EP6. Before the Storm (3)
Sean and Levy were up early in the morning.
To be more precise, it would be correct to say that I did not get enough sleep.
After returning from the banquet, Sean and Levy talked at the lodge.
And the two came to a conclusion.
I don’t know exactly what their strange behavior yesterday meant, but judging from the bloody atmosphere at the end and the strange flow of yesterday’s banquet.
That banquet was a moment of great crisis for them.
In that moment, Hector deliberately saved Sean and Levy, even hurting his fellow Baron Dios.
Of course, this could also be an intentional ploy. But Shawn and Levy decide to trust Hector.
The two decided to pack up their belongings and leave Laes as soon as dawn broke.
“……Is Hector okay…?”
Sean sighed as Levy asked questions anxiously while he was packing his things.
“····Well, I have no choice but to pray that it will be alright. . . Because we are more dangerous now.”
“・・・・Yes. That’s right.”
It was completely unexpected for Levi to think he would threaten them.
At a banquet celebrating the arrival of peace in the city after annihilating the monsters, killing those who contributed to the peace was an act that Levi still couldn’t understand.
Didn’t they even covet themselves and try to attract them? Even in the morning, they talked with Shrigel, lent them clothes, and tried to look good to them.
Levi felt her head throb and hurt. When Levy put his hand on her head and her complexion didn’t look good, Shaun asked Levy, worried.
“Levy? Are you okay? Are you sick?”
“No, just. Let’s go.”
Maybe the only way out is to get out of this city as quickly as possible. Thinking so, Sean and Levy hurriedly left the dorm.
Early in the morning, when the innkeeper was asleep, Sean left the room with only a note for the innkeeper.
It was early in the morning when the sun was still not completely up, half-hidden.
The two headed for the entrance of the city, worried that they might run into someone on the street.
Maybe they headed towards the entrance of the city like that, Shawn and Levy had no choice but to stop walking for a moment.
It was because there were guards guarding the entrance to the city even though it was still early in the morning.
It sounds obvious, but the meaning of city guards is that they are subordinates under the orders of Baron Dios, who is said to be the owner of the city.
From noble mtl dot com.
If, by any chance, Dios gave the guards an order to beware of Shawn and Levy, what should we do then?
Because of that problem, Shaun and Levy couldn’t stand upright and stared at the entrance of the castle gate from the alleyway with their heads sticking out.
“What should I do?”
“Um…, I wonder if there is any other place to go out…”
“Well, but we don’t have much time to find a place like that.”
As Sean and Levy were putting their heads together and thinking, someone felt a tap on Sean’s shoulder.
Since Levy was right in front of him, it was impossible to sneak up on Sean’s shoulder.
Sean immediately drew his sword and placed it savagely at the throat of the assailant behind him.
“aaa, Sean! It’s me!”
“·····Mr. Kania…?”
“Shaun! Shawn! Put down this sword! Aww.”
As if she had properly caught up on her fear, Kania kept her eyes closed and let out her strange screams.
Her good fortune is that she, too, is aware of her situation and is trying to keep her screams as quiet as possible.
Sean put the sword in her words, and Levy looked at Kania and asked.
“How is Kania-san here…?”
“Please follow me. I’ll tell you everything as we go.”
***
Cania, a native of Laes, knew every corner of the city. And among them was a dog hole through which you could get out of the city.
Sean and Levy were able to follow Kania out of the city.
Then the two began to listen to Kania’s explanation.
“Gania-san…”
“Yes. My brother told me everything last night. And he asked me. Please get them out of the city safely.”
Levy’s words reminded him of last night’s Gania. She told herself to quickly get out of this banquet hall, and Gania’s concern for the two of them was evident.
What would have happened if she had left immediately as she said then? Levy realized that this question meant nothing. She was in the past anyway, and since she was away from Shawn at the time, she had to go into the parlor anyway.
