Her Life and Death Are in My Hands
Her life and death are in my hands.
'These assassins know the basics, at least.'
The assassins rotated in shifts, striking once and vanishing. They couldn't deliver a fatal blow with single attacks against Arietta's group, but they were steadily wearing them down with fatigue. Meanwhile, only a few assassins fought at a time, allowing the rest to rest and maintain their stamina.
If time dragged on like this, Arietta's group was done for.
No matter how powerful Asran, the Wind God's Bow, was, it meant nothing if the user collapsed.
'That idiot woman. Is this the time to manage Asran's mana? She needs to blast it all out and break through this place.'
Arietta was currently restricting Asran's spells herself. Sure, big mana-draining spells were inefficient against small raids, but that was no excuse. The only way to survive was to wipe out the assassins decisively with each attack, shrinking their rotation.
Letting this wheel war continue would doom them.
"Hurry! We must escape this valley quickly!"
Suddenly, sharp arrows rained down on Arietta and the holy knights from above. Assassins lying in ambush had begun their assault.
The holy knights hastily raised their shields, forming a circular defense, but it wasn't enough. The assassins held the high ground.
With no choice, the holy knights pressed on through the arrow storm, accumulating more wounds.
Watching the battle from afar, I rested my chin on my hand.
'Idiots. They're walking right into a herding hunt without even realizing it. That's why kids who only train at home are useless in real fights.'
Then, an assassin hidden behind a nearby rock charged out, stabbing a holy knight's thigh with a dagger before swiftly retreating.
Moments later, as the injured knight lagged behind, assassins swarmed like bees. Arietta tried to save him by raising Asran, but the shield wall blocked her view.
"Clear a path. I'll go rescue him."
"Lady Arietta, Great Saintess, ignore our lives. Even if we all die, as long as you survive, the order can be rebuilt."
They were holy knights willing to sacrifice everything for Arietta, heedless of their own safety.
But did they realize they were dragging her straight into hell with their devotion?
The assassins butchered the wounded knight like prey and retreated immediately. They mocked Arietta's furious glare before vanishing into the surrounding woods.
"Argh!"
A young holy knight collapsed, clutching his leg. He'd triggered a hasty booby trap.
A middle-aged holy knight shouted urgently.
"You alright?"
The young knight gritted his teeth at his ankle and foot, skewered by spikes.
"Urgh... I'm done for. Go on without me."
"Understood. Then fulfill your duty to the end."
"Yes! See you in heaven."
"Yeah. In heaven."
With grim resolve, they left him behind. Arrows from hidden assassins poured down. Soon, the young knight, pierced like a porcupine, toppled forward.
By then, Arietta and the remaining holy knights had broken free of the ambush and dashed up the nearby mountain.
A large assassin squad soon pursued.
"Break through with everything you've got!"
"Don't let a single one escape!"
Another bloody clash erupted midway up the slope. They'd been ambushed by a waiting assassin group.
The close-quarters fight prevented Arietta from properly using Asran's magic. She swung it in melee, increasing the burden on her escorts.
"Urgh... You bastards...!"
One holy knight took blades from three sides, piercing his abdomen and back. He knelt on the cold ground, only for an assassin's sword to deeply slash his throat.
As the severed head spun through the blood-sprayed air, Arietta, now at a distance, drew Asran's string taut.
"Die, you villains!"
A magic arrow shot from Asran, piercing an assassin's skull. But it didn't end there. It arced through the air and impaled another from crown to crotch.
Arietta's rapid-fire followed, targeting assassins separated from the holy knights.
"Arrrgh!"
Assassins screamed their last as they fell. The survivors hurled themselves into the steep forested slope. Asran's arrows chased, but most shattered against trees or faded into the dark sky.
The surviving holy knights were shell-shocked by this unfamiliar combat style.
In the relentless skirmishes, comrades died one by one. Despair hung heavy; no hope remained.
One holy knight tallied the latest losses under his breath.
"Three more this time."
The middle-aged leader grabbed his collar.
"And? You pity them? Want to run?"
"N-no, sir."
"Shut up and remember: As long as the Great Saintess survives, the order endures. Ignore the dead. Focus on the mission."
"Yes, sir."
The middle-aged knight approached Arietta, her eyes trembling with rage.
"Great Saintess. It must be hard, but we press on."
"B-but..."
"Didn't you say it's not time to lose hope? Come on, steel yourself. Once we descend this mountain, there's a shelter. We can fend off ambushes there and rest a day."
"Yes."
Arietta set her jaw and turned to continue. Moments later, the assassin squad swept past their position.
Emerging from the brush, I tilted my head.
'Shelter, huh... If I were them, I'd have rigged it with traps.'
The holy knights' numbers had dwindled sharply after several fights—down to about seven, all exhausted. The wheel tactic was working.
"The mountain village is just ahead. They'll have water and food. Hurry."
Soon, they reached a mountain farmstead with lights blazing. Seeing the militia and some territorial soldiers guarding it, Arietta and the knights smiled in relief. They thought they'd caught a break.
As they emerged from the dark, a soldier led out the militia.
"Who goes there?"
The middle-aged knight stepped forward.
"We're the Great Saintess Arietta's escort. Demons pursue us—we need aid."
"Pardon?"
The knight thrust his sword at the soldier.
"It's the Great Saintess Arietta. Show respect."
"Ah, yes. Greetings, Great Saintess."
The soldier and militia knelt. Arietta bade them rise.
"No need for formalities—it's urgent. For your safety, evacuate the villagers now."
