“The sounds of the wind, the leaves, the birds… It’s like nature is an orchestra playing just for us,” I mused. “Then perhaps the sky is a dance hall of sorts? When you think of it that way, it’s like the birds are dancing.”
I brought the teacup to my lips. The tea’s rich aroma and gentle flavor spread through my mouth. I exhaled, and Arte turned a narrow-eyed gaze on me.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
Arte looked away, suddenly bashful. “Oh, um… It’s just… You are quite a poet, Lord Van.”
Now that I was not expecting. I hadn’t said anything particularly deep, but I suppose it was a bit poetic for a child of only nine years. Maybe little Van was the best poet in all of Seatoh Village.
An up-and-coming poet had to be humble, so as I reached for a cookie, I said, “It just came to mind, that’s all.” Till was really leveling up her cookie game, because these looked incredible. “Till, thank you for the treats!”
My expectations sky-high, I took a bite of the cookie. Its crunchiness and rich aroma fused with the buttery flavor as it melted in my mouth. It wasn’t super sweet, making it the kind of treat that I could eat endlessly.
“Delicious!”
Till had surpassed my expectations in the best possible way. At this point, she was doing the work of a master. Utterly satisfied, I ate a few more cookies while Till beamed at me.
“Thank goodness. I was worried I might have over-baked them this time around, but I suppose they taste fine?”
Arte finished a cookie and shook her head. “These are delicious. I love the gentle mouthfeel your cookies usually have, but these crunchy ones are fantastic as well.”
“So tasty!” Khamsin confirmed.
There were crumbs around his mouth and on the ground near his feet. I pointed. “See? This is what happens when you eat and talk at the same time.”
Khamsin snapped to attention, then brought his teacup to his mouth for another sip. “My apologies,” he said afterward, quickly wiping his mouth clean and acting like nothing had happened.
Arte started to laugh at the whole sight.
“Funny, right?” I asked. Arte nodded.
“Yes. But I feel like if I let my guard down, I’ll make just as much of a mess. Till is just so good at baking.”
Till looked at me then, her smile turning a bit troubled. “Yes, well, I have a lord who happens to adore sweets.”
Uneasiness spread through my chest at her words. Lord. She usually called me “Lord Van,” but hearing the word on its own hit differently. Till probably meant nothing of it, but something about being called “lord” by a beautiful girl in a maid uniform made me suddenly want to ask for omelet rice.
I swear, there’s nothing indecent about any of this! I tried frantically to recover for the sake of my own dignity.
“Hey, it’s not just me,” I tried, hoping to distract everyone from my gluttony. “Khamsin eats your sweets like crazy, too. He’s always asking for seconds.”
But Till just giggled. “I know. Truth be told, this is my second time baking these cookies. The first time, Khamsin ate them all!”
“She asked me to taste test them,” Khamsin muttered guiltily.
Arte burst into laughter again, loud and carefree. It was uncommon for her to laugh so loudly, and both Till and Khamsin looked at her. For my part, I’d seen her like this a few times now, so I watched her warmly as she covered her mouth with one hand and giggled away.
“The two of you can be so funny. And it’s because you’re so close that she can watch you guys and feel comfortable enough to laugh like this,” I explained, guessing what Arte was thinking.
She nodded, still giggling. “E-exactly! I just could not hold back.”
Till and Khamsin watched curiously as Arte took a deep breath and collected herself. This was what peace looked like. I sighed. “Now then, break time is over.”
No sooner had I said those words than I heard trees collapsing in the distance. The ground shook soon after, and the Chivalric Order’s vibe turned intense.
“Don’t tell me…” I whispered, but it was too late. Dee was running toward us, sword and shield in hand.
“Lord Van! Please drop back to the rear!” he yelled. For such a large man, he was incredibly swift as he put himself in front of me diagonally and glared down the hill.
We hadn’t scouted out ahead, and we were flanked by trees on both sides. This meant the only way to retreat was backward. That said, the Seatoh Chivalric Order was here. They wouldn’t be taken down so easily.
“Dee, you don’t need to be a wall for me. Let’s line up the war wagons as a defensive line,” I said. Khamsin ran to deliver this order to the wagon drivers.
Dee nodded without turning back to me. “Thank you. However, it is already here.”
“Huh?”
I whipped around, shocked, as a giant beast smashed through the trees on the mountain slope and made its way toward us.
“The enemy is already in combat mode! Steel your hearts and prepare yourselves!” Dee yelled, slashing his sword downward.
The crack as he sliced the wind itself clashed with the sound of two hard objects colliding, echoing through the open area. That one attack was enough to mow down the nearby trees and put a stop to the massive creature climbing up toward us.
A giant crocodile, to be precise.
“It’s huge! It’s way too big!” I yelled. Wow, these impressions were feeble. Little Van, you could have picked more sophisticated words.
But that was just my brain fleeing the reality in front of me. This monster was just too intimidating. It had to be at least twenty meters long from head to tail. Since it crawled on all fours, it had a low posture, but even then, the tip of its nose was at least as tall as Dee. And this very same crocodile had its mouth wide open as it glared at us.
“It’s super big! Its body and mouth are ridiculous!”
More embarrassing assessments spilled out of my mouth, but who could blame me?! This monster could swallow a car whole if it wanted to! Of course I wanted to flee from reality! Anyone would! Little Van wasn’t unique in that regard!
“Graaah!” Ignoring me entirely, Dee slashed sideways at the monster’s mouth. Blood splattered everywhere and the crocodile turned sharply away, setting its inhuman glare on us.
What incredible intensity.
I was behind Dee and it was clearly glaring at him, but somehow I felt like it was glaring at me as well. Dread washed over me. If Dee hadn’t been standing there, I was confident I’d pass out on the spot.
That was when I remembered that Arte and the others were still behind me.
“Khamsin, get the girls to a carriage!”
“Yessir!” Khamsin replied immediately, pulling Arte and Till away.
Meanwhile, our massive intruder bared its fangs, its ferocious gaze darting all over the place in search of its prey. It set its man-sized legs forward in an attempt to restart its climb, but Dee noticed this and swung his sword down, barking orders. “Machine bow squad, you’re on support! All other order members be aware of our surroundings! Protect Lord Van!”