Chapter 35: Royal Army Carriage, Day (1) (Patreon)

“The Northern Bastion.”

In a small room partitioned from the rest of the Dignitary's Hall, a panel of hawkish men sat facing us as we stood to attention. Iris and myself, that is. Magnus was happily slouching while using his holy artifact as if he was an old man with a walking stick.

I could see the effort Iris was utilising in order to not snap at him.

“The Northern Bastion, despite its name, is one of the lesser fortresses guarding the approach into the kingdom,” said one of the men, this one wearing the trappings of a Royal Army marshal. “It watches over one of the roads leading into our lands. However, owing to the mountainous terrain and the natural swamplands, it is not feasible to bring an army through this path. The goal of the Northern Bastion is therefore to serve as a supply hub, and a watch for enemy scouts and raiders.”

I nodded.

The names of each individual fortress wasn't known to me. However, I was familiar with the Northern Bastion. Before the geography surrounding the fortress turned into a permanent marshland, it was a frequent point of battle between the kingdom and whichever Demon King was in ascent at the time.

Now, it was a logistics hub for the other fortresses defending the more open passes. It was, as far as the frontline was concerned, one of the safest places to be.

I tried not to let my relief show. Not only was it unbecoming of a hero to show open relief at the idea of safety as others fought, but I did not want to offer any leverage to the king's advisors.

No matter the direness of the circumstances, this was still a negotiation. We were not soldiers. And therefore we still needed to argue our upkeep. Even if the world was ending, paying for food, drink, and a bed in an inn did not.

Still, I understood Sofia's warning. It was clear from the severe look in these men's eyes that outright declining to assist the kingdom would have been more than merely looked down upon. I was not sure of how they would force our aid, but I suspected that it would involve whether or not we'd be able to continue operating within these lands. Should the kingdom will it, we could either be exiled or blacklisted.

While there were many places in the world I had yet to visit, my preference was that it be done in a mutually acceptable manner. A notion, I knew, that Iris also took.

I glanced at her. Sensing this, she gave a quick nod.

As far as frontline duties were concerned, we both knew this was as ideal a posting as was feasible.

I coughed and stood up straighter.

“I see. And what would you have us do at the Northern Bastion, assuming you would like our party to be sent there? Forgive me, but I'd like to offer a reminder that as we function as adventurers and not soldiers, we cannot offer any expertise in matters of warfare.”

“And we would not ask that of you, Mirror Blade. Neither yourself, nor any of your compatriots, will be sent north to offer advice on strategy or logistics. You will wield your weapons in defence of the innocent, as is your ordained purpose.”

I tried not to let my grim expression show. As expected, there was no guarantee that whatever we would be asked to do, it wouldn't mean avoiding the battlefield.

However, as if understanding the meaning behind my words, the high officer slightly relaxed his posture before next speaking.

“I will be frank. Heroes as you are, your party is too small and too inexperienced to be risked in an active war zone. Nevertheless, your combat prowess is one which can be utilised. We've received disturbing reports of scouts disappearing from the marshlands surrounding the pass. It could mean increased enemy activity or it could mean the bog creatures awakening from hibernation. We do not know. The garrison commander will not send out anymore scouts until the threat has been identified.”

I nodded in understanding.

Disappearing scouts. And the marshlands prevent a large dispatch of force. Yet smaller groups were still being lost searching for answers.

The solution, therefore, was to simply send out a better group.

“... I take it that the garrison lacks soldiers of sufficient skill or experience to traverse the marshlands?” I asked, despite already knowing the answer.

“The garrison lacks soldiers. Period. It is at quarter strength while resources are deployed where they are most urgently needed.”

So that was how it is.

It took highly proficient trackers and scouts to be able to navigate the terrain around the Northern Bastion. And soldiers that skilled could not be wasted watching for goblin raiders.

Yet this was a matter that needed investigating. So rather than redeploying professional soldiers, they would instead hire adventurers and heroes to brute force the problem. Nobody in this room had any allusions as to our ability as expert scouts. Magnus's frame dispelled any notions about that.

But what mysteries could not be solved, could be trampled under foot. If there were any large bands of goblins present, we would be expected to destroy them.

It was not an easy task. It would involve traversing the unknown.

