Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: #5 Magic Beast Hunt (5)
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Four silhouettes raced across the snowy mountains.
At the rear, Luton—who had drawn his sword and was vigilantly scanning the surroundings—ground his teeth.
‘Damn it…! We’re surrounded.’
Even if he was on the verge of death, he was still a knight. Having reached the level where he could read and utilize mana flows, he could perceive far more information than mere hunters armed with guns.
There were entities closing in on their encirclement right now.
Magic beasts, not humans. Judging by their savage mana signatures, they were definitely not the Calliso wolves from the initial report.
Moreover, there were five of them.
‘We won’t make it in time.’
They had just entered the first valley, but Luton knew.
Those magic beasts were toying with them.
It was more accurate to say they were pressuring them for sport.
Now it made sense.
Why there were no fatalities despite the village’s severe damage.
And why the severed palisade ends were so cleanly cut.
‘Blade Wolves…!’
The enemy was the upper-class magic beast species, Blade Wolf.
Among magic beasts, they were ferocious powerhouses that had no rivals except perhaps the very worst.
Thud—
Luton halted his steps.
The hunters sensed it and stopped, turning back to him.
“Knight? What’s wrong?”
Luton gave a wry smile at the hunter’s baffled expression.
“Could you head back to the village first?”
“Y-Yes? What do you mean…”
“We’re surrounded by magic beasts.”
The hunters’ bodies jolted in shock.
Those who had widened their eyes in disbelief soon realized from Luton’s grave demeanor that he wasn’t lying.
Their next reaction was terror.
For Luton to order flight over combat meant the enemy’s superiority was absolute.
No need for deep thought—Luton’s intent was clear: he planned to become the bait himself.
“Then what about you, Knight…?”
“Someone has to survive and report the incident to the village. That way we can get reinforcements or whatever.”
That wasn’t the only reason, though.
“Besides, the captain and his wife are still at the cabin. How do we know those beasts won’t head there after we leave?”
Setting aside that they were his employers, Luton wasn’t the type to throw his friends to the magic beasts just to save his own skin.
‘What a troublesome guy.’
Even back then, he always got involved in dangerous stuff and put people in tough spots.
The only difference was that, unlike before, a miracle was unlikely this time.
This might just be the end of Luton’s tumultuous life.
“B-But…”
The hunters fidgeted, unable to bring themselves to leave.
Their conflicted expressions were both touching and awkward.
Luton thumped his armor and grinned.
“Don’t worry. You forgetting? I’m a knight. Just say ‘Luton the Sacred of the Gideon Family,’ and folks jump out of bed even in their sleep to raise a glass.”
“Knight…”
“Knights,”
Luton said, deliberately emphasizing with a strong accent.
“protect the weak, uphold martial honor, and pursue glory and justice. Don’t make me ashamed.”
The hunters’ faces fell gravely.
An atmosphere of mourning already prevailed.
The grim-faced hunters bowed their heads deeply and placed fists over their hearts.
“…Please stay alive. We’ll bring reinforcements for sure.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yes!”
The hunters turned and sprinted full speed across the snowfield.
Luton stared at their retreating figures until they shrank to tiny dots, then let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders.
“Argh, damn that captain.”
If you’re gonna die, don’t die alone.
Heh heh. Luton chuckled as he turned.
Toward the direction where the magic beasts’ presence emanated.
“Come on out now.”
“Grrrrr…”
Five magic beasts burst from the swirling snow, flaunting their gray-white manes.
Blade Wolves, indeed.
Their unusually long, extended claws confirmed it.
“Looking pretty vicious, huh.”
No, maybe grotesque was the word?
Their sleek gray-white fur couldn’t hide the savage ferocity prickling across their entire bodies.
The reason they’d waited until he parted from the hunters was obvious.
To minimize injuries to their mouths, no doubt.
Clever little bastards knew the danger of a knight paired with matchlock guns.
“It won’t go the way you want.”
Whoosh!
Blue mana erupted from Luton’s body, enveloping him.
Mana Flare.
The body reinforcement technique every knight learned first.
