Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Ladia raised her head and said, "It sounds like someone is calling for help!"
Suddenly, everyone tensed up. Could there be bandits or the like robbing travelers nearby? Despite the young lord boasting about the effectiveness of his "crackdown" all along the road, there were inevitably some fish slipping through the net.
Everyone held their breath and listened carefully, but they didn't hear anything. Quiller chuckled and said, "Miss Ladia, perhaps you misheard?"
However, the scholar still frowned and pointed southward, saying to the lord, "My lord, please lend me a horse to confirm." The members of the adventurers' group had been traveling in a freight wagon and didn't have horses.
Paul nodded in agreement, "Uh, alright! You can ride my horse. It's the fastest among them." He handed her the reins.
Ladia skillfully mounted the horse and said to her companions in the adventurers' group, "Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back." With a gentle flick of the reins, the horse snorted but only spun in place.
Paul apologized, "I forgot this beast only listens to me. Let me ride it."
With the situation urgent, Ladia relinquished the stirrup, and Paul climbed onto the horse in front of her—Ladia was slightly taller.
"Hold onto my waist tightly!" Paul flicked the reins, and the horse trotted southward.
Not far away, Bryce and Schroder, who were resting, heard the commotion and immediately ran over.
"Nonsense!" Bryce exclaimed anxiously after learning the situation. They quickly gathered nearby riders and headed south, with the adventurers' group following closely behind.
After running a distance, Ladia said, "We're getting close!" Paul pricked up his ears again and listened carefully. Indeed, someone was calling for help. He urged the horse to speed up. Fortunately, the trees around here were not densely packed.
As they rode, after passing a few trees, the horse suddenly reared up, halting abruptly. Paul looked ahead anxiously, "Damn!" He muttered under his breath, realizing the danger.
About a hundred meters ahead, there was a black-spotted tiger facing off against two people—one tall, holding a long sword, protecting the shorter figure tightly behind. This animal, called a black-spotted tiger, closely resembled the Northeast Tigers on Earth, with slightly different patterns, but both were at the top of the food chain in this world's wildlife.
Luckily, the black-spotted tiger had its back to Paul and Ladia, seemingly unaware of their approach. However, the two people facing the tiger were in danger. Although the distance was a bit far for a clear view, the perilous situation of the two still made Paul empathize deeply. He quickly dismounted and tried to ignite the match cord of his pistol.
"Damn it! Did the fuel run out? Why won't it light up?" Paul cursed as he puffed desperately to ignite the fire.
While Paul was puffing his cheeks trying to light the fire, Ladia also dismounted, unstrapped the short bow she had been carrying on her back, and skillfully drew an arrow, placing it on the bowstring, aiming at the black-spotted tiger ahead.
"Hey, Miss Scholar, even if you're good with a bow, isn't this distance a bit exaggerated?" Paul thought sarcastically. The black-spotted tiger looked about the size of a toy cat from this distance; how could she possibly hit it?
Just as Ladia took aim, the big cat in the distance tensed its hind legs, preparing to attack.
No sooner said than done, after a sweet shout, Ladia's arrow shot towards the black-spotted tiger like a meteor. Just as the beast was about to pounce, the arrow pierced into its right thigh fur.
"Roar!" The sudden pain made the beast roar wildly, and a large number of birds in the surrounding woods were startled into the sky. Paul's mount, frightened, neighed and ran in the opposite direction.
The black-spotted tiger viciously turned around and quickly spotted the person attacking it from behind. It swiftly abandoned its previous target and charged towards Paul's direction. Due to the distance and the short bow used earlier, the arrow had not deeply penetrated its flesh and caused no fatal injury.
Watching the beast thundering towards them, Paul's mind went blank. He held the still unlit match cord, unsure what to do, subconsciously looking towards the scholar.
The scholar had already set up a second arrow. Her lips moved slightly several times, as if muttering something, but it was inaudible.
The second arrow shot out swiftly. To Paul's incredulous gaze, the arrow hit the black-spotted tiger squarely in its right eye. The critical hit incapacitated the beast, which writhed in agony before collapsing to the ground. Because of the close range, the arrow's force remained undiminished, deeply embedding into the tiger's skull, rendering it motionless after a brief struggle.
The sound of hooves behind them announced Bryce, Schroder, and others rushing over. They had heard the tiger's roar earlier and, seeing the dead beast on the ground, knew instantly what had happened, silently thankful for the blessings of the Bright Lord.
"My lord, please do not endanger yourself like this again in the future," Bryce said to Paul with a seriousness he had never shown before, his tone tinged with a hint of displeasure.
Paul blushed, "I'm sorry, everyone. I... I was reckless."
Just then, the two people who had confronted the black-spotted tiger approached, thanking them, "Thank you so much for your timely help. May we know your names?"
Paul caught his breath and looked at the two—both women, and both beautiful. The tall beauty stood at over 1.7 meters with black hair, a lovely face, and a determined expression that suggested the recent crisis hadn't rattled her too much. The smaller beauty behind her seemed more shaken, her breath still quick. She was about Paul's height, and her age seemed close to his. She had bright golden hair and fair, delicate skin, with a blush still on her cheeks from the recent danger, giving her a unique charm.
Paul adjusted his hair, clasped his chest, and introduced himself, "I am Lord Paul Grayman of the Alden Earldom in the northwest bay of Aldor Kingdom. Welcome to my domain. May I ask who you are?"
"We've arrived at the northwest bay?" The two beauties looked at each other in surprise.
Um... it seems these two are lost.
(End of the Chapter)