Under Lara’s gaze tinged with sadness and relief at the same time, we left the house. Exhausted by my reckless and meaningless post-war loafing around, she was probably glad that I was finally leaving this dead-end town.

I couldn’t tell her everything, and she didn’t ask, silently accepting my sudden decision.

The emperor was urging me on. In my hallucinations, I saw him consulting old maps or calculating something in his mind as he stared at the emerging stars in the sky. Walking at the steady pace of an infantryman, I watched the jester girl follow every gesture of the frowning Zer like a puppy loving its master.

This once-great warrior had a tremendous amount of stubbornness, malice, and ambition. His shadow towered nearly a head above me, his broad shoulders cloaked in crimson. His straight silver hair, with a single odd wave just below the neck, was pinned by a golden headband. His elongated face seemed even longer due to gray mustaches hanging down like those of a deep-sea fish, extending a whole palm below his chin and level with his thin beard.

Trest bid us farewell with the sparse lights of affluent homes, oil lanterns of mines, and street bonfires of the slums that will probably haunt me for a long while. Just outside the city, we were greeted by the road descending from the mountains. At daytime, it would have countless wagons loaded with ore making their way to the capital city.

My acute sense of justice prevented me from lingering in any of the jobs I took after the war. In the mines, I’d picked a fight with the foreman; in the market, I’d accused a vegetable trader of cheating. I’d even tried to become a road sweeper but broke my broom on the back of the pig who was throwing rubbish out of his window.

Did I miss the war? Definitely not. What kind of person would feel nostalgic about all those horrors? Although the military life did have something I appreciated, such as not having to think about where to go or what to do; it was decided by my superiors.

The civilian world rejected me. And the war rejected me too; it wouldn’t have me buried in a mass grave alongside others or becoming a cripple. It only granted me a scar from a nearby explosion.

The tents were overcrowded with the wounded, forcing doctors to choose between those who could go back to war and those who were useless even in civilian life. Some shrapnel was removed from my body, but the ensuing inflammation made the medics shrug: You’re no longer battle-fit, boy. If you die, you die; if you live, you live. They gave me a paper about that. I took it and, suffering from acute pain and fever, traveled home on passing wagons, unsure if I’d survive this journey.

But fate wasn’t done with me yet. Upon return, I got treated by Lara’s miracle-working hands and recovered quickly. Then everyone celebrated the end of the war. It ended without me. The rebellion was quelled, its leaders were hanged, and soldiers came back to their families, jobs, and homes. Some joined police garrisons, but many became bandits, marauders, and gentlemen of damn fortune.

King Jastiro’s decree outlawed any weapons. For carrying a knife longer than an outstretched palm, you could be hanged. But those already facing capital punishment had nothing to lose. They armed themselves to the teeth, while common folk had a tough time. Many cities obeyed the royal authority during the day, but at night, the criminal underworld would rise to reign.

On this journey, which could be called a road to nowhere, I took a waterskin and a couple of loaves of bread, one of which was thinly covered with mold but still edible if you removed the crust. These things easily fit into my travel bag, alongside a small bread knife.

“What do you even need that toothpick for?” the emperor remarked once during a halt, watching me rummage through the bag.

“Well, great emperor, don’t you know what a knife is used for?” I made no effort to conceal my sarcasm. “What did they use to cut your bread—a sword?”

“You’re so daring only because you know I can’t kill you.”

I smirked. “What does that matter? Not much to discuss with a ghost who can’t remember what a knife is used for. Do you at least remember those you fought yesterday? You think the likes of them only live in cities?”

“Ah, that’s what you mean, you useless twit. If you need this toothpick as a weapon, keep it where you can draw it faster than your opponent can sigh,” the newly minted teacher explained.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“Do you want us to be hanged by the guards before we meet your chasers?” I parried. “Ah, right, you’ve been dead for damn long, so you don’t know that carrying arms is punishable by death.”

“And you don’t know that without a knife at hand, you can end up in the ground,” the usually silent jester chimed in. The childish voice was a stark contrast to our conversation, but his words had a grain of truth.

“Hmm, can’t argue with that. What should I make of it?” I muttered, holding the knife in my hand.

“Nothing. Use it as intended,” the emperor snapped. “Since I agreed to train you, your hands and feet will soon be more dangerous than any knife. Get up. We’re already lagging. They’ll catch up with us quickly if we don’t pick our pace.”

