Chapter 116: Run or Fight

Chapter 116: Run or Fight

Many people express doubts about the combat prowess of Knight Commanders.

This is because Commanders merely train their subordinates and rarely engage in actual combat.

There’s nothing outwardly impressive about them.

It’s not like they spar or anything.

Because of this, many Commanders are tested by fearless subordinates.

And Euston, too.

He had experienced such a meaningless test only once.

Fssst-

Euston’s eyes widened.

With superhuman reflexes, he sharply turned his head to the side, and the arrowhead grazed his cheek.

Crackle!

Simultaneously, the arrow flew out through the opposite door.

John’s eyes widened as he stared intently at the damaged door.

“Oh, you crazy… Commander! Are you okay?!”

“It’s an arrow imbued with blunt force. The range is about 100 meters… Get the subordinates!”

“C-Commander!!”

Euston, after saying only what was necessary, slammed his elbow onto the shattered window.

The window debris shattered cleanly, and he jumped out the window without hesitation.

“Commander! This is the third floor!”

John’s urgent voice was heard from behind, but he paid no attention.

In fact, he looked more composed than John even as he was falling.

He tensed his legs and slightly lowered his body.

Kuaaaang!

He landed with a roar on the slightly soft dirt ground.

Despite this, Euston’s body, as hard as iron, didn’t move an inch.

Euston stared at the angle from which the arrow had flown with burning eyes.

There, as expected, was someone wearing a hood, holding a bow.

His face wasn’t clearly visible, but it was evident he was flustered.

‘Her figure is slender. Is she an elf?’

Elves generally have slender and delicate physiques, making it impossible to determine their gender.

The only way to know for sure would be to catch her.

Guguguk-

He inhaled and tensed his entire body.

Simultaneously, his body grew increasingly firm.

Once, a knight had requested a sparring match with him.

He had accepted, and the arrogant knight’s face lit up with the thought of breaking the old man.

And Euston won the sparring match without landing a single blow.

Kwaak!

After warming up, Euston kicked off the ground as the elf archer reloaded his arrow.

Very fast and agile movements.

Euston’s eyes widened again.

The distance between the archer and him was about 100 meters.

And at an unbelievable speed, he began to close the distance.

Woojik, Wajik!

“Tch..!”

Euston, without changing his expression, deflected all the incoming arrows with his bare hands.

They were all enchanted arrows with paper wrapped around them.

But they held no great significance for him.

‘She’s using paper for enchantment, so she must be a pure-blooded elf. Why is that?’

Euston thought as he closed half the distance in an instant.

Elves are often called ‘madmen of the forest.’

They are excessively intoxicated by the forest’s grace.

Therefore, they never leave the forest.

They don’t listen to anyone.

The only things elves follow are the forest’s voice and instincts.

And an elf like that comes out of the forest to attack humans?

It doesn’t make sense.

Woojik!

Euston crushed another arrow and spun his body around.

By then, he had reached the elf, and.

Hwoooong-

He delivered a spinning kick imbued with a gust of wind to her small head.

Jjeok!

With a tremendous sound, the elf staggered.

However, she didn’t fall that easily.

She immediately threw down her bow and, with fluid movements, brandished an arrow like a dagger.

It was astonishing. The bow was like a limb to an elf.

Hwik, Hwik-

Her movements were very concise.

Fast, and she knew how to cut off attacks appropriately.

‘She’s better than my subordinates…?’

Euston was quietly impressed by her textbook movements.

It was unheard of for an archer to show such excellent movements.

However, textbook movements meant they were also easy to read.

Fssst-

Euston narrowly dodged the arrowhead and threw a hook towards the elf’s head.

As expected.

Her body reacted immediately to the textbook movement.

And of course, this was a feint.

As his upper body moved down, a log-like leg shot up.

Ppeok!

A knee strike landed precisely on his solar plexus.

“Keooeok..!”

He heard a sound of breath being cut off, but he didn’t stop.

He wrapped his arm around her neck and immediately moved behind her.

And then, Euston gently applied pressure to his arm.

“Keek..”

“Put down your weapon.”

Tak-

As he said in a low voice, the arrowhead immediately dropped downwards.

Judging by her voice, this elf was female.

She was particularly conservative, so.

The more he learned, the more curious he became as to why she came out of the forest.

“I’ll ask briefly. Why did you come out of the forest?”

“Keuk, keek.. Mog.. Mogul.. Puleo..”

She kept repeating ‘Mogul Puleo,’ so Euston tilted his head, wondering what she meant.

But then he realized she was saying ‘Release my neck.’

An elf’s neck is much more delicate than a human’s.

Such physical pressure could be fatal.

Euston slightly loosened his grip on her arm and continued.

“Okay. Say it again.”

“Cough, Cough.. I, I just received a request..!”

The words that came out of her mouth were truly typical and cliché.

He had a hunch. Interrogating her here wouldn’t be of much significance.

His judgment was quick, and it spurred Euston into action.

Kkuuk-

“Heuk, Keok..”

Let’s knock her out and take her to the mansion.

He applied just the right amount of force to her arm, and she struggled before going limp.

Her pulse was still there. Fortunately, she wasn’t dead.

He slung the elf over his shoulder and left the spot.

After collecting all her weapons, he headed into the mansion.

By the time the subordinates arrived, the situation had already concluded.

Euston gave them a stern look.

*****

“Heok.. Heok.. An elf was captured?”

“Yes. I apologize for the late hour.”

Scarlett, with her hair and clothes disheveled, entered the basement, panting.

There, about three subordinates stood with tense expressions.

Asher, who was tied to the floor, and the elf who had just been captured.

