23 – Episode 3. Unintended Attention is a Warning. (1)
“Damn it.”
It was not the time to calmly think about what would happen at the academy.
The quest window expanded, showing the location of the demon worshippers.
Once again, their location appeared as red dots on the map. And new marks in blue appeared around the carriage I was on.
“Blue marks…?”
If you looked from a distance, it would not be surprising to be attacked immediately. Still, seeing them chasing from a certain distance, it could be inferred that these blue marks were the locations of the Dark Elves.
There were a total of eight blue marks.
But two were left at the Duke’s mansion, and the remaining six were following the carriage.
The number was smaller than expected. Including our Sirius knights, there were only twelve of us.
Considering that the worshippers were only twenty-one, we were outnumbered. Moreover, if their goal was to assassinate me, they would not have sent a half-hearted force.
They must be individuals with considerable combat power, different from the worshippers who infiltrated the city of Franck.
From the beginning, if I had been wishy-washy, the quest wouldn’t have told me to seek the help of a Dark Elf.
Honestly, I’m not sure if Dark Elves are particularly outstanding in combat. In the original work, they were just another statistic on Mine’s combat power meter.
But there’s one exception, and that’s Yan.
Even though she’s one of the people forced to kneel before Mine, among the Dark Elves, she’s known as a pinnacle, a specialized killing machine in combat.
Ironically, Mine even told her to follow willingly.
To be exact, she intended to take her as someone willing to do dirty work. After all, gaining popularity was essential if she wanted to become an emperor.
“Anyway, it’s a good thing if I can get help from a Dark Elf, but…”
There’s a problem.
The problem is that Dark Elves have a notoriously nasty personality.
Dark Elves acquire a distinctive black skin not found in pure-blooded elves. So, non-pure-blooded elves live under persecution on the pretext of having impure blood.
Because of this, Dark Elves in Elven society inevitably had a rougher personality than pure-blooded elves.
In short, messing with them could lead to an elf trying to cut my throat, not a demon worshiper.
The reason Dark Elves with such vicious personalities could become executioners is that elven mothers used them as a tool for their own purposes.
There couldn’t have been a more expendable and discardable entity than Dark Elves.
“Sigh.”
A sigh escapes.
Anyway, no matter what, I have to follow the quest.
I should rest in a suitable location. There’s no telling what might happen if I’m attacked while running. Besides, there’s no protagonist or supporting character here to help me.
* * *
“It’s safer to go as fast as possible, Abel.”
The knights seemed puzzled by my sudden halt in an awkward position.
The field was completely open with no trees in sight.
This place would be less susceptible to ambush compared to elsewhere.
“Rest the horses while we can talk.”
“But…”
“For now, please follow my words.”
“If we rest here, we’ll arrive late at night. As night falls, the danger naturally increases.”
I fidgeted with the dagger hidden in my bosom, gazing at the knight.
“…We might die. Isn’t it better than being unable to go forever?”
“Die? What’s that…”
“Abel, you know that this route is much safer than the others. Even if bandits appear, we can handle it ourselves.”
I know it well too. The prowess of the Sirius Knights does not falter.
But the opponents coming to kill me now are unlikely to be mere bandits. At least I would have been safe if Forth or Lina were by my side.
Not long after, red dots began to surround our carriage. It seemed like they were hiding behind the trees.
“Prepare for battle, everyone.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t panic, draw your swords!”
“Yes!”
Swish!
After I played the sound, I drew my sword.
Instead of immediately summoning the Dark Elf, I waited for the clash between the devil worshippers and the assassination squad. If they collided on their own without me calling, it would be much less risky.
Thinking so, I checked the map.
The moment I looked at the map, I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes.
Even though the red and blue dots were overlapping, they didn’t recognize each other.
What’s going on here?
I quickly looked around after checking the direction, but it was still as silent as the eve of a storm.
Moreover, even though the red dot started coming this way, nothing was visible. Even if I couldn’t see the aura, it didn’t make sense that I couldn’t see anything in the open plain without any terrain features.
But what the quest showed was a clear ‘truth.’ In that case, it’s certain that something has been done over there.
What kind of move was made?
How could they conceal their body?
Is it a method I know? In novels, how did they hide themselves in a place without terrain features like this?
“No way….”
Are they wearing clothes enchanted with invisibility magic?
In the Veral Sect, there are wizards, but they are not useful for assassination. In that case, I can only think that they are wearing clothes with the function of invisibility magic.
In this case, it makes sense that there is no problem even though the dots overlap.