The middle-aged knight objected.
"No! We need every hand."
"But they're innocents."
"No, they're the faithful, bound to serve."
"If they stay, they'll all die."
"Then that's God's will."
As Arietta clashed with the knight, the soldiers offered their water jug.
"Enough arguing. At least quench your thirst."
The middle-aged knight swallowed hard at the sight of cool water. They were parched beyond saliva.
But he didn't drink yet.
"Is it clean?"
"Our mountain spring water's pure. Outsiders drink it with no issue. Haha."
The soldier gulped it down. The holy knights swarmed the jug, drinking like madmen.
The leader eyed them disapprovingly, wiped the ladle on his cloak, and offered it to Arietta. A flying stone knocked it over.
"Who—?!"
In that instant, the soldier's dagger plunged deep into the knight's shoulder.
The holy knights leaped up in horror as soldiers and militia charged. Dozens of assassins leaped from the village roofs, hurling needles and hand axes.
Thud. Thunk. Thud.
Caught off-guard, Arietta and the knights scattered in chaos. Axes and needles riddled their bodies, but they desperately blocked. It wasn't enough.
The pursuing assassins joined the frenzy. This village would be their grave.
"Kill them all!"
"Protect Arietta! Urk..."
A shouting knight vomited blood and knelt. Staring at the water jug in horror, an assassin's blade severed his head.
Others collapsed one by one, vision blurring. Poisoned.
Arietta fired Asran wildly to save them, but close-range assassins prevented even drawing the string.
Then, a black-masked assassin crept behind her and thrust fiercely.
"You dare!"
The middle-aged knight blocked with his body, vomiting blood. Arietta aimed Asran, but swarming assassins forced her back.
"Die!"
Enraged by the knight's mangled death, Arietta unleashed arrows indiscriminately.
Assassins dropped, pierced by invisible force. A massive ethereal projectile from Asran engulfed over a dozen, melting them away.
"Take her out now!"
Terrified by the spell, assassins rushed her. The knights were done—only Arietta remained.
"Everyone, stop!"
The roar, thick with killing intent, halted them. They turned. I stepped out from the brush, hood low.
One assassin glared.
"Who the hell are you?"
I rubbed my bare lower face awkwardly.
"You don't need to know. Just one thing."
"What?!"
"Her life and death are in my hands. Back off."
Nearby assassins drew blades, radiating hostility.
"Wanna die?"
"Sorry, but if she dies by someone else's hand, it'll piss me off. If she's worth killing, I'll do it. Go home."
"Hah. Lunatic. Die!"
They charged. Yojyo whipped from my waist, aura blazing as it spun. Blood sprayed; mangled corpses rained down.
I shook blood from my collar and advanced.
"Ah, damn kids. Never listen when I ask nicely. I was gonna let you cash in big—stay alive for that."
An assassin eyed Yojyo's aura blade, trembling.
"M-Master... high-grade? End of the line, even..."
I shot him a look.
"End of the line? Don't be so harsh. We round up to top-grade out of human decency. Even assassins should have some heart."
"Attack!"
Needles and arrows bounced harmlessly off my leather coat. I cleaved blockers and strode toward Arietta amid the carnage.
Blood flew; corpses piled in gruesome heaps. Even Arietta backed away in fear.
Intimidated, assassins retreated. No winning head-on. I was a rounded-up top-grade Master with impenetrable armor.
Fighting me was suicide.
A grizzled assassin trembled.
"Wh-who are you?"
"Wanna know? You'll all die by my hand."
"Th-that..."
"Go now, and I spare you. I'm ex-assassin myself—not hating on you guys."
The old one's eyes widened.
"C-could you be Sagal's Evelyn?"
Evelyn of Sagal was her moniker. Few had seen her, but everyone knew she was a Master.
I scowled.
"Hey. Do I look like a woman?"
"No, sir."
"Then why slap her name on me?"
"Well..."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Whoever you are, stand down. Interfere, and we kill you."
"Kill me? With what? If I wanted, you'd all be dead before leaving this mountain."
My killing intent made him flinch back.
"But..."
"Hey. Failing the contract's failing either way. Tell the client I caused it—they'll pay full. Don't die pointlessly."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. They'll guess who I am. And know how scary I am."
He eyed his comrades, nodded. Better than dying.
"Fine. But if you're lying, we'll meet again. Soon."
"Won't happen. Relax."
"Alright. We're withdrawing."
"Smart. Tell the client I'll clean up neatly. No hard feelings."
"Yes, sir."
Assassins scattered. Arietta raised Asran to fire, but Yojyo blocked.
The arrow fizzled. She glared, furious.
"You! Why protect those fiends?"
"Didn't hear me say I'd spare them?"
She aimed Asran at me.
"As Wind Great Saintess, I order you: pursue and kill them all."
"Heh. Why?"
"You wouldn't understand—they're dogs of those who seek humanity's end. Unforgivable."
I chuckled. Even serious, she was comedic.
"Oh? Threat to humanity, so kill 'em?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Got it."
I pointed Yojyo at her throat. She trembled.
"Y-you...?"
"What? Kill threats to humanity, right? You don't get it, but you're the threat."
"What?!"
"Kekeke. World's so funny. How do brutal assassins end up saving humanity, while the noble moral saint dooms it? Beats me."
Bewildered, Arietta's hand shook on Asran.
I smirked coldly, lowering Yojyo.
"Follow me for now. We'll eat first, then decide your fate."
Her life and death are in my hands.