Chapter 79: Assault (7)

 

“Could they have resumed their activities? It hasn’t been that long since the Holy War took place...”

 

“I wouldn’t know that. When have we seen these guys move systematically? Still, the attack on the prince and the princess doesn’t seem like a mere whim of a few individuals. Speaking of which, Damian, why did he hand it to you? Was he that concerned?”

 

“Unlike the Lord or young masters overflowing with internal energy, I’m just an ordinary person.”

 

Gwen, who had been inspecting William’s body, responded with a bitter face to Arthur’s teasing.

 

In Arthur’s hand now was a dagger adorned with a red gem.

 

That dagger, which Damian entrusted to Gwen, had been passed down through generations of the Kraus family to its leaders. Both its heritage and the dagger itself were exceptional.

 

It was no surprise, given that the red gem embedded in the dagger was a fragment of a dragon’s heart, slain by the first head of the Kraus family.

 

The dragon heart had the power to aid its owner’s internal energy recovery. Additionally, the very reason Arthur could rush precisely to Gwen’s location was solely because of that dagger.

 

Due to these abilities, like the ring of the family head, it was regarded as a treasure only the successor of the family could hold. Yet Demian temporarily entrusted it to another, hence Arthur reacted that way.

 

‘How petty.’

 

However, Gwen knew there was more to it.

 

While Arthur might have been annoyed at the dagger, he wasn’t the type to get angry over it. After all, the sword Gwen was currently using was a gift from Arthur, a renowned blade made from dragon bone, only lacking a dragon heart.

 

The fact that he gave a dragon bone-made sword showed the deep trust between Arthur and Gwen. Yet, the reason for Arthur’s current displeasure was simply that he didn’t like seeing the dagger he had given Damian now in Gwen’s hands.

 

Simply put, it was like seeing a carefully chosen birthday gift for your son the next day in the hands of a close uncle. In other words, just a bit of jealousy.

 

Arthur laughed at Gwen’s reply.

 

“The leader of the Black Dragon Knights is an ordinary person? Hahaha! With this logic, all the actual ordinary people in this world don’t even exist!”

 

“I said it with the condition of only when compared to the two of you. Please don’t twist my words. And it must be nice being so strong, Lord. You can be thrown anywhere and return alive, so there’s no need to worry, right?”

 

“Sir Gwen. Wasn’t that a bit too informal for a Knight Commander speaking to his Lord?”

 

Gwen was no different from Arthur.

 

Being the Knight Commander, almost a lifetime position in the Kraus family where Arthur was the head, says it all.

 

They continued their playful bickering while surveying the surroundings. Most of their banter was friendly, but that didn’t mean they neglected their duties.

 

Gwen and Arthur stripped William of his robe, searching each item he had. Given that William held the position of an archbishop within the church, they hoped to discover new, previously unknown information.

 

Unfortunately, contrary to their hopes, William’s belongings only contained a small pouch with some money and a tiny golden idol that seemed to be an object of worship.

 

There were no orders or items that appeared to be clues from above. Gwen gathered the items from William’s body into a leather pouch, and covered the body with the robe he was wearing, spreading it wide over him.

 

“It seems too light to be a bishop’s purse.”

 

“He must have not needed money while hiding in the woods. Still, there isn’t a single item that could be considered a clue. I think he might have burned everything before executing his plan.”

 

“Tsk, what a waste. All we got is this guy’s head. Considering he was quite a known face as a bishop, if we send his head to the capital, it could somewhat hinder their operations.”

 

“Ah, speaking of which, William seemed quite shocked when he saw you. Did something happen?”

 

“This guy claimed to be a monster mage, right? I don’t know how many monsters were in the forest, but he probably sent forces near his full strength to invade our camp. I guess he wanted to immobilize me so I couldn’t get into the forest. Naturally, he was surprised when I suddenly appeared here.”

 

“...Did you leave the clearing of the monsters to another family and rush here?”

 

“Why would I do that? Of course, I took down the monsters that invaded the camp on my way here. He seemed to have prepared quite thoroughly. There were several monsters from the innermost parts of the forest, ones that are rarely seen. If it wasn’t for that child...”

 

Arthur seemed to remember something and trailed off. Then, with the mischievous smile he often wore, he playfully tapped Gwen’s shoulder.

 

“No, no. It’s better to see it in person than to hear about it.”

 

“What... do you mean?”

 

“There’s something. I bet you’ll be so shocked when you see it. Ah... I thought my son was the only genius in the world.”

 

Turned out that wasn’t the case.

 

***

 

“Huff... Haa... Damn it!!! They’re really persistent in their pursuit!!!”

 

Robin looked back with a distorted face at the group of monsters chasing him.

 

They had the appearance of wolves but were much larger in size. The monsters, with their glowing yellow eyes, were closely tailing Robin. The sight of the massive wolf, with its sharp teeth bared and dripping saliva, was the very embodiment of terror.

 

As the distance between them seemed to be closing in, one of the chasing monsters leaped towards Robin. It fell short of fully pouncing on Robin’s back, but it was close enough to sink its teeth into Robin’s heel.

 

“Back off!!”

 

However, Robin, who never let his guard down, leaped into the air just in time to meet the monster’s charge. He then twisted his body in mid-air and kicked straight towards the monster’s mouth.

 

Crack-

 

It was as if the monster had been hit with a mace. The impact caused the flesh where the kick landed to cave in, and the sound of flesh ripping was accompanied by the scattering of its shattered teeth in the air. Due to the forceful kick, the monster lost its balance and fell away from the pack.

