Shadow's Oath

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 71: The Escape Route

As soon as the oath was complete, Ram caught a faint sound coming from the direction of the snake pit.

It was a sound that could have been a snake brushing against a rock or the wind seeping through a crack.

It was a sound he had never heard before—or rather, a sound he had heard once, but now it was different.

"Smoke is coming in,"

Ram said, rising to his feet.

Jedrick and Damion jumped up with him.

Charlon instinctively tried to stand but couldn’t because of the pain.

"Smoke? But you said it had been coming in for a while now,"

Jedrick asked.

Ram pointed toward the snake pit.

"I’ve been keeping an ear on that direction the entire time, in case someone approached, so we could flee if necessary. But just now, I heard something—though it wasn’t the sound of a person coming. Do you remember I said I fled into here because of the smoke? At that time, I faintly heard something but ignored it. Smoke doesn’t make noise, after all. But now, that sound has gotten louder."

Ram pieced together his observations and drew a conclusion.

"It seems like a lot more smoke is coming in now."

"Then we need to get out of here. Which way did you say was the right path earlier?"

Damion asked, glancing at the two possible directions.

When Ram first arrived, he hadn’t been able to see clearly, and even now, he wasn’t entirely accustomed to navigating caves.

While he could easily spot a tiny crack in the wall of an old wooden kitchen, he struggled to interpret the large features of a cave.

He had spent a long time staring at the smooth stone walls illuminated by torchlight, trying to make sense of them.

Finally, he spoke.

"Jedrick, come here and look at this. Right here—this smooth area."

Ram placed his hand on a rounded section of the rock wall.

Jedrick brought the torch closer, and the uneven stone surface shimmered in the light.

"It’s at a perfect height for a hand to reach. It seems like this spot has been touched by many hands over time. Do you recognize it?"

"I do."

"Starting from here, as you follow the wall, you can see similar spots that have been touched repeatedly by hands. The other side, by contrast, is rough."

"I didn’t expect that the rock would retain marks like this—likely from hundreds of years ago," Jedrick said.

That was why Ram was late in finding it.

"Lead the way."

Ram urged Jedrick forward, then prompted Damion and Charlon to follow.

"If the two of you follow Jedrick, I’ll stay in the rear."

Damion tried to help Charlon walk by supporting her, but she declined after standing up with his assistance and managed to walk on her own.

"We don’t know what’s ahead. Save your strength."

He was right, and Damion had no choice but to agree.

The path ahead was so narrow that only one person could walk through at a time.

Although Ram wanted to carry Charlon, the situation didn’t allow for it.

For some reason, Damion seemed slightly disappointed.

"Let me know if you’re struggling,"

He said simply before starting to walk.

Ram took up the rear.

Behind him, the same sound continued, steady and unbroken.

Although its approach was slow, it was relentless.

Even with their unhurried pace, the group outdistanced it noticeably, but it never stopped coming closer.

The sound conjured a terrifying image in Ram’s mind—smoke moving like a living creature, filling the cave and crawling toward them.

The tunnel gradually narrowed, the ceiling lowered, and the walls drew closer together.

A stream flowed continuously along the ground, its icy water slippery underfoot.

The three tried to avoid stepping in the water as much as possible, but every now and then, they had no choice but to step into it, producing splashing sounds that echoed eerily off the walls.

Charlon’s earlier words about the presence of something in the cave seemed more plausible now.

Whatever it was, it hadn’t yet let them escape.

Perhaps unable to bear the oppressive silence or suppress his curiosity, Damion spoke up.

"That king’s duel—or was it called an Arke?—when they told me to name a substitute fighter, was it always a ploy to kill Ram?"

"It was."

"How did Icarum figure out that Ram was Mantum’s assassin?"

"The powder that Hak Maraka threw into the bonfire at the feast was just a distraction. The real spell was tied to whoever picked up Maraka’s dagger—and that was Ram."

"That was the spell?!"

“That’s the essence of spells. If that was all you could do to find out who the murderer was, would you use it or not?”

"That’s ridiculous! If such a spell could identify a murderer, then why do we even need evidence or witnesses in trials? It’s a setup—perfect for framing someone!"

"Perhaps, but it was correct."

"Still…"

"Even with evidence and witnesses, there’s no guarantee of justice. Haven’t you, as a prince, witnessed many trials? Were they all fair?"

