Shadow's Oath

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Chapter 72: Smoke

The decision had already been made, but Damion hesitated and did not leave the cave.

“Is there really no way all of us can ride that horse together?”

“You know better than anyone that no more than two can ride it,”

Jedrick replied curtly.

“Then what about taking Charlon with me?”

“I’d like that too, but she can’t ride in her injured state.”

“We could go slowly.”

“There’s no guarantee we can afford to go slowly,” Jedrick pointed out, and Ram nodded in agreement.

“Even though it’s on the other side of the mountain, the enemy might hear the sound of hoofbeats and pursue us. And there could be patrols roaming somewhere out in the wilderness. Earlier, I caught a glimpse of their cavalry—it’s about a hundred strong.”

Jedrick took up Ram’s argument.

“If we run into them, we’ll have to gallop at full speed. But with more than one person riding…”

Jedrick shook his head, leaving the thought unfinished.

“I’m not confident I can gallop at full speed either. Jedrick, what about you?”

“I haven’t ridden much. And that’s your horse. You’re the one who handles it best.”

“And the route? I only followed behind you on the way here, so I don’t know the way at all.”

“Stop looking for reasons not to go. I’ll guide you, but you’re the one who has to go.”

“But I can’t just leave Charlon behind in this cold cave…”

At Damion’s words, Charlon firmly shook his head.

“I’ll be fine. You have to leave me behind if you’re going to save me.”

Ram added urgency to the moment.

“You are the best rider among us, Your Highness. Even if you’re not in top condition, you’ll ride better than I can. You’re the fastest among us to reach Elum, and the only one who has the authority to mobilize the army.”

“But what if—just now I thought of this—hasn’t General Terdin already sent out search parties? Won’t they be here soon to rescue us? If we just stay put, they’ll come for us. Isn’t it unnecessary to move?”

“Timing-wise, General Terdin likely doesn’t even know there’s danger here yet. He’d only start to consider sending search parties deep into the night when we haven’t returned. If we want to act quickly, Your Highness must go yourself.”

Even Aikob had hinted that it would take until late at night to completely destroy the temple.

No one would suspect anything unusual when the prince’s party hadn’t returned after sunset.

“Understood.”

Reluctantly, Damion started moving.

“Be careful.”

Charlon bid him farewell.

Ram thought Charlon might give Damion a farewell kiss, but all she offered was a faint, tired smile.

She seemed too weary, and it wasn’t the right moment.

However, Damion, as if waiting for more, hesitated for a moment before leaving the cave.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“I’ll show you the way.”

Jedrick followed him out, and Ram trailed after them.

“Stay here for a moment.”

Charlon weakly smiled and nodded.

Damion walked toward the horse.

At first, the horse stepped back warily but soon recognized him and approached.

Even the faint sound of the horse’s hooves seemed to echo loudly.

The rocky mountain amplified every noise.

“Try not to make any sound, Your Highness.”

From the other side of the rocky mountain, the muffled voices of Tagda men could be heard.

The words were indistinguishable—distance and echoes across the mountains blurred them.

If a sound was made here, it could surely reach their ears.

“Listen carefully. The setting sun over there—that’s west,”

Jedrick explained.

“Right. And the rising sun is east.”

“Shut up. See that triangular mountain over there? Use that as your guide. That’s north.”

“The direction I need to go is south, isn’t it?”

“If you head straight south now, you’ll end up in their line of sight. Tagdans have far better vision than you think. So head for that triangular mountain first. It looks flat now, but as you approach, you’ll find a small hill. When that hill shields you, then turn west.”

Damion glanced again at the setting sun.

“But the sun’s about to disappear.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to keep its location in mind. Even after it sets, the sunset’s glow will remain, so you won’t lose your direction all at once. Keep heading west. And when the sun is completely gone, turn left from the direction you’re heading. That’s south. Got it? Left. If you turn right, you’ll end up wandering in the north forever.”

“I’d prefer landmarks like mountains or trees to guide me.”

“You can’t distinguish the mountains or trees here. What’s a clear marker to me will look the same as any other tree to you. This method is the simplest. Once the sun sets, you won’t see anything anyway. One more thing—it’ll get colder after dark, and you might lose consciousness. If that happens, lie flat on the horse. Your body heat and the horse’s will keep each other warm.”

