Chapter 10

Sauv's feet gave way.

The sand undulated.

Ruba, who had been pulling the cart next to him, could no longer bear the weight and fell to her knees.

Sauv, struggling to control the Ruba he was riding, reached out to the bridle of the cart-pulling Ruba. His fingertips grazed the bridle. But that was as far as he got.

With an eerie sound, the ground beneath him began to collapse more quickly. Sauv, along with the cart, was swallowed by the sand.

The sand continued to fall.

Ruba had been thrown off at some point.

It felt as if several hands were grabbing his feet, dragging him down into the depths of hell. What awaited him at the bottom of the fall, Sauv shuddered at the thought.

Sand and dust swirled, obscuring his vision. To protect himself from the sand trying to enter his mouth, Sauv frantically moved his arms, pulling up the cloth wrapped around his neck to cover his nose.

After calling out to the earth god Karan for the umpteenth time, the movement of the sand finally stopped.

Though his chest and below were buried, he managed to lift his left arm with great effort. But he couldn't move any further. If he tried to move forcefully, he would only sink deeper into the sand.

As the sandstorm settled, he saw a wheel right next to him. Half of it was buried in the sand, but the covered cargo bed was intact. In front of the cart, Ruba was struggling to crawl out of the sand. Beside her, Sauv's Ruba was pacing restlessly.

Sauv let out a sigh of relief.

Looking around to assess the situation, he realized he was surrounded by sloping walls of sand. However, when he looked up, he could see the blue sky. Sauv was at the bottom of a bowl-shaped pit.

How to escape? Or should he wait for someone to notice and come to his rescue? As he was pondering this, the Ruba pulling the cart extended her front legs onto the sand.

Sauv grabbed the wheel at the same time the Ruba managed to crawl out of the sand.

As the Ruba pulled the cart, Sauv's body was dragged out of the sand. He managed to get his knees out of the sand, but then the cart suddenly stopped.

Looking up to see what was wrong, he saw the Ruba bleeding from her throat, kneeling.

A weak cry reached his ears.

What on earth had happened?

Sauv watched the Ruba, whose life was fading, in a daze.

A new king was born in York Zai not long ago.

The new king, with the support of Chancellor Theo Kay, swiftly took control of the country, which was on the brink of civil war, despite many people harboring dissatisfaction with the sudden appearance of the new king and questioning his origins.

King Furon, upon ascending the throne, immediately began reforming the military.

He promoted capable individuals and forcefully replaced those who did not follow him. Once his power extended to every corner of the military, he used military force to suppress discontent with the king.

His swiftness was so remarkable that he was even mocked as a reincarnation of the founding king, Tenug.

The succession issue, which had lasted nearly a year, was finally resolved, and the country began to see a future with a strong king. It was then that an envoy from the neighboring country, I-Wabro, arrived.

In the past, there had been small-scale trade along the border, but it had ceased as soon as York Zai began to decline.

The envoy carried a personal letter from the queen. The letter congratulated the new king on his ascension and expressed a desire to resume diplomatic relations. It also stated that the queen wished to meet to discuss the details, and while it would be proper for her to come, the journey was too difficult for a woman, so she requested that Furon visit I-Wabro.

I-Wabro was a country that produced moonstones, essential for lighting, and was a powerful nation ruling over the central plains. Establishing diplomatic relations would be beneficial.

However, Chancellor Theo Kay, who did not approve of Furon leaving the newly stabilized country, insisted on going himself. But the king insisted on going to I-Wabro himself.

They were now in the middle of the journey.

The sandstorm, which was rare for this season, did not occur, and the journey was proceeding smoothly. They crossed the border a day earlier than scheduled this morning. Stepping onto the soil of another country for the first time, Sauv felt a sense of determination.

For a while after entering I-Wabro, the sandy terrain continued, much like that of York Zai. Rock formations began to appear here and there, gradually growing larger, and by noon, massive boulders towered overhead.

The sandy ground continued, and Sauv wondered why they weren't being buried in the sand.

The incident occurred shortly after they began to move between the boulders.

The sand changed shape without any wind.

Someone said, "The sound of the wind blowing between the rocks sounds like the cries of the dead."

Anxiety spread among the soldiers, and the formation began to break.

One of the carts at the rear was particularly slow and fell behind. Noticing this, Sauv hurried to it.

And then, he was swallowed by the sand...

Blood gushed endlessly from Ruba's neck, staining the sand red.

