Chapter 70

“Now’s the time! Riana, get on Abelin’s back!”

“Get on her back? Why?”

“I have to deal with Ronos, and I can’t fight while protecting you at the same time. So the best plan is for you to keep running away on Abelin’s back since she’s fast, and I’ll keep annoying Ronos by charging at him.”

“Here. Hurry up and get on, Lady Riana.”

“Ah, okay! But I’m heavy…?”

“Don’t worry about that. In the Vanguard’s training, physical endurance is the top priority. Come on.”

“Yes!”

*Boom—*

As soon as Riana got on Abelin’s back, Ronos landed with a terrifying speed, smashing the surroundings with a heavy thud.

“You fools, how dare you try something with Riana! You’re demons, yet you’re trying to kill her!”

“Huhu, I’ve changed my mind.”

And then, I smoothly slipped into my act.

“As a member of the Vanguard, failing a mission is the greatest shame. And the punishment for failing is death. If it’s going to end like this, I’d rather take this girl as a hostage and run far away.”

“What are you… You evil bastards, Riana is innocent! I’ll spare your lives if you let her go!”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Ronos, who was raging to kill us, is now saying he’ll spare our lives if we let Riana go?

But there was a rare sincerity in Ronos’ expression.

When I heard Riana was coughing badly, and when she begged for her life, even though it was obvious she was bait, he still charged into the forest, which was disadvantageous for flying.

Ronos must truly care for Riana, to an extreme degree.

Now that I was sure of that, it was time to exploit that weakness.

“Well then, goodbye! If you don’t value your disciple’s life, feel free to chase us!”

With Riana on her back, Abelin and I boldly flew deeper into the forest.

“Master!!”

Riana also screamed perfectly in sync with the situation.

“Riana! Just wait a little longer! I’ll save you soon!”

As expected, Ronos, completely distracted by Riana’s desperate scream, chased after us at a terrifying speed.

Countless branches and vines were shattered as he charged through.

“You really pulled him in well, Riana. Excellent. Now, Abelin, take care of Riana, okay?”

“Yes. And…”

Abelin cautiously added, “Please be careful, Kairon.”

“Oh my, you’re worried about me? That’s a rare sight.”

“I’m saying that because I owe you a drink, so don’t let my efforts go to waste. Hurry up before Lady Riana gets into more danger!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll do as you say!”

I shifted my stance mid-air.

And with that, I pushed off with my legs, charging straight at…

“Stop chasing us already!”

Finally, I closed the distance enough to charge at Ronos.

“You…!”

Ronos, even while flying at an insane speed, managed to stop abruptly and dodge my sword swing.

“Can’t you just back off! Give me back my disciple!”

“Would you give her back if you were me? The moment I do, you’ll kill us. I told you not to chase us, but you did! At this point, it’s all or nothing. If you attack me, I won’t let Riana go unharmed!”

“You… You beasts worse than animals…!”

Normally, I’d feel guilty for cornering someone like this, but this time was different.

Since my opponent was a demon, not a human, I actually felt good, like I was upholding justice, and my body felt more energized.

‘This is going smoother than I thought. If this keeps up…’

I thought I might not even need the last resort, Abelin’s necklace.

But Ronos’ strength was beyond imagination.

I kept charging at him, using tree trunks as stepping stones, but Ronos just smashed through every obstacle, making my efforts meaningless.

In the end, I needed to land a decisive blow, but that seemed impossible.

Instead, while Ronos remained calm and only defended, my stamina was slowly draining as I poured all my strength into attacking.

And then, as my stamina dwindled and the situation dragged on…

“Ugh, you annoying pest! I won’t be held back by the likes of you anymore! Move aside!”

“No!”

Ronos, who had been patiently dodging my attacks, finally lost his patience and tried to fly past me.

I swung my sword at him as he flew by, but only managed to graze his collar.

Ronos left me hanging in the air and flew off toward Abelin and Riana.

“Damn it…”

“Tsk tsk, how pathetic.”

“Huh? Lady Rostia? When did you get here?”

“I’ve been hiding and watching quietly.”

“You were watching? Then why didn’t you help earlier!”

“If I had helped from the start, Ronos wouldn’t have held back like he did now. Would you have stood a chance then? But if I stay idle any longer, things might really go south. So…”

Rostia quietly grabbed my hand.

“Why are you holding my hand? We need to hurry.”

“That’s why I’m giving you the strength to move faster. Here, take it.”

“Take what… Huh?”

In an instant, an enormous amount of mana began flowing into my body through Rostia’s hand.

The amount was so vast that my body creaked under the strain.

“Is this… the mana of an Archmage?”

“It’s not everything. Just a tiny fraction. And since your vessel is still too small to hold this much, the time you can store and use it is limited. But this should be enough to enhance your body for a while. At least enough to deal with Ronos. Don’t you think?”

“Yes. But I’ve never handled this much mana before, so I’m not sure, but I’ll give it a try.”

First, I spread the unfamiliar mana, Rostia’s mana, throughout my body.

But the mana, as if obeying Rostia’s command, gently soothed my creaking body, slowly transforming into my own mana.

And as that mana infused into my muscles…

“Ugh…!”

My body gained an eye-opening level of strength.

“Thank you. But you’re not just going to leave after helping me like this, right?”

“You’re shameless. I’m already playing along with your plan.”

“Haha, help me a bit more. I know you’ll end up helping anyway.”

“You’re a cunning one. How do you know me so well to talk like that? Fine, I’ll help more. But be careful now. If he realizes you’re a real threat, he won’t hold back. Using Riana as bait won’t work forever.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But,”

I tapped the necklace Abelin had given me and added, “If that situation comes, I’ll finally get to use this last resort, right? That’s what I’m hoping for.”

“I’ll acknowledge your boldness. It’s quite interesting. Despite the difficult situation…”

Rostia narrowed her eyes at me.

“You’re not panicking. What kind of past have you had? I wonder how much more you’re hiding from me.”

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s go now.”

“I’ll help you more just to hear that story.”

With those final words, Rostia’s figure blurred and disappeared.

“I’ll be watching from the sidelines in case something unexpected happens, but don’t forget that it’s up to you to get the job done.”

“Of course. Let’s go!”

I pushed off the ground, and my body flew at a speed incomparable to before.

***

“Got you!”

“Ugh…!”

Just as Ronos’ hand was about to reach Riana, Abelin quickly twisted her body to avoid his grasp.

“You wretch, you’re like a damn rat. All you’re good at is moving fast! You know you can’t run anymore, so why keep trying!”

“Because of someone incompetent, I have no choice.”

“You’re just as incompetent. Give Riana back to me now! If you do, I’ll let you live as promised!”

“……!”

Hearing that, Abelin had a sudden idea.

“Alright. I’ll give Lady Riana back.”

“Wha…?”

“Stay quiet, Lady Riana.”

Abelin whispered very softly to Riana so Ronos wouldn’t hear.

“Be the bait one more time. Even if it fails, you won’t be harmed.”

“How… How do I be the bait?”

“I’ll get as close as possible under the pretense of returning you. And at that moment, I’ll strike.”

“Ah…!”

Riana nodded, understanding Abelin’s plan.

It was a big decision for Abelin too, but since Kairon’s plan seemed flawed, this was the only way to improve the situation.

“I’m coming now. Don’t attack me.”

“Of course. I’ll keep my promise.”

Abelin slowly approached Ronos with Riana on her back.

Ten steps away, nine steps, eight…

Five steps.

Finally, Abelin set Riana down and…

“Disappear, demon!”

She charged at Ronos with explosive speed.