Shadow Oath

Chapter 11: The Mage

Terrdin crossed his arms and stared grimly at the powder scattered on the ground.

The mages waited for the general to speak.

Ram waited too.

Finally, Terrdin opened his mouth.

“Can a person really be killed with sorcery? With this powder?”

“Yes. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, there are dozens of tools used by sorcerers. And…”

The old mage continued his explanation.

“I wonder if it’s necessary to go into such detail, but since you asked for a full explanation, I will elaborate. The Geran sorcerers are divided into two groups. Women are called Hagra, and men are called Hakra. Hagra and Hak use different types of sorcery and tools. Female Hagras are primarily skilled in predicting the future or reading the past, while male Hakras specialize in sorcery that directly affects life and death, such as curses or blessings.”

“So, killing spells are something male sorcerers can use?”

“Possibly.”

The old mage rubbed the powder between his fingers, brought it to his nose, and sniffed.

“That’s why we concluded that if the enemy’s Hak wanted to end this war in the best, easiest, and most feasible way, it would be through sorcery to kill our general.”

Terrdin glared at the two as if they themselves had conspired to assassinate him, but the old mage continued his explanation undeterred.

“We sought signs. The sign we looked for was a scent. The scent of this powder mixing.”

“Are you telling me you can smell every odor wafting through the battlefield?”

Ram, whose sense of smell was sharp, quickly understood what Terrdin was asking.

The allied camp was filled with all sorts of odors.

In the central area, there were the smells of people—sweat, rotting flesh, and uncleaned waste.

Outside, discarded food scraps added to the stench.

In the campsite itself, the natural smells of trees and insects from the surrounding wilderness were barely noticeable, and a scent as faint as this powder would be hidden amid it all.

The mage answered honestly.

“Of course not. It’s more of a hunch. We rely on every smell, sight, and sound as clues. Then, something came to us. It was early in the war. Do you remember, General?”

“You requested heightened vigilance, so I sent patrols to scour the camp three times. Nothing happened, and nothing was found!”

“Despite nothing happening, we are grateful you granted our requests each time.”

“Your warnings only made me uneasy. I despise such feelings.”

The old mage smiled.

Although Terrdin showed no change in expression, Ram thought he might have smirked.

“You say nothing happened, General, but we would describe it as ‘it retreated.’”

“What do you mean by ‘it’?”

“We don’t know what it is either. To capture it might bring about irreversible consequences. A Hak’s curse has no tangible form. You cannot capture or block what lacks substance. Perhaps there’s a way to block it, but we do not yet know. We sought advice from Senerot, but they too have not yet figured it out.”

“Senerot?”

“It’s the title given to the wisest person in Elder Tower.”

“So, during a critical war like this, this Senerot doesn’t come in person but only sends you?”

“Typically, Senerot spends their time alone within the tower. They meditate, seek prophecies, and analyze the news sent from mages scattered across the world. They are incredibly busy.”

Terrdin’s tone showed irritation at the calm, deliberate response.

“So, you don’t know what ‘it’ is, and instead of uncovering evidence, you decided to make it impossible for it to enter… is that correct?”

“Exactly. In fact, since those three incidents, we have not observed such signs again. Of course, we remain vigilant. Even though the war has ended, it doesn’t mean their Hak has abandoned assassination attempts.”

“That doesn’t add up. If their sorcerer can summon an ‘invisible and untouchable presence,’ why wouldn’t they use their sorcery to kill me from a place so far away that you couldn’t detect the scent?”

“Let me explain it this way. No matter how skilled an archer is, they must come within a certain range to hit their target. The same principle applies to sorcery.”

“You mean sorcery requires aiming?”

Terrdin answered his own question before the mage could respond.

“So, you didn’t block the arrow; you stopped the archer from getting close?”

“Yes. Once an arrow is in flight, it’s very hard to stop.”

“What about shields?”

“We have shields to block our magic. But we don’t yet have shields to block their sorcery. That’s what we’ve been asking Senerot about.”

“So, you’re saying their sorcerer came near our camp three times?”

The old mage shrugged like a child.

“If our instincts were correct, yes.”

Terrdin stroked his chin, a gesture he often made during meetings with his commanders. It indicated he was deep in thought.

