The Nature of Possession

379 – EP.13 The Last Night of the Cavalry

***

The night of the third day.

As day broke, an inevitable fate would come upon the cavalry.

Although it would have been natural to remain silent in the face of the fate of death, the atmosphere in Ayoungji did not change much.

I just accepted it as it was coming.

Although they had not yet heard any word about what their leader would choose, there were bound to be things they could know without even having to hear.

After meeting with the Emperor, the cavalry captain returned to Ayeongji.

He, who had been keeping his mouth shut about his future plans, gathered everyone together and opened his mouth.

“When dawn breaks, we will break through the Empire’s defenses.”

No one at the campsite was surprised.

“I’d like to ask a question.”

The men sat in a circle around the cavalry captain who was standing where the bonfire had been.

“I have a question.”

As the quiet silence continued, someone raised a hand.

The captain nodded to the questioner. The other agents’ eyes turned to him.

The questioner was John.

He looked back and forth between the captain and the men with a very serious expression on his face and opened his mouth.

“Are you eating breakfast?”

“Do you want to eat?”

“Yes. If possible, I’d like meat. I’m going to be hungry and won’t have the strength to eat just soup.”

Some of the members nodded in agreement with what he said. And there were Anna and Agnes who looked at John like he was looking at a bug.

“Captain. Is there any meat left?”

At the captain’s question, Anna straightened her back.

“There is some left, but not enough to fill everyone’s stomach.”

“Then, let John, the person who proposed it, go get the meat.”

“yes?”

At the captain’s words, John opened his eyes wide.

“Isn’t it natural for the proposer to come forward?”

A faint hint of playfulness appeared on the face of the cavalry captain as he spoke calmly.

“Ah, no. Captain….”

Although John groaned, he dismissed the conversation by turning his head away.

“Then what other questions?”

“Do we not need to conduct a separate disruption operation?”

It was Judah’s question. The campers who had been chatting quietly fell silent.

“A diversionary operation… do you think that’s necessary?”

The captain answered Judah’s question with a question.

Judas closed his mouth for a moment to collect his thoughts.

“I said that because I thought a head-on showdown would cause a lot of damage.”

“I don’t think there’s a problem. However, as Judas said, I think we need people to carry out separate missions.”

“okay.”

“That person will not join the main force and will move separately, so organize your thoughts in advance.”

“Oh, has the personnel selection already been decided?”

Judas asked again.

“It’s decided.”

The captain answered briefly.

“All right.”

With Judah’s words, the cavalry began to spend their last night in their own way.

The cavalry needed neither detailed tactics nor a ceremonial spirit to rally their forces.

***

“Your Majesty, a letter has arrived.”

“okay?”

The Emperor, who received the letter from the Knight Commander, quickly scanned its contents.

The emperor, who had read the brief information to the end, snorted as if he was dissatisfied with something.

“Is there anything that concerns you?”

“You clearly said you were going to lead all your forces and come at me, but you were preparing a special force… You lied to me.”

The emperor was displeased that his favorite had lied to him.

“I believe that a great commander is someone who will do whatever it takes to achieve victory. It is disappointing that the cavalry commander lied to Your Majesty, but I hope you will be lenient and think that he was also trying to do his part.”

The commander of the knights opened his mouth, watching the emperor’s expression, in an attempt to calm his displeasure.

“Hmm, hmm… The Knight Commander’s words make sense. Although he is supposed to be connected to me, he is currently in an enemy country… I, who am merciful, must understand the actions of the Cavalry Captain.”

“The cavalry captain will surely be grateful for Your Majesty’s mercy.”

“Haha, that would be nice.”

“Your Majesty, we will also prepare the special forces.”

The Emperor nodded at the Knight Commander’s words.

“Anyway, I had no intention of saving anyone except the cavalry captain. There was no need to capture the special force.”

“All right.”

“The ones we need to capture are the cavalry captain and the deputy commander.”

“Will you capture the deputy commander as well?”

The commander asked back, seemingly puzzled.

The emperor ran the back of his hand through his ebony hair and raised his lips in a wry manner.

“Death is too merciful for that insolent b*tch. I will cut off all her tendons and throw her into the filthiest brothel in the empire. She will live a life buried in the sweaty flesh of beggars and drunkards.”

“All right.”

“Haha, it’s tomorrow now.”

Looking at the high rising moon, the emperor muttered with a satisfied expression.

“The day has finally come when you will be mine.”

The emperor muttered with an ecstatic face.

***

The sun rose and the campsite members settled down.

Someone brought water and poured it on the campfire. The flame that had warmed the camp for three days died down, sending up a trail of white smoke like a dying flame.

They gather up the shabby blankets that were spread on the floor and erase any traces of people.

Feed the horses plenty of hay and check their gear.

Build up your bow, check your bowstring, and patch up any rips in your leather armor.

Agnes strummed her lute, creating melodies for the busy morning.

The person on meal duty, Yohan, begins slicing and cooking the meat he caught.

The breakfast, made by grilling directly over an open fire rather than in a soup, smelled mouthwateringly delicious.

After a chaotic moment, the tent opened and the cavalry captain came out.

Anna followed behind him, heavily armed.

The men gather in front of the captain.

“Are we all here?”

