6k words
|RUDEUS GREYRAT|
After climbing out of the warehouse, I found that this was a different city. There were no walls. At least this wasn't Roa. It was not the size of a village but can be considered as a small town. If I don't continue moving to the next step, we will immediately be discovered.
"Phew. I think it should be fine if we escape to this place over here." The Ojou-sama talked loudly. Does she think she's safe now?
"Didn't you promise not to speak loudly before we reached home?"
"Hmph! Why should I keep your promise!?" She said it like it's a natural thing. This damn brat.
"Is that so? Then I'll part here. Goodbye."
"Hmph!" She snorted without a care and turned around. Right at this time, an angry roar came from far away.
"Bloody brats! Where did you run away to!?" Either they kicked the door down, decided to check the window to see the situation and found that the bars were missing, and discovered that we escaped and chased us right away. It should be something like that.
"... Ahhh!" Ojou-sama gave a small scream and ran back immediately.
"I-I was just kidding just now. I won't talk loudly anymore. Bring me back."
"I'm not Ojou-sama's servant, and I'm not a slave." I was a little pissed over her condescending attitude.
"W-what, aren't you the home tutor?"
"Aren't you mistaken?"
"Eh?"
"Ojou-sama said you were not satisfied, so I'm not officially hired.'
"I... I'll hire you..." She turned her head to one, as if she was very unwilling. I needed to make a definite promise with her.
"You're saying that now. But once you reach the mansion, you're going to break that promise like just now, right?" I used a cold voice as much as I possibly could, trying to sound like Julian when he reprimanded Sylph for her cowardly behaviour. Just like him, without any emotions, I plainly said that.
"I won't. I won't break that promise... Save, please save me..."
"If you promise to not talk loudly and listen to whatever I say, you can follow me."
"I... I got it." Ojou-sama nodded obediently. Very good. Then, I'll move on to the next step. First of all, I took out 5 Asuran Large Copper Coins from my underwear, which was my entire fortune now. Just to add one, the copper coins are 1/10 of a silver coin. It's a sum that doesn't make people be at peace. But it should be enough with this.
"Please follow me." I moved away from the angry roars and moved towards the town's entrance. At the entrance, there was a guard lazily standing at the watch tower. I gave a copper coin to him.
"If you see someone looking for us, please tell them that we went outside of the city."
"Huh? What? Kids? I understand that, but are you playing hide and seek? Hmm, so much money... Are you from some noble families? Really now..."
"Please do that."
"Ahh. I got it." I found his reply to be perfunctory, but at least that will buy us some time. Then we just went straight to the area where the public horse carriage was at. I had already confirmed the price against the wall. I also checked the current location.
"This is a town next to Roa called Widin." I whispered in Ojou-sama's ears, and she seemed to hold true to her promise, whispering to me too.
"How do you know that?"
"Isn't it written there?"
"I can't read it..." Mhmm. Very good. Very good. All according to DA Plan, kekw.
"It is convenient if you can understand it. Because the way to use the public transport is also there." Honestly. We were transported here within a single day. Coming to a foreign city makes me feel really uneasy. My trauma was about to reemerge.
No. No. I'm already different from the time where I didn't even know where "Hello" was. Come to think of it, Paul sounds like Hello on the letters. When I was thinking of nonsensical things, I felt that the angry roars were approaching.
"You bastards! Where have you been hiding at!? Get out right here!"
"Let's hide...!" I grabbed Ojou-sama, hid behind the toilet at the waiting area, and locked the door. Footsteps transmitted from the outside, echoing in the dead of the night.
"Where did you go, you bastards?"
"Don't think you can escape!"
Woahhh. That's really scary. Can you not make that noise while you're searching? You should at least use a gentler voice. I might even be lured out. Although, it's probably impossible. Finally, the voice went distant.
I can temporarily relax. But I can't be careless. Sometimes people who panic will search the same spot several times.
"... W.... will it be alright?" Ojou-sama covered her mouth with a shivering hand. Her body is in jitters.
Oh, shiver me timbers.
"Well, if we get found, we'll have to fight for our lives."
"I- I see... Alright...!"
