The head knight bit her lip as she considered Kyle's words. She knew that he was right, but admitting it felt too much for her.
Just as she tried to open her mouth, Kyle saw sothing gleaming in the corner of his eyes and his body acted on its own before his mind could catch up.
Kyle barely had a mont to think before his body reacted on instinct.
The attacker's sword glead in the dim light, aid directly at his heart.
But Kyle had already moved.
With a sharp twist, he yanked the Head Knight's wrist, pulling her out of the way, while his other hand snapped upward—
CLANG!
His knife t the oncoming blade, redirecting it just enough to miss its mark.
A cold gust of wind brushed past Kyle's cheek, sharp as a blade.
And then—
A thick fog swallowed them whole.
It rolled in unnaturally, swirling around them with an eerie presence.
Kyle's senses imdiately sharpened.
This wasn't normal fog.
It was infused with mana.
'How amusing. Soone is using mana, but I can tell they have no control over it. And the weight distribution for the attack is all wrong as well.'
A deliberate tactic ant to confuse and isolate him. Either that, or the opponent was too inexperienced to not even realize it.
Kyle clicked his tongue.
'For your sake, I hope it is the forr. I do not like to be made fun of.'
The Head Knight recovered quickly, stepping beside him. Her stance shifted, her sword raised defensively.
Her sharp eyes darted through the fog, tracking movents only she could see.
"So this is how it is. The enemy likely knew I was out of the castle and decided to try and take care of when I am alone."
She muttered.
Kyle wasn't so sure about that.
The timing seed too precise.
This wasn't just about the Head Knight.
It was about him.
He could feel the enemy's eyes focusing on him now, not her.
'They're after .'
And just as he had the thought—
The attacker struck again.
The blade ca fast.
This ti, aid solely at Kyle.
His eyes glead as he anticipated the movent.
He didn't dodge.
He didn't step back.
Instead—
He moved forward.
CLANG!
Another sharp parry with his knife, but this ti, Kyle did not just deflect.
He twisted his wrist—
Redirecting the attack completely.
The enemy stumbled from the sudden shift in force.
Kyle imdiately took advantage.
His leg shot out, kicking the attacker squarely in the stomach.
A grunt of pain.
A figure lurched backward, barely catching themselves.
Kyle caught a glimpse of their cloak as they disappeared into the fog.
'They're fast'
He noted.
Too fast for an ordinary rcenary.
The Head Knight turned to Kyle, eyes narrowed.
"You knew sothing was wrong before we even entered this village."
She said.
Kyle kept his expression neutral.
"I had a suspicion."
The Head Knight's frustration boiled over.
"Enough."
Before he could react, she grabbed his collar, yanking him close.
Her grip was tight, her gaze intense.
"What is happening here,?"
She demanded.
Kyle stared at her.
He could easily break her hold.
She wasn't weak by any ans, but against him—
It would take little effort.
But he didn't.
Because he wanted her as an ally.
So instead, he chose his words carefully.
"Figure it out yourself."
Kyle spoke with confidence before he felt the sword coming for him once more. But what was more annoying than the attack were his instincts.
His instincts scread.
His body moved.
'Fuck! To think even this level of attack causes my instincts to flare. How shaless for soone like .'
Kyle yanked the head knight to his side once more.
A blade tore through the space where she had just been standing.
Had he been even a second slower—
The Head Knight's eyes widened in realization.
Kyle, anwhile, was already reacting.
Knife in hand, he turned and slashed.
His blade t steel.
Sparks flew.
Another clash.
The attacker wore a dark hood, their face obscured.
But their stance, their movents—
They were untrained.
Kyle's eyes narrowed.
'Am I being underestimated?'
The Head Knight had recovered by now, raising her sword beside him.
Kyle was still analyzing.
Still calculating.
The fog thickened around them, moving unnaturally.
"Heh, how amusing. Do these bugs really think they can fight against using these useless tactics?"
The attacker tried to harm Kyle again using the sword, but this ti, Kyle was far from ideal.
Kyle's movents were too fast for the attacker to escape.
The enemy barely had ti to react before Kyle's hand shot out and grabbed their wrist.
The attacker's body jerked mid-motion, their attempted retreat abruptly halted.
The mont Kyle's fingers tightened around the wrist, he felt it.
'This mana…'
It was wrong.
Not chaotic, not wild—but unnatural. As if it did not belong to the body it was touching. The disconnect was too much.
And when he yanked the attacker forward, their hood slipped back, revealing a young face.
A child.
Kyle's eyes narrowed.
His grip did not loosen.
The child, no older than ten or eleven, had sharp, defiant eyes.
Yet, despite his youthful appearance, his mana did not feel like a child's.
It was too controlled.
Too refined.
Kyle's instincts scread at him.
'Sothing is not right.'
The child struggled against his hold, glaring at Kyle with pure rage.
"Let go of !"
He snarled, trying to yank his wrist free.
Kyle tightened his grip.
The child's face twisted slightly, his arm trembling from the pressure.
But Kyle wasn't about to let go.
Not yet.
"…Who sent you?" Kyle asked, voice calm, but firm.
The child's lips pressed into a thin line.
Silence.
The Head Knight, who had been watching in stunned silence, finally snapped out of her daze.
"What the hell—he's just a child," she said, though there was hesitation in her voice.
Kyle didn't even glance at her.
He wasn't fooled.
He could tell.
This was no ordinary child.
This was a weapon.
A piece on soone else's board.
And Kyle wanted to know who was moving it.
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