If it wasn’t for Hector, they wouldn’t be able to resist right away, and they would just go ahead with their plan…
“Today, just walk hard without resting. Perhaps even the baron would not pursue it if he knew the distance had increased.”
“Why did the baron want to kill us? And why are the branch manager and the merchant…”
“····I don’t know the details either. But I think you know at least that it will be dangerous if you continue to stay in the city.”
At Kania’s words, Sean and Levy fell into thought. Then Sean suddenly remembered something he had forgotten.
Cren. Is he alright after coming to this city with them?
But as Shawn thought about it, he realized that maybe he didn’t pose much of a threat to him.
In the first place, he is now staying with Hector’s ‘Silent Wolf’ clan. He had faith that as long as Hector was under him, he would protect Kren.
“Thank you, Mr. Kania. Really.”
“What? I have nothing but apologetic heart. I plan to follow you around during the day. If you run into someone, just say that I was looking for monsters with you under the direction of the branch manager, and it will be fine.”
After that, the three of them walked outside the city without saying anything for a while.
The direction they were headed was Sean and Levy’s home town.
Sean is so tired right now. Probably Levi too.
I don’t intend to end the adventure, but it would be a good option for both of us to at least take a break from the town and then set off again.
Perhaps to end the awkward silence, Kania forced herself to talk.
“Still, I’m glad. Maybe it’s because of yesterday’s banquet, both adventurers and mercenaries will probably start their activities after the sun goes down!”
Certainly, as she said, I saw it the other day yesterday, albeit from a distance, but at the banquet, the adventurers and mercenaries ate a lot of alcohol and food, so they must have fallen asleep by now.
“Come to think of it, did Kania come to the banquet yesterday? I guess I didn’t see it.”
“Ah… I’m not the type to like things that loud.”
Hmm, I think the girl who actually says that is the loudest among the three. There’s no need to bring it out of your mouth.
At that time, while walking down the street, something caught my eye.
“····This?”
“It looks like a wagon.”
As Kania said, there was a wagon in the middle of the road.
It’s so broken that it’s hard to recognize its shape.
“Who is this?”
“Did I get attacked by bandits?”
Sean inferred the situation based on what they had experienced in the past. But Levy shook his head at Sean’s words.
She also recalled her past, but it was a different situation than Sean expected.
That’s not something a bandit would do. Destroying a wagon like that would be very hard work, and the bandit had no need to do so.
There was a much more suitable person to do such a thing. That, too, had happened to Sean and Levy before.
“····Monster.”
“Definitely. It is highly likely.”
At the words of the girls, Shawn’s expression also changed seriously. The three checked to see if there were any survivors in the wagon.
However, there were only broken items inside the wagon, and no human beings were seen.
I wonder what happened to it, it’s ridiculous that it was a carriage without people in the first place.
Could it be that monsters ate people without leaving a trace?
While thinking that way, Shawn discovered something.
Levi and Kania didn’t seem to notice, but Sean, who had been hunting for years, was able to find traces of it.
“He ran away.”
“Huh?”
“The person in the carriage abandoned the carriage and ran into this forest. The monster also chased after him.”
At Sean’s words, Levy looked at the forest he pointed at. Dark and dense forest. Are there still people in me? Are you begging for help?
The three stayed there for a while. No one was in a hurry to open their mouths. It was not an easy decision to make.
Because I don’t know what the consequences of this choice will be. Reason and emotion point in opposite directions. You can’t decide which one is right.
It was Kania who broke that heavy silence first. She said to them both with her determined eyes.
“Everyone, go the way you used to. I will go into the woods and find him.”
“No. That doesn’t work.”
Sean already knew that Kania had no special fighting abilities. Her righteous heart must have been praised, but now it was mere bravado.
“Shaun. Let’s go.”
“Are you okay…?”
“Yes. I’ve decided If it’s possible with my strength, I’ll make sure no one gets killed by the monsters.”
Sean nodded at her words. So was Sean.
Just like when Levi lost her father and made up his mind to defeat all the monsters and make sure that no one suffers from them.
