Iris came to her senses. And asked Hayer, who had exceptionally good eyesight.
“What… happened?”
Then Hayer, who had seen it with his own eyes until the moment the Qahif young man completely disappeared, said.
“That Qahifian sword didn’t work. Everything, even the sword, was gnawed at by that termite hill monster.”
“The sword… doesn’t work?”
So what do we do?
Iris’s mind went blank, but she decided to leave the battle to Hayer and prioritize her own duty. It was to figure out what happened to the people in that village.
The heat of the desert weighed down in the sand and in the sky, but there was no room to rest. If she didn’t check the life and death of the Qahif families here right now, they would all dash into those monsters and destroy themselves.
The horses tried to run to the oasis, suffering from not being able to drink even if they had water right in front of them.
Hayer walked over to Iris, who was staggering from the heat, and made a shadow with his body and put her in it. And the Tejas Knights booed next to him when he fanned his hands.
Annamaria said.
“Captain, we know that the princess is lovely. But don’t you think it’s too obvious? There’s a mess over there.”
At that, Hayer looked back at the Qahifs.
As Annamaria said lightly, they were in grief after losing one of their companions.
“We must get our revenge on those monsters right now!”
“Chief, if we listen to those cowards and wait, our whole family over there might die…”
Chief Sichtis was listening to their pleas in silence.
He also seemed to think they would be able to push those monsters out of the oasis enough if the Knights of Tejas rushed together with about sixty of them here. Nevertheless, Hayer, who did not move and told them to wait, felt heartless.
Iris spoke to him, as if she had noticed Sichtis’s feelings.
“Give me more accurate information about the tribe. Then I’ll make sure to find out where your family is.”
Through the hood, he saw Iris’s blue eyes as she said that. Sichtis met her eyes, as if they were having a staring contest.
Sichtis, who had been staring at Iris for a while, told his men.
“Everyone, give that princess information about your family. We will wait.”
“Chief!”
“You lost the duel with the princess!”
“……”
“If you lose, stay still. And didn’t you see it earlier? You want to die the same way?!”
As Sichtis shouted, the clamouring tribal men fell silent.
Sichtis continued in a disconsolate voice.
“I have my family over there as well. So don’t rush. Because I feel the same way as you do.”
So the surroundings became quiet, and Iris opened her mouth.
“Is there a house to the east of the village? Somewhere a little far from the village.”
Sichtis’s eyes grew at the remark.
“Th-there is a watchtower there.”
“I think it’s there. Probably.”
As soon as he heard it, Sichtis got on the horse.
“You don’t have to go through the oasis. If you make a big turn, you can go there.”
Hayer sighed after hearing the conversation between the two, and Hencke, the vice-captain, shouted.
“Why didn’t you say there’s a watchtower?! You should say if there is one!”
“Does it… help?”
“What do you think we’re doing now? It’s a kind of monster we’ve never seen before, so we’re looking for weaknesses. If there’s a watchtower…”
“Are you saying that there are people up on the watchtower?”
Hayer asked Iris while Hencke was speaking, and she nodded.
“Yes. I think so.”
“Are they alive?”
“I think so.”
“The monsters are not ones who can’t break a watchtower. But the fact that the watchtower is still there.”
Hayer looked up at the big birds that he often saw throughout the way across the desert.
“Maybe they can’t look up.”
One of the Qahifs gnashed his teeth at their conversation and opened his mouth.
“What are you going to do if they can’t? They’re the ones who gnaw away all swords.”
Hayer looked back at the Qahif who said that. Then he walked up to him and gripped his face with his hand.
“Wh-what are you doing! Agh!”
Hayer dragged the young man to the oasis in that state.
Hayer, who let go of the young Qahif that was frightened by the overwhelming power and struggled, said.
“I’ll let you die to your heart’s content, so get lost.”
When he went there, he remembered the image of the person who had been entangled in a monster and disappeared like a sandcastle swept away by a storm.
Hayer calmly continued as the young man sat down after he was relieved of his strength.
“There’s actually an easy way. Throwing bastards of bravado who act like you, one by one, in there. Until those monsters figure out how to kill us in every way. But you won’t do it.”
“……”
“Why don’t you do it if it’s an easy way?”
“…Because it’s a waste of my life.”
