MTO C113
by berryChapter 113
The Knights of House Eglance rode across the vast plains before entering the Black Forest.
Every forest and mountain in Valois ultimately led to the Dragon’s Waist.
That meant any route could become the correct path.
But it also meant there were countless places they needed to search.
Among the many possible locations, they began their investigation in the area where monsters had been appearing most frequently.
After all, lakes collected water.
Dozens of horses galloped powerfully uphill, following the streams in reverse, toward their source.
The knights pressed onward without stopping to rest.
For quite some time, the scenery barely changed.
When they had first left the castle, Michel had been filled with nervous excitement.
Little by little, however…
Boredom began to set in.
Keeping up with the knights’ pace wasn’t difficult yet, but maintaining a tense posture in the saddle for so long had started to leave his lower back and hips aching.
“Have you noticed how strange things have been between Sir Gerard and Lady Sally lately?”
“What? No way!”
“You’re hopelessly oblivious!”
“Why do you think Sir Gerard keeps volunteering for patrols in the west?”
“Lady Sally’s tavern, the Dancing Beer Barrel, is over there.”
Apparently Michel wasn’t the only one growing bored with the endless march.
The knights chatted idly from horseback.
Some even hummed cheerful tunes to themselves.
For a force supposedly investigating an area overrun by monsters…
The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed.
Eventually…
Michel couldn’t hold it in anymore.
He let out a huge yawn.
“Getting bored?”
He had hoped no one would notice.
Unfortunately, Owen immediately struck up a conversation.
Michel hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.
The sudden effort left tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
He quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand.
“I thought things would be much tenser after hearing there were so many monsters.”
“But it’s surprisingly peaceful.”
“We’re escorting the Saint.”
“It wouldn’t do for the expedition to be dangerous.”
Owen pointed toward the sky.
Following his finger, Michel spotted the great black eagles of House Eglance circling overhead.
From up there…
They could certainly locate both monsters and lakes much faster than anyone on the ground.
“And monsters possess intelligence too.”
“They naturally avoid enemies stronger than themselves.”
“The Knights of House Eglance aren’t opponents they can challenge lightly.”
“Though every now and then…”
“One stupid enough to ignore its limits comes charging in anyway!”
One of the nearby knights laughed as he joined the conversation.
The knights clearly despised monsters.
But none of them appeared afraid.
Michel watched them with admiration.
Then…
Without warning…
The entire procession came to a halt.
What’s going on?
Stretching his neck to see ahead, Michel spotted Kaidan at the front of the column.
His fist was raised high in the air.
He held the signal for several moments.
Then suddenly…
He drew his sword.
“Battle positions!”
Unlike Michel, who jumped in surprise…
The knights reacted as though they’d been waiting for this moment.
Swords flashed from their scabbards.
At that exact instant…
The earth trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
Jagged stone spikes burst upward through the soil.
“Stone Hogs!”
At someone’s shout…
Dozens of monsters resembling oversized hedgehogs erupted from the ground in every direction.
Each was roughly the size of a large dog.
But with dozens appearing simultaneously…
The narrow mountain path descended into chaos almost instantly.
Panicked horses neighed.
Monsters roared.
Knights shouted commands.
The sounds blended together into a bizarre symphony.
“Your Holiness!”
“This way!”
Following Owen’s urgent instructions, Michel quickly turned his horse.
“Yes!”
Michel leaped onto the large boulder Owen indicated.
It was fairly tall.
But climbing onto it directly from horseback proved surprisingly easy.
Once safely atop the rock, Michel looked toward Owen as if asking what he should do next.
Owen awkwardly lowered the hand he’d instinctively stretched out to help.
“You… climbed that rather well.”
“Brother!”
“Behind you!”
Several monsters screeched as they lunged toward Owen.
He instantly drew the swords hanging at both sides of his waist and met them head-on.
“Please remain there!”
“It won’t take long!”
He shouted while cutting down monster after monster.
Michel wanted desperately to jump down and help.
But he knew…
If he joined the battle now…
He would only become a burden.
At least…
That’s what he had been told.
Truthfully…
He wasn’t entirely convinced.
Still…
Just imagining David’s lecture afterward was enough to keep him obediently on the rock.
Suppressing the urge to move…
Michel anxiously watched the battle unfold.
Stone Hogs were among the monsters Kaidan had taught him about.
They resembled a cross between hedgehogs and moles.
The massive spikes covering their backs were made of solid stone.
Their claws were as sharp as blades.
Ordinary swords couldn’t pierce their armored backs.
Fortunately…
Michel also knew their weakness.
Stone Hogs lacked eyes.
Instead…
Their sense of smell was extraordinarily keen.
They hunted entirely by scent.
If they lost that sense…
They became disoriented and rolled onto their backs.
Their exposed bellies were covered by much thinner skin.
That was the perfect opportunity to strike.