Sauv, forgetting to pull his feet out of the sand, stared at the scene. He noticed the sand near Ruba slowly moving and drew his sword from his waist.

A grating sound, like the rubbing of hard objects, was heard, and the sand caved in.

Sauv gasped.

A giant insect was emerging from the hole.

The insect had two large horns on its forehead, with several sharp protrusions on the inside of the horns.

If caught between those, it would be the end.

Holding his sword, Sauv tried to move his feet out of the sand, but the insect, which had been heading towards the cart, turned to face him.

Sweat trickled down his cheek.

Clank

A pleasant sound came from behind, followed by a warm, humid air.

Still holding his sword towards the insect, Sauv turned and widened his eyes.

Was he hallucinating out of fear?

Or was it a mirage?

Either way, it was impossible in reality. The sudden appearance of a naked woman was even more unbelievable than the giant insect in front of him.

"What... is that?"

He even began to hear hallucinations.

"Who knows?"

Despite recognizing them as hallucinations, he responded because the woman's voice was so vivid.

"Looks like an insect..."

"It's way too big, though."

"Are you being attacked?"

"I'm about to be."

"Shouldn't you run?"

"I can't. I have to protect the cart. It carries the gifts for I-Wabro. I can't lose them."

"Can you win?"

"Who knows!"

Sauv raised his voice at the woman's casual question.

This was not the time to engage in pointless conversation with a mirage.

The insect, using its six knobby legs, approached.

The woman behind him muttered, "It's disgusting."

The insect, which had been closing the distance little by little, stopped. Then, it leaped at Sauv.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

Sauv's scream was echoed by the mirage.

While screaming, he swung his sword upward from below. But it was just a moment too late.

The sword cut off one of the insect's legs, but the insect landed right in front of him.

"Ah!"

The mirage behind him screamed again.

Something brushed past his ear.

It was a colorful ball made of cloth. The ball hit the insect, and powder scattered from inside.

Suddenly, the insect let out a death-like groan and thrashed.

"Now! Now, do it!"

Sauv, startled, raised his sword and stabbed the insect's back.

Piercing through the hard outer shell, he felt the soft flesh beneath.

The insect began to retreat. Sauv tried to pull out his sword, but it was too late, and it slipped from his hand.

"Ah! What are you doing!"

The mirage scolded him. Feeling an odd sense of injustice, Sauv started to step forward to retrieve his sword.

At that moment, a figure in blue cloth jumped into the hole from the edge.

Sliding down the sand, the figure reached the bottom and, drawing a sword, ran up and attacked the insect from behind.

"King!"

With a scream, soldiers began to descend into the hole one after another. When about ten soldiers had descended, one of the commanders stopped the rest at the edge.

The soldiers who had jumped down finished off the insect, which was already on the verge of death.

The man in blue cloth, who had jumped into the hole first, turned to Sauv.

Sauv swallowed hard.

Standing before the sharp gaze, he always felt tense.

The man, flipping his dark blue cloak, passed by Sauv.

"It's been a while. You're as generous with your attire as ever, but it's a feast for the eyes of the tense soldiers."

"It's been a while. ...I'm not naked by choice, you know."

Sauv turned to see the man in blue cloth—King Furon—placing his cloak over the shoulders of the woman he had thought was a mirage.

"Thank you."

The woman bowed her head slightly.

"No, I should be the one to thank you. It seems I've been saved again."

"King, that woman... I mean, who is she?"

Sauv asked, and the king smiled.

"A goddess."

The moment the king said this, the smile on the woman's face was almost a wry one.

"Chancellor Theo Kay called her a sorceress, but don't you think 'goddess' is more appropriate?"

"Do what you want."

The woman, who had been laughing in resignation, suddenly changed her expression to one of shock.

"Behind you!"

Shouting, the woman extended her arm from under the king's cloak and grabbed two colorful balls of cloth, similar to the one she had thrown at the insect. Biting the edge with her canine teeth, she tore it and threw it at Sauv.

Sauv tilted his head to avoid it and turned to raise his sword.

As expected, the insect was by the cart.

The insect was trying to break the cart's cover with its two long horns. The ball hit the insect's side, and black grains scattered.

The insect shuddered.

The woman threw another ball.

The soldiers attacked the insect, which was thrashing and trying to burrow into the sand.

Its legs were severed, and two swords were thrust into its abdomen before it stopped moving.

"Damn, how many are there?"

The king clicked his tongue in disgust.

"Um, I have a question. Did the map brought by I-Wabro's secret envoy not arrive?"

