Chapter 63

(One week later...)

Nash's wound is already healing, and she isn't in as much pain as she was before. She may run and walk as she pleases without causing her wound to swell.

"Gosh, resting for a week is hard," Nash massaged her shoulder as she exercised her neck.

They're on their way to the swordsmith they met before after receiving word that their swords have already been completed.

"Here," the swordsmith said, placing all seven swords on the counter. "It's just what you asked for. And guess what? Some knights also requested the same blade. You're lucky you asked for it first."

"Are you all right?" Idris asked.

The swordsmith's face looked tired. He already has dark circles under his eyes.

The swordsmith chuckled, "Yes, it's just I stayed up all night for a month straight just to finish all the swords."

"You should sleep, you look like you'll collapse first before finishing it all." Aeries said.

"I can't... I only need to make 10 more."

"That's a lot!" Nash exclaimed. Nash took out 2 money pouches and placed it on the counter, "Thank you for the hard work!"

They all bowed to express their gratitude to him.

"Wahh... I'm so excited to use it," Aidan said as he looked at his sword.

"It feels the same as my last sword," Aeries mumbled.

"Let's start patrolling now," Yjhan said.

Patrolling the capital almost became their natural job.

"Aren't we walking close to the forest?" Aeries asked the leader.

"Thed and the others were there and said that it's fine for us to go there. He even invited us," Yjhan said.

Nash grew excited, 'Maybe I will meet the Duke?'

"You came!" Thed was seen leaning on a big three.

Squad 15 looked at the forest surrounded by a barrier. Nash tried to touch it and her hand passed by it. 'Huh? Is it supposed to be like that?'

Tado was surprised since if someone had touched the barrier, it should have sounded an alert sound. "Her hand brushed against..."

"Huh?" Thed asked,

"Ah... nothing,"

'Maybe she didn't touch it and it was just an illusion?'

Squad 15 salute. Thed went close to Nash and patted her head, "You're healed?"

"Yes!"

"Not yet," Her squad mates answered and glared at Nash.

Nash rolled her eyes and averted her gaze. She noticed a red light flashing from a distance as she faced the forest. 'A red light?'

She then recalls the first time she noticed a red light from a distance. 'I heard it was a Kapre?'

'Is it really? Or just a coincidence that a Kapre suddenly appeared?'

Nash felt someone looking at her and saw Kane. She walked towards Kane and asked, "You see it?"

"See what?"

"Red lights coming from the forest?"

"I don't see one,"

"You don't?

'Ah... I thought he could see everything I see,' Nash sighed.

Nash returned to her position near the barrier and looked within the forest. The red flashing pair of lights remains. 'After encountering one, I'm certain those aren't Kapre.'

Nash sighed and just averted her gaze from it. 'I won't pay attention to it as long as it doesn't do anything. By the way, aren't they spotting it?'

"We spotted one!" They all looked inside the forest after they heard a shout. Nash looked at the pair of red glowing eyes, but they were no longer there. "Help!"

The dark knights aided the one who was attacked, and before the knight who yelled was hauled away, Shiro, the dark knight leader, beheaded the creature.

"It was a mothman," Shiro said, his voice was deep but gentle.

"There's more flying towards us, Commander!"

"Ready yourselves!"

Nash heard it after activating her enhanced hearing. She learned it during her training. 'A mothman... that's the first time I heard about it.'

Nash flinched after Aidan held her shoulder, she was so concentrated hearing what's happening inside that she no longer noticed what's happening to her surroundings.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, it's just that, they are already walking and you're just standing there looking inside the forest."

"Didn't you hear the screaming before?" Nash asked.

"We did. Thed said it was normal now that creatures are starting to announce their presence."

"Don't involve yourselves with them, Nash," Yjhan said, glaring at Nash.

"I'm not!"

(Inside the forest...)

"Commander! One passed by us heading to the barrier!"

"Kill it!" A few knights rush towards the Mothman, who has eluded them.

"Hurry! We're going to patrol!" Yjhan shouted.

"Okay okay!"

Before Nash walked away, they heard a loud shriek that lasted for a few seconds. It was so loud that they shut their ears as well as their eyes as it feels like it could cause their ears to bleed.

"Ah!" Before Nash could even react, she was pulled inside the barrier.

"Nash!" Aidan tried to take Nash's hand, but it was too late; Nash had already pulled inside the barrier.