The assassination squad is excellent at hiding their presence even without invisibility magic, so the worshippers wouldn’t have been able to locate them.
Understanding all the circumstances, I chewed on my lower lip.
There’s no choice but to follow the quest. Let’s smoothly pass over explaining it to others. I should be able to handle it.
I took a deep breath.
“Yan!”
The voice echoed throughout the forest.
“I know you’re watching from there! Come out right now!”
Well, I did as the quest instructed. What else can I do?
Rustle!
I heard the sound of fabric brushing against the grass, and suddenly, a figure wearing a mask and a reversed hood stood before me.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
They pushed me into the carriage and held a sword to my throat. Their yellow eyes, filled with malice, glared at me.
“Who are you?!”
“What’s going on with these guys?!”
“Where did they come from?!”
The knights raised their swords, ready to strike at the threat to my life. But then, figures dressed exactly like the person pressing me down blocked the knights’ path.
“Stay still. If you don’t want to die… Well, even if you stay still, if I say die, you’ll die.”
I glanced at the map. A blue dot was attached to the carriage. So, these guys are dark elves.
“These guys…! How dare they be so insolent to us…!”
I reached out to the knights.
“Calm down. They won’t harm us. In fact, they’ll help us.”
“…?”
My words puzzled both the knights and the dark elves present. Sensing the attention turning to me, I spoke up.
“Yan.”
“Shut up…! How do you… know my name?!”
“You finally showed up. Thought you were too scared to appear.”
“Finally…? Are you seriously suggesting that you knew all along we were watching you?”
Her eyes wavered. The pupils that gazed at me shook without pause.
The thought of possible death made my heart pound as if it would burst, but I raised the corners of my mouth to laugh, pretending to be nonchalant.
“…If it sounded like that, it could be a misunderstanding.”
“Speak straight! If you don’t want to die…!”
“I’d tell you if I could. But I don’t have the luxury to do so right now.”
“What?”
I glanced at the quest window. Even though a red dot had come near the carriage, it wasn’t visible, so I could be certain now.
However, wearing a cloak enchanted with invisibility didn’t make one invincible. No matter how invisible one might be, it’s impossible to completely conceal one’s presence.
“You know it too, right? The sensation of popularity around us.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“What do you think of the demon worshippers, Yan?”
“…No way! Weren’t you my escort?!”
Her eyes widened. Then, abruptly, she pushed me away and swung her dagger.
Clang!
Sparks flew from the dagger that threatened my life. The sharp clanging announced the beginning of the battle.
Clang! Clang!
Yan blocks the unseen attacks from the opponent and holds his ground. How is he managing to block them?
“Do you really think you can kill us with just that level of skill, human!”
Swish! Swish!
It was a movement that couldn’t be followed with the eyes.
By the time he blinked once, the fate had already been sealed. One of the cultists of the demons, who had been hiding, had his limbs torn apart and collapsed.
“A skull with horns…! Is he really a cultist of the demons!”
Yan was astonished as he saw the opponent whose concealment was unraveled as his clothes tore apart. Then he shouted urgently.
“All units! Permission to engage in combat! The opponent is a cultist of the demons. Estimated around twenty members! Heighten your senses and focus on sensing their presence! And make sure to kill every single one of them without exception.”
“Yes!”
Did he just roughly estimate the number of members in an instant?
Indeed, he is one of the individuals that the protagonist is paying attention to.
“…You can watch for a little while longer, Abel Sirius.”
Yan looks down at me, who is lying on the ground, revealing his fangs.
He’s unbelievably ruthless. But it seems like he has no intention of killing me right away.
“Just a moment.”
I dusted off and got up from the ground.
“What is it?”
“You damaged my clothes. Even a small damage could affect the concealment magic on the clothes.”
I should let him know about this, as he’s making use of it.
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
She jumps onto the carriage without a word. Leaping onto the roof, she hurls the daggers she had concealed between her fingers randomly towards the ground.
One by one, the figures of the demon worshippers began to emerge. The process of the daggers embedding into the ground tore through the magic symbols sewn into their clothes.
“It’s…!”
“The horned skull emblem!”
Even the hesitating knights charged fiercely as they caught sight of the demon worshippers.
“These demon worshippers…!”
“For goodness’ sake! Kill them all!!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashes from all directions disoriented everyone. Inside the carriage, the attendants screamed in terror.
Other dark elves also overwhelmed the worshippers they were facing.
True to their infamous cruelty, they didn’t just slit throats but pierced hearts and severed the arms of the lifeless bodies.
