5. Bread and dagger (42)
The sound of a horn hums through the skull.
Armed soldiers were running out from everywhere. Each of them had their own weapons in their hands, and the momentum was quite bloody.
It was a surprise attack at night.
Originally, the location of the Yurdina family’s military camp was a secret. It was difficult for the elves to locate it. It was because he was so inferior in terms of power.
Even if a scout was sent, it was easy to get caught in the surveillance network.
On the contrary, the army of the Yurdina family was searching the coniferous forest. The possibility of reaching the military camp beyond those numerous obstacles was infinitely low.
Even without that, the elves were suffering from a lack of power. There was no time to consider an option that was tantamount to a suicide attempt.
So, it was a night raid that Yurdina had been experiencing for the first time in a long time.
Everyone was embarrassed and confused. Isn’t it a situation where you have to face the enemy without even finishing your mental preparation?
However, among the hundreds of soldiers, there was no one who was stunned by surprise.
He just calmly gripped his weapon as if he had come.
It was truly at the forefront.
The soldiers guarding the border of the coniferous forest, a place where people always live on the brink of death, were already prepared to fight.
It was fortunate.
In the end, it was my misjudgment that saved Veneta’s life. It would have been unbearable if there had been many casualties due to the night raid.
With a sigh of relief, I was looking around the car.
A familiar voice shook my eardrums.
“… … young master.”
Even though the battle was right in front of him, his tone was oddly calm.
When I turned my head, there was a heavily armed old knight standing there. It was Sir Alex, a loyal servant of the Yurdina family and a seasoned general.
He spoke to me with a calm expression.
In the meantime, several soldiers were passing by me.
“The elves have been raiding at night. Fortunately, a soldier standing guard found it early, but the scale is a bit large.”
“How much?”
“He looked as good as the soldiers in this military camp.”
Power whistles.
A groan escaped from my mouth. There was no way that hundreds of elves could have finished preparing for war all at once.
Then there was only one answer.
“It’s a prepared raid.”
“Yeah, I don’t know how I got the location of this place… … .”
“Veneta.”
It was a plain confession.
I felt ashamed even as I said it, but Sir Alex just stared blankly at me.
It seemed like he didn’t understand what I meant in the first place.
So I had to add again.
“The elf woman you held captive. She has a tracking device.”
“Ah, that elf… Hmm, that’s odd. Apparently, when our mage inspected it, there was no unusual trend.”
“It looks like it has undergone body modification.”
It was still in the stage of reasoning.
However, the ugly lump of flesh that appeared from Veneta’s mouth was similar to that planted in Avian’s body no matter how you look at it.
The only difference is that Veneta didn’t have the transcendent regenerative ability like Avian.
He probably didn’t even know that each piece of flesh had its own unique ability. Even if you remodel your body, that limit will exist.
Despite the shocking fact, Sir Alex was not particularly taken aback. Rather, it was to the extent that he nodded his head as if he deserved it.
He chuckled and burst into laughter.
“Didn’t I tell you? Elves are a race that shouldn’t be trusted by nature… It is better to kill without asking or questioning.”
“… … Note it.”
It was an advice that I thought was too much, but it was impossible to refute as I had committed sins. I just silently nod my head.
Seeing my gloomy face, Sir Alex clicked his tongue and consoled me.
“You don’t have to worry too much. Even if the number is the same, the qualitative difference cannot be ignored. Each of our Yurdina soldiers is elite. And again… … .”
The old knight’s gaze stared at me quietly.
I wasn’t the one who couldn’t read the meaning in those eyes. I immediately nodded my head heavily.
“I will join you. Me and my friends too.”
“Then we will easily win. If it’s the ‘elves’ I used to know.”
It was an addition that left an ominous aftertaste.
I furrowed my brow slightly, but Sir Alex finished his words and moved on with a jolt. Toward the light-dotted coniferous forest.
The elves seemed to have decided that there was no point in hiding any longer.
They were approaching with torches they had prepared. It was hidden between trees, so the exact number was unknown, but the eyes shining in the dark were shaped.
It was a gaze full of murderous intent.
I said to senior Neris, who was standing next to me in silence.
“Senior Neris, please support the soldiers from the rear first. Also take care of Avian.”
“Yes, Mr. Ian.”
Senior Neris hurriedly lowered his head. Externally, her identity was a secret anyway. It was a car that was hiding even the skill that reached expert.
It was better to secretly support behind the scenes.
Also, senior Neris probably didn’t want to take the risk of fighting on the front line.
