Chapter 005. Humanity's Strongest Weapon

Ayla furrowed her eyebrows, mystified by their prolonged silence. Her mouth had already reverted back to their indifferent usual line.

"Tongue-tied? So this much actually scared you all away?" She hummed flippantly.

The way she voiced it so matter-of-factly without any waver to her tone for some reason made Miroh's scalp itch in grievance. Who taught this child to talk down to others like this?

And, most importantly, how could they hire a child in a job where there's a high chance of dying than becoming a rich magnate? This is child labor!

Miroh is slowly considering ratting this party's existence to the officials. He's mental fortitude has always been strong, but he felt like he's outlook had taken a nosedive for awhile now.

Fortunately, he still had to voice out these opinions when Ayla nodded to herself, dropping the subject. "Well, I can understand the sentiment. Everything is fine now."

Maybe fate thought two casualties is already enough, no need to add one more.

The greenette, who was falsely presumed a child, tugged her hood back up. The exaggerated green hair, which didn't seem to raise any eyebrows was securely hidden from sight.

Suddenly there was loud bang, followed by the ceiling above them simultaneously completely caving in.

Someone's shriek could be heard amidst the chaos. The people below could only squeeze their eyes tightly in the face of impending death.

A second came by with nothing happening. "Ah. This is really tiresome." The dull tone speak up with a tint of annoyance, waking everybody out their stupor.

They weren't dead yet!

They instinctively lift their heads and see a solid luminous barrier enclosed in an arch below the large rubbles. It didn't even reach a quarter of the way as they could easily stand after hunching on their stomach.

For the older members of the party, they only sigh in their hearts. Looks like it's not their time yet to avail a one-way ticket to heaven.

Fortunately, Ayla was with them if not...

Ayla clicked her tongue in displeasure, seeing someone have yet to move. "Are you all this eager to die? Get moving already!"

On the other hand, the newer members, who were still not fully initiated to this kind of loose operation by the entire party were still unable to recover their wits from the near-death experience.

But Ayla has no time to cater their feelings as she was already experiencing the first jolt of lightheadedness.

'Damn it, I think I got carried away this time.'

She brooded at the fleeting thought.

Hamal, who came with Ayla to rescue the porters, understood something was wrong and took the initiative.

"Everybody, move, move! Evacuate immediately!"

The urgency in the tone of the almost 7 ft. tall muscular man roused them up and rushing to the plank drawn up between the next building to them.

Miroh was about to follow the crowd of porters when Ayla tugged him back by the arm.

"Wait. You know how to use your tyrfing?" She asked perfunctorily, gesturing to the conspicuous longsword hanging on his hip.

Miroh nodded his head unsurely. Being as stubborn as a mule, he never neglect his swordsmanship every training so his skill should be not far behind most knights in normal combat.

The only drawback for such a passionate knight is his uncalibrated tyrfing, which offset every single effort he expend to cultivate the moment he's at the battlefield.

"Great, held it up for me."

Miroh dumbly held up his tyrfing after untying the protective cloth.

Her hand hover above the tyrfing deliberately before taking her hand back just as quickly. It only took a second for the sword to burn up exuding a crazy amount of dense aurora almost like a coil of fire.

"Wha-what happened?! It calibrated!?" He gazed at the sword in his hands astonished. The former dull and unimpressive sword now glowing bright and strong.

Ayla was also taken aback at how well it turned out since she only tried it on a whim. After seeing a tyrfing from the convent for the first time, her curiosity got to her.

But unexpectedly, her impulsiveness actually gained them an advantage.

She stared at Miroh with an incredulous face. 'What kind of luck is this?'

But there's no time to waste anymore. "Let's switch to another place." Ayla informed him lightly before decisively jumping off the building.

At the same time, the barrier that was holding the rubbles up disappeared and the entire building completely crumble to the ground.

Miroh closely followed Ayla surprisingly without staggering considering the spaced out look on his face. He made the mistake of turning around curiously and witnessing the amount of destruction caused by one single building.

His body could have been under one of those boulders...

Miroh still have yet to recover from the initial shock, but he was ultimately estranged by how fast everything is going on. Even the words coming out of Ayla's mouth seem so far away to comprehend clearly.

Ayla pretended not to notice his dumb expression and began explaining her intentions for the reason that she might regret this on the second thought.

"The effect may be temporary considering I'm the one who calibrated it. It's unknown how the tyrfing will perform so I suggest you use this time swiftly."

She the glanced down at his tyrfing, while nodding to herself, "you're sword is a tank-type weapon so it is possible to get a one shot-one kill."

It seems that statement slap him out of his fantasy.

"What?" He blurted out.

Ayla stared it him with that pointed look like he was seriously asking her that. "Of course, you'll have to work. What's the use of paying you?"

Before Miroh could speak out on how this was against his will, that all familiar shrieking came back again although now it was obviously loud and directly behind them.

Ayla mused at the seemingly orchestrated events. This part-timer might have a lot of work cut out for him today.

"Ah. Here is your first client. It's a crafty, high-level one compared to the slug and pig." She observed lightly even a bit amuse with the way her lips quirked up mockingly.

She patted him on the shoulder without any remorse. "Well, don't die."

She was about to fly off when Miroh tugged the cloth near her nape, catching her off guard. "Wait, wait, aren't you gonna help me?!" He exclaimed in a panic.

Ayla almost fall on her ass from the unexpected backhanded attack. "Hey! Let go off me! What the fuck is wrong with you?" She tried to pull her cloak back but Miroh was undeterred, resulting to a game of tug of war.

Miroh express his unwillingness by tightening his hold to the cloak. This was against his will in the first place! How could she expect him to singlehandedly kill a valkyrie?

