ep3. The Lousy Cannibals of the Borderlands and the Battlefield

Episode 3
"The Lousy Cannibals of the Borderlands and the Battlefield"
As they drew closer to the borderlands, the air began to change.
The dry, scorching desert wind carried a different scent mixed within it. Iron, smoke, and something rotting.
It was the smell of death.
"Um, Ms. Rabbit."
"Hm?"
"Don’t you see something strange over there?"
Guanggwang pointed into the distance. Near the horizon, something green shimmered. At a glance, it looked like a bamboo forest, or perhaps a mirage.
But it was moving.
Toward them.
"Ah."
Ms. Rabbit narrowed her eyes.
"Speak of the tiger and it appears. Maybe I should talk less."
"Huh? What is that?"
"Cannibals."
Guanggwang’s face stiffened.
"All of that…?"
"Yep. About thirty? Maybe forty?"
Ms. Rabbit answered casually, as if commenting on the weather.
"Th-thirty?!"
"Don’t worry. They’re the lousy kind."
Ms. Rabbit lightly tapped the hilt of her sword.
"See the green tattoos? Cannibals have types. Red tattoos are combat types—strong ones. They paint themselves in bright colors to show off. But those green tattoos are camouflage types. They paint themselves green to hide in grass when hunting…"
Ms. Rabbit let out a snort.
"But this is a desert. Where’s the grass? Idiots."
"Still… there are thirty of them…"
"Which is why."
Ms. Rabbit suddenly grabbed Guanggwang’s shoulder.
"Seems like the perfect number for you to handle."
"…What?"
Clank— Clank— Clank—
The cannibals were approaching. Up close, they were definitely small—only about as tall as an adult man’s waist. Their bodies were gaunt, bones protruding. In their hands were rusty knives or sharpened stones.
Hungry eyes glistened.
"Waaah~ Stop following me~!!"
Guanggwang started running. It was pure instinct.
"Guanggwang! You have to fight them!"
Ms. Rabbit ran alongside her and shouted.
"There are like thirty of them chasing me! I’ve never fought that many at once!"
"You can win that! If you drop one with each swing of your sword, thirty means it’s over in ten minutes…"
"What kind of math is that?!"
"Back when I was actively hunting cannibals—"
Thud—!
Suddenly Ms. Rabbit tripped.
"Ah?!"
Guanggwang quickly turned around. Ms. Rabbit had fallen face-first into the sand. In an instant, the cannibals surrounded her.
One of them hoisted Ms. Rabbit onto his shoulder.
"Uwaaa— Guanggwang, save me~"
…Huh?
That voice.
Too calm.
Guanggwang realized in that moment. She fell on purpose. To test her.
‘This person really…!’
But there was no time to get angry. The cannibals were closing in around Guanggwang.
Clank. Clank.
Small eyes gleamed. Drool hung from their mouths. Sharp teeth bared.
If she ran, they’d catch her.
She’d be struck from behind.
She had to fight.
Guanggwang drew her sword.
"Kieeeek—!"
The first cannibal charged. Club raised over his head.
Guanggwang clenched her teeth.
Stay calm.
They’re small. Short arms. My blade reaches first.
"Dieee—!"
Thrust—!
Her sword pierced the cannibal’s chest.
"Kie… eek…"
It fell.
First.
Slash—!
A finishing cut. She sliced diagonally to the right. Completely down.
"Kieeek—!"
"Kieeek—!"
Two rushed at once.
"D-don’t come at me together!!"
Clang—! Slash—!
She blocked one’s attack and pushed forward with force. As it staggered off balance, she cut it down.
Whoosh—
The other stabbed from the side. She twisted her body to dodge—
Thrust—!
She stabbed its head.
Second, third.
"Come at me if you dare!!"
Guanggwang shouted. Her blood boiled. Excitement overtook fear.
After cutting down three quickly, the cannibals hesitated. They glanced at one another and stepped back.
Weak.
They were really weak.
The Baldaks were scarier.
"Guanggwang~ You have to save me~!"
Ms. Rabbit’s voice rang out. Still slung over a cannibal’s shoulder.
"Right! Ms. Rabbit!"
Guanggwang ran toward her, cutting down the cannibals blocking her path one by one.
