose. 

With a flushed face, Stan helped her put the rose into her hair. 

Ril still hung her head low and stole a glance at the man. “So Stan, is there any girl that you love?”

Stan wasn’t sure how he should answer the question, so he stammered, “N-No. Oh, maybe there is one…”

With a serious expression, Ril raised her head and stared at him. “Then Stan, are you willing to protect me with your life?”

In an instant, Stan straightened up and parted his lips, but he couldn’t utter a word. After patting his own cheeks to pull himself together, he replied, “Yes, Ril. I’m willing to protect you with my life.”

“That’s wonderful!” Ril jumped up in excitement. “Do we need any special ceremony to make an oath?”

Without saying a word, Stan fell on one knee as he gripped the hilt with his left hand and extended his right hand to her. 

Ril didn’t expect that he would take action immediately, so she covered her mouth and started tearing up as she reached out her other hand to him. When their hands came into contact, both of them shuddered, whereupon Stan held her hand. “I swear on the knight’s honor that as long as I live, I’ll always protect you with my life!”

While Ril was crying tears of joy, Stan kissed the back of her hand and stopped to smell her mild fragrance. 

“Oh, you’re here.” Rae stopped by the tree Fern was sitting on. “I thought just like Stan, you had gone on a date with a girl.”

“I’m sure Stan knows his boundaries. After all, he has never been in contact with the Black Crows before.” Fern said confidently.

“So you’re the one we should be worried about then.” Rae stared at him. 

Sitting on a tree branch, Fern was swinging his legs as he replied nonchalantly, “I’m certain I can tell illusion and reality apart.”

Rae turned around and leaned her back against the trunk. “You’re right. I have to admit that you’re a calm and collected man.”

“Oh?” Fern gazed down at her. “I’m no match for you when it comes to staying calm. Sometimes, I’ll still act on impulse, but your calmness seems to be born with you.”

Rae snorted and said impassively, “If you had gone through the same experience as mine, you would have become like me as well.”

Seizing the chance, Fern questioned, “What did you go through before?”

“I won’t tell you.” Rae refused to answer his question. 

“Alright.” Fern didn’t want to force her. “But can you answer the other question I have?”

“Yes?”

Pretending to be nonchalant, Fern questioned, “Saras and Doylans are supposed to have blonde hair, but why is your hair black?”

After hesitating for a bit, Rae replied, “It’s because of shadow magic. Initially, it turned from blonde to light yellow. Then, it became gray and eventually turned completely black.” Her voice remained dispassionate.

“You must have been terrified when that happened.” Fern said caringly. 

“Yes, it was horrifying for me at that time. Other than my hair, my eyes have also turned black.” Rae heaved a sigh. After all, she was still a young woman, so she was concerned about her looks. 

“Anyway…” Fern pondered on it for a while. “I think you’re beautiful with black hair.”

“Thanks.” Rae put on a faint smile, but she soon pressed her lips into a line again. 

Just then, Niss and Kaya were running toward them. 

“Fern, Rae, I’ve made a new friend today.” Niss said to her companions excitedly. 

“Yeah? I suppose you’re talking about Kaya.” Fern replied with a smile.

“Yes. I’ve found out that we have many common interests. Kaya, right?” It was the first time Niss appeared to be so elated. 

“Yes. I think we’re like sisters now.” Kaya beamed. 

“She also said that she’d teach me the dance she had performed just now. It’s beautiful, so I have to learn it. Let’s go, Kaya. Teach me now.” Upon finishing her words, Niss lugged her new friend away. 

Kaya gazed at Fern and seemed to want to stay, but upon feeling a pull on her wrist, she took one last look at Fern and left with Niss.

“Fortunately, Kaya is no longer alive in the real world. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for you to choose between the ‘sisters’.” Rae teased. 

“When the mission is over, Niss will return to the Magician’s Tower, and I’ll go back to Deville. Perhaps we’ll never meet again.” Fern appeared to be sorrowful.

“Is that the outcome for the two of you? Why don’t you give it a try?” Rae turned to gaze at him. 

Fern jumped off the tree and wriggled his hands. “I was almost fooled by you. Alright. It’s time to take a rest. We don’t even know what’s ahead of us tomorrow.”

Rae snorted. “Your mind is as sharp as ever.” After a smile, she suddenly turned solemn. “Yeah. Tomorrow will be a crucial day. I hope everything will go well.”

Fern nodded and clenched the hilt of his sword with his left hand. “I hope so too.”

***

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