“If you can detect such things by scent, could you also determine if someone specific is under a sorcerer’s curse?”

“Who do you mean by someone specific?”

“For example, how about me? Or… this young man?”

Terrdin casually pointed at Ram as though choosing someone at random from the crowd.

The old mage turned to the younger mage, seeking counsel.

It looked as if he was asking for advice.

When the younger mage whispered something to the older one, Terrdin roared.

“Do not converse amongst yourselves in my presence!”

The two mages bowed their heads in apology, and the old mage spoke.

“This man has a very soft voice due to his age. I had to lean close to hear him clearly.”

Terrdin’s face showed a rare expression of astonishment.

“What? He doesn’t look a day over thirty!”

“He is, in fact, over one hundred and thirty. His experience surpasses mine, so I sought his advice. If we appeared rude, I apologize.”

“If that’s the case, it’s fine. Continue about the curse.”

The old mage explained.

“We’ve honed our senses to respond very sensitively to the sorcery of Hagra and Hakra. If either of you had entered this tent under the influence of a curse, we would have known immediately.”

“So, there’s no curse? No death curses?”

“A powerful curse like that would be even easier to detect.”

The old mage once again listened to a whispered suggestion from the younger mage before relaying it.

“While unlikely, there could be an opposite scenario.”

“Opposite?”

“If someone is already cursed but the effects haven’t manifested yet, we might not detect it.”

“Explain it simply.”

“If someone is sneezing, feverish, and coughing, I could tell you they have a cold. But if no symptoms are present, it’s hard to confirm if they’re sick.”

“What you’re saying is nonsense. If there are no symptoms, then they’re not sick. If symptoms appear, then they’re sick. If they’re sick but have no symptoms, they’re not sick at all.”

The mage hesitated, smiling awkwardly at how to clarify.

“We mages are inherently uncertain by nature and refrain from making definitive statements. But if it eases your concern, I’ll tell you this: there’s no need to worry about curses. Killing magic is difficult. The methods are complex, and the price is steep. To steal a life often requires offering one of equal value. The cost could even be the caster’s own life. Casting a curse without the target noticing is not an easy task.”

The old mage turned and asked Ram directly.

“Have you recently experienced anything that could be considered unusual sorcery?
Hearing strange murmuring songs, prolonged exposure to peculiar smoke or scents, witnessing mysterious visions—anything inexplicable that differs from the norm?”

Ram recalled the moment he assassinated Mantum.

It hadn’t been long, nor was there anything unusual.

“No, sir. The only thing I heard was the strange sound of trumpets in the sky.”

“Hmm, that’s something everyone heard, so it wouldn’t count as special…”

At the old mage’s words, the general interjected with a question.

“Is there still no analysis on that sound?”

“As I mentioned that day, we do not know either. There are records of similar sounds heard from the sky in ancient times, but my memory is faint.”

“Ancient times? The same thing happened back then?”

“It’s merely recorded as ‘it happened.’ There’s no record explaining what caused it, nor can we confirm it was the same phenomenon. Just in case, I sent a letter to Senerot, but no reply has arrived yet…”

As the two discussed the sound from the sky, the young mage spoke to Ram.

“You can hear me, can’t you?”

Ram instinctively braced himself against the unexpected remark.

But there was no movement.

Only the young mage’s lips moved.

Even though his voice hadn’t been audible earlier when whispering to the old mage, it was now clear.

“You don’t need to respond. Just blink if you can hear me.”

Ram blinked.

Terrdin, completely unaware of their exchange, continued speaking only with the old mage.

His questions concerned the differences between their magic and the enemy’s sorcery.

The old mage answered vaguely, leaving Terrdin visibly frustrated.

Meanwhile, the young mage continued speaking in a voice only Ram could hear.

“There was a scent on you. It was so faint that I didn’t notice it initially. ‘That incident’ happened a week ago, didn’t it? If the Hak’s sorcery affected you during ‘that incident’ that the general refuses to discuss, Your body should be reeking of sorcery. A death curse should be clinging to you like heavy chains. But there’s nothing. There’s no way such a scent would fade in just a week. It was either never there to begin with, or something suppressed it. If so…”

Ram had the illusion that the young mage was drawing closer.

“…Have you met another mage before us?”

