Chapter 93
The raider swallowed hard.
One of the companions who had been with him vanished.
“What happened?”
He asked the remaining companion.
The other bastard shook his head as if he didn't know either.
“I don't know, except that he disappeared in the blink of an eye.”
The companion was busy looking around while trembling.
The raider approached Talleon.
He forced the injured boy up and held a knife to his neck.
“You’re this brat’s comrade, right? If you want him to live, show yourself.”
A voice was heard.
It wasn't the opponent he was looking for.
It was zombies.
They were led by the noise and attacked them.
He drew his sword and swung it at a nearby zombie.
“Aaack!”
The zombie whose leg was cut fell to its knees.
The companion resolved the other zombie next to him.
The number of zombies increased terrifyingly.
Seeing that, he made up his mind to take the boy who was a hostage and flee.
“W-Why you!”
The boy resisted with strength.
His body was as solid as a stake driven into the ground.
“Give up on that kid, we’re going to die at this rate.”
The companion said.
He thought his words were right.
No matter how high the value of a hostage was, it wasn't more precious than his own life.
He grabbed the boy’s sword and took off.
“Ack!”
Once again, sothing blocked the front.
He quickly fumbled with his hands.
It wasn't just one side that was blocked.
All sides were blocked.
He struck down with his sword, intending to break it.
The wall was so hard that both arms he swung felt numb.
“Grrrr.”
The growl of a beast was heard.
It wasn't a zombie.
When he checked the direction of the sound, a beast walked out from the darkness.
When its face was revealed under the moonlight.
The first thought he had was that it was a giant lizard.
Taking one step at a ti slowly, its yellow pupils, split vertically, glared this way.
Flap! Eventually, it growled while spreading wings even larger than its own body.
his whole body froze stone cold.
A noble creature that would only appear in legends was enraged.
“A-A dragon?”
It was a black dragon.
It was holding the torso of a zombie in its mouth.
The dragon tore it apart and sliced it in half as if it were no problem.
Then it approached this way slowly.
“H-Heeeek!”
A scream leaked out reflexively.
He felt the area between his legs becoming damp.
“Luna, co back.”
Another voice was heard from behind the dragon.
The owner of that voice belonged to the person he had been trying to find.
“What are you?”
It was another boy.
He was a bit taller than the captured boy and was holding a staff.
His gaze was terrifyingly cold, which didn't match his pretty face.
“One person to talk is enough.”
“What?”
The companion next to him was flustered.
He wasn't understanding the situation.
He swallowed his worry and anxiety and shook off his idle thoughts.
When he snapped to his senses, strength entered the hand holding the sword.
Slash!
He stabbed his companion.
The bastard turned his head while spitting blood from his mouth.
“W-Why?”
“Because I’m not a fool like you.”
When he pulled the sword out, the companion fell to the ground helplessly.
Even after falling, he trembled for a while as if having a convulsion.
There was no guilt.
Only a sense of relief that he hadn't been hit first lingered.
“Drop the sword.”
The boy continued to give instructions.
There was no wavering in his expression.
It sent a chill down his spine.
He looked as if he were unbothered even after giving an order to kill soone.
He dropped the sword obediently as the boy told him.
“I dropped it.”
“Tie your legs with this.”
He threw a rope through the shield.
It seed the boy could pass through the shield freely.
“I did it.”
He applied strength to his legs to prove he had tied them firmly.
The rope didn't co loose.
The boy seed satisfied and snapped his fingers to make the magic disappear.
He approached.
Then he struck him across the face with the staff he was holding.
“Aaaack!”
It wasn't a light hit.
the inside of his mouth tore and a tooth broke.
“Weren't you planning to get information from ?”
“I was, yes?”
“And yet you treat this way? I might just shut my mouth.”
“Then shut it.”
“What?”
Smack, whack!
He was beaten continuously.
Ribs broke and bruise marks appeared all over his body.
Nevertheless, the boy tornted him without being satisfied.
When the boy stopped the violence, he was only barely clinging to life.
“I told you, it was going to hurt like crazy.”
“Huff, huff!”
