“We’ve also secured more Halahala. Everything is ready for the attack on Ronadyphe Prison.”
“I didn’t ask you since you said I wasn’t coming last time, but what’s Ronadyphe Prison?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you about it? Ronadyphe Prison is where they keep the most deadly criminals in the capital. At the moment, there is a scholar named Dimitri imprisoned there. He’s a noble, but he was arrested because of his research. We want to release him and make him our ally.”
“What kind of research?”
“He was studying Amrita. In doing so, he created an unbelievable byproduct,” Crow said with theatrical gestures as he peered into Nagi’s eyes. “Halahala.”
“So you’ll be able make more Halahala if he’s with you? I won’t let you use Saya’s blood, you know.”
“It’s okay. We haven’t been sitting here twiddling our thumbs since the last time we spoke. We have a different prospect regarding that matter. Oh, but don’t worry; that doesn’t mean we won’t save Saya. The royal palace is still our final target.” Crow paused, holding out his hand. “Welcome to Cobalt, Nagi.”
After that, they quickly discussed the details of the attack.
“The operation will take place in a week. There’s a relay station about a kilometer west of Ronadyphe Prison—the Silver Doe, another one of our bases. Please meet us there at sunset. Tess, I’ll send you over to your village with a cogwagon tonight, so please inform anyone who’ll be participating. Feel free to relax here until then. We’ve taken down the signboard, so nobody should come in.”
With that, Crow and Keele left the bar. Nagi and Tess were now alone.
“Thanks,” Nagi said.
Looking depressed, Tess murmured, “I’m sure many people will die. I mean, we’re storming into a prison full of nobles.”
“Do you think we’ll lose?”
“I don’t know. Crow seems awfully confident, but that actually makes me more anxious. Even if we win, there’s no way everybody will live through it.”
Nagi was in complete agreement. He had gotten the Crestfolk involved just because he wanted to see Saya again; he had never thought of the sacrifices that would be made as a result.
Tess watched him for a moment. “Don’t make that face. We’re the ones who chose to do this.”
She faced him directly and leaned in. A smell like summer grass hung in the air. It seemed terribly out of place considering the seedy bar and their somber conversation.
“I might die, too.”
With a strange look in her eyes, Tess hopped off the barstool and came right up beside Nagi. She was so close that he felt like he could almost hear the swishing of her hair, and the scent coming off of her grew even stronger.
He couldn’t look away from her eyes. They were like polished black stones. At that moment, Tess pressed her lips against Nagi’s. The feeling of her warm, moist lips paralyzed him. He couldn’t even close his eyes. With Tess’ gaze locked on him so closely, he could see his own reflection.
Tess’ lips separated from his. They had only touched for a short moment, but the soft sensation lingered.
She might die, Nagi thought to himself. This girl might die because of me.
“Tess...” Muttering her name was the best he could muster.
“Did you hate it?” she asked.
“I didn’t.”
“Then it’s fine.” Tess smiled. She was like a single flower blooming in a wasteland.
“You can’t die,” he said.
“I don’t plan on dying so easily, but I don’t want to be afraid of death, either. I’ve decided what I want to do with my life.”
After that, the only sound audible in the bar was the wind howling against the walls.
The Silver Doe was a cheap, inconspicuous inn a short distance from one of the main roads connected to the capital. Its primary patrons were travelers without much coin to spare.
As evening approached, more and more people congregated at the inn. The only other time this place was so lively was during the Blood Offering Festival, when deliveries had to be made to the capital. Were any outsiders to witness the crowd, they would surely be shocked.
However, no such spectators existed. Everyone gathering at the inn tonight was doing so with utmost discretion.
“Fifty warriors from Garuga Village under Bandore are here to join the fight.”
“Thank you for coming. We welcome you wholeheartedly.”
Bandore was the man who had killed the cogwagon driver. He was also the strongest warrior in the village. Nagi could spot Tess hidden in his large shadow.
A mix of men and women had come from Garuga. The men lacked beards and were rather feeble-looking overall. Some of the warriors could not be determined as male or female at a glance. Compared to them, Bandore was gargantuan. Nevertheless, even if their bodies were small, the Crestfolk warriors were like honed blades.
