Chapter 79

“So you're saying the two of them went to chase the Ravens.”

“In summary, yes.”

I had anticipated it to some extent when I saw Yenoki alone upon returning to the base.

Normally, I would have sighed at their rash actions, but the situation was different now.

“What do you say, Ms. Regina? Have you ever given such an order to your subordinates?”

“No. I asked them to clean up the surroundings and organize the documents so we could leave tomorrow, but I never told them to move any items.”

Regina shook her head with a perplexed expression.

Indeed, most of the Raven agents who had accompanied her were cleaning up, just as she said.

“Can't humans even manage their subordinates properly?”

“The four who are missing are not my people. The Ravens are a much larger organization than you think.”

When Yenoki scoffed, Regina immediately retorted.

Of course, even with that rebuttal, it didn't change the fact that she was on the defensive.

“I have a strong suspicion that the missing Ravens are attempting to destroy evidence.”

“So you're asking for permission to pursue them? Because acting without the person in charge's permission could become a problem.”

“You understand correctly. We're short on time, so please decide quickly.”

Despite my urging, Regina couldn't easily answer.

It seemed she was contemplating the repercussions of interfering, given that Duke Leitche was obviously behind it.

If they were men sent directly by Duke Leitche, their skills would be considerable, so there was no time to waste.

I couldn't lose the subordinate I had just managed to acquire like this.

“Mr. Benjamin must still be unconscious.”

“Isn't that irrelevant to the current situation.”

“I have no intention of eating him, so there's no need to be so defensive. However, if his condition persists for a long time, won't he need a place to recuperate?”

Regina seemed to have understood the meaning behind my words and fell into deep thought.

There was no way the Duke would treat the traitor Benjamin well, even if he was his son.

If he was concerned enough to erase his tracks with a scheme, it was obvious how he would deal with him.

“Can I take this to mean that the Eight Council will take responsibility for my brother.”

“Until his condition improves.”

In a way, he would be a hostage, but that was far better than dying.

“I request the arrest of the agents who acted independently without authorization.”

Having reached the same conclusion as me, Regina gave the answer I wanted.

With this, the formal problem was resolved.

“Which way did they go?”

“I have a rough idea of their location. He sent a signal with a mirror.”

“With a mirror?”

“I was originally going to go as soon as I saw the signal, but I waited after seeing the Count and his guest arriving.”

“How far is it?”

“If we hurry, we can get there in under 20 minutes. That is, if they haven't moved far from where he last sent the signal.”

20 minutes.

Karl would hold out, but could Wilhelm really last?

I knew he was skilled, but it was questionable whether he could hold his own against the Ravens in a direct confrontation.

‘I hope I'm not too late.’

My steps quickened as I followed Yenoki.

***

Wilhelm hurriedly tore his clothes and wrapped the wound on his left arm.

The bleeding had mostly stopped, but it seemed he would have to consider his left arm gone for the time being.

‘Damn it, if it weren't for this lump of scrap metal, I would have escaped long ago.’

He had been nimble when stealing it, but carrying it continuously had gradually slowed him down.

Meanwhile, the enemy had steadily closed the distance.

‘None of the hastily made traps worked. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before I'm caught.’

The Ravens were not an easy opponent.

They maintained a distance where they could surely follow but not be counterattacked.

On top of that, they were equipped with ranged weapons, which Wilhelm lacked.

Just when he could catch his breath, the flying arrows were starting to suffocate him.

If he abandoned the lump of scrap metal, he might be able to escape.

Wilhelm shook his head, pushing away the sweet temptation.

‘If I give up here, it'll be just like that bastard said.’

The voice of the bandit leader, shouting at his back as he fled the group, was vivid.

‘A guy born in the gutter is bound to return to the gutter anyway.’

He had vowed it would never happen, but the world was not so easy.

The moment he thought about going back, the lifeline that came down to him was the count shadow corps.

The place he had joined simply because he needed a place to stay was better than he thought, and Count Valheit was a decent superior.

He couldn't leave the count shadow corps and return to that gutter.

‘I have to take it back, no matter what.’

He had already used the mirror Yenoki gave him.

He held onto a sliver of hope, but he didn't have high expectations.

Even if they were really coming, it was doubtful they would arrive on time.

Waiting for help, shaking off the Ravens and escaping in the end, he might have to endure it all alone here.

“The left is slower than the right. That means the one on the right is moving more hastily. If I can just bait him….”

Since he had no time to cover his tracks, they must have already caught up to his vicinity.

The reason he could catch his breath like this was because the enemy was being cautious.

But no matter how cautious a fighter is, they're bound to let their guard down when victory is within reach.

That's what he had to aim for.

The rustling sound grew closer.

He held his breath and gripped his dagger.

Hearing only one set of footsteps, the hasty one must have run ahead.

He was approaching slowly, but there was no sense of caution.

Having left a trail of blood, it wasn't strange for him to be certain of victory.

“Huh?”

The Raven who approached the large tree let out a sound unconsciously.

It was a reasonable reaction to finding a blood-soaked rabbit with its throat half-slit where he expected to find his prey.

Wilhelm didn't miss that opening and leaped out of the bushes.

Of course, the advantage of the surprise attack didn't last long.

The Raven was also used to this kind of dirty fighting.

“This damned rat…!”

Neither of them could gain the upper hand, and they became entangled, rolling on the ground.

He could feel his left arm dangling uselessly, but Wilhelm ignored it and rushed at his fallen opponent.

