Shadow Oath

Chapter 3: Zenri

The sound of the slap was so loud that even Zenri regretted it.

Damn it, we’re close to the enemy camp here!

This idiot ruins everything, every single time.

“Am I right? You slave bastard! You planned to leave me behind, kill the target, and return to camp alone to take all the credit, didn’t you?”

Zenri lowered his voice again.

“No, I never had such intentions.”

Ram grovelled as he spoke, but Zenri didn’t buy it. How could he fall for such a simple trick?

“I’m coming with you! That’s obvious, isn’t it? You should know well by now that you can’t meet General Terrdin without me.”

“I understand.”

“You couldn’t even borrow a sack without me.”

“That’s correct.”

This foolish slave didn’t even think of preparing a sack to carry the head until just before they were about to leave.

For someone who’s supposedly beheaded people before, he should have considered the issue of bloodstains.

But he only mentioned it earlier this evening, after days of planning.

‘Carrying a bleeding head across the enemy camp won’t be easy. The enemies have trained wolves on patrol, and those animals have a sense of smell sharper than any dog. If we’re bringing the head, we’ll need a leather pouch to seal it properly.’

A lowly soldier like Ram couldn’t easily acquire expensive leather.

There wasn’t time to hunt an animal and tan its hide.

He didn’t want to borrow one from the noble children, who weren’t really allies and probably didn’t even have one.

Zenri was forced to go to the quartermaster and borrow a sack himself.

It was a humiliating experience for Zenri.

Having to “ask” someone of much lower rank than me!

“After I’ve done this much for you, don’t you think it’s your job to handle the rest? For four days….”

Or was it three days? Whatever!

“…you’ve had time to assess the situation but failed to ensure our safety? Haven’t you done this kind of work countless times under your father?”

That should have been enough for him to understand, but the fool just kept making excuses.

“I’m good at killing. I’ve never failed at it.”

“And? Are you saying you’re not good at bringing the head back?”

“I’m good at that too. I’m skilled at disposing of bodies without a trace, hiding them so they’re never found, or even arranging them to be highly visible.”

“Then what’s the problem here?”

“It’s hard to protect you, sir. Specifically, it’s difficult to enter the enemy camp with you, take care of the task, and then get us both out safely.”

“You should have investigated this!”

“I did. Over the past three days, I thoroughly examined ways to hide you. However, I can’t account for every possible variable. I’ll definitely bring back Mantum’s head, so please stay here…”

Ram trailed off.

Zenri quickly discerned his true intentions.

It was a lie.

No matter how he thought about it, it was a lie.

Even getting here had been easy. What could possibly be more difficult from this point on?

Even within allied territory, nighttime movements were prohibited. Encounters with patrol soldiers meant bothersome explanations, so they had to be avoided, but they’d managed just fine.

If Ram hadn’t kept hesitating and stopping for no reason, they would have arrived much faster.

Once they left the range of the torches, it became even easier.

The walk to the creek had been no more than an evening stroll.

And now he was telling Zenri to wait here?

What a cowardly move.

“Let me make it clear once again. It has to be me who brings back Mantum’s head.”

“Of course.”

“Good. If you understand, find a way for us to cross this creek.”

Ram lowered his head and began searching the area.

Zenri sighed.

Slaves only worked when they were treated this way.

‘When I inherit the lordship, I’ll fill the castle with smarter slaves.’

After a while, Ram found a thick tree branch that could barely support one person.

“Hold on to this, sir. I’ll swim across while pulling you.”

“With something this small? It won’t even support the weight of my armor.”

“You’re right. That’s why it would be better to remove your armor.”

“Are you serious right now?”

“My apologies.”

“I have no idea why my father insisted on bringing you along.”

Zenri sighed deeply.

He didn’t want to waste any more time. His father always said, smart people’s lives are wasted because of the fools around them.

“If this doesn’t work out as you said, you’ll pay for it! And you must return here immediately. This armor is worth more than a hundred slaves like you. Most importantly, the family crest engraved on it must never be tarnished. Do you understand what I mean?”

Zenri raised his voice irritably while removing his armor. His voice echoed through the quiet creek.

“I’m not sure if someone like you can understand me, but try your best to grasp what I’m saying. You got that?”

“I’ll do my best to understand.”

Ram bowed deeply, as if groveling was the only thing he knew how to do.

Once the armor was off, Zenri’s body shivered uncontrollably. His well-fed, noble belly quivered with every shiver, and the scabs from his acne were thankfully hidden by the darkness.

Showing his body to someone like Ram was a dreadful thought.

The two entered the water.

The cold was unbearable. It was still autumn, but this cursed northern land felt like the dead of winter.

