Chapter 74 - 73: I Am Nothing
Somewhere far from civilization, on the shadowed edge of the Blackroot Forest...
The smell of moss and wet earth thickened with every step. Twisted roots snaked along the trail like the fingers of something long dead. Trees towered, their leaves blotting out the afternoon sun, leaving the path dim, the air unnaturally still.
"Young Master," the old man said quietly, pausing at the treeline. His armor, dented and scorched, clinked as he turned. "We have no choice. The only path left is through this forest."
The youth behind him wrinkled his nose in disgust. Draped in tattered silks once meant for courtly halls, his once-gleaming armor dulled by ash and blood, he looked more offended than afraid. He drew a perfumed kerchief to his nose and hissed, "You expect me to set foot in that filthy place? Do you have any idea what creatures might live in there? Gods—what if they touch me?"
"We won’t let that happen, Young Master," the old man said with a slight bow, though there was iron in his voice. "I’ll clear the way myself if I must. But if we stay in the open, the Legate’s scouts will find us."
The young noble scowled, glaring at the thick green wall of trees as if it personally insulted him. "Tch. Useless. This entire campaign was a disaster. When we return, you’ll be held accountable for this mess."
"I understand, Young Master," the old knight said, unfazed. His hand tightened slightly around the hilt of his sword, the knuckles white, but his expression remained smooth.
Behind them, the remnants of a once-proud company staggered into formation, less than three hundred soldiers, bruised, bloodied, and broken in spirit. Their banners were torn, their eyes hollow. A defeated host, fractured from the Sengolio invasion force that once marched into the Pentaline Empire with fire and arrogance.
That fire had been quenched.
Ambushed. Routed. Shattered.
Now, to avoid the relentless pursuit of a Pentaline Legate, the broken unit had split into scattered threads, fleeing through ravines, caves, and now, this cursed woodland.