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Chapter 6
“What kind of carefree nonsense is that? And the way you’re speaking, it almost sounds like you knew from the beginning what the Holy Knights’ objective was.”
“It’s a long story, but let’s deal with this first before diving into that. Besides, those people seem to only know that you’re ‘Derkaid.’ They don’t know your real name, do they? If they did, they wouldn’t have come with just twenty knights. Not unless they had a death wish. Which means there’s no need to kill them just to silence them, right?”
At those words, Aris’s eyes widened.
“You—”
“Me?”
“You know my name?”
In response to the question, Mirea smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have a reason to be here.”
When Mirea answered lightly, Aris pointed his sword at her throat.
“Don’t you think your words and actions are a little too reckless?”
Unfazed by the threatening bloodlust, Mirea calmly asked back, “Are you going to kill me too? Just to shut me up?”
She tilted her head slightly toward the sword, and the thin blade grazed her skin, leaving a shallow cut.
“What are you doing?”
“Go ahead and try. Let’s see what happens.”
Unlike before, Mirea’s face turned cold and expressionless—eerily so.
“Do you think I won’t do it?”
“No. I think you’re someone who does what they say. That’s why I say—go ahead.”
“Don’t you value your life?”
“I do.”
“Could’ve fooled me. You don’t seem scared.”
“Hm… That’s because I’m not completely sure yet. This situation is something I was forced to choose.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Mirea’s lips curved upward in a sly smile.
“I was curious about the real you—not the version from rumors or the information I’ve gathered. I wanted to know what you think, and what decisions you’d make.”
For a brief moment, Aris saw a flicker of madness in those olive-colored eyes.
“I’m not here to satisfy your curiosity.”
“I know. But still, we met like this, didn’t we? You know my name, and I know yours. That means we could be friends, or something else entirely. If you ever get curious about me, I’ll gladly answer. So if it feels like you’re only satisfying my curiosity, then you should feel free to have some of your own. If there’s anything you want to ask, don’t hold back—just ask.”
After a short pause, Mirea added:
“I think that’s one of my rights.”
“Rights?”
“Yes, rights.”
At her confident attitude, Aris scoffed in disbelief.
“Ha. And who gave you those rights?”
“You did.”
Aris was baffled, not knowing how to respond to such cryptic words. Taking advantage of the pause, Mirea continued.
“So, here’s my first question. Aris, are you going to kill Mirea Jainster?”
“……”
“It’s not that hard. Just choose one: kill me or don’t. Then I’ll decide the rest. Even if you choose to kill me, don’t worry—I won’t die so easily.”
This person really isn’t sane.
Thinking that, Aris sheathed his sword with a bitter expression. Talking to her any further seemed like a waste of time.
“Fine. Let’s hear your plan.”
Apparently satisfied with his response, Mirea smiled again, her expression brightening. Then she pointed into the forest.
“You said you could secure an escape route, right?”
Aris raised an eyebrow.
“You’re not seriously suggesting we cross the Beast Forest in this condition, are you?”
“We are crossing that forest—but not like this. They’re Holy Knights, remember? They’ll keep chasing us regardless of the beasts. In fact, they have the advantage. So instead, let’s shift the advantage to us…”
Before Mirea could finish, Aris cut in.
“Then why not just kill them all? Why go through all this trouble when there’s a simpler, more certain solution?”
“Kill all twenty Holy Knights?”
Annoyed that the same topic kept coming up, Mirea snapped.
“You said you know who I am.”
She glared at Aris.
“If you know who I am, then you should also know that killing twenty Holy Knights shouldn’t be a problem for me.”
“You’re mistaken. Yes, I came here because of you—but not just to help you. I came to stop you in case you caused a scene like this.”
“What did you say?”
“My mission is to evade them and get you out safely. It’s not to massacre twenty Holy Knights. And personally, I’d rather keep this quiet and not let it blow up.”
Mirea jabbed her finger into the center of Aris’s chest.
“You have the power to kill twenty people—but also the power to choose not to. Since you decided not to kill me, use that power for once.”
“I’m already starting to regret that decision.”
The tension broke as Mirea untied something she had slung over her shoulder.
“I know their plan. And I have one of my own.”
It was a mechanical device shaped like a crossbow. Before Aris could examine it properly, a pillar of light shot up into the sky. It was divine power. The spell radiated outward, layering atop the existing divine barrier that protected the village from beasts. In no time, it formed a thick wall.
“So their first plan was to seal the village by interfering with magical flow using divine power, preventing you from using magic…”
Aris muttered with a sigh as Mirea trailed off, staring up at the light.
“You could’ve said that sooner.”
“Well, you’re the one who kept arguing with me. That spell was exactly what I was trying to stop with my first plan!”
Aris gathered magic into his hands. He could summon the energy, but it scattered before it could take form. Clicking his tongue, he muttered:
“Can’t even cast magic now. Don’t tell me you plan to face them head-on like this.”
“It’s fine. We’ll move to Plan B!”
“Plan B?”
Gunfire rang out, and a bullet flew between the two of them mid-conversation.
“Found them!”
One knight shouted while Mirea appeared in front of him in a flash. By the time he noticed, his rifle had already been sliced in two by her blade.
Aris, silently moving behind him, cut the man’s leg. As the knight fell forward, Aris’s sword pierced his shoulder, narrowly avoiding bone and lodging into the ground. The knight screamed in agony.
“He’s not dead.”
Aris remarked dryly. Mirea looked down at the man foaming at the mouth and passed out, wiping her face in exasperation.
“I said don’t kill them—but this…”
“What else could I do? I avoided all the major arteries. He’ll live if treated quickly.”
Before she could argue further, more knights rushed in, their bloodlust palpable after seeing their fallen comrade.
“You bastard!”
“Looks like we’re doing a full frontal assault now.”
Aris grumbled, but Mirea didn’t answer—she had already charged in. She blocked the first knight’s sword with her left blade and knocked him out with the hilt of her right. Then, she deflected the second attacker’s strike and dislocated his elbow with a joint lock. The cracking bone was loud enough for Aris to hear.
“You’re worse than me—so why are you nagging me?”
Aris muttered in disbelief as Mirea stabbed the third knight behind the knee and kicked his rifle away. Seeing her handle them so easily, he considered just standing back and watching. But he sensed movement behind him, ducked, and swung, slashing his attacker’s arm.
After exchanging several blows, Aris’s worn sword finally snapped with a sharp clang. It had always been in poor condition, and even with his energy reinforcing it, it had reached its limit.
“Damn this piece of junk! Useless now!”
He tossed the broken blade aside. That left him weaponless against three knights—but oddly, he didn’t feel in danger.
“Use this!”
Mirea tossed him her rifle.
“I’m terrible at shooting!”
Still, it was better than nothing. He quickly loaded a bullet and fired at the nearest knight—only to miss all three shots.
“None of them hit! Just give me a damn sword!”
Deciding it was pointless to aim again, Aris started beating the enemy with the rifle’s stock. The chaotic melee prevented the knights from firing back, fearing friendly fire. They had no choice but to draw swords and engage.
When Aris finally caught his breath, more than ten knights were lying on the ground. Mirea, panting, walked up to him and looked at a collapsed enemy whose face was smashed in and soaked in blood.
“…Why were you carrying a rifle earlier anyway?”
“In case something went wrong.”
Mirea handed him one of her twin swords.
“I don’t carry spares. It’s attuned to my energy, so you won’t be able to use your own with it, but use it well—and make sure you return it.”
