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---------------------------------------Chapter 1 Ash's appearance----------------------------------------
In an ordinary forest, where everything was intertwined with nature, something unexpected happened that night. The smell of iron permeated the cold wind. Squirrels and birds in the trees sang along, watching from the branches.
As the strong wind subsided, it was replaced by the clashing of swords and shouting. Soon, the sound of bodies falling to the ground echoed, and the clashing of swords ceased.
From the far reaches of the forest, a cold, sorrowful female voice echoed, captivating everyone. "Ely..."
A woman slowly descended into the forest, and strangely, snow fell only in the area she walked, her voice icy. The nearby stream resembled wine tainted with blood. She passed by blood-stained bushes without flinching. Along the way, she spotted a torn red scarf on the ground. Pausing briefly, tears welled up involuntarily in her eyes. She put her hand under the black fabric covering her eyes, wiping them away. She picked up the scarf, draped it around her neck, and continued on.
As she walked, the heavy scent of iron filled her nose. She noticed a soldier impaled on a tree and turned toward the stream, following its course. The number of corpses floating in the creek increased as she progressed. She calmly walked past the mutilated bodies, she empty eyes unphased by the carnage.
Examining the corpses with an air of detachment, she muttered, "I always knew you were cruel, but this time, your actions stem from my wrath? I fear I'll never comprehend."
Arriving at the site of the clash deep in the forest, she found a man with a bloody back, seemingly unfazed by the carnage around him. After a brief pause, he began searching for the bodies he had sought, but found none. Losing hope, the woman knelt and apologized, "I'm sorry, but it seems this was a ruse. The letter is not here."
Unable to contain his frustration any longer, he clenched his fists and repeatedly struck the ground.
Ignoring him, the woman spoke in an angry tone as she walked past, "The game has only just begun."
The man stood up and followed the woman. "Clean your armor and fetch your sword. Follow me on foot, examining the tracks of the horse and cart. I have an idea of where they may lead."
He nodded, saluting. "As you command."
After all these events concluded, the night, previously filled with savagery, yielded to nature once again. Upon exiting the forest, the woman and the man noticed a city standing before them and turned their attention toward it. "How much longer?" inquired the man as he cleaned his sword while walking. "Four hours," the woman responded briskly, then swiftly knocked the man's sword from his hand.
He pointed his sword towards the city before sheathing it. "We have nine hours until the negotiation begins," he stated, swinging his sword to remove excess blood before sheathing it. "We need to increase our speed... Alright, guide us; these weak guards won't impede us."
The torchlight reflected off the woman's white hair, giving her eyes an orange hue as she approached the gate heedlessly, prompting the guards to intervene. "Halt! Show your face!" they demanded, but the woman pressed on, ignoring them. As she passed through the gate, the guards attempted to draw their weapons, and the archers aimed their bows, only to be caught off guard by an unexpected turn of events. "You won't get another chance like that," the armored man warned, swiftly dispatching a guard with a small dagger to the neck. Unfazed, the woman continued forward, with the armored man trailing behind, neutralizing any opposition. After a brief skirmish, the duo subdued many guards, standing together as they discussed their next move. "Let's retrieve our horses from here; the gate patrols will find them soon, and the city entrance will be sealed."
Turning to the woman, the armored man directed, "The side streets will lead us to the barn more quickly." The woman nodded and disappeared into the alleyways.
---
**In the Forest:**
A group of soldiers followed the trail of the skirmish, led by two officers and comprised of thirty seasoned fighters. "I expected casualties, but not this swiftly," remarked one of the officers, addressing Ash, who had finally taken action, as evidenced by his comrades' reactions.
With a thoughtful attitude, the officer shouted, "ASH!" capturing everyone's attention, then continued speaking in anger. "Why does that witch meddle in our affairs? Wherever I see her, I'll capture her and make her pay for all this."
He swiftly drew his sword, pressing it against the officer's neck, causing slight bleeding. The soldiers, initially surprised, quickly reached for their swords, surrounding the man and standing at the ready. "You're forgetting something, Officer. Ash is someone you can never have, so mind your words when you're by my side, SIR."
After sheathing his sword, he noticed a glowing object among the corpses and pushed the soldiers aside to investigate. "Do you think you're superior because you've accomplished a few tasks?" He took out a cloth from his supply bag to staunch the wound on his neck, then turned to the soldiers, pointing at the man. "Catch Alias and bring him to me."
"But, sir—" a soldier attempted to interject, only to be cut off by the officer's shout. "Have you not heard what I said? Bring him to me, or I'll report your family to the palace." The soldier's face turned red with frustration as he reluctantly obeyed, apologizing to Alias before raising his sword. But just as he was about to hit Alias, a voice was heard from behind the soldier.
At this time, behind the soldiers stood a convoy of thirty horses and one chariot, from which a soldier appeared. Raising his left hand, he said, "Stand down and don't touch Alias." After the command, he lowered his sword calmly. Embellished with a medal and a stylish uniform, the soldier approached Alias, who had fallen to his knees upon seeing him.
"General, what are you doing here?" Alias shouted.
The general lifted him up and explained, "Two months ago, we had signs of rebellion in a region. Today, the expected day to suppress the rebellion has arrived. First, you'll go to the capital, take command of a small military group, and head to the rebellious region."
Surprised whispers spread among the soldiers. "The 4th General?" one asked. "No, the 3rd. The general thought he'd be on the front lines. Finally, the war in the west is over, and my family can return to a comfortable life."