“How far until I reach Elum?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then what? What if I pass it?”

“You won’t pass it.”

“Why not?”

“By then, the camp will be in an uproar because you haven’t returned. They won’t extinguish their torches at night, and there will be cavalry with torches searching for you everywhere. But don’t rush toward any torchlight you see.”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s no guarantee those torches belong to our allies.”

“…Got it.”

While the two were talking, Ram pulled a dead soldier from the horse and hid him behind a rock to avoid detection by any passing Tagda patrols.

Meanwhile, Damion mounted the horse.

“Unless you’re heading south, don’t make the horse run. Conserve its strength and avoid drawing attention with noise. But if you’re discovered…”

“If I’m discovered?”

Jedrick took a deep breath and replied,

“From then on, your riding skills and your horse’s endurance will matter more than my advice.”

“I’d prefer if your advice stayed important…”

Damion glanced back at the cave.

Charlon was peeking out with only her head visible.

She waved, and Damion waved back.

“Take care of Charlon.”

“She won’t die as long as I’m alive.”

Jedrick’s response was stiff, sounding more like a vow to die together than to protect her.

“Ram.”

Damion didn’t say anything further, but Ram bowed deeply, as if receiving a lengthy command.

“Yes.”

Damion guided his horse in the direction Jedrick had indicated.

Somehow, the horse made little sound as it walked.

Still, Ram’s ears picked up the faint noise, worrying him that it might echo off the mountains and alert the enemy.

He chose not to retreat into the cave, just in case the exit’s location was revealed.

If necessary, he would lure the enemy away on his own.

Ram waited until Damion had completely disappeared behind the mountains.

He then scanned for any hidden enemies watching the area.

There were none.

Jedrick, upon returning to the cave, extinguished the torch first.

Nightfall was near, and any light escaping the cave would be a beacon visible even from far away.

“What do we do now?”

Charlon asked.

“We wait.”

Jedrick turned to Ram.

"Is there still no sound from over there?"

"I can barely hear anything."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

The sound of a small stream falling into a pool masked any noise coming from beyond the cave.

If it was a loud noise, it might have pierced through, but faint sounds like before were drowned out.

"We’ll have to go and see."

It felt strange to just let the smoke flow in and do nothing.

They had to see for themselves.

Jedrick started to say something to dissuade him but stopped himself.

"Alright. Be careful."

Ram leapt over the pool where the stream flowed and entered the cave.

He took one last look at the two behind him.

Jedrick tried to maintain a composed expression, but his worry was evident.

Charlon, on the other hand, looked as if she wanted to beg Ram not to go but said nothing.

It was Charlon that worried him.

Though Ram had reassured them that quick treatment would make everything fine, Charlon’s injury wasn’t the kind that could be easily healed.

He even worried if Charlon could make it through the night.

Ram had seen similar wounds before.

A slave had once dropped a stone meant for the kitchen, cutting his thigh on a sharp edge.

It happened in the evening, and the slave was dead by dawn.

The wound hadn’t even been that deep, but he hadn’t had a chance to be treated.

Ram wanted to keep his ears attuned to Charlon’s condition, but now the sound of the stream masked everything.

If Tagda's warriors stormed the entrance, Ram wouldn’t even be able to return to save them.

What would happen if such an attack came?

His only hope was that they’d realize Charlon’s value and take her hostage.

Even then, Jedrick probably wouldn’t survive.

Ahead, there was still no sound.

Inside the cave, the only noises were Ram’s footsteps and the clinking of rune stones in the pouch at his waist.

He thought of discarding them since they were no longer needed, but they weren’t really a hindrance, and it felt wrong to abandon magical tools here.

‘Why are they just pushing in smoke and doing nothing?’

Ram had expected the warriors to immediately charge in after sending the smoke.

But the four had stayed behind under oath, searching for the exit, and even when Damion rode away on horseback, there had been no notable movement.

Perhaps they were too afraid of Ram to enter.

They, too, didn’t know what lay on the other side of the Snake Cave.

Even with a shaman directing smoke through, they’d still have to crawl through the passage on their stomachs.

