SOTBW - 123

“Achoo!”

Amelia, who had been crouched under a tree, sneezed for no apparent reason. She rubbed under her nose with a bewildered expression and sniffled quietly.

“Is someone badmouthing me?”

Amelia scratched her ear with a grimace and glanced toward the knight’s quarters. She had been waiting for Belshua to return all morning, but there was still no news. She had heard from the knights that Belshua had gone out with an exit permit, but everyone gave her the same useless advice, saying that he would return eventually.

The reason Amelia was waiting for Belshua was because of Ashu’s advice. She wasn’t sure if Belshua was truly in debt from gambling, but if she could learn swordsmanship from Romsoa’s knights, she could improve her skills. No matter how systematically other orders trained, Romsoa’s swordsmanship was the best. As a servant to Romsoa, Amelia took some pride in the knights’ sword skills here.

So, she had planned to take a gamble and ask Belshua to teach her swordsmanship, using his gambling debt as leverage, but now it seemed like he wasn’t coming back anytime soon. Today was one of the rare days when Amelia could freely roam the knight’s quarters.

It was rare for Maximón to be away from the order for long. Lately, it seemed like he had been going out more with Najane, but still, he usually didn’t leave the order for more than a couple of hours.

Amelia shivered in the cold as she looked up at the knight’s quarters. It didn’t seem like Belshua would be returning anytime soon. Wondering if she could meet Ashu again, she wandered around the first floor but didn’t find him.

“Is today just not going to work out...?”

Soon, she would have to return to the Recheo Knights for training. Amelia planned to return to Romsoa around sunset. Of course, once she returned, she would rush to the servant’s quarters to pick up the piled-up tasks. After ironing the clothes stacked like a mountain without any wrinkles, it would be dawn. She would collapse into bed, and when the sun rose, she’d run to the dining hall to prepare breakfast, and then go back to the Recheo Knights...

Amelia sighed deeply. If she didn’t talk to Belshua now, there would be no time later.

“Hey, Amelia. You look pretty again today!”

At that moment, two knights who had just finished their personal practice in the training grounds called out to Amelia. She brushed off the dirt from her skirt and greeted them politely.

“It’s been a while. Are you on your way back from training?”

“We had some time left before we had to supervise the mercenaries’ swordsmanship, so we did some personal practice. But what are you doing here? Waiting for someone? Najane should be at his private quarters.”

“No, I’m... “

“You heard the rumors about Najane, right? The order was in an uproar. Honestly, I was shocked too... Well, since even the archbishop knows, it must be true.”

“Rumors?”

Amelia asked, not understanding. The knights, who had been wrapping towels around their necks, paused in surprise.

“Wait, you... you really haven’t heard the rumors?”

“I’ve been too busy lately to chat with people. What’s going on? Is Najane leaving Romsoa?”

Amelia asked as if she were ready to pack her bags immediately. The knights imagined the commotion if Najane really did intend to leave Romsoa, and they shuddered. Now that they were certain of Maximón’s views on Najane, any similar event could be disastrous for the order.

One of the knights sharply waved his hand as if to stop her from speaking such dreadful things.

“Careful with your words! Saying things like that can become a reality.”

“Ah, so what’s the rumor? Please tell me!”

When Amelia shouted in frustration, the knight snapped back.

“They say there’s a curse on Najane’s body!”

“...What?”

“You really didn’t know? You were his personal servant, right? You must’ve seen something strange, like tattoos or something, when you helped him wash or change clothes.”

Startled, Amelia couldn’t respond and covered her mouth in shock. When she had been Najane’s personal servant, she had felt something was off. He bathed alone, and when changing clothes, he would ask her to step out for a moment...

She had assumed it was because he hated showing his bare skin or had large scars. After all, there were servants who disliked bathing together, so she had let it slide.

But a curse?

This was something she could never have imagined. Amelia’s face turned pale at the unexpected revelation.

“I’ve heard it’s the curse of a billy goat. You know, the one that’s branded onto a sex slave. But apparently, Najane isn’t actually a slave?”

“Yeah, I think it’s said that he was cursed when he was trafficked?”

“Ah, right. He even explained it in front of the knights. There are some people who don’t believe it, though...”

The knights scratched their cheeks and told Amelia all the details of the rumors they had heard. Amelia just listened quietly, unable to think of anything in her blank state.

Anyone who didn’t know about the curse of the billy goat probably wouldn’t understand. It’s the most disgusting and horrific curse. It makes one go into heat like an animal, and if they don’t satisfy their lust, they go mad...

In that moment, Amelia’s mind briefly flashed to the image of Najane enjoying his cigarette. It was a type of cigarette mixed with sedatives and narcotics, which soldiers also used, and she had thought he smoked it to overcome his fear. Even though it was provided by the knight’s order, she had reminded him to smoke in moderation since it wasn’t good for the body.

Women cursed by the billy goat curse often end up selling their bodies to satisfy their heat or rely on drugs to survive, eventually becoming addicts. As a result, those who became addicted often ended up in brothels.

Amelia could no longer focus on the knights’ chatter. She could understand Najane keeping the curse a secret, but she couldn’t understand it either. At least, shouldn’t he have told her?

Despite knowing that she should consider Najane’s situation, she felt hurt. What she was feeling wasn’t just simple disappointment. She was angry and sad, realizing that she hadn’t been a reliable person for Najane.

And the thought crossed her mind that she shouldn’t tell anyone about this feeling. What if she asked Najane why he hid the curse from her, and he felt hurt by it? What if he got upset? What should she do then? After all, we’re friends, so if you’re hiding something, I should just understand, right?

