"Wait, Ms. Quikantel."
"Hm?"
"Do you really think those people outside are neighbours who came for some firewood? I think they're from the Special Forces."
Quikantel was definitely very strong, but because of her strength, she didn't even have a single ounce of caution.
'Considering all the things she had done and Enya's assassination in my past life, Quikantel is not suited to be a guardian. At least, in her current situation.'
"Vermont Special Forces… I've heard of them before, but why would they…?"
Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock.
The people outside—speculated to be the Special Forces—rapped on the door once more. Quikantel looked confused as she tried to interpret the situation.
"Probably because of Enya. I think they were supervising this area. And when they saw you bringing some outsiders, they came to check on you."
It could be a far-fetched assumption, but who in the world would come to a remote log cabin in the middle of a forest to get some firewood?
Moreover, there was no negative consequence in encountering them with caution.
"If you're right about those guys being the Special Forces, hiding from them would elicit more suspicion. I'll observe them, and when they seem a little suspicious, I will immediately disable and capture them."
"Capture? Do we really need to do that? Isn't it better to just make an excuse and have them go on their way?"
"No. If they're trying to supervise me, I can't let that slide. Violating my privacy is unforgivable."
Quikantel trotted to the door.
Meanwhile, Jin dragged Murakan to a room and activated Myulta's Rune, and Enya watched in awe.
'Damn… Nothing is normal in Quikantel's and Enya's lives…'
Creeaaaaak.
Quikantel opened the door and was greeted by two big men. They wore oversized shirts and straw hats, and their lower bodies were well-built.
"Speak the truth. You runts are part of the Special Forces, right?"
The two men shook their heads at Quikantel's aggressive query.
"What do you mean by that?"
"We apologize for the unexpected inconvenience. We are farmers from down the forest, and we were out of kindling…"
Hearing all of this, Jin thought to himself.
'Those guys will have to face severe reprimand and write a dozen pages of apologies for their incompetence once they return to headquarters.'
The Special Forces needed to carry out their tasks smoothly while in a disguise that suited the time and place.
On that note, the soldiers at the door were a pair of bums. It made no sense that they came for firewood when there's wood all around them. Moreover, they had a shoddy disguise.
They were probably the lowest of the low, newly recruited newbies from the Special Forces.
'I can see how easily the Vermont Imperial Family can supervise Enya and Quikantel. But isn't this too effortless…? Are those guys even from the Special Forces?'
Pow! Thwack!
Before Jin could even complete his thoughts, solid striking sounds could be heard from outside the room.
It was from Quikantel beating the crap out of the guests.
"I'm sure I told you to tell the truth. And yet, you dared to lie…"
Peering out, Jin saw Quikantel brutally abusing the visitors. By the first strike, they couldn't even resist and fell to the ground.
"Kuheok!"
"Where do you think you're spilling your dirty blood?"
Violent beatings ensued, and Quikantel dragged two flimsy corpses by the head into the living room. The two men looked pitiful.
"Since when have you been watching me?"
"W-We are not with the Special Forces!"
"What? Who sent you, then?"
"I did."
The voice of another man resounded. And surprisingly, it came from inside the house.
Additionally, its source was right next to Jin.
'What?! I didn't even detect his aura…!'
Jin flinched and inched away from the man.
The intruder wore a red mask and a skin-tight blue suit—the uniform of the Vermont Special Forces. According to his knowledge, Jin knew that only important leaders wore red face coverings.
Quikantel—who was slightly startled by the occurrence—released the two men's collars.
"Ohhh, so you are in the Special Forces. You sent these goons to sneak into my house?"
"You guys are dismissed."
The two men who "wanted kindling" scrambled away.
Quikantel was about to flick a magic arrow to their backsides, but the masked man opened his mouth.
"Killing them would complicate the situation. Other soldiers will be summoned to this location."
"Oh yeah? Why don't we complicate things, then?"
"If you really want to, then I will not stop you."
Quikantel paused, then lowered her hand.
"Yeah, if I'm going to kill a human, it better be you. Not those guys."
The man didn't seem to show any fear in the presence of Quikantel's fury.
It was obvious. At first glance, Jin knew this man was at least an 8-star. Quikantel knew this as well.
'Now that I think about it, that scimitar… I've heard about it multiple times in my past life.'
Only one person wielded a scimitar in the Vermont Special Forces.
Codenamed Wratch, the Special Forces 3rd Division Leader. As Vermont Emperor's most trusted person, he was well known in the Runcandel Clan as 'the guy with good swordsmanship'.
Essentially, he was a swordsman that even the Runcandels acknowledged. There was no need to doubt his skills.
