Chapter 330 (Patreon)

Night settled gently over the desert.

The heat that had tormented them throughout the day slowly faded, replaced by cool winds drifting across the endless dunes. The oasis shimmered beneath the moonlight like a hidden dream buried in the sands. Palm trees swayed softly around the water while the stars above stretched endlessly across the dark sky, bright enough to make the world feel strangely quiet after so much bloodshed.

For the first time in days, the company stopped moving.

Actually stopped.

No rattling wagons.

Just exhaustion.

Pure, bone-deep exhaustion. Rose Light had decided they would spend the night there after seeing the state of the knights. Most of them had burned through enormous amounts of stamina and mana during the battle earlier. They looked visibly worn now that the fighting had ended.

So tents were raised around the oasis while a proper fire crackled near the center of camp.

And surprisingly…

The atmosphere almost felt normal. 

Suri had somehow appointed herself one of the people in charge of cooking alongside a knight who claimed he once worked in an inn before becoming a soldier. The two immediately began arguing over spices and seasoning like veteran chefs defending family honor.

“You’re putting too much salt.”

“That’s because your sauce tastes like sadness.”

“It’s called flavor depth.”

“That sounds fake.”

Chelle ended up joining them after quietly admitting she knew a few things about cooking herself. Before long, the three of them were crowded around the fire while the smell of roasting meat slowly spread through the camp.

Even the exhausted knights nearby started looking toward the fire like starving wolves.

Thorne had already abandoned Boris entirely. The little lizard sat near the roasting meat with terrifying focus, tongue flicking out repeatedly while staring at the skewers rotating above the flames. Her golden eyes reflected the firelight like tiny burning coins.

“That lizard looks possessed,” one knight muttered and laughed.

Thorne hissed when he got too close to the food.

“Definitely possessed.”

Not far from the fire, Kana sat beside Boris atop a smooth patch of stone near the oasis water. Around them, several knights loudly exaggerated the battle from earlier.

“I killed at least thirty monsters myself.”

“You got bitten by one of the small ones.”

“That was tactical.”

“You screamed like a young girl.”

Meanwhile, farther above the camp, Rose Light stood alone atop one of the elevated dunes overlooking the oasis.

The moonlight painted silver outlines across her black armor. From where Kana sat, it almost looked like Rose was speaking quietly to someone beside her. Or perhaps praying. At one point she raised a small metal cup toward the sky as though offering wine to invisible company.

No one asked. Something about Rose carried the feeling that certain questions should remain unspoken.

The fire crackled softly nearby as Kana turned back toward Boris. He looked unusually serious.  Kana approached and sat beside him. She spoke calmly enough for him to hear over the campfire noise.

“[Darkness Warrior] is powerful,” she explained. “Probably extremely powerful during nighttime.”

She paused briefly. “But I think it comes with drawbacks. You may become weaker during the day. Or constantly exhausted under sunlight. I learned it the hard way."

Boris frowned immediately. “I will pass on that then.”

Kana continued.

“[Spear King] sounds straightforward. Strong. Focused.” Her eyes lowered toward the spear resting beside him. “You’d probably become a true master with spear-type weapons.”

The nearby firelight reflected briefly in Boris’s eyes.

That class clearly tempted him. Kana then pointed discreetly toward Thorne, who was currently staring at roasting meat with religious devotion.

“[Drake Champion] is the one I’m very uncertain about.” Boris blinked.

Kana’s gaze lingered on the small lizard. “It may have something to do with her. She might be a Drake.”

At that, Boris straightened immediately. “You think Thorne’s really a drake?”

Even asking the question felt absurd. Drakes were legendary magical beasts. Ancient creatures tied to old stories and forbidden territories.

Yet Thorne mostly acted like an angry sausage with legs.

Kana nodded slowly anyway. “She might be.”

Boris stared at his tiny companion in disbelief while Thorne aggressively bit a knight’s hand for trying to steal cooked meat before her. “…I can’t tell if that makes sense or not.”

“Me neither,” Kana admitted,”You might be able to transform and become like her.”

“You’re kidding.” Boris sounded unsure.”I’m sure Drakes are a lot bigger and intimidating.”

Kana shook her head. Then she continued. “[Great Hoplite] is one of the better choices in my opinion. Balanced offense and defense. Spears and shields together.”

Boris rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Kana rarely gave direct recommendations. So when she did, he listened carefully.

“[Phantom Legion]…” Kana muttered next, her expression turning more uncertain. “Probably a spear-focused class capable of hiding presence or moving unseen.”

That immediately sounded dangerous. Very dangerous. Boris was satisfied with it.

Finally, Kana said the last option. “[Elite Warrior].”

She paused longer this time. “I think this one is the most balanced overall.”

No strange conditions. No obvious weaknesses.

Kana folded her arms quietly. “It’s one of the classes I recommend most.”

The campfire crackled between them while Boris stared down at the parchment again.

The sounds of laughter, roasting meat, and flowing oasis water filled the silence around him.

After a while, he exhaled deeply. “Thank you,” he said honestly. “Let me think about it.”