I didn’t ask who he was talking about, believing I could sort out all the oddities invading my life as they showed up.

Long marches were always easy for me. What an infantryman needs is strong legs and a song. I had the former from birth, thankfully, and the latter was provided by the jester girl hopping by my side and singing songs about the deeds of ancient heroes I’d never heard of before.

Our tedious six-hour march was interrupted by the emperor’s scream: “Off the road, quick! Behind that boulder!”

The jester girl, who’d been tirelessly marching and singing until that moment, immediately leaped off the dusty track. I looked around, confused about the source of the danger.

“What are you waiting for, son of an ass?” the emperor barked. “I told you to hide!”

A habit of arguing with the ghost had already etched itself into my blood, but hiding offered an excellent opportunity to rest so I stepped off the road. At my normal pace, I headed to where the girl had disappeared. Sitting down next to her and leaning back against the rock, I closed my eyes.

My feet were aching. I exhaled slowly, feeling the fatigue envelop me. The overwhelming desire to lie down and sleep for the next couple of hours was shattered by my undead companion’s anxious voice: “Hush. They’re here.”

The trampling of hooves came suddenly as if it had been hidden over the many miles it took the rider to approach. Hearing the familiar sound, I took a cautious peek out —and my hair raised at the sight.

Something flashed past like a cannonball. It took me a few seconds to make out the visitor: a pitch-black rider in a black cloak, on an equally black horse. The figure looked like someone had taken a piece of coal and created an incredibly realistic drawing. The only things standing out against the black were the golden bridle and the bright yellow eyes of the mount. The rider galloped on, leaving behind a trail of swirling darkness that made me feel as if I were sinking into an abyss. I was overwhelmed by fear, and frozen by the cold emanating from the rider. My muscles trembled, my back broke into sticky sweat as though I’d faced the open maw of an ancient monster.

The rider vanished as quickly as he’d appeared. I peered into the sunset dusk, struggling to make sense of what I’d seen. Only the Triune knew what my hesitation might’ve cost me, had I lingered for another second. I saw everything in a new light, finally realizing that the former emperor and I were in the same boat, albeit temporarily.

“Triune?” Zer snorted. “You ungrateful idiot! Do you want to know what your sloth and disbelief would’ve cost you? Your head! Understand? You are a soldier. You weren’t taught to think, so the next time just do as I say.”

“What was that?”

I was already getting accustomed to Zer’s insults, barely noticing them as I wouldn’t notice city noise after the long days spent there. They were so trivial against what I wanted to know.

“A seltar. Spiritual guard of the Hall of Wailing and the Hall of Peace.”

“What halls?” I asked, only to receive a jab from the jester girl.

“Don’t interrupt!” she hissed, but the emperor didn’t seem to mind, immersing himself in a story from the days of his former glory.

I listened, using an opportunity to have rest before Zer would urge us on. Stretching my thigh muscles, I kicked my boots off, freeing my blistered toes from the footwraps and immediately spreading the gray, dirt-and-time-stained fabric on the rocks. The contrast between the air temperature and the body-warmed shoes brought a long-forgotten smell to my nose, but I didn’t really care.

All concerns could get lost into that very Hall of Wailing. Right now, I was at rest. A soldier only needs a point of support for sleep, and that was provided by the rock behind my back. Of course it wasn’t a bed in my own home, but in a pinch, you could even roast frogs.

“It happened when I turned ninety. I remember that festive day when they came to my palace as if it were just yesterday,” Zer said. Lost in his memories, he looked like a regular senior in a tavern. “Oh. The tables were laden with food. My subjects slept face down in caviar from rare deep-sea fish. My halls were filled with enchanting music. Everyone celebrated, praising my greatness. Drunk and happy, I enjoyed the company of beautiful maidens who massaged my steel body untouched by the years. My body was my temple. I spent my whole life ensuring this temple would stand strong. You can’t even imagine the effort I put into it.”

“I know, Your Majesty! You...” the girl started.

“Shut up.” Waving the jester away, Zer continued: “There were seven of them. Seven seltars. Seven creatures like the one that just galloped past us and I... I!” In a fit of temper, he struck the stone, but as a fleshless shadow, it didn’t seem to work for him to get out his anger. “Had to hide from it. When they came, time froze. Even in my cups, I realized something out-of-the-ordinary was going on. Then I saw them. The bastards surrounded me, and one of them spoke..."