29. Outer Net

Nathanial took a deep breath to steady the trembling in his hands. Normally, he wouldn’t be scared. After all, this was nothing more than a normal walk through the forest. A normal walk surrounded by enemies on all sides with a brightly lit torch in his hand.

He didn’t like the plan proposed by John and Luka one bit. But they were watchmen, and believe it or not, somehow their plans had always worked out. At least in his experience with their training regimen. Even if they were unconventional. Now, to convince the others it should have taken a lot of persuasion, maybe some flattery as well. However, once John said he was joining their group to fortify their ranks, the rest of the patrolmen folded.

“There’s nothing like marching with a watchman,” Fredrick whispered.

Nathanial ignored the smug grin. “Did you forget we stick out like a sore thumb? I wouldn’t exactly say this is ideal.”

“Perhaps not, my dear friend, but I do feel a lot safer with a watchman by my side.” Fredrick stared at John’s back. “This is better than some of those officers who go, some of you will die… but that is a risk I am willing to make.”

Nathanial sighed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Next, you’re going to tell me there’s a creature in a swamp that eats kids or something.”

“You never know; there could be.”

Nathanial rolled his eyes and pushed the torch into Fredrick’s hands, who graciously accepted it. The soft drizzle of rain was barely enough to faze the flame. Percy, Fredrick, and a few others carried the torches in one hand and a sword in the other.

The principle of the march was completely different from what Nathanial had done to this point, where they kept a low profile and tried to avoid contact. Instead, they were proudly traversing the forest, daring the Empire’s forces to attack them.

Nathanial’s unease stayed, and he knew there was only one way for him to find comfort. He walked faster and moved beside John, who quickly noticed his appearance.

“I sense you’re not too keen on the plan.”

Nathanial nodded. “I just don’t get it. Won’t we be drawing too much attention from knights and their covert forces?”

John smiled before pulling up his half mask. “Covert forces? Are you referring to the men cloaked in black?”

“Well, that’s just my guess.”

“You aren’t wrong; on a technical level, they would be the Empire’s counter to the Order. But there’s only one problem with that.”

“What would that be?”

“They’re too damn weak.”

Nathanial watched as John’s gaze hardened. He rested his hand on the hilt of his blade, listening as the spring breeze rustled the leaves clinging to the trees. The watchmen were one of the finest soldiers of the Everheart Kingdom.

To them, the Empire’s covert forces were nothing, but to him, their strength was worlds apart.

“Watchmen must have some monstrous strength,” Nathanial said. “I can’t imagine most people fighting day in and day out without rest.”

“Monstrous isn’t what I would call it. We just happen to be a bit stronger than most.” John’s eyes drifted toward the distant tree line, where he caught a brief flash. “Most men romanticize us, hell, even my friend who wants to be a ranger does as well.”

“A ranger?”

“They’re called Nightfall Rangers, probably the best the Order has to offer.”

“Wait, really? Then does that mean they’re here as well?”

“No, and thank God they aren’t.”

Nathanial stared in confusion.

“Ah… I get why your expression is like that. But trust me, you really don’t want to see any Nightfall Rangers at the front lines. It’s not as glamorous as you think. If they’re here, that means the battle has reached catastrophic levels of bad.”

“Is that the same case with you guys here?”

John’s bitter smile remained hidden by his mask. He shook his head. “No, we’re actually at the bottom of the barrel within the Order. We aren’t even named watchmen either.”

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“Then… what are you?”

“Rookies,” he answered.

Nathanial’s eyes shot open. He stared holes at John through the slits of his iron visor, watching the watchman softly chuckle. It felt like the air had stilled, and the droplets of rain were fading from existence. Then, the realization hit him all at once as the world came back into order.

“You’re messing with me. If you’re rookies, then we’re practically nothing.”

“That’s not entirely true. But as the world would have it, maybe that’s the case.”

Nathanial’s breath staggered at that moment. He saw the light in John’s eyes dim with a sharpness he had never seen before. A stern gaze followed, one that was fierce enough that anyone from afar would assume a conflict would break out. Yet, the watchman never drew the halberd strapped on his back, nor reached for the sword at his waist.