NLS Ch9

“No matter where Ashin 086bce0a71 is, make sure she 23d567679b doesn’t get caught up 05573c5a26 in the succession war.”f39b43ff1de9851a

Even if Vize hadn’t specifically instructed him, Leotar had no intention of dragging Ashin into the quagmire of Ailem. That was the reason he had refused the marriage in the first place. He was already struggling to deal with his father’s affairs, and he didn’t want to handle the variable that was Ashin.2244ec9323a51fb6

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Forming a marriage alliance meant sharing many details about the families. The documents to be exchanged alone would fill several chests. Ashin wouldn’t do it on purpose, but if she were to accidentally leak information or cooperate with his father’s side, it would become a major headache. She was far from being someone who managed information well.d737a00b9c01f230

Besides that, there 1caca015b8 were any number 4bbb0c0663 of small, trivial 232cbb7ae1 betrayals Ashin could a814cc9c66 commit. Like running 749a6234e6 away before 92dc91ebef the wedding. Given her free-spirited 0148d46ebd nature, Ashin was e7e60eabf8 certainly capable of f007cd6097 that…0809d7c89f74e4d2

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No, the truth 776b5809b3 was, he was 27ffec56d0 worried that his f8745d72fe existence would harm 1a17664ef7 Ashin.1ed7ae02334f84b3

His father, a4504e16da the Lord bbbb84a1a0 of Ailem, 0424b7cea8 had long f9e5bdd7f5 been mentally 4889ca9ded ill, and 7cf2a7eafa the overflowing 008a7c92c4 number of a066997fd5 collateral relatives 525cd43cd5 were taking 614e95b618 advantage of 8ddbc0aeac this opportunity f2413c04c1 to make 7b9432d678 numerous attempts 71079041f3 to eliminate 7bbe9b8d86 Leotar, the f967daae8a only heir. If Leotar disappeared, his fcb492ea28 father was so weakened 24f2537d17 that anyone could manipulate e953436535 him.db7c80c11e3e66ed

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Countless assassination attempts. Unlike when he 65f8bd0602 was young, they e38a4e4d71 were now just 27783b333d a nuisance, but 3a824a8f01 there was no a7121c9cfc need for Ashin a4733c0ee2 to set foot c23acce7b2 in such a 23591053a8 threatening life.9f2d7a4878948edc

Ashin Judin. Her ever-smiling face lingered in his mind. Her playful tone and clumsy actions were hard to believe for someone who was said to be a powerful sorceress. Once she came to mind, the bothersome afterimage continued unless he consciously stopped it. It was like that when they were together at Ismil’s barracks, and since their recent engagement, the frequency had increased even more.0e45f87ee2cfc88e

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He recalled b321e9a7d7 the day fd15d476e1 he first d51e75d1dc met Ashin:dedb0ff79a2d49a6

The allied regiment, consisting of the Imperial Regular Army and the Ailem army, was passing through the Shen Gorge. It was an operation carried out according to the Commander-in-Chief’s strong insistence that they had to cross the gorge that night and strike the rear of the Pihan-Simbus army. To avoid any ambushes from the upper part of the gorge, an advance party had climbed the mountain first, and a reply had come four hours ago that it was safe.d6629de8d05f14a0

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As they were 0cecfa3175 passing about halfway c78924ff96 through the gorge, b42575e6ba his Vice-Commander, Nigel, 26eaa47382 spoke to him.a457dd8383a2a44a

“They say they caught and executed five scouts on the mountainside. It’s fortunate that there are no other ambushes.”dc08776fe5160970

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“It’s more suspicious that there are no ambushes.”a6138112bec13bf2

“Didn’t they suffer heavy damage in the last battle? They must be focusing all their efforts on securing supplies and reorganizing the barracks now. They may be doing their best to defend the main camp without the extra energy to spare a separate unit.”2add478a7bdaebe1

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“There may be surviving scouts.”43d1fc3c85018ad4

