Steel and Mana

Chapter 391 – Markoth’s Fears

Chapter 391 – Markoth’s Fears

Spring came quickly. At least, that was what the people of Markoth thought. While previously, the winter months felt the longest and darkest, this time around, it was nothing like that. It was cold, it was bloody, yes... but it was not dark.

As the weather began clearing, the temperature rose, and the icicles hanging from the rooftops began dripping while the sun was glaring down at the city more and more. But, the initial, relieved, and celebratory mood was very quickly squashed when the news began spreading:

Now that winter was over, the Avalonians who massacred any monster coming through the mountain opening were about to leave.

Leave? They never even thought about it... but the news was real. Their guardians were going to depart from the city the moment the snow had melted. Some suddenly thought that winter should have lasted just as long as previously, or at least, how they felt about it the past decade or so when it just never wanted to end.

Looking up at the clearing sky, the Knight's Errand was still there, floating above the city, but not for long. Maybe a week? Two weeks? Soon, it would pick up its Knights and then depart, leaving Markoth behind. But... they said they would protect them. No...?

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Mira was clutching her father’s sleeve as they stood near the city gates, her breath fogging in the still-cold air. She was one of those children who were brought into the apocalypse amidst an already fallen kingdom. At least, that was what she heard her father saying, asking for his own daughter's forgiveness after a few bottles of stale ale. She didn't really understand it as it was all she knew while growing up... but she did remember the way the monsters had clawed at the barricades and the screams echoing when they broke through.

How her mother was lost in such an attack when she was still little.

“Are they really leaving?” Mira whispered, looking at the Leviathan standing outside of the city. The Knights had become something more than heroes for her. She had heard many fables about knights coming to rescue the princesses, and for a moment, she thought it had become a reality. But in those fables, the knights never left.

Her father didn’t answer her questions. His hands, usually steady as he kneaded dough, being a simple baker, now trembled slightly. She had seen him afraid before, but this time, it was not like those moments. There was disappointment mixed into it—not in the Knights, but in himself, in Markoth. They were probably not worthy of saving... that was what her father once murmured.

"Tsk..." Nearby, a vagrant passing by them spat into the slush covering the streets. “Told you! Nobody can afford to keep guarding us when we can't repay them with anything. We have nothing... We are lucky they stuck with us through the winter!”

Mira's throat tightened after hearing him. The Avalonians weren’t supposed to be like this. There had to be some kind of mistake! They had come to help them, and they did. They had given them food, medicine, and promises, and they kept it all. Yes. They always kept their promises. The fact they were leaving wasn't making sense... they said they would shield them.

And she refused to accept that they would just leave like that. A Knight wouldn't break his oath... That was what she believed.

But similar whispers were spreading all around the city already.

“They’re taking their harvest... It was what truly mattered to them, not us.”

“They are abandoning us like everyone else.”

“They don’t care. We were just an outpost to them to lure the monsters out. We all how they collected the corpses... we were just a convenient bait!”

The stirrings were becoming so noticeable that the Avalonians spread the news that they would hold a meeting in the middle of the city. Urging everyone to come and attend because it was evident that the slowly panicking people wouldn't listen otherwise.

Before the meeting could start, a woman near the front of the crowd suddenly cried out. Her voice broke apart by the end, becoming raw with desperation.

“You can’t go! Not yet!” she yelled, and hundreds of others echoed her words right after.

The present guards exchanged uneasy glances, feeling the same way. They looked at the makeshift podium, wanting to hear it from their mouths. They had fought alongside the Avalonians and bled beside them. They knew they were doing no actual damage, and they were, in a way... being prepared, but if the Knights left, they would be the first to die when winter returned. Or when stragglers appeared. The kingdom wasn't safe yet, and even after their brief training, that didn't mean anything.

Amidst the loud shouts, General Oleg, who usually spent his days on the Knight's Errand or with the king, finally stepped onto the dais, his thick, black coat flapping behind him in the wind. Just like the rest of the Avalonian warriors, he was a mountain of a man in the eyes of the people. The moment his shadow settled onto the people gathering around the platform, sitting on rooftops, doing everything to be part of the gathering... they all fell silent.

He slowly raised his hand, holding something with a faint light, and spoke into it. Then, without much of a delay, his voice echoed from the Knight's Errand above them, letting everyone hear him within the city.

“My friends,” he began, his voice surprisingly calm and patient, without any anger or frustration. “I see your fear. We hear your pleas, but you are worrying about nothing. Have trust in us and have trust in Avalon.” he paused for a moment, letting his words settle, and the echoes die down before continuing. “Yes, the Knight's Errand and the current detachment, including the soldiers and the four Knights... We are returning to Avalon. Our duty ends with the winter. But we are not leaving because you no longer matter. We are leaving because a soldier can't fight without resting.”

Some felt understanding dawn on them. Some, like Mira, began feeling that it was, of course, the case. They had been fighting nonstop, and they forgot that they were also human. Even an Avalonian needs to rest, don't they? Why was nobody thinking of that? She now felt it; no, she knew that they weren't abandoning them.

“Our supplies ran dry a month ago,” Oleg continued. "The machines had suffered enough damage to need serious repairs, something that can't be done here."

