Shadow's Oath

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Chapter 86: That Which Lies in the Darkness (1)

Faint shouting could be heard outside the barracks. It was coming from the direction of Elum Village.

“So that’s what the commotion is about. Looks like there's some kind of trial happening in the barbarian village.”

Odel spoke after chatting with the two knights guarding the barracks.

Then, she sat on a small wooden chair next to Charlon.

“Come to think of it, the prince seems to have gone there too. I overheard those two Triton guys talking about it earlier.”

Charlon, holding a clinking medicine bowl, feigned ignorance and asked,

“A trial for what?”

“Looks like a witch did something. Witches, whether here or in Born, are always brewing some kind of horrifying medicine to deceive people. I don’t know why they don’t just kill them all.”

Odel waved her hand dismissively, as if swatting away a fly.

“Oh dear, listen to me rambling! My lady, you should just take your medicine. There’s no need to concern yourself with what’s happening outside.”

For once, Charlon agreed with Odel.

There was nothing for her to do out there.

‘Stay here quietly, focus on recovering from my injury—that’s my job right now.’

She tried her best to ignore the noise outside.

Odel pointed to Charlon’s side.

“My goodness, this wound… It’s going to leave a scar. A scar on a woman’s body is disastrous. You should be grateful it didn’t hurt your face.”

Ram had been worried the wound could be fatal.

Even Jeje, who wasn’t the worrying type, had panicked at the thought of death.

They weren’t at the stage of worrying about scars yet.

Honestly, Charlon wanted to complain about how much it hurt.

But she held back.

Odel tended to overreact even to minor wounds, blowing things out of proportion.

If Charlon admitted she was in real pain, Odel might just tie her down and force the medicine down her throat.

“What kind of medicine is this, anyway?”

“I made it myself. It might taste bitter, so pinch your nose and swallow it all at once.”

“I meant, what’s in it?”

“Medicine works best when you don’t know what’s in it. Do you think I’d give you something bad?”

“If I don’t know what’s in it, I won’t drink it.”

“Fine, my lady. I’ll tell you, but you have to drink it.”

“Alright.”

“I boiled chrysanthemum root, cinnamon, radish, charcoal, rope, and centipedes. To prevent scarring, I’d normally add ground dried lizard tails and frog skins, but I couldn’t find those in this wasteland…”

Odel clicked her tongue and gave Charlon a scrutinizing look, as if she wanted to strip off her clothes and examine her body properly.

“By the way, my lady, are you sure nothing happened last night?”

“I already told you, nothing happened.”

“I can’t help but be concerned since you were with that barbarian. Those kinds of men lose their minds when they see a woman. Actually, all men are like that, aren’t they? Even those who pride themselves on their rationality lose control when left alone with a woman. Especially with your beauty—priests in the monastery would abandon their faith for you.”

“Odel, drop it. I’ve told you so many times already—nothing happened.”

“Are you certain? You’re not even married yet. If you lost your virginity, it would be a disaster. The wedding could be called off—”

“Odel, I’m thirsty. Could you get me some water? It’d be easier to take the medicine with some.”

“Oh, of course! In this filthy land, finding a clean bowl of water is difficult. But I know a place! There’s a small pond no one else here has found yet. The soldiers haven’t used it, so it must be clean.”

‘If the soldiers aren’t using it, there’s probably a reason…’@@novelbin@@

Charlon wanted to say that, but she held her tongue.

She just wanted Odel to leave.

As soon as Odel left, Charlon hurriedly moved to throw away the medicine.

Then, she suddenly had a strange feeling, as if she’d forgotten something important.

‘I have to go.’

She muttered to herself before hesitating.

‘Go where?’

Right now, her only task was to get rid of the medicine.

Just as she was about to dump it under the bed, someone entered the tent.

It was Rusef.

Charlon quickly pulled the medicine bowl back, but a bit of it got on her finger.

“Odel sent me to make sure you don’t throw it away. But if you dump it there, she’ll smell it right away.”

Rusef grinned.

“Then will you drink it for me?”

Charlon held out the bowl.

“I saw Odel earlier, cutting a rope she needed for the medicine. I also saw her stabbing a centipede with a fork outside the tent. Do you really think I’d drink this?”

“Then what should I do?”

“Give it to me.”

Rusef took the bowl and ordered one of the knights outside.

“Dump this somewhere no one will notice, and bring the bowl back.”

The knight followed his order and soon returned with the empty bowl.

“Grateful, aren’t you?”

Rusef smirked and sat down on the wooden chair Odel had been using earlier.

The weight of his armor made the chair creak ominously.

“What about the water? Odel’s gone to fetch it from a secret pond that apparently only she knows about.”

“If she says it’s a secret, then she really went to some hidden pond. Just tell her the medicine was so good you don’t need any water.”

