Chapter 7: The Radiant Light Knight and the Lunar Ice Knight
A puppy was following me around, a puppy by the name of Kraut. He’d been weirdly attached to me ever since the bear incident the day before. And I’d gotten so little sleep that I could’ve sworn I saw him dancing the Valse du petit chien.
I’d barely slept at all; I couldn’t stop thinking about my conversation with Stern. I had never considered the possibility that guys might be romantically interested in me or that from an outsider’s perspective it seemed like Felzen or Stern and I were dating.
It was all too much to process, and before I knew it, morning had risen.
“Bern, Bern!” called the puppy dog—err, Kraut, using my nickname.
“Yes?”
“What did you two discuss yesterday?”
My face heated rapidly. I could feel Stern’s fingertips against my ears, visualize his somber stare, hear his voice as if only seconds had passed since we spoke. Kraut was looking at me strangely, so I replied with an ambiguous smile. “I got yelled at.”
“Yelled at?”
“Stern enlightened me about the realities of military campaigns.”
“I see. Glad you’re such good friends.”
“We are. It’s just that, Felzen and Stern are so quick to anger sometimes, probably because of how weak I am. Get stronger, lesson learned.” I laughed.
Kraut eyed me indignantly. “No, you’re not! You’re plenty strong!” he insisted, making a fist for emphasis.
I lightly tapped him on the head. “Thanks.”
“Y-You’re wewcome!” Kraut’s garbled pronunciation made me laugh, and he shyly joined in the laughter.
“Off we go then.” To maintain our advantage, we needed to defeat the monsters while the sun was still out.
Opposite the forest was Eisberk. I’d come not only to safeguard the royal capital but my home as well. The knight and cadet squadrons were tasked with defending the central force’s flanks. Kraut and the other wood magic users cleared the way forward. I formed protective walls of ice while Felzen initiated combat with his fire power. Stern reinforced his allies’ weapons and assisted the fighting with his metal magic. The tips of his arrows were coated with spelled mercury, making for one nasty combination. No monster stood a chance against his shots.
As expected, our foes were leagues above what we were accustomed to. No matter how many we downed, more appeared in their place. We just had to hold out until the main unit slew the horde leader. Yet as the battle dragged on, we started seeing injuries. I froze over soldiers’ wounds with my magic, temporarily stanching their bleeding, while we waited for the relief stationed behind us to arrive.
“Thanks, Bern!”
“Save it. Now go!”
A shockwave rippled through my ice barricade. I whipped my head around, spotting an enormous monster. I pointed my sword at the center of the barrier and unleashed a blast of magical energy. An icy spike lanced toward the beast, penetrating it, and the monster disintegrated.
Something’s not right. Why was that kind of monster here? The stronger ones are supposed to be further in.
“Aaaaah! Salamander!”
“What’s it doing here?!”
“Wasn’t the main squadron supposed to take care of it?!”
Screams of horror resounded through the forest. Dread filled the air as the highest tier of fire monster entered the field. The salamander flung its bright red body against the trees, and I flinched at its heat, which emanated all the way to where I stood. We cadets were soldiers, yes, but weak and inexperienced.
“Retreat!” yelled the unit leader.
Kraut was still out front, freeing a path through the brush. I rushed over, deploying a sheet of ice to shield him. “Kraut, block it off!”
“O-Okay!” He conjured a hedge of trees.
As the salamander breathed fire on the blockade, I froze the wood so it couldn’t ignite. “Kraut, open the way back! Now!”
“Okay!”
“I’ve got you!” Felzen said, lining up beside Kraut.
Felzen, whose magic was of the same element as the salamander, could only do so much. It made the most sense for me to remain.
“Felzen! The stream! It flows from Eisberk—the Lord of the Lake!”
“Gotcha! Don’t do anything stupid, Bern!”
“I won’t!”
Felzen plunged his sword into the stream, vaporizing its divine waters into a mist. The salamander recoiled. Stern loosed an arrow at it, the projectile audibly melting upon contact with the beast’s blistering skin.
“Stern, it’s a fire monster! Your metal magic is useless!”
“I know, but I can’t just leave you behind!”
A bunch of inferior monsters materialized through the smoke, cutting us off from the retreating cadets. Stern positioned himself behind me, guarding my back while I threw up another bulwark of ice. “They just keep coming!”
“You can say that again.”
The salamander whaled relentlessly against the blockade. Everyone else had gotten away, but things weren’t looking so hot for me and Stern.
“Bit of tight spot, aye?” he said, a wry smile on his face.
“Can’t wait for the nonstop tactical retreat drills back home.”
The barrier’s going to break if I lose focus even for a second. I can’t keep this up for much longer either, I’m running out of energy fast. We need backup. If only Felzen had gone to get help! The salamander’s flames expanded outward, engulfing the barrier. I can’t hold it any longer! I thought just as Stern jumped off his horse toward me.
“Bern!” he shouted.
“Stern!”
His cloak wrapped around me as we fell to the ground, scorching-hot flames shooting past us. The stench of burning hair assaulted my nostrils. A flurry of arrows whirred overhead, causing the salamander to shrink back. Our horses, neighing defiantly, reared between us and the beast, their manes singed. Despite their fear of fire, they were putting themselves on the line to protect us.
“Is that you, Bern?” called a hoarse voice.
I lifted my head only to see the Eisberk Cavalry Brigade handily dispatching the smaller monsters surrounding us. A black-haired knight loomed at the forefront, an old childhood friend of mine. Muscular, with a knight-like physique and piercing black gaze. Everyone knew the name of the Cavalry Brigade’s commander.
“Wolfe!” I exclaimed, relieved at the sight of a familiar face.
Wolfe quickly dismounted and ran to me, his sword drawn. “Do you still have leftover energy?”
“Yes!”
“Then enhance our arrows with ice!”
“Understood!”
Another volley followed. This time the arrows reached their target, shaft after shaft sinking into the salamander’s body.
“Can you freeze moistureless objects?” Stern asked, groaning.
“Yes?”
“Then enhance my arrows too!” He painfully plucked one off the ground, nocked it. I imbued it with my magic, the silvery glow of the metal intensifying. Stern gritted his teeth and pulled the string back. He fired, striking the salamander right in the forehead. An unholy shriek echoed through the forest. The salamander fell, writhing in agony.
“Y-You did it! Stern, you did it!”
“I…did it.” Stern slumped into my arms, his cheeks red, his brow covered in sweat.
“Stern?”
“Let me stay like this…for a while.” He smiled, his face contorting in pain.
“Stop saying stupid things!”
The fire had burned through Stern’s cloak, charring his back.
It’s because he protected me. I should’ve noticed when his arrows scattered across the ground.
“Did I do good…Bern?” Stern mustered a crooked smile.
I can’t breathe. My chest hurts. Unable to speak past the lump in my throat, I wordlessly soothed his back with my ice magic.