"Stop right there!" Sherry shouted at the two men with Floria. The cheerful woman's behavior changed 180 degrees. The usual cheerfulness turned into hatred.
Rudi and Micah immediately halted. Their faces changed to shock and confusion upon hearing Sherry's shout. They looked at each other and shook their heads.
They both tried to comply with the warning, but upon seeing Doris' pitiful condition, Micah couldn't stand still.
He stepped forward, defying Sherry's warning.
"Stop!"
Micah kept walking, raising both hands.
"I said stop!"
Micah continued approaching.
"Micah! I'm telling you one more time, stop!"
The distance between them was getting closer. Sherry's mental endurance reached its limit. She began calling back her book, which glowed brightly, indicating she was about to cast a spell. Three transparent orbs of light formed near her body. If not careful, their presence would go unnoticed.
In the midst of Sherry's desperation, Micah began to speak, "Do you want to end my life? Even though I can help?"
"Shut up! Can't you see whose fault this is?!"
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang!
Micah instantly shot the three orbs near Sherry.
Sherry's book, which was initially glowing, immediately dimmed and lost its spellcasting power. The book burned as it got damaged. The summoner would need a few minutes before she could call it back.
"Huh?! You?! What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill me?! Then do you want to bury us al-"
"Rudi, take Doris' body to the city. Such minor magical injuries are nothing for the city's doctor."
Micah cut off Sherry's sentence. He acted because he knew how long-winded Sherry could be if she continued. Instead, he immediately provided a direct explanation of his plan.
Rudi took Doris' body from Sherry's lap. When Rudi checked his pulse, he still felt a faint beat.
"Brother... where are you taking him?" asked Floria, confused.
"To the city... Do you want to come?" replied Rudi.
"I will always be by brother's side!"
"(Smiling and nodding)... Then let's ride Toti once more."
Rudi and Floria walked away, but before they really left, Rudi turned to the silent, sad Sherry. "Aren't you coming?"
"Me?"
"Of course, he's your husband!"
"O-oh!"
Sherry immediately got up and chased after the both of them. As they left, it felt like there was a barrier separating Sherry and Floria.
"Micah, are you going to follow them?" asked Rudi, who was already on the perung.
"Follow? (Wide-eyed) No way?!" Sherry, who accidentally overheard the question, immediately understood its meaning.
Come to think of it, they came from the same direction! Sherry thought.
"Don't worry (waving his hand)... There's something I want to get from that little dog (the count). Something you know (whispering while raising both hands and shoulders)...!"
"(Sighing)..."
The perung flew low and turned away from Micah. Before leaving, Rudi turned to Micah and said, "Be careful!" After saying that, Rudi sped the perung towards Sayejij City at lightning speed.
***
Micah was now alone in this desolate place. But that didn't mean he would be scared. It had been a week since he first set foot here. His fear had surely vanished. Even too much.
'Wait, how did Rudi drive?' something suddenly came to mind after his friend had gone far.
'Who cares!' Micah walked leisurely toward the footprints left by the soldiers as they fled. He was like a sniffer dog looking for missing people.
"Where~ are~ you~?" Micah asked the footprints and the swaying grass.
The question was answered by a strong wind blowing towards him. Micah's clothes danced on his own body.
The young man's eyes looked at the cloudless blue sky. His eyes squinted towards the blowing wind.
One corner of his mouth lifted, and Micah stepped faster toward his destination.
***
In a cave located on a hill near Hun Village. A hideout was built simply and primitively. The fences were made of haphazardly arranged wood at the cave's entrance, and a simple wooden platform on the hilltop was used by guards to monitor the surroundings. Unfortunately, the platform's position prevented the guard from attacking enemies near the cave's mouth.
Several soldiers were pacing, taking turns guarding the entrance. There was a mage with a staff on the platform above the cave. Inside the cave, smoke from a bonfire was seen wafting out. A soldier was cooking meat over the bonfire with his friends. Bright smiles and the smell of drink lingered near them. It was hard to believe they could still laugh after what had just happened.
Inside the cave, there were also several injured soldiers lying on straw piles, groaning in pain from their wounds.
Although the soldiers were visible, even those who had just returned from the attack, the leader, Count Brosis, was nowhere to be seen.
"Where are you, little dog?" From the village, Micah spied on the illuminated place. He began walking through the bushes to stay unseen.
'He will come out if I cause a commotion!' he thought at the moment.
So, first, he tried to throw a little party with the soldiers as the price.
First, he locked his gaze on the mage on the platform. That mage was different from archers; darkness wasn't his weakness in seeing. He must have some sort of sensing magic that benefits him at night.
So, even in the bushes, Micah was aware that he had been seen by the mage from the start.
The reason the mage hadn't sounded the alarm was that Micah wasn't walking normally. Walking on two feet and two hands, stepping on rocks, and passing through tall grass.