But... yeah, we’re friends. Maybe he could have told me. Friends should be able to vent and lean on each other... I’ve always tried to be someone he could rely on, but in the end, he didn’t trust me.

Ah... no, Amelia. Don’t think like that. You can talk to Najane. Maybe he just forgot to mention it. Yeah, that’s probably it. But wait—how come even the knights who aren’t close to Najane know everything? I knew nothing at all... Could he have been too busy to remember me? Or did he just not think of me at all...?

“...Hey, Amelia. Are you okay? You seem pretty shocked.”

One of the knights noticed Amelia and asked. Amelia withdrew her hands from her face and forced a smile. Though she smiled brightly as if nothing was wrong, her expression was strangely dark, but the oblivious knights didn’t notice anything.

“I’m a bit shocked, but I’m fine. By the way, I didn’t know he was cursed like that... I guess the captain knew about it? But I really don’t know anything about Najane. Oh, I need to get back to work now. If Belshua returns, please tell him I’m looking for him. I’d appreciate it!”

“Ah, okay! Got it!”

The knights didn’t pay much attention to Amelia’s awkward expression.

Amelia quickly ran toward the front gate of the knights’ quarters, hoping not to run into anyone. It was still a while before training would start at the Recheo Knights, but she ran frantically as if she were late for an appointment. As she ran with all her strength, the cold wind on her face made her nose and ears ache.

Amelia, forcing her icy eyes open, eventually buried her face in her scarf. The loosely woven scarf quickly became damp.

Once the tears started, they didn’t stop. It hurt so much, feeling as though she was the only one who valued their relationship. Amelia didn’t know how to end the resentment she felt toward Najane. Everything she was feeling seemed wrong.

At times like this, the only thing Amelia could do was run away. That was always her only option. So, like when she once ran away from her dilapidated home, she distanced herself from the Romsoa Knights.

By the time Amelia arrived at the Recheo Knights, the news that Maximón’s group had returned was spreading quickly, almost like an infectious disease. To confirm Maximón’s return, a soldier on the city wall rang the large bell more than ten times at a rapid pace.

The sound, like metal hitting the ground, echoed for a long time through the knights’ quarters. The sound seemed to forewarn of a great storm approaching the peaceful fortress.

The bell rang loudly, and before long, the knight commanders began to gather in the meeting room. They entered with dark or puzzled expressions, unlike usual. The young soldiers who had gathered for training watched them with anxious eyes. Among them was Amelia, but as she looked at the commanding knights’ dignified figures, she quickly turned her head away.

Maximón entered last, accompanied by Jacob. There were two empty seats in the meeting room. That meant all the commanders had gathered. Jacob stood behind Maximón and quietly closed the meeting room door without making a sound.

The room was so cold that one’s breath was visible. Quick-witted Olkoni hurriedly lit a fire in the fireplace, but it would take a while for the room to warm up.

Phesis of the Selenu Knights muttered irritably while wiping his forearm.

“I don’t know what you saw out there, but you better have some meaningful results to share. Now, quickly tell me why you called for this emergency meeting.”

As soon as Phesis finished speaking, the commanders fixed their gaze on Maximón.

Maximón, apparently not intending to drag out the meeting, immediately got to the point.

“I found footprints in the forest.”

“Footprints from the Serith? Those things would probably crawl around like insects where there are no humans, right?”

Alec of the Dellerna Knights asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah. But there were clear signs of walking. It looked like several of them were moving together, as all the trees had been knocked down.”

“Wait, did you go deep into the forest?”

Olkoni muttered in surprise.

Maximón calmly responded, “Yeah.”

“Did they perhaps learn something new?”

Alec asked in a serious tone. However, the idea of Serith walking around where there were no humans wasn’t too alarming. After all, they stood on two legs when hunting humans. Maximón let out a short sigh and looked at the commanders.

“What matters right now isn’t what the Serith have learned. The problem is...”

Maximón trailed off, frowning.

“The problem is the footprints I found are ridiculously large.”

“How large?”

Curis from the Eschus Knights immediately asked, and Maximón gestured toward the table in the meeting room with his chin.

“They were bigger than this table.”

“...What?”

“The size of the adult Serith is at least double what we know, or so I estimate.”

When Maximón finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the meeting room.

The knights were able to fight adult Serith because, over time, they had developed strategies that gave humans an advantage at great cost. The only knights who could afford a little leeway even when facing an adult Serith were from the Romsoa Knights.

Other knight orders had to send at least ten knights to fight a single adult Serith, and any ones they couldn’t eliminate were dealt with by knights in the rear or archers on the walls, using arrows or cannons.

Adult Serith were already quite large. But now, a much larger individual had appeared.

The commanders lowered their gazes, unable to say anything.

“Ha, this is... really something...”

At that moment, Taylor, who had remained silent the whole time, let out a long sigh. Taylor straightened his hunched back and surveyed the commanders.

Maximón crossed his arms and stared at Taylor. The teacher gave a weary smile as he looked at his pupil.

“Looks like this meeting will go on longer without any solutions. We’ll need to add more firewood to the fireplace.”

At those words, Olkoni quickly ran to the fireplace. The sound of logs being thrown into the fire echoed through the room.

Taylor placed both hands on the cold table and smiled calmly, like a seasoned veteran.

“Since the fortress hasn’t fallen yet, we must fulfill our duty. Let’s continue the meeting quickly. If anyone has a good idea, don’t hesitate to speak up.”