Immediately after giving the instructions, I followed Sir Alex. All of the party had already gathered in front of the tent that was supposed to be the headquarters.
Starting with senior Elsie, the saintess and Yuren, and even Emma and the princess.
Except for Emma, all of them were available immediately.
The first person to spot me was a saintess who was stamping her feet.
“Ian! Now the elves have been raiding… … .”
“This is a battlefield.”
I said so without showing as much embarrassment as possible.
Only then did the somewhat chaotic atmosphere of the party calm down a little.
I was the one leading the group. It was difficult if I didn’t center myself.
“It’s not strange to be attacked at any time. We have come to support the Yurdina family, so we will help Yurdina-kun here.”
“Uh, how?”
It was a question that came out of nowhere.
The eyes of my party and I turned toward the epicenter. There, the restless princess was seated.
Those eyes were groggy.
Seeing the girl crying, I put on a bitter expression.
It wasn’t that the mind didn’t understand.
She was a woman who had grown up wondering if she was coming from the imperial palace since childhood. Not only her, but the rest of the party, except for Yuren, had a subtle reluctance on their faces.
Elves were personalities.
It was different from the obvious monsters he had killed so far. It was more like a murder than that.
to kill someone.
If it wasn’t a natural killer, I couldn’t help but hesitate. Even so, this was a battlefield.
“… … I have to kill him.”
With that one word, the atmosphere of the party sank.
The princess tried to open her mouth, but then shut it tightly. It was because I couldn’t deny the fact that my words were logically correct.
I tried to ignore those drooping eyes and continued talking.
“Emma, you are in a safe place. The saintess, too, please concentrate on treating the injured in the rear first. Elsie-senpai, please stand up for the interception with the magicians of the Yurdina family… Yuren?”
“I’m already looking forward to seeing what the elves’ swordsmanship will be like.”
Yuren smiled ferociously and stroked my sword.
He was a strange guy every time I saw him.
As long as he doesn’t pick up his sword, he’s a good friend with good social skills, so why is this?
So, it worked out well for me.
The aftereffects of the murder were most severe in the front. It was because I had to endure the sensation of murder with my own hands.
However, it was as if Yuren’s reluctance to kill had been castrated.
He was a great colleague to take the seat next to me. I took a step with a wry smile.
and the next moment.
Pak, I spurred the ground and at the same time my body shot forward. Space was illustrated with solid lines, and the cold wind from the north hit me like it would tear my cheeks.
Not to be outdone by him, I could feel the presence of Yuren chasing after me.
The elves, who had narrowed the distance beyond a certain level, were stationary there. And as they got closer to the front, the identity of the lights embedded between them was revealed.
It wasn’t just the torches.
fire arrows.
As if they already knew about such a strategy, Yurdina’s soldiers with shields were in the forefront.
“launch!”
A faint voice was heard.
He was probably the commander leading the elves. I could tell just by looking at the fiery arrows covering the sky in perfect order according to that instruction.
The fireworks in the night sky were like stars.
The only difference was that each time it got closer, death approached. Even though the arrow was shot inside the forest, the trajectory was exquisitely avoiding the trees.
It was the bow skills of the elves, which had only been heard through rumors.
Didn’t they say they used spirits to change the trajectory?
But even the rain of fiery arrows could not stop me.
I pulled out my sword and hatchet just as I was running. Due to the hasty removal of the sword, a sharp sound of friction flowed into the air.
And with every step he took, several arrows broke off and slammed into the ground.
My sword and hatchet crossed at high speed. Beneath the two blades meshing like elaborate gears, the arrows were cut into pieces and lost momentum.
It took only four steps until all the flaming arrows that passed by me were slammed into the ground.
As if dancing, as if stepping on the snowfield, my body was launched without delay. It was the elves who were taken aback by this.
He probably didn’t know that there would be humans who could pierce through the rain of fiery arrows head-on.
With a couple of leaps, I thumped and landed on top of the elves’ ranks. The elves who were carrying the arrows looked bewildered.
“Uh, what is it… … ?”
“human.”
With a short answer, the sword cut through the air.
And one flying elf head.
It was an expression that did not understand the situation until the end.
With a bang, blood gushed out and scattered hot rain. The elves around them screamed in surprise.
“Expert!”
“Expert participated! Call the swordsmen!”
It seemed that ‘expert’ was synonymous with fear among elves.
There are several others besides me.
Hiding the sad news inside like a blade, I brushed off the blood on my sword.
I felt dirty.
very much