Chapter 42. Combat

Escaping the cave in a hurry.

“Rain.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve used a lot of mana.”

Lorenz said that to me.

A lot of mana… Well, yeah.

Even the path we’re running on is partially frozen, with ice pillars jutting out.

It’d be weird if he *hadn’t* used a lot of mana after casting magic like that.

“So take this.”

Lorenz said that and took off his necklace, giving it to me.

A luxurious silver chain with a blue gem.

“This is…”

“An artifact that will block one dangerous attack.”

An artifact?

I stared at the artifact in my hand for a moment before quickly putting it around my neck.

No reason not to accept such a valuable gift.

“Keep in mind, it’s an item that will block a potentially fatal blow once.”

“Thank you.”

He’s even giving me an artifact he wasn't originally going to?

He must be expecting a fierce fight after we leave the cave.

So.

After that, we quickly passed through the passage and arrived in front of the entrance, piled with debris.

“I’ll open it.”

‘Rush.’

While it was debris, it was just a pile of rocks, so I blasted them away with Rush.

And the outside, where I expected an enemy ambush…

*Bang! Bang!!*

*Clang!!*

A battle was already raging.

“Those people are…”

First, I distinguished between enemy and ally.

The knights in sleek, silver armor are probably on our side.

And the masked figures fighting them are the enemies.

…Fucking easy to tell.

Those Devil Worshippers, they look exactly like what they are.

“Fortunately, the Royal Knights have arrived as reinforcements.”

While I was observing the enemies fighting the knights, Lorenz, who had come out behind me, said so.

“Those are the Royal Knights?”

“To be precise, it seems only a part of them have come, but the opponents are formidable, so go and help.”

“Ah, yes, I understand.”

The knights seem to be fighting well, but as Lorenz said, there are too many masked figures.

Furthermore…

*Bang!! Crash!!*

That guy over there, fighting two knights alone.

He’s the main one.

His physique is about the size of a large human, but he has four arms.

…Reminds me of the Orc Champion.

Are they related somehow?

Anyway.

*Bang-! *

I quickly climbed up the hill where the fighting was taking place.

“Hm?”

The masked guy was surprised to see me approaching quickly.

The face visible between his half-removed mask was hideous.

A side effect of body modification?

His face has become like an Orc’s too.

Once I got close.

*Clang!*

I immediately swung my sword, and he blocked it with one arm swung back.

Like the Orc Champion, this guy seems to freely control his multiple arms.

Well, that’s how he’s fighting two knights.

*Shink-*

He blocked my attack with one arm and stabbed sharply with another.

It was quite a fast attack, but I stepped back, dodging it.

“Haa.”

He’s strong?

He seems to be an Aura User.

A four-armed Aura User, what a fucking monster.

Still…

*Shink-! *

There are three of us on our side, so.

The other two knights, seeing an opening, closed in on him.

“These pesky flies…!”

He calls us flies, but…

It's suddenly become a 3-on-1 situation.

So what if you have four arms?

You need six.

I used Track while watching the knights engage him.

*Bang-*

And at about the same time, one of the knights used Fleet, moving at normal speed in a slowed-down world.

However.

The four-armed masked man, true to his Aura User nature, reacted swiftly.

He doesn't seem to have used Fleet, but he crossed his swords, trying to preemptively block the attack.

But.

*Whirr-*

The knight, changing his sword’s trajectory while using Fleet, aimed precisely at the man’s chest.

He’s a Royal Knight for a reason; his proficiency with Fleet is high.

However.

*Crack-! *

The sword pierced him, but it didn’t go deep.

“Ugh…!”

Did he put up a Guard in that moment?

He’s pretty skilled too.

The masked man, having tanked the attack, swung his swords.

It seemed like he was trying to finish off the knight whose Fleet had ended, but.

*Bang-*

Another knight used Fleet, intersecting the first knight's movement.

He instantly closed in on the masked man and swung his thin, long sword, but this time, the man didn’t use Guard, instead countering with Fleet himself.

His four arms rained down on the knight with incredible speed.

*Clang!*

In the end, the knight had no choice but to twist his body, blocking the attack.

‘*Fleet*.’

Watching for the right moment, I finally used *Fleet*.

This is why numbers are king amongst Aura Users.

The basics of being an Aura User are using *Fleet*, *Guard*, and *Rush* strategically to gain a numerical advantage.

But this? This wasn’t even a contest.

It’s like playing chess with three queens on each side.