Slash—! Thrust—! Thrust—! Slash—!
Her body moved on its own. The blade moved before thought. She cut shoulders, stabbed throats, severed legs.
"Kie…"
"Kiek…"
One by one, they fell.
And then.
The last one.
The one carrying Ms. Rabbit.
"Kraaah!!"
Guanggwang’s blade split its head.
Ms. Rabbit dropped onto the sand, landing gracefully with a spin.
"Woohoo~ Guanggwang, nice!"
"Huff… huff…"
Guanggwang braced her hands on her knees, gasping. Her entire body was soaked in sweat and blood—though all the blood was the cannibals’.
"Ms. Rabbit… You could’ve gotten out on your own…"
"Eh, but it was good training, right?"
Ms. Rabbit grinned and patted Guanggwang’s head.
"Thirty. Under ten minutes. Excellent."
"…Haa."
Was it praise or teasing?
Still.
She did it.
She defeated thirty on her own.
Guanggwang looked down at her bloodstained sword. Her hands were not trembling.
When they arrived at the borderlands, the sun was setting.
A basin surrounded by sandstone hills. Within it lay collapsed buildings. It had once been a planned city—the Empire’s ambitious new development.
Now it was ruins.
"There are fewer bodies than I expected," Guanggwang muttered. She had heard that large-scale battles happened daily. She expected piles of corpses.
"The cannibals haul them off," Ms. Rabbit replied.
"Thanks to the war, they’ve prospered. Free food pouring in every day."
A chill ran down her spine.
"Look over there."
Grandpa Ken pointed beyond a hill.
Dust clouds were rising. From two directions.
"The right is the Empire. The left is the Sun Cult. They’ll clash soon."
The expedition hid atop a hill and watched.
Clang—! Bang—!
Huraa—!!
Aaagh—!
Steel clashed. Shouts rang. Screams erupted.
The armored imperial soldiers pushed forward. Organized and trained. But reinforcements poured in from the Sun Cult side.
Knights wielding massive swords.
Each swing felled three or four imperial warriors.
"Those are Sun Cult paladins," Ms. Rabbit explained.
"Thick armor, strong, and fanatics who don’t fear death. Tricky opponents."
"Then what we should collect is…"
"Imperial swords. Not too heavy and worth good money."
But the battle ended in imperial victory. Reinforcements arrived and the Sun Cult retreated.
"Damn."
The mercenary clicked his tongue.
"If the Empire wins, they’re thorough with corpse recovery."
"We’ll wait until night," Grandpa Ken said.
"Once it’s dark, we’ll loot whatever bodies they missed."
Tonight’s side dish was fried eggplant.
Ms. Rabbit, who preferred meat, looked slightly disappointed.
"Shame there’s no meat… but still a splendid meal."
Suddenly, Ms. Rabbit kept glancing back and forth between her rice and me.
"Wait a moment… Salty Guanggwang, come here for a second."
"Mm..? Gulp. Me?"
I quickly finished the remaining eggplant rice bowl and went over.
"Raise your arm for a moment."
"Okay!"
In that instant, Ms. Rabbit began molding rice into a ball under my armpit.
"Aaaaahhh—!!! What are you doing, Ms. Rabbit!!!"
"Heh, heheh. The rice tastes bland and the side dishes are too plain, so I thought I’d use salty Guanggwang as seasoning."
With her nimble hands, the rice ball was quickly formed.
In the process, Ms. Rabbit’s cold hands touched my sensitive skin, making me flinch repeatedly.
"Mmm~! No need for extra salt. Delicious, delicious!"
Ms. Rabbit ate the rice ball happily.
Grandpa Ken, who witnessed the scene, approached.
"Perhaps… could you make one for me as well?"
"S-stop it~!"
The moon rose.
The expedition quietly descended to the battlefield. Silent footsteps. Held breaths.
Bodies lay scattered everywhere. Mostly Sun Cult soldiers. Red blood soaked their white clothes.
"Alright, be quick and get out," Grandpa Ken ordered.
Guanggwang approached the nearest corpse. A young man. His eyes were half-open.
…He’s dead.
Her hands trembled.
"Don’t hesitate," Ms. Rabbit said beside her.