The reason the Mothman shrieked is because it forces it's hands outside the barrier which cause them to be electrocuted, yet it still managed to capture Nash because she was nearby.

"Nash!" The knights yelled from the outside.

The dark knight also saw her and was going to throw their swords at each other, but Nash killed it first by moving her blade and beheading the Mothman using her gravitational ability.

She examined her body for scratches, fortunately, her clothes were the only ones that got scratched.

"I'm fine!" she shouted to those outside the barrier.

"Get out of there!" Yjhan shouted.

Nash looked back and realized that the Dark Knights could easily defeat them. She began to walk away from the barrier.

"Commander!"

Nash glanced back, distracted by the cries for help, and saw one knight being dragged a long distance. When she glanced at the dark knights, they were fighting with the creatures.

"Nash! I said get out of there!" she heard Yjhan's scream.

'But I can't just let the knight get killed.'

"If you go any further, you'll be exiled. I'm warning you!" Yjhan threatened. 'That can't be...'

She made up her mind and walked towards the barrier.

"Commander! Help me... please."

'Ahh... fuck!'

"I'm sorry!"

"Nash!"

Nash dashes towards the knight, who is being dragged, and throws her dagger. He was already separated from the other knights and seemed to be dragged towards the cave. The dagger pierced the Mothman's neck, beheading it.

"Thank you... I owe you my life," Nash crouched down to check him if there are any scratches and discovered none.

"You're alright, you don't have any scratches."

'I wonder why they are not biting the victims.'

Nash approached one of the heads and noticed the glowing red eyes. Their faces are moths with horns, they have torn wings like a moth, and their bodies are human-like with only three fingers on both feet and hands.

"It should've paralyzed me..." The knight said as he went close to it, "But why didn't it?"

'It can paralyze.'

"Have you been in that cave, sir?" She gestures to a cave some distance away.

"We can only see it from above since there are signs that there are several creatures hidden within it." Mothmans are normally buried inside caves, so we didn't get a chance to see what was inside.

"I see..."

"Tero! Are you alright?!" a dark knight shouted from a distance.

"I am thankful for this...lady knight?" He saw Nash walking towards the cave, "Lady! Don't go in there! it's dangerous!"

Nash shushed him.

As Nash got close to the cave, the commander of the Dark Knight, Shiro, fetched Tero.

"Sir, a knight is heading towards the cave," he said, pointing to Nash, who is already close to the cave and walking quietly.

"Who is that? Why is she here? Doesn't she know the consequences of her actions? She could be exiled just by entering the forest." Shiro stated.

"Sir! She was dragged by the Mothman inside earlier," the knight who chased after the mothman said.

"What?!"

"Sir, she's already at the entrance." Tero said.

"Tell the knights outside to call a few knights. This lady broke the law."

"But sir, she was just dragged here?"

"And she helped me."

"She could've gone out after saving you. Now go! Even if she was accidentally dragged in here, she should've gone out and not head inside the cave...?"

"She's already inside, commander!"

"Go!" A few dark knights went out the barrier and talked to Thed.

"Commander requested for you to call a few knights to detain the lady who entered."

"Where is she? She's part of our squad." Aeries asked.

"She's just a squad knight?!" Tero was surprised. 'She killed that creature as if she's used to killing.'

"Yes... is there something she did that caused her to be detained?" Yjhan asked, trying to keep his calm.

"Yes, she went to the cave which is forbidden to go into."

Yjhan sighed deeply, "I can't help her anymore if she did that."

"She's recently recovered from an injury!" Idris exclaimed.

"It's her fault, she broke the law even if she was accidentally dragged inside, she had the time to get out but still proceed in," Kane explained.

"Actually, she saved me from being dragged towards the cave," Tero said. "I also tried to help her, but the commander already made up his mind."

Yjhan tsked, 'She's getting out of hand.'

"Then... I'm going to!" Idris dashed inside the barrier without a second thought.

"Wait! Idris!" Yjhan shouted.

"If Nash is in, so am I!" Aidan also ran without hesitation, not minding what the leader said.

Aeries looked at Yjhan, "I'm sorry"

Aeries followed the first two.

Yjhan looked at the other two who's staring at him, "What? As if you'll listen to me. Tsk. That brat is always causing problems!"

The three followed inside, shocking their senior knights.

"Are they serious?!" Thed exclaimed.

"How loyal," Ken laughed.

"Send lots of knights to detain them!" Tero instructed. 'Tsk... The youths really don't hesitate.'