Crossroads

After a hurried journey, the two finally arrived at the fork in the road around noon.

As previously mentioned, Aikacia, being a strategic border town, was surrounded on three sides by forest, with only one road leading to the imperial city. This road, shaped by a natural valley and maintained by countless travelers over the centuries, stretched onward until it reached a fork. The three smaller paths at the fork each pointed in a different direction: the northern route was unmistakably the only passage to the imperial city, while the western and eastern roads led to the western and eastern fortresses, respectively.

Without hesitation, the two set off northward. It was the turn of the seasons, when autumn yielded to winter, and the cold winds seemed especially eager to make their presence known—descending in sudden gusts as if to announce their arrival. Under the combined assault of the valley’s piercing drafts and the chill, our protagonist was so frozen that they wished they could curl into a ball entirely wrapped in their mage’s robe, never to emerge again.

Even the two mounts, generously provided by Xia Kui, called “Ox-Horse Beasts,” slowed their pace to adapt to the sudden, biting wind. Of course, “Ox-Horse Beast” was a nickname invented by our protagonist; their real name, “Maoji,” was far more dignified, referring to their thick, warm fur and remarkable speed. But to our protagonist, they looked like a crossbreed between a yak and a horse, and so, without hesitation, the creatures were rechristened “Ox-Horse Beasts.” The animals, unable to protest in human speech, could only accept this name with silent indignation.

Lance placed a piece of luggage in front of his chest and another on his back to ward off the wind, looking utterly unruffled and unafraid of the cold. He even had the leisure to tease our protagonist for amusement: “Tell me what Huanluo said to you, and I’ll give you your luggage back. How about it?”

Our protagonist almost replied without thinking, but at the last moment, remembered Huanluo’s blushing warning not to reveal her secret. The words turned to stone and were swallowed back down. “I really can’t say,” they managed.

“Why not?” Lance’s smile remained, but the more our protagonist looked at it, the more they felt a chill creep over their heart. “Don’t you trust me?”

Startled, our protagonist suddenly recalled Xia Kui’s vague warning, and how Lance had vanished for several days while Xia Kui had been giving those lessons in common knowledge. Could it be that Xia Kui and Huanluo truly harbored suspicions about Lance?

Lance gazed at them, puzzled, and only then did our protagonist realize they had been lost in thought for quite some time. Deciding to double down, they let their own embarrassment deepen, their face growing hot, and finally, when their cheeks felt feverish, they looked up at Lance with feigned shyness: “Oh, it’s just girl talk. Why are you so curious?”

Lance was utterly taken aback.

Taking advantage of his distraction, our protagonist quickly snatched back their large suitcase and placed it in front of themselves, thereby securing their belongings and composure, and even managing to keep Lance at bay—a triple victory in their book.

Our protagonist, delighted, tallied up the benefits in their mind.

Lance, however, paid no heed, soon returning his attention to the surrounding landscape. With nothing else to do, our protagonist followed his gaze skyward.

As they entered the northern path at the fork, the scenery remained unchanged—jagged rocks of varying heights lined the road, their surfaces bare and lifeless due to the season. There was little of beauty to be found.

While our protagonist puzzled over this, Lance’s voice broke the silence: “This road is quite interesting.”

“Interesting? What do you mean?” Our protagonist, who had just lowered their head, looked up again at his words. “Is there a troupe of girls in bikinis dancing on the mountaintop or something?”

Lance ignored the remark (and likely preferred not to respond), continuing on his own, “Think about it—if Aikacia fell and the enemy wanted to capture the imperial city in one push, they’d have to take this road. And if someone held the high ground, they could rain rocks or fire arrows down from above—wouldn’t the enemy be wiped out in this very spot?”

Following his train of thought, our protagonist realized, “You’re right! This really is the perfect terrain for ambushes, massacres, or robberies.”

Lance mused further, “But what if someone wanted to use this terrain to stop Aikacia’s own army from advancing…”

“That… would be bad,” our protagonist murmured.

No sooner had the words left their mouth than the shrill whistle of arrows sliced past their ear. Lance reacted instantly, yanking our protagonist behind the “Ox-Horse Beast.” Clutching their suitcase, they nearly curled entirely into Lance’s embrace. He struggled briefly, but with arrows raining down outside, there was nowhere safer to move, so he let our protagonist remain.

The “Ox-Horse Beast” took many arrows, and with a final scream, collapsed. Quick as a flash, our protagonist grabbed its reins, but the animal’s weight dragged them outward. Lance hurried to help, and together they managed to steady the beast’s carcass, using it as a shield. When the arrows showed no sign of abating, Lance whispered for them to retreat further back. Our protagonist realized his plan: to use the corpse and the rock wall to form a small, hard-to-hit triangle of safety.

They inched backward until Lance’s back pressed against the rock wall, and only then did our protagonist finally relax. But as they let go, Lance’s supporting hand slipped as well, and the “Ox-Horse Beast” suddenly hung unsupported.

A heavy weight crashed onto our protagonist, the thick scent of blood filling their nostrils. Instinctively, they shrank further back—only to bump right into Lance’s arms. Embarrassment flared, but when they tried to wriggle forward, they found themselves unable to budge the massive carcass. Hoping Lance would help, they looked to him—but he paid them no mind.

Struggling to make their presence known, they found Lance calmly pinning them in place with one hand and covering their mouth with the other, completely suppressing any further movement. Ignoring the blood, the arrows, and our protagonist’s wriggling, Lance resolutely did something remarkable: he fell into deep thought.