CHAPTER 113

A mysterious atmosphere hung over the table.

The burdening gaze of golden eyes staring directly ahead was unsettling.

Unlike earlier, the face remained expressionless, but the girl's sparkling eyes shone like butterflies fluttering in the dream.

'Why are you doing this?'

Contrary to those eyes, the elf man was glaring at him with a cold gaze.

The gaze of the elf, called Baradis, was fierce, unlike the girl's.

It was as if he had touched something that should not have been touched.

'Why are you doing that again?'

Vlad was trying to keep a calm expression as he met the gazes of the two elves whose atmospheres were clearly different.

He didn't know why both of them were acting this way, but what was certain was that the image of the elves he had imagined was slowly breaking apart.

'When is the tea coming out anyway?'

Knights and elves facing each other across the table.

In the awkward atmosphere where no one was willing to open their mouths, Vlad hoped that at least the tasteless tea would come out quickly.

It was quite uncomfortable to receive and pass over the unspoken gazes without doing anything.

"...The knight who protected children."

It was Baradis who first broke the heavy silence.

"What does that mean?"

Baradis' indigo eyes were fixed on Vlad's armor.

Along with the amber stone hanging from the tip of the sword.

Although he was verbally asking about the inscription on the armor, his gaze clearly saw something behind it.

"It was carved by the Northern Parish, San Rogino."

Vlad clenched his fists under the table while observing Baradis' reaction.

Just like the girl earlier, Baradis also recognized items imbued with spirits.

The idea of ​​asking the elves about spirits and amber stone was indeed correct.

"I achieved some results during my mission to fight against evil beings."

However, unlike the joy boiling in his chest, Vlad's voice remained calm.

He knew well that there was still a long way to go before he could celebrate for just one achievement. If Josef were here, he would have surely done the same thing.

"The knight who fought against evil beings... Excellent."

The two elves nodded simultaneously upon hearing Vlad's words.

Although their outward appearances were completely different, Vlad could sense the similarity in their actions as he looked at Baradis and the girl, realizing that they had been companions for a long time.

"The tea is ready just in time."

As the door to the cabin opened, a fragrant aroma began to waft in.

It emanated from the teacups brought in by the elven soldiers.

"I salute the knight who opposed evil beings regardless of race."

"Thank you."

His expression was still cold, but the kindness he showed was clear.

If they were treating him with such valuable tea, it meant at least he didn't appear unpleasant.

'Hopefully everything goes smoothly.'

Vlad hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming this far.

The reason he came here to help Count Bitskaya with his work was to enter the elf forest.

If the current good atmosphere continues, he might even receive a direct invitation without going through the Count.

"The aroma is delightful."

Vlad smiled as he looked at the tea emitting a clear green light.

Even though it wasn't his preferred tea, if he could leave a good impression with just a sip, he could easily smile and pass it over.

That's how it had to be.

"No, you can't."

However, Vlad couldn't lift the teacup.

"You must not drink it."

White fingers urgently snatched the teacup that Vlad had picked up.

A girl lying flat on the wide table looked at Vlad.

"..."

"..."

The sudden action of the girl left the air inside the cabin stagnant.

Both the elves and the knights of Bitskaya were frozen, not knowing what to do in the situation before them.

"....Why?"

Vlad managed to squeeze out a word, barely exhaling the remaining air in his lungs.

However, the girl just buried her face, tried to avoid eye contact, and quietly took Vlad's teacup.

The struggling movements of the girl's legs at the end of the table seemed pitiful.

※※※※

Tea time was over.

Meeting elves for the first time in his life was as bitter as the taste lingering on the tip of his tongue, and Vlad was still unable to easily escape from the shock.

"Captain, calm down."

"I haven't done anything wrong."

Looking at Vlad's dazed eyes, Gott tried to calm him down, but the answer he got back was only empty.

"Nevertheless, you need to pull yourself together. The elves are still watching only you, captain."

The atmosphere was eerie.

The elves observed Vlad with caution, but their eyes held a curious glint.

It was like looking at an exotic animal.

"Moreover, that little one seems to be of high status. There were elves who were flattering her when she got on the carriage earlier."

Among them, there was a girl who stared at Vlad with the most fervent gaze.

Grabbing the waist of an elf named Baradis, the elf girl leaned out, fixing her gaze on Vlad.

Vlad sighed as he looked at the girl whose eyes were desperate for something, but what she was actually doing was pushing him away.

"Anyway, it seems unlikely that we'll be able to enter the elven forest."

Although it wasn't his mistake, Vlad felt that something had gone awry in the recent meeting.

Since the elves already reject humans, they will not view the current situation favorably.

"Now, let's go. We need to depart before it gets too late."

"Understood."

Upon hearing the words of the Bitskaya knights, urging them to cross the cliff before sunset, Vlad helplessly climbed on top of Noir.

"Just a moment."

As the group prepared to leave, Baradis's voice reached them from behind.

The girl whispered something and Baradis listened with his head down.

Baradis, who was listening to the girl, nodded and smiled awkwardly, stopping Vlad.

