46
My Villains Episode 46
13. The Army of Young Lions (1)
The preparations were quickly finished.
Mr. Luke and Arnal were mounted on a yellow horse with a long mane. Though its legs were short, its large build made it look strong. It showed no signs of struggle even with two people on its back.
Grania chose a small grey horse. Its distinctive feature was the thick fur below its knees. Though it was close to pony size, it seemed very gentle in nature.
There were also a few nimble hunting horses, but no one chose them. While they would be fast, their fierce temperament and slightly lacking strength didn't suit our needs.
Of course, this wasn't my opinion, but the judgment of Mr. Luke, who had some expertise with horses.
After discarding useless items like shovels and pickaxes to lighten our load as much as possible, we immediately rode out of the campsite.
We crossed the 'Salt River', and fortunately, the water level was quite low, allowing us to cross on horseback.
Come to think of it, I think I heard from Daria that it hadn't rained for a while. We certainly benefited from that.
By the time we crossed the river, the greenish glow had significantly weakened. While it was still noticeable in the darkness... Compared to the initial pinpoint-like brightness, well, we should be grateful.
Meanwhile, the forest along the riverbank was filled with various trees like large ash trees, thin chestnut trees, and short hazel trees.
It wasn't particularly dense, but it wasn't an environment where horses could run freely either.
Whenever we got confused about the direction, Mr. Luke, who was riding at the front, would look up at the night sky to read the stars. Even as we ran northward like this, we often lost our way due to the winding forest paths. It was natural that our progress slowed down.
The fortunate thing amidst the misfortune was that the bandits were nowhere to be seen.
Loading the corpses onto the remaining horses at the campsite and sending them running in all directions might have delayed their pursuit.
In any case, we couldn't let our guard down as we didn't know when the bandits might catch up to us.
What particularly worried me was 'Raid Chief Pageno', the second pick-name of Chapter 2. In the game, we were supposed to encounter him on the way to meet up with reinforcements.
Pageno aside, I'd rather avoid the horse archers he leads if possible.
Considering how much the scenario has twisted, we might not meet them at all.
Hmm... Let's hope for the best but not let our guard down.
Despite the tense atmosphere, even after wandering through the forest for an hour, there was no sign of the bandits.
Finally, as we emerged from the forest onto the plains, our field of vision expanded dramatically in the moonlight, and we let out a sigh of relief.
That's when it happened.
"...Hm?"
"What's wrong?"
"No, I just thought I heard something-"
As I was about to answer Ellen's question, saying I heard faint hoofbeats…
Peeeeeeeeee!
A sharp whistle sound tore through the night sky.
An ominous feeling ran down my neck, and soon after, fierce voices erupted from the forest.
"Over there!"
"Catch them! Don't let them escape!"
Was it because the sound echoed in the forest? The angry shouts seemed to pour from everywhere except the front.
And soon after, torches were lit in all directions, and the bandits revealed themselves, breaking through the undergrowth.
The shouts echoing from all around were neither echoes nor illusions.
Looking back, there seemed to be at least fifty visible right away
No, suddenly this many? Where on earth did these guys pop up from?
Moreover, considering the faint whistle sounds coming from far away, this doesn't seem to be all of them.
Faced with the scale and speed of the pursuit force that exceeded our expectations, the plans we had made before crossing the river were instantly forgotten.
"Everyone, run!"
With my shout as the signal, the full-fledged chase began.
Swish!
"Ugh!"
A sharp sound of an arrow cutting through the air.
Fortunately, the arrow missed, but the mere fact that there was an archer among the pursuers made my neck instinctively shrink. Whistles and shouts echoed incessantly, and arrows flew in whenever we started to forget about them.
"Hyah, hyah!"
As I shouted and whipped the reins, the piebald, sensing my urgency, began to run with all its might.
"Phoenix, left!"
"Huh?"
At Ellen's shrill voice, I instinctively raised my shield. Right after, a heavy harpoon flew in and struck the shield with a thud!
The sharp tip that pierced through the shield stopped right in front of Ellen's eyes.
"Huu-"
I shouted at Ellen, who was too shocked to even scream.
"Don't space out, counterattack!"
"Ah, h-hold me."
With my forearm stuck through the leather strap of the shield, I hugged Ellen.
With only my right hand holding the reins, anxiety surged, but Phoenix's body was skillfully controlling the horse.
Ellen, who had finished chanting and making hand signs, began to unleash her magic.