"But we probably can't beat them."
"Is... is that so...?" Ojou-sama suddenly got her fire back, and I corrected myself a little. If she suddenly ran out and fought them, I'll be troubled.
"But just then, when I looked at the fees to take the carriage, I saw that we will need to change horse carriages twice if we set off from here."
"...... Change?" Ojou-sama showed off a face with "so what."
"The horse carriage starts off at 8 in the morning, and 1 horse carriage sets off every 2 hours. It is the same in other towns. Therefore, setting off from here needs 3 hours. It's about to reach the 4th carriage. Which means..."
"Which means?"
"Even if we get to the next town, there's no horse carriage heading to Roa. We will need to stay a night at the next town."
"...... I, I see, ah." Ojou-sama looked like she was about to shout out, but she still held it in at the end. Be careful. Don't make huge noises, okay?
"I have 4 Asuran Large Copper Coins to get from here to the next town, rest a night there, and set off from there to Roa, using the money here will barely."
"Barely... be enough right."
"Yes. Enough." Ojou-sama exhaled with relief. But now is not the time to relax.
"That is if we're not lied to in coin change."
"Coin change...? What's that?" Perhaps she has never used her money to buy something before.
"The boss at the inn and the station will think that we can't count as we're children. Then, they might not give us the correct change. At that time, we can point out the error, and they will give use the correct sum. But if we don't know how to count..."
"What will happen if we can't count?"
"Then we won't be able to get a horse carriage, and we'll get caught by those men..." Ojou-sama trembled again, as if she was about to pee.
"Ojou-sama. The toilet is right there."
"I, I got it."
"Then, I'll take a look outside." The moment I was about to exit the room, my sleeve was pulled slightly.
"D-don't go." Oh my~ Do you want me to stay? To peak? Huh? Say it.... say it with those li-
After excitedly witnessing Ojou-sama peeing, we went outside from the toilet. The men seemed to be gone. I'm not sure if they continued searching for us outside, or within the city. If we got discovered, I could only use all my magic to immobilize them. I prayed in the hopes of defeating them and waited at the corner at the same time. Once the time was up, we handed over the money to the driver and got onto the horse carriage.
|JULIAN GREYRAT|
> A few days before Rudy kidnapping<
"Is this really the last floor?" Roxy chimed in from behind me as we stood in front of huge double doors. It had a rather simple floral design on it that originated from the base and extending upward, intertwining in a rather complex nexus that took the shape of a knot before unfurling and moving up in a DNA shape.
"It seems like it." I replied as I took a step forward, placing my hand on the door. I ran my fingers along its cold, jagged surface, feeling the contours of each bump of the floral design. It wasn't just one smooth line that extended from the bottom. It felt more like a million fragments sewn together to form one coherent structure.
"Julian?" Roxy spoke from behind me, looking down while her expressions were hazy due to her huge hat tilting down. "Are you sure we should go in? This whole labyrinth is strange. And something happened to your eyes in the last floor.... I am worried." She spoke, her words softer than her tone.
"It was nothing. You know about my 'Mana Eyes'. They act up sometimes." I replied, trying to comfort her as I focused on the place behind the door. The mana signature was strong. But not strong enough. I might be able to kill it with Roxy's help. However, alone? The chances are quite low.
"I know about your 'Mana Eyes'. They aren't supposed to look like this." Roxy countered, taking a hushed step forward. This was the first time she was speaking this much ever since I experimented and failed. After that, she just seemed to quiet down a lot. She hadn't grown distant; instead, there was a perceptible melancholy lingering within her, tinging her aura with a touch of gloom.
"You're overthinking it." I replied. Placing my hand on a green tablet that rested over an obsidian stone podium, I gently pushed it. Whatever mechanism closed and opened the giant gate initiated. The whole floor was filled with the metallic grinding of the gears. The ground thrummed subtly, like the surface of a drum while trails of dust and other debris started to descend down from the roof.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Roxy spoke from beside me as she took out her staff. The metallic grinding of locks unlocking grew violent as a compressed layer of steam escaped through the crevice of the doors that was still unlocking. I placed my right hand on the hilt of my sword and left on the tip of the scabbard.
