The Commander of the Cavalry

“Walk? Where to?”

Yohan was puzzled when the Captain, who was always with Anna, came looking for him.

“Around the forest.”

The Captain vaguely pointed to the dense woods with his finger.

“Oh… yes. I understand.”

He didn’t seem to be joking (he wasn’t the type to joke anyway), and he seemed to have something to say, so Yohan shook off the dirt from his body and stood up.

With the Captain’s appearance, the members who had been beating him up were now whistling with their hands behind their backs, as if nothing had happened.

‘You bastards.’

He had given them definite information, yet they repaid kindness with malice. He would never introduce them to a good business again, Yohan vowed.

“Is there anything I should take?”

Yohan asked, equipping his leather armor and bow, and the Captain scanned him up and down.

“Paper, pen.”

“Pardon?”

Yohan frowned at the slightly odd request.

“I suppose I should bring paper and a pen too.”

The Captain, uttering words with an inscrutable meaning, walked out of the camp first.

Yohan hurriedly followed him, receiving paper and a pen from the members.

The members stared in the direction the Captain and Yohan had left, then gathered again and began to chatter about a new topic.

In the end, it was proven that the punishment of Yohan was just a game for the bored members.

Yohan never knew this fact.

The footsteps of people and horses were not enough to leave their mark on the great nature.

Dense trees and overgrown weeds made walking difficult.

In fact, leading a horse deep into the forest was a bad decision in itself.

Unless they were completely hidden and undetected, they would be easy prey for fire attacks, given their position had already been exposed.

But the situation was urgent, and the cavalry, needing to buy time to hide and treat the Captain, reluctantly entered the forest.

And Yohan kept thinking about it.

Yohan touched a very old tree and stroked its outer bark.

He could feel the rough traces of time.

Yohan maintained a reasonable distance from the Captain, who was walking ahead.

“Captain, you didn’t call me just to ask if I’m still gambling, did you? I’m different from before. I’m setting aside a fixed amount for gambling, so you don’t have to worry. Hahaha.”

Despite Yohan’s anxious confession, the Captain remained silent.

He had only told him to follow, and said nothing else.

“Tch. Not that, huh.”

Since the Captain was always taciturn, Yohan didn’t find it strange.

However, he was curious as to why he had called him instead of Anna.

The Captain continued to move away from the camp.

Perhaps it was too difficult to navigate the chaotic forest, beads of sweat formed on the foreheads of the two men.

“Captain, where are we going?”

“I have something to tell.”

It was a vague answer, but Yohan understood it as meaning he would use the pen and paper.

“If we go this way, that’s where the Imperial Army is. Well, to be precise, it should be called the main camp. Anyway, it seems like the Imperial Army is all over the forest.”

“You knew?”

The Captain, who had been walking ahead, turned around, and Yohan shrugged.

“I found out while hunting yesterday. They’re maintaining a certain distance, but they’re deploying troops at key points.”

“Anna didn’t seem to know.”

“That’s proof that I’m better than Anna. That’s why I told you, I’m more suited to be the vice-captain than Anna. Oh, of course, it’s not because the vice-captain’s salary is higher.”

Yohan grinned, revealing his teeth.

“Watching you, it seems you get along well with the members.”

The Captain said, looking at his smile.

“Yes? Ah… well, I don’t have any particularly bad relationships. We’ve been together since the mercenary days, after all.”

Yohan laughed as if asking why he was asking the obvious.

“What are the members thinking now?”

“What are they thinking…”

“In just one more day, we’ll have to face the Imperial Army.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Yohan tilted his head and scratched it. The paper and pen in his pocket felt cumbersome.

“Are there any members who want to avoid the battle? Or who are feeling fear?”

“Hey—where would you find guys like that? You’re asking strange things.”

Yohan said, widening his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.

“I see.”

The reply was short.

Walking and walking, they had reached the edge of the forest before they knew it.

Looking further into the distance, they could see the Empire’s massive military camp.

“I wanted you to write a letter for me. My hands still aren’t working.”

“Just tell me what to write.”

Yohan replied, taking out the crumpled paper.

The Captain looked at the military camp and opened his mouth, and Yohan wrote his words on the paper.

Perhaps because he was transcribing his thoughts, the content of the letter felt somewhat talkative compared to the Captain’s usual demeanor.

He showed the finished letter to the Captain, who glanced over it indifferently and then said to Yohan.

“Attach it to an arrow and shoot it over there.”

“I shouldn’t shoot it at a person, right?”

“Of course.”

“What a waste.”

Yohan looked genuinely disappointed.

Yohan attached the letter to an arrow and tied a red string to the shaft.

He placed the arrow on the bowstring and pulled it back. His sculpted muscles were revealed.

Pshew, the arrow flew through the air. It was clearly visible because of the string attached to it.

It flew as if tearing through the sky and landed in front of the enemy’s sentry. Perhaps if the Captain had allowed it, it might have landed on the sentry’s head.

“Let’s go back.”

The Captain said as the sentry who found the arrow took it inside.

On the way back to the camp, Yohan couldn’t contain his itchy mouth and asked the Captain.

“But, will the Emperor come out?”

“He will. He’ll want to see me.”

“……..”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just something unlucky to say. But because it’s the Captain saying it, I just think it’s true.”

The Captain chuckled at Yohan’s words. Yohan also felt good at the rare smile.

It was always good to see someone smile.

“Captain. I heard from Anna… that there might be a traitor among us….”

Yohan asked cautiously.

“It’s not ‘might be,’ there is.”

“…Isn’t that just the Captain’s misunderstanding?”

“I wish it were, but unfortunately.”

The Captain trailed off.

“…Damn it. Which bastard doesn’t know gratitude.”

“Gratitude?”

“Everyone has been helped by the Captain. There may be differences in degree, but the fact that there’s someone in the cavalry who repays kindness with malice… I can’t believe it. No, I don’t want to believe it.”

“I see.”

“Aren’t you upset? You treated them like family.”

“Hmm… they might have felt resentful. Or, they might be pretending not to know.”

The Captain spoke as if he were considering the feelings of others.

Yohan pouted at the ambiguous answer.

“So, what are you going to do? Shouldn’t we catch the traitor so we can at least try to fight the Imperial Army?”

“Yohan. Do you trust me?”

“I do.”

“Then I, as the Captain of the cavalry, must do what I have to do.”

The Captain, who had been walking ahead, stared at Yohan.

“The things a cavalry captain must choose.”

Suddenly, Yohan felt unfamiliar with the Captain.