"Well…"

"When I was a child, there was a case. A man was found dead, and beside him was his wife, also dead, holding a bloody knife. At first glance, it seemed obvious—the wife had stabbed her husband and then taken her own life."

"What reason would the wife have to kill her husband?"

"The man was infamous for his drunken rages. There were even accusations that he had killed their child in one of his fits. He was on trial for it, but due to a lack of evidence, the case kept being delayed, and he went unpunished. So when his wife killed him, it seemed she had acted out of revenge, knowing the truth."

"That makes sense."

"But later, it turned out to be the work of a wandering thief who had stumbled into their home. He had killed the child, hoping to cover up his tracks after being spotted. The wife and husband were also murdered to make it look like a domestic incident."

"How did they find the thief?"

"Maraka’s magic. My memory of the details is hazy since I was young, but Maraka pinpointed the thief’s hiding spot with remarkable accuracy, and my father went and caught him himself."

"That's unbelievable."

Damion groaned softly and continued.

"So, Ikarum found out that Ram was the murderer through Maraka's magic, and while constantly looking for an opportunity, he came up with a way to use the moment the volcano erupted."

"That's probably what happened."

"By chance, the volcano erupted twice. So, I focused on that coincidence, and I didn't even think that Ram was his real target."

"Volcanoes erupt at any time. You, as the conqueror, will stay here, and Ram, as a shadow, will remain by your side... Ikarum would have tried to kill Ram using that method at any time. The two consecutive eruptions were just a matter of timing. It could have been today, a year later, or ten years later."

"A good way to turn coincidence into inevitability."

While talking, Damion looked at Charlon several times.

Her breathing was getting rougher, but her pace didn't slow down.

Ram knew she was pushing herself to keep up.

Damion was talking to match Charlon's pace.

Jedrick deliberately walked slowly under the pretext of examining the floor and walls.

Ram didn't rush him either.

After all, the sound coming from behind wasn't very fast.

Jedrick stopped walking.

"Another fork in the road. Can you tell which way, Ram? I can’t figure it out."

The tunnel was so tight that Ram couldn’t move past Damion and Charlon to take the lead.

Jedrick moved slightly down one path, while Damion did the same for the other.

Charlon stood at the center of the fork, allowing Ram to carefully squeeze forward, their torches almost brushing against the walls.

"This side looks smoother to me,"

Damion said, examining the wall with his torch.

"There's some smoothness here too."

Jedrick also inspected the wall.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Ram agreed with both of them.

The worn-down stones could be from a path that had been used on both sides, or it might have been worn down for some other reason.

What Ram discovered was the wind.

“The wind is blowing from this direction. It seems all the wind in this cave is coming from here.”

“Could it be an exit?”

Damion couldn’t hide his hope.

The sound of water grew louder.

It meant there was a place where water was falling.

“Please wait here for a moment. I’ll go ahead and check by myself.”

Before advancing, Ram first checked the sound coming from behind.

There were no footsteps.

All he could hear was the subtle, creeping noise that had been there all along.

By now, it was so distant that he couldn’t even tell if it was just the sound of the wind.

‘Is it not getting any closer?’

But the opposite could also be true.

‘Could it already be inside the cave?’

Holding a torch, Ram walked quickly by himself.

He was worried about what was behind them, but what lay ahead worried him just as much.

What if it was a dead end?

What if the ancient sacred serpent that swallowed them didn’t help them escape but simply digested them?

If they were trapped and died in the narrow cave, it could indeed be described as being swallowed by a snake.

What if there was an exit, but their enemies had already found it and were waiting for them there?

Ram’s mind was filled with all sorts of anxieties.

The sound of water grew louder.

Then, suddenly, the narrow tunnel expanded into a wide space.

Ram abruptly stopped walking.

The stream that had been flowing under his feet turned into a small waterfall, dropping into a pool about as high as a person.

There was no other stream flowing out of the pool.

This was the end.

The water likely continued underground, forming a spring in some unthinkable place.

Ram climbed down from the cave and inspected the area with his torch.

The ceiling was about twice his height, and the width was roughly ten paces, forming a dome-shaped chamber.

The walls were mostly smooth, without sharp edges, and the floor, though uneven, had enough space to sit and rest.

There didn’t seem to be any immediate danger.

