Chapter 10: Daniel the Great Bandit (Chiyouka SOLO)
As per the usual routine, dice rolls and data segments have been deleted, and parts involving spoilers have been edited. The time is April of the year 380 (Spring Dawn), and the location is the border between Karasu and Madara.
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[20:37] The story-telling rabbit changed the topic to ‘Prologue: Daniel the Great Bandit’
[20:38] A gentle breeze swept over the meadow, and the afternoon sun brought a slight warmth.
[20:39] Glancing afar, the border’s Shiva Forest lay tranquil, much like a piece of emerald, containing a captivating shade of deep green.
[20:42] The silhouette of the small town was already a faint curve at the edge of the horizon, with only the curling cooking smoke proving the existence of the harbor to the north. You and the patrol team slowly moved forward along the country path.
[20:44] This wasn’t the first time you patrolled on this road. Countless illegal acts were nurtured on the borders of Shiva Forest, with smugglers and bandits running rampant. Occasionally, the undead from Madara would invade the kingdom’s territory.
[20:45] But this time was somewhat special—it was your first outing as a squad leader after your promotion. In the past, Mr. Harris would ride his warhorse and personally lead you.
[20:46] You sat upright on your warhorse, the chain mail shirt rattling with bumps; before the start, you carefully checked your weapons. The short spear was in the leather bag behind you, and the large sickle hung on the saddle, everything reassuringly smooth.
[20:48] Behind you were Austin and Owen, those two laid-back young men. You knew that their families were merchants in the harbor, and likely their elders grew tired of seeing them idle all day, which is why they were sent to the guard team.
[20:48] But at least they were somewhat obedient to your orders.
[20:49] The wise Henrietta rode beside you, occasionally peeking at the forest border with his monocular telescope—though he didn’t say much.
[20:50] Leading the charge was Rodney, the blacksmith’s younger son who didn’t inherit his father’s trade but was determined to achieve something great in the guard team. However, as a matter of fact, neither you nor anyone had actually seen any so-called big incidents yet.
[20:51] Dealing with smugglers was enough to trouble you.
[20:52] Five youths walked slowly into the forest that was both unfamiliar and familiar, just like they usually did. “We are entering the forest,” Henrietta suddenly announced at this moment.
[20:53] He turned his head to look at you; he was one of those typical Kartiragon people with a pair of gray-blue eyes.
[20:53] “Hm?”
[20:54] Chiyouka touched her hair, then glanced down at her clothes
[20:54] “Don’t be wandering around aimlessly, sister. The boss is asking for your opinions,” Owen chuckled from behind, “you’re the captain now, right?”
[20:55] Henrietta shot him a glare. He was a handsome young man, containing an adequate coolness. In fact, you knew that compared to you, he would be more suited for the position of captain, but he willingly gave up the spot.
[20:57] “Oh! Oh!! Alright, everyone pay attention! We must be cautious of poachers, bandits, and undead; those fellows are really bothersome.”
[20:57] “By the way, also watch out for wolves, but if there’s no pack, I think we should be fine!”
[20:58] Before you could finish speaking, you heard the two mischievous devils, Owen and Austin, burst into laughter together.
[20:58] “In any case! Now’s the time to stop being lazy, Owen and Austin! And Rodney, watch your surroundings! Don’t rush headfirst!”
[20:58] “Don’t worry, sister! I promise to follow orders!” Rodney slapped his chest and assured you.
[20:59] “I shall obey the order.”
[20:59] Chiyouka recalled that Mr. Harris probably said these many content points…
[20:59] You thought that these words sounded familiar, and he probably said the same to Mr. Harris the last time. But he was penalized a few times for the same reason not too long ago.
[20:59] “So, thank you, Henrietta… please help supervise them a bit more.”
[20:59] Chiyouka slightly sheepishly said to Henrietta
[21:00] Only Henrietta nodded at you: “I understand, no problem.”
[21:01] Ten minutes later, you gradually entered the forest.
[21:01] As usual.
[21:01] After entering the forest, the surroundings quieted down.
[21:02] Only the occasional croak of birds interrupted the stillness, coming from an unknown direction, which was somewhat eerie for ordinary people.