As I watched the spectacle, a worshipper emerged from the blind spot and thrust his sword at me.
“Die, Abel Sirius!! I cannot forgive one who threatens Veral’s will…!”
His desperate plea never materialized. Before his sword could touch me, Yan twisted his neck.
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Not content with that, he jammed the concealed dagger between his fingers into the worshipper’s neck and ruthlessly executed him. As blood splattered from the severed point, I watched the head fly away in the distance.
“Why didn’t you make a move when the enemy approached?”
By the time he saw me swing the sword, I was already dead.
“Because I knew you were going to die.”
I shrugged calmly.
In reality, the situation was far from relaxed. Even if we managed to subdue the demon worshippers through the joint attack of the knights and the dark elves, handling the aftermath was solely my responsibility.
The lively sound of footsteps that had been echoing around gradually subsided, leaving only the heavy breathing disturbing the silence.
The bloody and fleshy scene was terribly gruesome. Yet, the Dark Elves were casually poking at the corpses as if it were just another grotesque sight.
It was an unavoidable action unless one was either incredibly accustomed to it or mentally unstable.
But thanks to that, the quest was successfully completed.
[Subjugation of Demon Worshipers 21/21]
[The ‘Raid of Demon Worshipers’ quest has been completed.]
[From now on, the Elves will take an interest in you.]
“It’s all taken care of.”
I casually wiped the blood clinging to my face with my thumb and spoke. Once again, it seemed like I had narrowly escaped death.
“How can you be so sure?”
“The total number of demon worshipers who attacked us was twenty. Count them now, if you will. How many are there?”
“…You knew all their movements, so why didn’t you join the battle? No, from the moment you sensed their presence, you didn’t prepare for battle. Why?”
How could an ordinary person engage in combat?
That’s something for capable individuals to handle.
After contemplating what excuse to give, I came up with the most plausible answer.
“…I wanted to assess their abilities.”
I used informal language to maintain my composure, but using formal language might earn me more favor. It would also convey a sense of respect.
“What? You… do you even know who we are—”
I took a step closer to her and whispered in her ear.
“Who do you think? The Dark Elves who were monitoring me.”
“You…!”
They were wearing masks to hide their faces, with hoods flipped to conceal the pointed ears typical of elves. Most people wouldn’t even recognize them as elves.
I probably wouldn’t have noticed either if it weren’t for the quest window.
“So, are you ready to talk now?”
“At the moment you called my name, the initiative had already shifted to you…”
“I’m not here to assert dominance. It’s just… We can’t openly discuss such matters, can we?”
“But if you knew our identities, I could just cut your throat and escape.”
The blood on the dagger, just used to eliminate a demon worshipper, glistened.
Ugh. Why talk about killing so casually?
How can one be so ruthless and still hold a conversation?
“Haven’t you obtained the information your mother requested? For example… How I possess the fragments of the World Tree…”
“!!”
Her pupils widened. Even though her face was covered, I could almost picture her mouth hanging open.
Honestly, I’d be surprised too.
To think that a person who has never met me face to face not only knows my identity but also the purpose of monitoring and giving orders, it would surely provoke countless thoughts of arrogance.
“No. You don’t need to know that information. In any case, once I kill you, the fragments of the World Tree will come into our hands.”
“Just a word of advice, it’s best not to tamper with the fragments of the World Tree in the duke’s possession. Beatrix’s punishment will drain your mana and weaken you. It’s something only I can handle.”
“Do you think I’ll believe that?”
“Whether you believe it or not, you can use your subordinates to verify. It seems you’ve also come here for the duke.”
“You… Did you just let it go, knowing all along?!”
Knowing what? I just found out.
She’s delusional. If that’s the case, then I should make use of her as well.
“Anyway, if you want to check, go ahead. But be prepared. Once the usefulness of the one who confirms it is gone, they’ll be disposed of.”
I said calmly, arms crossed. My nonchalant attitude would put her at ease. Even though the possibility of her killing me is very slight, it might ease her guard a bit.
“…Why are you saying that?”
“I just want to have a conversation.”
“A conversation? With me?”
I had no other choice.
I don’t know why the one who gave me the quest wanted me to talk to Yan, but they could take my life at any moment. If things go wrong, they might just try to kill me.
But the fortunate thing is that I can infer the situation from the quest content.
“How will you do it? It’s an opportunity for you to obtain the information you want.”
She made the proposal without averting her gaze from my eyes with her yellow eyes fixed on me.