William rowed his boat further east. His meeting with Bullock had awakened his long-buried desire. He wanted to know again what happened to his father.
William delayed his return to Thaluk and ignored his mother's message that she didn't want William to go find out about his father. William felt that he was so close to what he was looking for. He was sure that one day he would regret it if he didn't dare to look further. Of course, a visit to his father's house would not reveal all the secrets, but at least this could cure his longing for the figure of his father and mother.
Besides, maybe this would help him get to know himself better because that's where he was born.
The boat kept going. He looked left and right while rowing, not wanting to let go of small things that could be clues. He passed through boulders, thickets, and rows of trees, but so far he found nothing. As the sun went down he began to doubt. Is this really the right tributary?
The Ordelahr River has so many tributaries, especially to the east, so it could be that the house was actually very far from here. His enthusiasm faded, and after a while, he thought more about looking for a quiet riverbank, where he could moor his boat and rest for the night.
He found a river bank jutting into the mainland. The water was calm, protected by a row of boulders. William took his boat ashore and tied it to a tree trunk. At that moment, he saw a wooden house behind the thicket. It was hidden, could not be seen directly from the river.
William stood with his chest pounding. Something in his heart said it clearly: that was the house he was looking for. His house.
He stepped cautiously, along the path that circled the thicket. He stopped behind a large tree, then studied the wooden house for a while. The house was simple and small in size. There may only be three or four rooms inside. Weeds grew all around it and covered the path in front of the door. It seemed that the house had not been lived in for a long time.
But one thing made him doubt. One of the windows on the side of the house was slightly ajar. Could anyone be in there? Or had the window been open long ago?
William held the hilt of the sword at his waist, alert if there really was someone else in this place. Slowly he walked around the house, toward the wall where the window opened. He didn't try to get closer to the window and only looked at the inside of the house from afar. It seemed empty and quite dark. There was no sign of anyone's presence.
For a few moments, William tried to convince himself, before finally relieved. The house was empty, and he had nothing to fear.
He walked back to the front of the house, then stunned.
A girl who was as tall as William stood not far from him. Her long yellow hair was braided left and right. Her face was beautiful, but her round blue eyes shone fiercely. The girl's appearance looked dashing in a thick sleeveless shirt made of bearskin. But what made her look terrifying was the large sword in her left hand. With one look William could tell, that sword was much better than the sword he currently had.
William glanced at the now open front door. Could this girl be in there? Maybe she came out as soon as she noticed William's arrival. Her actions showed that she was a very brave girl.
William did not want to be careless. From the girl's yellow hair, it was most likely that this girl was Hualeg. That means she's definitely dangerous. Maybe he should talk to the girl first.
"Put down your sword!" William said. "Can we talk?"
A moment later he felt stupid. Most likely this girl could not understand what he was saying.
Turned out she understood, just didn't want to follow William's words. The girl looked at the sword in her hand, then raised her face, pointing at William.
"Your sword," she said with an odd accent. "Take it out."
William looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Take it out." The girl pointed her sword at William.
William cursed. It seemed that the girl wanted to fight with him.
"Take out your sword!" The girl's voice sounded louder now.
William had no choice. He drew his sword.
But as soon as his sword was raised, the girl rushed forward with wide strides through the grass. The girl swung the sword in her left hand.
William quickly parried to the side, and was surprised, because the swing of the girl's sword was quite powerful. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, the girl continued to hit again and again with equal force. William had to endure.
One thing that made it difficult for William to anticipate these attacks was that he had never faced a left-handed opponent. On the other hand, that girl must have fought enemies wielding a sword in the right-hand many times. Every time William tried to swing his sword to the left, the girl easily dodged by continuously shifting to William's right, away from his attacks.
William became annoyed. He gripped his sword and gathered all his strength, then swung his sword to the right. Clashing, the sword in the girl's hand trembled. She took a step back.
William didn't want to let go. His sword swung again. The yellow-haired girl tried to parry, but her grip wasn't strong enough to match William's power. Her sword was thrown into the air.
William jumped up, grabbed the girl's thick clothes, and pushed her body with all his might. The girl's back hit the tree trunk. Hard enough. But, surprisingly, she didn't moan at all. She even glared at William and tried to rebel.
William pointed his sword at the girl's neck, while his left hand held the girl's chest. "Stop it!" he said. Their faces were close enough that he could feel her snorts and growls. "Calm down!"
William was happy when the girl finally stopped fighting because then he didn't have to beat her up. Only the girl's eyes were still staring intently.
Relieved, William lowered his sword. "Listen, we don't have to fight. I don't want to hurt you. Just tell me, why are you in—"
A knee kick in his groin stopped it all.
William almost threw up, and his concentration lost. The girl's left hand held William's right hand which was holding the sword, then her right hand hit from below, crushing William's chin. Next, the girl's left fist swung, right into William's jaw. Twice.
The young man staggered, the sword slipped from his hand and he fell. Before he could recover, the girl's hard kick came hitting him in the head like a hammer.
William collapsed instantly, passed out.