She repaid those shooting arrows or throwing harpoons from afar with Flame Arrows, and for those approaching closely, she struck the horses' legs with Wind Fists, making both horse and rider tumble to the ground.
"Ugh!"
"Damn, a magician!"
After glancing at a bandit rolling on the ground with his horse, I looked ahead.
Both the people and horses tire quickly from a full sprint. Grania's horse and Mr. Luke's horse were already getting exhausted. The piebald still seemed to have stamina left, running as if flying over the ground. But,
"Damn it-"
I gritted my teeth and slowed down.
If I maintained this speed, someone would fall behind. And whoever fell behind would soon be hit by arrows and fall off their horse.
It was better for Ellen and me to guard the rear.
At that moment, Mr. Luke, who was running at the front, turned back and shouted.
"Hold the marker!"
Instantly understanding Mr. Luke's intention, I quickly took out the straw ball and grabbed it against the piebald's neck.
Ellen, who had been chanting spells, hurriedly rummaged through her sling bag to take out the marker, and at the same time, a strange shout echoed across the plain.
"Yaaal-!"
The 'Abyss Scream' cast in the open field created a dramatic scene with the faint moonlight and chaotic torches as backdrop.
The horses exposed to the black haze panicked and ran wild, and far away in the forest, flocks of sleeping birds took flight with a fluttering sound.
The frozen bandits were thrown from their horses and trampled under hooves, or they fled pathetically while hanging onto their horses' necks.
It was a scene as if the whole world was waking up in terror.
Though Mr. Luke's spell provided some relief, it wasn't a situation where we could feel at ease.
"Ugh- What is this?"
"There's another magician! Chase them!"
Some of the bolder bandits resisted the spell, calmed their startled horses, and resumed the pursuit.
The bolder ones were generally higher-ranking, and accordingly, they were equipped with better horses and more threatening weapons.
In other words, Mr. Luke's spell had only shaken off the weaker ones, failing to repel those of a certain caliber.
"Aim for the horses!"
"Don't get too close! Throw spears from a distance!"
Unlike their fierce growls, they were attacking quite calmly.
I desperately blocked their attacks with my shield, and Ellen also fired spells, squeezing out her magic.
Even piebald, despite having two arrows in her rump, was stubbornly holding on.
Seeing our fierce resistance, the bandits began targeting our companions ahead instead.
Neigh!
Hearing a sorrowful cry, I turned to see Grania rolling on the ground. The pony she had been riding was already down, its neck pierced by a short spear.
"Grania!"
"Keep going!"
Grania, who sprang up shouting, fortunately seemed quite alright.
Since her armor had been dissolved by the slime, she was wearing light leather armor looted from the enemy, which allowed her to fall safely.
"Damn it-!"
At that moment, instinct took over my tired mind. The cry of conscience that we couldn't abandon Grania became a spark.
The spark ignited into a hot flame, fueled by anger towards the noisy bandits and the shame of being chased by predators.
Finally, I pulled on the reins.
As I stopped the horse, Ellen cried out in surprise.
"What are you doing!"
"Take the reins!"
"What?"
"I said take the reins!"
I jumped off the horse in one breath and pulled out the harpoon stuck in my shield.
Ellen, who had received the reins in confusion, was pale-faced.
"You're not..."
"Hold tight!"
Smack!
As piebald hit on the rump, neighed loudly and galloped away, I immediately gripped the harpoon. Then I threw it with all my might at the bandit chasing Ellen.
"Gah!"
Ah, the satisfying feel...
The bandit, hit square in the chest by the harpoon, floated in the air for a moment before rolling miserably on the ground.
Before I could celebrate, three or four mounted bandits caught up with Ellen.
Fortunately, piebald, now lightened, was running as if barely touching the ground, so it didn't seem like they would be easily caught.
Even if they were caught, Mr. Luke or Ellen could probably handle three or four bandits with spells somehow.
Having made this assessment, I instantly drew my Blood Blade, tinted my vision red, and shouted.
"Over here, you thieving bastards!"
Then, I started banging on my pierced shield with the Falchion.
Emitting a faint glow and making a ruckus, it naturally drew the bandits' attention.
...There are so damn many. I must be crazy.
Contrary to the regret I was muttering inwardly, my body, catching the strong scent of blood, was shaking off fatigue and awakening.
"Kill him!"
"No, we need to keep one alive!"
Upon discovering me causing a commotion, they began charging without hesitation. The sight of the heavy man-horses raising dust clouds as they rushed in was incredibly threatening.
