Chapter 4

The group that resented Shan still remained.

The victory of the war was not important to them. They only cared about the honor and titles they could gain from the war, and Shan was the bad guy who took it from them.

The Elijah mercenaries were also a thorn in the side of Heglatan. So, it was not surprising that they were trying to deal with Shan and Elijah at the same time.

When Elje came to her senses, all the Valoir soldiers were gone. After provoking Shan and the Elijah mercenaries to move forward, the enemies completely surrounded them.

The knight who led them spurred his horse forward as the soldiers surrounded them and shouted.

-You’re surrounded! Give up your weapons and surrender.

The knight then looked toward Elje’s side and said.

-Elijah! Stand by Heglatan’s side.

Elje blinked then pointed to Shan standing next to her with the edge of her sword.

-What about this guy?

-He’s a demon! I can’t let him live!

The atmosphere was tense as he shouted, it was probably because there were so many things that Shan had done to them.

Elje thought for a moment, if Elijah went to Heglatan it would all be over. They would be safe with a lot of money and in many ways, it would be a comfortable path.

But……

Elje glanced at Shan. It’s been a long time since his horse was lost, and he was holding a large mace in his hand, not the first sword he was holding. The gleaming armor was dirty and his black hair was drenched in blood and some had dried on his coppery skin.

He looked back at her as if he felt her gaze. Elje and Shan’s eyes connected. There was no expectation in his beautiful purple eyes. Perhaps if Elje abandoned him, Shan wouldn’t be surprised at all.

That was annoying, the fact that she would meet those expectations.

-Sir. What should we do?

-I will follow the leader’s will.

-I’ll do whatever I’m told.

As always, the Elijah mercenaries were ready to follow Elje’s orders. Elje hesitated, she couldn’t put them in danger. Ivanna, who was quick to notice, shouted loudly.

-Oh, I hate Heglatan so much!

At Ivanna’s words, Tarkan and Rafiné joined in.

-The Heglatans are dreary.

-They are unbelievable.

The faces of the Heglatan soldiers crumpled after hearing Elijah’s words. Elje knew that they were doing it deliberately because she hesitated. She took a deep breath, fixed her stance, and apologized.

-……I’m sorry.

There was nothing more to say. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Elijah moved. Heglatan’s leading knight shouted in bewilderment at Elijah’s attack.

-Attack!!

Heglatan’s soldiers rushed endlessly. It wouldn’t be strange for them to die here, since they were only five.

You’re crazy, Eljenès. You’re really out of your mind. However, she had no regrets, her heart was light and a genuine smile blossomed on her face.

Elje wielded her rapier and parrying dagger. She heard a sound from above and ducked just in time for a huge mace to pass over her head.

Three Heglatan soldiers were hit by the mace and their heads burst. It would have been four heads bursting if Elje had not ducked.

When she saved him, she thought he would pay her back with grace. Shan stood with his back against hers.

-Elje.

Standing back to back, he asked.

-Why did you do that?

Before hearing the answer, he swung his mace again and Elje lightly jumped over it.

Shan’s mace broke the legs of those in front of Elje, and Elje’s rapier stabbed the chests of those behind Shan. The two then turned back to back.

Elje replied.

-Just because.

-……

Shan remained silent. Elje felt him on her back. The hot body temperature, the dampness of blood and sweat, and…… a slight tremor.

Elje said aggressively.

-And if you swing that without a word one more time!

Elje finished her sentence by sticking her dagger into a vital spot of the person closest to her.

-My dagger will be stuck in your neck then.

But contrary to what she said, Shan was a great partner. It was as if they were always together, he was better suited to fight by her side than Tarkan who she fought with longer.

Her heart was about to burst, the adrenaline warmed her body, and her nerves stood on edge and raged. Everything flowed slowly in front of her enlarged pupils.

While swinging her sword, Elje felt a strange sense of freedom. Would it feel like this if souls could communicate? She felt like…… she was one with Shan.

