I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 124

Edgar found himself near the secret passage where he was supposed to meet Ras, only to discover that a significant number of enemy soldiers had gathered there.

It might have been unavoidable. If they weren’t fools, they must have heard news of an appropriate entrance leading northeast, so they would have kept the existence of the secret passage in mind.

Even if they didn’t know the exact location of the passage, they had likely deduced that there were other means to easily slip away.

Expecting somewhat of this situation, Edgar did not panic and instead hid among the structures around him to talk with Ras.

“How many enemies are there?”

“There are at least thirty. Moreover, more are coming, so we don’t have time to waste.”

Ras, who was staying low atop the tall buildings, had grasped the situation better than anyone.

Although they didn’t know the location of the secret passage, it hadn’t been closed off yet, but if the entrance got blocked, there would be no hope left.

Now was the time to act boldly rather than covertly, to divert their attention away.

“Ras, you take care of the prince and Elpelt. I’ll draw their attention and chase after you.”

“Though it’s cheeky of me to say… please do.”

As much as Ras wanted to join the fight alongside Edgar, he nodded in understanding, realizing that this was the safer option.

How many soldiers had Edgar already taken down on the way here?

On the contrary, Ras wasn’t much help in a combat sense. He could wield a sword, but charging at that many enemies would be tantamount to suicide.

When Edgar first revealed himself, darting between the structures and showing up on the rooftop, the enemies’ attention instantly focused on him.

“There he is!”

“The commander has commanded! Kill him!”

To them, as long as they could capture Yulken again, Edgar’s life was of no concern.

Thus, among the enemy soldiers who climbed onto buildings, their murderous intent surged as they charged at Edgar, while those watching from afar nocked their bows.

“Your Highness, Elpelt, quickly go!”

“……”

As the enemies’ voices rose, Ras immediately took Yulken and Elpelt and rushed towards the passage.

Even if they were just bought time momentarily, the expressions of the two as they left Edgar behind in danger were grim.

Kaaang!

Meanwhile, while keeping an eye on the three leaving, Edgar managed to block the sword of an enemy who had climbed onto the building and barely avoided the arrows raining down afterward.

‘First, I need to deal with these guys in front of me.’

He wanted to conserve his stamina, but considering that all the enemies here were after him, it would be beneficial to reduce their numbers.

Clang!

“Gah!”

Edgar easily parried another enemy’s attack, lowering his body to trip the opponent, causing him to fall off the building.

The height wasn’t lethal, but it would make moving difficult for the enemy.

Furthermore, with the wounded being protected, their attention would now shift there, so that might be better than killing them outright.

After taking down three more charging enemies, he slyly glanced towards the path leading to the passage.

‘Looks like they made it out safely.’

Despite Edgar’s heightened senses, there were no significant presences or magical powers detected.

It seemed they had certainly managed to escape in that time.

In that case, there was no reason to waste any more time here.

“Ignis.”

From the leather pouch he carried, Edgar pulled out a few small oil flasks, smashing them about and murmuring softly with his hand over them.

Small flames flared up.

If Ariel had been there, she could have easily burned down a whole building without such tools, but unfortunately, he didn’t possess anything close to her magical prowess.

Fwoosh!

Thanks to the straw laying around and the oil, the fire quickly engulfed the building, spreading to the surroundings.

“F-fire!”

“Put out the fire!”

Edgar, who had leapt down from the building, hid his body among the billowing smoke and moved swiftly.

While it may not be of much use just throwing snow on the flames, it was significant nonetheless.

Some enemies who had tried to chase him, noticing his escape, found their speed significantly slowed due to the fire blocking their path.

Thus, Edgar arrived at the passage more safely than expected and was able to join the three.

The secret passage was quite long and dark.

Without the light seeping in from the exit, one would struggle to see even an inch ahead.

“So that’s how it would go.”

As they neared the exit, Yulken let out a sigh of relief and spoke to Edgar with a chuckle.

When he had volunteered to be the bait, he felt his heart sink, but seeing Edgar return safely lifted his spirits.

“I said I would only draw their attention, Your Highness.”

“Who would believe that at face value?”

“Haha, that’s also true.”

At this point, they were in a position where they could consider it a degree of safety.

He pondered whether they might have blocked one of the exits or entrances, but thankfully, they had managed to escape early enough.

As soon as they left the passage, the four were greeted by the sight beyond the castle walls, followed closely by a shabby cart or wagon that had been hastily tucked away in a corner.

“I apologize for failing to provide proper transportation, Your Highness. Please bear with us for a moment.”

“In a situation like this, would anyone complain about uncomfortably riding? Don’t worry about it.”

Ultimately, all that mattered was arriving on time.

Besides, having a lavish wagon located outside such a secret exit would be even weirder.

With a wave of his hand dismissing Ras’s apology, Yulken quickly climbed aboard with Elpelt; in front were two horses tied up to pull the cart.

Thus, Ras would drive while Edgar mounted the horse set aside next to him.

“Fortunately, it seems the pursuit is slowing down. It seems the lady is fulfilling her duty.”

As Ras passed outside the castle walls and saw no pursuing soldiers behind them, he let out a sigh of relief as they set off.