[21:02] But after getting used to it, it wasn’t so scary anymore. The temperature in the forest was slightly lower than outside, it was said to be because it was close to the Black Forest.
[21:02] Chiyouka sat diligently on her horse, carefully and meticulously scanning the surrounding environment
[21:03] Therefore, Shiva Forest was not safe.
[21:03] Henrietta rode beside you, helping watch for anything suspicious on the other side.
[21:04] According to regulations, you had to advance along the edge of this forest for a certain distance and pass three unmanned outposts before completing the day’s patrol.
[21:04] As night fell, the forest would become lethally dangerous, so even smugglers usually chose this time to meet up on the borders.
[21:06] Suddenly, you heard a slight rustling from the edge of the forest.
[21:06] “Hm? Be careful!”
[21:06] The sound was typically made by an animal passing through the bushes.
[21:07] However, in this forest, this was already a dangerous sign.
[21:07] “There seems to be some movement over there…”
[21:07] Apparently, Henrietta heard it too and drew his sword first.
[21:07] Only Owen and Rodney appeared clueless.
[21:07] Chiyouka reached for her spear.
[21:08] “I caught the scent too,” Rodney sniffed and said. You knew his sense of smell was particularly sensitive: “It smells like undead, some putrid odor.”
[21:08] Chiyouka stared toward the sound, ready to throw her spear at any moment.
[21:08] “Undead ah!”
[21:08] Chiyouka put the spear back on her waist and took out the large scythe from her back.
[21:08] “I’ll go check, wait for my news.”
[21:08] With a splash, Rodney dove into the bushes ahead.
[21:08] “Please be careful.”
[21:08] There was no time to react.
[21:09] Henrietta glanced at you, seemingly wanting to say something but couldn’t in the end.
[21:09] “Hey! I said not to rush headlong!”
[21:09] “Remind him next time…”
[21:09] He sighed.
[21:10] “Haha, that guy has no brains.” Rodney laughed: “Mr. Harris has already reprimanded him many times.”
[21:10] “It’s useless, sister. Accept it gracefully,” Owen also said.
[21:10] At that moment, you suddenly heard a whistle.
[21:10] “Hmm, every time he doesn’t let me finish… And stop laughing already! There might be undead nearby!”
[21:10] “Hm?”
[21:11] “Sister, come over here! I’ve found something!”
[21:11] Chiyouka dismounted her horse and picked up the large scythe.
[21:11] “There must be a serious case!”
[21:11] “Oh! Oh! Everyone, be careful…”
[21:11] Rodney’s voice was loud enough to almost shake a layer of leaves from the forest.
[21:11] Henrietta also dismounted his horse and followed you.
[21:12] Next were the two giggling guys.
[21:12] Everyone had their swords in hand.
[21:12] Chiyouka moved towards where Rodney was speaking from.
[21:12] The others followed you through the bushes.
[21:12] Soon, you pushed…
Layer upon layer of leaves. A dilapidated coach came into your view.
“Hmm? Did you find something?”
Kiuka looked at the coach.
It was a four-wheeled coach, half of its canopy gone, the goods scattered on the ground. The boxes were strewn everywhere, but they were all empty.
The horses pulling the coach should have been two, but now only one remained, lying on the ground, its corpse half-rotted.
Flies buzzed around the corpse.
“Is it a smuggler’s coach or a legitimate merchant’s coach?”
The stench was coming from the corpse.
Kiuka wrinkled her nose and asked Rodney, who had discovered this place first.
“I don’t know, shall the captain take a look?”
This question clearly stumped Rodney.
“Hmm…”
“Let’s first see what caused this situation!”
Kiuka thought for a bit and realized she couldn’t identify it either.
“It’s a merchant’s coach.”
Henrietta sighed and replied.
You heard Owen and Austin snicker in the back, but they didn’t dare to laugh too loudly.
“Hmm… Thank you very much… There are more merchant guilds at the border… I can’t remember them all…”
Kiuka thanked softly while going over to check the wounds on the horse.
“It’s all right.” Henrietta shook her head.
“Hmm, it doesn’t look like the work of beasts, it seems deliberate.”
You felt Henrietta nudging your elbow from behind.
“Hmm?”
Kiuka looked back at Henrietta.
He blocked Austin and Owen behind him and wrote a word with his fingers in front of you: arrow wound.
