Episode 11 – The Knight and the Little Brother (4)

The Knight and the Little Brother (4)

Lumen had left the room.

The stark room had somehow returned to tranquility. Alone in the silent room, where nothing else remained, I carelessly tossed aside my sauce-stained shirt.

I began to unravel the bandages wrapped around my arms haphazardly. There were two large scars on my left arm and one on my right. The suture marks that slashed across my forearms gave the grotesque impression of a burlap sack. Speaking of burlap sacks, that reminds me of that bastard. A high-ranking officer of the Demon King’s army and a fallen elf, the Torture Princess or whatever her name was. I can’t quite remember her name, but it was she who nearly killed me by tearing off my arm and leaving me to die from excessive bleeding. Somehow the hero managed to beat her, but since she wasn’t killed, she’s probably somewhere sharpening her blade for revenge.
Just thinking about that time still makes my legs go weak. If the saintess hadn’t been right beside me, I would have died without a chance to react.

How long had it been since I started unwinding the bandages from my fingers to my shoulders? I put on a spare set of clothes I had bundled away and tried moving my arm. My shoulder creaked, but it was safe to say it was functional. It was usable, after all.

Now, what I had to do was very simple. Find Lumen, open the letter, retrieve the power of the goddess, and then go find my master.

To do that, I would have to find Lumen, who was fighting the Blood Tribe, but that should be manageable. Compared to sneaking into the Demon King’s castle, what couldn’t I do?

Lumen’s sudden departure was unexpected, but what could I do about it? There’s nothing else I can do but to follow her trail.

I looked out the window. The red fluorescent lights flickered chaotically.
It looked peaceful from here. It’s hard to believe that just a little further lies a battlefield drenched in blood.

I could just wait, but since Lumen had taken the letter with her, if she were to die, I would be stuck in this world. Of course, she won’t die, but I have to be prepared for the worst.

I leaned against the wall and left the room. The chill that hit my face was the first thing I felt since arriving at Frontis in an unconscious state.

“Ugh. I’ll make sure to charge ten times the cost for laundry and everything else.”

That’s how I decided to accompany Lumen to Mt. Muak.
Lumen, you owe me for the trouble you’ve caused. Work it off.

“…So, Flan? Is it true that you’re going to accompany Lumen, who has gone off to war~?”

“Let go of my arm, and then we can talk.”

Damn it. Of all people to run into as soon as I leave the room, it had to be Nico!
I was just going to grab any member and head to where the Blood Tribe had invaded. My perfect plan was shattered right from the start. Nothing ever goes as planned.
Nico grabbed my left arm tightly and hugged it. She handled it as if it were a rotten branch that could snap at any moment.

“Your arm hurts, doesn’t it? If you’re in pain, you should be lying down. What? You want to go to that dangerous place? Are you crazy?”

“Well, my arm does hurt a bit.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to lie down. Lumen will handle things, so maybe you should take care of yourself?”

Nico’s voice echoed. The outpost was quieter than expected. If not for the flickering fluorescent lights, one might not have even noticed that the Blood Tribe had launched a surprise attack.

It was so quiet, in fact, that I had thought they might have abandoned me and fled.

“But did everyone else go out to engage the Blood Tribe in combat?”

“Stop beating around the bush.”

“Tch.”

Such a pain, both of them, really. No flexibility at all.

I casually waved the hilt of the sword I was holding above Nico’s face. As I did, golden patterns reminiscent of a butterfly reflected light as they cut through the air.

“When I return this time, I won’t have a single scratch. I have this. It might not look like much, but its performance is guaranteed.”

“…Ha. That’s not the problem. Do you even realize how dangerous it is out there?”

Nico’s eyes were fixed on my hand. Then, gradually, she began to tighten her grip on my arm.
Hmm. If this doesn’t work, there’s no way to get her off. The only method for a time like this is, as always, is one.

“How about you come with me then?”

* * *

As with all battlefields, the scene was horrific.
It was less a fierce battle and more akin to a one-sided massacre.

The bodies of the Snowflake Knights were mostly clean. The occasional filth that clung to them came from transporting the massacred Blood Tribe corpses.
In fact, most of the bodies being wrapped in cloth and carried away were those of the Blood Tribe. Without knowing the full extent of the battle, one could still guess what had happened.

A one-sided slaughter by Lumen.

Judging by the elaborate facial ornaments on the strewn corpses, they must have been strong, but there’s no winning against a natural disaster.
When a storm barrels towards your house, you lock the door and huddle under the blankets, not rush out to fight it. It’s only natural for this to be the outcome when the Blood Tribe stormed into the storm’s home. It’s like digging up and opening Pandora’s box from the ground.

“So, what’s the situation now? I don’t see Lumen. Could you also tell me where she is?”

“The situation is nearly under control. Lord Lumen is pursuing the retreating Blood Tribe. Everyone is starting to retreat in anticipation of a possible avalanche.”

