How many days had it been since we first encircled the city walls?
I—Katia Laufen—stroked my horse’s muzzle as I gazed up at the gray stone. The twenty riders under my command had pitched their tents along the roadside, taking turns standing guard. Our daily routine never changed. We simply watched for anyone attempting to emerge from within those walls. That was all.
It wasn't that the gates were physically barred; one could leave if they truly wished to. Yet, during the daylight hours, no one dared. Everyone knew the consequences of stepping outside.
The road was held in a tight grip by the armies of the neighboring territories. Even so, people never stopped trying to flee the city under the cover of night. Driven past their breaking point by hunger and the terror of the plague, they would dash into the darkness. Each time, the arrows of the Blockade Army found their marks, piercing thin silhouettes that were then doused in oil and set ablaze on the spot. It was a brutal necessity to ensure the plague did not take a single step beyond the perimeter.
There wasn't even enough time or space to return the dead to the earth. Sometimes it was a lone figure; other times, a small crowd. Whenever the wind shifted, the scent of charred remains reached the horses' nostrils. The fires used to cremate the fallen illuminated the walls like macabre torches.
—What if Rein was among those being burned?
I hated myself for the thought. Rein had been invited as a guest of the Marquis. He wasn't in a position where he would have to flee the city like a commoner in the dead of night. Even if he needed to escape, he would surely use a hidden passage or some other means. Yet, every time I saw those burning silhouettes, my mind reflexively checked to see if it was him.
Before I realized it, I was clutching the pendant at my chest. It was a habit of mine. The end of the scarlet ribbon brushed against my neck, fluttering in the breeze.
◇◇◇
That night, I had a dream.
It was a dream of Rein burning.
Thin limbs were enveloped in fire. Every time the flames licked his skin, Rein's appearance shifted. His legs turned to black charcoal, snapping like dry wood as he collapsed. The impact caused his left hand to break away and vanish. His beautiful right eye sank into a hollow socket, leaving only the other to glare at me with silent resentment.
Then, he spoke in that raspy voice I’d heard once before.
"Why..." he asked. "Why won't you save me this time?"
"—!"
I jolted awake inside the tent, my sleepwear clinging to my back with cold sweat.
It was still dark outside. I pulled my knees to my chest and clutched my pendant, holding it tight until the first light of dawn.
◇◇◇
Later, at the Werl Army camp, I met with Battalion Commander Anton and Lutz to discuss our supplies.
"The blockade has held for quite some time now; food supplies must be dwindling," the Battalion Commander noted. "While I doubt Lord Rein is starving given his status as a guest, it is highly likely that the interior of the capital has become a living hell. However, we only have enough rations for our own units. I imagine your situation is similar?"
"Yeah," Lutz replied. "We're having food brought in by the rear guard, but we certainly can't feed the entire city."
"It is a strange thing for us, the ones maintaining the siege, to say, but even if they are safe from the plague, they will eventually starve as long as we keep them pinned. Let us at least prepare to negotiate for grain from the surrounding villages for when the blockade is finally lifted. Can you spare some men to assist with that?"
"Sure thing. I'll send a few over; use them however you need," Lutz said bluntly, signaling to a nearby knight.
"However, if this continues, even Lord Rein may eventually face hunger. The time for a final decision is drawing near," Anton muttered.
Hearing those words sparked a different kind of desperation within me.
—I will never let Rein starve to death.
The thought was fierce, but there was almost nothing I could do, and my anxiety only continued to spiral.
My dream that night was not of fire.
It was a dream of Rein wasting away. His cheeks were sunken and his arms were thin as twigs, yet he still tried to smile at me—until he couldn't. His eyes slipped shut, and the hand he had been reaching out toward me fell limp...
Again, I jolted awake.
Somewhere deep down, I knew I was starting to lose my grip. I was afraid to sleep. But I told no one. I felt that if I gave the fear words, it would become real.
I have to save Rein. I have to save him now. Rein. Quickly. Rein. Hurry, hurry, hurry—
I realized I was clenching my jaw so hard my teeth felt like they might shatter.
◇◇◇
It was dusk several days later.
On that day, a plume of smoke larger than any we had seen before rose from within the city.
