Shadow's Oath

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Chapter 98: The Two People's Plan

“Jeje, here’s your dinner.”

Jebit was always cheerful.

Even now, he spoke in a bright voice as he slid the food under the door.

It was nothing more than porridge made by boiling bread in water, but it was fortunate to have even this.

And it was an extra bit of luck that the tray holding the bowl was a hard wooden board.

“Aren’t you really hungry? I insisted that they let me scoop twice instead of just once with the ladle. I did good, right?”

“Thanks. I’m starving.”

Jebit closed the door again.

That was the rule.

But there was no sound of the latch being locked.

Jedrick quickly ate.

He kept the wooden board that had held the bowl behind him.

Jebit, unaware, sat next to the door and continued talking.

“I’ll be on guard duty until midnight. If you need anything, just say so. Oh, but they won’t let me give you fire. I asked if I could give you a torch since you might be scared in the dark, but they scolded me. But I can give you anything else! Normally, prisoners are only allowed two cups of water, but while I’m here, I can give you as much as you want. After midnight, Ras will take over. Don’t eat anything he gives you, okay? You know that, right? That bastard would probably spit in the water before giving it to you.”

“Even if he gave me a perfectly roasted piece of meat, I wouldn’t eat it, so don’t worry.”

Jebit laughed.

“How did things turn out like this? Olga was a good person. She wasn’t someone who should have died like that. She talked as if she resented us, but I don’t think she really meant it.”

“Maybe she did mean it.”

“Do you really think Olga cursed us before she died?”

“There was no curse. You heard everything.”

“I was sitting in the back, so I couldn’t hear well. No one really did. You know how it is. No one can hear properly, but they all just go ‘wah wah’ and vote in favor of the execution.”

“Did you vote in favor of Dulam’s execution?”

“I did.”

“Do you even know what crime he died for?”

“I don’t. Wasn’t it for freeing Olga?”

“No, it was for delivering Olga’s letter to the Tagda tribe.”

“Well, then he deserved to die. Tagda is our enemy now.”

“When he delivered that letter, Tagda was still our ally.”

“What? Then why was he killed?”

“You voted in favor, didn’t you? You should’ve known what you were agreeing to, whether for or against.”

“What was I supposed to do? Everyone around me was shouting to vote in favor. How could I refuse?”

“Did you vote in favor of Olga’s execution too?”

“I didn’t.”

“But it was declared unanimous.”

“The kid next to me didn’t vote in favor either. Neither did his mother. But they still announced that it was unanimous. Do you think I could’ve turned to your brother or mother and said, ‘Hey, the three of us didn’t vote in favor’?”

“Then you don’t even know what crime Olga was executed for.”

“She cursed us.”

“There was no curse.”

If the town was doomed because of strategic thinking on Olga’s part, that was a kind of curse in itself.

But it wasn’t the kind of curse the Geron people believed in.

“Then what did she say? You heard what that conqueror king and his wife said, didn’t you? What did they say to Olga?”

Jebit lay down almost flat on the floor, trying to peer through the bottom of the door.

“What did you hear? Everyone’s curious. You’re the only one who understands Southern.”

Jedrick tensed up, worried that the wooden board he had hidden behind him might be discovered.

Luckily, the room was dark, and his face couldn’t be seen.

“I can’t say.”

“Why? I won’t tell anyone. You know I can keep a secret.”

“You? Keep a secret? A sparrow is more tight-lipped than you.”

Jebit laughed again and sat back up beside the door.

“Sitting here like this reminds me of when we were kids. Back then, we weren’t scared of anything, and we had nothing to worry about. Remember when we took torches and went into the cave to hunt ghouls?”

“Yeah, I remember. Especially you crying.”

‘And the real ghoul I met this morning…’

“I didn’t cry. You did… But what was actually in that cave?”

Jebit asked.

“It was a bear hibernating.”

“How do you know that?”