All sword styles were like Rock-Paper-Scissors. In simple terms, one couldn't discern which Sword Style was the strongest. In the end, it depended on the utility and individual skill of the swordsman. However, it didn't out rule the fact that some sword styles were better suited to some situations than the others.
Like the current situation. Sword God style relies on the swiftness of attacks, basically adhering to "the one who moves first, wins" rule. North God Style was convenient and arguably the most versatile sword style. It was a Sword Style that was highly compatible with me. In the past few years that I have been away from home, I have been refining my North God Style to the point that it has far surpassed my affinity with Sword God Style.
However, even now, the North God Style was not something I needed right now.
Among the Sword Styles, the one that is most oriented towards 'Defense' was the Water God Style. Not only did it use defensive parrying but a follow up of quick and precise counterattack.
Changing my stance, I gripped my sword with my left hand forward and right hand at the base of the hilt. Lowering my knees a little, I readied myself. A strong gale blew past me, grazing my cheek. It didn't have any cutting properties, yet it felt as if it has been imbued with some kind of ferocious intent.
Uncertainty.
Somehow, exactly at that moment, it took birth inside me. Being uncertain was scariest thing I knew.
Suddenly, like a guttural war cry, a deafening voice screeched from inside the "Boss Room" making the whole place tremble. The moment Roxy took a step inside, a tsunami of flames rushed in from behind the lingering mist. Roxy's staff raised up as a huge ball of water manifested. With a slightly shortened incantation, she fired it off.
The huge ball of water collided with the highly compressed flamethrower. Steam erupted from the impact as both attacks stopped in their tracks for a few seconds, both sides fighting for dominance. However, a huge amount of mana condensed from behind the endless stream of flames as it evaporated the ball of water down to the last drop.
Roxy gasped and readied her staff. She started chanting; however, the flames had already reached her. From the corner of my eyes, I watched as Roxy as she recoiled from the heat of the flames, the hem of her skirt catching on an ember of the flames.
Stepping on the ground and using wind mana to boost my speed, I charged towards her and grabbed her by the waist. Pulling her in, I dashed to the side. The flames were hot and crimson in colour. Flames do not usually change colour unless someone is highly proficient in it. Using Water mana, I extinguished the flame on her skirt and jumped to the other corner of the room.
Roxy was holding on to me, her knuckles turning white from how hard she was clutching at my robes. Hovering my hand over her, I casted healing magic silently. She opened her eyes slowly, the tremble in her body slowly receding. "Are you ok?" I asked.
"....Mhmm, I am. Thanks for saving me." She replied, looking down as she clutched at her staff. She seemed to be demoralised. "I told you. You shouldn't come inside here just like this."
"Well, it doesn't matter now." I replied as another guttural cry resonated throughout the Boss Room.
Roxy looked over my shoulder and her eyes went wide. She gasped, her breath rate increasing as her chest heaved up and down. Looking back, I realised why she was like this.
Bright red scales, reptile like body with wings and a pair of golden, slit eyes.
An S-Class Monster.
Now this is troublesome.
A Red Dragon.
|3RD PERSON|
The dank dungeon walls reverberated with the heavy thuds of Julian's boots as he moved away from Roxy and towards the monster looking down at him in steep silence. He clutched the sword from the hilt, its blade gleaming with a silvery sheen. Julian's swordsmanship style, unlike his sword, however, was far from ordinary—an unorthodox and unpredictable technique that made him a force to be reckoned with. Combining agility, speed, and an uncanny sense of timing, Julian wielded his sword in a manner that left his foes bewildered, an excellent executor of North-God Style.
A style of swordsmanship that well suited his needs and his techniques. As he took heavy steps towards the dragon, Roxy's anxiety skyrocketed. She extended her hand forward, trying to stop him, "J-Julian... we should run-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Julian pulled his robe away from her as he looked over his shoulder, his eyes gleaming in a mix of sapphire and emerald shade. The hand that clutched his robe suddenly receded as she trembled under his gaze. His eyes were calm yet the intensity in his eyes were enough to knock the air out of her lungs, making her reel back.