And yet compared to the certainty of heading into a battlefield, it was undoubtedly the best of the bunch.

I took in a deep breath, then pretended to consider this proposal.

The basics of the commission had been outlined. Now there was only one pertinent detail remaining.

“I see … and what sort of remuneration does the king deem this task be worth, in exchange for our expertise?”

~ ~ ~

“The Northern Bastion, huh?”

I murmured to those around me, although the sound could barely be heard over the sounds of the convoy being readied to move. Soldiers, knights and mages hurried around us, their lack of discipline evident in the stacks of supplies still waiting to be loaded onto the carriages.

The soldiers were headed for the battlefield. Although the convoy was beginning from the same location, it would split as it approached closer to the frontlines. The majority of the carriages were destined for the fortresses preparing for assault. Only a few were gifted the luxury of stopping at a minor retreat, as ours would be.

“It's an appropriate placement,” said Iris, smartly checking her new equipment before she hid herself away in our carriage. “Although I'd like to believe we would acquit ourselves at the front, it's undeniable that our reputation doesn't reach as far as some of our peers.”

I nodded.

There was no argument there. The officers had posted us to the Northern Bastion for a reason. For soldiers looking for salvation, they would be more heartened to see the gauntleted fists of the Crushing Ogre than me and my slender blade.

Of course, I had no doubt that this only applied to me. Were they to see Magnus's huge frame as he wielded his holy spear, or Iris's deadly skill to match her beauty, the morale of any observing soldier would rise to the clouds.

“They're morons,” said Magnus with a snort. “I got a big fucking glowing spear and they decide to send us to some shit collection dump instead.”

“You are the only one with a big glowing spear,” replied Iris, frowning as the man gave it a needless twirl for the marching soldiers to gawk at. “Unless we were all equipped with holy artifacts, which many of those at the front are, we would be a potential liability.”

“When did it become a rule that all heroes had to have their weapons pissed on by the Goddess? Fuck me, our lot used to kill Demon Kings with pebbles.”

“If by pebbles, you're referring to the one historical precedent that a Demon King was slain by a catapult volley, then I must inform you that the projectile used was a boulder which was blessed by the Goddess. In short, it was also a holy artifact.”

“Says who? It was a rock.”

“The Sisters of the--”

“They say everything is fucking blessed by the Goddess. That's how the Sisters get you. You think it's a coincidence everything they sell is pissed out by the Goddess? They'll say the Demon King is blessed if they could make money out of it.”

I gave a wry smile in response, even as I watched with freshly wounded pride as the two started bickering. I was keenly aware that standing beside each other, they looked much more natural a pairing than I ever did.

At that moment, I felt a familiar feeling stirring within me. And yet I knew my mind should have been thinking northwards. Evening would soon come, and sadly, our destination wasn't the golden beaches of the Royal Capital.

Our destination was war.

Losing myself in my disgust for a moment, I closed away my unwelcome desires and silently admired the enchanted sword hanging by Iris's new belt. A new everything, in fact.

She'd lost all her belongings after our abrupt departure from Blackrose. Other than her dress, all she'd managed to keep were the high heels she wore.

Fortunately for us all, the King's Council were in no mood to send out heroines wearing torn dresses and swimsuits borrowed from the suites. She was gifted the choice of enough arms, equipment and armament to be the envy of any adventurer.

In the end, she opted for equipment similarly fitting to what she was accustomed to. She was dressed lightly for movement, even though a part of me wondered whether it would be more prudent to wear heavier armour considering our destination. It was not the outskirts of a quiet town we were heading to, where individual cave goblins might be found snarling in a dark corner. Where we were going, the goblins would be armed and at least semi-organised.

Even people would be more of a threat. The thieves and burglars would be those who had deserted the Royal Army, and therefore would be armed as such.

I adjusted my new steel pauldron, unused to the extra weight. Even so, I felt safer for it. And just in case Iris would as well, I made sure that some extra equipment from the armoury were located in the crates we'd be sharing the carriage with.

“Let's get settled into the carriage,” I said, breaking up the argument before it became too public. “The soldiers don't need to hear your opinions on the Goddess just yet.”

Iris and Magnus obeyed at differing speeds.

However, I couldn't help but feel that these days, their arguing was even less like party companions and more like a married couple simply enjoying each other's voices.

