The moonlight shadow was cast over the city of Moshiam.
A city without a lord and a city that had not yet escaped the scars of war.
Although Moshiam had been taken by forces sent from the center, it was still abandoned, with broken gates left unrepaired.
"Sigh..."
So now, the only ones guarding Moshiam were soldiers who seemed to lack motivation.
The soldiers, now asleep, were troops sent from the Northern Union and did not have the proper affection or responsibility for this city.
"Pedro. It's done."
"Yes."
There were people observing their careless posture from afar.
The guards felt that tonight's darkness was softer and stickier, though they didn't know why.
It started with just one, but soon yawns were heard all around.
The guards' eyelids began to feel heavy as the softness of the night seemed to gently stroke their hair.
"I fell asleep."
The guards who were paying attention may have thought it was a short time, but for some, it was enough time to slip through the castle gate.
The strangers who sent the blessing of peace over the flowing darkness managed to enter the city of Moshiam without any restriction, as they intended.
"Moshiam..."
A sleeping guard, a broken castle gate. And unidentified individuals passing through them.
Pedro paused for a moment among the passing crowd and looked towards the broken castle gate.
"Are you saying all of this was destroyed on purpose?"
A tall man whose height did not match his skinny frame.
When he removed his hood, it could be seen that an old rosary, symbolizing the Vatican, hung from his chest.
***
There were three people walking through the morning mist.
Two people riding a black horse and a young donkey.
"Ha… ha."
And even a beastman without any horse.
"You barely walked that and you're already out of breath?"
"No, it's just a little hard to keep up."
"Didn't you say all beastmen have good physical strength? That's what I heard."
"It all depends on individual differences. You shouldn't get caught up in prejudices. Sir."
"No, it's because now you have to act according to your prejudices or you'll be in trouble."
"..."
Nibelun, panting as he walked, quickly closed his mouth when Vlad started scolding him.
Contrary to his appearance, this knight, who had a twisted mindset, still didn't let his guard down against Nibelun.
"Here's the water."
"Oh my. Thank you, Priest."
"I'm still just a deacon. You can't call me priest."
"Yes. Even so, the way you act already makes you a great priest."
Nibelun's ears perked up as he took the water bottle handed to him by Jean.
Jean, who had seen beastmen for the first time through Nibelun, looked at them in astonishment.
"We'll reach Moshiam in a while, so keep your mouth shut."
"Yes."
"Just like in the last village, don't hesitate to say what you want without saying anything."
"...Yes."
I don't know if it was a reprimand or a warning, but there was a good reason why Vlad made such a request.
'They say he won't say anything, but...'
Although it was only a few days of travel, Vlad could vaguely understand a person named Nibelun.
A man possessed by a strange passion.
A man named Nibelun might seem normal normally, but he was a person who suddenly took on the appearance of a madman in the field where he was working.
And Vlad, who had lived in alleys for a long time, knew well that these kinds of people were the most dangerous.
"Stop right there! Get off the horse and identify yourself!"
Even as he struggled to walk, I approached my destination and finally, in the distance, I could see the castle wall beyond the thick mist.
Moshiam. A city harboring a strange being.
The guards guarding the place saw three people approaching the gate and blocked the way.
"Beastmen?"
"Hello. Nice to meet you. This is the first time we've met, right?"
Nibelun's greeting was appropriate for the situation, but somewhat unsettling.
Although he had been told to keep his mouth shut, Vlad frowned when he saw Nibelun talking to the guard.
"Is this your first time in this city?"
"Yes. It's my first time, but I really wanted to come in. The broken gate is great."
"..."
It only takes a brief conversation to distinguish between the normal and the abnormal.
The guard had already discovered some distorted pieces in Nibelun's conversation.
Like a warning from the previous village, which sounded like a curse, Nibelun was a person who didn't understand others' world.
"There boy. Get off the horse and identify yourself."
A pale young knight, a young deacon, and a strange beastman.
Seeing the combination that seemed even more suspicious than when it was in the mist, the guards of Moshiam lowered their spears mercilessly.
