The scene was filled with a tense atmosphere as the appearance of a group that looked suspicious caught everyone’s attention.
I glanced at their levels.
They were all fairly skilled, with levels in the 40s and 50s, with the highest of them being over 60.
“What kind of people are they? A group of thieves?”
Rigon retorted in response to Kaen’s muttering.
“It feels strange. They don’t seem like ordinary thieves.”
“We should intervene and help, shouldn’t we? We can’t just stand here.”
Lea murmured quietly.
“Don’t get involved. Just stay put.”
“No, look at their numbers. There are more than thirty.”
“Whether it’s thirty or forty, Yuz will handle them all. You interfering will only be a hindrance.”
“Wasn’t Mr. Yuz just a butler?”
At that moment, Yuz shouted towards the ‘bandits’.
“What ignorant fools are you? We are the Herwyn family’s entourage. If you value your lives, get lost.”
If Lea’s words were true, with Yuz’s level, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to handle all these people.
However, we were the obstacle in this scenario. For him, our safety was the top priority, so he would be reluctant to engage in combat.
“Herwyn? Ah, the Count of Herwyn.”
The one who appeared to be the leader, with the highest level, sneered and spoke.
“We don’t have time to waste. Kill them all and continue moving.”
The ‘bandits’ simultaneously unleashed their magic. Magic circles emerged from all directions.
“How dare you!”
At the same time, Yuz swung his sword, releasing a barrage of enormous sword energy.
Kwaaaang!
“Focus only on the carriage escort! I will deal with them alone!”
Yuz gave orders to the knights and began channeling his mana. He rushed towards the nearest enemies.
The battle that started was as one-sided as the level difference.
Those villains couldn’t offer any proper resistance against Yuz’s ruthless swordsmanship and were quickly overwhelmed.
Everyone watched the scene in the carriage, holding their breath.
The sight of people falling in pieces, dying one by one, was not a familiar scene to them, except for Rigon.
“...Mr. Butler was quite intimidating. I should have treated him with more respect.”
Kaen forced a laugh while throwing in a forced joke. No one was listening.
It happened when about a third of the villains had been killed...
As they struggled against Yuz and faced setbacks, a sudden change occurred in the leader.
...!
I recognized the aura immediately, and my face twisted into a grimace.
That guy was a demon contractor.
The crimson energy wavering from the leader of the villains extended like a stem.
Then, it formed into a shape resembling an iron club and swung towards Yuz.
Thud! Crash!
The surrounding ground and bushes were swept away by the attack, shattered and overturned.
Yuz also felt that the change in the leader was not ordinary and took a step back. That’s when it happened.
“...Ah!”
Yuz urgently turned his gaze towards the carriage.
In a distant place, a dark and massive sphere was aiming for the carriage, flying towards it.
The speed of the sphere was exceptionally fast, and its energy felt different from ordinary mana, making it difficult to perceive at first.
The knights escorting the carriage hastily swung their swords, but the sphere remained unscathed.
Annoying.
I had no choice but to use my abilities. I surrounded the carriage and unfolded a barrier.
Within the calmness of the barrier, everything turned pitch black for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.
“What... What was that just now? Was it an attack?”
Kaen and the others couldn’t properly comprehend what had just happened.
I spoke to the bewildered Lea.
“We need to get out of here.”
“What?”
“We were almost attacked just now, and if another attack comes, it will be hard to dodge inside the carriage.”
After saying that, I opened the carriage door and went out, followed closely by everyone else.
Having confirmed that we were safe, Yuz returned to battle with a relieved expression on his face.
“Miss, please stay close to the carriage!”
“We will protect ourselves! Don’t worry!”
Lea assisted the knights by using magic against the approaching enemies. It was the same arcane magic I had seen before.
A purple beam pierced through the ground, aiming at the one of the people attacking the knights, effectively cutting off their breath.
Rigon and Kaen also drew their swords and began defending with the knights.
Since all three of them were skilled individuals, as long as they didn’t directly confront the enemies, they wouldn’t be harmed. However...
I turned my gaze in one direction.
In the distance, I could see a group of men hiding in the trees.
Among them, there was even someone with a higher level than the leader on this side.
That’s something I should take care of.
If the recent attack had hit, the situation could have become troublesome.
Taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, I moved using [Space Leap].
***
“What? It’s blocked? What is blocking it?”
The grotesque figure with a half-melted face frowned as he inspected the intact carriage.
Having split up to track the traces and arriving late, what kind of annoying situation was this?
Already, more than half of the people on the other side had been killed.
Kuks was fighting with his demonic powers unleashed, but that monstrous old man was much stronger than expected.
He tried to divert his attention by aiming for the carriage, but the attack was blocked by an unknown force and just dissipated.
It was clear that joining the fight in this state would result in significant damage.
“Ugh, we don’t have time for this...”
“What are you?”
The grotesque man turned around in surprise. There was a young boy standing there.
He didn’t even notice the other’s presence. When did he appear?
The boy glanced around quickly and spoke again.
“The demon worshippers are flocking together. What is your purpose?”
