Chapter 84 : Chapter 84

Chapter 084: A Lie Greater Than Truth (2)

─I kept eavesdropping from the corner, you know? Sir Bihen’s mind is completely consumed with this battle. He doesn’t have the spare attention for anything else. In times like these, the only way to catch his eye is for you to show off your skills, Miss. That’s the only way he’ll take even a bit of interest in you.

─Show off my skills? H-How…?

─Ugh, come on. Just don’t hide your abilities, that’s all.

─You mean fight at the forefront? No way, absolutely not! He’ll definitely think I’m some scary, gross woman. I’ve worked so hard to keep that hidden… No way. Absolutely not. Helping my brother from behind like I’m doing now is enough.

─Do you really think Sir Bihen will remember you that way? You need to bam! imprint your presence on him.

─…P-Presence?

─Yes! Presence! Listen to me, Miss.

Gulp.

─When the moment feels right, charge.

·

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Thud thud thud! Thud thud thud!

The words Sindy had spoken last night echoed loudly in Linda’s mind.

When she snapped back to reality, her group was already far behind her.

Amidst it all, she could hear her brother Declan’s curses.

Her face flushed hot with embarrassment.

That damned mama’s boy is never any help in my life!

Did he really have to yell at his sister like that in front of Bihen and all these people, with no regard for propriety?

The real disgrace to the family was him, the immature brother who didn’t even realize it.

Just then, her mother’s advice came to mind.

It was something she always said, something she had emphasized repeatedly before Linda set out.

─Who knows? Your destined partner might be in Conwell. So, Linda, you must always be ready for fate. Men never spare a glance for women who seem stronger than them. Keep that in mind, alright? I almost lost my chance with your father once because I stepped up by mistake. Don’t make the same mistake and suffer needlessly like I did…

Linda squeezed her eyes shut.

Sorry, Mom. It seems a daughter can’t escape her mother’s fate after all.

Before she knew it, one hand was gripping the reins, the other clutching her sword.

…If the mood gets weird later, I’ll just say I was momentarily possessed.

The allied group approaching was now right in front of her.

Linda pulled out a small flag from her saddle and fixed it to her back like she was sheathing a sword.

The crest of the Theodore family fluttered above her head.

Hiiiiing!

She yanked the reins hard, and her horse let out a fierce cry, rearing up on its front legs.

The approaching group flinched in surprise.

Linda shouted at the man with the ponytail in the center of the group.

“Are you Kendrick?!”

“W-Who are you?!”

“Linda Theodore! Allied forces! Hurry and take cover behind me!”

Kendrick blinked in confusion.

…I have allies?

His mercenaries, equally bewildered, glanced at him for guidance.

Kendrick quickly barked orders.

“What are you all doing?! Move quickly! While the allies buy us time, reform the ranks!”

“Ooh!”

Kendrick and his men swiftly passed by Linda’s side.

As clouds of dust rose around them, the enemies charging straight at her came into clear view.

The lead knight narrowed his eyes.

“Theodore?! That rat Kendrick was denying it, but he is the Youngest Lady’s lackey after all.”

The knight twirled his lance above his head a few times before securing it horizontally under his arm.

“A measly territory like Theodore dares to meddle in Conwell’s affairs? Know your place!”

“…”

“You fearless wench! Don’t blame me—blame the lord who sent you here! Hiyaa-!”

Thud thud thud thud─!

The knight charged at full speed.

The dust kicked up by his horse’s hooves clouded the vision of his subordinates following behind.

“Hoo.”

Linda closed her eyes, then opened them.

A glint flashed in her gaze.

Kendrick, who had been frantically retreating, saw this and was stunned.

The girl sat motionless on her saddle, calmly staring at the knight charging at her with ferocious momentum, utterly unfazed.

“Hey, what are you doing?! Get out of the way—”

He didn’t even finish his sentence.

Boom!

The knight and the girl collided head-on.

To be precise, the knight had rammed into her.

At the same time, a shockwave mixed with dust erupted in all directions.

…!

Immediately after the collision, Kendrick doubted his own eyes.

Far from falling, the girl was gripping the knight’s lance with her left arm.

The spear’s tip, protruding slightly behind her, trembled violently.

The fierce shockwave that had surged moments ago was already dissipating as if it had never been.

Thud!

The sword in Linda’s right hand pierced through a gap in the knight’s armor.

Blood spurted out, and Kendrick stared at the scene in disbelief.

Thump.

A beat later, the knight, who had been locked in contact with Linda, tilted sideways and fell from his horse.

Kendrick’s eyes and mouth widened simultaneously.

His men were no different.

“What the… what just happened?!”

“Good heavens! What did that girl just do?!”

“Woooaah!”

Linda immediately adjusted her posture on the horse.

She paid no mind to the cheers behind her.