"Do I have to get off?"
"Don't be ridiculous and get down. I dragged the tribe of the beastmen, so you don't plan to enter quietly, do you?"
"Well, that's true."
Indeed, I'll do the same.
Nibelun's expression, still smiling cheerfully, seemed somewhat strange, as if wearing a mask.
Even if beastmen weren't welcome, Nibelun's current appearance was enough to stop them.
"Please reveal your identity and purpose for coming here."
"Wait a moment. I left it here."
The guard in front of the suspicious individuals had a sharp tone, but Vlad in front of him was actually calm.
"All right. Here you go."
What if Nibelun is strange and Jean is young?
The boy who didn't even have the qualifications to enter and exit through the castle gate and was digging holes was no longer there.
Vlad, who is here now, was a person who could open closed doors not only for himself but also for others.
"Take it."
"Huh?"
Things that are handed out so casually.
The items were handed over indifferently, but the guard's expression began to harden as he inspected them.
"This is a certificate made in Soara... For your information, Count Bayezid personally put his seal on it."
"Ugh."
"And this is a confirmation letter from Bishop Andreas."
"Ugh!"
"I am the knight named Vlad. Wait a moment, Bayezid's emblem is engraved on the pommel."
A knight directly appointed by Count Bayezid and guide to a young deacon guaranteed by Bishop Andreas.
And the Northern knight who can already prove his worth just with his name. Vlad.
"This identity card was granted directly by the Church of Varna, and if you look here, Bishop Andreas's guarantee is engraved on it."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Jean's face turned pitiful as he looked at the guard.
The evidence Vlad presented one after another was too heavy for a single guardian to accept.
Every time Vlad took something from his arms, the faces of the guards around him turned black.
"May I pass now?"
"Please, go ahead..."
Vlad was smiling at the guards, still looking like a child.
He seemed like a child who wanted to look bright.
***
When Vlad crossed the castle gate, he looked at the flags waving above it.
Although it was difficult to identify them clearly due to the fog, there were certainly some familiar flags hanging among them.
'Baranov, Bayezid, and Hainal...'
Seven flags representing the North.The only thing that has changed is that Utman's flag has been lowered and Hainal's new flag has been hoisted.
Like the appearance of not one but several flags waving, the city of Moshiam was currently being administered under the name of the Northern Union, a community without the rule of any lord.
"Follow me! I will guide you!"
"Yes."
Moshiam, which we entered following the guidance of overly disciplined guards, seemed somewhat unsettling.
It was clearly a road cutting through the city, but there were only closed shops around.
I don't know if it was because of the thick fog, but I couldn't even see people coming and going, giving off a strange atmosphere.
"There is so much silence..."
"That's why the deacon came here. This is a city that needs the word of God more than ever."
Vlad looked at Jean, who shrank at the sight of an unfamiliar city, and comforted him with a warm voice.
As Vlad said, the city of Moshiam is a place that needs the comfort of God more than any other city in the North.
Andreas said that not only Jean, but also most deacons who reached the time, would head to Moshiam.
"Seeing the foggy area reminds me of that time. I'm sure you can handle it."
"Are you leaving today?"
Although he had acted bravely up until now, Jean was still just a boy.
Jean, who knew very well that the mission of the knight who had reliably protected him up to that point ended here, looked at Vlad with concern.
"I won't leave right away, but I'll probably stay here for a while. For about a week."
"Ah. Thank God."
Vlad smiled faintly as he looked at Jean, who unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Although this was the beginning of his journey on his own, it was also a moment when the young deacon needed help from someone.
'Take good care of him.'
Vlad knew well why Andreas had joined Jean.
It must have been a need for a guardian who came from the heart, not just a simple mission.
Although he was subject to the rules of the church, the young deacon whom he had raised since he was a baby was something that went beyond being a disciple of Andreas.
"Wait a moment."
"Yes?"
So now Vlad was blocking Jean's path.
From the moment he entered the city, his duty as a guide had ended, but Vlad still didn't hesitate to call himself Jean's protector.
