Tensei Oujo wa Kyou mo Hata o Tatakioru Chapter 124

    We ran through the forest in the dead of night.
    The bristles and branches we brushed by in the dark were like a blur as we rushed ourselves onward.
    In the lush forest where the moonlight could not reach, black shadows spread its influence in full force. It was as if the whole world had disappeared, save for our feet that were lit by the few dim torches. This unseen darkness, as if it were to claim our future, stirred up the fear within me. 

“!…” 

    Something sharp scratched my cheek. When I reflexively touched it, I felt something warm. The smell similar to that of iron dust told me it was blood. I might have caught a branch. 

“Lord Nacht?” 

“It's no problem.” 

    Sir Olsen, who was ahead of me, called out. I wiped the cut off my face and resumed running. 

    My feet seemed to have pa.s.sed their limits long ago. I would fall on the spot if I lost focus for a second.
    My breathing became rough and the sound of my own pulse rang annoyingly in my ears. 

    But I couldn't stop.
    The lives of my people were entrusted to my hands. I won't stop, even if my legs were to break. 

    With sheer willpower alone, I continued to push through the thickets of the forest.
    As we came upon a certain clearing, I untied the horses left underneath the safe shade that was obediently waiting for us. The young knight, Peter, rode alongside me as I rode on the same steed as Sir Olsen's.

    The horses ran, kicking up the dust. 

    Despite Sir Olsen's magnificent steed, my shaking refused to stop. I was about to faint at any moment from the acc.u.mulated fatigue.
    I dug a nail into my palm to keep my consciousness alive. 

    At the edge of my vision, I saw a small light reflecting off my eyes. 

“…?” 

    From far far away, there was a distant, wavering light.
    It was like a torch flame. 

“Sir Olsen!” 

“Yes?” 

    I looked over my shoulder and pointed to the flame.
    Sir Olsen immediately pulled in on the reins and stopped the horse. Peter, who was a little behind us, slowly caught up with a strange look on his face. 

“What's the matter?” 

    Sir Olsen turned to him and pressed a finger on his mouth, hushing him without saying a word.
    There was still some distance between us, and we no longer have any torches lit. It's very unlikely that we will be noticed, but better safe than sorry. 

    We watched over them with bated breath.
    From the number of torches present, there were probably around ten people in the group. 

“It seems they're gunning towards the forest.” 

    Sir Olsen whispered at last.
    As he said, the light that was moving further away seemed to be heading towards the forest's entrance. 

“At this hour?” 

    The night had nearly pa.s.sed already.
    It was closer to dawn than midnight. What business do they have in the forest? 

“Perhaps it was merely a routine guard rotation?” 

“…” 

    I didn't immediately nod to Peter's words.
    Aren't there too many people for a simple rotation? But I also don't have any proof that says otherwise. 

“What shall we do?” 

    Sir Olsen questioned. 

    What do we do? Move forward? Or turn back to the forest? We're wasting every second we spend on deciding our next course of action.
    I shook my head to shake off the heavy anxiety. 

“….Let's move on.” 

    I don't know what your purpose is, but if you value your life, I hope you don't venture too far into the forest.
    I'll save my worries for later. My job right now is to bring relief back as soon as possible. 

    The horses started moving again as Sir Olsen gave the signal.
    But my mind was pulled by something and I inadvertently glanced back. The small light that was getting further away burned itself into the retina of my eye. 

    I quietly turned back around and clutched at my chest.
    I told myself that it was simply my imagination at work, but I still couldn't shake loose the anguish in my heart. 

    Why? Why is my heart beating so d.a.m.n fast?
    Surely it's not because of the howling wind suffocating me, is it?

    Then how can I describe this feeling? Is it fear? Dread? Impatience?
    It was a feeling akin to having recently made a terribly grave mistake. 

“Stop!” 

    I screamed.
    Sir Olsen quickly pulled the reins once again. The clever horse stopped without a hitch.
    Peter, who went past us, turned back to us after a while. 

“What's the matter, Master Nacht?” 

“…” 

    Questioned by Sir Olsen, I couldn't immediately give an answer as I was still lost myself. Was it really the correct choice? Am I really certain that I won't waste time doing this? 

    But, I couldn't ignore this rush any longer. 

“I'm sorry for changing my mind so abruptly, but I would like for us to turn back after all.” 

“Shall we take after that group earlier?” 

“Please do. I have a bad feeling about this.” 

    When I told him so, Sir Olsen's expression softened.
    He told the still confused Peter that we were going back and turned our horse around. 

    We ran through the path from whence we came.
    Faster! I prayed in my heart. It was hard to even face forward with the wind hitting against my face, but the landscape that flew by gradually took shape. I felt more helpless and frustrated by the second. 

    My feverishly beating heart was making loud noises.
    After an unknown amount of time had elapsed, the forest finally came into view. 

    Numerous torches sat at the entrance. So it was just a guard rotation after all. Am I thinking too much? 

    Sir Olsen slowed down the horse. 

    I lost the strength to my body all at once. ‘Haaah.' A long sigh came out of me.
    I didn't like the thought of wasting more time, but on the other hand, I was glad that I had checked. 

    I glanced over my shoulder and saw Sir Olsen. After apologising to him and Peter, we once again about to set off for the imperial capital. 

    But before I could say anything, a gust of wind blew past us. 

“…!!” 

    I opened my eyes wide to the smell that the wind carried. Sir Olsen had the same reaction and stared sternly towards the forest.
    The pungent smell of oil attacked my nose. It wasn't just from the torches; it was so strong that it could only seem like someone deliberately spilt it all over the place.

“Sir Olsen!” 

    The horse had already started running before I screamed.
    Knowing that it had been supporting me all this time, it had earned my trust and I leaned forward for some momentum. Grabbing onto the horse's head, I glared forward. 

    The flame of the torches grew brighter every second, and the group's surprised faces were visible. We broke through the centre to directly cut through the group without taking any unnecessary detours. 

    I frowned towards the even more intense and acrid smell.
    In the corner of my eye, I saw a nearby empty barrel rolling on the ground dripping with oil and bit my lip. It was just nauseating to even imagine their intent in spreading the oil throughout the surrounding woodlands. 

    Turning the horse around, I faced the forest entrance once more. 

“…What are you doing?” 

    I asked in a voice that could kill. I tried to remain calm, but it was clear that my voice was visibly shaken. 

    I scanned at their faces.
    The men's well-featured faces were almost unrecognisable except for one or two. I realised that I had seen them before. 

    The man in the middle was wary of us and reached for his weapon. Another slenderly-built man stood to the side, though I couldn't see his face. There were no other telling features about the figure other than the thin body, nor could I tell their gender. 

    But I was convinced. 

“What are you doing, Philipp?” 

TN: h.e.l.lo. Here's another painful-to-translate chapter. Enjoy. You're welcome to  and suffer the wait with us.

EN: lmao tf was the progression here. But yay, Nacht! Also things are getting heated (heh)