Eghwin and David hadn’t planned it before, but they clutched their hands into a fist at the same time. The victory gained by their comrades felt like theirs too, drifting from vein to vein, which boosted their confidence. 

It was exhilarating news, indeed, one that must be told to the entire east units when they woke up. 

“And how is our lord doing?” Eghwin continued. 

“He is being escorted now. They are probably about halfway from the nearest city, given no enemies still dare to chase him, of course. Though, I really doubt that. The men around your lord are all mean looking, especially that old man standing next to him.”

“That would be my father.”

“Oh….” Malin almost choked on nothing. “Well, didn’t mean it that way, but…, anyway. Your father was angered, though.”

“Why?”

“Seems like your pyromancer girl killed almost every enemy. I don’t think that’s what your lord wants us to do, am I right?”

“....Gaia.”

An image of a petite young girl with her puffy and long orange hair appeared in Eghwin’s mind. Similar to what Malin said, the Third Crown Prince had actually commanded both the west and east armies to not only emerge as the victor but also minimize the casualties. Want it or not, their enemies this time had shared the same soil for years. The person they had to stab tomorrow might be those whose faces were familiar. 

“She cried a lot. You know, even being a mercenary, seeing girls cry doesn’t suit me well.”

“And then? What’s the point you trying to come across?” 

“I’m just saying that we can’t afford to fail,” Malin said, stroking his stubble with his fingers. “Or your father will crash out again. Also we’re kind of low on money. Don’t want your employer to suddenly refuse to pay us just ‘cause of small mishaps.”

“Damn mercenaries,” David muttered under his breath.

“Don’t worry. Our lord is a man of honor.”

“Good then. Now, since we have that out of the way, what’s your status?”

Eghwin began explaining the situation they were currently in. He spared no details, not even abstaining from telling the consecutive defeats they had suffered for the first two days. On the first day, the first and second unit he launched was ambushed by a small enemy unit hiding next to the battlefield.

On the second day, Eghwin went to the frontline as well. They had taken the enemy’s element of surprise into account, but it was another trap. The moment they got closer, the third unit got blown away. The fourth unit had to fortify its defenses to avoid being annihilated–all of that caused by a single person. 

A single person.  

The enemy ranks had successfully hidden their strength from Eghwin. It wasn’t helping as well that the enemy had to focus only on defense–they could play the waiting game while the rebelling army couldn’t, though it also became their saving grace. Their enemy didn’t have to push. Just stopping Eghwin’s army in its tracks was enough, a fact they had to take after possibly realizing that their west army had been defeated. 

Both armies are suspicious of one another, and attacking blindly would spell their demise.

“So you let several of your men die….” Enfir spoke after a few minutes of silence. It didn’t help that his sentence was imbued with animosity. “How convenient.”

“Take back your words, mercenary.”

David was the first one to react. Under his yellow bangs were veins popping out, not taking Enfir’s insults kindly. One more second and he would already unsheathe the blade at his waist one more time. 

And, like before, Enfir stepped in between them. His glare was nothing but threatening. 

“Now, now. Calm down gentlemen,” Malin said, raising his arm to stop his man. “It’s war, so casualties are inevitable. At least we’ve gotten important information, right? I’m sure that’s your intention too, Commander Eghwin.”

Eghwin still had his arms crossed. “I won’t shift the blame to anyone else. Letting those men die is my mistake. But from their sacrifice, we’ve got a few important pieces of information.

“First, we have a full grasp of how strong our enemy is.”

Malin interrupted. “That small army and the individual who almost took your head….Seems like we have a Luminant to deal with. What do you think of a proper match, Enfir?” And at the last second, he smirked. 

Eghwin and David glanced at Enfir who said nothing. Not waiting any longer, the commander continued with his explanation, raising two fingers at the same time. “Second, assuming that I’m right, our enemy has shown all of the tricks they have.”

“And what’s the basis of that assumption?”

“This pattern of setting traps. I know only one person in the Aethel Kingdom who fights like this.” Eghwin could even imagine the person’s face now. He crossed his arms. “I will bring him down, so our main focus should be his army first. This brings me to my third point, in which we have a new fighting force that our enemy hasn’t predicted.”

After saying that, Eghwin looked at Malin and Enfir. 

“Hmm….” Malin rubbed his stubble again. “We can certainly win this war, but you know how mercenaries usually work, right? No pay, no pain. No pain, no gain.”

Eghwin could sense David’s eyes twitch again, so he shoved his arm to stop him. 

“Of course I know. That matter is a discussion after we win.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

Reaching to an agreement between both of them, Eghwin shifted his focus to the map again. “If that’s the case, let’s strategize. Tomorrow will be the end.”

***

Concealed by night, the four men planned their winning strategy for the next day. All it took for them was thirty minutes of discussion. No one knew the outcome for tomorrow, so their plan had also accommodated various trivial manners and hindrances that might reveal themselves on tomorrow’s battlefield. 

Failure wasn’t an option, be it for Eghwin or Malin. 

“Well, see both of you tomorrow then. Rest well,” Malin said.

“Where will you two be staying?” Eghwin asked. 

“Just a small tent on the side. As much as we work together in this war, we aren’t exactly comrades. It’s better if we don’t mingle in your army.”

Eghwin agreed with his point. Even now, David and Enfir were staring at each other, probably thinking about each other’s dead bodies laid waste by their own hands. To keep that scenario as mere imagination, they had to separate. 

“I appreciate it.”

“Let’s do our best for tomorrow.”

While facing the commander of the army with his back, Malin waved his hand into the night. Enfir followed his leader as before, two or steps behind. Without any light to guide their way, the darkness had swallowed them–not just bodies but also their entire existence. Only after they were no longer visible did David open his mouth. 

“Are you sure it’s okay to trust them, Commander?” 

“No, but I trust our Lord’s judgement.”

The Third Crown Prince of Aethel Kingdom. 

Having served him for years, Eghwin’s loyalty towards him knew no bounds. And yet, to say he understood the scheme that his lord had crafted would be an overstatement. Those peering eyes, even behind the veil covering his face, couldn’t completely hide the immeasurable passion within his stare. 

It was the stare that had sparked Eghwin’s desire to serve under his ruling. 

But it would be a lie if he said there wasn’t doubt growing within him now. 

It was all do or nothing now.

Eghwin once again looked at the direction where both Malin and Enfir had disappeared. He then let out a sigh. 

“Still, we have to be careful of them,” he said, remembering the heated confrontation they had. “At that time, I had already planned to slash that guy Enfir. I meant it as a mere warning, but before anything, my sword stopped. Someone stopped it.”

David listened to his commander’s words. The night howled again as Eghwin looked at his right palm–the same hand he had used to grab his weapon before. It felt numb as if something had hit it fast and strong, though invisible to the naked eye. 

“Be careful, David. Those men are dangerous.”