A tactile veil of oppressive and destructive strength filled the whole floor, making the air molecules tremble all around them. They thrummed, like electricity coursing through them, sounding like miniature war drums.
The dragon felt it as well as it looked up and let out a cacophonous shriek followed by a flamethrower from its mouth fueled by an enormous amount of mana. The dragon's instincts had kicked in. It wanted to assert its dominance in Julian's face, wanting to make his intent get suppressed under his flames.
'They're supposed to travel in groups. I wonder how this one got here.' Julian thought to himself. The temperature rose making the air thick with the acrid scent of sulfur. Its haunting growl echoed through the corridors, sending shivers down Roxy's spine. She wanted to move, try to help her student...her friend but she knew that she couldn't. Even though the fight hadn't started, she knew she would be a hindrance if she jumped in.
As Julian looked behind, he saw the immense chamber stretch before him, its stone floor littered with huge bones that jutted out of a skeletal structure that seemed like a bigger version of the dragon in front of him. Towering pillars lined the walls, casting long shadows that danced menacingly in the dim light. High above, a gaping hole in the ceiling allowed the moon's pale rays to penetrate, offering glimpses of the colossal creature that awaited him to devour Julian, limb to limb.
The dragon finally decided to jump down from its towering nest. With a deafening roar, the red dragon swooped down from above, its massive wings creating a gust of wind that sent Julian staggering backward. The beast landed with an earth-shaking thud; its fiery gaze fixated on its next meal. Flames erupted from its maw as it unleashed a powerful flamethrower, the searing heat threatening to consume Julian.
[Barrier Magic: Zephyr Forcefield]
Reacting swiftly, Julian summoned his elemental magic, conjuring a shield of swirling winds to deflect the onslaught of flames. The flames licked at the edges of the shield, testing its resilience. Julian's concentration strained as he fought to maintain the barrier, beads of sweat forming on his brow.
Barrier Magic is one of the four systems of [Healing Magic]. The kind of support magic that creates a magical barrier to raise one's defense, to block movement and magic, or to invoke certain characteristics within the barrier's area i.e nullifying magic activation, increasing or decreasing regeneration rate, distorting space etc. After attaining a certain degree of proficiency in [Healing Magic], Julian was now able to form barriers and imbue them with elements.
Seizing the momentary distraction, the dragon lunged forward, its massive claws aiming to rend Julian apart. With a nimble sidestep, Julian evaded the lethal strike, his sword arcing through the air in a dazzling display of pure skill and languid fluidity. The blade clashed against the dragon's scales, emitting a resounding metallic clang. Julian's unorthodox swordsmanship allowed him to exploit the weaknesses in his opponent's defenses, finding gaps between the scales where he could strike with precision.
It was something he had learned over the course of his Adventuring days. When he first striked a living human's neck, he knew about it. To cleanly sever a neck, a swordsman has to find the accurate joint. While this can be overcome by the sheer power, the knowledge can prove to helpful in many other scenarios as well.
A small drop of blood fell from the minute gap between the dragon's scales. Julian saw that, his eyes widening. 'It hasn't reached maturity yet.' Julian concluded.
However, the dragon was relentless, its powerful tail swiping at Julian with devastating force. Knocked off balance, Julian tumbled backward, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. The impact jarred his senses, and his grip on his sword wavered. The odds were stacked against him, the dragon's immense strength and fiery breath proving to be formidable adversaries despite its young age.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Roxy knocked out unconscious, a huge lump of shattered rock beside her as small amount of blood came out from her head. His face didn't waver as he peeled his face away from her.
Undeterred, Julian rose to his feet. He channeled his elemental magic once more, summoning tendrils of water to encircle his sword. The water swirled and danced, imbuing his weapon with a chilling aura. With renewed focus, Julian engaged the dragon once more, his strikes now laced with an icy touch that sapped the heat from its attacks.
However, despite the multiple hits that landed on the dragon, the battle was far from over. The dragon's ferocity seemed boundless as it continued to unleash a torrent of flames, forcing Julian to dodge and weave with unparalleled agility. The clash of sword against scale echoed through the chamber as Julian fought to gain an advantage, each blow leaving its mark on the dragon's formidable hide.
