Chapter 21

Chapter 21

21. Baelonian Lunagrif (3)

From the first meeting Giles did not like Benrik.

The appearance of not being intimidated even with a bunch of armed adults in front, and the attitude of exploring as if evaluating.

Decisively the eyes that seemed to look down as if with just one pull of a finger one could kill you, reminded him of Lucian Belmore.

The reason Giles did not touch them in the southern forest that day was because he was conscious of Drenor behind them.

But thinking carefully.

‘Anyway these guys don’t know who we are.’

Even if the family is exposed it doesn’t matter.

‘Because it is not related to the fairy either.’

Unlike his ruffian master the kid in front was at best a commoner used as an errand boy in the mercenary group.

In a situation where rumors that the reason Drenor Vinter is distant from his own child is because of status circulate openly, there was no reason to cover for one kid.

Such calculations were made in an instant.

Giles signaled with his eyes to the subordinates.

They who had been together for a long time understood Giles’s intention just with eye contact and dispersed widely so the child could not escape.

“Where are the colleagues?” “The colleagues, hmm- the colleagues···.”

Then an unknown bewilderment settled on the child’s expression.

“······Will you follow?”

Giles intuited that something was strange.

‘The guy who did not waver even in front of magical beasts is bewildered?’

Thinking about it that was not the only strange thing.

Even if they who departed from the Belmore family southwest of Bromwood are like that,

‘Why is this guy here?’

The southern forest where they met and here is not a distance of one or two days and wasn’t the magical beast subjugation request completed then.

“This is just asking out of curiosity.”

It was then that the child opened his mouth. The bewilderment that was faintly felt until a little while ago disappeared without a trace.

“Why did you kill the forest keeper?” ‘···!’

At the same time over a dozen soldiers jumped out from the bushes.

‘What···!’

Even while Giles was greatly shocked he lowered his body and avoided the attack but─

“Kehuk!” “Kak!”

···The subordinates were not.

The sound of flesh being pierced overlapped countless times. The soldiers thrust spears and swords from behind the subordinates who were dispersed in different directions.

Neck, shoulder, chest, abdomen.

Spears and swords protruded from all fatal parts.

It seemed the subordinates whose bodies were pierced also did not understand what happened, their dying eyes were full of bewilderment.

Grind, Giles who ground his teeth shouted.

“What, there seems to be some misunderstanding···!”

Armed soldiers about twenty. The crest on the chest is the symbol of the Bromwood family.

But among these there is no one who can handle mana.

If one puts one’s mind to it killing all and fleeing is not an impossible matter.

“I am, apprentice knight Giles! Receiving the order to help search for the kidnapped fairy Bel─” “It was the Belmore family···.”

At the muttering one step ahead of himself, Giles opened his eyes wide and looked at Benrik.

“How do you···?”

Benrik recalled the meeting in the southern forest.

At that time Giles heard only the words Bram introduced as ‘Jenkinson’s mercenary group’ and mentioned Drenor Vinter who made the mercenary group.

That was the clue.

Because the fame of Jenkinson’s mercenary group is limited to Bromwood.

Naturally it could only be a nearby territory.

So he asked Jenkinson. How many noble families that possess private soldiers besides Bromwood are nearby.

The candidates that came out like that were three.

Grace in the east, Delmar in the north, and Belmore in the southwest.

The direction these people came from now is southwest, Belmore.

It was then that someone walked out from among the soldiers.

“Apprentice knight Giles of the Belmore family···.”

It was the escort captain.

“I have heard rumors that aura manifestation is imminent···. It is regrettable that it has become like this.” “······.” “Why on earth did someone like you kidnap···. No, no, it does not seem like a story to have here. Please do not resist.”

The expression of the escort captain saying so was complicated.

Giles was the dream and hope of many soldiers. Because he was one who started from the bottom and received the admiration of becoming an apprentice knight, further a knight in one body.

“······.”

The moment he faced the complicated gaze, Giles’s eyes sank chilly.

‘···Anyway if caught it is a finished life.’

