chapter 2
2 – 1. Meeting (1)
“miss.”
The silver-haired woman turns her head.
A man who appears to be a knight holds out his coat to her.
“It will be very chilly.”
“it’s okay. The captain wears it.”
“To me, this much cold is not even cold.”
“If you can, recommend it to other knights. I am fine.”
It means to take care of the knights outside rather than yourself in the carriage.
The man nodded as if he couldn’t help it.
Even if I wanted to recommend more, I couldn’t because the meaning was so clear.
The door closes and the carriage starts again.
Beyond the north, where the cool breeze of midwinter blows.
The harsher place than any other place was their destination.
“… .”
The woman stared blankly out the window.
I thought I would never come back.
A place I never wanted to return to.
There he was eventually returning.
Kwok-.
bite your lips lightly
What is this that runs through my mind.
Is it anger, resentment, or fear?
There was no way to know, so I was just stumped and stumped.
“… You shouldn’t have called me.”
I hate you, I hate you so much, I hate you guys.
My father, my brothers, and all of my vassals.
Why do you leave first and leave such a heavy burden on me?
Don’t worry, be well.
They said they would protect this place, their duties, and everything.
It reminded me of the people who had been trying to let go of themselves without incident.
In my last memory, they were laughing.
He was the only one who couldn’t laugh there.
And in the end, I couldn’t show them my smile.
Took. Toutuk -.
The tears I had been holding back flowed.
I wanted to hold onto him and ask why he was going so fast.
Now they are the ones who have gone to a faraway place, never to be seen again.
Those who are still smiling brightly in their memories.
Recalling their faces, the woman held her breath and wept.
* * *
“Whoa.”
After stepping back from the wagon, Brender caught his breath.
After ascending to the position of leader, the first task he takes on is to bring in his only direct descendant.
However, in the meantime, there was an unusual caveat.
An incomprehensible command to not be surprised and not to look for a long time.
I wondered why it was said that way.
And the moment you saw the face of the person you serve today.
Brenda understood why the order was attached.
‘You can’t be that beautiful.’
If people were made with light, would they shine that much?
Indeed, is that the beauty that a person can possess?
The words he knows cannot fully describe her.
Hair that looks like it was made by gathering moonlight.
Red eyes that look like you’ll be sucked in even if you look at them for just a few seconds.
Why people are obsessed with beauty, Brender could understand today.
‘… Let’s calm down.’
He patted my cheek and took a deep breath.
We’re only half way there, still have a long way to go.
The closer you get to your home, the more difficult the journey becomes.
You never know when and where they might attack.
“Captain.”
Just in time, those who had sent reconnaissance returned.
I did it without any special problems, but the expression is not good.
“Are you nearby?”
“yes.”
Brenda bit her lip at the knight’s words.
“The number is.”
“Only nine confirmed objects. It keeps growing.”
Brenda looked around.
Nothing to worry about, how many knights have followed you.
The problem is that there is a parade of civilians nearby.
If they avoid engagement and focus only on protecting factors, they will target civilians.
However, if we fight aggressively, we will directly refute the escort mission.
“Shouldn’t I have an explanation?”
“It should be. I’ll tell you guys… .”
Kyaaa!!-
A sharp scream came from behind.
“… You don’t need to go.”
“That’s right. You know everything.”
Clicking his tongue, Brender hurried to prepare for battle.
In less than a minute, the knights formed a formation.
Some turned towards civilians, but not many of them.
Their mission is to escort.
Since it is not an enemy search and annihilation, it is natural.
While surrounding the wagon, focus on getting out of here.
That was the central goal of the current articles.
“Ah, lady!”
But why was the escort target outside the carriage?
Brender and the drivers couldn’t hide their bewilderment.
“miss. Get inside the carriage. Dangerous.”
“Aren’t they guys?”
“I guess so.”
“Then I have to step in.”
“but… .”
“It is my duty now. An inescapable, blood-stained duty.”
Obligation, at that word, Brander and all the knights fell silent.
Because of that duty, he lost his original and future lord.
Even so, I know very well that I cannot abandon my duty.
“Give me my sword.”
Eventually, Brenda politely held out her sword.
As soon as the woman received the sword, she drew a graceful line.
The black object that had been rushing towards me was cut into two pieces by that sword strike.
It was a neat operation without any superfluities.
“… Yes, ‘Pinz’. It’s a 5th grade witch.”
It was before the knight had even examined the corpse.
At a glance, they identified the identity of the guy who ran towards them.
Before Brender could even exclaim, he was the target of their escort.
Their ‘new owner’ turned his head towards the sound of the screams.
“They are weak. Instead, they know how to survive.”
“I’m going to aim for the relatively weak side. civilians… .”
“You formed a formation to protect me. If I move, you will move too.”
“Do you want to go?”
To that question, the woman nodded.
“I have to go. Because the number of people who will fight alongside us increases as much as the people we save.”
In an instant, Blender’s heart throbbed.
And it reminds me of my old master, whom I will never see again.
Despite being the owner of a great family, he always stood at the forefront.
A man who shared the joys and sorrows of his people and cried and laughed with them.
Remaining until the end, swinging the sword and slashing the monsters.
Along with the image of him shouting that he had to save even one more person.
“We will follow. miss. no… Shien Lichtenauer.”
“thank you. Then, shall we go?”
Sien in the lead, looking at my new master.
