I sat with my back against the tree, my feet resting in the shallow swamp water.
I took a slow breath.
For now, I needed to conserve my strength as much as possible.
I searched through the saddle and checked what supplies I had left.
Some jerky.
A few berries.
And a couple of potions.
There wasn't much.
In the North, survival often came down to how carefully you managed what little you had.
At least Rusty had another option.
We could hunt nearby monsters for food.
As for me...
That would be a last resort.
The last time I had eaten monster meat, I had nearly died from the poison.
I had survived only because of the healer's treatment and my innate Poison Immunity.
That skill had saved my life once.
I didn't want to test its limits again.
I rubbed my face and let out a slow breath.
For a while, I closed my eyes.
But I didn't sleep.
I kept my Sensory Field active, listening to everything around me.
Water rippled somewhere in the darkness.
Leaves rustled in the distance.
Something moved beneath the swamp.
I opened my eyes again.
What should I do now?
I didn't know where I was.
I didn't know exactly where I had entered the forest.
And I certainly didn't know how to find my way back to our forces.
My only option was to keep moving.
During the day, I would follow the direction of the sun.
At night, I would use the mountains as a landmark.
If I could reach the mountains...
I might be able to find our forces from there.
I slowly stood.
My body protested immediately.
I ignored it.
After wiping the swamp water from my legs with a small piece of cloth, I checked Rusty.
I patted his neck several times.
"Come on."
Rusty raised his head.
I climbed onto his back and tightened the reins.
Then we started moving.
Azpen
Azpen regrouped with other mercenaries.
He looked at the exhausted men around him.
Their faces were covered in dirt.
Their armor was damaged.
Some carried fresh wounds.
But none of them complained.
Azpen slowly raised his head.
"We inflicted damage."
"The rest of our brothers died for that."
His voice remained calm.
"We'll do it again."
A mercenary looked at him.
Azpen continued.
"We keep hitting them until they stop..."
"Or until we die."
The a scout emerged from the trees.
He was not an ordinary mercenary.
The man's expression was completely emotionless.
His eyes were dark and cold.
He bowed his head.
"Sir Azpen."
"My master, Knight Rodin, ordered me to deliver a message."
Azpen narrowed his eyes.
"What message?"
The scout remained bowed.
"Knight Rodin orders you to withdraw."
"The nest has fallen."
"Our infantry is already preparing to retreat."
"Your mission has been accomplished."
Azpen remained silent.
Then he looked directly at the scout.
"Do you think I'm joking?"
The scout raised his head slightly.
"No, sir."
"I know the nest has fallen."
"But even if we regroup with the infantry..."
"We cannot hold the nest for long."
"If the lizardmen recover the area, they could rebuild it."
Azpen's expression hardened.
The scout continued.
"Knight Rodin anticipated that answer."
"He said you would say the same thing."
The scout reached into the bag hanging from his shoulder.
He pulled out several strange-looking objects.
Jewels.
But these weren't ordinary jewels.
"Our alchemists designed these for the bombardment."
"They can be used from a distance."
"If you remain here and continue fighting..."
"Your chances of survival will decrease."
Azpen stared at the jewels.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then he looked around at the exhausted survivors.
There were too few of them.
They had accomplished their objective.
The nest had fallen.
The enemy had been delayed.
And now the Northern Knights were already moving.
Continuing the fight would accomplish little.
Azpen finally sighed.
"...Understood."
The scout bowed.
"Thank you, sir."
Azpen looked toward the remaining mercenaries.
"Prepare to withdraw."
This time...
There was no argument.
Raven
I continued following the direction of the setting sun.
The journey was slow.
Several small lizard-like monsters appeared along the way.
They weren't strong enough to threaten me.
A quick strike from my spear was enough to kill them.
Rusty was also getting hungry, so I gave him some of the food I had collected.
He chewed slowly as we continued moving.
The sun gradually sank toward the horizon.
Night was coming.
I needed somewhere to hide.
Traveling through the swamp alone at night was a terrible idea.
Monsters had the advantage in darkness.
And if the lizardmen were still searching for survivors...
A fire would be like a beacon.
No fire.
I needed somewhere concealed.
I continued searching.
Eventually, I found a large hollow tree.
The inside was wide enough for both Rusty and me.
But something was already living there.
A blue-shelled creature crawled toward the entrance.
It looked similar to a large crab.
Its shell was covered in a deep blue material.
I'd heard that similar shells were valuable to blacksmiths and alchemists because of their hardness.
But the creature itself wasn't particularly dangerous.
It raised its claws and tried to crawl out of the hollow.
Rusty didn't give it the chance.
He lowered his head and slammed into it.
The creature was pushed back inside.
I immediately followed.
I drove my spear into the same weak point several times.
The creature struggled.
Its shell cracked.
Dark blood began leaking from the wound.
A final thrust ended its resistance.
I pulled my spear free.
I looked at the dead monster.
Then at Rusty.
"At least we have dinner."
Rusty snorted.
I gave him a tired smile.
Then I looked toward the darkening sky.
The light was disappearing.
I had no idea where my comrades were.
I didn't know whether they had survived.
And they didn't know whether I had.
For the first time since entering the swamp...
I truly understood how alone I was.
Night was coming.
And I had no choice but to survive it.