"Let us help!" A man in the crowd, one of the remaining blacksmiths, his arms already fumbling for his little hammers, shouted, “We can work! We can! You can't leave us...! What happens if something attacks us? Will you be here?”

"Of course." Oleg’s gaze didn’t waver. “Avalon will be here."

A cold gust of wind rolled over the city, carrying his declaration not only through it but beyond it. Even in their current desperate and very much so afraid state, they could feel the truth behind his words. It lasted for a few seconds before doubt began creeping back into their minds. Yet, before anyone could ask another question, a loud horn's blaring noise rang out in the skies above the city.

The moment it happened, all their heads turned skyward, watching as the clouds towards the west began churning. Something was cutting through them from above, coming down from the sky like a whale. Unlike the first time, Jonas, watching with his fellow guards, didn't panic. Instead, his heart was filled with relief and a renewed conviction in Avalon and their promises.

It was another airship, looking precisely like the Knight's Errand, both in shape and size. It was just like previously, its sister-vessel carrying Knights attached to it. But there were only three this time around... and something else. A buzzing noise. As the crowd began discovering it, too, searching for its source, four small, flying machines broke past the clouds next to the airship, flying at a much quicker pace, cutting through the air right above the city before spreading out like a flower blooming.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, realizing that they didn't even see everything that Avalon had to offer.

"People of Markoth!" Oleg raised his head, smiled faintly, and continued speaking. “You asked what happens if something attacks,” he chuckled, eyes locked on the descending vessel. "Then… they’ll answer.”

As if responding to his words, which was probably true, the newly arriving airship let out a second, triumphant-feeling horn blast, slowly hovering over the city with a glimmering, silvery hull.

They were not abandoned after all.

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"I am blessed to meet you all." King Edric bowed when welcoming the newly arriving Avalonians.

"Let me introduce you all." Oleg smiled, standing within the castle, right between the king and Pion. "He is Commodore Pion, who will take over and direct the Avalonian forces after we leave."

"It is an honor," Edric said, repeating the bow while Pion returned it with a salute.

"Then," Oleg continued, "This is Lord Kalash." The moment Oleg said it, Edric noticed the change in his voice, his stance, and the title he used. This wasn't a Knight? Something was different—different enough that even the usually indifferent-looking general acted like a subordinate all of a sudden. "He is the father of our Sovereign."

The news immediately made the king stiffen, his bow going even deeper, making the blonde-haired man chuckle.

"No need for formalities." Kalash waved a hand, wanting to raise the king's head. "I am just a Knight nowadays, serving my own son. That is what a proud father should do, no?"

"As for the last one," Oleg added, not even flinching, "He is Knight Polo."

"Sir!" The young man saluted, being the youngest among everybody who he had seen. But he was already a Knight... which also meant he was very talented. What Edric didn't realize was that Polo was more experienced than any of the four spending the winter with them.

"As for the last Knight, he is Nathel." Oleg finished, introducing the third pilot, who was also an experienced man, ascending the ranks right after Veron. Just like Polo, he saluted, gazing at the king, remaining just as composed as his peers.

Even then, the king knew that Avalon had spent people who were counted as veterans. The exact reason for this became evident as soon as Pion continued their discussion, taking it over from Oleg.

"My Sovereign will be meeting you, King Edric," He said calmly after they all finished the initial pleasantries. "You will depart with the Knight's Errant while the Stormbringer remains here."

"I am?" the king asked, blinking his eyes in surprise. But the question was not because he was hesitant; it was quite the opposite. He was more than excited to go; it was just... unexpected.

"Yes." Pion nodded. "Our Sovereign wants to meet you personally and iron out the deal between our countries. You must understand that he is the only person who can make the ultimate decision, not us, neither of us."

"Yes." Edric nodded, looking at the others without hesitation. "I am ready to leave whenever you wish to do so, General Oleg."

"Still, while you are away," Pion continued, "we will do what we were sent here to do."

"Which is?" Edric asked, looking at him, who then leaned back and waved a hand at Kalash.

"Lord Kalash had been defending the Pass back in Avalon before our Sovereign. He was sent here because he has the most experience in raising an army that can fight. Avalon can't always be here, so we will decide if we can boost you to be a proper army... or do we need to transport you all away."

"Transport... away?" the king gawked, almost stuttering, looking at them, watching as Kalash began speaking.

"Depending on what happens, my son may decide to accept you all into Avalon. But that is just a last-resort option. We would prefer if you could be raised to be the guardians of this opening in the mountains. For that reason, I will take control of Markoth's remaining military and begin training the people."

"Also," Pion added with a smile, watching the king's shocked expression, "the Stormbringer is an offensive variant of our airships."

"Offensive?" Edric mumbled as he couldn't really comprehend it. If the Knight's Errant wasn't... then... what did the word offensive mean in Avalon?

"Yes. We will keep sweeping the country and find possible points of interest where monsters may be hiding."

"And then exterminate them." Kalash finished for him, "Depending on your meeting with my son, there is a high chance we will help you rebuild your country... and plug the hole in the mountain. But," he smiled, leaning back in his chair, "that will be decided between you and my son."