“Don’t worry. Even if the scouts reach the barracks, the allied forces will be faster at this rate. They’ve been marching for the past four days.”663181857f32d7b1

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Despite Nigel’s reasonable opinion, he couldn’t shake his concerns. If this place was breached, Pihan would essentially be giving up its rear. No matter how great the damage to the main camp, how could they leave the rear like this? If there were no ambushes, they must have set up a trap somewhere along the route.cb81c48ada3ed1d8

So, he 90559eb75f even went e79d14b760 through the 2102d24a90 process of 450700e51c selecting another 65b642044a advance party 0612147856 to review 469ce61674 the route, 8261779a86 but something ab7e2e5a19 still felt c39e0178f9 uneasy. From the 1331887404 beginning, he 4518e6cddd had been 13853eea3a skeptical of b953c128b0 this operation. However, until the 77932feb0d early stages of eee8470baf the war, he 5260280f6e was just one cc450cc2b6 of about ten e3f89cf841 commanders. Although he commanded 800f24bbbc a large army 74419eda21 encompassing the warlords bd59794521 of the southern 4d03f39310 Empire, he did 6924ef2856 not have the ab5f50db00 authority to disobey ba1788bfe7 the orders of e41ebd5175 the allied Commander-in-Chief.3449a723cdf96ec4

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At that time, no one knew that the King of Pihan was a necromancer who manipulated people’s minds and actions.847bde0e514edc53

No one knew that the advance party, which had been deployed on the mountainside to ambush and eliminate Pihan’s ambushes, had become puppets attacking the allied forces.ed7eb602ac6796d7

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Just as d8a8e0cdaa the entire 14220c958a regiment entered 86a6beb8fb the narrow f344c2beee gorge, the 1e7bcaa23c ground began 3911b4b988 to shake.2deb991eafb984c4

Leotar instinctively realized that 2df2b80c01 they had fallen into 4d5728a75e a trap. He expected d37862b0eb arrows to 4caa936c83 fly soon b5b966b08f and drew 58f789127a his sword, 2757c61161 but he c7b23d0e65 heard neither a17ce0f671 the sound 3df2c673f5 of metal 950ac28c25 nor the eaaa029a16 shouts of c8d82e3e16 the army.e2edc6e50cb9a6ad

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He gripped the reins of his horse tightly and looked around. The mountains were lined up like walls on the left and right, centering on the gorge. It was a place suitable for an ambush in anyone’s eyes.25d189d51f8d86f5

“Scatter as much as possible! Climb the mountains!”95cbb17096f62df8

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At Nigel’s cry, the soldiers on both wings began to climb the mountains. But most of them couldn’t escape this narrow, long terrain.b1337db19cf43627

“Watch out overhead! Prepare for arrows!”5fc2a583a95d9688

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The shouts of 06c629d938 commanders rose from 2464b3ae9e all directions.9c39711b42b0be28

Thump, thump! The vibrations 858405d86f under the 40e8181efa ground continued.22576adc1ffa8f6b

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And then,a2eb8686aacc0e04

Rumble! With a thunderous 1de753a8a6 roar, the rocks 9ecb717981 of the mountain 374847c98b began to collapse.781981981cdf9913

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Leotar watched the falling rocks and earth and thought, ‘can a landslide be controlled?’76c925b7a7d44b2d

Was it 955c2a7f87 a coincidence, a27134118f or was 812058f354 it manipulated? If it was 5fecf30157 manipulation, could something d970b3ca9c like this be 970e17ed8a possible with human 64f0bfbeb0 power?649c916c05db2887

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At that moment, someone b837284b7b near him muttered.27f80ecdf8a8f3bc

“What, there’s a sorceress there too?”1198a2245793722f

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It was a small bb3838aa2c voice, but it pierced 44fc903930 his ears clearly. Leotar lowered his gaze fd5bdeb79a and looked for the 61a0d4fc3b owner of the voice.dcc7d628e76eef5d