"Phew."
Every muscle in my body tensed. The leading bandit was charging as if to trample me.
Just before impact, I held my breath and kicked the ground sideways. Simultaneously, I slashed at the neck of the horse passing right in front of me.
Neigh!
"Ugh!"
As the horse collapsed forward, spewing blood, the bandit riding it also crashed into the ground.
The moment I took my eyes off the bandit with a broken neck and rolled eyes.
Wham!
An enormous impact, like being hit by a giant hammer, struck my chest. I had been rammed by a brown horse that had charged in unnoticed.
"Guh."
My breath was suddenly cut off. My vision blurred.
In that state, I rolled violently on the ground, then scrambled to get up, scraping the ground.
If I stayed down, I would surely be trampled by hooves.
As I sprang up like a spring, sinister laughter erupted around me.
"Oh, he's not dead."
"Hehe, quite a tough one."
A metallic taste filled my mouth. Then came the pain. Damn, I even bit my tongue.
Thanks to quickly raising my shield at the moment of impact, I had barely managed to endure.
The shield, having absorbed the impact of several hundred kilograms, was now just dangling leather with all its wooden panels shattered.
Damn it, that cost eight silver coins...
"Ptui."
After spitting out red saliva, I threw away the now useless shield and lunged.
"Huh, this bastard- Gah!"
Perhaps because he had let his guard down seeing me stagger momentarily? The nearby bandit couldn't respond in time to my attack and got stabbed in the side.
At the same time, I sensed something flying at me from behind, and I quickly rolled sideways to avoid it.
"You rat bastard!"
A thief calling someone else a rat?
The fuming bandit was retrieving the lasso that had missed its mark.
I immediately ran and yanked on the lasso, and with a sudden burst of strength, the bandit holding the rope was thrown from his horse.
"Guh, you crazy-"
Before he could finish his words, my blood-soaked Falchion slashed across his throat.
"Damn it, what kind of guy is this?"
"We've caught the woman, just kill him!"
What? Who did they catch?
While keeping an eye on the surrounding bandits, I suddenly spotted that 'woman'.
"These bastards."
Grania, her body limp, was being tied up with ropes by the bandits. Her helmet was nowhere to be seen, and blood was streaming down between her auburn hair.
Ah, nothing's going right.
Grinding my teeth, I grabbed an axe from the waist of the corpse with the slit throat.
After swinging the axe a couple of times to get a feel for its weight, I threw it with all my might at an approaching bandit.
"Gah!"
The axe buried itself in the bandit's thigh.
Or to be more precise, it sliced through his thigh and got stuck in the horse.
I had aimed for his chest, but it didn't matter. He would die from blood loss anyway.
Now, who's next?
As I looked around, burning with fighting spirit, the bandits who met my eyes flinched momentarily before gritting their teeth and shouting.
"That arrogant bastard!"
"Kill him! Slit his throat!"
The chaotic battle continued.
I grabbed the belt of a charging bandit, pulled him down, and stabbed under his chin with my knife.
An arrow from somewhere hit the back of my head. My helmet rang with a 'clang'.
I caught a spear thrusting at my neck and shoved it back, piercing the spearman's eyeball.
I was hit by a horse for the second time but sprang up like a roly-poly toy. However, the aftershock of the collision left me unable to control my body for a moment.
Then a flail flew in from somewhere and struck my shoulder.
Thanks to twisting my upper body, it didn't hit my face, but the iron ball swung from a galloping horse crushed my shoulder blade.
For a moment, sensation disappeared from my left arm-
A bandit charged in with a strange shriek, swinging his curved sword.
I swung Falchion to meet it, shattering the curved sword and slicing through the horse's hind leg in one motion.
The dismounted bandit begged for his life before having his throat cut.
I killed five more bandits and two more horses.
In exchange, an arrow pierced my thigh, my head was hit by an iron club, and my left hand was impaled by a spear.
As the pain continued, my body began to lose strength. The blood that had been boiling and inciting me gradually cooled as the situation turned unfavorable.
"Huff, huff-"
I'm out of breath. My head is spinning, and my whole body is throbbing.
The instinct that had been urging me to fight was now curling its tail and whispering to run away.
Is this dirty and vile nature Phoenix's, or Kim Seung-soo's?
Damn it, I'm not even a berserker, what's with this every time? It's ridiculous to be raging like a dog in heat, throwing rational judgment to the wind.
To hide my regret, I raged. I squeezed out heat and a roar.
"Aaargh!"