Ganjang 7. The Last Night
by Foreigner Β· 2026-08-21
It was the eighth day.
The garrison numbered two hundred and seven.
Now, there were one hundred and nineteen.
Bedrun didn't write that number down on paper.
There was no need to.
He knew all two hundred and seven names.
He had memorized them in his first year as garrison captain.
No knights wanted to come to this castle, so a commoner became captain, and if a commoner was to act as captain, they had to be better than others at something.
That's what Bedrun chose.
So, when eighty-eight died, Bedrun knew eighty-eight names.
On the first day, the castle gate held.
On the second day, it also held.
On the third day, the orcs brought wood.
That day, Bedrun realized for the first time that orcs learned things.
On the fourth day, the gate was broken.
They filled the broken gate with dirt, stones, and carts. They filled it all night. Everyone in the castle came out.
Bakers came out, blacksmiths came out, and six people over sixty came out.
On the fifth day, Beliston used a scroll for the first time.
It was fire.
Twenty paces in front of the castle gate burned completely.
The orcs retreated.
Beliston collapsed on the spot.
Erarion helped him up.
Erarion: Master!
Beliston: ......
Erarion: Master, you're amazing! Truly.
Beliston: Erarion.
Erarion: Yes!
Beliston: Five sheets left.
On the sixth day, he used two sheets.
On the seventh day, he used one sheet.
On the evening of the eighth day, Beliston opened the box.
Two scrolls remained.
Beliston: Captain.
Bedrun: Yes, Master.
Beliston: Two left.
Bedrun: I know.
Beliston: When should we use them?
Bedrun didn't answer.
Beliston: The reason I ask is...
Beliston closed the box.
Beliston: It's because I can't decide.
Bedrun: ......
Beliston: I am a mage, and mages don't learn when to use them.
Bedrun: ......
Beliston: They only learn where to use them.
Bedrun looked at the box.
Bedrun: Use them tomorrow at dawn.
Beliston: Both?
Bedrun: Both.
Beliston nodded.
Beliston: You.
Bedrun: Yes.
Beliston: Do you know what that means?
Bedrun: I do.
Bedrun said.
Bedrun: It means tomorrow is the last day.
On the eighth day, the infirmary ran out of rooms.
Eda laid people down even in the hallway.
Water was scarce.
Eda used water in three stages. She collected the water used to wash wounds, used it to wash cloths, and then used that water to wipe the floor.
Child: Teacher.
The child helping asked.
He was fourteen.
Child: This is dirty.
Eda: It is dirty.
Child: Then why use it?
Eda looked at the child.
Eda: Because there's nothing to use tomorrow.
Karin was injured on the sixth day.
It was her left shoulder. An orc's axe slid along her armor, tearing at her flesh.
Eda stitched it up.
Eda: Adjutant.
Karin: Yes.
Eda: You can't use your arm.
Karin: I am using it.
Eda: Adjutant.
Karin: It doesn't hurt.
Eda put in a needle.
Eda: I've been here for forty years.
Karin: I know.
Eda: When someone says it doesn't hurt...
Karin: ......
Eda: People who aren't hurt don't say it.
Karin went up to the castle wall that evening.
She didn't use her left arm.
She drew her bow only with her right arm.
The my lord took out his armor on the evening of the eighth day.
When Bedrun saw it, he didn't understand what was happening at first.
Greyson was sixty-eight.
The armor was custom-made when he was forty.
Bedrun: my lord.
my lord: Oh, Bedrun.
Bedrun: That won't fit you.
my lord: It won't fit.
The my lord said.
my lord: My stomach won't go in.
Bedrun: ......
my lord: So I untied the laces here.
Bedrun stood before him.
Bedrun: my lord.
my lord: Yes.
Bedrun: You don't have to come out.
The lord picked up his helmet.
He held it and looked at it for a moment.
my lord: Bedrun.
Bedrun: Yes.
my lord: I've done nothing here for forty years.
Bedrun: ......
my lord: I couldn't dig a waterway, and I couldn't expand the market.