“My father went to check after I came back crying. He said it was a bear that woke up from hibernation and made those sounds echo through the cave to scare away intruders like us.”

“See? You did cry.”

“…We all cried. Albo cried too.”

“Yeah. He may be called the strongest now, but back then, we all cried together.”

Jebit chuckled but then asked again.

“But really, what did Olga say before she died?”

“Will you keep it a secret?”

Jebit’s voice was full of anticipation.

“Of course! Just whisper it to me. I’ll put my ear to the door.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Come on, don’t be so stingy!”

“It’s not that. This place echoes. What if I whisper it to you, but everyone nearby hears it?”

“No one’s around. It’s fine.”

“No way! I can hear people walking by right now.”

Jebit hesitated but then said,

“You… If I open the door, promise you won’t escape?”

“Where would I even go if I escaped?”

“That’s true.”

If a prisoner escaped, their only option was the wilderness beyond the village.

That was practically a death sentence in itself.

For the Geron people, exile was the second-worst punishment after execution.

Exiles had an X carved into their cheeks with a knife so they couldn’t hide their status as criminals.

That meant they couldn’t settle in any other village.

In the barren lands of the north, an exile would be lucky to survive a week.

In winter, they might not even last a day.

Jedrick had once seen a man who had been exiled in winter.

He hadn’t made it past the small hill just a hundred paces from the village before freezing to death.

The only advantage of escaping before being officially exiled was avoiding the X mark.

Otherwise, there was no difference.

“Alright, tell me now.”

Jebit opened the door and stepped inside, then closed it behind him.

In that instant, Jedrick swung the wooden board at the back of Jebit’s head.

Jebit was one of the weakest among the Geron people.

The two of them, being similarly weak, had become friends, often the targets of mockery.

Even being the chief’s son didn’t shield Jebit from that.

Jebit collapsed onto the floor, unable to get up.

By morning, he’d be suffering from a terrible headache, but this was the only way.

This way, it wouldn’t look like Jebit had willingly freed Jedrick—it would seem like he was a victim too.

“I’m sorry. But don’t worry, you won’t be punished for this.”

Outside the confinement room, there were few torches.

Jedrick used the darkness to run down toward the lower part of the village.

He knew the roads well and avoided the areas with the most people.

He reached the bottom of the hill without being noticed.

The problem was the Southerners’ camp.

It was brightly lit with torches everywhere.

There were also multiple guards patrolling.

And among all the identical tents, there was no way to know which one was Charlon’s.

‘Father of all gods, Raham…’

Jedrick prayed, something he hadn’t done since childhood.

‘Let me find Charlon. Let him be alone. Let me say my final goodbye.’

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* * *

Charlon desperately waited for the news Ram was bringing, and finally, Ram appeared in front of the tent.

But he wasn’t allowed inside.

Odel blocked him.

“I don’t care if you’re the prince’s servant. Do you think I don’t know your intentions? You were alone in the tent with our lady earlier too, weren’t you? I can see right through you, you sly bastard!”

Inside the tent, Charlon couldn’t see Ram because Odel’s body was in the way.

“I only came to deliver a message. I can meet her outside.”

“No way! Do you know how many men in Born try all sorts of tricks just to catch a glimpse of my lady? You Triton men should be satisfied with sneaking glances from a distance!”

“Odel, I am the prince’s shadow. I only bring a message from His Highness…”

When Charlon spoke through the gap in the tent, Odel firmly grabbed the fabric, blocking him from coming inside.

“My lady, please stay inside. I can handle a man like this on my own.”

Odel cleared his throat and commanded,

“Whatever the prince’s business may be, you can only speak through me.”

LRamam responded in a polite tone, his pride completely unshaken.

“Then please tell the young lady, ‘I couldn’t find a way.’”

“What way?”

“She will understand if you say just that.”

“You wretch! You think I wouldn’t see through your tricks? You wanted to meet my lady just to say that? Is that really all?”

“I also wanted to ask if she took the medicine.”

“I’ll take care of my lady’s treatment. Now, be gone!”

Charlon remained silent, watching without interfering until Ram finally left.

The words ‘I couldn’t find a way’ were enough.

…Enough to bring disappointment.

‘At this rate, I won’t be able to do anything.’

Just earlier, it was Rusef blocking her, and now it was Odel.

Charlon couldn’t even take a single step outside the tent.

While Odel scolded the guards, ranting about security protocols, Charlon swiftly sat on the bed.

She pulled out a hidden bottle of medicine from beneath it.

It was the medicine Olga had given her.

She had hesitated to take it, debating whether she should or not.

‘This is the only way.’

Charlon poured Olga’s medicine into the bowl of medicine Odel had brought.

Inside was another mysterious black concoction Odel had made.

Since both were black, mixing them together left no visible difference.

Odel stormed back into the tent.

Charlon discreetly slid the empty bottle under her seat.

“My lady, do not let that man inside this tent again. You were alone with him earlier? I’m certain he must have ogled your body and entertained vile thoughts. I can tell just by looking at a man’s eyes. The ones who pretend to be the most composed are often the most depraved.”

“I think so too.”

Charlon coughed lightly and lifted the bowl of medicine.

“Here, drink it all up. I made this with the utmost care.”

Charlon brought the bowl to her lips but hesitated.

“I can’t drink this.”

“What? Why?”

Odel looked utterly betrayed.

“The smell is too strong. Are you sure this medicine is safe? Did you test it?”

Odel’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

“Test it? My lady, do you think I would ever give you something harmful?”

“Your intentions may be good. But you said you boiled it with ropes and centipedes, right? How is a person supposed to drink that?”

“My lady has always taken it well before.”

“I never drank it. I secretly threw it away.”

“Dear heavens, help me! How could you do that? Please, drink it now! Hurry!”

When Odel tried to push the bowl toward her again, Charlon firmly refused.

“Then you drink it first.”

“Why would I drink it?”

“Drink it. If it’s truly safe, you should be able to drink it too.”

Just as Odel was about to yell again, Charlon quickly added,

“If you drink it, I’ll drink it too.”

Odel let out a deep sigh.

“That trick again? My lady, you’re an adult now. Are you really going to use the same method you used as a child?”

Charlon folded her arms and turned her head away, pouting dramatically.

“I won’t drink it until you do.”

Odel slumped his shoulders.

“Fine. I’ll drink half, and you drink the other half.”

“When I said I would take just a sip earlier, you said I had to drink the whole bowl for it to work. Then shouldn’t you drink the whole thing too? If you do, I’ll drink a freshly made bowl.”

“Oh, for the love of—! That trick again? Fine! But you better be ready! The next batch will be twice as bitter!”

Odel downed the entire bowl.

Even she flinched from the bitterness.

Charlon had successfully made her drink the medicine, though she had no way of avoiding the next batch of rope-and-centipede concoction.

“Happy now, my lady? Then…”

Odel let out a loud belch.

She winced at the foul smell coming from her own breath.

“…Wait here. I’ll bring a new dose. And also!”

As she turned to leave, Charlon discreetly grabbed the empty bottle from under her seat.

But when Odel suddenly turned back, she quickly hid her hand again.

“Hm? And what?”

“From now on, you must not meet any Triton men except for the prince. Even when you meet him, that shadow of his cannot be present. I’ll make sure Rusef knows as well!”

“Alright.”

Charlon was fully prepared to follow Odel’s orders.

After all, the person she planned to meet wasn’t a Triton man.

Now alone in the tent, Charlon took a deep breath and sat on the bed, waiting for Odel.

Now, she had to wait and see when the ‘extremely drowsy state’ that Olga mentioned would set in.

‘Jeje, if you can’t come to me, then I will come to you.’

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