Chapter 77: Shedding Season
People change. As they age, experience accumulates, and through it, they slowly transform themselves. By reflecting on yesterday's failures, they make different choices today.
Calix was no different.
'I'm not ashad. Not once, have I ever felt embarrassed…….'
At the edge of his ear, Gregor's voice brushed past.
'Heart. If you don't fill it with that……. Neither the sword, nor the fla, nor anything else will follow.'
'Is it to protect, or do you want to destroy? Or is there so special conviction you carry?'
'What is it that you actually want to do?'
When had it started?
Calix was changing.
Like picking up fallen apples and placing them one by one into a basket, he had carefully stacked the wise old man's counsel. And at so point, those fruits had gathered together and expanded the territory of his heart.
The illegitimate son of Marquis Ashapel no longer exists.
The slave of the Mana Stone mine, 70715, does not exist either.
Neither does the conscript who was operated on at will by a deranged Magitech Engineer.
Only the Antelopes' Calix remains.
And so he refused to live with regret. In matters he deed necessary, he would be the first to step forward. As the Antelopes were, he was no longer a helpless being. He believed it himself, and was certain of it.
With that, he stepped one pace forward, cutting through the atmosphere of confusion.
The conversation with the wanderers ended quickly. Fewer than 200 people. They themselves did not know what they wanted, but it was possible to understand what needed to be done for them.
Calix took a mont to collect his breath and looked around. The mbers stood in silence, wearing complicated expressions. Though they showed bewildernt, they did not flatly turn anyone away.
Just as he felt the necessity of change, the Antelopes instinctively knew as well. They now possessed the strength to save soone.
Therefore, this choice would inevitably and rightfully beco a necessary growing pain.
Soon, Calix straightened his back and walked forward with an unwavering gaze.
"Captain."
"……."
Royce, as if reading his will from his eyes alone, exhaled a short breath and gave a small nod.
* * *
Rather than demanding a lengthy explanation, the Commander of the Antelopes answered quietly.
"Irresponsible action is a sin. Do you have a plan?"
His single sentence spoke for the Antelopes' feelings. The mont the wanderers had been separated, the veteran rcenaries sward like hornets the instant they heard Calix's proposal.
"The mission cos first. We didn't co here to save anyone."
Vice-captain Marik expressed his opposition with a stiffened expression, and Basim shook his head side to side, adding his own words.
"Looking at that sorry sight, anyone who isn't moved—that'd be the dwarf part of . But it's too dangerous. The warhorses alone won't be able to hold out. They're barely managing as it is."
Not only that—Zahira and Hadiya had both taken the opposing side as well.
"Once we clear the forest, flat plains stretch out ahead. The more open the sightline, the higher the likelihood of becoming a target."
"We're fewer than 50 people. A head-on engagent is out of the question. Taking those people with us……. Honestly, it makes no sense. Our speed will slow down incomparably."
"Exactly. That's not to say helping them is wrong. The problem is whether you can take responsibility for that choice."
The majority of the veteran rcenaries nodded at those final words. They were all asking Calix the sa question.
'Can you truly handle this?'
At the very least, Ella and Volga had expressed agreent, but apart from them, no one else seed to be on board. Yet Calix did not back down easily.
He stepped into the center of the group and spoke calmly.
"We need to think long-term. This isn't simply about extending goodwill."
Gazes laced with skepticism embedded themselves one by one into him. First, he had to soften the negative emotions.
"We are the 'Antelopes'. But the weight of that na has changed. Yesterday's Antelopes and today's Antelopes may share the sa na, yet are entirely different. Our reputation is spreading. The eyes of kingdom citizens carry respect when they look at us, and our enemies perceive us as a threatening force."
"……."
"That is also true. We are fewer than 50 people. But right now—how many Imperial soldiers are we leading around? And what did we show against the Knight Order known as Blutspheer?"
And then, he delivered the shock.
"The Antelopes are no longer rcenaries."