Micah got closer to the hideout. Just a few more steps and he would be visible to the soldiers and their friends.
*Rustle!
Micah stood and walked out of the bushes casually, even raising and bending his arms as if mocking them.
The soldiers who saw that immediately took ready positions, gripping their weapons. They already knew who was in front of them, and they wouldn't stand still.
"Hello... gentlemen..." Micah greeted.
"It's Micah! Attack!"
But, before anything, the soldiers immediately lunged and attacked the man.
Micah was aware of the incoming attack, he dodged and rolled to the side. He immediately pointed his gun upwards, directly at the platform where the mage was.
*Bang! *Clang! *Bang! *Clang *Bang! *Crack!
Two shots to destroy his barrier, and one shot to end his life.
"The mage is dead! Sound the other alarms!" a soldier shouted.
*Fwoosh!
Torches in the cave's yard were lit.
Soon, additional soldiers came out of the cave's mouth.
"This is getting interesting!" *Click (reloading)! Micah said with a smile.
Micah moved forward and shot the soldiers one by one. Soldiers fell one by one as the battle had just begun.
*Clang!
When someone approached, Micah used his axe and swung it at them.
*Crack!
The force of his swing exceeded normal limits. The swing dented the soldiers' armor like plastic.
"Huh?!" Soldiers who saw their friend's armor dented along with the body inside it changed their view of Micah. They now truly saw who Micah was. From just a brutal killer at level one to a powerful monster who could destroy everything.
"Please! Don't kill us!"
"Me too! We'll do anything for you!"
The soldiers' morale decreased drastically. One by one, their comrades were easily killed by the monster before them. None of them could stop that person. They also knew what happened in the village that they raided and who the culprit was.
One by one, they bowed to Micah.
Hearing the pleas, Micah slowly stopped his fun. He began looking at the helpless soldiers with pitiful eyes. His eyes seemed to say a huge disappointment, 'Are you serious?' that phrase was clear on his face.
"You are soldiers! Isn't being ready to die is mandatory?!" Micah asked, yelling.
"Yes! We know! But fighting and dying to an enemy that's clearly unbeatable is madness! We don't want to die in vain!"
"Oh (stroking his chin, a sly smile appeared on his lips)..." Micah began looking at the terrified soldiers one by one. Their eyes dared not make direct contact with the boy. "(Spreading his arms and walking around) so, you surrender? Then tell me where your leader is? The little dog?"
"Leader? You mean Count Brosis?!"
"He... He's in the forest!"
Micah raised an eyebrow. Curiously, he tried asking back, "Forest? Why?"
"We..." hesitation suddenly appeared in the soldier's mouth.
But, one other soldier shouted and revealed everything, he knelt and yelled loudly at Micah. "Actually! We, Count Brosis' troops, are double agents!"
Micah was shocked.
"We appear to be under Count Ingro, but we are actually under Duke Asena!"
"Woah! Woah! What do you mean by that (pointing at the bold soldier)?"
"Hun Village, the village led by Doris Ikhr, is a village unaffiliated with any side, so the struggle for this village became intense! Both Duke Asena and Count Ingro want this village. Count Ingro wants to seize it by eliminating Doris and her family, while Duke Asena wants the village to completely submit to him."
"So (nodding curiously)... What's the connection?"
"Count Brosis used your name to deceive Doris. He tried to make Doris attack you with the hatred growing in her soul. That way, Doris would fully submit to the Duke."
If Count Brosis was actually affiliated with Duke Asena, he should also know what happened to Sayejij City thanks to Count Tumbu, who managed to escape. And how Brosis used Micah and his friends' names as antagonists clearly came from Count Tumbu's perspective.
"Wa-wait! Wasn't it just his soul that was torn?!" Micah began giving a serious look at them. "Tell me!"
"Count Brosis is not a fool who provides information to his enemy! What he actually did was plant seeds of hatred in Doris, which should have also been implanted in her wife and little sister, but you managed to prevent his little sister from being affected, and her wife went berserk so Count Brosis didn't have time to do anything to her!"
Anger surged in Micah's mind. He pulled out his phone from his bag and called Rudi, who had already flown away with the family.
Unfortunately, his phone couldn't respond. There were no internet waves or cell towers in this world. Although his phone could be turned on and charged, if it couldn't function as long-distance communication, then this phone was now useless.
"Damn!" Micah almost smashed his phone, but he remembered how important the item he carried was, so he refrained from doing so.
"I hope Rudi and Lydia can handle it..." Micah said quietly.
"Si-sir?" the soldiers began calling Micah by a different title. They had now completely abandoned their leader. At least not getting killed was what they sought.
"I know a thing (pointing at the ground while chuckling)... Let's give the little dog a surprise."
The soldiers looked at each other, confused by Micah's words. But they nodded and listened attentively.