The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 59: Parting Ways 

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

It was pitch black outside the house. If it weren’t for the fact that Rae was familiar with the village, Fern doubted that they could ever leave Nasus. Rae identified the direction and led them out of the village. Hitting the road they took to come from the border to this place, they then continued heading East.

After running for a while, Fern could feel that he began having difficulty breathing. He hadn’t recovered yet, so he wasn’t as strong as before, which made him feel upset.

“Fern, are you alright?” Niss could hear his heavy breathing clearly.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Not wanting to let his companions worry about him, he persevered. “Rae, can you sense the Dark Tide now?”

“Yes, and they’re following us now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been running for such a long time.” Rae never slowed down. “Fortunately, they’re moving quite slowly, so we’re getting further away from them. However, I don’t understand why they’re following us, as though they know where we are.”

“Can they sense us just like how you can sense them?” Niss made a guess.

“Zombies aren’t capable of doing that, not even the fiends. Only magicians can detect us.” Rae avoided the holes and puddles on the ground with ease as she led her companions forward.

“Could there be an evil magician?” Niss’s voice turned anxious.

Rae turned her head to give Niss a look. “That’s possible, but I hope what you’ve said won’t turn out to be true.” She then shifted her attention to Fern. “There’s a forest in front of us. We can take a rest for a bit since they’re quite far from us now.” She pointed at the darkness ahead of them.

***

Once they stopped, Fern leaned against a tree and panted heavily. His rapid heartbeat and the sweat on his forehead suggested that he would slow down his companions if they kept on running, so he was frustrated. When his breathing stabilized, he fell on his bottom and closed his eyes.

Niss leaned close to him and crouched down secretly. Hovering her hands on his temples, she started chanting a spell.

The scent wafting from Niss exposed her action. Fern opened his eyes and saw what the magician was doing. To the others’ surprise, Fern let the magician treat him instead of stopping her. “Niss, thanks.”

Niss nodded with a smile. Just then, Rae became flustered. “Their speed quickens, they’re racing after us. Moreover…” Her voice sounded terrified. “I can feel that there are two fiends.”

“Damn it!” Stan cursed and landed a punch on a tree. “What can we do other than keep running?”

“There’s no other way at the moment. There’s no way we can defeat two fiends. Even if there’s only one fiend, we shouldn’t even try to confront it unless we absolutely have to.” Rae appeared to be apprehensive.

***

Niss stood up. The treatment just now exhausted her, and she wasn’t a strong person in the first place, so she appeared to be fatigued. “Why are they following us? If we can find out the reason, maybe we’ll be able to escape.”

“There shouldn’t be anything special with us.” Rae rested her chin on her left palm and gave it a thought. “Could it be because of your magic cane?” She looked at Niss’s magic cane, but she couldn’t see the color of the gemstone in the dark.

“No way. This magic cane is important to us, so I can’t throw it away.” Niss clenched her cane as she was worried that Rae would hurl it away.

“Don’t worry. I know how important the cane is to us, but we have to come up with a solution.” Rae gazed at Fern and Niss. “I have an idea. Even though it’s risky, it’s worth a try.”

“Tell us about it.” Fern approached Rae, trying to see her expression.

“I know that there’s a frozen swamp in front of us. In that place, I can get rid of the fiends and even kill them.” Her expression remained impassive.

“It’s no different from what I did in Black Swamp back then.” Fern rejected her idea.

“Of course there’s a difference. You were only betting on luck in Black Swamp as you didn’t tell us the truth. But now, I’m confident of getting rid of the fiends on the frozen swamp.” Rae stared at him. “Moreover, I haven’t finished my words yet. From now on, we have to part ways. You’ll go with Niss, and Stan will come with me. Also, there’s one more thing.” She paused and gazed at Niss in a serious manner. “Niss, we have to exchange our magic canes.”

“No, Rae. This is too dangerous.” Fern was still trying to persuade her to give up this risky plan.

With determination written all over her face, Rae passed her cane to Niss. “I grew up in Sara. This is a small country which is not comparable to those in the South, so I’m most familiar with the environment here. Trust me, I can take advantage of the hostile terrain here to get rid of the fiends.”

Stan walked over and patted Fern’s shoulder. “Just leave it to us. I’ll protect Rae. We’re Northerners, so we’re used to the environment here. Niss and you are not capable of running for a long time, so you’ll only slow us down if you stay with us.”

After a moment of deliberation, Niss took Rae’s cane and passed hers to her fellow magician. “But what if the magic cane isn’t the main reason they’re running after us?”

“This is the only way for us now. There’s still some distance between the frozen swamp and this place. Even if Fern and you manage to follow us to the frozen swamp, the two of you won’t be able to cross it with ease. So, it’s best that we part ways here. You’ll keep going North until you see the first river, which is called the Yodon River. From there, you’ll head East. Stan and I will lure the Black Tide to the East.” Rae took the cane and tied it to her waist.

“I’ll leave some traces to make sure that they’ll keep following us.” Stan clenched the hilt. Apparently, he was nervous as well.

“Alright, time is running out for us. You should leave first. We’ll erase your footsteps and leave as well.” Rae pondered on it for a moment. “We’ll meet up in Talheim five days later. You can see it on the map. It’s in the Northeast of this place.” Still worried, she gave Fern a reminder. “The hostile terrain and extreme climate in Sara might kill you at any moment, so you have to be extra careful. To the outsiders, Sara isn’t any safer than the Dark Tide. If it weren’t because of the fiends, I wouldn’t have let the two of you wander in this country on your own.”

“We’ll be careful. On the other hand, you and Stan are going to face real danger.” Fern spread his arms, motioning for her to hug him. Rae didn’t reject him as she spread her arms as well. “May the God of War bless you.” he said.

“May the God of Magic bless us all.” Rae prayed.

After that, Fern also tackled Stan in a hug. They were like a pair of brothers who were about to part ways.

Dejectedly, Niss hugged Rae and Stan as well. She was used to the fact that they would always travel and face challenges together. Now that they had to part ways—even though it was a temporary separation—she was still worried about the uncertainty ahead of them, and whether they would meet up again.

***

Niss and Fern started running into the North, after which Stan began erasing their footsteps. Looking at his towering figure, Rae said apologetically, “Stan, I’m sorry for bringing you in. I’m just worried that I won’t be able to face any emergency on my own, so your joining me will increase our chance of survival.”

Stan never stopped what he was doing. “No, Rae. I’m grateful that you’ve given me this chance to compensate for what Doyle has done to Sara. This way, I will die with no regrets.”

“No, you won’t die. Both of us will not die.” Rae looked up at the sky and smiled confidently. “We shall confront the Dark Tide now.”

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