Ragnariel focused his energy on his throat, activating telepathy to communicate directly with Duke Kaelthorn.
"Your Grace, this is Ragnariel. Please do not turn around and act as though nothing is amiss."
The Duke flinched slightly but managed to maintain his composure. Ragnariel's voice continued in his mind.
"I apologize if this comes across as presumptuous, but I need your cooperation. Shake your head slightly for 'no' and nod subtly for 'yes.'"
Duke Kaelthorn chuckled inwardly. "This boy certainly has guts, daring to give me orders. Interesting. Let's see where this leads." The Duke gave a small nod.
"I have detected thirty individuals trailing us at the four, six, and eight o'clock positions. Are they part of your forces?"
Duke Kaelthorn subtly shook his head.
"It seems a scheme may be unfolding, Your Grace—" Ragnariel began, but before he could finish, the Duke interrupted him aloud.
"Ragna, come ride with me. I have some questions for you."
The declaration left the entire group stunned. Murmurs broke out among the knights.
"Even his own son has never ridden with him!"
"You're right. It seems the Duke holds this boy in very high regard."
The group came to a halt as Ragnariel dismounted and climbed onto Duke Kaelthorn's horse. The Duke gestured toward his men.
"Let's continue."
"Yes, Your Grace," the knights replied in unison.
Once they resumed their journey, Duke Kaelthorn issued another command.
"I will take the lead. Maintain your positions behind me and keep your distance."
The Duke's horse picked up speed, moving ahead of the entourage. When they were safely out of earshot, the Duke turned his attention to Ragnariel.
"So, what did you mean by your earlier statement? And how exactly did you use telepathy like that?"
Ragnariel smiled faintly.
"I'll teach you the basics of telepathy first, Your Grace, before we delve into the situation at hand."
Duke Kaelthorn gave a slight nod, intrigued. Ragnariel began explaining the fundamentals of channeling energy for telepathic communication.
After explaining, Duke Kaelthorn said, "So, I just need to channel mana to my throat, precisely to the vocal cords that produce sound when we speak, and then release my words as a thin wave of mana, like ocean waves?"
Ragnariel replied, "That's correct, Your Grace. Would you like to try it now?"
Duke Kaelthorn nodded and smiled. Ragnariel continued, "To start, focus on sending a single word to me until you're comfortable with the process."
Following Ragnariel's instructions, Duke Kaelthorn began channeling his mana.
"Te…"
"Tes…"
"Test..."
Ragnariel received the message and smiled, saying, "Well done, Your Grace. I received your telepathy. Keep practicing until it feels natural."
Duke Kaelthorn resumed his practice. "How about now? Is it perfect yet?"
Ragnariel responded, "Amazing, Your Grace. You've mastered telepathy in mere minutes."
Duke Kaelthorn burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha! This is incredible, Ragna!"
The people behind them were shocked by their lord's sudden excitement while talking to a child. Even Selene began to show her growing displeasure.
Then, using telepathy, Duke Kaelthorn said, "Now, about the earlier issue. Please explain it to me in detail."
Ragnariel nodded and replied telepathically, "Of course, Your Grace. I've detected 30 individuals following us. Their mana levels are comparable to your knights' captains. I first noticed them when Sir Caeltheris was fighting the monster earlier. At the time, I assumed they were part of your hidden forces, so I didn't pay them much attention. But my assumption changed when I sensed something unusual."
Duke Kaelthorn asked, "What did you sense?"
Ragnariel explained, "I sensed killing intent from their direction."
Duke Kaelthorn's expression darkened. "How can you sense killing intent? And who is it directed at?"
Ragnariel answered, "Initially, their killing intent was directed at me. However, after you asked about my detection ability and I mentioned it only works on monsters, their killing intent shifted toward you, or more precisely, toward your daughter, Lady Selene."
Fury sparked in Duke Kaelthorn's eyes. "Can you prove the truth of what you just said?"
Ragnariel replied confidently, "Yes, Your Grace. What measures should we take to prevent this?"
Duke Kaelthorn thought for a moment and said, "What do you think we should do?"
