After finishing the meeting and dinner with the Triaina Special Forces, Ern returned to Epherna’s side.
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah. I wish you could have joined us.”
“No way. It would have been awkward if I was there.”
Ern smiled awkwardly, unable to deny it.
She was right.
If Epherna had joined them for dinner, the Special Forces members wouldn’t have been able to relax.
“Nothing happened, right?”
“Yeah, just a bit boring.”
It wasn’t just boredom; it was loneliness.
Epherna swallowed the words she wanted to say, not wanting to burden him.
“There’s a play opening nearby soon. Let’s go see it.”
Ern knew her well enough to understand her feelings. Epherna might not show her feelings easily, but Ern, who had known her since she was a little girl, could always tell.
“Just the two of us?”
“Yeah.”
Epherna’s face brightened up.
Ern extended his hand, and Epherna took it.
Together, they walked through the brightly lit streets at night.
They watched the play, held hands in the crowded streets, and Epherna even leaned her head on his shoulder.
By the time they realized it, the disappointment in Epherna’s heart had completely washed away.
*****
The next evening, with just one day left before arriving at the Lemea Duchy.
While staying at a mountain lodge and giving orders to the Triaina Special Forces, Ern sensed an unpleasant feeling and activated his supernatural ability with his blue eyes.
‘As expected, we’re being tracked.’
The disturbed flow of mana in the still night indicated someone was manipulating it in hiding.
After dinner, Ern went out alone, heading towards the gloomy forest.
‘They must have started following us around yesterday.’
He had given the Triaina Special Forces a break and lowered their guard, which had been a mistake.
Feeling responsible, Ern frowned.
‘I was too careless.’
He had let emotions get in the way and neglected his top priority, a mistake he wouldn’t have made in the past.
“Commander.”
Just then, Lea, who felt the same discomfort as Ern, joined him.
She, too, had activated her ability with her blue eyes.
“They’re not professionally trained in stealth. Probably just learned to keep quiet.”
“Seems like it.”
Having faced hundreds of assassins at night, they could tell. If the assassins were truly skilled, noticing them in just a day would have been impossible.
Thus, Ern and Lea deduced the enemies were inexperienced in stealth.
“You came alone?”
“Yes. Thought it would be better to lure them.”
“Good call.”
If the enemies were specialized in frontal combat, they would not be well-matched against the Triaina Special Forces.
“I have them waiting in the rear. As soon as we lead the enemies to the lodge, they’ll provide support.”
“Well done.”
Ern circulated mana through his entire body.
His tense muscles and senses emitted a vigilant aura.
It was a signal. The target you seek knows of your presence.
No more hide-and-seek, show yourselves.
Ern’s intent was clearly understood by the enemies.
Whiz!
The sound of an arrow slicing through the air.
Ern raised his arm and caught it.
“An arrow, not a gun…”
Such a primitive weapon in these times.
Ern realized something, smirked, and leapt forward.
*****
The Dragon Clan.
There have been very few stories passed down about them from ancient times.
If one were to delve into the scant historical stories, one could uncover fragments of their existence dating back to the Mythical Era.
The World Tree of Spring.
The Divine Beast of Summer.
The Spirit King of Autumn.
The Demon King of Winter.
There was a time when these four beings ruled the world.
The distant ancestors of the Dragon Clan did not belong to any of these domains.
They lived together as a separate race until, facing extinction, they ultimately allowed interbreeding with humans to ensure their survival.
These beings had several distinctive features:
Huge bodies that could cover several mountains.
Scales like those of serpents.
Mystical powers to control the weather.
Eyes that could read the universe.
Their descendants, later known as the Dragon Clan, inherited one of these traits at birth.
They maintained human appearances but could boast giant-like bodies, possess impenetrable skin, or control the weather.
Or they might be born with special eyes.
*****
Lea’s vertically slit eyes glowed in the night.
With a swift motion of her hand, dozens of daggers shot out in all directions, toppling the hulking figures hidden in the trees.
There were still dozens of enemies left.
Lea only had about a dozen more daggers.
But it didn’t matter.
She had ‘eyes’ that could pierce more than ten with a single dagger.