"No need to feel sorry for the dead. When he was alive, he probably killed someone too."
"…Yes."
Guanggwang searched the body’s waist and pulled out a dagger from its sheath. It was good quality.
"This is decent."
"There’ll be more. Over here."
For about an hour, they looted bodies. Swords, coins, jewelry… more than expected.
"Isn’t that enough?" someone asked.
"One more round," Grandpa Ken said.
"It’s just as risky either way. Since we’re here, we should take as much as possible."
The expedition members agreed. Guanggwang followed.
But they shouldn’t have.
The next day.
When the morning battle began, the expedition was in the middle of the battlefield.
"Damn it, we’re too late!"
They tried to flee, but both armies had already collided. There was no escape.
"Put on imperial armor!" Grandpa Ken shouted.
"If we blend in, they won’t notice!"
They hurriedly stripped armor from corpses and put it on. Helmets too. It was hard to recognize even each other.
"Why imperial armor?" Guanggwang asked.
Grandpa Ken answered.
"The Sun Cult never sends women to fight. It’s their doctrine. Men may look at the sun, but women must not, or something like that. But you and Rabbit are women. If you’re wearing Sun Cult clothes and get exposed, you’ll be killed instantly."
"…I see."
Guanggwang donned the heavy armor and pulled down her helmet.
Then she ran into the battlefield.
Clang—! Clash—!
Metal rang everywhere. The smell of blood stabbed her nose. Screams were constant.
Guanggwang ran among the imperial soldiers. When a Sun Cult soldier appeared before her, she dodged. When she saw imperial troops, she followed.
This isn’t my fight.
I just need to survive.
Then—
Whoosh!
A sword flew in from the side.
She raised her blade reflexively. It struck her arm guard instead.
Clang—!
"Wah! What are you?!"
Guanggwang shouted.
The opponent was a Sun Cult soldier. No—too young to be called a soldier. Seventeen, eighteen? Brown hair, round eyes. His face still carried boyishness.
But his swordsmanship was no joke.
"Glory to the Sun God! Die, demon!!"
The boy shouted as he swung his blade. Flashy movements. Distinct Sun Cult style.
Guanggwang focused on defense. Block, dodge, step back.
"Cough! Cough! C-can you stop hitting so much?!"
The moment she spoke, a sword flew toward her head.
She twisted her neck and barely avoided it.
Cold sweat trickled down.
He’s strong.
On a different level from the cannibals.
Guanggwang clenched her teeth. Timing the next strike—
She grabbed his arm.
Locked it into her armpit and twisted.
Crack—
"Aagh!"
The boy screamed. His arm had bent the wrong way.
"D-die, demon!!"
But he didn’t stop. Ignoring his broken arm, he drew a dagger with his other hand.
The blade aimed for Guanggwang’s waist.
Guanggwang kicked his leg. He stumbled and fell.
She climbed on top of him.
Her fist came down.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Grr… still… too early… demon…!"
The boy resisted. He tried to grab her wrists with both hands.
Guanggwang pinned both his arms down with one hand and tried to remove his helmet with the other.
The helmet came off.
Brown hair spilled out.
The boy’s eyes widened.
"Wha… a… girl?"
"…"
Guanggwang froze too.
He saw her face. Brown skin damp with sweat. Black hair. Round eyes.
"Why… why is a girl doing this here…"
His voice trembled. Anger and confusion mixed in his expression.
She didn’t miss the moment.
Thud—!
Guanggwang’s fist struck his jaw cleanly.
His eyes rolled back. He lost consciousness.
"Huff… huff…"
Guanggwang panted roughly atop the fallen boy.
She didn’t kill him.
She didn’t know why. Her hand simply stopped.
"Guanggwang!"
Ms. Rabbit’s voice called from afar, waving.
"This way! We can get out!"
Guanggwang glanced once at the unconscious boy, then ran toward Ms. Rabbit.
By the time they escaped the battlefield, the sun was setting.
The expedition was safe. At least most of them.
"Haa… we survived…"
Guanggwang collapsed onto the sand.
The swords and coins she had taken felt heavy in her arms.
"Good work."
Ms. Rabbit sat beside her.
"We survived again today."
"…Yes."
They survived.
Again.
Strangely, she was getting used to it.