The captain looked around at his men and said.

Yes! the agents shouted.

“Did you have a good breakfast?”

He continued in a calm tone, as if reciting his daily routine.

Yes! The agents answered.

“We’ll be leaving in an hour. So we can finish preparing.”

Okay, the agents replied.

***

The imperial army begins to advance slowly.

“It hasn’t come out yet?”

The emperor did not take his eyes off the entrance to the forest that could be seen in the distance.

“Yes, not yet.”

“What about the troops deployed nearby?”

“The special forces have been deployed to places where they can move.”

“Good.”

The emperor gave a satisfied sound.

Booo—

A horn sounded in the distance. A low, distant, solemn sound echoed through the forest.

“I guess he’s coming out now.”

The emperor rubbed his hands and smiled.

She stamped her feet in anticipation.

The sound of the horn shook the forest and sent birds flying into the sky.

Birds began to emerge from the forest, making a variety of cries.

“Isn’t it funny that the only thing the insignificant Kingdom of Gernoa can boast about is the 4th Cavalry?”

The Emperor looked at the Knight Commander and said.

“Yes.”

The Knight Commander also answered sincerely.

“You don’t even know what you’re holding, and you throw it away so easily… King Gernois is not worthy of standing above others.”

“you’re right.”

Booo—-

Cavalrymen begin to emerge from the entrance to the forest.

Even though they were a long distance away, the emperor looked straight into the face of the cavalry captain.

“Good. Looks like your body has recovered.”

The emperor clenched his fist.

“You, come at me with all your might. Struggle with all the force you have.”

The emperor’s eyes gleamed menacingly as he licked his lower lip with his tongue.

“Your bravery will be meaningless in the face of overwhelming power… Today, you will be mine.”

***

The cavalry swallowed their saliva at the sight of the imperial army spread out before their eyes.

Their bodies began to heat up as they prepared for battle. A moderate amount of tension and fear, as well as a sense of triumph over the Empire, the loser of the continent, followed.

“Wow, that’s spectacular.”

John whistled as he looked at the tightly packed imperial walls.

“Certainly… it’ll be hard to find a loophole.”

Anna analyzed it.

“Since we have a longer range than those guys, how about we eat them up?”

Agnes gave her opinion.

“The shield is so big that it seems like it’ll just throw away arrows. I think it’ll hit with a single point penetration like last time.”

Gilbert countered.

“That was a breakthrough for escape. If we follow the rules, it would be best to fight from the front and back.”

Dorian clicked his tongue as if he felt regret.

“If we split our units in this wide plain, we’ll have to defeat them individually. A single point breakthrough would be the right choice. The damage would be the greatest, though.”

John said.

“The wall itself is made long, but it seems to be thin. It would be good to move it around and break the enemy’s formation.”

Anna, after finishing the analysis, gave her opinion.

“I lead the way. Follow me, and block the flying arrows with your shield.”

The captain said after hearing the opinions of his men.

“Captain. What about the special forces?”

When Judah asked, the captain turned and looked at him.

“You are the special forces, Yuda.”

“yes?”

“The special forces have only one mission: get out of this battle.”

“Captain? What all of a sudden?”

Judah’s face turned pale.

The cavalry captain rode up beside Judah and put his hand on his shoulder.

“If he were a cavalry captain, he would have done this, unlike me.”

The cavalry captain tapped him on the shoulder, saying something incomprehensible, then turned his horse and rode out of the forest.

Following the cavalry captain, the men begin to advance one by one.

Judas, with his pale face, could not bear to follow them.

“Hey, Judas. Take this.”

John, who was walking ahead, threw his bag.

My hand reflexively shot out at the object flying in front of my face.

The pockets were heavy.

As he untied the string, a silvery coin caught his eye.

“Other children’s debts can be repaid in heaven, but you will live a long life and go to hell, so pay them now.”

Johan rode forward with a cool smile and wink.

As the agents passed by him, they tapped him on the shoulder and head.

There was no blame, no curse.

But Judah was ashamed and disgraced by it.

***

The cavalry, having emerged completely from the forest, lined up in a single line.

Although it was a battlefield with thousands of people gathered, no one easily raised a voice.

“The order received from the kingdom is to stop the imperial forces crossing the border.”

“I will carry out that order today.”

He closed his eyes. Many experiences and memories came to mind.

I have traveled many worlds, suffered many failures, and faced many deaths.

But if you were to count satisfactory deaths, there were so few that you could count them on one hand.

A faint smile appeared on the cavalry captain’s lips.

“Is everyone ready?”

“We are always ready.”

“It was an honor for the Captain to be with you. You were the Captain’s resting place.”

As he gave a deep smile and pulled the reins slightly, the horse began to move forward.

“I will open the way.”

The cavalry captain’s horse leaped out like lightning, and behind him the horses of John and Anna raced forward.

Anna Irwena.

Johann Sievert.

Agnes Emil.

Gilbert Meldoro.

Hisen Humilla.

Dorian.

Kane.

Lina.

.

.

.

The brave cavalrymen followed their captain.

The cavalry captain muttered, feeling the wind brushing his ears.

“It’s been a while… I think it’s a satisfying ending.”

He evaluated his ninety-ninth death thusly: