Chương 18: The Young Baron of Widow's Wall

"And I must do what needs to be done." The barbarian stared at Enel, then at the shattered dagger in his hand. He couldn't understand what the young man in front of him was saying, but he knew one thing... if he didn't get away from the boy's grip, he would die. And so, he pulled again. This time, however, Enel finally let go of the axe, causing him to stumble back. And before he could balance himself, Enel was already behind him; the edge of his palm, around his thick neck.

And what followed was a quiet, wet crack... and the barbarian's head fell along with the rest of his body. Tiny saw it. The two soldiers next to them saw it, and yet they still couldn't quite figure out what they saw. Enel turned to Tiny, which caused him to flinch. Tiny stared at Enel's face first, then gazed down at his hand. First, he saw the blood dripping from it. But beneath that... he saw Enel's fingers trembling. Tiny looked back at his face and realized his lips were trembling, too. And yet...

"Stay behind me."

"Y-yes, M'lord!" Tiny nodded quickly, following behind Enel as he... walked into battle. Everything was chaos around him, but none of it could truly hurt him—and that only made it easier to see who it could hurt. A barbarian raised a spear toward a wounded man. Enel stepped in, caught the spearhead with his bare hand, and pushed the weapon back through the attacker's chest. Another barbarian came from the side, rushing toward a helpless soldier.

Enel moved gracefully, just as Mira taught him—almost dancing across the battlefield. And with a wave of his hand, the rushing barbarian was cleaved in half. An arrow flew toward Tiny right after, but Enel casually caught it before throwing it up in the air, causing a small boom which caught everyone's attention for a moment. But of course, the chaos didn't have the leisure to stare, and the battle continued. A downed barbarian rolled in front of him, frantically searching for his weapon.

Enel stared at him for a moment, and the barbarian stared back... but Enel just left him alone.

"M'lord!" This very same barbarian, however, rushed at him as soon as he found his weapon. Enel glanced back, then disappeared from his spot, only for his palm to strike the barbarian's chin, throwing him several stories up into the air. Again and again, men attacked Enel. Again and again, he answered only when they did. He truly did just walk across the battlefield. A sword broke against his arm, and his elbow caved in the chest of the man holding it.

An axe caught his cape, and Enel spun with it, pulling the wielder off balance before stomping him into the mud. Two Aldwyn soldiers were about to kill each other again in the smoke, and Enel caught both by the backs of their armor and threw them apart. And like a quiet storm, Enel began to shape the war happening around him... and people from both sides have noticed. Unknowingly, the Aldwyn soldiers began to rally behind him. And Tiny witnessed all of this.

He also witnessed as the barbarians soon hesitated to even dare come close to him... until they stopped coming altogether. But then, a roar shook the air. All the Aldwyn soldiers behind Enel looked toward the battle cry, only to see a giant rushing toward them. The barbarian was larger than the others, with a beard braided down to his chest and scars running over both arms. Several Aldwyn soldiers tried to stop him, only for them to be swatted away like flies.

"Anito!" The large barbarian stopped in his tracks, stabbing his axe through the ground before pointing at Enel. The barbarian started swinging both his arms wildly, and smoke tore itself into the air around him. [Urt, Bato!] He roared once more, and the smoke he drew in the air glowed and came to life. The barbarian stepped through it, and his muscles swelled. His Breath burned around him, etching the words he wrote into his skin in red, and his flesh crackled into stone until his entire body was a boulder.

The soldiers who were rushing toward him stopped and stepped back in terror. The large barbarian didn't care for them. His eyes only gazed at Enel, and him alone. And with smoke billowing from his nose, he lunged. The ground beneath his feet cracked with each step, and the tremor he left behind caused both the barbarians and the soldiers to lose their footing.

"Grah!" The champion barbarian roared once more, and mud burst beneath his feet. His iron-like fist swung forward, carrying enough force that everyone within the battlefield could hear it whistle. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. But Enel... raised one finger, and the fist stopped against it. The red words wrapped around the barbarian's skin flickered wildly. The champion's eyes widened, first in anger, then confusion, then... fear.

Enel then suddenly grabbed his fist, and without even taking a breath, pulled the champion barbarian closer and struck him once in the chest—no. Through the chest. Enel's entire arm pierced through the man's iron-like chest and came out on the other side. Tiny forgot to breathe. He had seen Enel kill before, but this was different. Everyone saw this. Everyone. And then, for a moment, the battle in the western camp became quiet.

Even those who were exchanging blows completely forgot what they were doing as they watched Enel casually pull his arm out from the champion barbarian. And soon, silently, one barbarian took a step back. Then another, and another. Until all of them began to retreat.

"They're... they're running!" someone shouted. Aldwyn soldiers raised their weapons and surged forward.

"After them! Kill them all!" Because they could actually give chase, Enel appeared in front of them. His red cape flapped with the wind, and his long golden hair almost blinded them.

"No," he said. Most stopped, but a mounted knight rode past, his sword still pointed at the enemy. Enel stepped into his path and caught the horse by the bridle.

"What are you doing, boy?!" he shouted, almost falling from his saddle.

"They're retreating!"

"Yes," Enel said.

"Then we cut them down before they regroup!"

"They are running."

"They are the enemy!"

"We do not attack men from behind."

"Are you a fool?! This is war!"

"And yet we are still men." Enel looked up at him.

"Men have rules, My Lord."

"Not in war!" The knight raised his voice and looked behind him.

"Men! Charge!" He roared. And yet... not one soldier moved from their spot. The knight saw this, and the only thing he could do was grit his teeth... before finally dismounting his horse. He looked at Enel for a moment, completely ignoring the insignia on his chest. Then, with a sigh, his shoulders finally relaxed.

"You must forgive me, My Lord," he said, calming down. Still, his hands shook from battle.

"The war has... changed me." Enel couldn't say anything and only looked at his own hands, which he didn't realize were also trembling.

"House Blackwood?" The knight finally looked at Enel's chest.

"I did not know they had a Hero like you."

"I am... not. I am Enel, Baron Blackwood's son."

"Son...? I did not know they had a son. But since you are here—will you be the one leading us to battle, then? Were you—" Before their conversation could go deeper, a voice from behind interrupted them.

"M'lord...?" Enel immediately turned, finding the voice familiar. It was Gregor, moving through the crowd. Enel almost didn't see Tiny leading him, as Gregor was larger than most men around him. His beard had grown wild, and his arms were covered in bandages. For a moment, he looked at Enel, not knowing if it was truly him—but it was hard not to mistake him for anyone else. Who else, after all, would glow like this on the battlefield? And so, Gregor dropped to one knee.

"Young lord." The men around him froze. Some lowered their weapons. Others almost fell to their knees. And then, for the first time since he woke up, a look of relief crept onto Enel's face.

"Gregor," he whispered, finally breathing normally again.

"You... you're alive."

"I am, M'lord." Gregor looked up.

"Is... Lady Mira with you?"

"She is home."

"The... Baron?"

"Home." Gregor's face twisted.

"Then why in the Seven Laws are you here?" Enel sighed at that.

"Lysa asked me to bring you home."

"Wh—" Gregor's mouth opened. The cleaver in his hand slipped and struck the mud.

"That woman. That stupid, blessed woman—""I made an oath under the Sovereign," Enel said.

"I will bring you back." Gregor opened his eyes again.

"You... shouldn't have done that, M'lord. An oath is a serious thing. Most... most of ours are already with the Earthmother." Enel looked at the battlefield when he heard that. Tiny, who'd been keeping quiet, also lowered his head.

"Most?" Enel asked. Gregor nodded once.

"A-Ansel?" Tiny asked before Enel could. Gregor's jaw tightened.

"He was taken."

"Taken?" Enel's eye twitched.

"During the last push," Gregor said.

"The northerners came at night. Took prisoners when they fled." Tiny frowned.

"But I thought they only took women?" Enel looked toward the retreating barbarians.

"Ansel looks like a woman."

"Huh...?"

"Tiny. Please, take care of Gregor." Tiny blinked.

"Me?" Gregor also blinked. He was nearly three times the boy's size.

"M'lord, I don't think—" Before he could finish his words, Enel was already moving.

"Men!" The knight raised his sword, once again mounting his horse. But before he could even order everyone to charge... Enel was already far away in the distance. He tore across the western field, mud and torn grass exploding behind him in a long broken trail as he chased the retreating barbarians toward the north.

"Men..." The knight repeated, his voice lower this time.

"... By the order of the Lord of Widow's Wall, we stay put." No one answered at first. They just stared at the trail Enel left behind.

"Lord of Widow's Wall?" someone whispered.

"Widow's Wall...? Where in the realm is that supposed to be?" Tiny looked at Gregor, but Gregor did not say anything. He only stared at where Enel had gone. The knight also looked at the path Enel tore through the mud, then slowly raised his sword.

"House Blackwood," he raised his voice, and a few soldiers repeated it.

"House... Blackwood." Then more.

"House Blackwood!" Then, from somewhere in the back, someone also shouted.

"Hail the Hero of the Western Camp!" And this time, the others followed. Tiny and Gregor could only stare as, soon, every man there raised their weapons and chanted Enel's name.

"Will..." Tiny whispered, looking up at Gregor.

"Will he be alright?"

"No," Gregor immediately answered.

"Nothing... will ever be alright after this." The chanting around them continued, but Gregor...

"Young baron..." Gregor only whispered. At the same time, at the center of the camp, the Lord Commander stood over a map. His armor was covered in dirt and dried blood, and even his hair was adorned with the debris of war. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. He had been staring at the map for an hour now, not blinking for even a single moment. But soon, his head lifted.

"Lord Commander!" A shout came from outside the tent, then a messenger burst into his tent, almost slipping inside.

"Lord Commander Duncan!" The messenger knelt.

"The Western Camp was under attack!"

"How many?!" Lord Commander Duncan rushed to his weapon, but then stopped short of grabbing them.

"... Was?" he asked.

"Y-yes, M'lord." The messenger swallowed.

"The attack is over."

"Did... we lose the Western Camp?" Duncan's fist was about to curl, but the messenger's next words stopped him once more.

"The barbarians retreated, M'lord!"

"Retreat?" Duncan returned to his map.

"When they had the advantage of a surprise attack? Why...?"

"The heir of Widow's Wall made them retreat, M'lord." Duncan stared at him.

"Who…?"