Chapter 15
In an instant, more than half his subordinates had been killed or rendered unable to fight, and the mercenary commander’s eyes flew wide.
He could not believe the reality unfolding before him.
“C-Commander!”
“Tch!”
Even those who could be called the elite were barely managing to block Silaphe’s wind arrows.
By contrast, Silaphe stood imposingly and continued attacking without the slightest sign of fatigue.
Of course, no one could see her doing so.
And that was what made spirit magic so terrifying.
“Damn it!”
After being momentarily flustered, the mercenary commander led his men and kicked off the ground.
Since annihilation was certain if things continued like this, he intended to at least complete the commission.
It would be nice if he could kill Haines, but there was no need to go out of his way.
‘Kill only the princess and crown prince for certain!’
Calling back even the men surrounding the inn to prevent a possible escape, the mercenary commander clenched his teeth.
Irritation surged at the much greater damage than expected, but completing the commission was more important.
Thus, the mercenary commander bit his lower lip and charged at Haines.
While he and his henchmen kept the wounded Haines pinned down, his subordinates would kill the crown prince and princess.
“It’d be a shame if you forgot about me.”
“You bastard!”
But there was one problem.
The power of the unexpected spirit mage was beyond their imagination.
As a result, most of the men charging forward were skewered like kebabs on earthen spears and died instantly.
“Sorry, but he’s not a gnome. He’s a Noim.”
“Aaaaagh!”
Unlike Silaphe, who displayed her graceful form, Noim clung tightly to one of Jade’s legs.
He followed orders while acting cute, as if he liked Jade immensely.
Even so, Noim repeatedly formed earthen spears in the mercenary commander’s path.
They prevented the mercenary commander and his henchmen from approaching Haines.
Thud-thud-thud!
Silaphe fired wind arrows without pause.
Whenever Noim hindered their movements with earthen spears, she precisely targeted the openings to attack.
“Damn it!”
It was a perfect combination, and all the commander could produce were curses.
At the same time, the mercenary commander’s mind raced.
Even as he shattered the earthen spears constantly springing up with his sword, he thought.
‘This won’t work. The casualties are already severe, and everyone’s exhausted. Meanwhile, that old monster and the knights are in perfect condition. If we risk our lives, we might somehow complete the job, but…….’
The mercenary commander’s eyes grew cold.
He had received a huge advance payment that was difficult to refuse, but the money was not more important than his life.
If he fled now, the client would go to great lengths to kill him, but crossing into another nation would solve that minor problem.
The Second Prince’s influence only extended to the Kingdoms of Polstein and Arhan, after all.
‘We’re pulling out.’
Having reached that conclusion, the mercenary commander made his decision.
It was regrettable to abandon Polstein and Arhan, where he had operated for so long, but he was not about to risk his life.
‘The dead can simply be replaced.’
Though many of his core fighters had died, he had received an advance payment, so replenishing his lost forces would be easy.
Mercenaries were plentiful, too.
“Trying to run?”
“Remember this, you bastard. Next time we meet, I’ll take your head.”
The mercenary commander whistled.
Since hand signals could not be seen in the middle of battle, he was sending a prearranged signal.
At that, the subordinates who had been charging the princess and crown prince retreated in perfect order.
“You think I’ll just let you go!”
Seeing the mercenary band attempt to retreat, Haines let out a roar.
He kicked off the ground, emitting a murderous glare as if he absolutely refused to let them go.
But then a hail of arrows poured down like rapid fire, forcing Haines to stop.
Mana-infused arrows were flying not only at him but also at the princess and crown prince, so he hesitated.
“See you later, spirit mage.”
“Sorry, but I have no intention of letting you go quietly, either.”
“Huh?”
Krrrrk!
The mercenaries’ eyes widened to the size of lanterns.
They had all been caught off guard by an earthen wall suddenly surging up behind them.
“We’ve drawn our swords now, so shouldn’t we see this through to the end?”
“C-Commander!”
The mercenaries looked at their commander helplessly.
But he was just as flustered.
With their escape route blocked in an instant, everything went dark before his eyes.
Yet even while they were lost in thought, Silaphe and Noim continued without pause.
“S-save me!”
“Surrender! I surrender!”
The attacks of the invisible spirits rapidly reduced the mercenaries, who had numbered around fifty.
Most were dragged underground while trying to evade the wind arrows.
“W-wait! I surrender! Everything I know……!”
Slice.
The mercenary commander’s head rolled across the ground.
Haines had seized the moment the offensive weakened, rushed forward in an instant, and taken his head.
At the sight, all those who had been about to surrender turned around.
They tried to climb over the roughly three-meter-high earthen wall and escape.
“I told you it’s useless.”
But the moment they showed their backs, they had essentially prepared a feast for Silaphe.
The mercenaries knew that well, but they had no choice.
They thought trying was better than standing still and dying.
If they were lucky, perhaps they might survive.
Thud-thud-thud!
But not a single one of them was lucky.
Silaphe did not let a single mercenary escape.
Ssshh.
Once every mercenary in the encircling force had died, Noim returned to the spirit realm along with the earthen wall, and Silaphe also came over, rubbed her cheek against Jade’s once as if asking to be praised, and then returned.