"The guard up ahead. Wait for a moment."
Jean and the guard were puzzled by Vlad's sudden voice.
However, Nibelun's eyes, a beast race, were sharp-eared and followed the sound coming from beyond the fog.
"Someone is crying."
"..."
"I think it's a woman."
The sound coming from beyond the invisible fog was the cries of a woman.
A low, shallow but continuous crying.
After seeing the fog, the woman, and the sound of crying, Vlad slowly placed his hand on the scabbard, feeling a sense of déjà vu as if he had experienced it some time ago.
"Black, dark..."
In the middle of a city street with no one around.
Jean and the guards, who finally saw the approaching cry, swallowed dry saliva and turned their heads in the direction where the sound was coming from.
"Please find the child. Son, is this my child..."
What emerged from the thick fog of the city was a woman crying.
The woman, carrying an empty diaper on her back, saw the guard, collapsed onto him, and began to cry bitterly.
"What's happening?"
The atmosphere was similar, but they were not the same entity.
The woman who was now crying was nothing special, nor was she shedding dark tears.
"Oh, this is..."
The guard holding the crying woman helplessly looked worried and explained the situation to Vlad.
"There are quite a few crazies like this in this city."
"Why?"
"That's..."
The guard, who hurriedly handed the woman over to another soldier, scratched his head.
"They say that the evil here harmed many children. Although I don't know the details."
The crying woman suddenly walked towards Jean and took the empty diaper he was carrying.
There was no way Jean could have gotten in there, but the crying woman seemed to be having difficulty bearing the absence of the empty diaper.
"There are very few children in this city up to the age of deacon. Even if they do, their parents don't want to send them."
"...Is that so?"
Vlad silently caressed his chest as he listened to the cries of the woman drifting further away from the soldiers.
An armor granted by the elves and repaired by the dwarves.
The message I received from Saint Rogino still remained in the chest of the armor, which was warmer than before.
***
"I'm sorry. The leader is currently absent."
"I understand. I came suddenly. I'll wait."
The town hall, now empty, was occupied by knights of the Northern Orthodox Church.
"Mmm..."
Vlad sat on a chair, waiting for the leader who had departed on a mission, and quickly suppressed a yawn.
'I'm so sleepy.'
Seeing Jean and Nibelun sleeping on his shoulder, Vlad forced himself to open his eyes and wiped away some languid tears with his fingers.
However, once sleep started to descend, it became heavy, and his eyelids stuck together and wouldn't easily open.
"Eww..."
The air inside the building was warm, unlike the cold outside.
The camping we had been doing for the past few days and the relief of finally reaching our destination.
Vlad crossed his arms, thinking about the leader who could arrive at any moment, then lowered his head and fell asleep.
***
Let's spin, let's spin around the matches.
Let's joyfully sing around the matches.
Until the red hair turns black.
Until the song we were singing ends…
"…"
A dark yet bright place.
Was there even a festival?
I could hear children singing from the front.
In the dream where I was immersed in a swamp, there was a big bonfire, and the bonfire had a calm flame that illuminated the dark surroundings.
"…"
The space of my dream was a comfortable place, like a mother's arms.
This is a safe and happy place.
Feeling this way, Vlad unconsciously began to laugh as the children laughed and talked in front of him.
It would be great if there were also a place like this in the dark alleys.
Vlad, who suffered in a place where he was always cold and hungry, slowly advanced, drawn by the warmth provided by the bonfire.
Inside that bonfire was everything Vlad had wanted as a child.
Hot soup, a shelter with a roof, a cozy blanket, and even his mother's laughter.
They were all waiting for Vlad inside the bonfire.
Spin, spin, spin around the party.
Until the song I was singing ended.
Until all who were called fell.
[Vlad!]
"…!"
In an instant, I felt unbearable pain in my shoulder.
Though it was just a dream, Vlad suddenly regained consciousness and looked back with a surprised expression.
[Get out of this city right now!]
Then, I looked back at the place.
An unknown man with a darkened face was shouting at him.
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