IDEFYEM - Chapter 31
Black Man, I'll Do Everything For You Except Marriage!
"If anything dangerous happens, go back to the tent."
"I understand."
"I don't think it's a big deal, but... Anyway, I didn't mean to take this risk on you."
Kael pursed his lips with an unusually stern look on his face. When I saw that, I also felt uneasy.
I was also worried about screams from unknown sources and the mess. I already felt like I was becoming an annoying burden to him.
All I could do now was to gather my horses quickly so as not to fall behind.
We arrived at the place where the screams came from in an instant. The crowd that I thought would be chaotic was gone everywhere.
A small number of people were preparing to ride their horses, their faces turning blue.
Kael looked around and approached anyone and spoke to them first.
"I heard screaming around here, what happened?"
"Hey, hey! Well, Your Highness, this is...."
"Explain."
Kael hastily cut off the stranger's words.
In addition to Kael's overbearing attitude, I felt a sense of discomfort in the expression of the person facing him.
I whispered and asked.
"Didn't he call you to deliver him?"
"Unfortunately, you seem to have lost your mind due to great shock."
Kael spoke clearly with an expression that showed no pity at all. While I was roughly convinced that that was the case, the stranger began to explain.
"Boo, I'm sure hunting banquets have been held for several years and nothing like this has happened...A large monster was just seen."
"Is this information reliable? What about casualties?"
"Luckily it didn't approach anyone directly, but I've seen several people wandering around here."
"... It wouldn't have gone far. Bring that witness here.”
I quietly watched from the side as Kael skillfully grasped the seriousness of the situation and gave instructions. The stranger asked cautiously as Kael left to find witnesses as he said.
"Shouldn't we report the problem to the royal family and stop the banquet?"
"Originally, that was true, but the current King is a rather stubborn person...."
Kael clicked his tongue as if he was annoyed.
"The hunting banquet is one of the largest events in the world. It's obvious that they want to hide the fact that a problem has arisen that could stop the banquet in front of so many nobles."
The harsh attitude that seemed to evaluate the King was unfamiliar and surprising.
"Then what should I do?"
"It seems like a problem we will have to solve after sending you back to the tent. Because that's my job."
"That's your job?"
The man had an expression on his face as if he was trying to figure out how much he could explain to me. Then, a witness brought by a stranger appeared and had to leave for a while. Judging from the conversation that could be heard a few steps away, it seemed like they were discouraging people from speaking out so as not to instill fear in them.
I had great doubts about that method, so I started asking questions as soon as Kael returned.
"Are you really okay?"
"If it was hungry, it would have rushed at someone as soon as it saw them. If you find it and deal with it before a long time passes, there wilI be no problem."
"But... Why do you, the Count, have to deal with this? What does it have to do with the royal family?"
Again, the same calculating expression as before.
"It seems difficult to answer that much, Enri."
For the first time, he made a secret he couldn't tell me. I couldn't help but feel sad and sad.
It was a tense situation, and there was no reason to ask him to tell the truth. Because our relationship has not yet been defined by anything.
Kael got on the horse, looking worried but having no choice.
"Are you really okay with being alone? Moreover, your body is not in good condition...."
"It's s okay. I will feel at ease once I get you back to the tent."
The kind voice that spoke for me had not changed at all from the Kael I knew, but as I stayed next to him, I felt an unknown sense of helplessness for the first time.
If only I had studied magic a little closer, slept a little more, and rested less. Rather than being protected by Kael, I might have been able to add strength as a magician.
"Anyway, I'm sorry to show you in a bad light."
Kael frowned slightly and muttered.
"I'm sick of politics, but I can't give up everything right away."
It seemed as if he had kept in mind the incident of defrauding the eyewitness earlier.
"No, I understand. When you return to the tent, I will do what I can right there."
Seeing that scene actually brought me to my senses. I didn't want to be a burden, and it's okay to hear about the situation later. For now, I was planning on helping him make his choice.
“Enri.”
Suddenly, Kael spoke up with a stern expression. Just as I was about to get a little sad, wondering if he was going to refuse my help, he suddenly raised his index finger to his mouth, signaling me to quiet.
The sharp sound of a sword being pulled from its scabbard passed through my ears. Kael's eyes were half-open, he was scanning the air and seemed to be alert for something.
I was about to ask him with a gesture if a monster had appeared.
Hiss, thump.
The movement unfolded before my eyes so quickly that I didn't even know what was happening.
"Damn it, bow your head!"
A man's urgent voice, a sword in his arm, and an arrow falling on the floor. Only then did we realize that an arrow had come from somewhere targeting us.
The arrow flew once again and fell off after hitting Kael's sword blade. I did as instructed, holding my breath and lying flat on the saddle.
Kael, who was leading his horse and holding my reins at the same time, increased his speed.
I had to put a lot of strength into my thighs to keep them from falling off due to the rough movement. Meanwhile, more arrows than before began to rain down.
The hissing sound of the air splitting filled my ears with horror. Kael found his way by concentrating on hitting the arrows flying at him. However, finding the route was not easy, and soon a voice as if it had been something annoying was heard.
"Oh my, there was an ambush on the way out..."
My heart was pounding as if it would jump out of my chest. Shaking back and forth, I stuttered, trying not to chew my tongue.
"Is it a monster?"
"It's a person."
Kael, who managed to recognize the voice scattered in the wind, answered. When I heard the confirmation, the back of my neck shivered.
Although I knew that monsters did not have the intelligence to use tools. Even so, it was somehow difficult to imagine being attacked by a person.
"Watch your back, Enri."
Kael warned in a chillingly calm voice.
When I slightly turned my head and looked behind me, I saw a group of people chasing us. There seemed to be at least five or six men wearing cloaks.
I stumbled slightly on the horse. Everything was peaceful until just now. I couldn't understand why I was faced with this situation now.
Moreover, thinking that I could be an obstacle to Kael, my fluttering body seemed to lose strength even if it wasn't.
Kael hesitated, wondering how he noticed that sign, and then opened his mouth.
"I thought it would be better to explain later."
"..."
"That's a bunch of people targeting me.”
The seemingly calm voice was filled with a feeling of guilt that felt somehow familiar.
"The reason you got caught up in the situation was because I was complacent. So, it's better to blame me rather than blame yourself."
This was definitely not a good time to talk. My vision was dizzy from the horse running through the strong tree branches, and my face stung when touched by the leaves.
Still, I couldn't just ignore it, so I opened my mouth to say something
Whoosh!
An arrow grazed my horse's ear. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any major injuries, but a few drops of blood dripped.
With a purring sound, the white horse began to run wild.
"Ugh, ugh."
I let out a single scream and desperately clung to the horse's neck. The horse that smelled blood became very excited and ran away as if it couldn't see anything.
I barely opened my eyelids in the wind and spoke as if I was pleading.
"Oh, I know. We haven't even met in a while... We're not even close, but...."
I felt like I was going to fall off the saddle at any moment.
"I want to live. Help me, albino!"
Even though I shouted with full sincerity, my words started to become even more violent.
I guess the name 'Albino' wasn't quite right after all!
I occasionally heard Kael's voice from behind, but there was nothing I could do.
It was then. The hoof of the white horse, which was running forward at an unbelievable speed, got caught on the protruding stump of a tree.
It was fortunate that the speed was lowered thanks to that. The problem was that I lost the reins I was holding tightly in the reaction. The horse fell forward and my body rose high in the air.
I fell to the floor and started rolling around.
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