Topaz 10
by NullA small fire crackled merrily. Topaz leaned against a log, drinking wine from a large bowl. No one objected. In fact, Karjen, the wine’s owner, was emptying his pouch generously, asking if Topaz enjoyed it.
Since last night’s attack, the Grenrosha Forest had been unusually quiet, belying its ominous reputation. It allowed them the luxury of drinking around a fire in the yard in the middle of the night. Several empty wine bottles already littered the grass.
“Topaz, why do you drink if you don’t get drunk?”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“Who gets drunk on wine?”
“People usually do.”
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
Karjen giggled, as if he’d heard a joke. He’d been nursing a single glass all evening, yet his cheeks were flushed. Topaz had intended to tell the patient to take it easy, but it seemed unnecessary.
Karjen finally finished his glass and set it down. He tucked his chin onto his knees and looked at Topaz, who was sitting a short distance away.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“Topaz.”
“What?”
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
“Topaz…”
“…..”
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“We only have two days left.”
That was true. He’d only agreed to let them stay for a week. When Topaz didn’t respond, Karjen buried his face in his knees. But he quickly looked up again, asking a ridiculous question.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“Wouldn’t it be nice if you took me in?”
Nice? It was absurd. He’d be about as useful as a replacement for the wilting bouquet on the table. Besides…
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
“What good would it do you to live in a place like this?”
“People on the outside might not believe it, but I rather like this forest. Perhaps it’s because you’re here.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Topaz scoffed. The novelty of living in a place like this wore off after a week, especially for a nobleman who seemed unfamiliar with the concept of dressing himself.
“If you’re drunk, go to sleep.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Crackle, crackle. The fire popped softly.
“Do you want to live in this cabin forever, Topaz?”
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“I don’t know.”
It had been a long time since he’d thought about what he wanted, let alone made plans for the future.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“…It seems lonely, being alone.”
Karjen murmured softly.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
The morning air was crisp. Dew clung to the grass, dampening their clothes. Haran, who hadn’t touched the wine, wandered around, spinning a pinwheel. The white fox, intrigued, approached him, and he gently scratched it between its perked ears.
Karjen’s eyes were closed, and he was so still it was impossible to tell if he was asleep or unconscious. Topaz was considering carrying him back to the cabin when…
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
“Who taught you to use a sword?”
Merdina, who had been sitting quietly by the fire, spoke. Topaz considered the question, then, seeing the genuine curiosity in his eyes, shrugged.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
“A mercenary.”
“A rather renowned one, I imagine.”
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“He was.”
Topaz recalled a memory that felt distant, like a lifetime ago.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“He’s dead now.”
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Merdina inclined his head apologetically. His dark blond hair, almost ash-colored, brushed his chin.
“It’s fine. He lived the way he wanted and died the way he wanted. I doubt he had any regrets.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Regrets are for the living, Topaz thought.
“I have a feeling he wasn’t an ordinary person.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“He wasn’t.”
He’d taught a pickpocket who tried to steal his wallet how to use a sword. That wasn’t something an ordinary person would do.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
Merdina poked the fire with a twig, sending sparks flying. Assuming the conversation was over, Topaz lifted his bowl.
“How many years have you lived in this forest?”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
But the questions continued. Topaz paused, the red wine barely touching his lips before he lowered the bowl.
He looked across the fire. Merdina’s calm, grey-blue eyes were fixed on him. Topaz traced the rough surface of his wooden bowl with his fingertip.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
“A while. Three, four years.”
Merdina’s lips pressed into a thin line at his answer. Topaz was about to ask why he wanted to know when…
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“Why do you live alone in this forest, Topaz? There’s a village nearby, and you could easily leave if you wanted to.”
It wasn’t Merdina who had spoken. Topaz turned to see Karjen, his eyes now open and alert, no trace of drowsiness in his expression. He could sense Haran, still playing with the fox, listening intently.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
It was the question Topaz had expected them to ask, the question they’d avoided until now. But there was no grand reason, no dramatic story to tell.
“I have no reason to leave.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
“Confining yourself to this forest… it doesn’t seem like you.”
“You talk like you know me.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
Topaz expected Karjen to smile, as he usually did, but he simply lowered his gaze, his expression serious.
“I don’t know you well, but I’d like to.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
“Maybe I’m hiding here because I’m a criminal.”
“I know you’re not.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“What do you know about me?”
Topaz smiled coldly. But Karjen didn’t flinch.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
Strange mage, Topaz thought again.