“Give me a loud answer.”
“It’s a waste of life! It makes… a useless death…”
Hayer responded by looking down at the young man who had his head lowered, then returned to the party.
Iris kept her eyes on Hayer in the midst of the momentary commotion. He was an easygoing man, but by no means was he soft.
She recalled Annamaria’s words that if Hayer ever lied in his life, it would have been to save the lives of his subordinates. As such, he valued his subordinates’ lives.
Hayer Asheri valued the lives of his people first and foremost. So it was clear that if their lives were at stake, Hayer would put all other moral and economic decisions behind him.
Sichtis did not respond to Hayer’s actions. Then he said to Hayer, who came back.
“It’s something I should have done.”
“I know by saying thank you.”
He motioned for the Knights of Tejas to gather, and then said to one of the young Qahifs nearby.
“Draw your village.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
The young man, who had just seen his friend get in trouble, rushed over and began to draw the village with a pole attached to his camel.
The village was skewed to the southeast, centering on the oasis. It was a position where one could go into the shade at the hottest time of the year.
Hayer said.
“Now that we’ve changed the route, that’s the only place our horses can quench their thirst. We must approach the oasis.”
He said, drawing a route over the village.
“If you want to know more about the monsters, you have no choice but to go in there. Our Knights will enter through this route.”
Then he said to Sichtis.
“Protect Iris and the doctor and go to the watchtower.”
“You want us to go?”
“We know the monsters. Rash bastards can’t survive. So, first go to the watchtower and find your family. Simmer down that damn bravado.”
“…We’ll do that.”
“And from the watchtower, if any of us pass here, come and join us.”
Hayer pointed to two-thirds of the way between the oasis and the watchtower.
“Here, we have to kill the monsters the way we’ve known.”
He said they had to kill them.
They had to. Otherwise, the horses would collapse to death from thirst, and after that, there was no chance of defeating the monsters. In the end, in the desert where water could not be obtained, everyone would die of thirst.
It wasn’t until a long time after Hayer’s words were over that Sichtis opened his mouth.
“…I’m sorry. You risked your life by changing course.”
Then Camille, the youngest of the elite of the Tejas Knights, who immediately began preparing for battle according to Hayer’s words, said.
“We’ve always risked our lives anyway. Huh, what’s new?”
Then he said to his horse who rode up.
“You’re thirsty, aren’t you? After this, you can drink as much water as you want.”
Then the other knights rushed to their own horses and comforted them in a friendly voice, saying that they would let them drink water.
Iris wanted to tell Hayer that she would go with him, but she knew all too well that following them would be a burden.
The Knights of Tejas would tie their horses to the entrance of the village and move to the roof by taking advantage of the fact that they could not see above, which was predicted to be the weakness of the monsters. However, it was obvious that she would become a burden because she could not even climb up, let alone move from roof to roof.
Iris got on her horse and said to Rayne.
“Let’s have faith. I’ll get you some water.”
Saying that, she briefly parted from the Knights of Tejas, and headed to the watchtower with the doctor of the Knights of Tejas and Sichtis’s group.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
Hayer looked back at Iris, who was moving away, and then headed toward the village with his subordinates.
Iris was heading to where he expected there to be no monsters, but if the monsters moved there, the plan failed without even starting.
Fortunately, there were no monsters where they arrived, and they were able to get close to the monsters by tying their horses and moving quietly on the roof.
Since the Knights of Tejas had several hand signals, they were able to communicate sufficiently on the roof.
‘Wait.’
Hayer motioned, and all his subordinates stopped.
Hayer moved to the roof and drew closer to the monsters. Looking closely, the monsters were much bigger and creepier than he thought.
Looking at the monsters of the southern forest and the monsters of this desert, it was connected. The monsters were mimicking the appearance of beings living in the area as closely as possible. It was just much bigger and more bizarre.
Hayer pulled himself up and drew his sword. Then he landed on the ground. It was to check the view of those monsters.
He was expecting that the monsters would particularly hate him for pulling out the sacred tree to the roots. And now, it turned out to be true.
As soon as he got off the slope, a termite hill monster turned toward Hayer. No, all the monsters there saw Hayer.
afterword
honestly didn’t know what a termite hill looked like so i searched it up and now im shuddering just imagining that thing running at me like no way
Iris came to her senses. And asked Hayer, who had exceptionally good eyesight.