He had instructed Ariel to create a diversion using the few troops she had by setting fire inside the castle, perhaps to make it difficult for the enemies to gather enough soldiers for a separate pursuit.

And even if they were to send a pursuit team, as long as they could delay them, the moment they reached the rendezvous point, this operation would end successfully.

That’s right. If they could just make it safely to that point somehow.

“Let’s go.”

As Edgar gently stroked the horse’s neck while glancing back at the passage they’d just come from, he issued the order.

It seemed as though the horse understood, letting out a thunderous neigh as it began to move.

As Edgar raced along beside the wagon, suddenly they felt a rumble in the ground accompanied by a boisterous voice from behind.

“Don’t let them get away!”

Kelarag, leading a force at full speed, came charging at them, and despite the distance, the four felt an overwhelming pressure.

‘Damn, they’re fast.’

Edgar clicked his tongue in frustration.

In their position, they had to maintain a significant distance with the wagon, but the enemy’s swift response had been a major variable.

Fortunately, no arrows flew at them, but at this rate, they would catch up before they reached the rendezvous point.

Edgar, with rising anxiety, maneuvered the horse while constantly gauging the distance from the chasing foes.

One step. Another step.

While the sensation of them rapidly closing in wasn’t overwhelming, Edgar’s heart raced harder as their figures grew more distinct.

‘We still have quite a way to go.’

Near the spot where the canyon opened into the mountain range.

A tall tree was where Bignes was scheduled to meet.

At the very least, they needed to reach the point where they could see the canyon for any hint of hope.

“Ras! At this rate, we’ll get caught!”

“But we can’t speed up anymore!”

If he had just been riding a horse, it might have gone faster, but as noted, how much faster could the horses pulling the wagon really go?

Besides, they were known for their excellent horsemanship, just as much as the elite troops of the Empire.

No matter how much they tried to speed up, the distance would inevitably close.

“How much further?”

“Not long now! But at this rate…!”

‘Damn it.’

Grinding his teeth, Edgar turned his head as the enemy voices grew louder.

Ultimately, time was of the essence.

What had begun as a race to avoid being caught had shifted since the enemy had responded faster than anticipated, causing them to fall short in covering that distance.

Even if he took a moment to eliminate a few enemies to lighten their load, it wouldn’t be a fundamental solution.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I should have kept my promise and not come at all.’

Edgar thought back to the childish promise he had made with Ariel, intertwining their pinkies, breaking into a bitter smile.

Though playful, he had wanted to remain a man who kept his promises, yet reality seemed cruel in not allowing him to do so.

“Ras! Keep going! I’ll buy you time!”

“Eh!? What are you saying? I can’t allow that!”

As Edgar turned the reins, Ras gasped in shock.

Staying behind now meant something entirely different from before.

While he might be able to buy some time, it effectively meant sacrificing Edgar’s life.

If he didn’t return, what would he even say to Ariel?

Most importantly, Yulken, who he had saved by sacrificing himself, would hardly want that to happen.

Ras wished he could stay behind.

Perhaps if he quickly changed horses, Edgar could pull the cart while he remained.

Of course, he knew that was unrealistic. Right now, even if the wagon stopped for a moment, they would be captured just as quickly by the enemies.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry, but I must take my leave here.”

“You! What are you saying! We can’t lose hope!”

“Indeed! Besides, if the young lord does not return, with what face shall we face the lady!”

As Edgar offered his farewell from atop the horse, Yulken and Elpelt intervened.

Ras had stated the rendezvous point was not far.

Even if they got caught, with just a little more perseverance, they might receive support.

Of course, that future was uncertain.

But they were not cruel enough to allow him to throw his life away as if it were something trivial.

“There aren’t that many left, so I could hold them off for at least a moment. Ras, I’m counting on you to cover my back!”

Yet even with the three urging him, Edgar casually turned the horse’s head and took his position.

There were no longer reassuring words like “I will join you safely” or “I will return alive.”

Only a simple request to cover his back. That was the only wish he expressed.

The three ahead realized the meaning behind Edgar’s words through the gap he had created.

And they understood that any more persuasion would fall on deaf ears.

“Edgar!”

“……”

As he stood still, just about to dismount, a voice from behind halted him in his tracks.

It was Yulken, who had until now almost exclusively called him “you,” using his name for the first time.

“Let’s definitely meet again in Hespania!”

With Yulken’s last thrown words, Edgar raised one corner of his mouth without turning his head.

Even if he were to die and become a spirit, arriving in Hespania would be akin to keeping that promise.

Though such trivial thoughts briefly crossed his mind, they vanished as he came face-to-face with the approaching enemies.

‘At least I’m thankful I didn’t have a wedding before this.’

He couldn’t possibly make a widow of a fresh bride who had just recently come of age.

In that sense, he thought it was fortunate that he hadn’t rushed things.

‘Seems they’re not planning on passing me by.’

What he had worried most about was whether the enemies would ignore him and chase after Yulken, but thankfully, there was no sign of such behavior.

The charge of easily over two hundred enemy soldiers gradually slowed, and as the cloud of white smoke dissipated, a faint smile tugged at Edgar’s lips.

It seemed possible to stall for some time after all.

That fact alone brought him a sense of relief.