“How hard did I work to raise that kid, and you leave him in that state?”
“He wasn't hit as much as I was.”
“Did you think you’d be hit the sa? Of course you get hit double.”
“This isn't double, it’s several tis more.”
“Does that matter?”
The raider clenched his teeth.
The boy didn't hide his killing intent.
Even if he leaked information, the boy had no intention of letting him live.
“You’ve made a mistake. I won't say anything now.”
“I wouldn't really recomnd that.”
The boy smiled lightly.
When he knelt and held out his hand, a green light flowed out.
The injuries were healed.
“A-A healing magic?”
The magic that was only a rumor unfolded before his eyes.
He swallowed hard.
He thought about why he would bother showing this kind of magic to him.
Whack!
The boy resud the torture he had stopped.
“I don't care if you don't talk. I’ll send you away once my mood is better anyway.”
“S-Send where?”
He felt cold sweat flowing down his spine.
He felt he had picked the wrong opponent.
The boy was sothing different from the other students.
An intimidating pressure that couldn't be explained just by being different flowed from him.
“Hell. That’s the only place for a bastard like you.”
* * *
The man beca submissive.
He put his head to the ground and begged just to be spared.
“I’ll tell you everything I know. Please stop.”
“That’ll depend on how helpful you are.”
“Ask anything!”
This was enough to succeed in making the man surrender.
[Cool] recomnded tornting him a bit more, but I disagreed.
It wouldn't be too late even then if I felt a suspicious sign.
“How long have you been following us?”
“Since shortly after you entered the forest.”
“How many of you are there?”
“We’re all the ones who ca out to scout.”
“If you split into scouting parties, that ans there are more people, right?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
Through [Clever], I thought of the thugs between Vilne and Saint Stalia.
The bastard said he needed more information.
“How large is your area of activity?”
“You can consider that we control the area near the Onda River.”
The river near the hut was called the Onda River.
There weren't many groups large enough to monopolize the Onda River.
“Where is your hideout?”
“It’s inside the forest. If you just say so, I can draw a map for you.”
“How many people are there?”
“There are more than thirty, excluding us.”
“How’s their skill?”
“Everyone’s a good fighter.”
I handed the information to [Clever].
Even after excluding several groups, a few still remained.
A few were problematic.
To survive, I had to make a plan with more certain information.
“Has there been any news coming from the hideout lately?”
“News, you say?”
“It doesn't matter what it is.”
The man worked his brain desperately.
“Well, we do human trafficking.”
“Do you eat human flesh?”
“A-Ah, no! I’ve heard rumors that such a group exists, but it’s not us. We mainly work by receiving ransoms.”
“Keep talking.”
“It seems we recently succeeded in capturing a huge big shot.”
“A big shot?”
“I heard they were soone from the Glover family.”
My eyes flashed.
If it was the Glover family, they were the masters of Saint Stalia.
It was hard to think a person from the city would co to a forest like this and be caught by raiders.
However, such a route certainly existed.
[Clever] narrowed down the group of thugs to one.
“Hungry Fangs, is the leader a woman nad Cyris?”
“H-How do you know that?”
The raider was so surprised he froze in place.
“You’re very lucky.”
“Huh?”
“The information you gave was very useful. Maybe there’ll be a chance to let you live.”
“A-Are you serious?”
“Of course, that also depends on how you act.”
“I-I’ll do my best.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
He was a human who killed his own companion without hesitation to survive.
The type who would do anything for his own life.
He was worth using.
“If you run away, I’ll kill you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I asked Luna to keep watch and headed toward the fallen Talleon.
I used [Heal] on the boy as well.
“I’m sorry, Sir Joshua.”
These were the words the boy said as he rose after his wounds were healed.
He clenched his teeth with a resentful expression.
“It’s okay. We didn't lose anything.”
“But I put everyone in danger by getting caught.”
“It’s not just your fault. There was also a problem with my judgnt in not deploying more people.”
“T-That’s not true!”
Talleon jumped up and shook his head.
“I was caught because I was lacking.”