Ragnariel paused briefly before replying, "If you're asking me, I'd prefer to uncover who's behind this. Although I already know their identity, I'm certain you won't believe me without proof. So, I suggest we follow their game for now, while staying prepared to protect Lady Selene at all costs."
Duke Kaelthorn raised an eyebrow. "If you already know, why not deal with them directly?"
Ragnariel shook his head. "It's not that simple, Your Grace. If we eliminate their disguised group outright, the rest will scatter, and we may never uncover their true motives or objectives."
"So, you're saying we should wait for them to act?" Duke Kaelthorn asked, his tone sharp.
"Not exactly, Your Grace," Ragnariel replied. "I plan to eliminate two of their other groups first, leaving only their close-combat fighters."
Duke Kaelthorn leaned forward. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
Ragnariel smiled faintly. "That depends on the circumstances we face when we reach the location for the Rite of Maturity."
Duke Kaelthorn nodded, his expression resolute. "Very well, Ragna. I'll leave the plan to you."
"Leave it to me, Your Grace," Ragnariel replied confidently.
Duke Kaelthorn laughed heartily. "Hahaha! You truly are extraordinary, Ragna!"
Thirty minutes later.
Duke Kaelthorn raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist, signaling the group to stop. He then addressed his knights, "We've arrived at our destination. However, it seems the entrance to the cave is blocked by a powerful monster."
The captain of the knights observed the situation and asked, "What should we do, my lord?"
Duke Kaelthorn paused, then replied with a hint of sarcasm, "How about this, Captain? Enlighten me."
The captain hesitated for a moment before responding, "How about we leave the monster in front of us to that boy, Ragnariel, Your Grace?"
Duke Kaelthorn raised an eyebrow. "And why would we do that? Are you saying you and your men can't defeat the creature?"
The captain stammered, then quickly added, "Of course we can defeat it, Your Grace. But my comrades and I are quite curious about this boy's abilities. He managed to take down a Two-Head Hell Hound all by himself. Surely you're curious as well, Your Grace."
At that moment, Ragnariel used telepathy to speak directly to Duke Kaelthorn. "This is a good opportunity, Your Grace. After I defeat the creature, I'll use it as an excuse to separate from the group and deal with the two factions following us."
Duke Kaelthorn frowned, his tone laced with concern. "Are you sure? This isn't an ordinary monster. That's a Mutant Two-Head Hell Hound. Its power is many times greater than the one you fought before."
Ragnariel's voice came back, calm and unwavering. "It's not a problem, Your Grace."
Duke Kaelthorn smiled and asked, "What do you think, kid?"
Ragnariel replied confidently, "I have no objections, Your Grace. A weak monster like that is nothing before me."
The knights who heard his words were visibly annoyed, and even the captain of the knights showed a displeased expression.
"Very well," Duke Kaelthorn said. "Do you need anything to prepare?"
"I'd like to borrow ten swords, Your Grace," Ragnariel replied.
Duke Kaelthorn nodded and turned to his captain. "Give this boy ten swords."
Ragnariel dismounted from the duke's horse and collected the swords handed to him by the captain. Holding all ten, he smirk and said something to the knight captain, "You'd better keep your eyes wide open because what you're about to see is something you'll never forget for the rest of your lives."
The knights bristled with anger at his words, their irritation palpable.
Meanwhile, Duke Kaelthorn's daughter, Selene, approached her father, wanting a clearer view of the scene.
Noticing her beside him, Duke Kaelthorn said, "Selene, watch that boy carefully. You might learn a thing or two... no, you will learn a lot by observing him fight."
Selene responded with a pout, "Yes, Father," her tone annoyed.
Ragnariel walked toward the battlefield, appearing to struggle under the weight of the ten swords. This drew mocking laughter from the knights.
"Haha! What's the point of carrying ten swords if you can barely manage them?" one sneered.
"You're right. Kids don't know when to stop showing off," another added with a smirk.
Unfazed by their mockery, Ragnariel suddenly tossed all ten swords into the air, unsheathing them mid-flight. They landed firmly in the ground around him, their blades gleaming.
Then, with a smirk, he picked up a small rock from the ground, hurled it at the monster, and shouted, "Hey, stinking beast! Come here and meet your death!"