The grotesque man and his subordinates raised their mana but realized something too late.
They noticed that a mist-like substance had silently spread around them.
“It’s already too late.”
The grotesque man’s subordinates collapsed one after another, falling under the trees.
His eyes widened at the sight.
“Tell me your purpose. If you don’t answer, you’ll die too.”
“What? What on earth are you?”
“Answer my question...”
Kwaaang!
The grotesque man who launched a surprise attack on the boy immediately turned around and tried to flee.
At the same time, just like the other subordinates, he collapsed as if he were a severed puppet.
“If you have no intention of answering, then die.”
***
I descended from the tree and looked around at the bodies lying on the ground.
If I could have subdued them, I would have interrogated them, but the conditions didn’t seem favorable for that.
The demon contractors acted only according to the commands of the demons they have contracted with, much like slaves.
They either searched for the demon’s seeds or do something else for their masters.
I couldn’t determine the exact purpose for which these guys were wandering around this forest.
I wonder if any of them survived over there.
Since the battle was gradually coming to an end, I returned to the carriage.
“Hey, have you seen where my friend went?! He was definitely right next to me just a moment ago...”
I teleported behind the carriage and saw Rigon and Kaen holding the knights, questioning them.
Lea sighed and poked Kaen in the shoulder as she made eye contact with me.
“He’s over there.”
“Huh? Hey, Ran! You suddenly disappeared and scared us!”
“Where were you?”
I scratched my head and replied.
“I was hiding under the carriage.”
“What? Pffft! Were you that much of a coward? We were fighting hard!”
“What were ‘fighting hard’? The knights have all defeated them. Are you hurt anywhere, Ran?”
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”
Kaen burst into laughter but then slumped down, letting out a deep sigh. It seemed that her spirit was more exhausted than her body.
Yuz approached, wiping off the blood from his sword.
“Is everyone okay?”
“We’re fine. But what on earth are these guys?”
“I don’t know. The leader, in particular, was willing to sacrifice his life...”
Yuz glanced at one side, and the others followed suit, their expressions showing concern.
The leader of the group who had utilized the power of demons had exploded, making it impossible to recognize his true form.
“He committed suicide. Nonetheless, since there are still some survivors, we will interrogate them.”
“Find out thoroughly, Yuz. If there’s anyone behind this, they must pay the price for daring to touch the Herwyn family.”
Lea spoke in a chilling voice. Yuz nodded in agreement.
“Everyone, take a break. I’ll take care of the aftermath.”
As Yuz was about to turn around, he stopped in his tracks and looked at Lea.
“You did well, Miss. Thank you for your hard work.”
Lea nodded silently.
Considering the previous reactions of this group of demon worshippers, it didn’t seem like they knew from the beginning that the ones they’re attacking were from the Herwyn family.
I wondered if they just stumbled upon us and attacked to silence us...
Yuz still didn’t seem to grasp that the power the leader used was the power of demons. It’s not something ordinary.
I considered telling Yuz about that fact but decided to let it go. There was probably no need for it.
Surely they weren’t targeting Kaen, right?
There was no possibility that they knew about the successor of the Holy Sword.
If they truly knew and aimed for Kaen, then it’s natural for the top-level demons to be involved. Not these small fries.
From the beginning, these guys didn’t show any signs of specifically targeting Kaen. I was being overly concerned.
So, was there really a need to pay any more attention to these guys?
But there might be more people like these lurking around, and we’re just letting it slide without any action... sigh.
I turned my gaze away, lost in thought.
Lea was watching me, her trembling hand pressed against her chest.
She seemed unfazed, but as expected, she looked like she was worried sick.
“What are you looking at?”
She raised her head and glared at me. I shrugged.
“If it weren’t for you, that knight earlier would’ve either died or suffered severe injuries. You personally protected him.”
“What are you talking about? Who said that?”
“It means you don’t need to feel guilty for killing those guys.”
“Feel guilty? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just a little shocked, that’s all.”
It’s only natural to be shocked if it’s your first kill.
Lea looked at me with an odd expression and spoke.
“You seem completely unfazed.”
“Well, I was just hiding quietly.”
“You said you were hiding under the carriage. Isn’t that a bit strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“You were the first to go out, saying that the carriage could be attacked. And you were hiding under the carriage?”
'Uh, is that so?'
I only thought about an excuse casually without considering that.
In that moment, unable to find the right words, without responding, Lea gave me a suspicious look.
“Where were you during the actual battle? Did you use your spatial magic to teleport somewhere?”
“Well, actually, yes. I was hiding in a safer place.”
“Why did you lie?”
“If I said I was the only one hiding far away, it would sound weak.”
“But why are you saying it so confidently?”
“Well... um...”
Lea shrugged her shoulders.
“Look, there were huge marks on the ground around the carriage. Just as you said, the carriage was indeed attacked. But it looked untouched, as if something blocked the attack.”
“...”
“Even when the carriage was under attack, you calmly led us out as if it was nothing.”
“What are you trying to say?”
She stared at me intently and spoke.
“What I want to say is, I have a feeling that you’re hiding something.”
