“Has Robert… left?”
“Yeah, he has.”
Looking at Adele, who returned alone, Lothos wore a troubled expression. He thought she seemed a bit shaken since discovering that the princess was in danger. Although saving the princess was the top priority, he found it hard to understand why she would want to go alone.
Her serious attitude made it impossible to dissuade her, and besides, Adele had tacitly allowed it. What worried him was Adele’s expression.
It was a look Lothos had never seen before, making it hard to gauge what kind of mood she was in. One thing was certain: her mood was incredibly, very bad right now.
“…He went.”
Adele replied softly, slightly bowing her head. Unlike her usual self, she seemed a bit gloomy.
She looked like she was annoyed, yet the light in her eyes was dimmer than usual. Lothos couldn’t find the words to speak to Adele.
If he spoke now, it felt like her emotions would burst forth.
It was the first time he had seen her in a weak state. And only then did he remember that Adele was a woman before she was a Grand Duke.
If she returned looking like that after following Robert… no matter how much of a misunderstanding it might be, various rumors could arise.
She was probably worried. Adele could have followed him, but leading hundreds of soldiers was solely her responsibility. After all, there might be a group ambushing scattered soldiers, making it impossible to leave easily.
So, the only option was to move quickly and join Robert as soon as possible. Going alone would take a few hours, but traveling together would easily consume a day.
“I think it’s best to move quickly. I don’t think Temujin will catch us, but he’s not someone you can easily handle alone.”
“If we send the soldiers back now and have a small group rendezvous, how long would it take?”
“Do you plan to go without soldiers?”
“Even if we go together, it won’t be that much help. The goal is to rescue Her Highness the Princess; killing Temujin can wait.”
Under normal circumstances, killing Temujin would have been the top priority. However, now the princess’s life was in jeopardy.
If they prioritized anything else while leaving the princess, who could be considered a hostage, they might lose everything.
So, is that why she wants to strike with a small force? Realizing that Adele’s judgment wasn’t bad, Lothos nodded and spoke.
“Then let’s do that. It seems best for Bunta to lead the soldiers and join us later.”
“Alright, then you and Bunta stay behind with the soldiers. I’ll go ahead with the rest.”
“…Wait, am I being left behind?”
“If you’re unhappy, then learn to use a sword. It’ll be tough protecting you there; are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“That’s not it.”
It would be better if he could keep a calm demeanor beside her, but if he didn’t take that role, who would? Lothos reluctantly nodded.
If he wasn’t there… perhaps Robert would take on that role.
But then, if a situation arose where Robert was injured or killed, what then?
Just imagining that didn’t feel good at all, so Lothos sighed quietly and wiped his forehead.
Please let no one get hurt.
As he moved towards Bunta, he took a glance at Adele, who was preparing to leave with her lieutenants.
It would be nice if it was just a hunch, but somehow, he had a bad feeling.
It wasn’t good.
“Do you hear anything outside?”
– No, not right now. It was a bit noisy earlier, but now there’s no sound at all.
After riding the wolf for a while,
I could finally see the Teranite mine in the Northwest where the Princess was.
There weren’t too many members of the Immigrant Tribe surrounding the area.
Maybe the Imperial Army had taken care of them to some extent.
Plus, Adele had stationed some soldiers there, so it should take a while before the Immigrant warriors would come charging at Miragen.
Keeping in touch with Miragen was to reassure her.
Hiding in a space with no one to talk to is pretty tough,
and it could easily amplify her anxiety.
Even small talk would be good; it’s better to have someone to talk to in this kind of situation.
The place I was headed was the entrance to a secret passage that could reach where she was,
having somewhat grasped its location after various explanations.
I just needed to get there and join Miragen, but looking ahead, I could tell something was wrong.
“The moment of quiet must mean the soldiers and the Immigrant Tribe are fighting.”
– Oh, are they fighting right now? How’s the situation?
“Of course, we’re losing. We didn’t station anyone anticipating this kind of situation.”
– …I figured as much.
It was just a precaution to have them stationed, but no one could have expected Temujin to decide to attack.
I only raised the possibility in my mind.
This was the first time encountering such a situation, so it made sense to ponder only one scenario.
Someone must’ve helped Temujin. The Princess’s stay in the Northwest was a top-secret matter known only to the lieutenant level in the North.
Either someone from the Imperial Family with a high position or one of Adele’s lieutenants must have informed Temujin of that fact.
But it couldn’t have been a lieutenant; who could have told Temujin about the Princess?
Even after thinking more, no distinct figure came to mind.
While the Crown Prince could intervene, there was no compelling reason for him to keep an eye on the Princess right now.
After all, Miragen had only died once throughout all my loops.
Of course, at that time, she and I had already grown quite close, so the situation was entirely different from now.
Still, there were gnawing points that made it hard to dismiss… Remembering the letter from Renold, I shook my head.
There were no signs of the Crown Prince taking action.
Even considering the possibility of Renold having different intentions, the Crown Prince, who was focused on the relics, wouldn’t have made a move in this situation.
Finding out who he contacted could wait for later.
For now, I needed to save Miragen first.
Gripping the sword I borrowed from Adele, a cold chill ran through me.
The sword made of iron from the frozen land was an exceptional blade, allowing me to wield as much of my magic as I wanted without strain.
I never expected she’d allow me to borrow it, much less permit me to use it.
She must have some trust in me.
Maybe fulfilling her faith is what I’ll need to do today.
Even if Adele chases me down again, the distance has already widened significantly.
By the time she arrived here, the situation will likely have come to an end.
What she would witness then would be one of two things.
Either I saved Miragen or we were both dead.
Slowly infusing magic into my body, I pondered.
If I fail to save Miragen, it’s highly likely that I’ll face various pressures in return.