It felt more like the playful arguments I used to have with Iris, back when I could be assured of her by my side in the middle of the night. Those times, as I now watched Iris's glance flickering at Magnus, as though still waiting for him to have the last word, now felt like an age away.

And yet … more than the longing I felt for those days, I now felt a new desire. Something even stronger which tugged at my deepest emotions.

As I once again saw the image of Iris's swimsuit figure flash in my mind, her teasing smile for my benefit, I immediately felt my body struggle to keep its composure.

Coughing loudly, I pointed into the carriage and indicated that Magnus could go in first.

The man took his sweet time. Instead of hoisting his weapon into the back of the carriage first, he had to heave himself in while carrying it. He cradled his spear as if certain poachers would not afford a moment's hesitation before attempting to steal it.

Given the company we were in, I did not blame him.

And I did not only mean the soldiers.

“So, about to sightsee the beautiful tundras of the north at last, then? You make me so jealous.”

As Magnus finally decided on his seat inside the carriage, a beautiful girl with long, black hair quietly made her entrance. It unnerved me to think that she could have been quieter still.

“What? Did you intend to leave without saying farewell?” said Sofia, her long eyelashes batting solely towards Iris. “I'm hurt. Was our reunion not short enough?”

Iris swiftly let go of the back of the carriage and instead faced her friend. The expression she wore was far softer than the one towards Magnus.

“That wasn't a reunion,” she replied. “Nor is this, for that matter. We can have a true one once we return. You'll still be here, I take it?”

Sofia smiled warmly. A few of the passing soldiers stopped, temporarily paralysed by the sight of not one, but two beautiful girls in their midst.

I let out a wry smile. Of all the things they should be impressed by, their looks were probably second to their ability to kill.

“Ah, so you've heard I won't be joining the convoy.”

“We inquired.”

Sofia raised an eyebrow.

“I inquired,” admitted Iris. “Your skills are needed elsewhere, apparently.”

“Elsewhere, yes. But not here. Sadly, the comforts of the capital are not destined for me.”

“Where will you be, then? It must be important if the kingdom isn't utilising you near the front.”

“Important to someone, I'm sure. Although I wasn't averse to this assignment. Once you've returned from your duties north, I expect you'll learn all about what I've been doing.”

“And that will be … ?”

Sofia simply offered Iris a smile as her answer.

“You'll see. Once you return.”

For a moment, Iris almost seemed to look put off. I expect she wasn't used to being the one having playful smiles aimed at her.

Thus, as though to respond in kind, she responded with a smile of her own.

“Then, I better hurry and return as soon as I can, shouldn't I?”

She lightly turned to the side, then gracefully stepped up the back of the carriage.

Something close to a pout crossed Sofia's face as she watched Iris purposefully turn away in that childish way only she could.

This was not the end of their meetings, however.

Even though Sofia wasn't taking part in the expedition north, I had no doubt that I'd be seeing her again in the future. The way our patron Goddess worked, few chance encounters only held coincidence as their only meaning.

I turned to Sofia to offer a word of reconciliation, happy to soothe her for waking up Iris's more mischievous nature.

However, I stopped instead, caught by what I'd seen in the corner of my eye.

It was the smallest of things. Iris had not said anything. Nor had she done anything. She'd merely climbed into the carriage and taken her seat.

What I saw, however, was that it was not across Magnus, against the other wall, where she'd chosen to sit.

Instead … it was next to him.

It was a small thing, made all the more clear by the fact that Iris did not offer any indication that what she did was unusual. And yet for some reason, it spoke louder than the words Iris did not say. Almost more than the immoral nights my girlfriend spent in the arms of that man beside her, it was an admission of the familiarity which now existed between them.

A familiarity which ran deeper than mine.

Because if Iris was sitting next to him … it meant she would not be sitting next to me.

~ ~ ~

The air grew colder as the evening came on. Even though we were several days from the northern front, it was as though the frigid temperatures were already welcoming us to our destination. With no fires to be had until the convoy broke camp, only the warmth provided by those nearby gave any source of comfort.

For me, that warmth came from my party companions. Most of all, it came from Iris.

However, that same warmth was one which Magnus, and not I, was now monopolizing.