“Hmm, was this a premeditated ambush?”
Henrietta nodded. Then he pointed to the horse’s head, and only then did you notice a broken arrow embedded there, which had been overlooked due to its inconspicuousness.
Then you noticed the other half of the broken arrow lying not far away.
Kiuka walked to the emptied cargo box, squatted beside it, and looked around the ground.
You found many footprints.
You noticed these footprints were mainly scattered around the coach, varying in depth.
But their size was about the size of an adult’s hand, suggesting two possibilities.
Either the perpetrators were children of human or humanoid species.
Or they were of smaller stature races — as far as you knew, Halflings, Goblins, or Dogmen were possible.
You also noticed:
The shallower footprints led inward, while the deeper ones led outward.
Do you want to track these deeper footprints?
“Hmm…”
“Did you find anything?” Henrietta asked knowingly. “Captain?”
“Did you find anything?”
“Captain?”
“Look here. It seems like a group of Goblins or Dogmen created this mess.”
You heard Austin and Owen mimic Henrietta’s tone in the back.
“Wow, Captain is really amazing!”
Owen clapped his hands loudly, startling a flock of crows.
“And they moved the goods they took here in that direction.”
“Alright!” Rodney raised his sword. “Let’s go after them!”
“Hmm, and Owen, please keep your voice down. This isn’t our territory…”
After saying that, he started to move in that direction.
“It would be troublesome if wolf packs or other creatures heard us.”
“It’s only afternoon, boss,” Owen shrugged.
“Smugglers and bandits don’t differentiate between morning and afternoon, they only distinguish between day and night~”
Kiuka patted Owen’s shoulder.
While you were patting Owen’s shoulder,
Splash! Rodney had already disappeared into the forest.
“Check if there’s anything notable left on the coach. Wait! Wait for me!”
“I’ll go and bring him back.”
Henrietta shook his head and said to you.
“Aah! Rodney, you don’t even know where that leads yet!!!”
So Kiuka clutched her forehead.
“So I’ll leave it to you…”
He nodded to you and then disappeared into the forest as well.
So what’s your next move?
Kiuka called Owen and Austin to inspect the wreck of the coach.
Kiuka then led the horse to look for Rodney and Henrietta.
After a careful inspection, you found some grayish-white fragments inside the empty boxes.
You suspected these might be fragments of the cargo, so you collected them.
“Owen, come take a look at this.”
“Huh?”
Kiuka took out a bit for Owen.
Owen was slightly surprised: “Boss actually letting me help, must be something wrong with the sun.”
“Your family is a merchant family, right? You should at least be able to recognize some goods…”
He glanced at it, “What is this thing, so tiny, I don’t know either.”
“In any case, let’s quickly finish checking and then chase after Henri and the others… Hmm, let’s take it back…”
Then he gave it back to you.
Kiuka took it back, stored it, then called the two of them, leading the horse to catch up with Henri and the others.
“Having to chase again, so annoying.” Austin couldn’t help but complain: “I suggest telling Mr. Harris to get a chain for little Rodney.”
“Made of iron.”
“So you can lead him, boss.”
“Hmm… That’s not good!”
But clearly, Austin thought it was a brilliant idea. You complained like this as you moved forward.
“Even when patrolling with Mr. Harris, most of the time was spent chasing him…”
Do you want to follow the tracks of these two?
You followed the traces left by Henrietta and Rodney in the forest and soon realized they were heading towards the next outpost.
“Hmm? What is this?”
Kiuka thought for a bit and continued the journey.
Just about half an hour later, when you were estimating you would reach the next checkpoint, the bushes up ahead rustled apart suddenly, and a hand covered your mouth.
The person turned out to be Henrietta, who signaled for you to be silent with his eyes.
Then he released your hand.
“Keep your voices down,” he whispered lowly.
Yin said to you, “There’s a situation up ahead.”
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Sentinel post? We were checking the wreckage inside the coach’s cargo box…”
“Then we followed your tracks over here…”
Kiuka whispered with a lowered voice
“Where’s Rodney?”
“He’s up ahead.”
“Come over here.”
He glanced at you once and gestured for you to be quiet.
Then, he crouched and crawled into the bushes up ahead.