'Good thing I used Myulta's Rune to cover my face. That was close.'
Wratch slightly lowered his head towards Quikantel.
"I apologize if we offended you. I had to identify the guests you brought into our lands. Since I have identified them, I shall depart."
Wratch didn't even ask who Jin and Murakan were, and even if he did ask, Quikantel wouldn't tell him. Looking up their citizenship and identification would be easier.
"I don't think you can end this with just an apology for stalking me. And who said you could leave already?"
Quikantel threw a punch.
Wratch didn't even flinch, nor did he dodge. His face received the full blow, yet he remained still like a statue—unscathed.
"I see how it is, you're something. Pretty useful for a human. You relied on your toughness to act like a fool around me?"
"If your anger has been alleviated through that, I think you should stop."
"What if I don't?"
"Then I, as well, will attack. My mission is in no way related to ensuring Enya's safety should anything happen."
Wratch slowly shifted his eyes towards Enya. With eyes glittering with curiosity, Enya met his cold eyes. The man's frigid glare froze her in place.
It was a threat. If they were to fight, he didn't know about Quikantel, but he could definitely take care of Enya. And since he didn't want to fight, it was a compromise for his departure.
That was a pretty smart move by him. It didn't matter how angry Quikantel was, as long as Enya's life was on the line.
No matter how strong Wratch was, it probably was impossible for him to defeat Quikantel in a duel. However, fighting in such a cramped space could possibly endanger Enya.
Things would be different if Murakan was awake. Thankfully, without him, the conflict slowly and quietly resolved itself.
"Alright, then. I will see you next time."
Wratch walked past Quikantel and through the doorway. The moment he stepped outside, he vanished.
"That piece of…"
Quikantel threw a tantrum. Aside from the fact that she had been stalked by the Vermont Imperial Family, she also felt like she had been played.
"I'm a dumbass for keeping Enya in this hellhole."
Quikantel sighed.
"Jin Runcandel. If I hadn't met you and Murakan, I can't imagine the horrible fate that Enya would've faced. Not just Enya, they were watching me too…!"
Enya remained shocked—eyes widened and face frozen.
"Th-That person… w-was very scary."
Receiving a look filled with murderous intent from an 8-star knight was a different level from the bullying she received at the magic academy.
"My brother! I must go get my brother. Lord Jin, let's leave now…!"
"Please go with Ms. Quikantel. You should board the Tikan merchant ship first thing tomorrow morning."
Her luggage was a small bundle of items.
No different than the items in her school bag, it was all of the things she needed to leave the Vermont Empire.
With the bundle on her back, she tightly held her brother, Pinte, by the hand and tucked her dog to her chest with the other.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
"Uhhhhh, milord? Are we really not going to get caught? I was super scared after seeing that man that I couldn't even sleep…"
All Jin could do was offer her some words of relief.
"Even if we get caught, I will promise that you and your family will be safe. Trust me. Either way, getting out of here as soon as possible would be our safest bet."
Still, Jin safely assumed that the Vermont Special Forces didn't monitor Enya in close quarters. Despite Quikantel's carelessness, it wasn't enough to miss stalkers within her vicinity.
'Before Wratch came in, even Murakan didn't detect anything. We were probably found out when we flew through the empire's barrier while on Ms. Quikantel's back. And it's likely that the Vermont Special Forces were dispatched afterwards.'
Additionally, with yesterday's incident, the Vermont Imperial Family probably knows that Quikantel was pissed. They wouldn't get anything good out of aggravating her even further.
And they would never expect Enya to sneak out of the empire immediately. They would assume her absence at the academy to be caused by mental shock.
"No need to worry, and board the ship. Beyond all this, Ms. Quikantel probably can't imagine you traveling alone as she stays in her cabin. And this cat—I mean, Murakan will protect you."
Since Jin couldn't expose himself, he couldn't escort Enya to the merchant ship.
Just in case, he had Murakan turn into a cat and protect Enya. If the Special Forces were to notice Enya's escape, Murakan could stop their attacks.
The main street led straight to the port anyways, so Jin was sure that being spotted would be unlikely.
In a street filled with thousands of people, pinpointing Enya's family's exact location would be impossible without closely stalking her.
"Milord…"
"Don't worry. He is the Great Black Dragon. I will see you in Tikan soon, Miss Enya. And Pinte."
Enya bit her lips and bowed. She then left the remote log cabin and headed to the heart of the capital. No different than her daily walk to the academy.
This time, however, she wouldn't be going to the magic academy, and Pinte wouldn't be going to his preschool.
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