Scarlett wiped the sweat from her forehead and cooled her flushed face.

The strangely sweet smell of sweat and her slightly disheveled clothes explained what she had been doing until just now.

John stared at her blankly, then turned his head away with a hesitant expression.

“Hoo… Why on earth did an elf come to our mansion…?”

Scarlett muttered, unconcerned by the surrounding gazes.

She slightly frowned and yanked off the elf’s hood.

Simultaneously, dazzling blonde hair was revealed.

The golden hair, which could be considered the trademark of elves.

“…Who are you?”

“Seriously… Is that all humans can say? As expected, being a short-lived race-“

Jjeok!

Scarlett slapped the elf’s face without changing her expression.

A sharp sound echoed, and the elf flinched.

Then Scarlett grabbed the blonde hair tightly and sighed.

“Alright. Then I’ll ask something else. What’s your name?”

“E, Ellie. Ellie Frode..”

“Frode? That’s a northern region. Why is a northern elf here?”

Elves don’t have surnames.

Instead of surnames, they use their region’s name, which indicates their origin.

“A request… because… my family was starving…”

“I see. The northern region… It’s quite a coincidence that so many things overlap.”

Scarlett narrowed her eyes.

The northern mercenary siblings mentioned on the receipt last time.

Now, a northern elf.

An even bolder method of attack.

And the records of shops from decades ago that Euston had told her about earlier.

With this, she had a certain level of certainty.

Carlson might not be human.

Perhaps he could be something from that vicinity.

Normal humans cannot even approach the elf forest.

If they step inside, they will immediately be caught by vine whips and become nutrients.

‘Then, I need to change my investigation method.’

The fact that they are targeting Cecil is not just a misunderstanding.

Although she doesn’t know the exact intention, Carlson has a very clear objective.

She knows now that a sacrifice is needed.

Why would a non-human entity need a sacrifice?

“Well… I don’t need to ask, but what’s your client’s name? Tell me quickly.”

“…Do you think I’ll tell you?”

“Quickly. Do you think I’m doing this because I can’t get a confession?”

At Scarlett’s threat, the elf’s expression stiffened slightly.

She was definitely racking her brain.

And unfortunately, she didn’t have much patience.

Ujik-

“Hik, Kyaaaaaaaaaaak!!”

Scarlett sighed and pierced the elf’s thin clothing with her hand.

Scarlett plunged her hand into the elf’s chest like a knife.

She nonchalantly churned the inside of the skin.

Jjubeup, jjubeup-

A chilling sound spread, and the elf opened her mouth wide.

Her neck trembled, and the whites of her eyes slowly began to show.

Ujik-

And with a sound like something being crushed.

Plop.

The elf fell forward, not moving.

“Ugh, ugh..!”

John gagged at the horrific sight.

A metallic smell of blood spread to the tip of his nose.

“Calm down. She’s not dead yet.”

“Wh-what… that… Ugh..”

But at Euston’s words, John looked bewildered.

“Elves have two hearts.”

“Kehek, Eheh.. Keok.. Keok..”

Just then, the fallen elf coughed violently.

Saliva mixed with blood dripped, and the torn chest rapidly sealed itself.

This is the racial characteristic of elves, ‘two hearts.’

When they suffer a fatal wound, they consume one heart to revive.

“Heuk, Heuk, Heuk.. I’m sorry.. I’ll tell you everything.. Please, save me..”

“You should have said so earlier. Just because you have two lives doesn’t mean you can use them carelessly.”

Scarlett chuckled and shook the blood off her hands.

After that, the interrogation proceeded very quickly.

As expected, Carlson was indeed the mastermind behind the incident.

Although his exact whereabouts were unknown.

Comparing it with Asher’s testimony, her words were not false.

After all, what wouldn’t she say now that she could face ‘real’ death?

“…In the end, the kingdom has truly become corrupt.”

Scarlett murmured quietly after hearing the entire story.

The King could no longer fulfill his duties.

The nobles of the capital were blinded by pleasure.

They squandered the nation’s money and held parties.

Even if the King were to use Cecil as a sacrifice and the Queen were resurrected.

Could the kingdom regain its former glory?

“Hah..”

Scarlett sighed deeply.

Losing Cecil was also a matter of time.

If so, what could she do?

‘Run or fight.’

She thought quietly.

*****

“Young Lady.. Try to stand up. Quickly..”

“Mmm..? What’s wrong?”

I stared at Lucy, who was shaking my body urgently.

Just a moment ago, she was having a very passionate sexual encounter with Scarlett.

But Scarlett had gone outside at Euston’s call, as if something had happened.

And after she disappeared.

Lucy started talking to me.

“You know my body doesn’t move. No matter how much you try…”

“You moved earlier. Yes? Quickly… try moving quickly…”

I just wanted to sit still and wait for Scarlett.

But if I didn’t comply, she would keep doing this for a long time, so I tried to move my body slightly.

Twitch.

But.

“Uh oh oh…?”

My body is moving.

And without any warning, just like before.

I stared at my upper body, which had suddenly stood upright, with a bewildered expression.

Why is this moving?

No, how?

My mind is in chaos.

Amidst the jumbled questions, the emotion I felt was.

An instinct to evade.

I’m scared. Why is it moving?

Can’t I just wait until Young Lady Scarlett comes?

I want to be here.

Simultaneously, I felt an intense headache.

“Agut..”

Lucy sighed deeply, watching me writhe in pain from the headache.

“…Young Lady.”

And then, Lucy, whose expression had become very calm, unlike before.

“Listen to me carefully.”

Lucy, as if she knew something.

Opened her slightly stiff lips.