I sensed a pack of beasts coming this way...
It seems to have smelled the food being prepared by Michiel
I don't have practical experience fighting beasts in this life
Although I have read a lot and know many species and their weaknesses, Hands-on skill is another deal
I always evaded them when we were taking the carriage
And I am only used to taking human life
Now that may sound a little horrid but the story goes on for another time
"The tent is ready your highness" Nicolai said as he rushed
"Good, You should go and hide there" Aravind advised me
"I understand." I complied and was about to enter
"Grrrrr" A cat-sized fennec appeared
And was followed by around forty others
I know it's not time, but they really poked my curiosity
'I want one'
They look really cute...
They have soft orange fur gradually fading to white and are called the Ovak
They are known for their insane speed that surpasses sound
The one in the forefront looks like their leader, His tail is more red than orange
I looked at them with sparkling eyes as they growled
'Oop' I quickly fixed my expression as I felt the three's astounded gaze
"Kuhm" I awkwardly coughed and faded into the background
"Michiel, Focus on defending her"
I don't have time to hide in the tent so he decided to leave Michiel for my protection and deal with them with Nico
They both equipped their swords and prepared the stance
2, 3 And jumped to action
BOOM!
I unsheathed my dagger sneakily just in case
"Where did that come from?" Michiel who was before me turned at the sound and was astonished
It was shrunk with gravity so no one saw it until a millisecond ago
"I found it on the floor" I lied shamelessly
Slash! Slash!
Aravind killed two with a single slash
Others he targeted dodged as they were too quick
Swerve
They kept narrowly missing
Synchronized, The Ovak all retreated about fifty feet together
And as if they counted, all attacked at the same time with an absurd speed
Their mouths wide open to bite on anything
Aravind retreated a few steps back and let Nico deal with the first full attack
"Ugh.." He gritted his teeth and took it face-first with a hard skin that gradually greyed, turning to steel
"Huh?" My eyes widened
"He can solidify, It's a unique ability" Mike explained calmly
'Wow.' I knew Unique abilities were a little more common among northerners, but since I didn't leave the castle often, I never saw one.
Except my mother's
At first, I thought my gravity was also one of these
But I read that abilities are both hereditary and they appear at 15 or 16 meaning I should've gotten it just now and not since birth.
I discarded these thoughts and focused again on the ongoing battle.
Aravind counter-attacked as Nico took the damage.
The attack took more than a dozen of them
Their leader though, was faster than Aravind's sword...
They retreated again and disappeared into trees and grass
And as If they counted, they attacked, from above, below and straight
Some were able to pass Nico but still got cut by Aravind
However...
"Hm?" Michiel was alarmed.
The pack leader was gone.
"Michiel!"
"No!!"
Both Aravind and Nico yelled
And in the blink of an eye, It was in front of us.
Coming at full speed.
I saw it coming as if in slow motion.
It seems like it's targeting Mike's face
Perhaps it determined that human eyes are the weakest
It was so fast that Mike could not react
And I was right behind him
I didn't want to get exposed like this but...
I used inverse gravity and put a resistance force in the opposite direction of the Ovak to slow it down
And applied the contrary to my hand holding the dagger, speeding it up
It was subtle so no one would realize I altered the actual gravity
Just enough to look like a really good sword expert
And just as It was going to claw his eyes out
Slash
I cut it horizontally in half
Swoosh
And a flat shock wave passed and fluttered my hair
Plop.
The Ovak dropped, two halves on top of each other
The twelve remaining Ovaks peeking while evading Nico and Avarind looked terrified
And scattered right after, this time with no sign of coming back
"What in the hell..." Mike muttered, still in shock
"Secilia you-" Just as Aravind who was speeding towards us opened his mouth
I swayed, dizzy from the overuse
The longer it goes the harder it gets, as my condition gradually deteriorates from the lack of sleep and constant focus
I used it again...
My head is pounding and spinning, my eyes are burning and my ears are ringing
And was about to fall face-first-
He rushed and held me, Helped me to the tent, and softly put me down
"Ugh.." I groaned as I felt the dreadful tinnitus along with something warm down my nose and ears
I heard collective sighs but had no energy to respond or open my eyes
I can't faint or Rin will be exposed so I need to conserve as much energy as possible
"Bring towels" Aravind ordered and Michiel rushed to the tent
"She had a nosebleed on the way here too" Nicolai informed
He observed her tossing and turning suffering from what looked like a headache
How can someone this frail and feeble do that
The wind ruffling her hair
Her tranquil bloody eyes casually gazed while splitting the creature that she looked at like it was really cute minutes earlier into two gruesome halves
She did have a different aura to her, but he hadn't expected her to be this peculiar
Michiel coming with the wet towels cut his deep contemplation
He handed them, And Aravind kneeled and gently wiped the blood flowing from her ears and nose
"I wonder why this happened" Michiel muttered aloud
They all stayed quiet and only her heavy breathing filled the space
"I'm certain she's wronged by that deranged marquise woman, I hate that she has to die..." Nicolai spoke his mind to his childhood friends
"The decision is not ours."