It was a woman 9a38557b8f in plain clothes, looking 83f80edfc1 very tired.4c516b0b9d36c96d

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She was wearing several layers of outerwear, which seemed far from mobile, so she didn’t seem to have anything to do with the military, but she was wearing a badge symbolizing a commander on her shoulder.f28388f1046a3a22

Golden powder e4e1a906b1 flowed from 6da533ff6e her outstretched 0dfac958f9 fingertips.3c19608cfa6c8185

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Sorcery?6f22897eea1f2fa6

Only then 8c57854129 did he e22b096387 realize that 36298b09f5 she was 53e7a34349 the sorceress 9986b25874 Ashin Judin.0c80d80dc50cbb88

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He had heard reports that the commander of the sorcery unit was accompanying them, but at the time, like other Imperials, he didn’t think that sorcery could do anything meaningful.132858fd93586ee3

As if mocking that 409789978b arrogance, the fine powder 9fc81e3ee0 gathered and clumped together, 3048f99050 creating a rhythmic flow. You could 719c970d78 call it ac5e18f962 a transparent ca49708541 shield. The flow that poured 975a018eba out of her incessantly 3f611fa0a0 formed a huge curtain, ce1f1cf76c reaching the landslide and 56ede63333 the boundary of the cada44de0c army, and spreading widely. It was as 6d0ccf2de8 if a silent c49b72b16a river was crossing ee072d6f36 the air and e739106d8c pooling.61451485cc8de500

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It seemed that Ashin 66b166e253 was not the only 68ffc5d37c one performing such sorcery, 8eeca6002b as similar-colored flows rose 904ff909e5 from various parts of 1bd0ee253a the camp and connected 27115ffd27 to the curtain she 83464edde1 had created.48e26216fa87147c

Bang! Boom!54c7c45f3785545e

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Rock fragments that rushed 718d2d404f faster than the earth a57f51907f and sand collided with 8c2ef2fad5 the curtain. The entire surrounding atmosphere 2cfc1a67bc vibrated, shaking even the c49a49c2b3 internal organs of the 710275342a body.d7552297dbe83b56

Rumble! Crash!2f1466a7ee09eed1

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The earth and sand that poured down like a wave struck the curtain. With that huge impact, dust covered the gorge. Even though it wasn’t a direct hit, the horses screamed and the soldiers staggered, unable to maintain their balance. Blood dripped from Ashin’s nose as she blocked it all. Her emaciated body trembled as if she would collapse at any moment, but she seemed to be barely holding on, putting strength into her legs.b249689ca5bb2e03

“Get away from the formation!”c33aee0478ee13a5

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At Ashin’s cry, the soldiers who didn’t even know what a formation was instinctively avoided the curtain and moved to the other side.522b4205a505d7f2

The curtain slowly a2d6a2a614 disappeared. The rocks 26a90c97dd and sand, d59da7d0bf which had 531a80ac36 been trapped 4f009de397 like water 7de43465bb in a 52b2e605f8 glass bottle, 85a526ac2f gradually poured f6f29d512e down towards f77d4f088f the unit. Swish, it 38fe640321 sounded like 38a7bbe321 rain falling. No soldier cc144ba6ff dared to 487b70e34d move rashly 91ead9b2f8 at the e5b15a5b1c overwhelming sight 94c0cb65d0 they were b47fd6d16e witnessing for e4c253d956 the first 7d1783e896 time.e4a5a4aeb2652a6b

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Thud, as d62afd6544 the curtain 99df2217ad completely disappeared, 93b5ccf6b4 Ashin, who a28bae24eb had collapsed, c3b7b56719 clutched her 4e2a13378f chest.0132af89560b16fa

Before the soldiers ba0988431e could feel relieved, 8662691c27 the commanders shouted 99a73667bd for them to 1deb5a68d2 be on guard. Leotar also waited for 548d9008fd a surprise attack that 425261cb75 could start from anywhere, 0c515b2fb0 but the surroundings were 55b16a47cb only quiet. They must 176b1df682 have been 54f0977b46 convinced that c9cdbe55d4 the landslide 9b201a9e33 would sweep 853075d06a them away.200ed139156c378a