"Sorry to send you off like this."

Baradis's peculiar expression, whether it was a smile or a frown, was unclear to Vlad. Vlad thought that his cold impression from before was better.

"Our esteemed one asks for your forgiveness for the mistake she made."

"No, it's okay."

"I heard something happened earlier on the carriage too."

"..."

Seeing Vlad's affirmative response, Baradis extended a handshake to Vlad with a tired expression.

"It would be nice to see you again soon. I would like to apologize for today's rudeness."

Vlad looked silently at the hand extended to him.

Was a handshake the same gesture for elves too?

"It's the elves' way of invitation. Unlike humans, we don't easily offer handshakes."

"I see."

The stunned disbelief of the Bitskaya knights at Baradis's words could be heard.

They couldn't help but be surprised to see Vlad getting permission in just one day as they had worked so hard for that.

"Thank you for inviting me."

Vlad felt perplexed as he looked at the girl waving her hand from afar.

Suddenly, he fell asleep and plunged into a fantasy.

A tea cup was taken away from him as he was trying to enjoy the tea.

And now he was being invited to the elves' forest.

'What's happening. Right now?'

Vlad couldn't help but think for a moment as he watched the behavior of the most capricious girl he had ever seen.

But no matter how suspicious the girl's behavior seemed, he couldn't ignore the outstretched hand.

"It will be a valuable opportunity to broaden my horizons. I will definitely come to visit."

"Yes. I hope you come."

The two men's eyes met each other as they held each other's hands.

The nervous knights of Bitskaya let out a small sigh at the sight of Vlad hesitating for a moment while shaking Baradis' hand.

"And be sure to bring that amber stone with you."

"Yes?"

"Our esteemed one seems quite interested in it."

Releasing his hand, Baradis looked at Vlad again with his cold demeanor.

"You're no exception."

"..."

Vlad listened to Baradis's words and looked at the girl standing in the distance.

The hand waving from behind seemed to be saying, "See you next time."

※※※※

"In the end, I didn't even ask her name."

Vlad furrowed his brow as if realizing it only now, swaying on the back of the Noir.

It was such a chaotic time that he hadn't found the opportunity to ask.

"Why her name?"

"I should know what to call her next time we meet."

"Well, she's pretty, like an elf. If she were a bit taller, it would be hard to even look at her."

Vlad looked at Gott as if to say how pathetic he was, hearing his joking remark.

"Do you want to think like that when you look at your child?"

"Just how old are you, captain?"

Vlad found himself speechless at Gott's blunt question.

Come to think of it, he himself had only become an adult a few months ago.

".....Anyway, I'm an adult."

"She could be one too. She seemed more mature than Zemina."

Vlad could only stay silent in the face of Gott's casually ruthless rebuttal. Bringing up Zemina in this situation was nothing short of unfair.

"Besides, you can not guess the age of elves in the first place. Even if she looks like that, she might be over a hundred."

As elves, known for their longevity, it was difficult to guess their age, but Vlad was sure that the girl with the golden eyes wasn't an adult.

Her incomprehensible actions hinted that she lacked the maturity of an adult.

"We're in the vicinity."

The knight of Bitskaya, who had deliberately sealed his lips, approached cautiously and reported.

'Seems more effective than barking orders.'

Until yesterday, the demeanor of quietly ignoring him because he was a stranger from the north was gone.

Baradis's invitation had clearly had its effect.

"The area from here to the bridge crossing the cliff is a dangerous area. Looters mainly came out from around this area."

Vlad quickly unfolded the map and estimated their location as the knight explained.

The map-reading skills he had learned in Sturma were finally coming in handy.

"....The stone bridge we saw earlier seems the most dangerous."

"We've lost many carriages there before."

Vlad became increasingly anxious as he watched the sun setting.

With nightfall approaching, he wanted to find a place to settle down as soon as possible.

"What about staying here overnight and leaving in the morning?"

"That's not possible."

The Bitskaya knight said firmly, as if there was no room for negotiation.

"The forest here is much colder than the elves' territory. If we don't arrive in Tanoboya as soon as possible, the tea leaves will freeze, and the horses will refuse to move."

While elves only dried tea leaves and did not process them further, if they didn't quickly return to Tanoboya to dry and compress the tea leaves into one lump, the leaves would freeze rapidly.

"We need to minimize our rest time and keep moving until it's time to sleep."

"....Understood."

Though disappointed, Vlad understood the conditions were different from when they had come.

Even though he had suggested staying just one more day, the knights' resistance was too strong.

It could potentially undermine all the efforts made so far, so he could understand their position well enough.

"Let's go. Stefan, go to the rear."

"Yes, sir."

Vlad, at the forefront, with mercenaries at the rear of the procession.

The Bitskaya knights formed a defensive formation around the carriage, and Vlad cautiously began to move forward.

With six knights and ten mercenaries in the current formation, it was unlikely that any significant bandits would dare to attack them.

'Still, if they do come, they must have a different agenda than mere money.'