Brenda decided to forget about the tear marks on her face.
* * *
“Squad 1, immediately turn to the left to cut off their retreat. The rest go with me.”
“yes!”
Shien had been away from the family for a very long time.
Time was spent far from the battlefield.
That’s why, since he’s of Lichtenauer’s blood, even if he has swordsmanship skills.
I thought there were bound to be a lot of gaps in the part about command.
That was the first recognition of the helpless knights.
“Remember. Pinz is a shrewd guy. You can’t give it a gap.”
However, she dispelled the concerns of Brander and the knights.
Even the temperament that does not hesitate to lead with no gaps and the sharp sword.
It was as if he was proving that he was a direct descendant of Lichtenauer.
“Gather the civilians to the center. It must not be scattered.”
“ancient!”
Some of them are placed as special forces to block the escape route and intercept the beasts.
The rest keep their formation firmly, pushing them slowly from within.
It sounds easy to say, but it is difficult to do it yourself.
Moreover, the battlefield is like nature, so it is ever-changing.
No matter how many times you read the book, the real life is completely different.
However, Xian does it naturally like water flowing.
There was no obstruction in command, and confidence overflowed.
“leader! coming!”
“Inflict maximum damage on first hit! Just do what you do!”
They are warriors who fought against demons for a long time.
There was no way I could lose to a guy who was only a level 5 beast.
And as expected, after one bump.
The monsters that were targeting civilians became corpses and rolled around.
“Five processing done!”
“check! Report the situation!”
“There are still more of them!”
“location!”
“left side! At least two approaching from the left!”
At the word left, Brenda immediately turned.
Of course, Shien’s location was the closest to the left.
Because the weather is not good there.
I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
The moment when I held my sword firmly and was vigilant.
I wondered if I could feel the presence, but something black appeared in front of me.
‘Once, one.’
Thinking so, it was the moment when Blender stabbed his sword.
fault!-
“What?!”
The Witchbeast who uses his sword as a stepping stone to take another leap.
It was completely unexpected, something I had never experienced before.
In the wind, Brenda lost sight of him for a moment.
The bigger problem was, of course, that Shien was dealing with another demon.
“Shien-sama!”
Hearing Brender’s words, Shien turned around.
You can see the jaws of the demons approaching right away.
A normal person would have been embarrassed or scared.
However, Shien calmly pulled himself out.
“ah… !”
Seeing this, Brenda was involuntarily amazed.
As expected, a direct descendant of Lichtenauer, that clean movement without superfluity.
I almost watched without even knowing the situation.
“I’m sorry, Shien-nim. If you ask me to take responsibility, I will gladly accept it.”
After another knight rushes in and suffocates the beast.
Brender, who failed to follow her, sought punishment.
But Shien shook his head.
A situation of force majeure, something that even skilled knights could not have expected.
Above all, it was not the movement of a level 5 monster.
‘Isn’t it Pinz? Are you sure?’
Shien’s mind, which had been doing well so far, gets confused.
When certainty disappears, doubt creeps up.
‘no.’
I try to shake off that doubt.
In this situation, distraction of the mind is bound to bring blood.
“Captain! Approaching from the right!”
“distance!”
“Unable to see due to fog! Be prepared!”
Hearing the knight’s cry, Shien, Brender, and the knights complete their preparations.
To be able to stab the sword at any time toward the demon beast that rushes.
“… .”
“… .”
However, there is no demon that rushes.
Sensing something strange, Shien hurriedly opened his mouth.
“What about the civilians?”
“It is safe. It is located right next door.”
“Then this… .”
Ominous thoughts pass by.
If neither the main unit nor the civilians are left, there is only one thing left.
“One squad!”
“yes?”
“The location of the 1st Squad, which was moving as a special air force!”
* * *
It couldn’t be a tough fight.
Our allies are skilled knights, and our enemies are 5th grade monsters.
But, of course, the deteriorating weather caught them off guard.
“location! Can’t you confirm the location?!”
“It’s difficult because the fog is getting thicker.”
The knights belonging to the 1st squad gritted their teeth.
The fog intensified and the distance from the main unit was too far away.
It was difficult to understand and move forward with only the sound.
In the meantime, the monsters’ attacks became more and more frequent.
At first, I thought it was the dregs that the main unit chased out.
But soon, their true identity is not a defeated soldier.
I found out that he was a hunter with clear intentions.
“Blow the whistle and announce the location.”
“All right!”
Beep!!-
The sound of a whistle drifts through the fog.
It should be enough for the main unit to infer their location.
The problem is, the monsters are all flocking to it.
“Three in the back!”
“Two on the left!”
“Darset on the right!”
For four knights, it’s a breathtaking number.
The demonic beast that invades from the invisible fog.
It was more terrifying than unknown beings popping out of nightmares.
Kihehehehe!-
Kiek!!-
I hear the cries of the evil witches.
As if they were laughing at themselves, the knights gritted their teeth.
… Kiek!
Kwajik!-
Kiek!
Kwajik!-
Something strange was heard between the cries.
However, perhaps because of the tension, the knights did not hear that sound.
“Something is coming!”
At the cry of one knight, everyone grabbed their swords to be crushed.
Finally, through the fog, something appeared.
“… uh?”
It’s not a demon, that’s a person.
However, fellow knights are not again.
“What, what is it?”
The true identity of the presence approaching the knights.
It was a young man dressed in a very ragged outfit.