If that’s the case, I might as well die again and aim for reincarnation.
I was used to dying.
Just not used to others dying.
“I guess it will be hard to have a conversation for a while.”
– Did you come around here?
“Yes, I’ll contact you again once things are somewhat organized. Until then, please wait and observe the situation. If I don’t reach out…”
There was always the possibility of “if.”
Now, with just about 10% of my former power after not recovering all of my previous abilities, it was hard to take on dozens of opponents.
And if Temujin joins in, it would surely lead to my death.
The best plan I could think of was to take them out one by one.
If that fails, it’s death, so I lingered for a moment and slightly parted my lips.
“If it seems like I can’t make contact, I’ll fight to the death with the enemy leader. So please, run away as much as you can. Find a way to survive.”
– You really talk about dying so calmly.
I chuckle softly at the voice that seems slightly annoyed.
After listening to Miragen vent her frustrations for a while, I muttered quietly.
“Then I guess we should stop contacting each other now.”
– Uh… Did I say something too harsh?
“That’s not it. It just feels like it’s time to start moving.”
What came into my sight was some of Temujin’s troops starting to mobilize.
They were trying to break through the blocked main gate and find another passage.
I needed to stop them. If they discover the eastern passage, Miragen would be in danger in various ways.
– …Don’t get hurt. It’s an order.
As those words echoed in my ears, I was about to respond but quietly put the artifact into my pocket.
A long conversation with Miragen was best avoided.
Especially in a situation like this, I could get lost in unnecessary thoughts and mess things up.
Thump.
I quietly closed my eyes as my heart beat softly.
It was a kind of ritual before dedicating myself to something.
The chances were high that the leisure of hiding my power like before wouldn’t work.
I would have to squeeze out my full strength, to the limit if possible.
As I gripped Adele’s sword again, a blue light shimmered.
Even in this twilight, it was a brilliant light visible at a glance, and soon the immigrant tribe members who noticed me began to change direction and charge towards me.
Dismounting from the wolf, I shook the reins a few times and ran off in the opposite direction of where the immigrants were coming from.
Only after the wolf was far away and out of sight did I let out a small sigh.
It was easier to fight on foot than while riding the wolf.
And since the wolf could get hurt, I steadied my posture and took a deep breath.
Suuuuu—
The wind flowed.
The cloak billowed as if it was fluttering like a flag over the hill where I stood.
At the same time, my shining magic power would probably look like the largest target among them.
I thrust my sword at the immigrants who had come close.
Shwaaack—! The sound of swords clashing didn’t reach me.
I focused solely on slashing, different from when I fought Bunta.
This wasn’t about testing each other’s skills; it was simply about killing.
Piercing through hearts, I seized the enemy’s sword and plunged it into another.
“Ah, just stick it into someone else like that.”
A blue line flowing from the sword fiercely emitted light.
The breath that entered through the lungs became vitality, and that vitality connected to the muscles. As I twisted my body and swung the sword, I took down three.
Two, three.
Once again, one, two.
Battle is a flow. The process of swinging the sword and inhaling must all connect as one.
Even if I said I seized the momentum, that would be nothing but arrogance in the face of these numbers.
If I let my movements falter for even a moment, I might be the one to suffer.
I thrust my fist into the approaching enemy’s solar plexus.
Gah, as a sound escapes, I grab the head that spews blood and slam it into the ground before kicking away to create distance.
The gap of the sword.
No enemy can enter the circle drawn by my arm and sword.
Simply conveying this gap would surely break their morale.
The name ‘Sword Saint’ was not mine right now.
It was merely a fragment from previous encounters; to them, I was just Adele’s lieutenant.
Yet, there was still something the same.
For instance, the gaze of those looking at me.
Initially filled with mockery, their eyes slowly turned to fear,
and that fear would cause their actions to hesitate.
That was the difference between formally trained knights and these folks.
Harboring emotions in the midst of a fight allows one to pierce a single point.
“Retreat—retreat now!”
“Dammit, everyone run away!”
At the moment the retreat trumpet sounded against one person, the chances of victory visible to them would surely be skewed and never recovered.
As my breath grew rapid, I bit my lips. I couldn’t afford to show any openings.
Rather than show signs of fatigue, it was better to grit my teeth and push through.
“Huhhh!”
I plunged my sword into the chest of the immigrant tribe member whose eyes met mine.
Turning towards the mangled corpse torn apart, I swung my sword at the remaining ones.
Blind arrows struck, and wildly swinging swords scraped flesh from bodies.
I did not stop.
I knew it was better to forcibly hold onto those retreating, showing them that I still had some leeway.
Spitting out chunks of blood, I took a moment to catch my breath.
I realized there were no enemies standing around anymore.
Had I cut down about thirty? Only after the eerie moonlight shone upon me did I realize.
I was drenched in blood.
The fortunate thing was that not much of it was mine.
If it had been poisoned, that would have been a problem, but for now, it seemed okay.
Frowning at the slowly creeping sharp pain, I started to move my feet.
Now that I was aware I was here, attempts to breach the door would be delayed.
“I’ve bought time; all I need is to regroup.”
With a deep breath, I pulled the arrow stuck in my shoulder, and blood gushed forth.
I hastily wrapped a cloth around it to stop the bleeding and couldn’t help but chuckle at Miragen’s words that suddenly came to mind.
I think she told me not to get hurt; in doing this, I’ve immediately defied that order.
“…Is she mad?”
Frowning, I crossed my arms, clearly imagining what she would say.
It was always this way whenever Miragen got angry with me.
It would be tough to appease the sulking Miragen.
Chuckling at the worry that suddenly arose, I resumed my steps.
This time, I hoped to see her angry expression.
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