“Goblins or dog-headed men?”
He didn’t reply, gesturing for you to come over instead.
Kiuka followed, crouching as she slipped through.
As you followed Henrietta through a small patch of hornbeam trees, you found Rodney lying on a small hillock up ahead. You were familiar with this hillock because right below it was the usual resting sentry post.
Rodney held a telescope, observing something below.
Kiuka slowly crawled over.
As you approached, you realized he was watching the sentry post below. However, unlike usual, there were new additions to the sentry post—
The so-called sentry post was just a solitary wooden house in the forest, but now it was in half-ruins. In front of the wooden house was a bonfire where a man wearing blood-red mage robes was roasting something.
And by his side, there were quite a few monsters you’d never seen before.
Those monsters looked a bit like human children, but they were naked, with entirely crimson skins, sporting small wings and horns, as well as tiny tails.
You counted—they were three in total.
They were surrounding the mage.
And just in front of the mage, there was another man dressed in black armor as a knight, polishing his longsword.
“Ah, Captain, you have arrived.”
Rodney, as soon as he saw you, immediately called out loud.
Kiuka made a gesture for him to be silent.
Henrietta instantly gave him a sharp look.
He was startled—falling silent after that.
You glanced below—fortunately, the distance was far enough that they seemingly hadn’t noticed anything amiss yet.
Kiuka told Henrietta, getting Owen and the others to hush.
The two shrugged.
“Captain, shall we go and take them out?” Rodney quickly suggested to you with gestures, “They’re nasty guys, they have to be major rogues!”
He looked anticipatory.
“…Hold, don’t rush in…”
“These aren’t the same sort of marauders or smugglers we faced before…”
You saw Henrietta reaching out her hand to Rodney, who hesitated for a moment, then responded by handing over the telescope.
Kiuka also mouthed some words.
He nodded.
“I think the same. Here,” he handed the telescope to you, “you might as well take a look first.”
“Hmm, those three strange creatures, I’ve never seen them before.”
Kiuka took the telescope and looked down.
The vision was enlarged.
You could see clearly now—what the mage was roasting diligently was a human hand.
“…”
By his side, the remains of a merchant were sprawled on the ground.
You grit your teeth and moved your gaze away, trying not to feel nauseous.
Then you noticed that inside the dismantled house, three people were tied up.
There were two women and one boy.
Although they were apparently unconscious from fright.
Kiuka pulled Henrietta.
Kiuka’s face looked pale, appearing extremely unwell.
Henrietta gazed at you, questioning your thoughts.
“…There are three civilians; they should be the relatives from the smashed coach.”
“But those people down there look tough to deal with…”
“Technically speaking, we should immediately turn back and report this situation to Mr. Harris.”
“But leaving the civilians here is not acceptable either…”
“So, do you want to rescue them?”
He asked.
“Let one member go back with the report, while we attempt this rescue… how does that sound?”
“Splitting our forces at this moment is unwise.”
He shook his head.
“If we’re going, we do it all together.”
Rodney nodded strongly.
Owen and Austin also nodded at you.
“But if the enemy is too strong and we can’t retreat… at the very least, someone should inform Mr. Harris.”
“Relax, if we die, Mr. Harris will certainly understand what’s happened here.” Owen said confidently.
“But he won’t know the specifics of the opponent.”
“So what’s it to us,” Austin responded unhappily, “We can’t leave you guys to fight alone anyway, would Rodney leave?”
“The president would never leave the president’s wife—ouch!” he exclaimed after getting hit, “Anyway, Henrietta isn’t leaving either, just ask her!”
Everyone looked at you.
“Ahhh… Forget it! Let’s just do it!.”
“Then everyone, listen. We need stealth, and our main goal is to take out the mage with the first strike…”
“Understood!”
“Alright!”
“But thinking about it, doesn’t our squad lack good stealth skills, especially when it comes to our squad leader?”
“Uuuuh… don’t say that…”
Owen suddenly said, “In tactical classes, you weren’t even as good as Rodney, Leader.”
Rodney chuckled.
“So how should we handle this?” Austin asked, “Sneak in and take them out?”
“Sniff, we approach quietly. Once close enough, I will charge to disrupt them… and then you attack the mage while they’re confused?”
