Chapter 93 : Chapter 93

Chapter 093 : Moving Forward Together (2)

After entrusting Kendrick’s custody to the mercenaries, I left Sylphiroa alone.

I unleashed my Movement Techniques at full speed.

Along the way, I encountered Yeats’s forces, and their formation seemed deliberately scattered.

The farther I got from Sylphiroa, the sparser their numbers became.

Here, I fell into a dilemma.

Would it be safer to take the villagers with me or to have them return to Sylphiroa?

I may not know much, but I know this much: Yeats is not in his right mind or rather, he can’t control his madness.

Like how he’s scattered his forces now, he might have already given orders to indiscriminately retaliate if the people return to Sylphiroa.

That’s just the kind of guy he is.

He’d do anything to provoke me. If, by some chance, I fail to catch him in this fight, the danger grows even greater.

With this in mind, my heart was gradually leaning toward staying close to them.

Of course, this choice is risky too.

It means falling right into Yeats’s strategy.

If an all-out battle breaks out, I’d have to fight while protecting the people of Sylphiroa, which would lead to a loss of strength.

‘Yeats, you cunning bastard.’

Let’s be honest.

In wartime, saying this about an enemy commander is high praise.

‘He’s seen through me.’

Realizing he can’t win in a head-on fight, he’s dug into my weaknesses and relentlessly exploited them.

Weaknesses… It’s absurd even to mention them.

The sorrow for innocent sacrifices, compassion for the weak, anger at actions that defy human decency.

It’s not some grand chivalry.

These are emotions anyone would feel.

It’s infuriating and sad that these natural feelings have become weaknesses in this situation.

But have I been sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong? No.

Even if Yeats suddenly declared a massacre in some random place, I’m not so selfless as to drop everything and rush to save them.

Since coming to Conwell, I haven’t been swayed by anyone.

I’ve always moved for my beliefs and immediate goals, and there just happened to be people who needed help along the way.

Of course, sometimes saving them became the goal itself.

The real reason I’m angry is this:If I were overwhelmingly stronger than I am now, this situation wouldn’t feel like a cumbersome weakness in the first place.

‘I need to get stronger.’

In the fight with the Blood Devil, I advanced to the Mid-Peak stage.

There’s no doubt that reaching the Late stage next will pave a straighter path for this life.

But since when did it start? There’s been one more thread added here.

‘…Just me?’

From the Crimson Flame Cult to the events up to now, it’s been there in the series of incidents I’ve faced.

The people I can trust to have my back.

At some point, they started pushing my steps farther forward.

Perhaps I’m not just helping and being helped by Adeline, but looking toward something greater.

Together with them.

Like, say, the Empire’s invasion…

Well, natural disasters aren’t something a single person can prepare for alone.

In that sense, the third rule of Bihen Benkou’s chivalry is…

“Kyaaaaah!”

My ears perked up.

A narrow path lined with gaunt trees.

The front was pitch-black like a cave, impossible to see the end.

The scream just came from that darkness.

Boom—!

I stomped the ground hard.

My body shot forward, and the scenery blurred past on both sides.

By the time faint screams and murmurs reached my ears, I was already in the middle of the scene.

“Sir Bihen!”

Linda said, her eyes wide like a rabbit’s.

She was holding Mist Fang Wolf by the scruff of its neck, and somehow, the beast was limp like a dead wolf pup.

The important thing is that Mist Fang Wolf was just killed.

“Let it go!”

I quickly snatched Mist Fang Wolf and threw it far away.

It exploded in midair.

Pop—Bang!

“Eek!”

Linda and the others screamed in unison.

Black residue fluttered over their heads.

“What… what was that just now…?”

“A Demonic Beast whose corpse explodes. Explaining further would take too long. By the way, how did you kill it?”

“Huh? Uh, I just… kind of did this and that, and it died…”

Linda glanced at me nervously, jabbing the air with her fist.

I’m such an idiot. Asking that first in a situation like this.

I quickly scanned the surroundings.

There were no more Mist Fang Wolves.

No one seemed injured either.

Just then, the village chief came rushing over, his face like he’d seen someone he thought was dead.

“Sir Bihen…!”

“The Spirit Tree is safe. Don’t worry.”

I told him what he’d be most concerned about first.

Sighs of relief and gasps erupted from all around.

* * *

We shared the situation.

I told Linda and the village chief about Yeats’s strategy as I saw it.

Fortunately, they both agreed with me.

“Going back to Sylphiroa and returning would take too much time and effort. Meanwhile, the main force could get isolated.”

“Sir Bihen, I don’t know how to thank you for caring so much. But we’re such a burden… I’m deeply sorry.”

At this point, I reminded myself.

I can’t ignore the people of Sylphiroa just because of duty.

It’s because Sylphiroa itself could become a powerful asset for Conwell and Adeline in the future.

“For now, let’s join the main force and head to Haspeld nearby. It’s best to stay there until the chaos subsides.”

Good thing I sweet-talked Anderson.

First, we decided to get out of this ominous forest.

The village chief asked,

“Are all the mercenaries safe? I’m ashamed to say we haven’t even properly thanked them. Of course, we’ll pay them what they deserve, but they’re righteous people who voluntarily stepped into danger. If anything happened to them…”

The chief let out a deep sigh.

The weight of his worries was etched into the wrinkles on his face.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“The mercenaries all did their job.”

That’s all I could say.

I think it’s the best I can do.

‘No need to tell them the mercenaries were in cahoots with Yeats.’

It’s not about avoiding disappointing the chief or the people of Sylphiroa, nor is it out of loyalty to those who fought alongside me, risking their lives.