Crow looked upon them with satisfaction. “I’m grateful to have you all as our allies. Now then, that makes everyone. Let’s begin the strategy meeting. It’s pretty simple, though.”
“Man, it’s cramped as hell in here,” Keele complained.
“Please put up with it. I’m still uneasy about capturing Ronadyphe Prison, even considering our numbers now. The prison is garrisoned by ten knights and ninety commoner soldiers. On the other hand, we have our original fifty members of Cobalt and the fifty Crestfolk warriors who just arrived. We’re even in terms of numbers, but so long as they have nobles on their side, we’re at a disadvantage. What’s more, they hold the prison as a base. Anyway, here’s our plan.”
Crow’s voice was very matter-of-fact, but it resonated in the hearts of those who heard it.
“Our primary objective is to break Professor Dimitri out of prison. He’s being held in the underground dungeons. Our secondary objective is to release the other political prisoners being held down there. The ideal outcome would be full occupation of the prison. First, the majority of our forces will attack straight from the front. We’ll allocate eighty people to this force. I would like the Crestfolk warriors to make up the bulk of this assault. While the defenses are drawn to the front, the remaining fifteen members will infiltrate using the back door.”
“In other words, we’re a decoy?” Bandore asked, knitting his brow.
“Frankly, yes. The infiltration squad is composed of people who’ve received specialized training in fighting against nobles. We unfortunately don’t have the time to give all of you such training.”
“What about the poison? With that, even we should be able to kill nobles.”
“Even with Halahala, there’s no winning against a noble in a proper fight. We’ve worked out weapons and tactics to overcome this. We’ll teach you once the operation is over. Our current strategy is limited on this one occasion.”
“Hmph. Fine,” Bandore said with a nod, more or less convinced.
“Here’s the layout of Ronadyphe Prison.”
“Where’d you get this?” the warrior asked.
Bandore had a point. They had surely gotten it from the same source who had provided the rough sketch of the Forbidden Garden. Crow continued to keep this source a secret, along with his source of Halahala.
“That can be discussed another day. Let me reiterate: we simply don’t have the time. With all these people in one place, there’s a risk everything has already come to light.”
“You’ll tell us after this fight, you got that? As for now...” Bandore flashed a ferocious smile. “We just gotta slaughter some fucking vampires using this Halahala of yours.”
Crow then hammered out the finer details of the operation, which mostly concerned the elite forces he had mentioned. About the only detail left for the Crestfolk was the signal for retreat.
“Nagi, you come over here,” Keele said suddenly.
“Keele, please.” Crow seemed troubled, but he didn’t try to stop him.
“How many guys here have actually killed a noble?”
The members of the elite force remained silent. Only three of them raised their hands.
“Thought so. Nagi here offed a noble without much of a weapon. Not only that, he staved off a blow with a knife and a crazy attack after that. I’m sure he’ll be useful in the rear squad.”
“But he hasn’t been properly trained to—”
“In a fight against a noble, all logic goes out the window. Only the guys who’ve faced ’em head-on know it. You just don’t get it, Crow. Fighting is my territory. You’ll do as I say.”
“Very well.”
Crow reluctantly accepted Keele’s opinion while pushing up his glasses. Nagi felt strangely removed from the situation. He couldn’t believe Keele was vouching for him.
“Use that,” Crow said, pointing to a longsword. “And bring a bundle of arrows with you.”
The surface of the sword had a dull shine to it and a minute groove carved into its surface.
“Supposedly, this thing was made so Halahala trickles down it. Crow came up with it,” Keele explained.
“What about the arrows?” Nagi asked.
“They’re the same arrowheads I used the other day. There’s Halahala inside them. You’ve seen how effective it is already,” Crow answered.
“I’m fine with the arrows, but I’ve never used a sword. Don’t you have a knife?”
“Aah, we do have a prototype.”
Crow handed a knife over to Nagi, who gripped it tightly. It had the same groove as the sword, but this one felt better in Nagi’s hand.
“I’ll use this.”
“Whatever. It’s your archery we’re puttin’ our hopes in,” Keele said.
This made sense to Nagi. He didn’t have Keele or Bandore’s strength to swing around a large weapon. Instead, he had great confidence in his skill with a bow.
“All right, then. Let’s go butcher us some vampires!” Keele’s grin was like a crescent moon hanging in the sky.