"……What do you an—"
"Even now, you weigh imdiate gains, asure risks, and treat every matter as though it were a commissioned job……. Yes, we are no longer just a rcenary band. The outside world will not see us that way. It's only that the Antelopes haven't realized it themselves—no one calls us wanderers living off the edge of a blade anymore."
In that instant, the forest fell silent.
Vice-captain Marik sank into deep thought, while Volga let out a kng—a huff of spirited breath through his nose. The Antelopes reacted in various ways. So nodded without realizing it, while others showed signs of hesitation or wore expressions of dissatisfaction.
Just then, a man whose face was covered in countless scars stepped forward. It was Hagen, a veteran rcenary who always carried a sharp edge to his manner.
"But we're not a real Knight Order either. You speak as if we've built so grand reputation, but in the end, we're neither one thing nor the other. Am I wrong?"
It was a tily assist.
"Precisely. That is exactly the problem."
"……What?"
"We stand at a crossroads. Our substance is still that of rcenaries, yet our external reputation is changing ahead of us. This is a very dangerous situation. Because we are neither knights nor rcenaries, one wrong move and we will face attacks from every direction. Whether we return to Astria or operate in Elvra, the sa will hold true."
"……That's fair. Once the war ends, the nobles won't leave us alone. They'll see us as a thorn in their side."
Calix paused briefly to steady himself, eting the eyes of the Antelopes surrounding him, one by one.
"But crisis is also opportunity. War is not fought with swords alone. We are not helping those people—we are making them a ans."
"Making them a ans?"
"Yes. We show the world. We prove what the 'Antelopes' are, and what they move for. And through this, we must make known that we are those deserving of respect from anyone."
It was his way of saying that just as a fledgling must one day leave the nest, they too had to make a dangerous decision in order to rise higher.
Even so, fully convincing the other side was out of reach.
"……The words are awfully pretty. But reality is a gutter. So what exactly are you proposing we do? How far do we go for those slow-moving people?"
When Hagen posed the crucial question with a smirk, Calix answered imdiately.
"We only need to help those people escape the encirclent just enough so they aren't massacred by the Imperial forces. Around 200 people is entirely manageable. If we use a decoy strategy in tandem, it shouldn't be too difficult."
What followed was the murmuring of the Antelopes.
"Even on the plains, if we use the Draug, I think we could sohow manage……."
"Didn't they say we need to shake off that monster before entering Viale Mountain Alliance territory?"
"Hmm, right. They said the mountain terrain of Sasingyal is especially rugged. We can't be chased all the way in there."
The mood had clearly softened, yet the skepticism had not fully dissipated. Having never moved without any form of compensation, the anxiety toward this new option seeped through clearly.
At that mont, Gregor suddenly opened his mouth.
"There's rit in all of it! But comrades—are we truly in such a desperate situation right now?"
"Pardon?"
"It seems like everyone's tucked their tails in awfully tight, that's all. There's at most 200 of them, isn't there? Surely clearing a path for that many is entirely within our reach? That's how I see it!"
In response, Hagen once again stepped forward to push back.
"We……. Encountered a similar situation before. Back then, we also chose to avoid the danger. Why must we make a different choice now?"
The veteran rcenary laughed heartily and answered with a bright expression.
"Why, because we're people, of course. Even insects shed their skin and are reborn when the ti cos—what would stop the Antelopes from molting?"
"Even so—"
"When you have no strength, you can run. That is no sin. But when one who has the right to act runs away—that is a cowardly choice. Is that not so?"
Sha crept and hid among the leaves, and soon a quiet silence blanketed the forest.
And a short while later, Royce made his decision.
* * *
The old man's hearing was poor. His back and knees had not been well for a long ti, and lately he frequently missed the aning of words spoken to him.
Every knuckle was twisted with arthritis, and after only a few steps his legs would swell terribly. Days when his coughing ceased were rare, and when the calluses cracked, pus flowed instead of blood.