Julian was keeping his touki to basic augmentation, not letting a single drop of it go to waste. The efficiency made it so that he seemed to not have lost any drop of mana or touki.
The dragon moved forward with an agility that seemed to contradict its bulk. However, it was a young one so this much was obvious.
He tapped into the depths of his elemental powers, once again, combining fire, water, and lightning, imbuing each strike with their destructive forces. With one final surge of determination, Julian executed a daring maneuver. He lunged beneath the dragon's outstretched wings, narrowly evading the fiery tempest that threatened to consume him. In a swift motion, he swung his sword upward, cleaving through the dragon's vulnerable underbelly.
Getting back up in one swift motion, he threw his sword over the dragon's head. The dragon, having a lower intelligence, followed the sword with its eyes. However, this was a distraction. Jumping on its head, Julian took out two short-swords and plunged them inside the dragon's eyes.
[Gravity Magic: Singularity]
The dragon was about to launch a frenzied flamethrower, but Julian condensed a layer of gravity and compressed it into a small space. It twisted the space around it, forming a miniature black hole as he pushed it inside its skull. The small black sphere carrying destructive singularity ripped the dragon apart from inside out as it let out a loud shriek.
A roar of anguish reverberated through the chamber as the dragon collapsed, its lifeblood mingling with the cold stone floor. Julian's breaths came in ragged gasps as he surveyed the battlefield, his battered, mana-depleted body staggering to the side.
He looked at Roxy unconscious form from afar. "Good thing I knocked her out."
|RUDEUS GREYRAT|
We finally reached the next city. To show Ojou-sama how cruel the world is, I found a run-down place for lodging, and slept on the haystacks. Ojou-sama seemed to be agitated to the point where she couldn't sleep. Every time she heard a sound, she would sit up and stare at the door in fright. After a while she would find nothing and would sigh with relief---- Repeating this process constantly.
On the 2nd day, we took the first carriage out.
Ojou-sama's eyes were bloodshot. It was perhaps due to insufficient sleep, but she didn't dare to close her eyes and alertly watched behind the horse carriage. A few times, there were riders that caught up to the horse carriage, but they were not the kidnappers.
Perhaps they were left behind in the distance. Perhaps they gave up. I thought that without care. After a few hours, nothing happened, and we were back at Roa. After passing through the reliable city walls, we could see the mansion from afar, and my heart was set with the emotion of safety.
My thoughts subconsciously believed that it was safe already.
After getting down from the horse carriage, we walked to the mansion. Our steps were fast and light. After traveling in the horse carriage and sleeping on the hay for the first time, I also felt tired.And as if to catch this weakness ---- Ojou-sama suddenly got pulled into the alley.
Too careless.
"...Eh?"
I realised only after 2 seconds. My eyes only left for 2 seconds, and within that time, Ojou-sama had gone missing. I really thought that she disappeared into thin air. At the corners on my eyes, there was a strip of cloth that had the same color as Ojou-sama's clothes on the wall.
I immediately gave chase. Entering the alley, I saw two people's figure's carrying Ojou-sama.
"Hmph!"
I immediately casted the earth magic to make a wall. From my hands, the magic created a huge earthen wall in front of them. They could only stop in front of the sealed pathway where the earthen wall suddenly appeared.
"What the heck!?"
"Mmmph!"
Ojou-sama's mouth has been covered. There were tears in her eyes. They are really too good at this, covering her mouth within seconds. And Ojou-sama seemed to have been struck, her face red.
Serves her righ-- uh, nothing. Never mind.
The opponents are two humans, and they are male. One of them was the violent person who kicked me. The other one is probably the person that he talked to. Both of them looked like bandits, and both of them had a sword on their waist.
"So it's this brat. You could have quietly gone back to your home..."
The two people got a shock from the sudden wall, but once they looked back at me, they smiled. The violent person walked towards me without caution. The other one carried Ojou-sama. Is there anyone else...?
In any case, with the intent to intimidate them, I cast a small fireball on my fingertip.