Alias voiced his surprise, "But sir, there are more experienced and talented people than me. How was I chosen?"
The general replied calmly, "Unfortunately, I don't have that answer. All I know is that the king has assigned you this task. But based on my own assessment, whatever it is, you're the one who needs to secure it."
Alias answered with a knot in his throat. "I know," he said. He gestured towards the cart. "Then let's go. We can discuss the details in the palace. We both need some rest; we can sleep in the carriage until sunrise."
Alias and the general climbed into the horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by thirty cavalrymen, and swiftly headed towards the capital.
---
**In the City:**
Before leaving the gate, the man carefully checked the horses. Then, riding the black horse, he grasped the saddle of the white horse and slowly approached the woman. "Everything is ready, Ash. You seem sure Ely is in Amor," he said. "But given that there are no traces here, are we sure we are going to the right place? Ely may not be in Amor."
Ash confidently rode her horse and began eating an apple. "We'll act based on intelligence, not feelings," she replied, gesturing to the man's sword. "In battles, you fight on the front line, but I'm the one who strategizes. Don't forget that."
The man sighed and nodded, riding alongside Ash. "Next to you, I may be nothing, but you know my intelligence is above average. I just have to work harder to keep up with you."
As they rode, they heard a shout from the nearby seashore. Passing by, they saw a group of fifteen bandits robbing two well-dressed individuals. While Ash continued without hesitation, the man hung back, protecting Ash. After a while, they heard a woman scream behind them. Turning back, they saw a woman, exhausted and missing a shoe, pleading for help.
"Please help us. We'll pay you handsomely," she cried, clearly distressed.
Ignoring her, Ash continued to ride. When the woman threw herself in front of Ash's horse, Ash pulled her sword from the armored man's waist beside her. The man was watching Ash without stopping her. Just as the sword was about to cut off the woman's neck, the woman cried, "Wait! I have a book... I can give you."
Ash stopped and started listening to the woman. "Speak fast or become dust!"
The woman cried out before collapsing to the ground, gasping for air. Meanwhile, Ash pressed the tip of her sword against the woman's shoulder. "Speak!" she demanded. The woman screamed in pain and spoke while lying on the ground. "We don't know the language," she said weakly. "No one in the world speaks or writes this language. All we know is that our clan has protected this book for eight generations, even at the cost of our lives." She attempted to stand but fell back to the ground, clutching her bleeding shoulder. "Enclave is the only contact we have..." she muttered before fainting from pain.
Ash glanced at the woman and handed her sword to the man. "Take care of her and then follow me," she instructed.
Ash turned around and headed for the bandits. After the man lifted the woman and placed her on the horse, he followed Ash and reached the bandits in the area where the cart was wrecked.
As Ash marched through the bandits toward the wreckage of his chariot, the bandits obstructed his path and began to attack. However, the man protected Ash, who moved forward with a single-minded focus. Soon, the fifteen thugs were rendered ineffective. Ash searched the wreckage but couldn't find the book mentioned. They then propped the woman and the man against a tree and waited for them to wake up.
When they did, Ash watched from behind, questioning them. "This book you mentioned, where is it right now?" He began to circle around the tree and the two prisoners.
In their dazed state, the woman and the man looked around with vacant eyes.
"Enclave? Where did you hear that?" Ash asked, pulling out a dagger from his waist and kneeling in front of them. "Who should I start with first?"
The man, regaining his senses, looked around anxiously and saw the dagger waving before him. "Please, stop! I can offer you as much money as you want. Just name your price," he pleaded, sweating profusely. The man began to laugh, and suddenly the dagger in his hand was thrust into the ground in front of the man's face. "Your daughter—ah, sorry, your wife told me about a book. She proved that it was worth my attention. Look around. What do you see?"
The man looked around and saw the bodies of the bandits and a woman watching him from afar. He thanked her by hitting his head on the ground.
"I don't know where it is. It was recently stolen from someone and brought to us. We got paid for transporting it, but the bandits attacked us and took the book along with a convoy of slaves to extort money from us. They began torturing us. That's all I know." The armored man stood up and sighed deeply.
"So that was the whole event." Standing as if planning something, he suddenly thrust a sword from behind, which pierced the man leaning against the tree.
"You are a pawn." Ash gently addressed the man, then turned to Aery. "Aery, I hope that if you continue to behave like this next to me, I will have to give you a little punishment. Remember your education." Aery's face tightened as he looked at the man with the sword stuck in him.
As Ash inspected the body, the man's wife woke up. Upon seeing her husband's body, she let out a small scream. Ash threw a small dagger to silence her. "A pawn should only remain a pawn," he said coldly.
"We have fallen behind our schedule; we must take the horses and accelerate," Ash said. Mounting her white horse, she rejoined the trail and moved forward with Aery following closely. It was daytime, and the sun was nearing the top of the hill. Ash and Aery finally arrived in Amor, observing from a hill. They watched as a slave convoy entered the city—fifteen carts in total. But as they scanned the last cart, they noticed a white-haired girl with the same eye color as Ash.
Upon seeing the girl, Ash, who had seemed like a cruel monster the night before, visibly began to soften. "I finally found you. Wait for me, Ely. Now you'll be safe," Ash said. Aery cried as he ran towards the city. Ash joined him, wiping away their tears. "Don't worry. We'll save her, but first, you need to calm down."
Unable to contain himself, Aery's cries echoed throughout the city, his anguish reflecting the deep concern and desperation within him.
-------------------------------------------Episode 1 End-------------------------------------------