Perhaps Shan felt the same way as Elje. All of a sudden, Elje and Shan were communicating without saying anything, their eyes were enough.

That day, Heglatan’s soldiers were annihilated by five people only.

Shan and Elijah returned to the Valoir camp and told the truth, but no one believed them.

This ridiculous incident was buried for a while and then spread to the camps of both countries by the testimony of the Heglatan soldiers who survived the battle.

As a result, the morale of the Valoir camp soared, and the morale of the Heglatan camp, who had to deal with monsters, plummeted.

In commemoration of their legendary performance, the battle of the day was named the Battle of Shan-Elijah.

*

The war didn’t show any signs of ending.

However, after the Battle of Shan-Elijah, the Valoir Empire had a clear path to victory. The war was now completely in the hands of Valoir.

Elje didn’t see Shan again since that battle and they didn’t look for each other.

As the leader of Elijah, Elje used the money she earned for Astin’s tuition and for the maintenance of the Targayel mansion. She spent the least amount on herself and saved most of the remaining money.

Astin wasn’t born with the talent of the sword, but he was born with a brain more brilliant than anyone else’s. Astin, who entered college, was always the top student.

Elje planted sources to hear news about Astin from time to time and that brought her great pleasure in the harsh battlefield.

Elje received news that Astin was injured after falling down from his horse during a joust.

-I have to go home.

Despite Elje’s sudden declaration, the Elijah did not pry. They only wanted to know one thing.

-Is the unit disbanded?

Rafiné asked and Elje looked at them one by one. Rafiné, Tarkan, and Ivanna were all looking at her nervously. Elje shook her head slowly.

-No. I’ll contact you.

-Leader!!

Ivanna couldn’t stand it and hugged Elje. Elje soothed Ivanna, who was crying a lot, and she promised to contact them again.

Elje decided to go back to her hometown and the other three would remain to end the tedious war.

-I’ll be there after the war, so wait.

Tarkan said with red eyes as he held back his tears. Elje smiled and nodded.

That night, Elje quietly left the Valoir camp. Elijah’s leader, Elje, left without saying anything because she thought that there was no point in saying goodbye.

Elje held the hood down to cover her head as she hurried under the starlit sky, however, a man stopped her.

-Elje.

The man was leaning against a wooden pillar on the side of the road. He didn’t reveal himself, but she could tell who it was by his voice.

-Where are you going?

It was Shan.

-The war is not over yet.

Elje said while she kept her face covered with the hood and hidden in the dark.

-There is someone waiting for me.

-Do not go.

-No.

-Your actions now are disobedience and desertion. As deputy commander, I can bring you to a military tribunal.

Elje sighed at his threatening words and said.

-Just let me go.

-With whose permission?

-You don’t need Elijah anymore.

-……

Shan didn’t speak for a long time and then he said something amusing.

-Elijah is not important. What’s important to me is you, Elje.

Elje laughed spontaneously. Shan probably heard Elje’s laughter, but she couldn’t stop laughing. At first she giggled, but soon enough she started genuinely laughing. Elje, who laughed for a long time, said with a smile.

-You are a romanticist.

Shan did not respond to her teasing.

-I’m going to pay you back for saving my life later.

Elje smiled and pulled the hood further down.

-So…… don’t die. Survive, Shan.

At that time, Elje called his name for the first time. Did he feel the sincerity in the name she called? Shan sighed and answered brusquely.

-I’ll try.

Thus Elje left for Targayel and Shan did not stop her. That was the end of her third meeting with Shan.

Throughout the three years she participated in the war, she only encountered Shan three times, however, they were unforgettable memories for both of them.

Elje hoped to see him again someday. If she could meet him again after the war, she wished to have a friendly spar with him and even have a conversation.

Of course, she never imagined it would happen in the form of a marriage.

Not as the mercenary Elje, but as Eljenès of House Targayel.

*