Chapter 237: The Favor

They all voiced their concerns, their words going on top of each other, their faces a mix of fear and exasperation.

The forest was dangerous enough on the edges, but the deeper parts? The parts where the Yuimons and Horned Olfs roamed?

That was death territory. Even the most skilled archers would stand no chance against the creatures that lurked there.

Darion listened from a distance.

He knew that part of the forest well. It was dangerous.

What had helped that time was just that he had lots of powerful undeads, creatures that could tear through anything that threatened them.

Without that protection, all the archers would certainly die. They would be overwhelmed in minutes, their arrows useless against the massive beasts that prowled the deep woods.

What was Seren thinking? Was she dumb? She’d die!

The thought flashed through his mind. He knew she was capable, but this was beyond her skill, beyond anyone’s skill. Even he had been terrified at times.

The Yuimons alone had nearly overwhelmed them. And that was with his undeads fighting alongside them.

Then Seren suddenly laughed out loud, cutting through the tension like a blade. "I was just joking," she said, her voice light. "I’ll have to ask for help from the Baron, if he’s not busy..."

She suddenly stopped as she saw Darion watching from afar. Her eyes widened slightly, a flush creeping up her cheeks. The archers turned to follow her gaze, their faces shifting from confusion to amusement.

Darion raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on his lips.

He looked at the sky now, like he hadn’t been looking at them at all. His gaze was fixed on the clouds, his expression casual, as if he had just been admiring the weather.

But the archers knew better. They had seen him watching, and had seen the slight smile playing on his lips. They exchanged glances, their faces a mix of amusement and curiosity.

Seren signalled to the archers that she was coming. She gave a quick wave, her hand moving in a sharp, decisive motion.

The archers nodded, dispersing slowly, their voices low as they discussed what had just happened.

Then she ran over to Darion. Her steps were quick, her boots kicking up small puffs of dust. She reached him, her breath slightly quickened, her eyes bright.

"I want to ask for a favor," she said.

Darion raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

She looked around, her eyes scanning the courtyard. "Not here. Inside."

She grabbed his hand, her grip firm and insistent. She tugged him toward the castle entrance, her steps quick.

Darion followed, his feet moving almost automatically. He was surprised by the suddenness of it, by the urgency in her movements.

As soon as they entered the castle, she held him tight by the hand and dragged him to the great hall.

Her grip was warm, her fingers interlaced with his. He could feel the calluses on her palms, the strength in her grip. She pulled him through the corridor.

Darion stared at her with a smile, surprised as they ran inside. He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected the touch , the grip and the closeness.

His heart beat a little faster, a little louder.

Then she left his hands, her fingers slipping away. She gestured to the chair near the fire, the one he usually sat in. "Sit," she said.

He sat. She sat close to him, her knee almost touching his, her body turned toward him. She looked at his face now, her eyes searching his, her expression serious.

Darion looked back, then at the ceiling, then at the walls. He felt a strange flutter in his chest. He didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he placed them on his knees.

"So... what’s the favor?" he asked, his voice slightly rougher than he intended.

Seren leaned forward, her eyes fixed on his. "Well, can you follow us into the forest? The place where we killed the Yuimons and the Slitherer and all those wild creatures."

Darion blinked. "Thought you said you could take it alone?"

Seren smiled.. "I was joking. I admitted it. We’d be dead in seconds if we went there alone. And I know, you might say knights should follow us as protection..."

"I wouldn’t say that," Darion said quickly. "They wouldn’t make any difference. They would be killed in seconds too. Maybe sacrifice their lives so you could run further and still die."

Seren laughed. "That’s why we need you."

Darion thought about it. Going into the forest with his archers as a "protector."

That definitely wasn’t what a Baron was supposed to do.

A noble even. He thought about the Emperor, his father.

The Emperor would never follow his knights or archers into the forest to protect them.

He would stay in his palace, surrounded by guards and servants, while others did the dangerous work.

He would send his men to do the fighting, the hunting and the dying. He would never risk himself for them. That was how a true noble acted. He was above such things.

But Darion was not the Emperor. He was different. He had built his power by being close to his people, by sharing their risks and their struggles.

He had fought alongside his knights, hunted with his archers, bled with his soldiers. That was what had earned him their loyalty.

He thought about it, then said: "Why is it necessary for you to go to that particular region of the forest though?"

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on her. "You could go to a normal place, not so deep. The forest has plenty of birds. You could hunt them there without the danger of Yuimons and Slitherers. It would be safe. I could even send some of my knights to do the protecting. They could handle it. Surely there should be birds there."

He paused, waiting for her response. His eyes were fixed on her, curious, patient. He wanted to understand why she was so determined to go to that dangerous part of the forest.