I Picked Up a Saintess from the Ruins

54 – 8. Village in the Mountains

You could ride Dulcinea to the gentle area, but that’s it.

There was a steep ridge in front of me. Licia and I got off our horses.

I drew my sword in advance just in case. The sword body glowed slightly under the gradually darkening sky.

Originally, outsiders were prohibited from openly carrying weapons in the village, but of course it was a good thing that the rule did not apply to me.

The sound was closer than before. Now, it wasn’t just a faint shout, I could vaguely understand what was being said.

“… Under! Avoid!”

“A village far away… I need help… !”

You had to be careful when wielding force.

Of course, I see justification on my part for dealing with an armed group when it enters the land I have a duty to protect.

However, they could be nobles or mercenaries who lost their way and came in.

This is, after all, a failure on your part, so there is little room for consideration, but it will still be easier to resolve the situation than to blindly swing your sword first.

I had to get a little closer to inspect the situation.

First, I placed Lisia in an inconspicuous place.

“Stay here until the situation is over.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then I’ll come back.”

After stroking the girl’s head a few times, I walked up the mountain.

Of course, he was not wearing any separate armor. Wouldn’t it be strange to dress like that on a day that originally ended with a walk around the village?

Although I was worried about leaving it behind, I brought with me a relic for defense just in case something happened.

This was a reason to ease my worries, but it was also a reason why Licia didn’t say anything about me going to fight without armor.

I lowered my body and moved forward towards her, keeping the sound of her footsteps as low as possible.

In that way, we were able to get to the center of the commotion without being detected. The clothes were also of a simple color that did not attract attention, so they had the advantage of blending in well with the falling darkness.

First, I carefully observed the situation from behind the bushes.

The one being chased was not properly armed. It was an appropriate dress code for visiting villages and cities, but it was not a good dress code for dealing with bandits and thieves.

“Don’t run away! Fight back!”

“We have to get out of here completely. If we calm down and come together, there is nothing we can’t overcome!”

Still, they seemed to know that if they spread out with their backs turned, they would become more attractive prey, so they stopped and took advantage of their numbers to fight back.

Some of them were holding the blades they had brought with them, and if they did not have weapons, they were fighting back by picking up pieces of wood that had fallen on the ground.

And the one who deals with them.

“Can I come down here? “I have that lightsaber-“

“Okay, so we have to get things done quickly before he comes. “I’m going to have a big meal here and then leave.”

“I think I heard the same thing in Villach…….”

“Hey! “If you’re going to say something stupid, just shut up.”

… Ah. It’s a face I know.

It was one of the thieves who were driven out from the empire, and one of the bandits that arose during the period of military conflict that began when public order collapsed with the occupation of Villach.

Now that most of them have been eliminated, he was the last enemy to be dealt with.

I remember even having a conversation with him when I was fighting for the security of Alpen.

‘You defeated Brute the Blood Ax and even found this base. But that’s it. ‘I, Hans of the Twin Swords, are my opponent.’

‘Yes, at least it seems he has the qualifications to call himself a knight. From now on, I will treat you with sincerity.’

‘Oh, wait. Why is the sword cut like that?

‘Profit! ‘We’ll see next time!’

I told you to leave it to me later. However, he must have been busy with something else, and his face was not shown for over three months.

If even barbarians did not do such things, there must have been some other reason.

And promises are precious.

The time has finally come to protect it.

– Rustle

“Were you there too? “Reveal yourself!”

I took a step forward. Perhaps because he thought I was one of the group, the thief sensed that I was being popular and scolded him.

Not being able to recognize someone even though they had a special relationship is not a problem of memory. In this direction, your face will be hard to see because your back is toward the sun.

-Paaat!

“Yes, you… uh?”

After running up the mountain, I finally let out the breath I had been forcing myself to take, and a rough sound of breathing came out.

I felt like saying anything in this state would make me gasp ungainly, so I silently turned on the light of my lightsaber.

As he looked at the faint reflection of his face, his voice gradually became quieter. It seems like he hasn’t forgotten me either.

The thieves who were watching this in silence must have finally accepted the situation, and one of them shouted loudly.

“-Shoot!”

The two archers who were waiting in the dark let go of the demonstration at the same time.

*****

For a moment, Heine clings to the sleigh and runs away.

The group stopped only when they reached a small plain where they could rest for a moment.

It was impossible to fight on a steep slope that would roll down with just a push.

If they had been occupying the high ground, they wouldn’t have known it, but they couldn’t have hoped for that when they were taken by surprise.