Kana nodded once.

Unlike Suri, Boris took decisions seriously. Painfully serious.

Suri would probably choose a class within three heartbeats if given the chance. She selected her evolved class almost instantly after hearing Kana’s explanations.

Boris, meanwhile, looked like he was negotiating peace treaties with gods.

Kana glanced toward the campfire again. Suri had stolen a piece of meat directly off the skewer and was currently blowing on her burned fingers while laughing at herself. Chelle scolded her while the knight beside them argued that the meat needed “another minute for perfection.”

Suri ignored him and took another bite anyway. She looked genuinely happy. And for the first time since entering the empire… 

Kana allowed herself to relax slightly beneath the desert stars.

….

After a few moments, the oasis barely resembled a military encampment that night.

Laughter echoed beneath the stars while the fire crackled warmly at the center of camp. A few knights had somehow started dancing around the flames like drunken tavern fools despite not having a single drop of liquor in their system. One man beat rhythm against an empty water barrel while another horribly butchered the lyrics of an old marching song.

The entire group burst into laughter when one of the dancers slipped on loose sand and crashed straight into a pile of blankets.

Normally, Rose Light would have shut the nonsense down immediately.

But tonight, strangely enough, she said nothing.

She sat alone atop one of the higher dunes overlooking the oasis, black armor dim beneath the moonlight. From a distance, she looked less like a commander and more like a silent statue watching over the desert. Sometimes the firelight caught the edge of her face before the darkness swallowed it again.

No one bothered her.

Even the loudest knights seemed careful not to direct too much attention toward where she sat. The cool desert wind drifted through the camp, carrying the smell of roasted meat and burning firewood. After almost half a day of blood, sweat, and monster guts, the warmth almost felt unreal.

For a few brief hours, they looked like ordinary travelers instead of people crossing hostile lands.

Kana quietly sat near the edge of the firelight while listening to Boris argue with one of the knights about whether spear users or sword users were superior. Nearby, Suri loudly defended her cooking while Chelle threatened to throw sand at anyone who stole meat before it finished roasting.

Then Kana noticed Ryle stand up.

He stretched awkwardly before muttering something about needing to pee. No one paid him much attention as he walked away from camp toward the darker side of the oasis where large stones and patches of dry grass broke apart the sand.

Kana watched him for a moment.

Then she silently stood and followed.

The farther she moved from camp, the quieter the world became. Laughter faded behind her. The firelight weakened until only moonlight remained, pale and cold against the dunes.

Ahead, she heard rustling.

Then Ryle suddenly froze. He turned his head sharply and nearly jumped when he noticed Kana standing beside one of the rocks nearby. Startled, he immediately covered himself and stumbled backward half a step.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed.

Kana remained completely calm. “To talk.” 

Her voice was quiet.“With you alone.”

Ryle frowned awkwardly while trying to recover his composure. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched strangely between them beneath the night sky.

Then, perhaps out of nervousness, Ryle forced out a weak laugh. “Don’t tell me…” he muttered. “You actually have a thing for me?”

Kana only stared at him. No expression. No reaction. Just those crimson eyes fixed directly on him. The joke died immediately.

Ryle cleared his throat awkwardly. “Right,” he said quickly. “Of course not.”

He finished adjusting his clothes before turning toward her more carefully this time.

“So,” he asked, forcing steadiness into his voice, “what is it?”

Kana’s gaze never left him. “I saw you.”

The words immediately made his stomach tighten. “You hid a letter inside one of the monster corpses.”

The desert suddenly felt colder. Ryle’s eyes widened before he could stop himself. Instinctively, his hand moved toward the hilt of the sword strapped across his back.

Kana noticed. 

Of course she noticed.

But she did not move.

That frightened him more than if she had drawn a weapon. Because Kana looked completely unconcerned. As though whether he attacked or not made absolutely no difference to the outcome.

And the worst part?

Ryle knew she was right. 

After witnessing the battle earlier, he understood clearly now. The gap between them was absurd. He had watched Kana carve through monsters with terrifying precision while knights struggled nearby. Even Rose Light treated her differently than the others.

If he drew his sword here…

He would die. The certainty of that settled heavily inside his chest.

Kana slowly stepped closer. The atmosphere around her changed.

It wasn’t mana. It wasn’t a skill but a pressure.

Cold and sharp enough to make the hairs on Ryle’s neck rise instinctively. 

“Tell me,” Kana said softly, “why I shouldn’t kill you.”

Ryle suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Behind them, faint laughter from camp drifted across the oasis. Someone shouted triumphantly near the fire while another knight continued singing terribly off-key.

The contrast made the moment feel surreal.

Warmth behind him.

Death in front of him.

Ryle slowly lifted both hands away from his sword. And for the first time in many years, the trained spy genuinely felt fear. He knew Kana could detect some presence but he was engaged by one of the dungeon bosses type of monster. How did she even notice him?

Ryle shook his head.

How can I get out of this situation alive?

Post note:

Busted!2nd chap of the week.Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂

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