Whiz!
A single dagger thrown by Lea shot forward like an arrow.
Without losing momentum, it dropped more enemies than when she had thrown dozens of daggers.
“Let’s just subdue them.”
Ern drew a dagger from his coat, spoke to Lea, and leapt into the air, using the trees as steps.
This was a technique commonly used by Forest Shamans.
Ern had stolen and mastered it from a Shaman long ago, using it now to knock down the enemies in the trees one by one.
If there were no trees to step on, he used falling leaves or even his own daggers as footholds.
‘Just as I thought.’
They don’t intend to harm us.
Ern scanned the warriors pretending to be unconscious.
Their eyes lacked murderous intent, and there was no hostility.
Those hit by Lea’s daggers didn’t even flinch, lying still as if to test them.
Just as Ern’s body and mind relaxed.
Szzz!
He sensed a massive surge of energy and killing intent approaching him, far surpassing the warriors he was facing.
“…!!”
His blue eyes warned him of danger, urging him to leave immediately, warning that failure to do so meant death.
But Lea was behind him, providing cover.
If he moved, Lea would die.
Ern drew on his mana again, reacting to the mana already spread throughout his body.
It was a sensation he hadn’t felt since battling the Replican three years ago.
His muscles swelled, doubly reinforced. Blue currents of electricity gathered and compressed on his dagger.
Ern slashed at the distant enemy charging with a greatsword like a thunderbolt.
Kwaang!
The clash of immense forces created a tremendous shockwave, uprooting trees and forming small whirlwinds from the dispersed energy.
Through the debris, Ern saw with his blue eyes a knight in gray armor, ignoring the shockwave and charging forward.
Triple-layered body reinforcement.
His heart beat dozens of times per second, and his veins bulged.
Clutching the broken blade of his dagger, Ern accelerated his thoughts to their limit, ready to collide with the gray knight again.
Rumble–!!
A earthquake-like vibration ensued.
Looking up at the sky, it seemed the ground wasn’t the source; light was falling from above.
Platinum flames, akin to starlight, descended.
*****
A meteor-like flame fell between the armored knight and Ern, separating them.
Ern knew the identity of the flame, so even as Epherna emerged from it, he maintained his composure.
She approached him.
“Mister, are you okay?”
Ern’s body, strained from repeated reinforcement, looked as if he were gravely ill, his veins bulging.
Epherna bit her lip, about to say something, but Ern spoke first.
“What are you doing?”
“…What…?”
“What are you doing here?”
Ern pulled her shoulder and pushed her behind him.
With lightning crackling around his body and forming into a blade, Ern approached the knight, exuding killing intent.
“Stay back.”
The knight before him was dangerous.
One wrong move, and even his life could be at risk.
That was the conclusion Ern had reached.
“Your combat style remains as reckless as ever.”
The voice came from between the knight’s helmet.
It was a voice Ern found familiar.
When the knight removed his helmet, Ern was shocked by the face he saw.
“Duke Lemea?”
*****
At first, Ern thought it was a spy or assassin sent by the noble faction that opposed Epherna.
When he realized they were using bows, he thought it might be “those guys”.
When the armored knight with incredible skill appeared, all he could think was that he had to stop him at all costs.
‘But I didn’t think of this.’
Duke Lemea.
One of the heroes who vanquished the Demon King of Winter.
He knew the duke wielded a greatsword but failed to connect the dots. How foolish of him.
“I apologize for my rudeness.”
Duke Lemea knelt before Epherna.
“I apologize for startling the First Princess due to a subject’s excessive curiosity. However, I swear on my name that I had no intention of harming the princess.”
Ern rebutted.
“If you’re apologizing, don’t make excuses. Do you realize you’re close to being branded a traitor?”
“I’m sorry, but you are partly to blame.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ve grown weak. You’ve lost your edge. This was necessary to help you regain it.”
Is this guy crazy?
“How can the Personal Guard of the Princess neglect their training? I had planned to give you a lecture upon our arrival at the duchy, but I couldn’t wait. At least your habit of risking your life remains unchanged, which is good…”
“…”
Ern couldn’t respond.
All he could think was, ‘This guy is insane.’
