The Amber Sword

Chapter 28 – The end of the tale

—————– Princess POV —————

The princess with silver hair did not speak for a long time after the story ended. She supported her chin with her fingers and looked at the sunset outside the giant arched window. It was nearly night time.

“So what is the ending of this tale, Lord Oberbeck?” She asked.

“Isn’t the ending apparent enough, my lady? It ends with me finishing narrating the tale to the princess here.”

“You could put it that way, Lord Oberbeck, but you have not told me the most interesting thing.” The princess asked with interest.

“Oh?”

“You said ‘he got something good out of it over the journey”, but I have not heard anything of that description from the beginning of the tale, Lord Oberbeck.”

The youth had fulfilled his promise as he said that he would point a path leading to a miracle

Freya brought the militia along with her at this stage.

Her sentences were,

“Did we really win, Brendel?”

He nodded at the girl. He did not speak, but the militia behind her were silent when they saw him nod. Some of the people there dropped their weapons onto the ground as they saw their leader’s action. They almost could not believe their eyes when they realized they had escaped to safety after just one full day.

They had repeatedly broke through the enemy lines, even when the White-Mane army was unable to defeat the undead at all.

Someone from the militia yelled out loudly as if it in denial: “Lord knight, did we really win?”

Brendel nodded again.

Everyone started jumping and yelling in delight. Some of them started weeping while a few others ran backwards to inform the refugees. The cavalry tried to keep a straight face, but after a few moments they were grinning from ear to ear.

Brendel noticed Freya looking at him in a slight stare, and he asked: “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Thanks, Brendel.” Came the reply.

Brendel laughed in response. He started to look at the green forest far away from him.

[The Forest of Grand deer. That’s a nostalgic place. It’s a place that I used to pass when I traveled from Bruglas to Fortress Riedon, with quite a lot of wolverines in them. There’s a particular point of interest, an ancient castle, that I need to go at some point in the future.]

Brendel started evaluating his options.

[I have nearly gotten 5000 XP from the past battles. The Cards of Fate are something of great value as a magical item and a trump card that I can use, so I have to spend 2000 XP to attain an EP pool. Next is the Scholar and Knight professions. The sub-profession as a scholar allows for additional development on the main profession class, as well as providing higher TP.]

(TL: EP elemental points, TP – Tactical points – Required for raising skills.)

[Technique skills in this world are a rare thing, because the majority of the people here are NPCs, while a player could easily get their own innate techniques because of what their profession class brings along. In this case, I also know missions that provide techniques as well, so I should put them in my schedule so that I have an advantage over the people here. Considering the path ahead of me if I want to become a paladin, I need to establish a good relationship with the Holy Cathedral of Fire.]

Brendel then thought about the overall journey.

[I merely completed a quest to ‘rescue the refugees’. The Tarkus in history had combined multiple undead units and conquered many Aouine cities before they pulled out which led to the prologue of Aouine’s demise. I used to laugh at Aouine’s weak leadership, but until I led this group of NPCs, I finally realized that war isn’t so simple.]

He shook his head.

[A gamer looking at Aouine’s history with a pair of gamer’s eyes. That’s wrong. When you throw this situation to the royal king or the Regent Princess later on, they will most likely be helpless in this situation. I can’t imagine how it feels like to watch their kingdom crumble bit by bit over the decades… In any case, we have already reached the north side of the River of Sharp Rocks.]

Once they defeated the squadron here, they had swept Medes’s last line of troops that surrounded the region.

Suddenly he felt someone patting his back. When he turned around, he saw Leto and the other mercenaries, along with the remnants of the White-Mane army gathered together.

“My lord, what are your plans.” The first to speak was Batum who appeared like a coarse city dweller in Brendel’s eyes. His orange-red beard was especially striking.

“My plans?”

“We have discussed amongst ourselves, we would follow you if you wish to keep us by your side.” Mano answered in a straightforward manner.

The mercenaries found out that they were more keen to work for the youth after experiencing the past few days compared to working for others.

Brendel was confused for a moment before realizing they were asking to be his retainers, but he was not a real noble and his identity was merely upheld by Ciel. He thought for a while before replying.

“It’s not suitable for you to follow me at the moment.”

Everyone was taken aback, but Leto understood there was something else in his words. “Then what are your plans, my lord.”

But Brendel returned the question to him. “What exactly do you plan to do if I can’t accept you?”

They looked at each other, but it was Gaspard from the Fortress Riedon’s public policing forces that answered. “We intend to form a mercenary group, if my lord has other thoughts. We fought together so we can trust each other.”

“Aren’t you interested in continuing your post as a captain?”

Gaspard laughed. “No, I already gave my thoughts about this, and my men are also willing to walk this road.”

“What about you and your men?” Brendel turned to Taron and the rest of the White-Mane army.

“Besides us, there are also a few men from the refugees who are interested in joining us. However, a few of the mercenaries and the White-Mane soldiers have their own plans. The rest amongst the refugees are farmers and city dwellers.” Batum was the one who replied.

Brendel took another glance at him. Batum did not appear to be a simple mercenary to be able to analyze the refugees’ composition.

“Taron?” Brendel was interested in the White-Mane’s sub-officer as he was one of the kingdom’s veterans. Taron closed his eyes and thought for a while before answering in a solemn voice.

“I wish to follow you, lord knight. If you disagree, I can only return to the White-Mane Army.”

“You’re disappointed?” Brendel was surprised after listening to the tone in his voice.

Taron nodded.

“Alright, let’s establish a mercenary group first and… the group’s name shall be ‘The Amber Sword’.”

Everyone paused.

Leto asked gingerly. “What does my lord mean?”

“Ahh, also, try and get some of the artisans from the refugees to go with you. Of course, you can’t force them if they don’t want to. On the other hand, I need Batum to come along with me for the next task that I’m about to do.”

He turned back to Taron. “If you really wish to stay behind, then go along with Mister Leto. I’m not sure what I can do for your men, but I will let you know very soon.”

Taron slowly nodded.

“Where are you going next, my lord?” Gaspard asked.

“I’m heading to Ankries. Someone’s waiting for me there, then I’m going off to Bruglas. If everything goes well, I believe I can inherit a land very soon. At that point we can discuss again.” Brendel replied confidently.

Everyone looked at each other again. There were many noble youths, but knights who inherited lands were very few. It appeared like he was a Highland Knight from the legends, and they thought they had chosen the right decision to follow him.

Brendel looked beyond at the horizon as he started to form his plans clearly in his mind.