Even if not the Belmore family he who is a commoner certainly ends. This kidnapping incident that almost broke a hundred years of peace and spread into a dispute between races was that serious a problem.

The days of hardship flashing like a revolving lantern.

‘If it is that then rather···.’

At the end Giles finished organizing his thoughts.

“···I am also regretful.”

Giles’s sword pierced the escort captain’s neck like a flash of lightning.

‘···!’

Benrik opened his eyes wide at the sensation of the fine hairs of the whole body standing on end.

─Kuk!

“Damn, protect the child first!” “Don’t let him approach!”

Even though they lost the commander the soldiers moved in unison. They moved Benrik back and surrounded Giles as if encircling.

“Benrik!”

It was Hodge. He who picked Benrik up at once and tucked him at the waist ran.

─Kuaak! ─D-damn! Damn it! ─Clang, claang!

At the end of the gradually shrinking path Giles too easily knocked away the weapons and slaughtered the soldiers.

Around his body grayish-white mana rose like a heat haze. It was an appearance not even seen from Jenkinson who fought the Fang.

That means,

‘Stronger than Jenkinson···?’

Benrik intuited. One cannot escape.

“Listen well Benrik, run along the path like this.”

Hodge also seemed to know that and at some moment, stopped running.

While crouching low in the ditch he organized the disordered breath with one deep breath and said.

“You have good stamina, and are fast so you will be able to arrive at the outpost before the sun rises. Go and come back riding a horse with the previous leader no, Sir Drenor.”

The young mercenary’s gaze turned to the dark forest.

He who sat with his upper body lowered gauged the knight who would be approaching moment by moment from somewhere beyond, and tied the loosened hair.

─Glance···.

Hodge who saw the child said.

“Don’t look like that. I can also do the degree of buying time while running away, it’s a secret but I am also a mana user in my own way?” “······.” “Just remember that the faster your decision the higher the probability I survive.”

And then without even a gap for Benrik to answer he turned the path 90 degrees and ran.

─Grind···!

Benrik left alone in the quiet forest where even the sound of grass insects could not be heard clenched his teeth.

No method to break through the situation came to mind at all.

The opponent is a person.

Not a low-intelligence magical beast that can be dealt with with residual tricks and improvisation.

He did not know how long it had been since he felt this kind of powerlessness.

He recalls Giles who played with the soldiers as if cutting scarecrows.

However if he had even some degree of martial force would the story have been different,

One does not know.

But at least wouldn’t one have been able to draw out more variables than now.

“······.”

···Huu, the child who gathered the thoughts along with a deep breath recited.

“···Think.”

There will clearly be a method. If not one has to even make one.

‘···What does that monster-like knight guy want?’

Pause, suddenly Benrik’s consciousness reached the bottle in the bosom.

“······.”

The blue eyes that received the moonlight shone chilly.

***

Hodge threw his body into the grass at the chills, rising.

At the same time as rolling on the dirt floor and getting up he drew the sword.

─Clang!

As soon as he drew the sword flash, sparks flew.

“The sense is good.”

The grip rang tinglingly.

‘What strength···!’

When Hodge was startled at the impact as if striking a rock, the knight covered in blood asked.

“Where did you divert the kid?” “Why does a guy who dreamed of being a knight in name obsess over young things like that.”

···Things? At Hodge’s word choice Giles’s eyebrows twitched.

“Watch your words. The fairy-kin is not what I wanted but the master, the damn Belmore family’s kid bastard wanted.” “···The Belmore family’s kid bastard?”

When Hodge asked back, Giles waved his hand as if annoying.

“Don’t think of dragging time uselessly. Anyway you too, that kid will die.”

At the same time as the words ended Giles’s form disappeared.

“···!”

Hodge hastily extended the sword to the place where the wind touched.

─Claaang!

“Kuk···!”

It was a heavy blow to the extent that if he had not crossed swords with Drenor he would have dropped the sword at once.

“···Oh.”

The eyes folded like a crescent moon sparkled.

“Now seeing you are a mana user. Quite something, looking young.”

Whether interest arose, Giles continued the attacks loading only enough mana for Hodge to barely receive.

