Ch.14Chapter 14 – Hunting Ground (2)

The black robes didn’t immediately rush toward us.

Instead, they split into three directions and headed for the other survivors.

“What in the world…”

One brave adventurer tried to resist.

But bravery was all he had.

The black robe very nimbly ducked under the adventurer’s sword swing, then suddenly drew his own blade, thrust it forward, and leaped into the air while slicing the adventurer’s neck.

Some managed to clash weapons a few times, but I could see them being overwhelmed in an instant.

“From behind too!”

I saw Haven shouting this while raising his shield.

I thought there were only three, but a fourth shadow appeared—perhaps the source of the earlier whistle—and attacked Haven.

Only the emblem of the Emiris Order gleamed on the black robe.

Haven didn’t overexert himself, simply blocking attacks with his shield and retreating, so his head remained firmly attached to his shoulders.

And suddenly one of them rushed at me, so I rolled away with Eve in tow.

Had they already killed everyone else?

Somehow only our group remained among the survivors.

“Who are you people?!”

Ravi asked, pointing her spear.

One of the black-robed figures stepped forward.

Apparently their leader.

“You need not know.”

‘If you’re not going to answer, why step forward, you jerk?’

I grumbled inwardly while raising my mace.

Haven was currently facing off against one of them, so with the other three adventurers plus me and Eve, we had six against their four.

We had the numerical advantage.

But I was growing uneasy about the qualitative difference.

The adventurers who had survived the earlier monster attack were defeated without putting up much of a fight.

One of them had been occupied blocking the surprise attack on Haven, so essentially three of them had overwhelmed everyone else.

If Ravi and the others were less skilled than Haven, could they handle these opponents?

While thinking this, I noticed something odd about our enemies’ behavior.

“What is it?”

One was staring at me very intently.

No, not at me.

At the mace I was holding.

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, this mace.

I had taken it from that paladin.

“That mace, where did you get it?”

“I found it.”

“That’s a mace used by the Order’s paladins.”

“I see.”

At my response, Haven slightly raised his head to look at me.

He seemed to want to ask something, but I decided to ignore it.

I figured I wouldn’t have time to answer anyway, needing to focus on our opponents.

“Do you know of Port Gema?”

“No.”

Another black robe asked, and I gave a casual response.

Their line of questioning was becoming clear.

These guys must have figured out my identity.

Or at least, they were starting to suspect.

The four black robes began talking among themselves.

“There were reports of a missing paladin near Port Gema.”

“No other reports of paladin casualties have been heard.”

“That mace is presumed to belong to that paladin.”

“Let’s capture him for questioning.”

After saying this, the black robes extended their swords again and assumed combat stances.

I blocked an attacking black robe’s strike with my mace.

I tried to counter immediately, but he had already jumped far back, and another one rushed in, forcing me to block again.

Meanwhile, the first attacker tried to rush in again, but Eve thrust her rapier at just the right moment to keep him at bay, and I saw him retreat.

Taking advantage of the opening, I quickly pushed the sword away and tried to bring my mace down, but he rolled backward and instantly fled to his comrade’s side.

‘The others…’

I looked through the gap in my helmet to check the situation elsewhere.

One black robe was targeting Haven, and the remaining one was engaging Ravi and the other adventurers.

Haven seemed to be taking a defensive approach with his shield, so he probably wouldn’t fall easily, but it didn’t look like he could finish the fight quickly either.

Despite their numerical advantage, Ravi and the other adventurers weren’t gaining the upper hand.

I couldn’t expect any support.

Eve and I would have to face two black robes by ourselves.

“Ms. Eve, how are you with fighting?”

I asked, having noticed how sharp and quick her movements were when attacking.

If she could handle one opponent, it would significantly reduce my burden.

“I can defend myself at least.”

Eve replied without shifting her gaze.

“Honestly, if you asked me to face one of them alone, I’m not very confident.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t ask her to take one on.

From the beginning, she was someone to protect, not a combatant, so asking her to handle one would be unreasonable anyway.

I stepped forward and said:

“Please support me like before.”

“Yes. Be careful.”

Eve retreated slightly.

Soon the opponents began to charge.

Several exchanges of offense and defense followed.

I blocked attacks with my mace and attempted counterattacks, swinging it around.

But landing an effective hit proved difficult.

They were fast, experienced, and moved as one despite being multiple people.

That’s how I would summarize their characteristics.

I was confident I could win if I faced just one of them alone.