The two of them sat next to each other, their shoulders occasionally touching as the carriage rocked against the steadily degrading roads.

Although I had seen Iris in any number of immoral situations with the man beside her, little seemed to touch my feelings of envy as deeply as when her delicate shoulder casually slipped against the man's beside her.

Because whereas every time she had allowed her body to be soiled, it was with that as the express intention. Seeing her shoulder brushing against Magnus's with no reaction, as though it were the most ordinary thing, struck me more deeply than I could have imagined.

That she'd chosen to sit next to him, instead of the open seat opposite which I now sat, felt like a moment more crushing than any words she'd not said.

Because even now, the fact she was next to a man other than me, was something she'd yet to allude to.

It was like she'd fully settled into her role as Magnus's lover, both inside and outside the bed.

My heart thumped in my chest at the same time as my mind was in disarray. So much so, that I did not realise even when the girl whose actions I was desperately spending my every thought on was speaking to me.

“... enough funds to last the expedition, but we'll have to acquire additional sources of income once we've completed our task.”

It took several moments before Iris's dazzling blue eyes woke me from my thoughts.

“Huh?”

She raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

“Our funds. We've managed to acquire fresh equipment and so have lessened our expenses considerably, but if our goal is to now purchase holy artifacts to put us on even footing with our peers, that will require us to assume more profitable, but dangerous duties.”

“Oh, right. That's true.”

Iris nodded.

“So, as we have a brief respite on our hands, I believe we should discuss where our next port of call should be after our task north is complete. Sadly, the lands surrounding the town of Coral is beyond us. Perhaps once we've fully equipped ourselves in the Goddess's armaments, we could dare to expel the cave goblins that forage for berries in the woods.”

I let out a wry smile, if only because her sense of humour demanded it.

But most of all, it was because her sweet voice could temporarily tear me away from the dark worries that were plaguing my mind.

“If money is a great concern, we could always go back to your home village,” I suggested, only half-jokingly. “The last I heard, your father was in line to be mayor. I'm sure he could help us out.”

“I'm sure he could not help us out. Please don't suggest he begin siphoning tax funds for our needs before he's even been elected.”

“Because he won't, even if it involves your clear safety and security?”

Iris paused for a moment.

“Because it's wrong,” she said, rather sheepishly. “Besides, there is no indication as to whether or not he'll be elected.”

“You say that, but I remember you looking pretty confident the last letter you received.”

“Only because I have full confidence in the reputation and competence of my family. Which is why I will not have us visit only to then watch you jeopardise it, thank you.”

I held up my palms.

“Got it. No tax siphoning while you're watching. Only when your back is turned.”

Iris looked like she was thinking up a cutting rebuttal. Instead, she slouched against the carriage wall, lacking the energy to chase up each and every dumb remark.

In doing so, her shoulder brushed against Magnus's as the carriage jolted. I felt my heart jump almost as much as the carriage did. Yet neither her, nor the man beside her, seemed to notice anything was out of the ordinary.

“Old man finally climbing up in the world, eh?” said Magnus, speaking with what sounded almost like respect. “About time. How many years he been working in that dump of a hut for?”

“It's not a hut, it's a village hall,” replied Iris, frowning.

“A hut. Should be a town mayor by now, with all the rats he has to chase out. That's public service for you.”

Iris chewed her lips, although offered no reply. I wondered if she was more happy at the compliment she'd given her father's character over the insinuation that his job was mostly to chase out rats.

Yes … it was a conversation just like any other.

And yet, as the evening fell down around us, and the cold of night began to seep through the tarp covering the carriage, I couldn't help but wonder whether the conversations between the two of them now boasted a different hue to the ones previous.

Their arguing was less severe, less forceful.

And the room they gave each other to butt in, to joke, and to laugh at each other's expense was as obvious as a young couple's during the first phases of their relationship.

But more than anything, I was aware of how little Iris was making a show of it.

As though she now considered this to be the normal state of affairs, she made no effort to tease me as she yet again allowed her shoulder to touch against Magnus's. Each time, it took longer for the contact to fall apart, even as the carriage naturally would have jolted them away.

These were the worries in my mind as the cold of night came.

They still plagued me even when eventually, something akin to sleep came to me many, many hours later.