No matter how expensive elven tea might be, there were always costs to any endeavor.

A person who would fight through six knights and ten mercenaries to steal tea must have had other goals than money.

As the forest grew darker, Vlad stared silently ahead.

A stone bridge stretched between the cliffs ahead.

Amidst the darkening sky, the bridge looked even more eerie, waiting for the group to cross.

※※※※

At first, they thought it was starlight.

It was a dark night, and in the cliff area, where the slope was steep, the boundary between sky and ground was not clear.

"Kaaak!"

However, as the starlight rapidly approached, Vlad realized that the light was not hanging in the sky.

"It's an ambush!"

"Looters! Looters have come!"

Torches shaking violently, horses neighing.

In the midst of the sudden chaos in the procession, Vlad found himself looking at a Bitskaya knight lying on the ground.

'.....But I didn't even see it!'

It all happened in an instant.

The knight's brutally distorted breastplate showed how much impact he had received.

"For now, take cover..."

"Everyone, run! We're getting off the bridge now!"

On the bridge, with openings on all sides.

Vlad shouted loudly as he watched the knights naturally forming their formation.

"But Sir Vlad!"

"Follow my orders!"

Vlad, quickly placing the fallen knight on a saddle, growled in response.

"If we stop here, they'll move as they please!"

Understanding the predator is a trait shared only among predators.

There must have been a reason to warn by knocking down a knight.

"Run! We're getting off the bridge!"

"Everyone, hold onto the reins!"

On the dark bridge, Stefan and Gott repeated Vlad's orders loudly.

And the Bitskaya knights, overwhelmed by Vlad's sudden change in demeanor, hurriedly mounted their horses, having no choice but to follow suit.

Thunk!

Thunk!

"Rocks are being thrown!"

"The torches are extinguishing!"

Contrary to before, the looters in the darkness seemed flustered by Vlad's decision to break through the bridge, and they hastily extinguished their torches.

A knight wielding a sword should be able to stand up to a threat.

However, this knight from the back alleys was someone who didn't care about fleeing at all.

"Don't worry, just run!"

Vlad quickly closed his left eye and raised his sword high.

"Just follow me!"

Vlad's aura imbued in the sword.

The carriages began to creak along the only shining light on the dark bridge.

Thunk!

'Where!'

This time, Vlad struck down the rock flying towards him and quickly gauged its direction.

The trembling tip of his sword hinted at the power of the rock that had just flown.

'It's one person!'

Despite confusion from multiple directions, it was clear that one person had thrown it.

Vlad's sensitive ears caught the sound of someone's footsteps moving quickly in the darkness.

'He's coming!'

Vlad gritted his teeth and looked towards the end of the bridge.

It certainly didn't look dark, but the unknown looter was standing in front of the path they were about to take, catching his breath.

"Charge ahead as we are!"

The group rushed forward like enraged bulls.

A small horn was sprouting from the forehead of Noir, who was at the forefront.

'We'll break through!'

Vlad intended to pass over the looter with the same momentum.

The person currently blocking the group was clearly a skilled person, so if they lost their current momentum, they might never have the chance to cross the bridge again.

"Knights! Prepare for the attack..."

Vlad shouted loudly but couldn't continue his next words.

It was brightening from the far end as if it were receiving the light of dawn.

'Damn it!'

Vlad quickly sensed the change in the looter and swiftly summoned his own aura.

The only thing that could counter an aura was another aura.

The only person who could summon an aura here was himself.

"Noir!"

Heeheeh-!

In response to Vlad's call, the spirit of the grassland, which pierced even the troll, slowly began to take on its own form.

The trick of a one-hit kill is its unexpectedness.

And the best way to achieve unexpectedness is speed.

Only speed beyond expectation can block the blow of the man ahead.

"Now!"

Vlad and Noir, who had been in line with the procession until now, took advantage of the strange rhythm and quickly ran forward.

At a speed several times faster than before.

The eyes of the unknown man who was looking at that scene were widening.

"Break through!"

Finish it with one blow.

Just as the voice had instructed.

White lightning that could not be captured was flowing from Vlad's left eye, which he was trying hard to close.

Crack!

Sizzle!

The light of dawn and the white lightning clashed with each other on the bridge, creating a loud roar.

※※※※

"······The path of the sword must be right, straight, and without hesitation."

A gray hood, partly torn.

Red blood was splashing between the white hair and wrinkles visible between them.

"And what opens that path is a decisive strike based on unexpectedness."

"Cough..."

Vlad, amidst fading consciousness, reached out slowly to grasp the sword lying far away.

But he couldn't help but open his eyes at the voice that gradually reached him.

"That is the trick of killing with a single blow."

"What...?"

The halted carriages.

The fallen Noir.

And Vlad is lying on the ground looking at an unknown man.

"Who the hell are you?"

A drop of blood was trickling down between his snowy white eyebrows.

"Who are you, using imperial swordsmanship?"

There was a thick layer of fog on the dark cliff where light and lightning had disappeared.

The gazes of the two men, who were walking the same path but did not know each other, became entangled.