Berserk: The Prophet

Edward approached and discovered that Hickel was silently weeping.

Upon seeing Edward, Hickel wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and forced a smile as if nothing had happened.

"When did you arrive, Edward?"

Edward looked at Heikel, whose silver hair swayed in the night breeze, and who was like a brother to him. If Heikel took off her clothes, there should be tiger stripes and burn marks on her body, like those from being burned with hot tongs.

The scars—Edward suddenly felt that they were a bond stronger than blood ties.

“...Just now.” Edward said calmly. If Hickel had looked closely at him at this moment, he would have noticed that something was unusual about him.

"Why are you here all alone?" Edward asked.

Hickel gave a wry smile. "It's all because of some...unspeakable worries."

Edward was silent for a moment. "I understand that feeling."

The two stood side by side on the city wall, gazing into the distance, and neither spoke for a moment.

A night breeze blew by, bringing a slight chill. Edward broke the silence, "Actually, I just... went through some really bad things too."

Hickel's emotions had calmed down considerably, as if the hoarse, nasal voice he had heard earlier was just an illusion.

Hickel turned her head slightly to look at him. "Want to tell me?"

It was only then that Hickel noticed that Edward's demeanor was somewhat unusual today; his usual sharp and calm demeanor was now tinged with melancholy and weariness.

Edward sighed, "...You're doing this because of Gurunberdos too, right?"

Hickel paused for a moment, then nodded with a wry smile, "...I guess so."

“He’s not worth it, Hickel. You have no idea what I just went through.” Edward’s eyes sharpened again, and his voice hardened. He had a premonition that he might become Gurenbeludo’s enemy.

Hickel looked at Edward in surprise, "What... happened to you?"

Edward bit his lip, took a deep breath, and stammered, "Grunberdo and my mother...they..." He couldn't bring himself to say it, and his fist clenched again. The skin on the back of his hand, which was just beginning to scab over, cracked open again, and blood trickled out.

Seeing this, Hickel understood the implication perfectly. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "...Edward, you...how is this possible?"

Edward scoffed, "That's the truth! I saw it with my own eyes."

"You saw it too, Gurunberdo is only wearing a loincloth!"

Hickel fell silent, unsure how to comfort Edward. However, there did seem to be a hint of Folda's former perfume on Gurenbeldo.

...Hickel found it absurd.

“I really didn’t expect him to be this kind of person.” Edward’s voice trembled. “I always thought of him as a brother.”

Hickel patted Edward on the shoulder gently. "Perhaps there's some misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Edward suddenly raised his voice. "How could it be a misunderstanding!"

"Don't get agitated, Edward," Hickel reassured him.

Edward tried to calm himself down. "Hickel, you know what? I feel like my world has collapsed."

Hickel gazed into the distance, seemingly having given up thinking. She felt as if her world had collapsed along with Edward's. The amount of information tonight was too much for her. She slowly said, "Perhaps this is a test that fate has given us."

Edward shook his head. "Fate? I don't believe in...that kind of thing..."

Just then, a shooting star streaked across the sky, drawing their attention.

Edward muttered to himself, "What does this even mean?"

Hickel, however, composed himself and said earnestly, "Perhaps it's a new beginning. I believe the elves will guide us."

Edward smiled wryly: "A new beginning? I have no idea what the future holds."

Hickel looked at him intently, her eyes resolute: "No matter what, we must face it bravely, because life must go on, mustn't it? No matter how much we can't have each other, no matter how absurd the truth may be."

Edward was somewhat stunned to see Hickel adjust his mindset so quickly.

As dawn broke, Hickel took Edward's hand. "Come on, let's go for a walk. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since you've gone hunting with me."

Edward was passively led along, his mind filled with confusion, yet he was still deeply attracted to Heechul, who seemed to radiate light and be full of energy.

Why? My terrible mood seems to have suddenly brightened up.

...just like when I was a child, without exception.

Meanwhile, Madwood, who had been observing from the shadows, couldn't laugh. It seemed that this good-for-nothing prince was beyond help, and the day he had agreed to meet with Juda was fast approaching.

...It's time to report to the Grand Duke.

However, before that...

