Chapter 44 Ch. 44: Refugee Camp [3]



A/N:

I wanted to post 2 chapters, unfortunately, the next chapter is a bit hard to write, lol, sorry.

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Adrian dismounted from his horse and handed the reins to Fredinand before rolling his feet toward the center of the clearing.

His cerulean eyes swept the vicinity and numerous black spots were seen strewn on the ground—remnants of bonfires.

Not only that, he also found wooden spikes used to tie down tents scattered throughout the area, as well as footprints.

Given the vastness of the clearing, Adrian estimated that there were over three thousand people present.

Still, no matter how he thought about it, it was utterly odd.

Considering the Refugee Camp and this place were only less than two hours away, how come no one found out about them?

Was no one scouting the area?

Not even the Knights from the Refugee Camp?

Nonetheless, the question did not stop.

Erecting numerous giant tents was no easy feat, so why did they leave?

Or maybe, there was something that forced them to do so?

"?"

As the wind brought the sound of currents, Adrian followed it.

Along the way, he noticed innumerable broken and newly-dead vegetation.

Adrian speculated that they were or passed by here around two or three days ago.

After fifteen minutes on foot, he found a river and Adrian couldn't help but sneer wryly.

"Ha."

They really pick a perfect spot for camping, huh?

Making his way toward the river, he noticed that the moss on the stones surrounding it was torn.

Numerous footprints were imprinted on the river banks—they did not even bother to hide them.

Concluding the evidence, Adrian determined that they had crossed the river and moved deep into the forest.

However, since he had achieved his goal, there was no reason for him to go any further than this.

It was too dangerous and not worth risking his life.

Adrian took out his water bottle from the Magical Sphere and filled it with fresh water.

—Gallop —Gallop —Gallop

The rhythmic sound of hooves in the distance was heard.

As he felt a familiar presence, Adrian could easily guess it without even bothering to look at the rider.

Straightening his back, Adrian drank the water.

—Neigh!

A black-haired boy dismounted from his horse and strode toward him, his face etched with fury.

"Ian, what are you doing here? You've gone too far away!"

Ignoring his brother's complaints, Adrian lowered his bottle and calmly posed a question.

"Did you see it?"

Adrian gestured towards the river with his head and Nathaniel furrowed his eyebrows.

He moved closer to the river and the moment he found numerous footprints on the ground, his golden eyes stretched wide.

"This…?"

Nathaniel immediately faced him and Adrian shrugged indifferently.

"I'm not sure who they are, but there are around three thousand of them."

Switching his attention back to the footprints, Nathaniel's air was masked with uneasiness.

After a brief silence, his face turned serious, and returned his sight to him.

"Ian, I think it would be best if you left this place."

Adrian chuckled before nonchalantly sipping his water.

Even without Nathaniel telling him explicitly, Adrian could roughly grasp what he was going to do.

The white-haired boy shook his head and replied firmly.

"No, we're leaving together."

"I can't. I need to see them with my own eyes."

He knew that the protagonist was the one who moved the plot. 

But did he really need to put himself in harm's way? 

There were more than thousands of soldiers, yet Nathaniel insisted on going alone.

'Is he mad?'

Nathaniel's survival was crucial as the fate of the world rested on his shoulders and failure was not an option.

What he meant was, who will save this world if he died? 

Because Adrian had no interest in taking on such a troublesome responsibility!

Alright, let's assume that Nathaniel wouldn't die because he had plot armor, but still, what if he was gravely injured?

"Let's return."

Adrian tried once again but Nathaniel adamantly refused.

"I'm sorry."

Adrian sighed and stared at his brother right in the eyes.

It seemed he had no other choice, huh?

"Brother, let's return."

"Huh?"

Nathaniel blinked his eyes several times in surprise, he opened and closed his mouth several times but no words came out.

Ho, look at that.

It was a single word, yet it had the power to shake Nathaniel to his core, huh?

Suddenly, his brother broke into a radiant and joyful smile unlike any he had ever seen before.

'Huh?'

Adrian was stunned by the scene.

Nathaniel's smile was so damn bright that he was afraid it might blind him.