There were no bats, as one might expect in a cave, nor any signs of a bear having lived there. It made sense— the exit was far too narrow.

Soft sunlight filtered through the narrow exit, illuminating the chamber so well that the torch wasn’t necessary.

It was the outside!

Ram quickly returned to the small waterfall and shouted back into the cave.

“This way! There’s an exit!”

Soon, the three others slowly made their way to where Ram was.

“Be careful here. There’s a small waterfall.”

Jedrick was the first to jump down from the waterfall.

Damion climbed down slowly, using the wall for support.

Near the bottom, he slipped, and Ram had to catch him.

Lastly, Charlon attempted to descend, but even this short drop was too much for her.

Damion and Jedrick had to catch her from below, while Ram helped her from above, carefully lowering her down to avoid hurting her.

Once everyone was safely down, Ram went back toward the exit.

“That light—is it the exit?”

Jedrick asked, his face uncharacteristically hopeful.

“This way.”

Just to be sure, Ram didn’t immediately stick his head out of the cave.

Even after confirming with sounds and smells, he carefully inspected the area from various angles before finally looking outside.

He saw rocky mountains and a wasteland.

It was a familiar view, but something about it felt strange.

“What do you see?”

Jedrick asked, moving so close he was practically pressing his chest against Ram’s back.

“It looks like the opposite side of the temple entrance.”

“What about the enemies?”

“I can’t see them. But they probably aren’t far away.”

Ram stepped aside to let Jedrick take a look.

Jedrick, just as cautiously as Ram, examined the surroundings before speaking.

“You’re right. It seems we’ve crossed through the mountain to the other side.”

Damion spoke with a hopeful tone.@@novelbin@@

“That’s great. Doesn’t this mean the Tagda troops can’t see us here? We just need to sneak out, circle around the mountain, and run. It’ll be dark soon, right? That’ll help us stay hidden even more.”

The sun was hanging in the west.

It would set completely in about an hour.

If they moved quietly through the night, even the most seasoned northern warriors of Geron would struggle to track them.

Jedrick returned to Charlon and Damion.

Charlon spoke up before anyone could ask her.

“I’m much better. I think I can walk for at least one night.”

Jedrick shook his head.

“No, it’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Do you really think you can walk all the way to Elum from here? Even if you weren’t injured, it’s impossible. And the nights here are much colder than you imagine.”

“I walked last night, and I was fine.”

“Leaving the banquet hall for a short walk isn’t the same as trekking through the wilderness.”

Charlon stubbornly started to argue but stopped herself.

“Then… what if you leave me here?”

Damion immediately supported her suggestion.

“I don’t think I can walk far in my current state either. Why not leave Charlon and me here, and you and Ram can go? Go to the camp, bring back soldiers, and rescue us. What do you think?”

Ram refused.

“I can’t go. We don’t know when the enemy might come through the serpent cave.”

With the sound of the waterfall, they could no longer hear approaching footsteps, even if there were any.

“I think one person going to get reinforcements would be enough. How about you go, Jedrick?”

Ram asked, looking at him.

“That’s not possible,”

Jedrick refused.

“Why not?”

Damion asked.

“If it were one of you, maybe. But a barbarian by southern standards—me—showing up unannounced in the middle of the night to ask for help rescuing a prince? Would they come?”

Damion frowned.

“By that logic, none of us can go. I don’t know the way, and frankly, I’m too exhausted to walk.”

At that moment, Ram faintly heard the sound of a horse neighing.

It wasn’t far.

“What if we had a horse?”

“A horse? What are you talking about?”

Ram stuck his head outside.

A horse was approaching, walking leisurely in their direction.

“It’s the prince’s horse.”

On the horse’s back was a soldier lying flat, belly up, his legs still caught in the stirrups.

His arms dangled toward the ground, and two arrows were lodged in his neck and shoulder.

“It really is my horse. What happened?”

Damion asked.

Jedrick leaned in behind Damion and Ram to peer outside.

“Didn’t all the southern soldiers die in the initial Tagda attack?”

Ram analyzed what he’d heard earlier and replied,

“Most of them. But I did hear the sound of a few riding off. They didn’t escape alive, it seems.”

“…And the horse, not knowing what to do without its master, has been wandering around the rocky mountains ever since?”

Jedrick’s words made Ram nod.

“It seems, Your Highness, that you must go to the camp.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]