Crawling forward blind, knowing someone might be waiting with a blade ready to strike, would take immense courage, no matter how valiant a warrior was.

But what if that wasn’t the reason?

What if there was something else behind their hesitation?

Ram needed to confirm it himself.

Not just with sound, but with his own eyes.

Passing through two forks in the cave, he approached the Snake Cave again, and there he found the reason.

He was about a hundred steps from the exit.

The cave ahead was filled with thick, black smoke.

Or perhaps it was white smoke appearing black in the darkness.

The smoke crawled forward, inching closer and closer into the cave, as if it were a living creature feeling its way along the walls.

It was slow but relentless, a strangely eerie sight.

Even with a torch, he couldn’t see through the smoke.

But he could hear something.

Though the smoke muffled the sound from escaping outside, there were definitely people within it.

Someone inside the smoke stopped when they noticed Ram’s torch.

They began speaking among themselves, in the language of Geron.

"Someone’s there."

"It’s him."

"Go out there. Kill him."

"But Hak said to stay within the smoke."

"We can’t just keep advancing like this forever."@@novelbin@@

Ram drew his sword.

Though their numbers were many, they could only advance single file in this narrow passage.

There was no risk of being surrounded, nor did he have to worry about them slipping past him to get to Jedrick and Charlon.

‘As long as I don’t die, no one can reach them.’

That simple fact gave Ram courage.

A Geron warrior burst out of the smoke, as if the smoke itself were spitting out a serpent-shaped body.

Upon seeing Ram, the warrior wasted no time and swung his axe.

The blow was so fierce that trying to block it would likely shatter his forearm.

Ram deliberately deflected the axe with his sword, letting it veer off course.

It struck the wall, sending sparks flying.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Before the first axe even struck the wall, the warrior’s other hand swung a short-handled axe straight for Ram’s head.

Ram blocked it with his torch and thrust his sword into the warrior’s throat before the first axe could come back down.

Then he quickly withdrew the blade, ready for the next attack.

Blood splattered across his face, some getting into his eyes.

Blinking briefly to clear his vision, he knew that closing his eyes even for a moment in a fight could be fatal.

But this was a narrow passage.

As long as he defeated the one in front, no one could sneak up on him.

The Geron warrior fell to his knees, defeated.

In the light of the torch, Ram saw his face.

It was unfamiliar.

This wasn’t Halles, the chief of the Tagda tribe he had fought earlier.

‘So the Tagda tribe really does have other skilled warriors of this caliber.’

To make sure the warrior wouldn’t rise again, Ram slashed his throat once more, cutting into his windpipe and esophagus.

He then stepped on the back of the fallen warrior’s head, pressing his face into the ground to ensure he was truly dead.

There were many rumors about the Geron berserkers, Barasatu, moving even after having their heads cut off, but Ram had never once believed them.

He’d seen countless Geron warriors die in battle, and none had ever done so.

But now he worried.

Who knew what else might happen in this strange place where superstitions seemed to become reality?

Death had to be certain.

He couldn’t risk leaving anyone behind to possibly reach the two he was protecting.

Stepping over the first corpse, Ram struck down the second approaching Geron warrior.

This time, it wasn’t as difficult.

The enemy hadn’t even managed to block his first strike and offered no resistance after being wounded.

Ram dispatched the second warrior in the same manner as the first.

It was fortunate he had the time to do so.

‘This passage only allows one person through at a time.’

Ram took a deep breath.

Before the rest of them could emerge from the smoke, he stepped into it himself.

The torch went out.

Complete darkness descended.

He couldn’t see a thing—not even his own hand in front of his face.

Holding his breath, he could hear the beating of his own heart.

He could only guess at the many Geron warriors standing in a line ahead of him.

Ram placed a hand on one wall to measure the distance to the other.

Then he extended his sword forward to gauge the distance to his enemies.

He listened for their movements, for the sound of their limbs, their footsteps, their breathing—each a clue to their position and their fear.

For some reason, the enemy could breathe in this smoke, but Ram could not.

This would make them overconfident, and that worked to his advantage.

In that sense, the smoke was on his side.

As long as there were no enemies to his left, right, or rear, the darkness was as good as light for him.

His enemies couldn’t see at all.

In that sense, the darkness was his ally too.

[Translator - Night]

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