Kiuka instinctively glanced at Henrietta.
“Did you see any bows?”
Henrietta asked calmly.
Kiuka thought back.
“No.”
“But wouldn’t a mage use some form of magic?”
“Though the merchants’ horses were killed by arrows.”
Henrietta pointed out.
“In other words… there are sentinels nearby?”
“One shot to the horse’s head, killing it instantly.”
“This level of skill isn’t something an amateur soldier or mage can achieve.”
He analyzed that to you.
“…So there could be an excellent sentinel around?”
[22:15] Then he nodded at you.
[22:15] “At least we’ve got a professional bowman.”
[22:16] “If we’re going to fight—”
[22:16] “We need to find him first.”
[22:16] “So we need to find the bowman first?”
[22:16] “So it is?”
[22:16] He nodded at you.
[22:17] “The direction of their defense should be coming towards our road, right? Or maybe it’s toward the blind spots where the mage and knight can’t see?”
[22:17] “Check with the telescope first.”
[22:18] “Mhmm.”
[22:20]Kiuka holding the telescope tried to find traces left by the enemy to deduce their location.
[22:21] You followed the road’s direction we came from, searching for any blind spots where neither the mage nor knight could observe. Soon, you locked onto an area—it was a dense ancient tree, a perfect hiding spot.
[22:21] And surely if one were on the trunk, the view would be very open.
[22:21] But you couldn’t pinpoint the exact position.
[22:22]Kiuka handed the telescope to Henry.
[22:22]Kiuka pointed out the place she discovered.
[22:22] He took the telescope and glanced.
[22:22] “I think the most likely possibility is that he’s hiding up there…”
[22:22] “Mhmm.”
[22:23] “But I can’t judge exactly where he hides…”
[22:23] “We can circle around behind that tree,” he thought for a while and called you by your nickname: “Kiuka.”
[22:24] “Can you catch any small animals?”
[22:24] “Um….”
[22:24] “I’ll try….”
[22:24] “Mhmm, we’ll wait for you here.”
[22:25]Kiuka crawled backward, trying to catch any small animals.
[22:25] You spent some time and finally used a stone to knock down a squirrel.
[22:26]Kiuka holding the squirrel’s tail crawled back up.
[22:26] “Will this do?”
[22:26] “Yes.”
[22:26] “Let’s go.”
[22:26] He gestured for you to lead.
[22:26] “If I were to hide, I’d be worried about my chances…”
[22:27]Kiuka muttered quietly and then led the way around the side of the tree.
[22:27] To avoid exposure, you cautiously went further around and stopped at a sufficient distance.
[22:28] This direction was exactly the back of the tree, west of the guard station. From here, looking up, there was a tranquil dark green canopy. That person was either not on it, or their concealment techniques were highly proficient, leaving no trace.
[22:29]Kiuka mouthed to Henry.
[22:29] “Throw this small squirrel out?”
[22:29] He cast an approving look at you, encouragingly nodding.
[22:29] “Our leader is getting smarter.” Owen mouthed to Austin.
[22:29] “We’ve lived our lives well.” That was Austin’s response.
[22:30]Kiuka carefully sent the little squirrel to one side of the tree.
[22:30] With a swoosh, the little thing dashed out.
[22:31]Kiuka watched the tree carefully.
[22:31] At that moment, you noticed the canopy trembled slightly. A figure completely draped in leaves, wearing a green cape, slightly raised a bow. You only saw his figure once he moved.
[22:32] But after seeing the squirrel, he pulled back.
[22:32] The guy was very alert, waiting for a while, then changed positions. You saw him climb onto another branch.
[22:32] Then he settled down.
[22:32]Kiuka mouthed to Henry “Found the bowman, he’s on that branch…”
[22:33] He thought for a moment.
[22:33] “How close must you be to have a shot at hitting him?” he asked.
[22:34] “I can do it from here.” Owen glanced at the spot and replied.
[22:34]Kiuka made a 20-ft gesture with her hand.
[22:35] “I need to get a little closer.” Austin shook his head.
[22:35] Henryetta thought for a moment.
[22:36] “Kiuka, you get as close as possible.”
[22:36] “I will cover you.”
[22:36] “Let Owen and Austin shoot first.”