The look of apology was clear on the face of the boy who was denying it.
Instead, I was the one who was sorry.
I had intended to catch the raider by using him and Gavinu as bait.
In that process, one of the boys could have died.
“In that case, reflect on it. I’ll also be a bit more careful in making plans.”
“Yes.”
Talleon smiled.
I brought the boy and the captured raider back to the hut.
Everyone was awake and gathered in one place.
“Talleon, are you okay?”
“As you can see.”
Gavinu, his friend, approached Talleon and patted him on the back.
The people who were worried also gathered around the boy and comforted him.
And Leo and Adela cast their gazes at the raider.
“Is it this bastard?”
Leo’s eyes widened.
The raider stepped back, crushed by the boy’s spirit.
“Should I just kill him?”
Leo was angry.
He almost lost a subordinate.
As a captain with a unit, it was an unbearable thing.
“This man is worth using.”
“How?”
“I want to consult with you two regarding that part.”
I told the two of them the information I gained from the conversation with the man.
The people who were captured.
The fact that there was a person from the Glover family among them.
I also ntioned the raider’s purpose.
“I see! If it’s soone from the Glover family, they could beco an ally when we arrive at the castle, right?”
Adela high-fived herself as she shared her thoughts.
Normally, anyone would think like her.
But she was wrong.
“No, I don't think they’ll be of much help.”
“Why? You’re saving a mber of the family.”
Leo’s expression contorted.
He seed to have noticed sothing suspicious.
“It’s strange.”
“What is?”
“It hasn't even been a day since we left Vilne. It’s a long way to Saint Stalia. Yet for a person of the Glover family to be caught by thugs in an outskirt like this, isn't sothing strange?”
“Now that I hear it, you’re right.”
The gazes of the two turned toward .
It was a look that seed to ask for the doubt to be resolved.
“I can only think that they were thrown away.”
The expressions of the two froze.
Leo broke the silence and opened his mouth again.
“Then isn't there no point in saving them? They’re a human abandoned by the family. It seems they’ll only be a burden if we take them along.”
“Right.”
Leo furrowed his eyebrows as if troubled.
“Aren't you concluding that too easily?”
“Leo, your words make sense too.”
“I’m happy to be recognized, but when you suggested saving them, I thought you had so kind of plan.”
“I do.”
“Then tell us that from the start.”
I stroked my chin.
Communication with officers is important.
When a plan is made, I let them know and we decide the policy together.
This is the basic.
However, this ti, the scale of the plan is different.
If it succeeds, we get a whole city.
If it fails, the entire group could face danger.
“It’s hard to tell you just yet.”
The two showed a surprised reaction.
I was the one who had explained every ti sothing happened.
This ti, I was reluctant to do so.
It was an unfamiliar situation for the two.
“What do you plan to do from now on?”
Adela asked.
“We head for Saint Stalia as scheduled. When we get there, I’ll explain the plan step by step.”
“Is it a dangerous plan by any chance?”
“To be honest, none of the things we’ve done have been easy.”
The two nodded as if in agreent.
Wanting to get sothing while taking risks is only allowed when desperate.
But we had always done dangerous things.
I hadn't seen the ending of this ga.
I didn't know how much ti would be needed to see the ending.
I only had one thod left.
To save a lot of ti, I have to take the road that others don't take.
“What does your head say?”
“My head?”
“You said your head hurts when you have too many thoughts. That soone chattered noisily.”
I chuckled.
“It seems it’s trying to respect my opinion.”
“I see.”
Adela lowered her head and pondered.
When she raised her head again, she was smiling.
“If the reason you’re agonizing is because of us, there’s no need for that. Because we would have been dead long ago if it weren't for you.”
Leo clicked his tongue as if his words were stolen.
“Those were the words I was thinking.”
“The person who says it first is the owner.”
I let out a light breath.
I didn't know I would be trusted this much.
I felt it was burdenso yet I was grateful.
I thought of Talleon from a mont ago.
That boy even apologized to without knowing the fact that he was used.
“I’ve understood your intent. Let’s rest for now and talk again tomorrow morning.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)