“You take in suspicious strangers, heal them, and feed them.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“Giving someone food doesn’t make me a good person. Think like that, and you’ll get stabbed in the back one day.”
“Speaking from experience?”
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
“…Yes.”
He’d had comrades once, people he’d trusted with his life. They’d betrayed him. He’d barely survived, ending up in Kiolen by some miracle.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
He’d survived, but he didn’t know what to do. A lifetime of wandering as a mercenary had left him with no family, no home to return to. No reason to leave this forest.
All he’d ever wanted was freedom. The right to do what he wanted, to refuse what he didn’t. He’d even given up being a mercenary to pursue that freedom, but it had ended in bloodshed.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Tired and disillusioned, he’d chosen seclusion and isolation, hoping to fade away quietly, unnoticed.
“If you need a reason, I’ll give you one.”
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
Karjen, who had been sitting hunched over, stood up. Dew-covered grass rustled beneath his feet.
“I hear you sometimes take mercenary work in Kiolen.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
“…Yes,” Topaz managed to reply.
“We’re preparing for a long journey. A journey to cure my illness and return to where we belong.”
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“…..”
“It will be a dangerous journey, but having someone as strong as you by our side would be reassuring…”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
Karjen knelt on one knee before Topaz, lowering himself to meet his gaze. It resembled a knight pledging fealty, even though, if anyone, Topaz was the one better suited to the role of a knight.
“Topaz, protect me.”
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
Karjen extended his hand. It was a pale, beautiful hand.
“Leave this forest and come with us. I will hire you.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
The man, who clearly couldn’t possibly know who Topaz was, trembled his eyelids as if confessing a long-held desire. As if he were truly desperate.
Sunlight filtered through the tall trees, suggesting dawn had broken outside the forest.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
This group had been strange from the start. They’d invaded his sanctuary, disrupting his carefully constructed routine.
If he refused this offer, he could maintain his small, solitary world, just as he had for the past year, the past few years.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
But was it truly peace?
A long silence stretched between them, an eternity. A breeze rustled through the forest, tousling Topaz’s hair. The long, red strands swayed against his shoulders.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
A sudden, irresistible urge welled up inside him.
Slowly, Topaz drew his sword. He could sense Haran and Merdina instinctively reaching for their own weapons. But Karjen, despite the sword being drawn inches from him, remained unfazed.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Topaz flicked his wrist, turning the blade towards his own neck. Only then did Karjen’s eyes widen, and he reached out. But before he could react, a soft snip echoed through the air.
A lock of his long, red hair, tied back since he’d entered this forest, fell to the ground, severed cleanly. His shoulders felt lighter.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
Three pairs of eyes stared at him, wide with shock. The two knights, their hands frozen on their sword hilts, looked bewildered. Karjen stared at his now much shorter hair, his neck exposed. The identical expressions of shock confirmed they were indeed friends.
“What are you staring at?”
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
“I’ve never seen anyone cut their hair like they’re scything wheat…”
“Have you ever seen anyone scything wheat?”
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
“…..”
Karjen blinked, speechless. He was a nobleman who had probably never even seen someone mowing grass, let alone scything wheat.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
“You’re rich, right?”
“What?”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“If you want to hire me, you have to pay. My fees aren’t cheap. Can you afford them?”
“….!”
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
A spark of understanding flickered in Karjen’s eyes. He spoke quickly, “I’ll pay you whatever you ask.”
“You’re awfully bold, promising that without knowing how much I’ll charge.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
Topaz clicked his tongue at the easy mark. Karjen smiled, a pleasant smile, but his eyes held a glint of amusement.
“You already know how much I can afford, Topaz.”
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“Are you an incredibly bad person?” Topaz asked, recalling his experience that rich people were usually bad people.
Karjen shrugged.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“Moderately bad. But I’ve never cheated anyone out of their money.”
Topaz chuckled at the honest answer, a soft sound like the wind. Three pairs of eyes turned to him again.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
“That’s good to know.”
Topaz ran a hand through his hair, scattering the severed red strands.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
Perhaps this was another bad decision. What could he possibly know about these people after only a week? These seemingly loyal companions could turn on each other, and his own end might once again be marked by blood and betrayal.
But he had nothing left to lose.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
Perhaps it was fate that brought these four fugitives together in this cursed forest. Topaz decided to surrender to this unknown fate, for now.
It was a humble beginning to a long journey.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com