By Zephyria =======
SIGKILL://full_party_terminate
‘For a warrior, physical ability is the most important thing.’
On the first day he took Silver to the cave, Black Weasel had said.
‘If you can climb the walls of this cave and reach the very end within the time it takes for an hourglass to flip three times, you can be considered to have first-rate physical abilities. I did it during my first training. And in just two days. Exactly two days.’
Black Weasel had bragged, waving two fingers.
‘This training is too early for you. Let’s start with basic conditioning. Build up your stamina for a month, and after that, it’s combat training.’
Silver scanned the cave wall with his palm.
‘This took him two whole days?’
‘This…?’
One of Black Weasel’s eyebrows twitched upward.
‘Hey, does that look like a garden fence to you? Talking shit without knowing a damn thing, this brat.’
‘How is this any different from climbing a ladder? Just watch.’
‘Watch wha— Hey, Silver! It’s dangerous! It’s still too early for you…!’
Regardless of Black Weasel’s shouting, Silver scaled the cave wall with swift, rhythmic movements. The wall was quite high, and it took some time before he reached the hole. When he climbed back down, Black Weasel stared at him with his mouth agape. That open mouth soon transformed into a wide grin. Black Weasel scooped Silver up in his arms and shouted.
‘Silver! You’re a thunder too!’
That was eleven years ago. Back when Black Weasel used to perch Silver on one shoulder and stride along.
The memories, which had been unfolding like a winding spring, came to a halt. Silver opened his eyes. His back ached from sitting against a tree for so long. The campfire he had kept burning through the night was dying down.
“…Tsk.”
Silver picked up a stone and threw it with all his might. A small, white splash erupted with a plop. It felt as if the river were spitting back in anger.
Before him stood the river and the great mountain. This sight likely hadn’t changed much from hundreds of years ago. The surroundings were desolate. Occasionally, a bird would cry out like an old man’s cough in the middle of the night, but there was no sign of any human presence.
The stronghold of the blond barbarians, whose notoriety echoed loudly throughout Atania, was actually this quiet. A place where one could go ten days after leaving the tribe without encountering another soul. A place filled with an airtight silence, save for the chirping of birds. A place so boring that even memories of the past he wished to forget would revive of their own accord.
Silver stood up and rotated his waist. The sun was tilting toward the west.
That reckless bastard, what is he doing to be this late?
Black Weasel, who should have returned within ten days at the latest, had been missing for seventeen. Though the possibility was slim, the thought suddenly occurred to Silver while hunting yesterday: Maybe he fell and died on his way back to the hideout. He had headed straight to the place where the rowboat was hidden. If the boat were gone, it would confirm an accidental death.
The boat was still there. Black Weasel was staying in the village near Erem’s orphanage or in Morgan. Silver decided to camp out for a night and wait. However, even by late afternoon the following day, no rowboat appeared, cutting through the river.
“One, two…”
Silver stared at the river, counting softly. He intended to turn back if the boat didn’t appear after counting from one to eight five times.
“Five, six… wow.”
The timing was truly exquisite. Right then, a rowboat appeared in the far distance, slowly approaching. It would take a while to get here from there. After tossing some branches into the campfire to revive the flames, Silver used his arm as a pillow and flopped over to sleep.
“Hey, you brat, Silver!”
At the voice hitting his eardrums, Silver slowly opened his eyes. Black Weasel was looking down at him.
“Why are you here? Did you dream about me last night or something?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
Silver scratched his head and pushed himself up.
“You weren’t coming back, so I came down to see if you’d rolled down a mountain and died. I’m fucking disappointed to see you’re perfectly alive.”
“Isn’t that just another way of saying you were worried your master had died! Even this lazy slave has moments of being commendable!”
“I wasn’t worried!”
Silver jabbed Black Weasel’s shin with his elbow. Without even flinching, Black Weasel flicked his fingers and headed toward the rowboat.
“Anyway, glad we met. Let’s move this damn boat together.”
“Do it yourself. You’re a guy whose only asset is strength.”
“I’m old, so my strength isn’t what it used to be. I almost died of exhaustion rowing here alone, you know?”