“I’ll take at least one of you down with me. Time you beasts learned to fear humans.”
The terror of death made his fingertips tremble slightly.
He bellowed louder to mask it.
Gripping his sword with both hands, Luton faced off against the magic beasts.
In that moment, absurdly, the face that surfaced wasn’t his family or lover, but his friend Elric, returned home after ten years.
‘Live hard enough for both of us.’
He’d just thought that and stepped forward when—
A chill—
Goosebumps raced up his spine.
Suddenly? Why?
Doubt surged, and he pinpointed the magic beast pack as the source—but even they weren’t it.
Luton was stunned.
‘They’re scared? Those things?’
The bizarre sensation that had abruptly arisen was plainly felt by the magic beasts too.
Their manes bristled like porcupines, bodies rigid, breaths ragged.
“Grulk…!”
No ferocity remained in their growls.
An utterly incomprehensible situation.
Of course—who could identify the source of this spine-freezing dread strong enough to terrify even magic beasts?
Luton’s mind leaped to one conclusion.
‘No way…’
Had a stronger predator arrived?
Had the master of the mountains’ depths emerged?
Despite the biting cold, cold sweat trickled down his cheek.
His body began trembling for reasons unrelated to the chill.
That was the moment.
“Hah! Found you at last!”
A voice echoed through the space.
It was a relaxed tone utterly out of place in the tension—and one very familiar to Luton.
Creak creak. Luton’s head turned stiffly.
Soon, his face filled with utter disbelief.
“…Captain?”
“Luton! Glad I’m not too late!”
Elric stood there, chuckling awkwardly.
His fist was clenched, tapping his right knee.
“Phew, back in my prime, running like this was nothing. Getting old is scary. Or is it the injury?”
Seeing him spout nonsense confirmed it was really Elric.
The odds of it being a ghost or a beast in his skin plummeted.
Luton’s thoughts began tinting with confusion.
“H-How…”
Why are you here?
No—how did you even get here?
Words caught in his throat.
All Luton could manage was to flap his lips soundlessly.
Meanwhile, Elric beamed even wider and approached as if oblivious to the surroundings.
“You hurt anywhere?”
Luton’s eyes darted wildly.
The magic beasts had frozen like statues since Elric appeared, showing no reaction.
The implication was clear.
Elric was the culprit behind all this.
In that instant, Luton felt Elric was impossibly distant.
No—more precisely, overwhelmed by his presence.
Like gazing at the unreachable sky.
An awe-inspiring gap too vast for even envy.
“Mm…”
Elric scratched the back of his neck with a troubled smile.
“Truth is, when I heard you were in danger, I rushed here without thinking. And now… I’m in a bit of a pickle.”
“A… pickle?”
“Yeah, a tricky situation. Spent the last ten years stirring up trouble. Got some folks—quite a few, actually—after my head.”
It was utter gibberish.
Luton grasped his intent right after.
Elric made a solemn request.
“So, about what happens next—could you pretend you saw nothing?”
His voice carried an odd weight.
As if entranced, Luton nodded blankly.
Elric’s face brightened with relief.
“Ah, thanks! I’ll wrap this up quick!”
That was the limit of what Luton could grudgingly comprehend.
What followed was beyond him.
Slash—
With the sound, the scenery warped.
The five magic beasts, nearby trees, falling snowflakes, and wind—all sliced apart at once.
A single horizontal thread.
It seemed a technique severing space itself, flipping top and bottom oppositely, cleaving everything along the line.
He couldn’t be sure, for one reason.
He hadn’t seen it happen.
Luton only registered the cause—Elric’s words—and the result: everything in a straight line bisected.
In his perception, Elric had merely gazed at him with a steady smile from start to finish.
Thud thud thud—
Leaving the halved flesh chunks tumbling to the ground, Elric grinned wider.
“Right, I’ll head back to the cabin, so you go to the village and report the magic beasts dealt with. Oh! Gotta stage a brutal fight, so pardon me—I’ll just give you a few shallow scratches!”
Luton gaped vacantly, like an idiot.