I didn’t count them individually, but I could see with my own eyes that the number was lower than when I started.

The act of running away in a disorderly manner would only increase the damage. Those carrying high-quality weapons stepped forward, and the royal family, including themselves, slowly fell back.

“Let’s go first. “We will stop it.”

“If you go a little further, there is a village. “It is a place with a strong fence around it, so please ask for protection for a moment.”

As I was going down the mountain, I could see lights dotted in the distance.

The guide told me at the top of his lungs that there was a village called Alpen, named after the mountain range. Probably there.

And he said that the knight who would be residing in Alpen had a reputation among those around him, so if he asked for help, he would accept it.

He also added that, regardless of Ilshin’s power, he is not a person with the character to tell people to go out and die because they have brought in thieves.

However, since this land was the territory of the Count of Canossa, which was negative to my father, the possibility that it would be neatly packaged and sent back across the mountain range after the work was completed could not be ruled out.

Still, even though there are all kinds of precious things in the world, in the end, there is nothing worth living, so what does it matter?

‘… ‘I have to check things first.’

Before running away, Heine checked on the safety of his father, who might become the spark for a civil war.

However, the moment I saw his face without any injuries, goosebumps appeared all over his body.

It wasn’t just because of the cold. There was no more cold to enter his already half-frozen body.

‘Wow. ‘I just want to go home alone.’

He wasn’t frightened, nor was he laughing out of his wits.

My father had an expressionless face that was foreign to him.

On the outside, it seemed like he couldn’t overcome his confusion and was turning his head here and there, but at the end of it all, there was a sharp gaze tracking how many lives were lost.

What was the real purpose of this poorly prepared journey?

It was to appear in front of the Pope in the most shabby appearance that an emperor can show, servile and ugly.

So that he can pardon himself even if he cares about the public’s attention.

The death of several of the attendants in the process of crossing the mountain is both inevitable and heartbreaking, adding to the persuasiveness of the sincerity of the apology.

Of course, the Pope and the Emperor know better than anyone else that the act of asking for forgiveness and repenting of one’s sins is a play without any sincerity from beginning to end.

But at least to the nobles and people watching this situation, it would have seemed different.

I had to run away in disgrace for that, but it was clear that my father wouldn’t mind.

After all, his pride and prestige were not a consideration when he decided to bow to the Pope.

“Oh.”

For a moment, Heine met the emperor’s eyes. What he looked into was an inorganic look that only confirmed his life or death.

At any rate, he must have been tapping his calculator in his head to see how much desperation he could smoothly obtain a pardon from the Pope.

Isn’t it necessary to sacrifice the lives of children to appeal to the father’s cruelty?

With that meaning in mind, the princess smiled awkwardly. The Emperor also seemed to be convinced and quickly looked away.

“Ugh! “aaah!!”

“Your Majesty, your Majesty! If you run that fast, you’ll fall!”

My brother was running away without knowing anything.

At least he seemed comfortable on the inside, so I was really envious.

“Life is really… ….”

As expected, I hated this part of the house.

If you want to overturn this, you need to use force, but with my father’s personality, it didn’t seem like he would share it.

So I just quietly followed.

My foolish brother felt like the throne would fall into my hands just by staying quiet, and it seemed like he was only making the situation worse.

It was time to quietly retreat with some of the attendants.

“Were you there too? “Reveal yourself!”

Along with the bushes moving, heavy breathing was heard in the darkness. It was different from that of the group members who were out of breath after running for a long time and were breathing thinly and heavily.

Rather than such a simple thing, it was a sound that evoked fear for no apparent reason.

At the same time as the thief shouted, “Paaa,” The sword he was holding glowed brightly with a green color.

Is it a holy relic? Fortunately, though, listening to what he said, it didn’t seem like he was a member of the bandits.

Judging from the direction in which he was aiming his sword, he didn’t seem to be hostile to my group, at least not for now.

However, apart from the sword, his armament was unusually light. So it was time to question whether he could really be a good force.

-Scream!

“Oh, that’s right. This damn sword…… !”

When I closed my eyes and opened them, the sword of the thief standing in front of me was cut in half.

Heine clearly saw the art that ordinary people could not perform. And then there was one thought that immediately occurred to me.

‘… ‘I kind of want that one.’

It’s a nice little family. Powerless to protect oneself from such human evil.

My father said that only adults do this, but if he is a member of the royal family, shouldn’t he have his own penknife, which he usually carries with him?