"What? You bastard!" Looking at this, the violent person pulled out his sword. The other person became alert, placing the sword on Ojou-sama's neck, and slowly retreated.
"You damn brat. I was wondering why you were so calm. You're actually a bodyguard magician... No wonder you escaped so easily. Damn it. I was fooled by your appearance! Are you from a demon race!?"
"I'm not a bodyguard. I haven't been officially hired." Even though I'm not from a demon race, there's no real need to correct it.
"What? Then why are you interfering with us?"
"No, I'm supposed to be hired after this."
"Oh, it's for money?"
For money. He's right about the money. I do intend to earn the fees for university.
"I don't deny that."
The violent person's mouth curled at the corners after listening to my reply. "In that case, come help us. Among our customers, there's a perverted noble who wants to buy girls with high social standing. If we're to get a ransom that's also possible. I heard that she's the very precious daughter of the lord here. They will give whatever we want."
"Oh......" I made a sound of being impressed, and Ojou-sama's face immediately turned green. Perhaps she knew that I was becoming her home tutor to pay off for the university fees.
"Then, how much can we get?"
"It's not pocket change like 1 or 2 gold per month. It's a lump sum of 100 gold coins." The violent person said proudly. Even though I don't know how much that really means, it feels like the person is saying, "Wow 1 million dollars". "That's really amazing right?" He's like a kindergarten kid.
"Hehehe. kid, you might look young, but you're actually of a considerable age right?"
"Hmm? Why would you think that?"
"With that magic and that calm attitude, one look and we know it. The demon races have those kind of people. You must be troubled over your appearance, right? Well, you should know the importance of money, right?"
"I see." From a person that doesn't know anything, he would treat it that way. Indeed. My mental age is past 40 years. You're totally right. As expected from Mr. bandits. "Indeed, living to this age, I know the importance of money. I was even thrown into a foreign land without any money."
"Hehehe. You see right?"
Even though, before that, I was living without any worries. Nearly 20 years of neet life. Full of Eroge and internet games. It was half of my life. From there I learned something. I can betray Ojou-sama. Or my scenario with Ojou-sama can start here from helping her.
"Therefore, I'm very clear, that there are things more important than money."
"Don't talk about these pretty words!"
"They are not pretty words. You can't buy 『Dere』 with money." Oh sheet. I said the truth in my heart.
"Dere? What is that?" The violent person seems to be confused, but the reality of the negotiation has broken down. His irritating smile was gone, and he placed the sword at Ojou-sama's neck with a solemn expression.
"The hostage is with me. Throw away the fireball in your hand!"
"...... Can I throw it into the air?"
"Do it. But don't think of throwing it at us. Even if you're fast, you won't be faster than the sword in my hand. I'll cut this bitch's throat and use her as a shield."
He didn't let me dissipate it. No. Perhaps he didn't know. From the time to cast the magic out is automatic. He wouldn't understand this part if he had never learned magic before.
"I got it." I manipulated the mana of the fireball before shooting. I created a special type of fire ball, and then fired it with a strange sound accompanying it. A massive explosion happened in the air.
"Wha!"
"Wut!?"
"Mmmmph!?"
An ear-splitting explosion struck the ears. During the instant when everyone looked up, there was a glaring flash of light, and a temperature that seemed to burn the skin. I began to run. Casting magic as I ran, I created two types of magic that I used the most.
On the right hand was the wind magic "True Sonic Boom."
On the left hand was the earth magic "Rock cannon."
I released them at the two of them.
"Ahhh!"
The sonic boom struck the one carrying the Ojou-sama.
"Urgh!"
Ojou-sama fell from his arms, and I caught her safely.
Princess-style carrying, babyyyyyy! *violent coughs*
"Tch! Don't look down on me!" I looked at the other person and saw him cut the rock in two.
"Uwah......" Crap. He actually managed to split the rock. Even though I didn't know his style, it's a terrible thing. If he's as good as Paul, it will be troublesome. I might not be able to win against such an opponent. I just hope he isn't like Julian. I'm as good as dead if that's the case.
"Awawawa...!"
