Chapter 96

I bolted upright, only to collapse back down as a sharp, stinging pain shot through my ankle. I suppressed a groan as tears welled up from the agony.

 

‘I don’t know what kind of danger Evan might be in…!’

 

I brushed a hand over my chest, relieved that it didn’t look like anyone had launched a direct raid on our shelter. No matter how deeply I had been sleeping, I would have woken up if a fight had broken out nearby. The surroundings looked much the same as when we first entered the cave.

 

This meant Evan likely felt something and headed out. Phil, flitting about restlessly, seemed to be signaling that Evan was in danger. While the current Evan was a perfectly healthy man—unlike his past self—and might not need my help, I couldn’t just sit here without knowing.

 

“Okay, where is he?”

 

I asked Phil, who had been circling me for a while, to show me the way. He paused for a moment, then zipped off into the distance. I limped after him, determined. Perhaps because Evan had tended to my injury, the pain was more manageable than before, though I was practically dragging my foot along.

 

“I’m the problem, falling asleep in a situation like that…” I muttered, frustrated with myself for drifting off just because Evan had comforted me.

 

Following Phil, I soon spotted Evan’s silhouette. I called his name at the top of my lungs. In an instant, Evan was standing right in front of me.

 

“Lep…! You came all this way with that injured ankle?”

 

“How could I just sit and wait when you disappeared?”

 

Evan checked my body over with an expression full of worry. I did the same. Seeing him looking much more unscathed than I expected, I let out a sigh of relief. Then, I looked over his shoulder at the knights groaning on the ground. They were clad in black robes, practically advertising that they had come for a covert assassination.

 

In Evan’s hand was a silver gun, its bare metal gleaming. On the other side stood a man trembling in fear—a face I recognized, but that didn’t matter right now.

 

“Evan, are you okay? Why did you leave me behind? I mean, of course I’d be a hindrance, so it’s fine to leave me, but you should have taken this!”

 

“Huh?”

 

I pulled a scroll from my pocket. It was a scroll I’d paid so much for that even my parents had gasped; this was exactly the time to use it!

 

“With this, you could have wiped them all out without wasting any energy! Gasp…! Look! You’re hurt!”

 

Discovering a small scratch on Evan’s cheek, I freaked out and grabbed his face firmly.

 

“To a face this beautiful!!”

 

I couldn’t stand the thought of a scar on his face. A deep sigh of distress escaped me. I meticulously checked for any other injuries.

 

“Am I beautiful?”

 

Evan, who had an uncanny ability to catch it whenever I praised him, gave a silly grin.

 

“Huh? Did I say that out loud?”

 

While Lepina and Evan were talking, Hedeis saw his chance. He knew exactly who this woman who had suddenly appeared was—Lepina Clies, Evan’s fiancée! Now that Evan was distracted, this was his moment!

 

“Oh? Evan! He’s getting away!”

 

I saw Hedeis waddling away as fast as he could in the distance. He seemed to think now was the perfect time to flee, scurrying off in a frantic rush.

 

“Stop right there!”

 

I pointed a finger at Hedeis. Rage boiled over when I thought of the people who had suffered because of him. Both Evan and I could have been in serious trouble. Evan strode toward him with effortless leisure. Terrified, Hedeis tripped and fell in a ridiculous heap.

 

‘Why is he so scared?’

 

With a face as pale as if he’d seen the Grim Reaper, Hedeis glanced back at Evan, repeatedly collapsing like a newborn calf. Evan flicked his finger, and Hedeis’s wrists snapped together.

 

“W-what is this?!”

 

Phil spun around Hedeis’s head a few times, and the man’s feet lifted off the ground. Hedeis panicked as his body rose into the air, struggling to find purchase on the floor.

 

“It would be troublesome if you ran away. But aren’t you lucky? Thanks to Lep’s appearance, your life has been extended a little. Don’t you think?”

 

“Ugh…!”

 

Hedeis stared at Evan with hollow eyes.

 

‘Seriously, you should have picked your opponent more carefully.’

 

I was certain of it: Hedeis hadn’t dreamed in his wildest nightmares that Evan was a Sword Master and a Spirit Summoner. Absolutely certain.

 

“Now that we’ve caught the attacker, are we leaving the forest? But what about the people who collapsed?”

 

Evan picked me up, while Phil held onto Hedeis to prevent any escape.

 

“The knights will wake up soon. Should we just take the culprit?”

 

“…Leaving them here could lead to disaster. Let’s take everyone.”

 

“I understand.”

 

He let out a short, dissatisfied click of his tongue but agreed with my opinion. He must have been shocked and furious that the person who attacked him was his own uncle. I smiled brightly and gently stroked Evan’s hair.

 

“Good boy.”

 

“……”

 

Evan said nothing and quietly accepted my touch. In fact, he looked like he enjoyed it. However, someone behind us apparently found the sight offensive, as a sneer broke the silence.

