Ch.154Desolate wind

Across the vast plains, eight horses and a carriage galloped forward. Seorin pulled on the reins while glancing at the elf warriors. Though they had been riding together for half a day, the five elf warriors hadn’t spoken a word to Seorin’s group.

“Are elves always this taciturn?”

“Not usually…”

Seorin answered Theo while recalling the elves she had met before. Though their appearance and lifestyle differed slightly from humans, they were still people nonetheless.

Some elves had approached Seorin without hesitation and struck up conversations. It was simply a matter of personality differences.

Seorin’s group finally exchanged words with the five elves that evening. Only as night fell did the elves suggest finding a suitable campsite.

“I thought you couldn’t speak…”

“We simply avoid unnecessary words.”

Once the conversation began, light questions were exchanged. Theo was the one who asked most of the questions. He was curious about many aspects of elven life—their favorite foods, culture, and the spirits they communicated with.

The elves answered Theo’s questions as briefly as possible while remaining polite.

The campsite was prepared in an instant. A single swing of a sword sent a large tree plunging into the ground as a pillar. With a light gesture, surrounding bushes were uprooted to form a temporary roof, and Seorin’s breath, released like a sigh, lit the firewood.

“How do you light fire with your breath?”

Flora stared incredulously at what Seorin had accomplished. Her friend, who was growing stronger by the day, had begun to transcend human limitations. Though it was supposedly a good thing, Flora couldn’t help feeling a certain distance between them.

Crack—

The eight of them sat around the large bonfire. None of them prepared anything that could be called proper cooking. They all simply took dried food from their pockets and consumed it with water.

“I heard elves only eat fruit… Is that rumor incorrect?”

Theo asked, watching the elves chewing on jerky. One of the elf warriors smiled lightly and answered.

“We couldn’t get sufficient nutrients from fruit alone. Most of what you know about elves is probably fiction created by humans.”

“Is it also a lie that elves have diminished sexual desire?”

“We do have it. Though I can’t say if it’s ‘diminished’ since I’m not human.”

Silence fell after that exchange. After a while of reading the atmosphere, Theo cautiously posed a question. His gaze was directed at the carriage the elves had been pulling.

“I’m curious. What exactly is inside that carriage?”

“We don’t know the details either. Only that it contains something important enough to protect with our lives.”

It seemed that everyone assigned to this transport mission was unaware of what was in the carriage.

As the night deepened, they began to fall asleep one by one. Those on watch duty guarded the quiet night. Theo took the first shift.

“It’s lonely…”

Theo muttered unconsciously. Even though the person he liked was right beside him, he couldn’t approach her. Whenever he got close, she would distance herself like a fierce cat.

Having grown from a boy into a young man, Theo clutched his empty side as he faced the cold wind.

***

The journey of the eight-member party seemed to be progressing smoothly. They hadn’t encountered any trouble during the past week. It was when they entered the forest after crossing the vast plains.

Seorin placed her hand on her sword, sensing suspicious presences in the forest. She didn’t draw it immediately because their intentions were unclear.

“Seems like there are many travelers going in the same direction as us…”

Theo, who detected the strange presences half a beat later than Seorin, remarked. At his signal, the entire party went into combat stance. The presences felt from all directions had begun moving in the same direction as their group.

Having the same destination wasn’t unusual. Over the past week, Seorin’s group had briefly traveled alongside various people. However, it was highly suspicious for such a large group to be heading in the same direction together.

“Ten, no, maybe twenty people.”

As time passed, nearly twenty individuals began drawing closer. Seorin was the first to act. As she drew her Gongjul sword from her waist, more than twenty blades emerged from the subspace.

“I’ll handle this.”

The implication was for the rest to guard the carriage. Everyone nodded at Seorin’s words as she spread the twenty swords like wings.

Immediately after, Seorin closed her eyes. With a group approaching with suspicious intentions, she launched her attack without hesitation.

At once, the twenty swords darted through the dense forest like fish.

Swoosh—

“Wh-what is this!”

“Argh!”

“It’s an ambush! Spread out!”

“Our position has been discovered!”

Shouts and the smell of blood began to fill the air. Seorin maintained her riding posture. There was no need for her to engage directly, as the swords under her control had dealt with most of the approaching individuals.

Some among them managed to block the Formless Flying Sword technique. Not many—only about two out of twenty deflected Seorin’s blades.

Seorin immediately pulled on her horse’s reins, separating from her group.

“Seorin?”

“I’ll handle this and be right back.”

“It’s dangerous…”

Seorin let out a small laugh at Theo’s concerned words. Who was worrying about whom? She was the strongest in the group. But it was her friend’s concern, so she didn’t mind.

With a smile, she waved her hand.

“See you soon. I’ll be back quickly.”

At that moment, Theo made an unexpected move. He pulled on his horse’s reins, leaving the group to ride alongside Seorin. Quickly moving, Theo began galloping beside her.

Soon, the thick undergrowth definitively separated them from the rest of the party.

“I told you to stay there…”

“I couldn’t. I was worried.”

The desire to be with someone you like is a male instinct. Seorin could fully understand Theo’s feelings. Shortly after, Seorin and Theo found themselves facing two men.

They simultaneously pulled on their reins and came to a halt. The two men blocking their path looked ready to swing their weapons at any moment. After stopping, Seorin spoke.

“I am Seorin of the Blue Wing from the Karma Empire. Do you not realize what you’re doing?”

Background carries weight. Seorin was well aware of the power the Karma Empire wielded. Even in street confrontations, most people would back down once they learned of her background.

So she thought it might work this time too. However, the opponents showed no particular reaction.

They simply emanated fierce killing intent without speaking.

“I’ll take the one on the right.”

Theo was the first to step forward. Emitting blue lightning throughout his body, he slowly moved toward the man on the right. Naturally, Seorin’s opponent became the one on the left.

Seorin drew her sword and stepped forward. As the invisible blade revealed itself to the world, it emitted a faint breeze.

The Formless Flying Sword technique alone wouldn’t be enough for this opponent. It meant they possessed considerable skill. Honestly, Seorin couldn’t understand the person before her.

With such abilities, they could have joined a knighthood and secured a comfortable future.

Seorin immediately took a thrusting stance. It was a charging posture with Muramasa’s blade pointed at the opponent. Though the attack was predictable, Seorin didn’t care.

She knew her opponent couldn’t handle her full speed.

Theo also took a similar stance. The muscles in his legs, spread shoulder-width apart, expanded as blue lightning enveloped his entire body.

Crackle—

There was no special signal. Seorin and Theo, without any coordination, charged at their opponents with space-defying speed. The aftermath that erupted shredded part of the forest.

The extended blades of Theo and Seorin pierced through their opponents.

Simultaneously, confusion settled on Seorin and Theo’s faces. The expressions of their opponents were solemn, as if they had resigned themselves to death. Yet they offered no resistance.

Just as the two blades were stained with red blood—

The bodies of the two men, pierced through the chest, flashed simultaneously. Seorin detected a strange flow of mana. At the same time, she noticed a magic circle tattooed on the man’s chest.

“Theo…!”

“Seorin…!”

Before the urgent cries of the two could finish, a flash of light and an intense flow of mana engulfed Seorin and Theo. Even mana barriers to protect their bodies were useless. The magic activated wasn’t an attack spell meant to harm the body.

Space distorted. Light was sucked toward a single point as spaces connected. Seorin and Theo were simultaneously pulled into that singular point.