The Nature of Possession

375 – EP.13 The Captain of the Cavalry

***

“Where are you walking?”

When the captain, who always accompanied Anna, came looking for him, Johan was bewildered.

“Around the forest.”

The captain pointed vaguely at the dense forest with his finger.

“Uh… yes. I understand.”

It didn’t seem like he was joking (he wasn’t the type to joke around), but it seemed like he had something to say, so Yohan stood up and dusted himself off.

As the captain appeared, the men who had been beating him were whistling with their hands behind their backs as if nothing had happened.

‘Bad kids.’

Even though I gave you solid information, you repaid my favor with enmity. I will never introduce you to a good business again. John vowed.

“What do I need to pack?”

As John asked, packing his bow into his leather armor, the captain looked him over.

“Paper, pen.”

“yes?”

John frowned at the somewhat odd object.

“I should also bring some paper and a pen.”

The leader, whose intentions were unclear, walked out of the camp first.

John followed him in a hurry, taking paper and pens from his men.

The men looked in the direction where the captain and John had left, then gathered together again and began to chat about a new topic.

In the end, it was proven that the punishment for John was just a game played by bored members.

John never knew this fact.

***

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

The dense trees and overgrown weeds made walking difficult.

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

If you were hiding without being caught at all, it would be fine, but if your location is discovered, you become prey to chemical weapons.

But the situation was urgent, and the cavalry, who had to hide for a moment to buy time to treat their captain, entered the forest in tears.

And John continued to be concerned about it.

John put his hand on a very old tree and scratched its bark.

I felt the rough traces of time.

John kept a suitable distance from the captain who was ahead.

“Captain, you didn’t call me to ask if I still gamble, did you? I’m not like I used to be. I have a set amount of money that I use for gambling, so don’t worry. Hahahaha.”

Even after John’s confession, the captain remained silent.

He just told me to follow him, he didn’t say anything else.

“Huh. This is it.”

Since he was always a quiet captain, John didn’t think it was strange.

However, I was curious as to why she called me and not Anna.

The captain continued to walk away from the campsite.

It must have been very difficult to make their way through the dizzying forest, as sweat beaded on the two men’s foreheads.

“Captain, where are you going?”

“I have something to tell you.”

It was a vague answer, but John understood it to mean that he would use pen and paper.

“If you go this way, you’ll see the Imperial Army. Well, to be exact, you could call it the headquarters. It seems like the Imperial Army is spread out all around the forest anyway.”

“Did you know?”

When the captain who was walking ahead looked back, Yohan shrugged his shoulders.

“I found out while hunting yesterday. They are keeping a reasonable distance, but they have deployed troops at major routes.”

“Anna didn’t seem to know.”

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

John smiled, showing his teeth.

“From what I’ve seen, it seems like you’re on good terms with your teammates.”

The captain said, looking at his smile.

“Huh? Oh… Well, we’re not particularly on bad terms or anything. We’ve been together since the mercenary group.”

Yohan laughed as if asking why something so obvious was being asked.

“What are the members thinking now?”

“What I’m thinking is…”

“One more day, and we’ll be facing the Imperial Army.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

John scratched his head, frowning. The paper and pen in his pocket were rustling.

“Are there any personnel who want to avoid combat? Or feel fear?”

“Hey- where would those guys be? You’re asking such a strange question.”

John said with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

“I see.”

The reply that came back was short.

I walked and walked, and before I knew it, I had reached the edge of the forest.

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

“I wish you would write me a letter. My hands won’t move yet.”

“Just call me.”

“Yohan,” answered John, taking out a neatly folded piece of paper.

The captain opened his mouth, looking at the camp, and John wrote down his words on paper.

Perhaps because it was a transcription of thoughts, the content of the letter felt somewhat chatty compared to the usual journal entries.

He showed the finished letter to the captain, who glanced at it absently and then said to John:

“Tie it to an arrow and fly it over there.”

“You can’t throw it at people, right?”

“of course.”

“What a pity.”

John looked truly sorry.

John tied the letter to an arrow and a red string to its body.

He places an arrow on the bowstring and draws it back. His sculpted muscles are revealed.

A swoosh, an arrow flying through the air. It was clearly visible because of the string attached to its body.

It flew through the sky and landed in front of the enemy sentry. If the captain had given permission, it could have landed on the sentry’s head.

“Go back.”

When the sentry who had found the arrow went in with it, the captain said:

***

On the way back to the campsite, John couldn’t control his trembling mouth and asked the captain.

“But will the emperor come out?”

“I’ll come out. I’m sure you’ll want to see me.”

“…….”

“Why is that?”

“No, that’s just unlucky. Since the captain said that, I just thought it would be like that.”

The captain chuckled at John’s words. John also felt good at the rare smile.

It’s always nice to see people smiling.

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

John asked cautiously.

“It’s not that it might be, it is.”

“…Could it be the captain’s mistake?”

“I wish it were so, but unfortunately.”

The captain mumbled.

“…Fuck. What kind of kid doesn’t know gratitude.”

“grace?”

“They’re all guys who received help from the captain. There may be differences in degree, but I can’t believe that there’s a guy in the cavalry who repays kindness with enmity. No, I don’t want to believe it.”

“I see.”

“Are you okay, Captain? I treated you like family.”

“Hmm… I guess he might have been upset. Or maybe he knew but pretended not to know.”

The captain spoke as if he was trying to understand the other person’s feelings.

John stuck out his mouth at the ambiguous answer.

“So, what are you going to do? Shouldn’t we catch the traitor so we can rub elbows with you a little?”

“John. Do you trust me?”

“I believe you.”

“Then I too should do my job as a captain of the cavalry.”

The captain who was walking ahead stared at John.

“If you’re a cavalry captain, you have a choice.”

Suddenly, John felt that the captain was a stranger.