Instead of a clean exchange of blows, they repeatedly tumbled in the mud until Wilhelm got on top of the Raven.

As the gleaming dagger approached his throat, the Raven desperately pushed it away.

Unable to use one arm, Wilhelm slowly began to be pushed back.

“Kuaaaak?!”

Thinking he had no chance in a contest of strength, Wilhelm bit the opponent's neck.

The hand-to-hand combat continued, but the Raven's movements gradually slowed.

Thwack!

A dull impact struck his head.

Thrown off helplessly, Wilhelm forced himself to sit up and raised his head.

“I told you not to go first.”

The Raven who had kicked him clicked his tongue at the sight of his comrade, blood streaming from his neck, and kicked again.

This time, hit squarely in the face, Wilhelm couldn't withstand it and collapsed.

“Where's the item?”

He wanted to tell him to piss off, but his voice wouldn't come out.

The opponent also chose to kick him to vent his anger instead of waiting for an answer.

Wilhelm covered his face as much as he could and clenched his teeth.

But the next kick never came.

Instead, he heard something fall with a thud.

‘…?’

As Wilhelm squinted, his eyes caught sight of the Raven flailing on the ground and a luxurious shoe stepping on his head.

It was covered in mud, but he could immediately tell whose shoe it was.

“It seems I barely made it in time. If you're still breathing, move your head.”

When Wilhelm managed to nod, Valheit grinned.

“Well done, Mr. Wilhelm. You can close your eyes for a bit. It'll be over soon.”

The body of the Raven that had been pinned to the ground floated into the air.

A hacking cough followed, then soon fell silent.

Forcing himself to sit up, Wilhelm noticed Valheit looking at the Raven spewing blood from its neck.

“I had no choice. If I hadn't, I would have lost.”

“Why are you making excuses?”

“Well it's not a pretty sight.”

Before he could finish, Valheit burst into laughter.

Unlike his usual self, it was a very hearty laugh.

“You fought well.”

“Pardon?”

“A great knight is not defined by how beautifully he wields his sword, but by whether he stands his ground before the enemy.”

It was a passage from a knight novel that Wilhelm liked.

I didn't know Count Valheit read such third-rate novels.

“You were a great knight today. I will take care of the rest, so please lie down.”

Only then did Wilhelm relax his body and lie down.

The pain he had been ignoring surged through him, but it didn't matter.

Because he had completed his mission successfully.

***

“There was no need for the two of us to come this way.”

Karl shrugged as he wiped the blood from his dagger.

Seeing that, Noah shook his head and grumbled.

“Says the one who was panting heavily. All talk.”

“I could have handled it by myself.”

“Well, those guys were exhausted too, so maybe you could have.”

Yenoki chuckled, looking at the Raven agent tied up in the corner.

With the makeshift bandages and ropes, he looked more like a bundle of rags than a person.

“To capture them alive, the Count makes some harsh requests.”

“What can you do? For the time being, we have to do as we're told. The justification we have for fighting these bastards openly is their arrest, so we have to take them alive.”

Indeed, there was no need to understand the complex calculations between humans.

They needed a place to stay for now, so they just had to do as they were asked.

“Is that thief friend of yours okay?”

“Wilhelm? The Count went that way himself. Seems he wants to take care of his own subordinate.”

“That's a relief then.”

He had volunteered for the difficult part; if he had ended up dead, there was no telling what Valheit would hold over them.

Though he was also simply worried.

“Still, you're looking out for him after only seeing him for a few days. You've mellowed out a lot too.”

“Think what you want.”

He had certainly changed a little from his days in Novosibir.

Back then, he couldn't even imagine working with humans.

“He said to bring them back as soon as we're done, so let's drag them.”

“Wait, while we're dragging them, let's grab that too.”

Karl pointed to a machine lying in a corner.

Wilhelm had taken one, but he thought it would be best to take this one too, just in case the two machines were different.

“We have to carry these guys under our arms, so if you're taking it, you carry it.”

“That's nothing.”

He laughed lightly and approached the machine.

A faint smoke was still wafting from it.

It was very similar to the fog that had appeared when the trolls attacked yesterday.

The dampness, tinged with a bit of mana, had been annoyingly clingy, but now, as if the mana inside was depleted, it only made a rattling noise.

Deciding he would have to carry it on his shoulder due to its size, Karl lifted the machine.

Then, he happened to notice a signature scrawled on the side of the machine.

(Professor Zain's Great Work)

For a moment, Karl almost dropped the machine.

When Karl didn't come after a while, Noah spoke in an irritated voice.

“What's taking you so long to pick that up?”

“……”

He had seen this scrawled handwriting before.

It was identical to the writing on the machine the humans had left behind on the day they took his sister.

“Is there something amazing written on it? Professor Zain's… Great Work?”

“It's this guy.”

“Huh?”

“This bastard is definitely behind the Federation's slave traders.”

At the mention of slave traders, Noah's smirk froze, and he removed the gag from the Raven's mouth.

“Who the hell is Professor Zain.”

“Just drag me away, you demon….”

Before he could finish his sentence, Noah grabbed his finger and bent it backward.

He didn't scream, but the pain was visible on his contorted face.

“I asked who Professor Zain is.”

“He's your master's colleague, you idiots!”

“…Valheit?”

“Yes!”

Noah and Karl's eyes met.

If what this guy just said is true….

Valheit would have to answer their questions.

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