After losing her older brother, Sean decided to protect only Levi and become her shield.
It was the conviction of a girl and a boy.
There was no reason to stop it.
“Mr. Kania, she is going back to the city and telling me there are monsters…”
“I will follow you. Please don’t stop this.”
“Yes. Please stay behind us instead. Got it?”
“hehehe. Thank you. I will only trust Sean and Levy.”
After making up their minds, the three went into the woods. Sean had already caught a monster alone with Levy, so he wasn’t too worried.
Without knowing the consequences of that choice.
***
“Keuugh!”
Strong. The monster’s blow was so strong that Sean took a deep breath for a moment.
It was an obvious mistake on their part. It was such a reckless arrogance. I was tainted with idle thoughts.
As expected, there were monsters in the forest. Following Sean’s pursuit, the three of them were able to find the monster.
It was smaller than the Orchi Magna I had seen before.
However, its momentum was clearly at least equal to that monster, or higher.
The big horn in the center of the monster’s nose was already covered in blood.
The man who seemed to be the owner of the blood, who seemed to be the owner of the carriage, fell down with his body pierced in the middle and was being eaten by the monster.
The three immediately challenged the monster to a fight. Shawn drew his sword, Levi focused on casting his spell, and Kania pulled out her bow.
But the situation was not good. Sean and Kania’s attack didn’t work properly.
The monster’s skin was so thick and hard that swords and arrows couldn’t even scratch it, let alone pierce it.
Sean tried to figure out the monster’s weakness, but he couldn’t see it. At least now, with their usual methods, there is no weakness to attack that monster.
The monster was very fast. The sight of the monster running on all fours made Shawn realize that now was not the time to rest.
It was impossible to block them head on. Because the power difference is beyond imagination. He dodged to the side, barely slicing the horns of the charging monster with his sword.
How much more can we avoid in the future? Sean’s stamina hadn’t run out yet. However, both his physical and mental strength were in fairly poor condition.
I couldn’t sleep all night after that happened yesterday. It was the same for Levi, so she was not using her magic as much as she thought.
What will change if you keep holding on, this place is deep in the forest, no one will come no matter how much you hold on. Shawn brushed off the negative thoughts and yelled at Levy.
“Levy! Any way!?”
“Wait! Because I am doing it now!”
As he said, Levi used her magic. Maybe it’s because most battle magic didn’t work on her, but the magic she used this time was a little different from before.
“It’s magic that blocks movement! . . But I don’t know how long it will last.
I wasn’t sure about Levi’s words. Because the monster’s resistance was so strong, she wouldn’t buy it that long.
And in the end, her magic will be of no use if she doesn’t do something during that time.
“Shaun, what should I do…. I think this magic is the limit.”
Shaun felt his eyes go dark. The only thing he could trust was Levi’s magic, but now even that is the last.
Something must be done while that monster is immobilized by Levi’s magic.
What should I do? How can this situation…
“Shaun. Go back to Laes and ask for support.”
“······Yes? But Levi…”
“I’ll be watching over Levi in the meantime.”
Sean was dumbfounded by Kania’s words. Then he told her
“I have to do the opposite. I’ll pass the time while protecting Levi, so Kania-san…”
“No. It’s okay for me to stay. I’m not confident in running for a long time, but I’m confident in my swordsmanship skills.”
“Yes?”
Kania said with a carefree smile that was out of proportion to the situation.
“Shawn, could you lend me your sword for a minute?”
“····Uh, here. No, wait. Cania.”
“From what I’ve seen, I was a disciple of Mr. Hector who was more promising than my younger brother. I gave up quickly because my stamina was so bad.”
“······.”
“Go. Are you going to waste the time Levi gave you?”
Sean looked back at Kania and Levy once.
He gritted his teeth and said.
“Yes. Wait for me. I will bring as many as I can, as quickly as possible.”
“hehehe. Yes. I will believe you!”