“You only act old at times like this.”
Silver flopped back down again. Black Weasel lifted the rowboat by himself and moved it into the brush.
“I’m moving it alone because I’m touched that you came to greet your master. Ah, it’s cold.”
Black Weasel grumbled, stretching his hands out toward the campfire.
“How are those idiots? Were they trembling in fear that they’d be killed by me?”
“Not really,” Silver replied bluntly.
Black Weasel arched an eyebrow.
“Not really? That’s strange, I gave them plenty of scares. The Prince and that Attendant looked like they were about to piss themselves right then and there.”
“They seemed to be having a great time. Why, are you disappointed?”
“Of course I am. I put so much effort into looking menacing, so it’s disheartening to hear they weren’t scared.”
Despite his words, Black Weasel looked unusually pleased. A smile didn’t leave his face. Did that guy find a gold nugget on the road or something?
“Anyway, what about the Prince’s mother? Any news?”
“Ah, that…”
Black Weasel couldn’t finish his sentence. A rustle of movement, indicating someone’s presence, came from the forest behind his shoulder. This area was a place where human presence had vanished after rumors spread that evil spirits wandered, following the plague that wiped out as many as twenty small tribes twenty years ago. The cave Black Weasel used as a hideout had originally been created to evacuate the elderly and infirm during inter-tribal wars.
Black Weasel gave Silver a look. Silver reached inside his robe and gripped his dagger. Just as he was about to rise swiftly, someone stepped out of the forest, looking around. Silver gasped.
The… the Attendant?
Wolf also spotted them and stopped with a start. A sense of dismay filled his eyes as he looked back and forth between Silver and Black Weasel. Silver froze. He wondered if this was how it felt when Black Weasel suddenly turned into a voluptuous middle-aged woman. Was there a secret hole in the cave that even the Ice Armor Warrior and I didn’t find?
That’s not the problem! That Attendant’s neck!
Silver carefully observed Black Weasel. What do I do? Even if I try to stop him, there’s no way the Ice Armor Warrior will listen this time. Is there a way to make it so only one of the Attendant’s ears gets blown off… shit, I can’t think of anything. Should I just knock the Ice Armor Warrior unconscious?
“Hey. Attendant.”
Black Weasel pointed his axe at Wolf.
“How did you get out of the cave? What’s with that backpack?”
Wolf remained silent, his face stiff. Silver poked Black Weasel in the ribs.
“Idiot. You just spoke in Stohl language.”
“Ah, right? Dammit, I was a bit surprised myself.”
Spitting out a glob of phlegm, Black Weasel spoke again.
「Attendant, what’s your deal? How did you get out? What’s in that backpack?」
「Well…」
Wolf lowered his gaze.
「I escaped through a hole in the cave.」
At those words, Black Weasel’s gaze shifted. Silver felt as if he had been hit in the back of the head.
「A hole in the cave? There? The hole you have to climb the wall to reach?」
Black Weasel asked back. He was trying to act calm, but he too found it unbelievable.
「Huh? Yes.」
Wolf answered with a bewildered expression, as if asking what else there could be besides that hole.
「The backpack only contains supplies needed for overnighting. I took them all from Uncle’s hideout. I am sorry.」
「You sneaked out alone without the Prince?」
「Yes. I had to survive.」
「Admitting it right away makes you even more suspicious. Hmph, the Prince probably told you to run. That since both of you couldn’t die, you should at least survive. Am I wrong?」
Wolf did not answer.
「Wow, I’m seeing the Prince in a new light. He actually had that kind of guts?」
Whistling, Black Weasel glanced sideways at Silver.
“See, your master was right. Those guys were trembling. You were completely fooled, Silver.”
Silver couldn’t say a word. Black Weasel gestured with his chin toward Wolf.
「Throw the backpack over here.」
Wolf threw the backpack. Black Weasel signaled Silver with his eyes.
“Open the backpack and check it.”
Inside the backpack were food, a compass, flint, and other items. Silver doubted his own ears at the words that followed.
「Attendant, put the backpack on. You’re coming back to the cave with us.」
27 – Hell Execution Order