Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Shadow Knight's Madness
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Marc glared at me with gleaming eyes.
He'd always been that kind of guy.
Even when we fought before, instead of admitting defeat easily, he'd chosen to charge right up to the end.
So of course, with all the retainers watching now, there was no way he'd back down quietly.
'What do I do?'
Florian had already pushed his Divine Grace to the max and burned down that massive wooden cabin completely. Dietrich had held out until the other teammates arrived at the Blue Team's base, but he was at his limit too.
If it was just Marc, I could've dodged somehow.
Even if it were just kids our age, we could've stalled for time.
The problem was the Blue Team's shadow knight.
His bear-like bulk alone was intimidating enough, but he was an apprentice knight trained to the level of an adult Northern knight.
"Ditri."
"Yeah."
"Do you remember where you threw those firecrackers earlier?"
I whispered softly, and Dietrich slowly nodded.
The bushes by the pond.
The shadow knight had clearly aimed for the pond, but I'd seen the firecrackers land perilously close to the bushes instead.
'Guards are supposed to handle this kind of thing, but he's out cold thanks to the shadow knight...'
We had no choice but to handle it ourselves.
"Then go set them off. Perry, help Ditri. I'll draw their attention the other way."
"No way. That's too dangerous."
"It's okay. We have to set them off so the grown-ups can come save us."
We needed to end the match decisively and secure the win.
Dietrich glanced back and forth between me and Florian, his eyes full of worry.
Then Florian nodded, and when I firmly shut my mouth, he gritted his teeth.
It was a face full of resolve.
"What, are you having a surrender meeting 'cause you're too scared?"
I stepped forward toward the sneering Marc to draw his attention.
"...If I untie the mark, will you let us go?"
"Hmm. Guess I'll decide after I get it."
"Promise to let us go, and I'll give it."
I held up my wrist tied with the red string and shook it in the air. I could see Marc and the shadow knight's eyes following my wrist.
"But... it won't come undone..."
Unknotting the tightly bound string with just one hand wasn't easy.
Even after sitting on the ground, I struggled and grunted for a while until Marc's face twisted in frustration.
"Hey, Hans. Go untie it for her."
The Blue Team's shadow knight slowly approached me and crouched down.
In that instant, I flung the sand I'd been clutching in my palm straight into his eyes.
'Marc fell for it, and you do too?'
The sand mixed with tiny pebbles hit his eyes, and Hans writhed in pain, howling.
Yikes.
I barely dodged his flailing hands and retreated. I stared at Dietrich's back as he ran off into the distance.
"Grab him!"
"As if."
The moment Marc and the kids clicked their tongues and moved to catch Dietrich—
Florian, guarding his back, unleashed flames that swept everywhere, blocking their movements.
"Found it!"
After rummaging through the bushes near the pond, Dietrich yanked the firecrackers out from between the branches.
Now we just had to set them off...!
Crash—!
"Aaaah!"
The shattering sound from staggering Hans felt ominous somehow.
I whipped around reflexively.
He'd twisted his body and smashed a glass box mounted high enough that the kids couldn't reach it.
Through the branches, I saw an araneo that had dropped down, biting his nape.
'Araneos have venom in their fangs!'
Something from my family education flashed in my mind.
Baby araneos weren't too dangerous since their venom was weak due to their small size.
But once they bit, their aggression spiked for a while.
Especially—they started seeing everyone around them as enemies?
'That's how araneos lure animals away from the herd and eat them.'
Hans thrashed, ripped the araneo from his nape, and slammed it to the ground.
The araneo's twitching slowly stopped.
But Hans's face, already injected with venom, flushed red like he was drunk.
"You... damn brat... getting cocky..."
Hans grabbed my nape and hoisted me into the air.
His eyes were bloodshot, whites nearly crimson.
Grunting heavily, he tightened his grip on my nape.
"Let go!"
All my weight hung from his hand on my neck, sending pain like it might snap.
"Mariella!"
"Try using your Divine Grace! You don't care what happens to this little girl?"
Hans bellowed fiercely, and the reddish glow covering Florian's body faded rapidly.
I scratched at the back of Hans's hand with my nails and shook wildly, but he didn't even twitch an eyebrow.
Even Marc, who caused this mess, shrank back from Hans's ferocious aura and stepped away—I caught a glimpse of it.
He was brutish and hated losing, but he was still just a kid.
"S-save me! Hans got bit by an araneo!"
Marc soon tossed his wooden sword into the bushes and bolted.
"Ma-Mariella!"
"Hey, pig! You're supposed to protect me! Get over here!"
Even Monica, who looked at me worriedly, got dragged off by Marc's hand, and the other kids scattered in all directions.
Only Dietrich and Florian remained voluntarily before Hans.
"Hey, young master. Toss what you're holding into the pond. Or keep holding it if you don't mind your sister getting hurt."
"You..."
"I said toss it. Too stupid to understand simple words?"
Dietrich bit his lip, then threw the firecrackers into the pond.
Can they even see us properly from outside? When do they call the match?
...They aren't planning to let this drag on, are they?
"Put Ella down. I did what you said."
Hans, still fuming and grunting, gritted his teeth and suddenly changed his expression.
"I need to go catch the Red Team members who took our base... but it'd be a problem if you followed right away, right?"
What?
"If I toss this girl into the pond, you'll waste time saving her, yeah?"
What did you say?!
As Hans bared his yellowed teeth in a grin, my body flew through the air.
The moment I sucked in a huge breath, I slammed into the cold pond surface.
Pain wracked my whole body, and water flooded my open nose and mouth.
'My shoulder...'
Pain like it might shatter radiated from the shoulder I'd taken a hit from earlier from one of the Blue Team retainer kids' wooden sword.
The abandoned hunting ground pond wasn't that big.
But at just four years old, my feet didn't touch the bottom.
I knew how to swim, but right now...
'My shoulder won't move right.'
As I held my breath desperately while sinking, bubbles poured from my mouth.
I dimly saw Dietrich dive into the water.
Florian's silver hair, floating submerged, looked almost blue.
The deeper I sank, the farther the outside noise faded.
Friendly match. Victory. Breath.
Thoughts scattered into tiny words, drifting to the fact I'd never taught Dietrich and Florian to swim.
The tickle of pondweed on my calves mixed with my shriveling lungs' agony as consciousness faded...
Kabooom—!
A massive blast shattered the underwater silence.
Defying physics, pond water surged back, and my body shot straight to the surface.
"Cough, cough!"
The regained air stabbed my throat painfully.
But that was nothing now. I wiped the water streaming into my eyes and looked up.
"Wh-what?! That kid definitely can't use Divine Grace!"
A bluish light coiled around Dietrich's arms as he staggered out of the water.
Florian, seeing me washed to the pond's edge, pulled me out from behind like a hug.
Florian's warm body enveloped my shivering, cold one.
In the reddish heat, Dietrich glanced at me—now safe—and thrust his arm out.
Water currents wrapped around the wildly swinging wooden sword-wielding Hans's neck.
"Guh, ack...!"
Trapped in chain-like water streams, he floated midair, twisting without even a proper groan.