 

Even with his exceptional reflexes, the move Robin just pulled off was something beyond what an ordinary person could do. His display was indeed fitting of the term ‘superhuman.’

 

Although he was currently being chased by monsters, Robin was undeniably one of the top talents recognized by the Southern knight order, renowned as the strongest. Had he been able to draw his sword, he wouldn’t have been merely running like this.

 

Though the sword given to him by the knight order still hung by his side, Robin carried an unconscious boy on his back. The boy was initially on a cart, being transported comfortably, but the monsters had destroyed the cart, leading to the current predicament.

 

Robin was a promising newcomer in the knight order, but he certainly wasn’t skilled enough to wield a sword with his feet. The only option left to him was to stomp on any approaching monsters, making sure not to hinder his movement.

 

“Ugh... I’m getting exhausted... How do these monsters have more loyalty than human beings?”

 

Robin muttered in a voice tinged with annoyance, glancing at the relentless horde of monsters that showed no sign of decreasing.

 

One would think that after knocking one of them out, there should only be some left. But somehow, as if they had multiplied while on the run, the number of pursuers exceeded ten.

 

It was already difficult to move with the additional weight on his back, and the continuous attacks and ensuing fights were gradually draining Robin’s stamina.

 

Robin had repelled several of the monsters lurking behind him multiple times, but instead of fearing him, they seemed to be out for revenge, targeting him even more aggressively.

 

Every time one fell behind, what appeared to be the leader would howl, summoning more of its kind. As a result, rather humorously, the number of pursuers kept increasing.

 

In such a dire situation, it was hardly surprising that Robin’s face looked grim. Every time he looked back, the number in the pursuing group changed, causing his face to pale even further.

 

He thought that if he demonstrated his strength, they would naturally back off. However, this only seemed to increase the number of pursuers. If one were to offer Robin, who was now pushed to the edge of a cliff, a sliver of hopeful news, it would be that thanks to his tireless running, he wasn’t far from the camp.

 

Seeing the edge of the forest not too far away, a glimmer of hope returned to his face.

 

As he drew nearer to the end, the shouts of people and the cries of other monsters mixed in the background.

 

Given the monsters’ attack, it seemed the camp wasn’t as safe as he had thought. But as it was Robin’s only lifeline, he brushed off such minor concerns.

 

“Once I get back to the camp, I’ll throw this guy away and kill those creatures. Damn it, I’ve decided on a wolf meat soup for dinner.”

 

Once he was out of this damn forest, he was certain the situation would change. And just as he anticipated, the moment Robin reached the edge of the forest, the circumstances shifted dramatically.

 

Thunk!

 

“Alright. Just a bit more and... wait! Why are you guys turning back?!”

 

The leader of the group, which was chasing him, suddenly began to retreat, even though the forest’s exit was within sight.

 

Robin wore a conflicted expression, unsure whether to be happy or sad at the sight of the previously relentless pursuers now fleeing in evident fear.

 

“What on earth...?”

 

For Robin, who had been planning a fierce revenge, the sudden turn of events was utterly deflating.

 

He was ready to exact revenge, but his targets had fled. Still, chasing after them wasn’t realistic. He regained his composure and tried to view the situation objectively.

 

From their perspective, Robin was almost a caught prey. Those intent on killing him had now abandoned the chase. Clearly, they had a reason.

 

“Is there something ahead...?”

 

The camp had the Sword Master, Arthur Kraus. If the monster’s leader sensed his presence, this situation would make sense.

 

But this was all speculation. Perhaps there was a higher-level monster in the forest. Though Robin didn’t feel any ominous aura, he cautiously approached the forest’s edge.

 

The trees that obscured the sky receded, revealing the view outside the forest, bathed in sunlight. As he expected from the sounds, the campsite had transformed into a battlefield.

 

The green grass at the forest’s entrance was stained red with blood, and bodies, still not cleared away, lay scattered. The silver lining was that there seemed to be more monster corpses than human ones. From the looks of it, the battle seemed to be turning in favor of the southern army.

 

“Ah, damn it.”

 

Stunned by his first sight of a battlefield, Robin was jolted back to reality by the ground’s trembling.

 

The battle was clearly a victory for the Southern Army.

 

However, there were still monsters that had survived the battle here, and they instinctively ran toward the forest to escape.

 

Heading straight for where Robin was standing now.

 

This was not good news for Robin. The number of monsters charging at him was considerable, and even if he tried to sidestep to evade them, he’d likely run into them before he could get away. He had just struggled against a group of nearly twenty wolf-like monsters; he had no confidence in surviving amidst a horde of monsters charging at him like a stampede of enraged bulls.

 

Who would’ve thought that the victory of his allies would backfire in this way?

 

In the current situation, the only option seemed to be running back into the forest and perhaps climbing a tree to hide. The thought of retreating back into the forest made Robin grimace, but it seemed better than being trampled to death by monsters.

 

But just then,

 

Snap!

 

The sound of a finger-snapping echoed in his ear.

 

Was there some magic in that sound? Robin’s head involuntarily turned towards the source. And what he saw was a sight to behold: the once-rampaging horde of monsters had turned into a handful of ash, scattering in the wind.

 

“Ah, I heard someone was here, and it’s you, Sir Robin?”

 

It was that voice that finally pulled Robin out from the gray-tinted world that had enveloped him.

 

Emerging from amidst the drifting ash, a figure approached. While the world was still painted in shades of gray, the very person who had caused this transformation looked as pristine white as always.

 

Robin had a hunch about what had made the forest wolves flee and why the monsters had retreated just moments ago. He believed he now knew the reason.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

 

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