Compared to the paladin, these guys seemed trickier.

If one of these guys fought that paladin, they would probably win by a narrow margin.

Still, with my equipment situation better now than when I faced the paladin, I was certain I could win in a one-on-one fight.

‘If I could just take down one of them…!’

With that thought, I recklessly went on the offensive.

My strategy was to ignore one and focus on killing the other.

But their fluid, coordinated movements made a mockery of my plan, and I couldn’t land a hit.

I nearly had my leg sliced open instead.

If Eve hadn’t attacked precisely, forcing the enemy to retreat, it might have been over right there.

I stepped back slightly to catch my breath.

“Huff…”

I could see sweat beading on Eve’s face.

During our exchanges, she had provided perfect support and even made threatening attacks that forced the enemy to roll back in surprise.

She seemed more skilled with a sword than she had claimed, but the continuous fighting appeared to be draining her stamina.

If her support faltered, we’d be at a disadvantage.

I needed to find a solution.

‘Is the mace too difficult after all?’

It was probably too heavy compared to the enemy’s movements.

Of course, if I could land a hit, I could finish them in one blow, but that was the problem.

Catching my breath, I looked around through the gap in my helmet.

Around us were the corpses of adventurers who had already lost their lives.

And weapons without owners.

Others still fighting.

As if not wanting to give me time to think, the enemies charged again, and I blocked their attacks while retreating.

One exchange, two exchanges.

After moving my feet a few times, I kicked up something near my foot.

A spear spun into the air, and the charging enemy twisted his body to avoid it.

The sudden movement must have caught him slightly, as a small spray of blood traced an arc from the enemy.

While watching that arc, I glanced briefly at where the others were fighting.

They seemed too busy fighting to notice each other’s situations.

I mentally calculated how to support them.

Quickly dropping my mace, I grabbed the spear and swung it.

The black robes seemed surprised by my switch to a spear and went on the defensive.

After a few swings, when they started to adapt and coordinate their attacks like before, I retreated, reversed my grip on the spear, threw it, and drew my sword to fight.

When the enemy easily dodged the spear and came in, Eve intercepted again, forcing him back. After several exchanges with the sword, I threw it too, then rolled to avoid an enemy’s sword swing.

I picked up the mace I had set down earlier where the spear had been, swung it at the enemy Eve had forced back, then drew a dagger and threw it before blocking another attack.

“Kuk!”

By chance, I blocked two enemies swinging their swords simultaneously with my mace.

I deflected them and swung horizontally with great force, but they had both retreated far away.

When they jumped in again with staggered timing, I saw Eve intercept one, preventing him from approaching.

Meanwhile, I rolled backward, forcibly pulled another sword from a dead adventurer’s body, and wielded it along with my mace.

However, wielding one weapon in each hand made my posture and strength awkward, allowing the enemy to dodge easily.

“This isn’t working.”

I threw the mace at the black robe Eve had intercepted, and I saw him duck and retreat.

Afterward, I properly swung the sword and engaged with the black robe.

“As I thought… from the Order!”

I heard the opponent mutter as I swung upward.

The enemy retreated significantly, and I threw the sword at him.

“Mr. Kay, behind you!”

Eve’s warning.

I had already noticed, so I kicked up another adventurer’s weapon at my feet, caught it, and blocked the attack.

-Clang!

I blocked the attack with the shaft of a polearm that had an axe blade, then pulled on the shaft and kicked the enemy in the stomach.

“Kuk!”

Eve thrust her rapier into the enemy whose stance had crumbled, and the black robe rolled backward and fled again.

As I tried to pursue, another black robe rushed at my back, so I blocked the attack and threw the polearm.

I continued fighting this way, picking up weapons from fallen adventurers—swords, spears, axes—constantly switching and throwing them while engaging the enemy.

After fighting for several minutes straight, rolling and retreating repeatedly, we had moved far from our original position.

The two black robes put some distance between us.

Their shoulders were heaving, suggesting they were catching their breath.

“You seem to handle almost any weapon well.”

“It’s definitely the Order’s weapon techniques.”

The two started talking among themselves again.

Soon, anger began to color their voices.

“So it was you all along.”

“You dare show yourself before the Inquisitors, heretic?”

Wondering if I was too tired to think straight, I decided to correct them.

After exhaling once, I said:

“I showed up? You’re the ones who appeared.”

They can’t just distort facts as they please.

When they fell silent, I looked at Eve.

She was breathing harder than before, clearly more exhausted.