Zenri clung tightly to the tree branch, wanting to warn Ram that he wouldn’t forgive him if he let go.

He also wanted to hurry him across, but with the water up to his lips, he couldn’t speak.

Slaves always moved faster when whipped or ordered harshly, but he couldn’t do that now.

As a result, Ram crossed the creek painfully slowly, making Zenri worry he might actually freeze to death.

Fortunately, Zenri made it out of the creek before that happened.

As soon as he was out, he couldn’t help but curse.

“Damn it! I thought I was going to freeze to death!”

“Are you all right?”

“I just remembered! This creek has a shallow crossing! Why didn’t we go there?”

Ram had the audacity to put a finger to his lips.

“Sir, from here on, even your breathing must be quiet. Gerans have excellent hearing, and their wolves are even better at picking up sounds.”

“Shut up. Try giving me an excuse.”

“The shallow area is heavily patrolled. Both our soldiers and theirs. This is the only area without patrols.”

Ram scooped up a handful of mud from the creek bed.

“We don’t have time. Please apply this to your body. Wolves are patrolling, and we need to cover our scent.”

“Wolves? What wolves? You didn’t mention this before.”

Or did he? No, that wasn’t important. What mattered was that Zenri had forgotten.

“Why are you only telling me this now?”

“…My apologies. Gerans train wolves to act as hunting dogs. That’s why we need this mud…”

“Are you trying to dirty me with mud? My body doesn’t carry any scent! It’s filthy things like you who stink!”

“That’s not it, but wolves’ sense of smell…”

“So this is your chance to make me dirty, huh?”

“Never! I’m only trying to…”

“If anything happens, just protect me. That’s why I brought you. I’m going like this.”

“Understood.”

Ram smeared himself with mud, covering his body thoroughly.

Zenri watched and cautiously asked, “Can wolves really smell me?”

“Yes, sir. And the mud will also help keep you warm to some extent.”

Reluctantly, Zenri scooped up some mud and smeared a couple of spoonfuls on his cheeks, a bit on his hands, and a little on his neck.

It felt disgusting.

Any more was unthinkable.

“This much should be enough, right?”

Ram stared at him for a long moment before finally nodding.

What a slow-witted fool—couldn’t even answer quickly!

“Then let’s move cautiously,” Ram said as he led the way across the grassland.

The journey was longer than expected. The wet clothes made it feel even colder.

Zenri felt like he would freeze to death long before he encountered a glorious battle against the Gerans.

Ram kept stopping and starting, which only made things worse.

“When are we going to get there? Can’t you move faster?”

The cold made Zenri impatient. He wished for a whip—nothing got a slave moving faster than that.

Finally, Ram slowed to a complete stop.

Was this fool planning to leave him to freeze to death?

“We’ve arrived. That tent over there is Mantum’s quarters. I’ll go in and bring back his head. Please wait here.”

Zenri didn’t argue with that.

He was exhausted.

“How long will it take?”

“It depends on the patrol movements.”

“Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

“I’ll be as quick as I can. Please don’t leave the bush.”

Ram headed towards the enemy camp.

Zenri crouched in the bush but soon grew restless.

He had to make sure Ram was actually going into the camp and not sneaking off somewhere else. Slaves were always trying to escape; masters had to stay vigilant!

Ram paused midway and glanced back. Seeing Zenri, he gestured for him to stay down.

Zenri, annoyed by the audacity, gestured back for him to get moving.

Ram stared at him for a moment, then turned and resumed walking towards the enemy camp.

Finally! So slow!

Once Ram disappeared into the darkness, Zenri crouched down again.

The cold ground froze his stomach, but there was no avoiding it if he wanted to stay out of the wind.

Time passed agonizingly slowly.

Could Ram really pull this off?

What if he abandoned him and ran?

It was entirely possible! Slaves always betrayed their masters whenever they got the chance.

What if Ram knew about “that incident” and was plotting revenge?

If so, Zenri would make him pay dearly.

He’d torture him for three whole days and think of the most horrific way to kill him. His father would help—he knew hundreds of methods.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling behind him.

Zenri sighed and stood up.

“Honestly, you’re so slow. What took you so long…”

But it wasn’t Ram.

It was a wolf.

Zenri thought of wolves as just oversized dogs with bad tempers.

He figured a hand axe would be enough to cut its throat, or he could strangle it if necessary.

But this wolf was twice his size. In the dark, it looked three times bigger.

It was enormous. Were wolves supposed to be this big?

“What?”

That was all he could say.

The wolf didn’t growl or roar.

It lunged silently, sinking its teeth into him.

Zenri’s body was lifted like a ragdoll and slammed to the ground.

After that, Zenri couldn’t think about anything at all.