It’s just respect and courtesy as a swordsman living on the edge of death.

That’s about it.

‘Kendrick.’

As the leader of an organization, he likely had no choice but to submit to Yeats for the sake of his men.

The weak don’t have many options in the face of a strongman’s threats.

‘I don’t hold any grudges.’

Everyone has their story. Especially mercenaries.

I saw his spirit.

At least as a mercenary, he was a pretty cool guy.

That’s enough for me.

I hope Kendrick keeps moving forward without stopping, like me. Maybe one day we’ll cross paths again.

‘When that time comes…’

Maybe I can show him respect in a different way.

Even if it’s trivial, as someone reliable I can trust to have my back.

“Wow! I can see the end!”

Linda shouted from the side.

Indeed, the end of the path was shining brightly.

The shadows around made the light seem even more radiant.

“It really feels like escaping a cave, doesn’t it, Sir Bihen?”

Linda, who had been walking briskly, turned around and said.

Her lively smile seemed to brighten the gloomy atmosphere.

Maybe it’s a talent only someone as unblemished as her could have.

“There might be an ambush, so don’t let your guard down until the end.”

“Yes, yes, of course. By the way, Sir Bihen, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Uh, well…”

I had been keeping my senses sharp.

Even so, Demonic Beasts can slip through, so I was walking while staying vigilant, on edge.

“Um, you’re… not mad, right…?”

“No. If it’s not urgent, you can save the question for later…”

“No, no! It has to be now!”

Linda pursed her lips and spoke in a small voice.

“Sir Bihen, do you, by any chance… have a wife or a fiancée arranged by your family in the Empire…?”

In a situation like this, she’s asking something like that.

I barely held back a curse.

“…No.”

“Really? Oh, I see. I don’t either.”

Linda beamed, practically twisting her body in delight.

Behind her.

At the exit, bright like a clear sun, someone stood alone with the light at their back.

It almost looked like a shadow standing tall.

‘Yeats.’

My instincts whispered.

My right hand was already reaching for the hilt of the Bastard Sword on my back.

At the same time, my left hand was about to push Linda’s shoulder aside.

“Whoa, whoa! Look at that temper. Take one more step, and I’ll wipe them all out.”

I’m not the kind to be shaken by cheap provocations.

‘Clone, launch.’

I close the distance in an instant.

Swish!

“Ha, you think I’m joking?”

It was just before the transformation.

Yeats casually raised one hand.

His smirk was relaxed.

“Ruin.”

His voice pierced my ears like a dagger chilled to ice.

Then, a cracking sound, like something snapping, began echoing from all directions.

It came with a violent tremor in the ground.

Rumble—!

“Sir Bihen!”

I saw their shocked faces in the wildly shaking view.

It only takes a moment for focus to waver.

Boom!

The sound came from where my clone had been.

A tree, uprooted and fallen, was crushing that spot.

My gaze shot upward.

Eerie—

A hollow sound crept in, chillingly.

The trees lined on both sides were slowly tilting.

Their gaunt branches stretched out like blades, menacingly.

“The trees are falling!”

“Aaah! We’re going to get crushed!”

“Mom! Mommy!”

I drew Zahara Toxeed.

I had to cut them all down before they gained momentum.

I’d already managed to infuse Sword Aura into both blades during my fight with Iroen.

‘I can do this.’

That’s when it happened.

“To hell with it! Everyone, get to me! Hurry!”

Linda shouted urgently.

She stretched both arms upward as if holding up the sky.

Wooong!

A blue glow must have flashed in my pupils.

A bluish barrier overlaid my vision.

‘Mana Field!’

Mana extended from Linda’s hands, drawing graceful curves in the air.

It was similar to what Kevin had done.

If I had to compare, even to my untrained eye, this one felt somewhat crude, but now wasn’t the time to nitpick.

A hemispherical shield enveloped hundreds of people.

Regardless of its perfection, had I ever seen such a beautiful spell in all my lives?

“W-Wow! I did it! It worked!”

In the midst of this, Linda grinned widely.

She was consistently radiant.

That kind of thing must be innate.

The shadow looming overhead grew darker.

The trees blocked the sky and began falling like guillotines.

Crash! Boom! Boom! Crack! Boom!

Crash—!

·

·

·

It was like a storm with hail had swept through.

It reminded me of the fight at the Crimson Flame Cult’s lair.

It’s similar.

After the violent impact that shook the ground, the area fell into silence amid the thick dust.

Of course, it was brief.

“Cough! Cough!”

Amid the coughing sounds here and there, various noises mixed in.

The sound of shattered mana fragments trickling down, wood scraping against the barrier and the ground, the groans of people crouched low… Among them was Linda’s trembling breath.

“Linda!”

While everyone was hunched over, she still stood firm.

As if she couldn’t take a single step back, her arms remained raised.

But her elbows were trembling.

A trickle of blood ran down from her tightly bitten lips.

“I’m… fine!”

My gaze, which had lingered on Linda, slowly turned back.

It was because of the mocking laughter coming from the chaos outside the Mana Field.

“Well, isn’t there always a spoilsport? I went out of my way to lighten the load of our dear Sword Fiend.”

It was beyond the dust swirling like fog.

A faint outline took shape.

He stood atop the wreckage of fallen trees, looking down with an arrogant stance.

“Isn’t that right, Bihen Benkou?”

As he finished speaking, red glints unfolded like a curtain around his shadow.

Like hunting dogs obeying their master, they revealed their presence in unison.

“You’ve gone and done it.”

I gripped Zahara Toxeed’s hilt so tightly it might break.

I nearly let out a curse like the reckless fool I was in my past life.

“You’re digging your own grave.”

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