Chapter 10- What a timing

"How?"

Ytrisia's eyes seemed to tremble for a moment as she saw an unknown man who had even bypassed her senses being killed by a young master.

Now, with his dead body hanging near the tree, she noticed how two or three cloaked figures seemed to run away too, as if there was a group keeping an eye on them.

But now, after the death of one of them, they were fleeing, clearly showing that these people in particular were sent here to just spy on them.

At that, they were far stronger than even night bands to not notice them.

And for such people to be present here, she could guess they belonged to the Information Guild, which worked under the Reviantria county.

They were hired by other noblemen for an astronomical amount to spy on strong individuals given their masterful stealth ability.

"GGGRWWWW"

Attracting her cage with another sound, she looked in the direction of a night bane that was groaning in pain, its hand reaching for its eye as it plucked out an arrow.

Purple blood trickled down its face as it stumbled while covering one eye.

"ROAAAR!"

"Damn it..."

Ytrisia suddenly heard the roar from her beast, turning in that direction to see it keeping the chief of the night band in check.

But suddenly, it sensed reinforcements belonging to the night band clan rushing in their direction.

Though they were still a mile away, considering their speed, they would soon arrive here.

"Young master, we need to leave!"

Atresia swiftly sprinted towards Joseph, clenching her jaws, knowing how much beast flux she was going to use today.

She quickly called upon her beast, "Glariont! Come now!"

Given she needed to fight while protecting the young master in a battle where the enemies would keep coming, she prioritized survival.

Even at the cost of exhausting her beast, a swiftly black horse came out in starlight form.

With her feet sprinting in that direction, the horse, Rust, ran as swiftly holding its rein, climbing up.

With her body leaning, she grabbed Joseph's waist, lifting his small body up before placing him on its back.

"Use Dash now!"

"Ren, come back—"

Joseph, realizing the use of the ability, swiftly called back his meta beast, which was fighting in an exhausted state.

That small armadillo turned back into starlight and returned just as the beast they were riding suddenly used its ability, Rust, like a bullet, covering 100 meters of distance in a single blink.

"Hold them back, Aelini!"

Having no way other than exhausting her beasts, Etrusia prioritized the safe escape and directly ordered her attacking beast to hold the night pins.

Considering it swiftly attacked the night winds that tried to follow behind.

"Roaaar!"

The roar filled the whole forest as another battle occurred, which Ytrisia knew would not last long.

Considering her beast would soon be defeated and would retreat, creating a never-ending circle of battle.

Her gleaming eyes under the mask clearly showed the anger directed toward Albrian due to whose foolish actions every one of them was now endangered.

Young master Joseph was a child, and his request could have been overridden by them.

But Albreon made a foolish decision due to his own ego and messed everything up.

"Young master, I am going to use the return stone; hold tight,"

Ytrisia finally reached the conclusion to use the return stone, which had been bestowed upon her by the hands of the emperor himself after getting second place in the beast battle three years ago.

'!?!'

'....What the...'

Joseph, who had grabbed her wrist with his little hands, was trying to think of a way forward.

Given he indeed knew that this woman would protect him, considering her personality, he never dreamed she would use a return stone.

These stones were unique—too rare for even the Earl Bandiac to possess.

They were one-use type, unique rune-based artifacts now lost and only found in the excavation of old dungeon sites.

For her to use such a precious object just to protect life and follow orders clearly made him feel for a moment how foolish she was.

If she wanted to leave this place alone, she could easily do it.

The only thing holding her back was his presence.

And here she was, like some naive individual, even though she was clearly one of the good-ranking knights.

This made him realize why, even with possessing a predator beast, she had been killed.

"You don't need to use it,"

Joseph simply stretched his hand, tightening around her armor, locking his hand.

Knowing the impact, he stopped her from taking out the return stone, which was precious and could be life-saving if she did not use it now.

Before stating, "Turn left and dash towards that purple tree."

'!'

"Young master—"

Ytrisia wanted to inquire, considering she didn't have time.

But seeing all the things he had done until now, unlike the naive self she had heard about, she wanted to trust him.

He was a thirteen-year-old child.

Turning her gaze in the direction where, unlike the satellite trees, there was a single one gleaming in purple.

Though she had already noticed such trees in her way several times, she had not found them any different.

But trusting him, as she knew how precious stones were, she turned her gaze in that direction before hurling.

"Hold tight, young master!"

She pulled the rein before mustering the remaining beast flux as it was channeled to her beast, which was blasting at enormous speed towards the tree.

Before soon enough, several smokes of amethyst started to pop in the surrounding area, clearly indicating how the reinforcements of the nightwing clan had arrived.

Causing her eyes to zone with beast fumes as she called back, "Return now, Aelini!"

With a voice resonating and her beast directly colliding with the tree, it vanished as if entering a portal.

A starlight, like a glimmering ball, also entered from behind before the whole tree was destroyed, scattering, leaving nothing but broken black branches.

"Grhhhh! Khrrrkkk!"

One after another, the night winds gathered, their eyes gleaming as the chief emerged from behind. He looked towards the broken branches before turning in the direction where a battle was ongoing far away. Soon, all of them turned into smoke, vanishing or rushing in that direction to provide help to other clan members.

---

[Neural Engine Re-initiating, Host will fall asleep.]

"Shit!" Joseph's eyes widened as he looked towards a cliff from which he was falling directly down towards a river. At that moment, his neural engine warned him that he was going to fall asleep, clearly indicating he was about to drown in the river.

It was a dark place with a purple-colored glowing river where he free-fell, recalling how this experience was the same as ever, as he fell within the water source reservoirs of the whole dark forest.

Thousands of tree roots like webs were coming out of the ceiling, touching the river as they fell from a very large height.

"Young master!" Ytrisia, who was taken aback, glowed as both of her beasts backed away. She saw the purple river glowing below and the nearby walls tinted black.

Noticing young master Joseph falling with his body heart-length down, she swiftly pulled him, hugging tightly to absorb the shockwave of their collision with the surface of the water.

Splash!

Though they hit the river, due to the height and speed, its surface acted more like concrete, clearly inflicting damage to her body as she felt her elbow fracturing.

With this, both of them finally sank deep into the water while Joseph lost consciousness.