Thud thud thud! Thud thud thud!

The group following the knight was closing in.

There were far more of them than she had estimated from a distance.

“It’s the Theodore forces!”

“Push through! Wipe them all out!”

“All units, charge-!”

Kendrick heard the enemies’ shouts.

He gritted his teeth.

He couldn’t just retreat here.

He had the pride of a mercenary.

Besides, with that troublesome knight out of the way, they might just have a chance.

“We fight too! Let’s do this!”

The sound of metal being drawn echoed all around.

As if snapped awake by the sound, Kendrick’s eyes sharpened fiercely.

Just then—

“Hey, Kendrick.”

When had he gotten so close?

The voice came from right beside him.

Kendrick turned his head, his eyes widening as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Bihen… Benkou…!?”

“Looks like you’ve finally come to your senses. I thought you’d stay a fool forever.”

He was referring to the time during the Talrug Canyon campaign when Kendrick had collapsed under the Mandrake’s Dark Magic.

Kendrick later learned that Bihen had saved his life.

Though Bihen was his savior, their first meeting hadn’t exactly been pleasant, especially since Kendrick had accused him of being the Archduke’s spy…

His emotions were understandably complicated.

* * *

Kendrick stared at me intensely. I couldn’t fathom why he was looking at me so uncomfortably.

By the way…

Linda Theodore.

Last night, when Bonnie explained the Theodore forces’ strength, she had specifically mentioned that name.

Now I understand why.

If she’s cloaked her entire body in protective aura…

Bolero had said something like that. In their terms, they called it a Mana Field, didn’t they?

Meanwhile, Bonnie and her husband, who had arrived a step late, briefly exchanged greetings with Kendrick.

Declan, who had followed close behind, rushed toward his sister like a shot.

“You crazy girl!”

“Brother? Why are you here…”

“Why?! Do you want to die?!”

Even with enemies closing in, Declan didn’t care and immediately started scolding his sister.

His handsome face twisted into something demonic.

“You’re hell-bent on making your only brother a disloyal son! If something happened to you here, how could I face our parents?!”

“No, I…”

“Shut it! Are you hurt?!”

“Of course not—”

Clang!

I leaped from my saddle.

I deflected a spear blade flying toward them and landed.

“Let’s save the talk for later.”

“Sir Bihen…!”

I immediately employed Frost Sword.

In an instant, the long blade of my Bastard Sword was enveloped in white frost.

Whoosh—!

I swung it.

The distance was close enough.

A wave of cold surged forward, skimming the ground.

The target was the horses’ legs.

Crack crack crack!

The sound of freezing air mixed with all sorts of noises shook the area.

Horses let out frantic cries as they fell, and the soldiers riding them tumbled in every direction.

“Sweep them away!”

It was Kendrick.

At his command, his men rushed past me in unison.

* * *

The fight ended quickly.

Kendrick’s mercenaries proved quite valiant, and Bonnie’s wide-area magic played its part perfectly.

The enemy, with their formation broken, either fell without much resistance or scattered in all directions.

“Haa, haa…”

Whose breathing was so loud?

It was Declan, sprawled out on the ground.

His sister Linda was comforting him by his side, looking perfectly calm as if nothing had happened.

“Ah.”

Our eyes met briefly, but she quickly turned away. What was that about?

…Oh.

I hadn’t realized I’d been closely observing her fight.

She must have noticed my gaze.

Damn, that was a mistake.

Even in the Empire, openly scrutinizing someone’s swordsmanship is considered quite rude.

I’ll have to apologize properly later.

As I turned quietly, Bonnie and her husband approached, with Kendrick in tow.

For some reason, all three looked grim.

Before I could ask, Bonnie spoke first.

“Sweetheart, listen to this. I don’t think we can just brush this off.”

She subtly pointed her thumb at Kendrick.

I didn’t know much about this ponytail guy, nor did I particularly want to dig deeper…

But Kendrick looked uncharacteristically anxious.

His fingers fidgeted, and his lips twitched as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t.

He was like a restless mutt.

“What is it?”

The mood was grating, so I asked curtly.

He flinched, startled, but still didn’t speak.

I shot a questioning look at Bonnie and her husband, but they clamped their mouths shut as if they didn’t want to say it either.

“I’m… sorry.”

Did I just hear that wrong?

I looked at Kendrick.

He spoke again.

“I owe you my life… again.”

“That’s not something to apologize for.”

“…”

Even if he’s older than me, I couldn’t just keep pressing him when he was too intimidated to speak.

Annoyed by how everything was getting on my nerves, I irritably scanned the surroundings.

The Theodore forces were lounging and chatting casually, while Kendrick’s mercenaries were sneaking glances at me, just like their leader.

As I turned back to Kendrick—

“Please… forgive us, Bihen Benkou.”

“…What?”

“We… used your name.”

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