“What… happened?”
Then Hayer, who had seen it with his own eyes until the moment the Qahif young man completely disappeared, said.
“That Qahifian sword didn’t work. Everything, even the sword, was gnawed at by that termite hill monster.”
“The sword… doesn’t work?”
So what do we do?
Iris’s mind went blank, but she decided to leave the battle to Hayer and prioritize her own duty. It was to figure out what happened to the people in that village.
The heat of the desert weighed down in the sand and in the sky, but there was no room to rest. If she didn’t check the life and death of the Qahif families here right now, they would all dash into those monsters and destroy themselves.
The horses tried to run to the oasis, suffering from not being able to drink even if they had water right in front of them.
Hayer walked over to Iris, who was staggering from the heat, and made a shadow with his body and put her in it. And the Tejas Knights booed next to him when he fanned his hands.
Annamaria said.
“Captain, we know that the princess is lovely. But don’t you think it’s too obvious? There’s a mess over there.”
At that, Hayer looked back at the Qahifs.
As Annamaria said lightly, they were in grief after losing one of their companions.
“We must get our revenge on those monsters right now!”
“Chief, if we listen to those cowards and wait, our whole family over there might die…”
Chief Sichtis was listening to their pleas in silence.
He also seemed to think they would be able to push those monsters out of the oasis enough if the Knights of Tejas rushed together with about sixty of them here. Nevertheless, Hayer, who did not move and told them to wait, felt heartless.
Iris spoke to him, as if she had noticed Sichtis’s feelings.
“Give me more accurate information about the tribe. Then I’ll make sure to find out where your family is.”
Through the hood, he saw Iris’s blue eyes as she said that. Sichtis met her eyes, as if they were having a staring contest.
Sichtis, who had been staring at Iris for a while, told his men.
“Everyone, give that princess information about your family. We will wait.”
“Chief!”
“You lost the duel with the princess!”
“……”
“If you lose, stay still. And didn’t you see it earlier? You want to die the same way?!”
As Sichtis shouted, the clamouring tribal men fell silent.
Sichtis continued in a disconsolate voice.
“I have my family over there as well. So don’t rush. Because I feel the same way as you do.”
So the surroundings became quiet, and Iris opened her mouth.
“Is there a house to the east of the village? Somewhere a little far from the village.”
Sichtis’s eyes grew at the remark.
“Th-there is a watchtower there.”
“I think it’s there. Probably.”
As soon as he heard it, Sichtis got on the horse.
“You don’t have to go through the oasis. If you make a big turn, you can go there.”
Hayer sighed after hearing the conversation between the two, and Hencke, the vice-captain, shouted.
“Why didn’t you say there’s a watchtower?! You should say if there is one!”
“Does it… help?”
“What do you think we’re doing now? It’s a kind of monster we’ve never seen before, so we’re looking for weaknesses. If there’s a watchtower…”
“Are you saying that there are people up on the watchtower?”
Hayer asked Iris while Hencke was speaking, and she nodded.
“Yes. I think so.”
“Are they alive?”
“I think so.”
“The monsters are not ones who can’t break a watchtower. But the fact that the watchtower is still there.”
Hayer looked up at the big birds that he often saw throughout the way across the desert.
“Maybe they can’t look up.”
One of the Qahifs gnashed his teeth at their conversation and opened his mouth.
“What are you going to do if they can’t? They’re the ones who gnaw away all swords.”
Hayer looked back at the Qahif who said that. Then he walked up to him and gripped his face with his hand.
“Wh-what are you doing! Agh!”
Hayer dragged the young man to the oasis in that state.
Hayer, who let go of the young Qahif that was frightened by the overwhelming power and struggled, said.
“I’ll let you die to your heart’s content, so get lost.”
When he went there, he remembered the image of the person who had been entangled in a monster and disappeared like a sandcastle swept away by a storm.
Hayer calmly continued as the young man sat down after he was relieved of his strength.
“There’s actually an easy way. Throwing bastards of bravado who act like you, one by one, in there. Until those monsters figure out how to kill us in every way. But you won’t do it.”
“……”
“Why don’t you do it if it’s an easy way?”
“…Because it’s a waste of my life.”