It wasn't the thin wisp of smoke from burning a refugee. Thick, oily black smoke billowed up from the heart of the city, enough to stain the twilight sky. I had no idea what they were burning.
"What is that?"
"Is the city on fire?"
My subordinates stirred atop their horses.
The city is on fire—those words struck a sickening chord in my chest.
Rein might be under that smoke. Was it the fire from my dream? No. It couldn't be. Was I already too late? My breathing grew shallow, and my hands became slick with sweat against the reins. I wanted to rush in that very second to find him. And yet, all I could do was stare helplessly at the rising black column.
While the smoke was still trailing off, several figures moved atop the city walls. Archers. Numerous bowstrings hummed, and several arrows were launched toward the camps stationed near the walls. One of them whistled through the air and thudded into the earth just in front of our position.
A message was tied to the base of the arrowhead.
Lutz dismounted to retrieve it, opening the parchment and reading it intently.
"...Milady. It says they've found the cause. Apparently, it isn't a contagious disease at all, but poison. They're burning the contaminated food, so they want us to bring in clean supplies. If we don't believe them, they’re telling us to send someone in to verify the truth."
I looked up at the black trail in the sky again. My heart began to steady.
However, the other knights snorted with derision.
"How convenient. Exactly what a cornered city would say to get us to lower our guard."
"There are no words less trustworthy than 'it's safe now' coming from a plague ward."
"And who would be foolish enough to risk their life going in there?"
"—I’ll go."
The words left my lips before I could even think. I gripped my reins, ready to spur my horse toward the city gates.
"Milady?! You guys! Stop her!!"
Someone grabbed the bridle. It was Lutz. My subordinates moved as one to block my path, their horses neighing and stomping in the chaos.
"Let go! I said I’ll go verify it!"
As we struggled, my horse threw its head back. My gaze followed the movement, looking up toward the sky.
—That was when I saw it.
A green light was floating in the darkening sky.
High atop the city walls, a green light born from someone's hand had instantly coalesced into letters.
[I CAN CURE IT] [COME]
Astride my horse, I held my breath.
—I knew that light.
Back when Rein had yet to recover his voice, he would use his fingertips to weave green light into letters in the air since he couldn't speak. Only a few people close to him had ever seen it. And now, among everyone outside these walls, I was likely the only one who would recognize it as his.
There was no mistaking it. That was Rein.
I couldn't say for sure if the message on the arrow was true.
But I believed in Rein.
Rein was alive. He was saying he could cure the illness. He was telling me to come.
That was all I needed.
"Let go, Lutz! That's Rein! Rein is saying it's okay—"
"What did His Excellency tell you?"
Lutz's voice was low and unusually stern.
"He said to follow orders without fail. I can't let you enter a city that might still be crawling with plague. —Besides," Lutz looked me straight in the eyes. "The army doesn't move just because you 'believe' something, Milady."
I knew that. I knew that all too well.
That was what made it so frustrating. I knew that light belonged to Rein, yet my words weren't enough to move a single soldier.
However, Lutz suddenly relaxed his posture and let out a sigh.
"Well, though... as luck would have it, there's a perfect candidate in a nearby unit. Someone who would stake their life on Lord Rein's word. —Hey! You! Go inform Battalion Commander Anton of the Werl unit about this immediately!"
The messenger galloped toward the Werl Army camp.
A short while later, a single rider approached from the Werl lines.
Battalion Commander Anton dismounted before us.
"I have heard the news. I shall go and verify the situation myself."
"I'm the one who suggested it, but are you sure?" Lutz asked.
"I came here prepared to risk my life to rescue Lord Rein from the start. This changes nothing."
"...Battalion Commander Anton."
Before I could say anything else, the veteran commander allowed a small, knowing smile to touch his lips.
"—Besides, Lord Rein has never once lied to us."
"...Please," I whispered, my voice sounding pathetically raspy. "Please... save him."
Anton nodded solemnly and began walking toward the looming shadow of the city walls. As the sun vanished completely, his figure faded into the gloom.
I could do nothing but watch him go.
It was just like that day. Even though I had sworn I would never be the one left behind to be protected—here I was, standing on the safe side once more.