“That’s… very Odel-like.”

“You know why? Because I was the first person who had to drink her awful medicine.”

Charlon chuckled briefly but soon felt heavy-hearted again.

“Don’t worry. The witch will be executed. That trial is just a performance, following a predetermined script.”

Rusef said, as if to reassure her.

“It’s already decided?”

"Count Vadio tried to burn down the village because of you and the prince being in danger."

"What?"

Charlon spoke too loudly and clutched her side in pain.

[Translator - Night]

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At this point, even raising her voice caused her agony.

"The prince stopped him."

"Of course, he did! How could anyone do such a thing? If they burn down a village that surrendered willingly, the two allied villages would break their surrender and flee, and the other seven villages would immediately reunite."

Charlon struggled to keep her voice down but still ended up shouting.

Rusef looked at her with admiration.

"Exactly. The war would start all over again. But simply forgiving this isn't an option. Someone has to be sacrificed, and they've all agreed that executing the witch who put you in this situation will suffice."

"The prince agreed to that?"

"It was the prince who suggested holding a trial. So it must be his decision."

Charlon muttered to herself, That can't be right.

Rusef, as if trying to reassure her, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

His touch was gentle—not like the creepy men who tried to grope her, nor like Odel, who obsessively protected a woman’s purity.

It was the kind of touch she could trust, like that of her father or her brother.

And Jeje’s touch was warm, too.

"The trial is just for show. So don't worry about the witch being acquitted."

Charlon nodded heavily in reluctant agreement.

"Did the witch… Did Hag Olga really put us in that position?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When I think of Olga, I just remember a kind neighborhood lady. She’s someone who makes you feel warm inside and makes you want to be close to her. I can't imagine her planning something like that."

Rusef frowned.

"Even from the little you told me, I can tell she’s the culprit."

"I thought so, too. When I was trapped in that cave, on the verge of death, I was convinced it was Olga. But now, it all feels like a misunderstanding. I was in so much pain back then, convinced I was about to die. My head felt like it was floating, filled with nothing but negative thoughts. What if I misjudged everything?"

Charlon pressed her side as she spoke.

It still hurt, and the pain radiated through her body every time she talked.

But it was nothing compared to the night before when she had been on the brink of death.

"So, do you want to attend the trial and testify that the witch is innocent?"

Rusef asked.

"No."

"Just so you know, even if you go there—"

"I know… there's nothing I can do. I get it. Right now, I need to rest."

Rusef nodded.

Seeing the sincerity in his expression only strengthened her resolve.

‘If I’m weak, I’ll be a burden to both the prince and Rusef. They’re both the kind of people who would do anything to protect me.’

She repeated the thought over and over in her mind.

And Jedrick too…

Without realizing it, her mind drifted to the time she had spent with Jedrick the night before.

What should have been a tender and beautiful moment was now tainted by an overwhelming sense of fear.

"What’s wrong?"

When Charlon placed a hand on her chest and struggled to catch her breath, Rusef rushed to her side.

"It's just…"

She couldn't get the words out.

The suffocating pressure from crawling through the snake pit came back to her.

The moment she had been trapped, unable to move because her side was caught on a rock.

The darkness that had pressed in from all sides, closing in on her.

The shapeless mass that had approached her.

And the moving corpses…

She could still hear the sounds they made.

"Charlon, talk to me. What’s wrong?"

Rusef asked, his voice full of concern.

She couldn't tell him about the dead that had risen.

It was taboo to speak of beings that defied the laws of the divine.

And if she mentioned them, she might end up talking about what had happened with Jedrick as well.

"I just remembered the moment when the Tagda warriors stormed into the cave. If the prince’s shadow hadn’t been there, my head would probably be rolling around some temple by now. No… it could’ve been worse. If I’d been captured by those savages, who knows what they would’ve done to me…"

Because of her father’s blunt education, she knew far too well what happened to women when they lost in war and became spoils of conquest.

And she had known since she was six years old.

And she knew that if she talked about it, she could easily steer Rusef away from the real subject.

"Enough."

As expected, Rusef stopped her and tried to comfort her.

"Don’t talk about it, don’t even think about it. The more you dwell on it, the bigger it gets. You have to try to forget."

Rusef patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"I know. But it won’t be easy."

She said that, but in truth, she wasn’t afraid of it at all.

Even in that moment, she had remained surprisingly calm.

When they had stormed in, she had searched for an escape and focused on what she needed to do.

But when the corpses had started moving, she had nearly lost her mind.

Yes, it had been terrifying.

But was it really something to be this afraid of?

But why did they stop?

Rusef tapped the bed and adjusted her pillow back to its original place.

"Get some sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake up."

"Thanks, Rusef."

"I’ll be outside. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

Rusef left the room.

Charlon lay down on the bed and whispered,

"I have to go."

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