[22:36] “If he survives, you rush up and take him down immediately.”
[22:36] “We probably only get one chance.”
[22:36] “Understood?”
[22:36] He looked up, it’s the first time you’ve heard him say so much.
[22:36] “Understood… no major issues!”
[22:37] “Good.”
[22:37]Kiuka hung her scythe on her back and grabbed a long spear.
[22:37]Kiuka began to crawl forward cautiously to a place where she wouldn’t be discovered.
[22:37] Henryetta slightly raised her body, giving a signal to Austin and Owen. Then turned back to look at you and Rodney: “Let’s move.”
[22:38] To ensure a charge for the next shot, you must crawl at least 60 feet.
[22:39] Henryetta and Rodney followed on both of your flanks.
[22:40] You anxiously stared at the bowman on the tree, in one instance, you noticed him move slightly. It startled you into immediately stopping.
[22:41] But fortunately, until you reached the predetermined position drenched in sweat, he didn’t turn around.
[22:41] Your face flush red, you looked back to see Henryetta giving you a thumbs up.
[22:42] And at just that moment, you saw him turn around and then signal something to the other two behind him.
[22:42]Kiuka took a deep breath.
[22:42]Kiuka turned her gaze to the figure on the tree.
[22:42] You heard four light sounds of vibrating bow strings.
[22:43] You don’t know how many arrows hit, but the man clearly grunted, one of the arrows flew off target, passing under the tree trunk.
[22:43] With a chopping sound, it struck another tree.
[22:44] You saw the man fall from the branch.
[22:44] Then he remained motionless.
[22:45] The sound of heavy falling obviously startled the guard station over there.
[22:45] You saw both the mage and the knight stand up and look over here.
[22:53]*Kiuka ran to the side of another big tree, discarded the spear in favor of her scythe, and held it out in front of her.
[22:54] Henryetta seemed to want to grab you, but failed to, only shaking her head, she drew her sword and followed.
[22:54] Rodney was already overly excited, wildly shouting and charging with his axe held in both hands.
[22:59] “Cover us! Owen, Austin!” Henryetta arrived by your side, lifting her longsword to shield you on one side, shouting loudly.
[23:00] “Be careful! Rodney, don’t rush too much!”
[23:00] Your appearance obviously surprised the mage and the black knight, but once they saw your uniforms, they understood everything. The knight immediately drew his sword, while the mage commanded the monsters around him to surround himself.
[23:04] Owen heard Henryetta’s call, rising first and aiming his bow at the mage.
[23:04] “Die, rogue!”
[23:05] You saw his arrow strike the mage’s shoulder.
[23:06] Henrietta glanced around at the situation and said to you, “Let’s go together, Kiuka!”
[23:06] The knight immediately positioned himself in front of the mage.
[23:06] “Of course!”
[23:08] And Rodney burst forward, emitting a “oooooooh” sound. You knew that the Rodney family had moved here from Kestrel Castle and were said to be locals with barbarian ancestry.
[23:08] But this rumor became reality at that moment.
[23:08] You saw his muscular body, his eyes glowing red, and his size seemed to increase. He charged forward like a raging bull.
[23:08] “Uh… that fool!”
[23:09] He directly rushed between the three monsters and swung his massive axe.
[23:10] He decapitated one of the monsters and slammed the axe into the chest of the second one.
[23:10] The creature was thrown back but didn’t die. You noticed that the wound wasn’t as severe as expected, as it let out a loud screech while flying through the air.
[23:11] “Oooooohhhh!”
[23:12] The mage was clearly startled, stepping back quickly while chanting from the spellbook in his hands.
[23:13] Suddenly, a puff of smoke rose from the ground.
[23:14] The smoke quickly spread.
[23:14] It enveloped the entire guard post, shrouding Rodney in its haze.
[23:14] “Oh no!”
[23:14] You heard Austin shouting from behind.
[23:15] “Captain, I can’t worry about Rodney anymore!”
[23:15] He shouted in anger and released an arrow. “Martha protect us!”
[23:15] Two arrows whizzed past you into the smoke.
[23:17] You heard a cry of pain from within the mist.
[23:17] Then the fog dispersed abruptly.
[23:17] You saw the mage fall backward, clutching an arrow in his eye socket.