A knight in pristine armor stood before a pile of bodies, receiving orders from a middle-aged man. It brought back old memories, and I liked it.

Nico seemed unaccustomed to such a scene, struggling to suppress her nausea. There was no need for her to push herself so hard.

“If it’s too much, you can go back. I probably won’t need a guide from here on out.”

“Who says you can decide when I leave? I can still handle it… Ugh, blegh…”

“…”

“Shall… I take Nico with me?”

“What?! Hold on a minute!”

Continuing to cast uncomfortable glances between Nico and me, he was the first to speak.
Nice support. Nameless knight.

It would be one thing if it were Lumen, but it’s impossible to bring up the matter of the letter in Nico’s presence.
Nico flailed desperately, but it was impossible to escape the grasp of the seasoned middle-aged knight. No matter how much she thrashed her limbs, she could only be dragged along helplessly.

Wow, as expected of the knight. Impressive.
Now that the nuisance is gone, it’s time to get serious.

Far to the north, a hill abundant with thunder and lightning. Over there, where half of the hill has just been blown away, Lumen must be. It’s a baseless conjecture, but I’m certain of it. Lumen is there.

How many minutes had it been since she headed towards that deserted hill? The clashing sounds of weapons that had surrounded her were no longer audible.

The shouts of the Blood Tribe had long since faded away. Naturally, the unpleasant sound of piercing flesh was also absent.
Only the occasional lightning and thunder echoed around. It was calm, almost like the eye of a storm.

And the smell of burning flesh vibrated through the air.
The scent of death that comes when flesh is completely combusted. The terrible smell that sometimes wafted over when a hero cooked a monster tickled the nostrils.
Was that pale part glimpsed between the crisply burnt corpses protruding flesh or fallen snow?
The sight, which one might expect to see on a shady website, made my stomach churn. Still, I was sane enough for now. I had seen worse when I was with the hero party. Compared to those who vomited their entrails and flailed with severed limbs, this was bearable. Of course, Nico would have fainted if she saw this.

Thanks to the dark clouds that had overturned the battlefield and were spewing thunder and lightning, it was clear what kind of monster had created this scene.
After all, there’s only one person in Frontis who could do something like this.

Ah, maybe two.
Anyway.

If I climb over the piles of corpses up to that hill, I’ll find Lumen.

“Ugh, damn.”

Fortunately, the corpses didn’t crumble under a bit of weight. Human bodies might seem a bit fragile, but they’re not like green bugs with urethane bodies; they hold up to a certain extent even when burnt to a crisp.

I grab onto whatever parts I can as I climb. Occasionally, lightning flashes overhead, but it won’t hit me.

As I was about to reach the summit.

-Crunch.

The sound of bones being crushed was heard.
The scene that unfolded before my eyes was unbelievable.

“The traitor of our tribe…”

A strong-looking Blood Tribe warrior woman was kneeling before Lumen.
Lumen’s greatsword was deeply embedded in her shoulder, and half of her face was half-cooked, hairless. The pride of the Blood Tribe, the wedge sword, was already shattered, with only the handle remaining.

“…Die.”

Lumen muttered briefly, and her greatsword sent the warrior’s arm tumbling into the snow, followed by a streak of lightning scattering dust around them.
Emerging from the dust, her pink hair now bore a deep crimson hue.

The few remaining members of the Blood Tribe were trembling as if they were facing the messenger of death.

Turning her back on them, Lumen suddenly looked behind her. Her eyes held the look of someone seeing a person who shouldn’t be there, overlaid with a guilty expression as if she was seeing someone else. However, her agitation did not last long.

“Ah… it’s dangerous here, so please stay back a bit…”

Lumen’s judgment was swift. On the battlefield, a moment’s hesitation could cost a life.
I briefly considered a cordial greeting, but the words that came out of my mouth were not trivial chatter.

“Wait, Lumen, behind you! Behind!!”

-Thwuck.

Pristine white armor stained with blood. A sharp object had burst forth from the center of her smooth armor, right into her abdomen.
Behind Lumen stood a woman, half her face burned and mangled, her hand twisted and cooked to the point she held her sword in her mouth like a leaf about to fall.

All eyes on the battlefield were riveted to the two wavering women.

“This is…”

Blood flowed from between the pieces of armor.
Lumen reflexively swung her fist backward. The body of the Blood Tribe woman crumbled like a slab of meat, spewing out flesh.
Yet Lumen’s punching did not cease.
Even the top-tier monsters of the Blood Tribe, known to not die from a single blow, couldn’t withstand Lumen’s strikes with their near-corpse bodies. With each fierce punch, she scattered chunks of flesh, eventually sending the woman flying far into a heap of debris.

“Die, khh… you traitorous bitch.”

With a trembling face, the Blood Tribe warrior uttered her last words before dropping her head powerlessly.

And from Lumen’s mouth poured clots of blood.