Slash!
Screeeech!
Without hesitation…
The knights sliced off the monsters’ elongated noses.
Then kicked them squarely onto their backs before driving swords into their exposed undersides.
The monsters’ agonized shrieks echoed throughout the forest.
The scene resembled something out of hell.
Yet…
The knights fought with remarkable ease.
“Whew!”
“Want to bet who kills the most?”
“You’re on!”
“The loser takes first watch tonight!”
Their overwhelming skill gradually eased Michel’s tension.
Before long…
He found himself watching the battle with excitement instead of fear.
Every member of the Knights of House Eglance fought brilliantly.
Still…
A few stood out.
Owen wielded twin swords, cutting down monsters attacking from both front and back.
David moved so quickly Michel could barely follow him.
And then there was Kaidan.
Standing firmly in one place…
He split more than ten monsters in half almost effortlessly.
Their weak points didn’t seem to matter to him at all.
Every flash of his sword aura sent black blood spraying through the air.
Awe surged through Michel.
His heart pounded.
That’s a Sword Master!
Just then…
As though sensing Michel’s gaze…
Kaidan looked toward him.
Caught off guard…
Michel instinctively smiled sheepishly.
Kaidan merely turned away with an icy expression and resumed slaughtering monsters.
Michel wanted to bury himself in embarrassment.
Everyone else is risking their lives…
And I smiled?
Ashamed of himself…
He instead cheered enthusiastically like a parent watching their child at a school sports festival.
Occasionally, he even pointed out monsters the knights had overlooked.
“There’s still one alive over here!”
“Keep your eyes open!”
“The eagles are the real winners today!”
Before long…
The battle was over.
The Knights of House Eglance had claimed an effortless victory.
It had been almost disappointingly easy.
The knights stabbed their swords into the ground here and there, checking for any remaining Stone Hogs beneath the earth.
The black eagles descended as well, happily feasting on the monster carcasses the knights tossed them.
“Your Holiness!”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes!”
Owen sheathed his swords and hurried over.
Michel immediately jumped down from the boulder.
Only after confirming Michel was unharmed did Owen leave briefly to retrieve his horse.
“Hey!”
“Watch out!”
Suddenly…
The ground beneath Michel’s feet shook.
A moment later…
One last Stone Hog burst from the earth.
Its massive shadow stretched over Michel.
Instinctively…
The monster had chosen the weakest-looking target.
Michel saw things differently.
His round violet eyes narrowed sharply.
Thud!
Yelp!
Michel’s leg shot out.
His side kick struck the Stone Hog squarely across the nose.
With a single blow…
Its snout folded inward like an accordion.
The monster flew backward helplessly.
At that exact instant…
A brilliant flash erupted above Michel’s head.
A sharp gust of wind brushed across his hair.
CRAAACK!
Rumble—!
BOOM!
A deafening series of crashes echoed through the forest.
Turning around…
Michel saw a gigantic fir tree collapsing.
It smashed countless smaller trees beneath its enormous weight.
One glance at the perfectly smooth cut through the trunk…
And it wasn’t difficult to guess who had done it.
Ignoring the dumbfounded knights…
Kaidan sprinted toward him with a terrifying expression.
Only then did Michel snap back to reality.
Hurriedly, he drew the hand axe from his belt.
He had spent the past three nights sleeping with that axe in his hand…
Yet when the critical moment came…
He’d instinctively kicked first anyway.
Kaidan’s face remained rigid.
“Are you hurt?”
“Uh…”
“I don’t think so?”
“Your leg?”
“It’s perfectly fine.”
To emphasize the point…
Michel energetically shook his leg in the air.
Owen returned at that moment, his face deathly pale.
“Y-Your Holiness!”
“I told you…”
“No matter what happens…”
“Never leave the Saint’s side.”
“S-Sorry!”
Owen bowed his head deeply beneath the sharp reprimand.
Rather than continue scolding him…
Kaidan looked at Michel instead.
His expression was one of profound dissatisfaction.
Michel found it impossible to meet his eyes.
Perhaps because he knew he’d done something wrong…
He instinctively looked away.
“Now that everything’s settled…”
“We move out.”
As Kaidan turned away…
The knights who had been repeatedly stabbing the Stone Hog’s corpse quickly reorganized the formation.
David whistled, calling the black eagles back overhead.
Secretly relieved…
Michel quietly comforted Owen, who still looked as though he might burst into tears.
“Hm?”
Just as he mounted his horse and adjusted the reins…
Something drifted down onto his head.
Michel reached up.
Several short strands of gray hair rested in his palm.
His hair…
Had been sliced away by Kaidan’s sword aura.
If Kaidan’s blade had swung even slightly lower…
Michel’s head would have been split cleanly in two.
…I’d better behave myself from now on!
Shivering…
Michel quietly followed after the expedition once more.