Bedrun: ......
my lord: But the population hasn't decreased.
The lord put on his helmet.
my lord: It didn't decrease because I did nothing.
Bedrun: ......
my lord: Let's count that as something I did.
Bedrun: my lord.
my lord: Yes.
Bedrun: What will you do with the cats?
The lord paused for a moment.
my lord: ......I'll leave them to my adjutant.
Karin received two cats that night.
She took them into the official residence and closed the door.
After closing it, she stood in front of the door for a moment.
Erarion was quiet on the eighth night.
Bedrun found that strange and went to look for him.
Erarion was sitting on the stairs.
Bedrun: Erarion.
Erarion: ......Yes.
Bedrun: Why are you sitting?
Erarion: ......
Bedrun: Erarion.
Erarion looked up.
Erarion: Captain.
Bedrun: Yes.
Erarion: I felt mana today.
Bedrun sat next to him.
Erarion: I really felt it.
Erarion said.
Erarion: Not my fingertips. My back here.
Bedrun: ......
Erarion: My master unrolled a scroll by the castle gate, and I knew before he unrolled it.
Bedrun: ......
Erarion: I knew what was coming.
Bedrun: Well done.
Erarion: ......
Bedrun: Isn't that talent?
Erarion laughed.
No sound came out.
Erarion: Commander.
Bedrun: Yes.
Erarion: But after I felt that.
Bedrun: ......
Erarion: I couldn't do anything.
Bedrun: ......
Erarion: I just stood there.
Bedrun said nothing.
After a long while, he spoke.
Bedrun: Erarion.
Erarion: Yes.
Bedrun: There was a day when I also stood there, unable to do anything.
Erarion: When was that?
Bedrun: When I was sixteen.
Erarion: ......Are you comforting me right now?
Bedrun: No.
Bedrun stood up.
Bedrun: I'm bragging. I'm standing now, aren't I?
This time, Erarion laughed out loud.
At night, Bedrun climbed the castle wall.
He looked east.
There were mountains.
At night, the mountains were just black masses. They were a little darker than the sky, and the stars were cut off above them.
It was the same as eight days ago.
Karin: Commander.
Karin came up.
She was holding a bow in her right hand.
Karin: Aren't you sleeping?
Bedrun: No.
Karin: What are you looking at?
Bedrun: The mountains.
Karin stood beside him.
Karin: Commander.
Bedrun: Yes.
Karin: You asked me before.
Bedrun: What?
Karin: If anyone had ever come out of those mountains.
Bedrun looked at Karin.
Bedrun: ......I did.
Karin: I laughed then.
Bedrun: I remember.
Karin: I'm sorry.
Bedrun: For what?
Karin looked at the mountains.
Karin: Back then, it was a funny story.
Bedrun: ......
Karin: It's not anymore.
Bedrun placed his hand on the castle wall stone.
It was an eight-meter-high wall.
The gate was gone.
There were one hundred and nineteen soldiers, six of whom were over sixty.
There was one mage and two scrolls.
This time, he finished the calculation.
He had an answer.
Bedrun didn't tell anyone the answer.
Before going down, he prepared one more carrier pigeon.
He wrote this on the paper:
'Seton. Day 8. Wall present. People present.'
He looked at it for a long time after writing it.
And he didn't send it off.
He planned to send it tomorrow morning.
Because those two lines would be true if he sent it in the morning.
Dawn came.
First came the sound of orcs moving.
The ground rumbled. The stones of the wall trembled ever so slightly.
The soldiers went to their positions.
Beliston opened the box.
There were two scrolls.
Erarion stood beside him.
Eda left the infirmary door open.
my lord stood at the bottom of the stairs in his armor.
Karin held her bow in her right hand.
Bedrun went up onto the wall.
The east was slowly brightening.
Bedrun looked in that direction.
There was something on the mountain.
At first, he thought it was a bird.
But it was quite large.
Karin: Captain.
It was Karin's voice.
Karin: That.
Bedrun: ......
Karin: What is that?
Bedrun didn't answer.
It was coming this way.