There is no flower with one leaf (11)
The early morning rain that had started to fall drop by drop soon turned into a downpour.
Swish!
When Ian returned to camp in the rain, things were starting to settle down.
There were still about ten survivors holding out, but they were no match for the knights.
Ian quickly read the situation and jumped into the center of the clash.
"Ugh!"
Once again his sword cut through the air, leaving behind a bitter afterimage.
He struck down the last one with one blow and approached Beorn.
"Millenia."
"They say she went east."
"Leave only those who can care for the wounded and go after Montpain. We must find her."
"What will you do, Your Highness?"
Ian left his shield with Beorn and jumped onto his white horse. When he grabbed the reins, the horse shook its head.
"I'm chasing Millenia. If I don't return by daybreak, leave for the mountain lodge first."
"All right."
"Hey!"
A white horse ran at full speed through the pouring rain.
Ian looked ahead and swept his cool face away.
As he cleared the rainwater, his vision cleared for a moment but then became blurry again.
It was a pitch-black night and rain was falling, so visibility was difficult.
But Ian didn't slow down at all. There was only one road in this mountain that a carriage could travel on.
Ian, who had been running like crazy, quickly grabbed the reins. Soon, he jumped down from the horse and went uphill while examining the ground.
A moment later, he picked it up, half-buried in the dirt road that had turned to mud.
A horribly broken staff. It belongs to Millenia.
Judging by the tattered ends, like rags, it doesn't seem to have been thrown out of the carriage or thrown away on purpose.
It looks like it was crushed with some kind of force rather than someone forcibly breaking it.
What happened here?
There was no other trace around.
Ian grabbed the cane and mounted his horse.
"Let's go."
The white horse started running again.
Soon after, a strange sound was heard from up ahead. Someone was crying and singing in the mountains.
"Ugh, I won't cry even if I fall. The wind, sniff, the wind comforts me. Ugh, what should I do with my young lady..."
"Nadia!"
"Mom! Who, who... The little Duke? Are you the Little Duke? Aaaah!"
Nadia came running, tears streaming down her face.
She was holding the broken lamp in her arms. Her face was pale, but she didn't seem to be hurt.
"Young Lady..."
"Ah, the young lady... said to let me go... Ah, she said if I didn't, I would have to take her body... Ugh!"
Nadia's rambling explanation gave a picture of the situation. Millenia was negotiating with the guy, using herself as a hostage.
"Which one?"
"Over there! It won't be long. Since the two of them are riding on the same horse, they'll catch up soon!"
"Just keep going in the direction you were going. Can you do it?"
"Yes! I'll take care of it, so please just look for my young lady!"
He set off without answering and soon found an abandoned carriage.
The rear wheel was in terrible condition, with the spokes being oddly warped.
Only then did Ian remember the cane that had been torn in half and left lying there.
That stopped the wheel. The cane broke and bounced off in the process.
Ian spurred his horse on, running his hands through his wet hair.
As if reading its master's mind, the white horse ran quickly through the rain.
***
Thud.
I looked up at the sky without realizing it. Large raindrops fell on my eyelids and soon ran down my cheek.
I closed my eyes tightly and opened them. The more I get agitated, the more disadvantaged I become. Let's calm down.
"Damn it, it's raining and it's fucking crazy."
The assassin held out his hand to gauge the raindrops. Then he got on his horse first and pulled me up, sitting behind him.
He pulled my arms all the way in and wrapped them around his waist, forcing me to press myself completely against his back.
"Oh, it feels pretty good. Our young lady has a better body than I thought."
A sickening laugh. He also smells bitter and pungent.
"Do you know what happens if you fall off a horse? If you're lucky, you die instantly. If you're unlucky, you're in a better position than dead. So you'd better not even think about jumping."
Even without his warning, I wouldn't have thought of jumping. There's so much to do, I can't die. I can never die..
"How can you run away when you can't see me anyway? Let's just go quietly and not get caught by me and suffer."
He spurred on the momentum, giggling.
Heeeeee!
The startled horse neighed for a long time and then started running quickly.
The raindrops grew thicker in the blink of an eye. Soon they turned into a downpour, hitting my entire body. In an instant, my whole body was soaked.
No matter how hard I clenched my jaw, my teeth chattered together. It was so cold that it was hard to believe it was midsummer. The assassin glanced back as if he sensed my trembling. But he didn't stop talking. After all, as long as I was alive, it didn't matter.
I held back my shame and clung to the assassin.
I can't get sick. I have to be conscious to escape from Oslo's hands.
The man laughed. I could clearly feel his strong, muscular abs quivering.
I clenched my teeth to suppress the disgust. Then, amidst the sound of the rain, I could faintly hear the sound of horse hooves.
I instinctively held my breath and focused on my hearing. The sound was getting louder.
It's not an illusion. Someone is following us.
The assassin didn't seem to notice yet. He didn't show any particular reaction, perhaps because he was focused on riding.
Who will follow behind? The remnants of the assassins, or the knights?
While I was pondering, the sound of horse hooves grew louder. Only then did the assassin noticed, turned around, and swore.
"You're a knight.'
I clenched my fists in a moment of joy.
"Hey!"
The assassin yanked the reins. Just as the horse squealed and began to speed up, a deep voice broke through the heavy rain.
"Stop."
Ian?!
Why did he follow me?
Ian's white horse followed closely beside us. The two horses ran side by side, almost colliding.
The assassin ground his teeth.
"I'm warning you, you better fall down. I might get scared and throw the pretty girl off. If she falls off here, the horse will trample her and she'll be utterly annihilated."
Ian was silent for a moment. A brief moment of conflict crossed his expressionless face.
"Young Lady, can you jump?"
"What? This crazy guy?!"
"When I give you the signal, lean to the left. I will definitely catch you."
The assassin burst into laughter.
"You're out of your mind. Do you think this girl will listen to you? If she jumps now, she'll definitely die. This guy is worse than me."
The horse was running so fast. If Ian had reacted just a little bit too late or a little bit too early, I would have died a terrible death.
The assassin's laughter suddenly stopped. Soon, a sinister voice flowed from his thin lips.
"Little Duke, back off now. Before I push this woman away."
The assassin shook the reins threateningly. As the horse stumbled, my body shook with it. I instinctively hugged the assassin.
Ian pulled on the reins hastily as if it really looked like I was going to fall.
The distance between the black horse and the white horse grew in an instant.
Ian's white horse paused for a moment and then started to speed up terrifyingly.
Two horses raced along the mountain path, but the black horse carrying two people could not beat the white horse's speed.
Now Ian is close enough to reach out and touch me.
"You persistent bastard!"
The assassin suddenly turned off the road and headed into the forest.
A black horse ran madly through a mountain with no path.
"Ugh!"
Sharp branches scraped past my cheeks. I had no idea where I was or where I was going.
The sound of water was heard from somewhere.
Is that a stream? If I fall into it, will I be able to escape?
Then the assassin spoke, in a strangely excited voice.
"I'm sorry, but my life is the most important thing to me. So, pretty lady."
"..."
"Bye."
Before I could even think about the meaning, the assassin jumped down from his galloping horse.
The horse, without a rider, galloped. The ground was cut off right in front of me.
Ian's scream echoed through the night sky.
"Millenia!"
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