Chapter 57 - 22: [Twin Moons at the Edge of Night]

Chapter 57: Chapter 22: [Twin Moons at the Edge of Night]

Glancing around cautiously, the two hurried over to where the group had left their luggage. They opened the two large, empty iron chests they had brought along as a decoy and tossed the coin purses inside.

"I can’t believe these broken chests actually came in handy..." Talia locked the chests, secured them tightly with iron chains, and let out a breath of relief.

"About all this grain from the Bandit Camp... should we plant the mold in it now?" Samael asked in a low voice.

"Do it!" Talia fished a clump of fungi from her waist pouch, broke off half of it, and crushed it between her fingertips. She randomly selected three or four grain sacks, untied their openings, sprinkled some of the powder inside, and sealed them tight again.

Evening fell, the setting sun cloaking the earth in its glow as night rapidly approached. The group gathered at the entrance of the ruined beacon tower, moving and inspecting their spoils of war.

"Most of it is food—wheat grains and dried Split Claw Bird meat," Randall said, tallying the quantities with a pen and paper. "There are also plenty of low-quality weapons and equipment, a few Magic Potions, and some miscellaneous items like Beast-Repelling Torches...

"Inside the beacon tower, we found an old safe in the Bandit Leader Warrior’s room containing a small chest of Gold Coins. That’s a nice bonus.

"And some hunting spoils... It seems they frequently cross the border, going to the black market every month to trade, restock their supplies, and earn a little cash.

"We also have three wagons and two horses...

"And... a Magic Sword."

Having finished the inventory, Randall let out a sigh of relief.

During the afternoon, Glad and Randall had already loaded most of the loot into two of the wagons. They planned to hitch the horses first thing tomorrow morning and head back to the city.

Eliot’s condition had improved significantly; he was now able to walk around with the support of the walls. Although neither Ruby nor Selena had much experience treating wounds inflicted by a Blood Steel Longsword, their rudimentary healing Magic and Healing Potions, combined with ample rest, had certainly proven effective.

The two horses had very mild temperaments. They stood idly in the stables behind the beacon tower, letting out the occasional SNORT as they chewed on dry hay.

Talia seemed quite fond of horses. Leaning against the stables with her elbows resting on the fence, she watched intently as the two animals chewed their fodder.

"You like animals?" Samael leaned against a nearby pillar, watching the Randall Squad bustling about in the distance.

"Fine steeds," Talia answered softly. "My father had a Demon Race Knight Order that rode a type of massive Magical Beast resembling a white horse with broad hooves, galloping across the snowfields. Despite being Magical Beasts, they were herbivores just like ordinary horses, chewing on snow lichen and frost ferns in the stables of the Underground City."

She gazed absentmindedly at the two horses before her.

"Once we build our own Underground City, we’ll get something similar," Samael whispered.

Talia smiled. "These two... are Empire warhorses." She stared at the fine steeds before her. "Their horseshoes bear the shield crest of the Ederic Empire—you can see the hoofprints in the dirt."

"What do you mean? Could bandits actually plunder the Empire’s army?" Samael asked.

Talia shook her head. "Unlikely, but I feel a bit uneasy. The Empire boasts the strongest military might among the four major Human Kingdoms. Occupying fertile plains and rich mineral veins, their provisions and metals provide a robust foundation for their army. Even after downsizing to develop adventurers, the scale of their military remains terrifyingly massive.

"However, maintaining such an army still requires exorbitant costs. The ancient Empire relied on warfare to plunder land and resources to feed its troops, but the current Ederic Empire hasn’t launched a war in nearly thirty years. They barely sustain themselves through revenue-sharing from their cooperation with the alliance to develop adventurers.

"For warhorses to appear in a place like this... perhaps the Empire is about to make a move."

Talia then chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Only Demon Monarchs with Underground Cities and the Monarchs of other kingdoms need to worry about such things. For Exiles like us, it doesn’t really matter what the Empire does."

"No, I think we still need to worry about it," Samael shook his head slightly. "But we can worry about that later. It’s dark now, and it’s about time for us to set off. I’ll go make up an excuse and let Randall know."