I used wind and fire melded magic and created a shock wave near my feet and flew towards the opposite direction. This shock wave was strong enough to make me feel like the bones in my legs have snapped. In the next instant, a sword struck the place where I was just at earlier. The blade slices across the tip of my nose, leaving a wind-splitting sound.
That is too dangerous.
But he's not as fast as Paul. Then I just need to concentrate and handle him. I have already done countless fights against swordsmen in my mind. If I just follow according to what I practiced, I will be able to handle it.
I prepared the next magic spell in the air. First is a fireball aimed at that guy's face. The speed was slightly slow.
"Just this alone!"
That guy discerned the fireball clearly and prepared to face it by raising his sword. At the difference in timing when he strikes it, I used water and earth magic, and create a quicksand at his feet. Even though he handled the fireball, his feet were completely buried in the extremely viscous mud, sealing his movements.
"What!?" Very good. We have won. I am sure of that. The enemies are unable to run, and although they managed to deflect the fireballs, I'm already out of their range. Even though I'm carrying Ojou-sama, once I find somewhere with people, it's our victory. Otherwise, I can call for help.
---- Just when I think of that.
"Don't think of running!" That guy suddenly threw his sword. With that, one of my spars with Julian sprank in my mind. The technique of throwing the sword in the Northern-God style if their legs are injured. It's a technique to throw the sword at an opponent far away.
The sword flew straight at me with high speed. I instinctively felt that I was unable to escape from it. The sword flew like a slow motion cutscene. The destination is my head.
The word "dead" flashed across my mind the next instant. Two 'somthings', one a brown tea colored while the other like a black bullet flew across eachother in front of my eyes. At the same time, something like a vase crashed onto the floor, and the sword fell onto the floor.
"Eh?" In front of my eyes were two new people. One's back was towards me while the other was just looking in the other direction, standing behind the bandits.
A wide back. I raised my head and saw the ears on the head.
She was Ghislaine Dedorudia. But I do not know who the other guy is. Is he with the bandits?
Without giving me time to comprehend anything, she moved ----- red and teal coloured flashes cut across the air.
"... Ah?"
The head of the guy stuck in the quicksand falls onto the ground.
The other instant, the other person's head fell down onto the ground as well.
Smack. A sound like that. I can even hear it from here.
My mind couldn't even catch up with that.
"......"
I looked at the two collapsed bodies a few meters away in a daze. This really doesn't feel like something real. What happened? I really have no idea. Eh? They died? These questions floated up my mind.
"You! Who are you?" Ghislaine spoke in a stern tone.
There was someone standing in front of her. The robes were completely covering his face. However, just from basic appearance, it seemed like he was a high ranking noble. Is he the one who ordered the kidnapping of Eris?
Before I could process, Ghislaine moved, her crimson sword flying through the air. The figure in front of me moved, his teal coloured sword catching up on crimson flames as it stroked Ghislain's sword with an equal strength. However, the tendrils of flames extended and caught on to her and exploded the next instant as she was sent crashing in the opposite direction.
The next instant, the figure was in front of me.
His back was facing to me. However, he placed his hand in front of me.... huh? Is he acting to protect me?
However, I saw the figure's hood get cut in half as it fell to the either side, finally revealing him. I couldn't see his face, but that blonde hair sure seemed to be really taken care of. Silky smooth and oolala, do they smell good. Is it some tom-boy?
But seriously, even though this new figure moves so fast, Ghislaine was able to cut him, even though it was just his cape.
As if on cue, Ghislaine came out from the rubble, unscathed. "Golden haired, North-God Saint. A blazing sword. And an almost unreal speed and precision." She spoke as if impressed and the figure relaxed its shoulders as well.
"My brother seems to get into troubles a lot. I thought you were after him." He replied and sheated his sword.
Wait.......Brother? Who? ME?
"Despite that, you would need to have a meeting with the Lord, Julian Greyrat." Ghislaine spoke as he looked back.
It was him...
My twin brother.....
The tremble in my legs when I was almost at death's door vanished as I saw him, after so many years.
He looked back at me. His eyes had a tired look. "Why are you so short?"
HAAAH!!!?????????
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