Ram was about to say no but suddenly recalled Selkon’s assassination request.

When Ram nodded, the young mage nodded as well.

“Then that mage must have cast magic on you.”

Ram could not respond.

The young mage whispered to the old mage.

This time, Ram couldn’t hear what was said.

The old mage nodded once and spoke to Terrdin.

“If this boy was afflicted with a death curse yet remains alive, there are three possibilities. First, the arrow released from the bow simply missed. It was purely a stroke of luck. Such incidents are not uncommon, even in the realm of magic. Second, this boy already had a shield, and that shield blocked the curse. And third, a scenario where a blade that pierces the body fails to kill.”

“The third one sounds odd. If the body was pierced, it would hurt at least!”

“Not all death curses manifest perfectly.”

“And how would you explain that? An arrow hit but was too weak?”

The old mage pondered the analogy and nodded lightly.

Terrdin fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then he suddenly stood.

“Keep this matter secret.”

Both mages bowed their heads simultaneously.

“Understood.”

Terrdin left without looking back, but Ram glanced back.

The young mage was gazing steadily at him, the look in his eyes a mixture of concern and suspicion.

Ram suddenly realized that Terrdin hadn’t called the mages by name, not even once.

The general was known for remembering the names of his officers and even ordinary soldiers.

When meeting an unfamiliar soldier, he would always ask their name first.

Yet, he hadn’t once addressed these mages, whom he had brought intentionally, by name.

It was uncharacteristic of him.

“General Terrdin must be afraid of them too.”

Terrdin said nothing as they returned to the tent.

As he was about to speak to Ram, Adun, his adjutant, came running urgently.

“General?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you out of breath.”

“His Majesty is arriving soon.”

“What nonsense is this? When?”

“The letter states he will arrive in three days, based on the time of writing.
It took a day to reach us, so…”

“The day after tomorrow?”

“It’s uncertain.”

“How is that possible?

We sent word of the war’s conclusion just a week ago!”

“We reported that we expected the enemy’s surrender within ten days at most.
The message was sent with extra caution, leaving room for delays.”

Moments ago, Terrdin had seemed unsure what to say while talking to the mages.

Now, his expression shifted to that of a warrior returning to the battlefield.

“So he must have departed long before Mantum’s head was cut off. The mobilization of his army occurred even earlier.”

“Our requests for reinforcements were ignored, and now he suddenly comes in person…? It’s strange.”

Adun lowered his voice, glancing at Ram.

Although some distance away, Ram heard everything.

“What’s strange about it? The King’s whims are nothing new! Summon the commanders. If His Majesty is coming, we must prepare a feast.”

Ram didn’t understand how they planned to prepare a feast when even the soldiers’ rations were insufficient.

Before leaving, Terrdin whispered to Ram.

“I don’t know why that young chieftain spoke of curses. If he truly wanted to see his father’s assassin die horribly, he wouldn’t have said anything. The fact that he mentioned it means he wanted to instill fear in us.”

Ram thought that if Jedric intended to spread fear, he had already succeeded to some extent.

Terrdin was more shaken than usual.

Ram felt strangely gratified.

The kingdom’s greatest general was worried about his death!

“Are you scared?”

“No, sir.”

“You mean to say you’re not afraid of the Geran chieftain now in our custody?”

“No, sir.”

“Then, from now on, you will guard Jedric.”

“Do you mean to protect him or to watch him and prevent any mischief?”

“There are plenty of Gerans, even among our own ranks, who would burn with revenge if they knew.”

Ram hadn’t considered that possibility.

“That’s true. Understood.”

“And if Chieftain Jedric asks about curses, Tell him a soldier drowned in a filth barrel. Say you’re not sure if it was a curse. Then, pay close attention to his response.”

“Yes, General. But…”

Ram hesitated before asking.

“Am I truly fit to be near him?”

“Why? Do you not want to?”

“No, sir. I’m concerned that if I die from a curse, Chieftain Jedric will see it. Is that acceptable?”

“That won’t happen.”

Terrdin dismissed the concern as absurd and walked off alone.

Ram felt reassured by his words.

At the moment, he couldn’t imagine any curse manifesting and leading to his death.

And he couldn’t fathom what would constitute the most miserable death for him personally.