“Give me a loud answer.”
“It’s a waste of life! It makes… a useless death…”
Hayer responded by looking down at the young man who had his head lowered, then returned to the party.
Iris kept her eyes on Hayer in the midst of the momentary commotion. He was an easygoing man, but by no means was he soft.
She recalled Annamaria’s words that if Hayer ever lied in his life, it would have been to save the lives of his subordinates. As such, he valued his subordinates’ lives.
Hayer Asheri valued the lives of his people first and foremost. So it was clear that if their lives were at stake, Hayer would put all other moral and economic decisions behind him.
Sichtis did not respond to Hayer’s actions. Then he said to Hayer, who came back.
“It’s something I should have done.”
“I know by saying thank you.”
He motioned for the Knights of Tejas to gather, and then said to one of the young Qahifs nearby.
“Draw your village.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
The young man, who had just seen his friend get in trouble, rushed over and began to draw the village with a pole attached to his camel.
The village was skewed to the southeast, centering on the oasis. It was a position where one could go into the shade at the hottest time of the year.
Hayer said.
“Now that we’ve changed the route, that’s the only place our horses can quench their thirst. We must approach the oasis.”
He said, drawing a route over the village.
“If you want to know more about the monsters, you have no choice but to go in there. Our Knights will enter through this route.”
Then he said to Sichtis.
“Protect Iris and the doctor and go to the watchtower.”
“You want us to go?”
“We know the monsters. Rash bastards can’t survive. So, first go to the watchtower and find your family. Simmer down that damn bravado.”
“…We’ll do that.”
“And from the watchtower, if any of us pass here, come and join us.”
Hayer pointed to two-thirds of the way between the oasis and the watchtower.
“Here, we have to kill the monsters the way we’ve known.”
He said they had to kill them.
They had to. Otherwise, the horses would collapse to death from thirst, and after that, there was no chance of defeating the monsters. In the end, in the desert where water could not be obtained, everyone would die of thirst.
It wasn’t until a long time after Hayer’s words were over that Sichtis opened his mouth.
“…I’m sorry. You risked your life by changing course.”
Then Camille, the youngest of the elite of the Tejas Knights, who immediately began preparing for battle according to Hayer’s words, said.
“We’ve always risked our lives anyway. Huh, what’s new?”
Then he said to his horse who rode up.
“You’re thirsty, aren’t you? After this, you can drink as much water as you want.”
Then the other knights rushed to their own horses and comforted them in a friendly voice, saying that they would let them drink water.
Iris wanted to tell Hayer that she would go with him, but she knew all too well that following them would be a burden.
The Knights of Tejas would tie their horses to the entrance of the village and move to the roof by taking advantage of the fact that they could not see above, which was predicted to be the weakness of the monsters. However, it was obvious that she would become a burden because she could not even climb up, let alone move from roof to roof.
Iris got on her horse and said to Rayne.
“Let’s have faith. I’ll get you some water.”
Saying that, she briefly parted from the Knights of Tejas, and headed to the watchtower with the doctor of the Knights of Tejas and Sichtis’s group.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
Hayer looked back at Iris, who was moving away, and then headed toward the village with his subordinates.
Iris was heading to where he expected there to be no monsters, but if the monsters moved there, the plan failed without even starting.
Fortunately, there were no monsters where they arrived, and they were able to get close to the monsters by tying their horses and moving quietly on the roof.
Since the Knights of Tejas had several hand signals, they were able to communicate sufficiently on the roof.
‘Wait.’
Hayer motioned, and all his subordinates stopped.
Hayer moved to the roof and drew closer to the monsters. Looking closely, the monsters were much bigger and creepier than he thought.
Looking at the monsters of the southern forest and the monsters of this desert, it was connected. The monsters were mimicking the appearance of beings living in the area as closely as possible. It was just much bigger and more bizarre.
Hayer pulled himself up and drew his sword. Then he landed on the ground. It was to check the view of those monsters.
He was expecting that the monsters would particularly hate him for pulling out the sacred tree to the roots. And now, it turned out to be true.
As soon as he got off the slope, a termite hill monster turned toward Hayer. No, all the monsters there saw Hayer.
afterword
honestly didn’t know what a termite hill looked like so i searched it up and now im shuddering just imagining that thing running at me like no way