Aravind didn't disagree with his friend
•••
Few hours prior
Etheria Lumar was sitting on her desk holding the pen perplexed
"So you're telling me, They are together and need a woman to personally guard her?"
"It's surveying, Young lady" The maid holding the tea tray corrected
"And how is it going?" Etheria questioned
"They are still choosing- Why are you getting up?"
"I will go" she said simply
"Huh? What about the mountain of work...?"
"Tell them to figure it out" She left directly not hearing the rest
She has known Aravind since they were adolescents and currently works in the Grand duke's castle as the head manager of resources and budgeting
The youngest yet most competent worker there, It's even more amazing as she is Marquis Lumar's beloved daughter
Most noble kids are just spoiled brats
However, she was different which made her gain the Grand Duchess's heart
She can get away with basically anything unless it is obviously spying or betrayal
She knows how to use swords but her biggest forte is intelligence
Her unique ability is
Whether she smelled it, heard it, saw it, touched it, or even sensed it.
In this case where, she couldn't forget Secilia though, she wasn't sure if it was a curse or a blessing.
She prepared her clothes and called a knight who was with Aravind to guide her to their place
And took off right away.
●●●
Amidst the exhaustion and pain
Secilia felt a tug in her pocket
'I need to find a solution'
She just can't keep him there for longer
She asked him to tug her clothes whenever he needed the bathroom and she'd take him out
But now she's surrounded by three men, all looking at her brazenly inside the tent.
One wiping blood carefully and contemplating something
Another looks at her like she is some type of lifesaver (she technically is), and the last one as if she is the heroine of some tragedy story
She kept her eyes closed to avoid awkwardness but now she needed to get Rin to do his business
'Haaaa' she inwardly sighed
She opened her eyes and Aravind was the first to come to her view
She tried to lift her upper body but he was quick to stop her.
He put her down by her shoulders
"Your eyes are bloodshot, you need to rest" He said "We'll talk about your secret powers later"
"No, uhm..." I hesitated
I looked at the three of them and awkwardly muttered
"I need to relieve myself"
They all froze
"Uh...is that so?" He instantly pulled his hands from my shoulders with reddened ears and I got up again holding my pounding temples
"Damn..." I whispered
Nico was startled by my sudden harsh words
'I need to go fast'
I got to my feet all flimsily barely holding my balance
"Haaa. I wonder where's the female knight we called" Michiel said frowning
"The knights that retreated will be in for a good scolding when we get back, a useless bunch..."
"It's a day's distance on a slow horse, they must be close" Nico replied
I went out of the tent as they were conversing
The cold spring wind hit me as I came out of the tent which woke me up for a little
I walked for about five minutes and pulled him out
I used my two hands as a platform and looked at the bean-sized human in my hands
"Rin..."
He said something but I wouldn't be able to hear him
He's very far away after all
I trapped the air around his mouth and transformed it near my ear
So only I could hear him
"Can you repeat?"
"I need to pee" he said embarrassed
"Unfortunately, Rin, You'll need to do it in my hands..." I spoke solemnly
He looked utterly terrified "What..? N..No..." He is still a young boy after all
I laughed out loud "It was a joke sorry, I'll put you down..."
He stomped his feet in my hands in retaliation as I kept giggling
"If an ant or something is bothering you, Scream right away"
He nodded and I put him down and he did his business
"Are you staying okay there?" I asked as I lifted him off the ground
"It's a bit boring and scary but I'll be fine, all I need is to be next to you"
"I'm sorry, It won't take long" I'll get us out of this situation as fast as possible
"But you look sick...Is it because of me?" He looked close to tears
"Of course not, I'm totally fine" I lied brazenly
"Now you have to hide; be patient, patience is a virtue of strong warriors"
He nodded, determined
●●●
"Isn't she taking a long time?" Nico asked worriedly
"She's a high-noble, she is not used to this stuff" Michiel responded
"You are talking as if Aravind isn't one, too; It's been ten minutes..."
"You know it's not the same..."
They looked lost, looking for her might lead to an unpleasant embarrassing incident
"We should wait a little more" Aravind decided
After a little while, they heard footsteps
As Nico rushed to the tent entrance, they saw it open slowly
"Etheria...?"