“How long has it been?”

There was no leisure for Hodge who was busy blocking Giles’s attacks to answer.

“I mean making mana dwell in the muscles. One month? No it would be about two months.”

It was accurate.

The day Hodge became able to move mana in earnest was the day he received the attack of the Yellow-Striped Fang in the Golden Mountains.

How happy he was, he didn’t even know his arm was injured and received Benrik’s absurd gaze.

The price of thoughts scattering to the side in an instant was bone-aching.

─Slash!

The sword he clearly thought he flowed cut the thigh.

“Kuaak···!”

Oh no···! Hodge’s form collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. Strength does not enter the leg at all.

“Let’s end it soon.” ‘···Even buying time is not possible.’

Clearly the same mana user,

The pupils with a losing color received the moonlight and took in the sword shining softly.

And at that moment,

“Wait!”

A young voice rang. The two men turned their heads at the same time. Benrik thoroughly soaked in sweat stood while gasping.

“You···!” “···Anyway you would have caught up soon.”

Benrik glanced at the astonished Hodge then looked at Giles.

“That is correct. Wise.”

The knight who was pulling up the corners of his mouth flashed his eyes.

“Separately you also lost the head of fear.” “I will give what you want, so spare us.” “What I want?” “The fairy.” “···?” “I know where that girl is.”

Giles only then realized why these two people were together with Bromwood’s soldiers.

“It was that. You already found the fairy.” “I will tell the place the girl hid so please let us go.” “No need though.”

If it was 30 minutes ago maybe, but he had no interest in a fairy about fifteen years old.

“······.” “I already killed the Count of Bromwood’s soldiers. It is like having crossed an irreversible river. Just killing both of you here, and killing that damn kid bastard Lucian Belmore and leaving here is all.”

─The basic of a deal is making a proposal the other party cannot refuse.

Benrik repeatedly recited the words Oswald once said.

‘Cannot refuse, cannot refuse···.’

At the thought that suddenly brushed past he carefully examined Giles’s face and opened his mouth.

“···Leaving here won’t be a cure-all. With a criminal status wherever one goes─”

Giles cut Benrik’s words while scoffing.

“This empire we live in is very wide, so there are cities where even criminals can live if they put their mind to it, it means that what you know is not the entirety of the world.”

Benrik also knew.

‘···Dark City Northford.’

With that he could be certain.

That Giles has a new start in mind.

Unlike the words of giving up saying he crossed an irreversible river there was still aspiration remaining in Giles’s eyes.

Benrik,

“Well, then then let’s slowly end─”

Even in this situation decided to bet on the dream of others that he does not let go.

“If we die you will certainly die.”

Upright, the sword stopped right above Benrik’s head.

“···What nonsense is that?” “Because Baron Drenor is coming here now.”

Giles opened his eyes wide.

‘Drenor Vinter···! I thought he was acting strangely calm, was that the corner he believed in!’

If this is true as the child’s words it would be hard for Giles to preserve his life.

Anyway he would be caught up soon. Aura users were such existences.

“And the one who knows where the fairy hid is only me.”

“···So what of that?” “Spare me and flee. Sir Drenor will judge that returning the fairy safely to the Great Forest is priority over chasing you. Because he is a person who knows the weight of matters.”

Benrik said while looking straight at Giles’s eyes.

“You will have to give up killing Lucian Belmore, but you will be able to avoid being caught and dying while fleeing.” “Is there evidence that your words are not a lie?” “There isn’t.” “···?” “But is killing us a matter valuable enough to bear that gamble?” “···That half-corpse seems fine to kill.” “Then I will say that you took the fairy and fled.” “······.”

It was truly a gamble staking life, the first gamble of life.

***

At the same time, something crossed the pitch-black sky at high speed.

─Did you understand my words, Baan? What do you have to do? ─G-go along the path and bring Dre, Drenor···! ─Good, now fly. ─Uuuu···!

Baelonian Lunagrif shed dew-like tears drop by drop and flapped her wings with all her strength.

‘Don’t die···! Don’t die young guy···!’

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