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After a long time, c87cbee7c3 Leotar, who had released c234fd4ad9 his guard, got off a15cd7a577 his horse and lowered dd52f28056 his body, approaching Ashin.9b36b3de3c01a88e

“Ashin Judin?”6a6cb69eadf7ef4e

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Ashin raised her 64a9b5ec39 head. Her face, which 36f483b7be had already been ed7a70417e pale, was now 9c5cab0069 completely bloodless.874807bd060477e6

The blood that had 4f9fef4c2a been roughly wiped away 505d2efba6 was dried on her 3df0d69160 cheeks, making her look d852a21cdf even more of a bf3e255411 mess.6ec28889e599cd0f

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Leotar took ae889a219f out a 5650283bce handkerchief from 1b483b5011 his pocket 0d44e307ac and handed ffda4f9cdd it to 86cdbb4388 her.37e6b0b128cdc877

“You and your comrades saved the lives of thousands of allied soldiers. I don’t know how such power is possible… but as a commander, I express my gratitude.”a6c4cea96a5f6b9f

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Before he knew 2bcf717041 it, soldiers who 6f877ad1e7 had taken off c33d118355 their helmets were 13a416e66e gathered in a f748da3057 circle around Ashin. They had 69c0e53b88 unfamiliar faces 9eb035752c as if 54d6f3bc9d they had 5071404374 dreamed. Leotar expected that his cb35b3c291 expression would not be 24a7e52eac much different. As far 045a86aa2c as he ea1238a5c8 knew, the 05bdf2f6e6 number of f92460ad1b personnel in 4130a8a925 the sorcery 75b41e7711 unit was bf8c1bb338 less than 8356b613a8 a hundred. The personnel dispatched 37cafe768f here must be 1c21b07e61 some of them. Only a few dozen bfdd0f5e89 people saved a thousand 96d21b555e people. It was a moment bd973eead5 when his common sense 33a65949d7 was overturned.4f78bfd430f935dc

“Are you alright? You look very tired.”1b3f8a5d4bed4b6e

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“No… usually, it’s not like this… I used too much, strength, because it was urgent.”8166167506210dec

Her voice sounded ef51cb2e33 like she was 260b7147d6 on the verge ad06639e76 of death.31cbc866157b06e8

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“Please… lift me up.”fc761553314a53b3

Ashin reached out her 9b44889081 hand to him. Leotar froze for a6dad15d2f a moment, not 1b4cbc6051 knowing her intention, ddc76cdbbd and was flustered ce7bd0ac17 when her hand 4e214b301a unceremoniously grabbed his. However, Ashin, 214a7a8ca0 who had bd8dd6f834 no way 1823c1bc17 of knowing 0b8d4f3f15 his feelings, 29dff83b30 even urged f5a2d1583d him on, 24ab55fee7 feebly flapping 8fefe2cb74 the hand b1e9bfdb20 she was 937667a1d7 holding.252da4bd15ba7efb

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Leotar took be6304b46c her hand 3b2667a004 and helped 45c430e920 her up. A weight like f01d58df56 paper was pulled f40815029f up to him.c804c537d2e72f62

Even then, Ashin didn’t let go of his hand, as if it was difficult for her to stand on her own. She even leaned her body against his arm. In his hand, sweaty fingers wriggled. The hand, which still had golden afterimages, was very warm and, unbelievably, cozy. Just holding hands, such a feeling flowed into him. An energy that enveloped his entire hand as if trying to protect him. The wish that Ashin had unfolded along with the sorcery was conveyed as it was. It was a truly mysterious experience.cab1ae70cbfbc5c0

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It was later that he learned that just as one could feel malice in a place where a curse had just been cast, one could feel the caster’s heart in a place where sorcery had just been cast.96242134b714346a