 

“Ha! Enjoy it while you can.”

 

Evan and I looked at Hedeis at the same time.

 

“Excuse me, mister.”

 

“M-mister…?!”

 

“Where do you get the confidence to talk like that when you can’t even move?”

 

“Ha! You dare try to kill me?!”

 

“What are you talking about? This is closer to saving you. Evan even said he’d take your knights with us!”

 

I couldn’t believe his nerve. Staying unconscious in a place crawling with monsters is incredibly dangerous. He should be bowing in gratitude to Evan for saving his men. Instead, the one at fault was the one throwing the tantrum. *We* were the ones who were targeted.

 

‘Who’s killing who?’

 

I frowned in annoyance.

 

“Lep, don’t pay attention to someone like that.”

 

Seeing that Evan was completely unaffected by his words, Hedeis’s face turned even redder with rage.

 

“You dare ignore me? Look closely!”

 

Hedeis pulled out a whistle hanging around his neck, took a deep breath, and blew a long, sharp note.

 

PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEE—!

 

In contrast to his chest deflating, the sound only grew louder. I covered my ears at the bizarre, ear-piercing noise.

 

“What on earth is that sound…!”

 

The sound was so horrific that even the unconscious knights flinched.

 

“A Goblin’s Whistle…?”

 

Evan seemed to recognize the identity of the terrible sound.

 

“Phil!”

 

At Evan’s command, Hedeis’s body spun in the air and his posture shifted. His hands and feet were splayed out and fixed in mid-air. Hedeis was left floating like a person tied tightly to a long branch.

 

“It’s too late! Soon, monsters will swarm this place!”

 

“He’s no help at all while he’s awake.”

 

“With this, you’ll be—!!”

 

Evan’s foot rose in a smooth motion and struck Hedeis squarely in the head. Hedeis fell unconscious before he could finish his sentence. I clapped. It was a very clean piece of business. Evan then crushed the whistle to make sure he could never blow it again.

 

“We have to get out of here quickly.”

 

“What exactly is that whistle?”

 

“It’s a whistle that calls monsters.”

 

“What?!”

 

As soon as he said that, a sudden chill washed over me. Along with a rustling sound in the bushes, glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.

 

“Crazy…”

 

Evan unceremoniously kicked the unconscious knights to wake them up.

 

“Aaaargh!”

 

The knight who woke up took a defensive stance against Evan, but his face went white when he saw Hedeis foaming at the mouth and floating in the air. Before the knight could say anything, Evan spoke coldly.

 

“Your master blew a Goblin’s Whistle.”

 

“…!”

 

“You know what it means to blow that whistle in a forest where monsters live, don’t you? Wake the others. I don’t have enough hands to protect you.”

 

Evan said, lifting me up slightly.

 

“Ah, of course, if you attack even in this situation, I won’t show mercy. I hope you judge wisely.”

 

When Evan gestured toward the knight, the floating Hedeis was tucked right into the knight’s arms. Catching Hedeis by surprise, the knight realized the gravity of the situation. He dropped Hedeis and began ruthlessly waking up the surrounding knights. He realized that if they stayed there with their eyes closed, they’d become monster food.

 

I grabbed Evan’s collar slightly.

 

“Is it… really that serious?”

 

“It depends on the monsters that swarm us. But…”

 

Looking at my anxious face, Evan smiled.

 

“You’re safe in my arms. I won’t let them touch a single hair on your head. We can escape safely.”

 

Evan pressed his forehead against mine with a peaceful smile. Seeing how calm he was, the possibility of escape seemed real, just as he said.

 

‘That’s right! Bring it on! I have scrolls, and Evan is a Sword Master and a Spirit Summoner! A few monsters are nothing…!’

 

Though, I was being carried in Evan’s arms in a princess carry, and Evan, who was holding me, couldn’t swing a sword. …Is this really okay?

 

Just as the knights were coming to their senses and getting up, a massive shadow appeared.

 

“A-A Wyvern…?!”

 

The knights let out shrill screams. I too got scared and hugged Evan’s neck tightly. I felt like it might snatch me up with its sharp beak and fly away. Fortunately, the dense trees prevented the Wyvern from easily approaching us.

 

“Follow me if you don’t want to die. Phil, lead us to the exit.”

 

The spirit immediately took on the role of a guide, leaving a trail of light, and Evan followed that path. The knights began to run frantically behind us.

 

“E-Evan! You can’t hold your sword, is it okay—”

 

It was an unnecessary worry. He didn’t just have his sword. He effortlessly blew away a beast-type monster that leaped out from the side. It happened so fast I couldn’t even tell what he’d done.

 

“Hmm? What did you say?”

 

“O-oh, it’s nothing.”

 

We continued to run in one direction. Monsters heading toward the sound of the whistle kept attacking us, but thanks to Evan and Phil, we were able to defeat them easily.