Madwood's eyes revealed a hint of ruthlessness.

.........

Just as Green had calmed Folda down and was about to chase after Glenn Belludo and Edward to clear up the misunderstanding, he felt a chill on the back of his neck and instinctively crouched down to avoid it.

Greene ducked to a safe spot and peeked to the side. He saw Madwood holding a gleaming scythe, his face twisted with hatred.

"You dare to ruin my plans again and again, today is your death day!" Seeing that his sneak attack had failed, Madwood decisively put the scythe back into the leather bag on his chest, took out the spiked club from his waist, and said fiercely.

Green frowned, unable to make any connection, but all of this was of no benefit to the Duchy of Grant; it was tantamount to betraying the entire nation's people.

"Why are you doing this?"

Madwood sneered, "You people always get in the way of my plans. Once I take care of you first, everything will go according to my plan."

Green decisively drew the greatsword tucked behind his back; fortunately, he had gone out fully armed today.

"Your plan is tantamount to betraying the duchy. Why would you do this? Is it the Grand Duke's doing?"

Madwood sneered, "Then what right do you, as a spy for Judas, have to question me?!" With that, he rushed over like a ghost.

Green drew his sword to meet the attack, but compared to the thick mace, the thin two-handed sword quickly developed small cracks, which was not a good sign.

As Green fought his way back, he caught sight of the stables next to the tavern, where a sturdy hunting horse was inside.

Green seized the opportunity and, the instant his sword broke, launched the stone throwing knife from his spatial dimension. He then leaped over the stable fence, used the dagger Gambino had left him to cut the ropes binding the horse, nimbly mounted the horse, and yanked the reins, spurring the horse's belly. "Giddy up!!" The hunting horse neighed and reared up, kicking the wooden gate of the stable fence to pieces, and galloped off towards the city gate on the street.

Seeing this, Madwood roared angrily, swinging his spiked club at the water bucket used to feed the horses, which shattered into pieces.

"Chase him! We absolutely cannot let him get away!" he shouted to the shadow followers behind him. Then he went to the horse dealer, grabbed a few slightly inferior hunting horses, and galloped off in the direction Green had fled.

"My horse... guards!!" Only the horse dealer and the tavern owner remained, wailing in despair.

.........

Green rode his horse at breakneck speed, secretly calculating his next move. He knew that Madwood wouldn't let him off easily, and he had to get away from here as soon as possible and find an opportunity to send a message to Glenn Belluddo and Edward.

Regarding the Grand Duke's attempt to betray the country and frame Gurunberdo... hopefully it's not too late.

Green could feel the Grand Duke's spies and shadow agents watching him from all over the city. Some of the shadow agents' hidden weapons whistled in his ears, as if they could pierce his heart if the horse slowed down even a fraction.

It was too late to ride to that remote inn now. Grimm gritted his teeth, looked at the guards who had just opened the main city gate, and suddenly spurred his horse to charge. The horse immediately sped up and rushed out of the gate of Nowrudkahuati.

“...Hey! Kid.” The guards wanted to give chase, but without horses, the group of old soldiers who had never been on the battlefield immediately gave up the idea.

Just as they were still cursing, they saw a group of men wearing wolf skins riding towards them, seemingly trying to force their way out. The soldiers were not happy about this and immediately tried to intercept them, while the guards on the city wall prepared to go down the city gate to provide support.

This time, however, they were not so lucky. They were dealt with by the Shadow Hands using hidden weapons and crossbows, and Madwood and his men fled out the door.

.........

There is a considerable amount of plains outside the city of Nowrudkahuatti. The Shadow Hands quickly followed the trail and began to chase after Grin. A dense forest appeared ahead. After a brief hesitation, Grin spurred his horse and charged into the woods.

When Madwood reached the edge of the forest, he reined in his horse. This forest was hunters' territory, and deep in the mountains were many traps set by the mountain people. If one accidentally triggered those traps, it would be quite troublesome.

Madwood gritted his teeth and led his men in pursuit.

Green proceeded cautiously through the forest until he dismounted in a thicket where the horse could no longer pass. He carefully concealed himself and swiftly plunged a stone knife into the horse's flesh. The horse, in pain, quickly ran away.