In an instant, I closed the distance to the bastard with *Fleet*. He was facing the other knight, his back completely turned. He tried to react to my presence, but…

It was too late. My sword was already swinging towards his neck.

But…

*Saaaak-*

Scales started growing from the bastard's neck, just like that Orc Champion from before.

…Is this the same situation?

Still, I couldn't miss this chance.

I couldn’t use *Rush* yet, so I put every ounce of strength I had into the swing.

Swinging that hard…

*Thwack!*

The scales broke, and my sword sunk into his neck.

But thanks to the scales, it didn’t go in deep.

“*Khhhk*.”

It was a serious wound, sure, but not enough to finish off a monster like him.

So then.

*Whirl*.

I let go of the hilt and spun my body. Using the momentum, I coated my foot with *Guard* and…

*Crack!!*

I kicked the small portion of the blade still stuck in his neck.

“*Gahk!*”

Even for a monster, there’s no way he could withstand that.

With a whoosh of air, the bastard dropped to his knees.

“*Haa… haa…*”

He was overpowering two knights on his own just moments ago.

But add one more to the mix, and he's down.

See? Numbers are everything.

“You are…?”

The fight was over. One of the younger knights approached me.

“I'm Lorenz's assistant.”

“A student of Lorenz of the Howling Cold? You were a great help.”

…I said assistant, why are they calling me a student?

More importantly, Lorenz of the Howling Cold?

That’s a new nickname.

Come to think of it, the people here seem to love nicknames.

I wonder if Lowell or Andel have nicknames too?

Even a mercenary scrub like Jebeon had a fancy one, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they did.

Anyway…

“Let's join the other fights.”

“Ah, yes.”

The battle wasn't over yet.

We split up and joined the other skirmishes.

“I’ll help too.”

As we fought, Locke, having recovered his strength, joined the fray.

With experienced Aura Users like me and Locke, plus Lorenz himself, it was more than enough to turn the slightly unfavorable tide of battle.

“Stubborn bastard.”

*Slice-*

With the decapitation of another Masked Person, the last of them fell.

*Haa…*

Looking around, corpses of Masked People littered the ground.

And looking closer, their appearances weren't exactly normal.

Multiple arms, some spitting threads, others with tails.

Seems like the body modifications weren't limited to others.

“You’ve been a great help.”

After the battle, someone who seemed to be the leader of the Knights came forward and greeted Lorenz.

“Not at all. Thanks to your timely arrival, my men are still alive.”

Around Lorenz, his fallen men were being treated. It looked like they were guarding the entrance and were ambushed.

The cave then collapsed, and the nearby Knights, hearing the noise, came to investigate, which led to the fight.

“I am Edgar, Squad Leader of the Royal Third Knights.”

“I’m Lorenz, Branch Manager of Astra Trade.”

“Yes, Mr. Lorenz. I’ve heard much about you.”

It seems Lorenz is even more famous than I thought.

Even that impressive-looking Knight Squad Leader was being respectful.

“And you’re from the Mountain Investigation Unit?”

“Yes, Locke, Squad Leader of the Second Search Unit.”

“I will inquire about the details of the report from you.”

“Understood.”

After that, the investigation was halted, and they began the recovery process.

There were many injured and even a few fatalities. They killed most of the Masked People, but there were a few they managed to capture alive.

Further searching was impossible. It was time to descend the mountain.

“What about me?”

“Return to the Mansion.”

“Understood.”

Naturally, since I was brought along for combat, it was time for me to head back to the Mansion.

I subtly glanced at Lorenz and gestured to the Collar around my neck.

“This…?”

“Keep it. It’s yours now.”

“Understood.”

I thought I might have to return it since I didn't use it, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

Lorenz is really generous.

“By the way, our losses are significant, so we won’t be able to continue the investigation.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Instead, report to them from now on.”

“Huh?”

Lorenz pointed towards the Mountain Investigation Unit.

“They suffered heavy losses as well. They said they’d share information if I sent you over.”

“Can they just decide that?”

When did they even have that conversation? And aren't they a royal organization too?

I questioned whether it was alright for me to suddenly join them.

“Have you forgotten where your allegiance lies?”

“Ah.”

“My Family isn't so lacking in credibility that we can't make temporary arrangements like this.”

The all-powerful Void Family, of course.

As expected, there’s nothing a Noble like the Voids can’t do. And they're sending a talented individual like me to fill a vacancy? They should be on their knees thanking me.

So anyway…

I returned to the Mansion that day and rested.

From then on, just as Lorenz said, I joined the Mountain Investigation Unit and began a full-scale investigation of the Mountain Range.