She had obviously tired significantly during our many exchanges.

If we couldn’t end this in the next exchange, we would lose.

Just then, one of the black robes suddenly spoke as if realizing something:

“Surely, this border blockade mission…”

“That’s enough.”

I felt strangely deflated at his words.

So they sent these guys to block the border just to catch me.

Really, that Emiris Order must be desperate to capture me.

Of course, I had no intention of being captured willingly.

“Sorry, but I’m going to escape from here.”

“You won’t get away.”

“I will.”

I stepped forward.

“After I eliminate all of you.”

“You won’t escape.”

“I’ll be the one to decide that.”

I pointed my sword.

I glanced briefly at Eve.

She seemed somewhat more stable, having caught her breath during the pause.

Still, her lost stamina wouldn’t have fully returned, so this would likely be our last exchange.

“This next exchange will be our last.”

Eve suddenly spoke while keeping her eyes on the enemy.

“Shall we have another drink together sometime?”

“Let’s save the tension-breaking for later.”

“What’s wrong with having a drink together?”

I could see her tightening her grip on her sword as she spoke.

“I need to stay strong just to see that cute drunken behavior of yours again.”

“…Stay strong.”

I responded casually.

The enemy rushed forward, and we approached as well.

Another fierce exchange of attacks began.

Eve’s support had slowed compared to before, creating more dangerous situations.

It was because she was exhausted.

Still, she was trying her best to help me.

I deflected several attacks and counterattacked.

The enemy must have been tired too, because after a few more exchanges, effective hits started landing.

“Kuk!”

“Getting tired, Inquisitor?”

They seemed slightly angered, as I could feel more force behind their attacks.

While blocking, suddenly one of them rushed at Eve.

Eve, who had managed to hold her own until I could help her when she wasn’t tired, was now sluggish from exhaustion.

Still, she exchanged several blows and held on.

“Ah…!”

Finally, Eve’s rapier was deflected upward, and the black robe’s sword was about to come down on her.

“Damn you!”

I forcibly pushed away the black robe I was fighting and threw my sword.

The sword flew straight through the chest of the black robe attacking Eve.

I saw the black robe collapse with Eve, and as I turned my head, the other black robe struck my head with his sword hilt.

-Thunk!

If not for my helmet, I would have been knocked unconscious.

The helmet didn’t absorb all the impact though, so my body tilted slightly, and the black robe, not missing the opportunity, knocked me down.

“How dare you kill my brother!!”

Unlike before, he charged with a roar of rage.

But perhaps blinded by anger, he failed to notice the object flying toward him.

-Crash!

“Kuuuk!”

It was Haven’s shield.

Looking in that direction, I saw Haven and his party members running over after throwing the shield.

“How…?”

The black robe was bewildered.

Seizing the moment, I grabbed the shield and brought it down on him.

As he bent at the waist, I immediately kneed him in the face, then used my body as a pivot to strike him hard with the shield.

The impact made him drop his sword, which I grabbed.

He reached out in panic, too late.

Without hesitation, I cut off his hand and then drove the sword into his neck.

I could hear the air escaping from the black robe’s mouth.

“Huh…gack…”

“What are you saying?”

I kicked the staggering man.

The black robe stumbled back a few steps and collapsed like a pile of straw.

+

After the black robe fell, Haven and his party members approached us.

“Are you alright, brother? Miss?”

“Somehow we’re safe.”

I said this and sat down.

“You managed to win impressively.”

“It was just luck.”

Haven said:

“The weapons Mr. Kay kept throwing came our way and distracted the enemy.”

It seemed my hasty plan had worked as intended.

Haven had gained the advantage, won his fight, and then helped his party members before coming over.

Still, judging by the cuts and wounds on all of them, it seemed they had struggled hard for their victory.

“They were no ordinary opponents… I feel like I’ve been brought back from the dead.”

“By the way, how’s the lady?”

Suddenly remembering that Eve had fallen with the black robe I had killed with my thrown sword, I quickly looked in that direction.

As if on cue, I saw Eve pushing away the black robe’s corpse.

She was red.

Blood must have gushed out when the sword penetrated, as her clothes and face were completely red.

Everyone was speechless at the sight.

After catching her breath for a moment in a daze, she spoke:

“…Mr. Kay has defiled me…”

Haven and his party members looked at me.

Seeing her completely covered in blood, I turned my head away, not knowing how to respond.

“Will you take responsibility?”

I could see Eve smiling brightly, despite being covered in blood.