It was because he had been running for far too long.
He had gone hungry for far too long, and shivered for far too long.
But the reason he could not lay his ailing body down was because within the wrapping cloth in his hands—there existed a life far more fragile than his own.
"The Antelopes are…… Leaving!"
"……Let's follow them!"
Thankfully, this ti he did not miss the sound of the words.
The wanderers hurriedly pulled themselves to their feet and headed out of the forest. They simply followed, one after another, in the Antelopes' wake. Having not heard that it was alright to follow, they feared they might even be attacked……. But there was no other choice.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.
Prrrr——
Soon, the silhouette of a warhorse's hind legs appeared in the old man's hazy field of vision. He confird the presence of the Antelopes with his own eyes, and yet his fingers trembled instead.
'We……Have no animals to ride.'
If they galloped ahead, that would be the end of it. Gazes filled with anxiety, impatience, and hope crossed one another. All of the wanderers knew that truth.
Yet the Antelopes did not gallop.
The warhorses seed to break into a brief trot before slowing their pace, and soon moved their hooves in step with the people's footfalls.
That was precisely when it happened.
"How many months old is that one?"
"Born last autumn."
"Still hasn't lost the newborn color. Hand it over here."
"……?"
A large man mounted on a horse took the swaddling cloth wrapping the infant. And then, another rider leaned down and extended a hand to the old man.
"May I look after it for a mont."
"……."
"You look as though you might collapse, and I'm worried."
The old man nodded without a word and handed the treasure from his arms over to the other.
"Calix, I received the baby first, alright? I absolutely did not copy you."
"Mm."
The veteran rcenaries heard the exchange between Volga and Calix and let out sighs. But soon, one by one—they accepted the Commander's choice.
Hadiya dismounted to walk and let a child ride in her place; Zahira distributed spare rations; Ella recited prayers for the injured.
Throughout the process, not a single word was spoken. The Antelopes simply moved, and forming one group together with the wanderers, they moved toward the plains.
"I suppose we've t the real knights."
The old man responded to the voice that drifted into his ears. With his dulled hearing, there was no way he could catch a whisper. It must certainly have been a hallucination of his own—yet he shook his head vigorously.
"No, they're nothing like that."
What he saw reflected in those eyes——
"……They are heroes."
They were not re knights.
But the ripple of that choice did not end there.
Whoooosh.
From a distance, a cloud of dust rose. As the Antelopes and hundreds of refugees appeared in the heart of the northwest—those who had been hiding among forests and valleys, between rocks, and beneath the earth began to erge one after another in a long procession.
People gathered in uncountable numbers.
The Antelopes, without even realizing it themselves, were about to shoulder an enormous weight.
The scattered sparks were on the verge of becoming a wave.
* * *
The imperial palace of the Niboria Empire.
The Emperor clenched his fist and opened it, then clenched it again, repeating the motion. His fingertips struck the silver ornant of the armrest again and again.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Once beca twice, and……. Before long, fifteen tis.
Even so, his fury did not subside.
'……The Antelopes.'
Barely 50 people.
Yet those insignificant wretches had overturned the tide of the battlefield in the span of a single month.
Once the food supply was cut, the soldiers at the front line stole from one another and even killed their own commanders. For the sole reason that rations had been reduced, blades had plunged and lives had been snuffed out.
There were dozens of such cases alone.
"The Antelopes are sowhere out there……."
As if that were not enough, the rear regions fell into a state of panic at this single, simple utterance. Fear was eroding the army's discipline. Every day, slowly, yet surely.
Rumor was spreading.
"That, that is……. It is rather because we kept the existence of the monster a secret……."
The Emperor steadied his breathing and closed his eyes. Perhaps that decision had been a mistake. But Caracal does not err. He must not.
"Who could have known the monster would venture beyond a specific region. I will not lay bla, so cease ntioning it."
"However, Your Majesty, we humbly submit that it is urgent to dispatch clergy."
