CH 25

Trigger Warning.

Logan woke up from someone hammering on his bedroom door so hard it sounded like they were trying to break it down.

“What is it?!” he shouted in irritation, still sleepy. Someone answered him, but he couldn’t make out the words, so he just shouted again, “I can’t hear you!” 

This time, the shouted reply was crystal clear, “Gareth is here.” 

Instantly, Logan came to his senses. ‘What? Gareth?’ He got up in a hurry and picked up his clothes. Lenoa, who was hiding in the corner with a swollen face, approached him and quickly helped him get dressed. 

Logan could not think clearly. ‘Why did that madman come here?’ was the only question in his head. When he was fully dressed with a sword at his waist, he kicked the door open and left. 

“Gareth is here?” he asked one of his men. 

“Yes, he is in front of the drawbridge.”

Logan was instantly relieved and let out a sigh. He mounted his horse and rode toward the drawbridge. After passing the most affluent village in his land, he could see the castle gate and became even more relieved. The drawbridge had been raised, cutting off the only point of access to the castle.

‘How audacious of him to think he can waltz up here. This is my territory, yet he dared to come to my doorstep? It doesn’t matter; with the drawbridge raised, he has no way in.’ With this thought, Logan proudly got off his horse and went up the steps to stand on the castle wall. 

Gareth didn’t waste any time. As soon as Logan appeared, Gareth started speaking, “I’ve come to announce that I have been hired by the Townsend family as of today.” 

“What? The Townsend family?” Logan replied, doubting his ears. 

Gareth made his irritation obvious and spit out, “I have been commissioned and have accepted the request. I hereby take an oath to retaliate against you if you meddle with the Townsend estate from now on.”

‘Oh… What the devil is this? How? How on earth? Count Townsend couldn’t afford to hire Gareth! How?’ Logan was dumbfounded. His gaze wandered to and fro, and he suddenly noticed the woman behind Gareth.

‘A woman? A woman!’ Logan glued himself to the wall and stared at her, ‘Elena?’ 

“That wily old fox sold Elena to hire Gareth… Curse it!” Logan mumbled angrily to himself as he crouched behind the parapet. 

At that moment, Gareth spoke once more with confidence, “I shall keep my oath until I die. You can test my words if you wish to.”

It was the oath Logan had heard about so many times; words that had become well-known throughout the country. It was a simple oath, but the meaning contained in it was not so simple. 

Logan was well aware of what kind of deaths the nobles who looked down on Gareth ended up facing. And that man had been hired by the Townsend family. Logan cursed to himself and tore at his hair. He was not the only one who had recognized Elena’s worth. He couldn’t believe he had lost her like this. Moreover, the oath was going to last as long as Gareth lived.

“Still, I can’t let you go nicely,” Logan murmured to himself, his expression turning ugly. He showed himself on the wall again and called out mockingly, “Ha! I feel sorry for you. A worn-out woman for compensation?” 

Elena made a face at Logan’s insult. ‘A worn-out woman?’ 

“Everyone tries to keep it a secret, but it’s well known that Elena is a prostitute. It seems that you were unaware. If you had been, you wouldn’t have taken her as your reward,” Logan continued, only to have to dive for cover when Gareth whipped out his bow and fired an arrow. It missed by a hair’s breadth. Less than, as a few strands of his hair fluttered to the ground.

Gareth did not stop there but continued to fire, this time on Logan’s soldiers. They were slower to react than their commander, and several were felled under Gareth’s hail of arrows. The mercenary laughed as they frantically ducked into cover behind the parapet. The ridiculing laughter seemed to be tearing Logan’s eardrums into pieces. 

Logan ended up screaming—or rather, shrieking, “Stop, stop! I swear that I won’t invade anymore.” He was afraid that he was going to be trapped on the wall all night if he didn’t acquiesce.

“Swear on your life, Logan,” Gareth replied. 

“You cretin. How dare you call my name without permission when you’re a mere mercenary,” Logan mumbled to himself as he stayed flat on the ground.

He listened to the sounds of Gareth’s party retreating for a while. When he was sure his enemies were completely gone, he groaned and began to look around his fallen soldiers in irritation.

‘Weaklings, it’s better for them to die fast like this,’ he thought. In any case, he had gathered plenty of warhorses, weapons, and knights under the pretext of having territorial disputes with the Townsend family. All he had to do was train them. 

‘Townsend… Ha! Did you think I would go down so easily?’ Logan stood on the wall and stared into the distance as if he were looking for his long-gone enemies. His mind no longer clouded by sleep and panic, Logan pondered about what to do next.

Gareth had Elena with him, which meant that he wasn’t going to stay at the Townsend estate. Otherwise he had no reason to take Elena. ‘If so… Gareth must really be going back to his estate like that woman said.’

He recalled her in that moment, Lydia, the red-headed beauty and sister of the king, her lips curling around the words, “He goes back to his estate once a year. It’s not the same time every year, but I know it will be around now this year. If he’s on our side, we’ll definitely win.

“Shall we bet, Logan? Will Gareth be on our side or not?” 

She had spoken with confidence, but Logan had not been convinced considering what he knew of Gareth’s temperament. Logan was just hoping that Gareth would stay neutral. However, Lydia had said with a sweet smile, “It won’t be an order, but a mutually beneficial arrangement. Partnership, not employment.”

Logan still didn’t understand what she had meant back then. Lydia never spoke of plans Logan could understand easily. Still, she was the nexus of the king’s power. Furthermore, Gareth was returning to his estate as she had said. Logan found it hard to believe, but he had to admit that Lydia’s information was accurate again this time. If so…

“I can persuade him,” she had said. 

Logan smirked. If Lydia succeeded in getting Gareth to side with her, the mercenary wouldn’t be able to defend the Townsend estate like he had promised to. If it was Lydia, she would be able to bring Elena as well. Logan’s thoughts once again shifted to her, the only woman he had ever wanted. 

“I can’t say it’s over yet, Elena,” Logan murmured to himself. Even Elena wouldn’t be able to handle a woman like Lydia. Logan smirked and decided to talk to her in the future to ask for Elena back.