"What?"

The king turned to the woman, raising an eyebrow.

The attitude was a bit disrespectful for someone introduced as a goddess.

"Queen Tameyu of I-Wabro deliberately lured you here, where dangerous insects live. And a secret envoy from the same I-Wabro delivered a map showing a safe route to Theo Kay of York Zai, in exchange for helping to rescue Prince Hinoki, who was imprisoned in a tower."

The king laughed.

"Does the goddess know all the details?"

"No, not at all. I met someone carrying the map and chasing after you yesterday. They said their Ruba was injured and couldn't move, but the other four would deliver it."

"It doesn't seem to have arrived..." the woman muttered.

"The wind was calm, and the journey was faster."

The woman put her hand to her chin and looked down, apparently deep in thought. Her cloak slipped off her right shoulder, but she didn't notice. She was holding her chest with her left hand, so it didn't come off completely, but Sauv was worried.

After a while, she looked up and stared straight at the king.

"Do you need the map?"

"Yes, I do."

The king nodded, as if it were obvious.

"I have the map here..."

The woman leaned over and reached for something beyond the frame, invisible to Sauv. She took out a small, folded paper from a mysterious transparent cloth and waved it.

"It doesn't seem like you're giving it for free."

"You're going to have to help yourself, right?"

The king smiled.

"It's a simple task. If Prince Hinoki is still imprisoned in the tower, I want you to help rescue him."

"Nothing simple about it..."

The king sighed.

"But there's no choice. I'll accept your condition. The queen of Tameyu won't refuse when I, who was thought to have been eaten by insects and died, appear."

The woman smiled broadly.

"Thanks a lot."

She was far from a divine goddess.

The king took the map from the woman, unfolded it, and frowned.

"The insect is called Arizigock. You should be happy. It seems that three to four insects live in one nest."

Sauv hurriedly formed a circle with the other soldiers around the king.

One or two more might be nearby.

"We can't move the cargo until we deal with the insects."

Sauv glared at the sand, determined not to miss any small movements.

The soldiers at the bottom of the hole and those watching from the edge held their breath, their eyes darting around.

The wind blew, and sand trickled down the walls. The tension was broken by the woman.

"Hey, what's in that cart?"

"Alcohol and gunpowder."

The king's voice was somewhat displeased.

What did the cargo have to do with it, she must have thought.

"What does this insect, Arizigock, like to eat?"

The king frowned.

Sauv was startled.

"Is Arizigock after the cargo?"

The insect was trying to break the cover, even though Ruba was bleeding and lying on the ground.

Sauv ran to the cart and peered under it. Drops were falling.

"King! It's alcohol! It seems Arizigock was attracted by the smell of alcohol."

A soldier near the cart pulled back in shock.

In front of them, the sand caved in.

"It's coming out!"

Sauv stabbed his sword at the sand where Arizigock was likely hiding.

He felt a hit, but it was shallow.

"I'm sorry. I let it escape."

Sauv lowered his sword and rejoined the circle.

The king placed a hand on his shoulder.

The cloth wrapped around the king's palm and fingertips were dirty with sand, which made Sauv feel proud for some reason.

"Should we use the alcohol as bait...? But we can't afford to have the cargo damaged any further."

The alcohol was in barrels. From the amount leaking, the damage didn't seem too severe.

But while they were pulling out the damaged barrels, Arizigock might appear from under the cart.

"I'll give you the alcohol."

A small, whisper-like voice was heard.

Looking at the woman, Sauv saw her extending her arm from the square frame, holding two smooth cylinders.

"The last two, but take them."

She looked tragic.

Just for the sake of alcohol... Sauv was amazed, but perhaps to the gods, alcohol was that important.

The king stepped forward from the circle.

"What do I need to offer?"

"The promise we just made is enough."

The king, taking the cylinders from the woman, raised his voice.

"Lower the planks!"

He then looked at each soldier at the bottom of the hole.

"Form a circular platform with the planks. Pour the alcohol in the center. Got it? Attack the insect once it emerges from the sand."

Planks tied with ropes were lowered from the edge.

The king turned to the woman.

"We're about to deal with the insects. You should return, goddess."

The king grabbed the square frame the woman was standing in and slid his arm from right to left.

Sauv's eyes widened.

The woman, who had been standing in the frame, wearing the king's cloak, had vanished.

Not only the woman, but the square frame the king had been holding had also disappeared without a trace.

It was as if the goddess had never existed in the first place...