[23:17] Once he collapsed, the small monsters lost control and began to scatter.
[23:18] “Hah!”
[23:18] Austin let out an excited yell.
[23:18] “…Austin, when did your archery skills become so accurate?”
[23:18] Kiuka shouted while glancing at the dark-armored knight.
[23:19] “Haha, it’s today, and every day will be like this!”
[23:19] Austin danced around in jubilation.
[23:19] “Tch!”
[23:19] Owen looked down on him severely.
[23:20] “Then! Here I come!”
[23:20] Kiuka began charging toward the black-armored knight.
[23:21] The knight raised his sword to block the attack, but you struck it aside with your own.
[23:24] With immense momentum, Kiuka’s massive scythe slashed down from the knight’s shoulder.
[23:24] “Ha!”
[23:24] There was a splintering sound, and your blow completely shattered his armor, leaving a deep gouge.
[23:24] Kiuka simultaneously shouted.
[23:24] The knight grunted as he took a step back.
[23:25] Henrietta seized the opportunity to pass you and thrust her sword at the knight.
[23:25] His blade barely caught the knight’s retreat, and she slashed toward the knight’s throat.
[23:26] She then thrust her sword into the gap in the knight’s gorget.
[23:26] You saw a gush of blood spurt from the knight’s neck.
[23:26] It sprayed all over the young man.
[23:26] Yet, he pushed forward, toppling the knight onto the ground.
[23:26] “Nicely done!”
[23:27] Henrietta immediately stopped, resting her sword on the ground and catching her breath.
[23:27] Then you realized the battle had ended in an instant.
[23:27] “Hah!”
[23:27] “Perfect!”
[23:27] Austin and Owen celebrated with high-fives in the back.
[23:27] Henrietta stood up, covered in blood, and gave you a small smile.
[23:27] “Check the battlefield, Captain.”
[23:27] “Be mindful of the surroundings, stay alert, and clear the area…”
[23:28] Kiuka handed a handkerchief to Henrietta.
[23:28] “Hmm, please clean yourself up.”
[23:28] “Oooohhh!” Rodney immediately followed the orders, running around energetically — but he would soon be exhausted.
[23:28] “Thank you.”
[23:28] Kiuka went over to the tied-up women and children.
[23:28] He smiled at you, taking the handkerchief to wipe his forehead and face.
[23:29] The hostages were unconscious.
[23:29] Kiuka untied them.
[23:29] “Owww.”
[23:29] “Hmm?”
[23:29] You heard Austin’s voice from behind.
[23:30] “This knight’s armor isn’t bad.”
[23:30] “What is it?”
[23:30] “Even so, it was cut by the leader.”
[23:30] “This is real plate armor.”
[23:30] “Our leader truly doesn’t care about expenses.”
[23:30] “Grrr… Who has time to think about that in a fight!!”
[23:30] Owen nodded.
[23:30] “But it can still be repaired.”
[23:30] Austin judged again.
[23:31] “It can’t, it’s ruined to this extent.”
[23:31] “Everyone, let’s inventory the items! Then we’ll send the hostages back.”
[23:31] Owen laughed.
[23:31] You saw him pull the knight’s sword.
[23:31] He made a soft “Hmm” sound.
[23:31] “This sword looks familiar.”
[23:31] “Leader.”
[23:31] “Remember to come to my house for dinner tonight!”
[23:31] “Hmm?”
[23:31] Kiuka tilted her head and approached.
[23:31] “Here, take a look.”
[23:31] “Let me see…”
[23:31] He handed the sword to you.
[23:31] Kiuka took the sword and examined it carefully.
[23:32] It was indeed a sword you were very familiar with.
[23:32] The thirty-two-year-old standard issue with ivy markings, commemorating the victory of the Battle of Golan-Elsen Highlands.
[23:32] When Her Majesty revised the cavalry sword specifications, changing its length from two arms to one and a half arms, and replacing the copper decorations on the guard with ordinary iron flowers to save costs for the prolonged ‘November War’.
[23:32] It was a cavalry sword.
[23:33] But the crucial thing was that this sword had an engraved name you’d never forget.
[23:33] Herbert Samar.
[23:33] Your father’s name.
[23:33]
——————————————————————– SAVE ———————————————————————–