Pushing off from the stable pillar, he made his way toward the campfire.

"I told you, Eliot, these things would definitely come in handy." Randall leaned proudly against his massive backpack, holding an iron pan over the campfire to fry dried Split Claw Bird meat.

Water boiled in a kettle nearby. Selena was adjusting the circuits on a Rune Stone, casting a purification Magic over the kettle.

"That’s no excuse for you to bring a bunch of random junk, you paranoid idiot of a captain!" Eliot cursed. He reached out to take the fried Split Claw Bird meat, rolled it up in his own flatbread rations, and unceremoniously chomped down. Evidently, his spirits had greatly improved. "You’d better learn your lesson from this mission. If you bring this much useless junk next time, I’ll be the first to smack you."

"Hey... Randall?" Samael approached the camp. The firelight reflected off his armor. Instinctively, he raised his Hand Armor and tugged the edge of his tattered cloak’s hood down a little further.

"Hmm?" Randall turned his head. "Samo Cultivator, come have something to eat with the Talan Cultivator. It’s rare to get a moment’s respite in the Barren Land, and you two were the main contributors to this mission."

"No need, thank you. I... I plan to head out and patrol the perimeter a few times," Samael said.

"Leave the patrolling to us. You two have worked hard. If we left such chores to you, we’d feel incredibly guilty," Randall replied instinctively. "How about I go with you..."

"No... it has to be just me and the Talan Cultivator. After all..." Samael suddenly found himself at a loss for words, struggling to fabricate an excuse. He held his breath for a few seconds, glanced around, and finally blurted out, "The moonlight is quite beautiful tonight."

"Crap! I couldn’t think of an excuse and ended up sprouting nonsense again!" Samael cursed inwardly. Yet, in the next second, he saw Randall apologizing profusely.

"Sorry, sorry, I see how it is! I won’t tag along then." Randall nodded with a grin. "I get it! Wishing the Samo Cultivator... no, wishing you both the best tonight."

"So Ascetics can pursue romance too..." Ruby, the Alchemist, leaned in gossipingly, only to be shoved back by Selena, the Mage.

"Wishing you both the best." Selena nodded with a bright smile, wrapping her own cloak around Ruby’s head to prevent her from spouting any more nonsense.

Huh? Samael hadn’t realized his words had caused some sort of misunderstanding. He merely nodded, stepped back, and looked toward the edge of the camp.

At the boundary between the campfire’s glow and the dark night, Talia stood quietly beneath the twin moons, carrying her heavy Hammer Spear on her back.

He pulled the brim of his hood lower, his heavy Armor letting out a soft CLANK CLANK. Hunching his back slightly, he made his way toward Talia. The two of them walked side by side into the night.

"What excuse did you come up with this time?" Talia asked quietly.

"...I’m not exactly sure either. Something about going on patrol, I guess," Samael shook his head. "Anyway, they seem pretty accommodating. Maybe we can take a little more time."

"Excellent," Talia chuckled hoarsely.

Their tall figures, like two Monarchs, marched across the plains and bypassed the hills, leaving the firelight far behind them.

Under the dark canopy of the sky, Talia spread her arms, igniting a faint blue glow within her eyes. Howls echoed from the distant darkness as massive wings converged, circling in the sky above. Shadows bearing sharp claws sprinted past, crossing the desolate open ground as they rallied toward their Monarch.

Samael drew his sword and shield, his tattered cloak fluttering wildly in the night wind.

[Nether Copper Resonator activated.]

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The striking sounds of the Nether Copper Sword Shield echoed beneath the copper moons, like war drums from a bygone era beating once more.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Hundreds of skeletal hands grasping broken swords and rusted spears burst from the earth. They struggled beneath the moonlight, assembling into a well-trained legion—just as they had a century ago, driven forward by the war drums of their Monarch.

Old crossbows, shattered shields, broken swords, and rusted spears—the legion amassed, forming a wedge formation that pointed straight toward the wagon convoy at the edge of the plains.