At the entreaties of his ministers, his brow twitched.
"That is not possible. Do you an to ask a favor of the Elvra Holy Empire? I ignored their request and comnced war with Astria. We cannot go begging with outstretched hands now."
"……."
As silence fell across the great hall, the speed at which he clenched and unclenched his fist quickened. The Emperor was aware of the problem as well.
The existence of the monster had been concealed, yet this had produced the opposite effect.
Because Niboria had controlled information regarding the Draug, the catastrophe in the north had beco solely credited as the Antelopes' military achievent.
Following Blutspheer, 2,000 more soldiers had all been devoured. By whom, exactly? By a re rcenary band. Through the strength of 50 alone, a combined total of over 3,000 Imperial soldiers had been annihilated, and the elite forces of the front line had been dragged off the stage.
From the perspective of other nations, it would feel like an utterly absurd rumor. An achievent so extraordinary it beggared belief. Yet at the sa ti, it was a result that could not be denied.
'Blutspheer, catastrophic defeat. Antelopes currently disrupting the rear.'
'Arkensilm interdiate supply base, burned to the ground.'
'Niboria Empire, casualties mounting. Knight-class forces, minimum 600 confird dead.'
'Astria, preparing a full-scale counterattack. Signs of the war's tide reversing.'
Spies operating in the central reaches of the continent sent urgent dispatches back to their ho nations.
With the sole supply route through the mountain range severed and the supply lines torn out, the Imperial forces had retreated.
The Antelopes moved like the wind, simultaneously exerting influence across both the front and rear.
The Niboria Imperial Army seed as though it were fighting ghosts.
By that point, those who had dismissed the rumors as absurd began to stir from their comfortable seats.
Emperor Caracal asked precisely about that.
"Is there any other news that has co in?"
"There are several reports from the Astria side, Your Majesty. First, Duke Saitz appears to be quiet. So nobles are raising the opinion that they must counterattack, but he reportedly gives no response."
Good news.
Yet imdiately after, unfavorable news clung on one after another.
"There is also intelligence that ships from the Latia Republic have docked at a port in the kingdom's south."
"Ships?"
"It, it does not appear there was any prior discussion……. But they are said to have been filled with grain."
How like Latia. The kind to cling to whoever's liver, then cling to whoever's gallbladder. It grated on him, but since it was not a deploynt of troops, there was no need to concern himself directly.
Yet the report showed no sign of ending.
"The Gardia Kingdom in the continent's southeast has renewed its troop dispatch contract. As the kingdom of rcenaries, they appear to be reacting most acutely to this situation."
"……."
"To the west, the movents of the Kalahim desert tribes are unsettling. Several of the Great Chiefs are said to be calling for military intervention, claiming the Antelopes have elevated the honor of warriors."
"……."
"From the Elvra Holy Empire, the Pope has sent an official letter. The Antelopes stand alongside the Holy Empire in shared cause, and to attack them would inflict great harm upon the safety of the continent……."
In that instant, the Emperor's hand stopped for the first ti. The fist resting on the armrest loosened. Yet the silence that followed was heavier than before.
'This is no longer a matter of revenge.'
The death of Centurion Artinger?
The wretched end of that noble's son had already beco a thing of the past.
Far more than that, what now turned his gut inside out was——
'The Empire's honor has been wounded.'
Two simple characters lodged themselves sowhere near his throat. Words that no one dared to utter aloud. But Emperor Caracal knew it with certainty. The mont honor crumbled, authority evaporated. A force built over 100 years seed on the verge of collapse, brought down by a small fla revealed on a mountain's flank.
And so he could no longer hold back.
"……Summon Akran."
The air of the great hall cracked——and froze. Even the royal guards within the hall turned their heads. A taut tension spread, and the sound of swallowing could be heard from the ministers' throats.
"The Empire's supre blade, Imran Akran."
And then, from sowhere far in the distance, a storm approached and knocked upon the palace gates.
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