And strangely enough, Adrian could see a pink aura surrounding Nathaniel with flowers blooming in the background.

Somehow his tongue turned so hard that he couldn't say a word; he was speechless.

Shaking his head to dismiss his weird thoughts, Adrian tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"L-Let's go back."

"Yes, let's go. It's not safe here. We should leave this place."

Nathaniel spoke in a gentle tone, his sweet smile still firmly in place.

Adrian felt a chill run down his spine, causing the hairs on his body to stand on end.

What was up with his tone of speaking?

It was so weird!

"Y-yes."

.

.

.

—Clip —Clop —Clip —Clop

Adrian peeked at Nathaniel from the corner of his eyes.

The pink and flowery aura was still swirling around him as if dancing merrily.

Despite the passage of more than an hour, the atmosphere around him remained unchanged and his smile never faltered.

Adrian couldn't help but wonder if Nathaniel's cheeks had grown numb from the constant strain of smiling.

Initially, he just wanted to make Nathaniel listen to him, but who would have thought it backfired him?

Adrian massaged his creased forehead in frustration.

Nathaniel's unsettling demeanor made him anxious to the point it gave him goosebumps.

And unbeknownst to him, Adrian found himself longing for the previous version of Nathaniel.

Exhaling heavily, Adrian turned to the black-haired boy beside him.

Let's fix this.

"Umm… brother?"

"Yes?"

Nathaniel turned to him with a smile that was even more dazzling than before.

Adrian bit his tongue; he was taken aback.

At that moment, he realized that addressing Nathaniel as 'brother' was a grave mistake.

·ƈθm That was because the effect was far too great for him to handle!

He… couldn't…

And without beating around the bush, Adrian spat his mind.

"I won't call you brother anymore."

Smiling.

Nathaniel struggled to maintain his smile; fooling himself into believing that his ears had tricked him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"I won't call you brother anymore."

As Adrian heartlessly repeated it, Nathaniel's expression turned murky and the corners of his lips twitched in annoyance.

He could see the pink aura that surrounded him shatter into pieces, replaced by a dark and foreboding aura.

"My dear little brother, are you messing with—"

"Nate."

Adrian cut in and Nathaniel instantly shut his mouth before staring at him with an indescribable expression.

Regardless, Adrian said it once again.

"Nate. I will call you 'Nate' from now on."

"..."

Silence. 

There was no response and Nathaniel turned his attention back to the front.

"..."

"..."

As the quietness continued to prolong, Adrian decided to break it.

"Did you perhaps not like it?"

Nathaniel shook his head and glanced at him before offering a warm smile.

"No, I like it very much. It just… reminds me of the past."

His voice was tinged with a hint of sadness.

Truthfully, the people in the novel called him that, so Adrian didn't know if calling him 'Nate' would mean much to Nathaniel. 

"Did I… used to call you Nate?"

"Yes."

"...I see."

Well, that explained a lot about why his golden eyes filled with longing—Nathaniel missed the real Adrian so much.

"I hope you can recover from your memory loss."

Nathaniel added and Adrian returned the smile.

"Thank you."

Nevertheless, it was impossible.

Because he was not the real Adrian.

.

.

.

A man in a flowing white robe stood in the midst of a lush green field.

His black hair flowed down to his shoulder and glimmered in the sunlight.

Outstretching his hand, he started scattering the grains on the ground.

—Flap —Flap —Flap

The birds, in their vibrant plumage, eagerly descended upon the grains.

Their beaks delicately picked up each morsel and the man watched them with a serene expression on his face.

Sensing someone approaching him, the man peeked over his shoulder and a woman wearing a black suit that tightly hugged her curves came into view.

"Welcome back."

Switching his attention back to the birds, the man greeted her and spread more grains on the lawn.

The woman halted her steps and began with her report.

"The preparation is done."

The man nodded in satisfaction and responded. 

"I see. Proceed as planned."

"But, what if it fails?"

The woman asked, her voice laced with concern.

"It doesn't matter."

He darted at her and softly smiled.

"Even if we lost the battle, we will win the war."

After a brief silence, the woman eventually answered.

"I understand."