"Do you have the conscience to leave me alone? You're violating the chivalric code!"

The chivalric code he was raging about was a mere informal code of conduct that knights seemingly abide for generations in the military.

Ayla's mood was turning darker and darker every second from the way her face twisted in the largest shit-eating grin known to mankind. Normally, every sane person would think twice and steers clear from her sight.

But both party is obviously not at right state of mind right now.

"Well, guess what? Chivalry is dead! Like I will babysit a cannon fodder like you! Go die!"

It was common belief that the 'chivalric code' was nothing but a shitty catchphrase anyway. Some random knight named Sir Chivalry popularize it in the military to pick up girls.

Who the fuck actually believe that shit?

Ayla can't believe somebody actually does.

But Miroh was proving to be equally stubborn as Ayla. "I can't believe you're leaving me here to die!"

Having two giant butt heads together is never a good combination.

"You're not gonna die, you wimp! And that mindset isn't good for a cannon fodder!" Her mouth just can't help but send out encouraging words one after the other.

"Look, look! How could I trust you when your speaking rudely like that?" He frowned at her indignantly as if making his point across.

She paused to glare at him pointedly in the middle of her struggle. "How about you let me go then? While I am still nice to not throw you to an uncharted lands!"

How could this person act like the biggest wimp at first, then become the most infuriating mule the next? This duality is unprecedented in Ayla's twenty years of living, and she had her fair share of meeting eccentrics.

"No, no! That's not how it goes. Are you sure you know how a tyrfing work?" Miroh finally couldn't resist the urge to retort anymore. He was convinced that this rogue party still have their shortcomings compare to the military, who gets formal education regarding this matters.

Calibrating a tyrfing is only the initial step for all knights before the real training formally begins. Knights have to train their body continuously to get use to the new weight of the calibrated tyrfing in their hands and also take mental strengthening training to attain equilibrium between their aurora and the tyrfing itself.

A lot of work is already put in just to call out their tyrfing smoothly after the calibration. That's why being a full-fledge knight especially in the Winter moon faction is an arduous job not many people would be willing to enter. It's a job only for strong willed people with special reasons above their life.

Ayla rolled her eyes, thinking Miroh's reaction was too excessive. What's there to hesitate for? This guy is too chicken to possess such abnormal beastly instincts.

"Ah. You're right," She wore a look of epiphany, subtly noticing the approaching figure behind her, "cautious people like you needs to be thrown in the pit to get them running."

'What?'

It was too late for Miroh to evaluate Ayla's wicked grin as he found himself sailing to the air. Ayla had lifted him by the waist and thrown Miroh over her head straight to the valkyrie's awaiting mouth in one swift move.

Miroh's eyes widen as he glanced back to see his body heading straight to a valkyrie.

There was only one thing that flash to his mind as he desperately twisted his body to break his previous trajectory: That child is more of spawn of Satan to be a magnus.

Ayla watched in satisfaction as Miroh was able to deflect the valkyrie with some complicated body maneuvers. His quick reflexes seems almost monster-like to evade that at the shortest time.

Ah. Ayla felt like she just uncovered the guy's hidden talent. With his lousy sword skills right now, he'll be able to compensate with his strength just fine.

So the only thing left to do is wait until someone can assist him. As long as he can buy them more time until the cavaliers finish the other valkyries, then they're pretty much done here.

"What should I do then?" She sang merrily as she left Miroh wrestling the valkyrie behind with a light burst of her aurora under her feet.

Ayla knew Vega's group can handle their own without her in play. So she gradually began to relax, while strolling around the foreign area as if treating it like her own backyard.

She eventually come across a familiar figure holding a binoculars in front of her eyes. The painful looking tight bun on the person's head was a strong indicator of who could it be.

"Dabih, you're working hard."

Dabih Mayer, who was observing an ongoing 6 versus 1 battle between the cavaliers and a valkyrie on top of an old workhouse, nodded back at Ayla without pausing in her work.

"Ayla, did they release the special flare?"

Dabih was a former noble from a fallen lower nobility family in Jemima, which explains her last name and basic literacy. Based on the slightly worn out notebook after how many times it was open whether rain or shine and a pen on her hand, which passionately jotting down something.

It was obvious that Dabih is working hard as a porter, which is a given since she is Keid's eyes and ears in the party.

That ox may not be here physically, but Dabih had been Kied's informant in all things related to the party. Keid would then be forced to be always up to date of all the mischief that Ayla had done for the last five years.

All the main person in their party were unsuitable to properly watch over her so Keid sent in Dabih to act as Keid's messenger and...Ayla's guard dog.

Ayla shook her head but realized that she isn't looking at her and replied, "why are asking that? Of course I came because I can."

She then accidentally let out a groan after an unexpected strong throb passed just behind her eye.

Dabih's keen gaze immediately spotted her twitching right eye and put down her pen. "Did you use your barrier again—you know what?" She was about to speak some more but held herself back as an afterthought.

"There's no point in reprimanding you, you just don't learn anyway." She shook her head.

Ayla looked extremely offended by her words. "I don't know what you're saying, Dabdab." She placed her hands on her chest as if physically wounded, "your distrust hurt my feelings!"

Dabih could only make a small noise of disproval at her ridiculous nickname as she grabbed her signal gun from her hollister, sending a blue flare to the sky. Another blue flare shoot up to the sky in response coming from the another direction, probably from Vega’s squad.

"Valkyrie extermination complete. Others proceed to convene with the other team while others create a detailed report to the commander, count any casualties if needed."

"Copy!" The other porters with them exclaimed in unison before dispersing to different places to do their individual tasks.

Dabih then focused her attention to to their resident troublemaker, "as for you, come with me."