“You helped us again.”
“Shouldn’t we move first?”
At the heartfelt thanks, Jade shrugged.
He did not think it was anything special.
“For now, we need to head to the lord’s castle, where there’s a teleportation gate…….”
“I contacted them with the communication orb. They won’t be able to come right away, though. They may even think we’re already dead.”
The mage in charge of communications spoke cautiously.
If not for Jade, the entire group would have died, or only a few of them would have barely survived.
And he would not have been among them.
“Let’s go to the lord’s castle. I have business there, too.”
“We’ll help with absolutely anything we can.”
At Jade’s words, Rainy and Haines both brightened.
They had already been anxiously wondering if Jade would leave just like this, so everyone looked relieved when he said he would stay with them.
“You promised.”
“Of course.”
Rainy nodded emphatically, plainly delighted.
Before long, the group secured a carriage and left the village, despite having arrived only a short while earlier.
They left immediately because staying put after being attacked made no sense.
Rainy took a deep breath.
Upon reaching a safe place, it felt as if the tension she had held taut all this time had released in an instant.
But perhaps because they had been attacked right after leaving the Great Forest, one last thread of tension still remained.
“Sis.”
“Could you at least knock before coming in?”
“What’s the point of knocking between us? You often come into my room without saying anything, too.”
“This isn’t the royal palace.”
“……I suppose not.”
Lloyd’s expression darkened.
It was because he could once again truly feel the circumstances he was in.
But unlike before, he did not flail helplessly in self-loathing.
He knew well by now that he had no time for that, either.
‘I won’t let them take anything else from me. I won’t yield anymore.’
Just as they say trials make people stronger, Lloyd had changed.
His former naivety had not disappeared completely, but his attitude had changed entirely.
He had developed a fighting spirit that had been nowhere to be found before.
“But why did you come?”
“Because I had something to say.”
“To me?”
Rainy opened her already-large eyes wide.
She wondered whether he had come to seek her out because he had something to tell her.
“Yeah. Rather than something I want to say, I suppose it’s something I wanted to tell you.”
“Is it about what you’ve been worrying about lately?”
“No. It’s not that.”
“Hmm.”
Rainy looked at her younger brother with a strange expression.
Perhaps he had taken a lot from this incident, because her younger brother’s gaze had grown deeper.
It was as if he were becoming a man from a boy in an instant.
But Rainy did not dislike that.
“Don’t try to shoulder everything by yourself, Sis.”
“……What do you mean?”
“I think you know what I mean. So don’t push yourself too hard. I’ll work hard, too. And I’m the rightful heir. Not you.”
“But you’re my younger brother.”
“I was before, but I won’t be from now on.”
Lloyd said firmly.
His eyes no longer belonged to a boy.
At Lloyd’s resolute gaze, Rainy smiled without realizing it.
“You’re already making me feel reassured.”
“D-don’t tease me. I’m not joking. Anyway, that’s what I came to tell you. Don’t overdo it.”
“Thank you for worrying about me, Lloyd.”
“I-I didn’t come because I was worried! I just don’t want you to have to carry the burden alone! I’m a man!”
Lloyd’s face reddened at Rainy’s gentle words.
He had never expected this reaction.
In the end, Lloyd fled her room.
“Hee-hee-hee.”
Seeing Lloyd standing on the boundary between boyhood and manhood, Rainy wore a fond smile.
It seemed there was a good side to it, too.
Knock, knock, knock.
Thanks to Lloyd, her complicated thoughts had eased, if only for a moment.
But then she heard a knock.
“It’s me.”
“Come in.”
Hearing Jade’s voice from beyond the door, Rainy straightened her clothes.
A moment later, after a brief pause, the door opened and Jade entered.
Kyu-uuu!
Whid was nestled in his arms like a baby, but when he saw Rainy’s spacious room, his eyes shone with wonder and he began flying around.
As if everything about it was fascinating.
‘Cute.’
Whid flying around while flapping his adorable little wings was unbelievably cute.
Though she knew his true form was a monster over three meters tall, Rainy’s heart still fluttered.
Whid was that cute.
‘I-I want to touch him.’
At the sight of Whid flying around frantically, Rainy nearly reached out without realizing it.
But she barely restrained herself.
Because she knew Whid was strangely wary of other people.
Remembering how he had never allowed anyone else to touch him, Rainy wore a bitter smile.
‘I wish I could hug him, too.’
With his plump belly and rump, Whid possessed the unmistakable adorable charm unique to a baby.
Even his scales, better described as yellow than gold at this stage, looked cute to her.
Normally, reptile scales gave people an instinctive sense of disgust, after all.
Plop.
After circling the spacious room several times, Whid soon nestled back into Jade’s arms as if he had lost interest.
As though that was his place.
And Jade, apparently accustomed to it by now, gently stroked Whid as he nestled into his arms.
Purr. Purr.
“You two are getting along well today, too.”
“He’s still a baby.”
“Please sit here.”
“Yes.”
Rainy politely offered him a seat.
The princess herself had risen and offered a seat to Jade, who was merely a commoner.
Yet neither Rainy, who acted that way, nor Jade, who received such treatment, found it particularly strange.
“Did you take care of your business?”