novelraw Chapter 92 : Did We Ever Meet Before
Chapter 92 : Did We Ever Meet Before
Chapter 92: Did We Ever Meet Before
Swaaahhh.
Those who had covered their faces with plain white masks.
They had wrapped their entire bodies in robes.
They could barely be distinguished by the weapons they carried or their builds.
Cutting through the sound of the rain, the man in the straw hat opened his mouth.
“Did we ever meet before?”
The man looked at Robin, but Paul stepped in front of Robin.
A sturdy man standing beside the straw-hat man spoke.
“Put away your personal curiosity, farmer.”
“Well, that’s not what matters anyway. You heard the hunter, right? It’s time to work.”
At the words of the straw-hat man called the farmer, they scattered in an instant.
They split up one by one and restrained Wilcock’s knight order as it was forming ranks.
Paul swallowed his dry saliva.
‘Strong.’
Those who looked like Betterot’s hidden force did not fall behind even against knights.
Rather, the knight order was gradually pushed back.
“Isn’t the hunter going?”
“You’re not suited for fighting, so isn’t it reassuring that I’m staying by your side?”
“Well, do as you like.”
Watching the man called the hunter reply, Paul turned his head.
Not a superior–subordinate relationship, but an equal one.
A small number strong enough to face a knight order.
‘Can I run away with Robin?’
As he quietly stepped backward, the hunter spoke toward Paul.
“You’re quite strong. Stronger than those knights over there.”
“You said you were a hunter. You look strong too.”
“Then, that settles it.”
The hunter immediately charged at Paul.
Paul hid his sense of dismay and took a middle stance.
As he focused on the approaching man, a fist struck Paul’s side from beside him.
“Khup.”
Because of that, his concentration broke.
He turned his head to see who had attacked, but there was nothing there.
“What the hell is th—.”
Pu-eok.
Paul was sent flying by the hunter’s kick.
It was no ordinary kick.
“Khheuh… cough…….”
Perhaps because he had been hit squarely, Paul could not get up right away.
The hunter slowly withdrew his leg and spoke toward the farmer.
“I don’t need your help.”
“No matter what, you shouldn’t rush a blade-wielding opponent with your bare body, should you?”
Robin had watched all the exchanges that happened in this brief moment.
There was clearly nothing beside Paul.
The one who struck his side was the farmer.
Standing far away, the farmer swung his fist through empty air.
Then, as if passing through a door, the fist emerged from Paul’s side.
With their sudden appearance and the farmer’s attack, it became certain.
‘Teleportation……? There’s no other way to explain it.’
The hunter standing right in front of him looked down at Robin.
Robin reached for his sword, but the hunter was faster.
Ppeok.
Robin, struck by the kick, rolled across the ground.
When his solar plexus was hit, his insides twisted as if they had been churned.
“Wuegh! Uwegh!”
He vomited what was in his stomach while clutching his abdomen.
It was an instinctive reaction, but as Robin felt around his body, he realized something was wrong.
‘The pocket watch….’
The hunter lifted the silver pocket watch and clicked it open.
Perhaps because its durability was no ordinary thing, the watch was ticking along just fine.
“It looks quite expensive.”
“Hunter, what is that?”
“It seems to be that boy’s belonging.”
“Let me see it too.”
“It’s just an ordinary watch.”
“I’ll just take a look and give it back.”
The hunter tossed the pocket watch to the farmer.
Catching it with both hands, the farmer examined it closely as if it were a treasure.
“Gi…ve it back.”
“It’s a watch too precious for an ignorant fledgling to carry.”
The hunter looked displeased, but he did not interfere.
“More importantly, what business do you have with this boy to go this far?”
“It’s nothing special. I think we ran into each other before, but for some reason I couldn’t remember.”
“Ran into each other? Then we can’t let him live.”
His large hand grabbed Robin by the neck and lifted him up.
His breath was cut off.
He struck at the hunter’s arm, clawed at it, and struggled with everything he had, but he could not break free.
The pressure on Robin’s neck grew stronger.
At this rate, he would lose consciousness.
He resisted desperately, but strength drained from his body.
“Let go of him.”
Saaak.
Along with the sound of air being cut, Robin’s body dropped to the ground.
“Kehuk! Kellok! Kellok!”
Along with the air filling his lungs, his fading consciousness returned.
The one who had saved Robin was Imelda.
Tadadadadat.
Serena, who arrived a beat late, straightened Robin’s body.
The hunter, who had leisurely retreated, turned to the farmer.
“Reinforcements are already gathering.”
“We should hurry. It’s enough to neutralize the knights.”
The hunter turned his body toward where Wilcock’s knight order was.
Before leaving, he asked the farmer.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“I’ve changed my mind. I remembered who that fledgling is.”
“Coming here wasn’t for your amusement.”
“I’ve done my part.”
“…Don’t forget why we need you.”
“Of course. If we’re any later, we won’t be able to hunt. Let’s go quickly.”
The hunter stared at the farmer for a moment, then ran toward the Wilcock knight order.
Left alone in enemy territory, the farmer alternated his gaze between Robin and Imelda.
“So these are the traitors, Imelda Tefir and Robin. You sure managed to survive without dying.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking being here, but if you want to live, you’d better run.”
“Running is my specialty, so don’t worry. More than that, looking at your eyes reminds me of Baron Tefir. Ah, he’s not a baron anymore, is he.”
“You knew my father?”
“Knew him? Of course. A lord respected by the common folk. A man of character from the Tefir family that ruled Regiville for a long time. And…….”
At the farmer’s continued words, Imelda glared at him as if she wanted to kill him.
“An idiot who abandoned his family and got caught plotting treason.”
Crunch.
Imelda clenched her teeth.
The masked man had insulted her father, but there wasn’t much Imelda could do.
She didn’t know the extent of the opponent’s strength, and above all, rescuing Robin came first.
She endured it to gather as much information as possible.
Seeing her, the farmer snorted softly and went over to Mirian’s corpse.
Robin’s eyes went wide.
“Come to think of it, that guy and these mercenaries here too. They get dragged around by pointless affection and don’t realize how precious their lives are.”
The farmer carefully examined Mirian’s face.
“Still, it looks like he went feeling refreshed. Not many die with a smile.”
“Step away.”
Huuuk.
The killing intent Robin harbored poked at the farmer’s entire body.
Serena and Imelda, standing nearby, flinched, but the farmer rose as if nothing had happened.
The murderous aura grew thicker by the moment, but the farmer only gave a crooked smile.
“There’s something I’m curious about. I’d like you to answer my question.”
“I said step away.”
The killing intent toward the farmer brushed past his mask like a razor-sharp sword.
He brushed off the small traces left where it had passed and let out a sigh.
“Let’s make an environment for conversation first.”
The farmer tucked the pocket watch into his chest and rummaged inside his robe.
What he pulled out was a sickle.
A sickle used to harvest crops.
It was small enough to be held in one hand.
Serena, who had been watching it closely, reacted first, but the sickle scraped past the back of Robin’s neck.
It was to break Robin’s concentration.
“That child stays out of this. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt.”
“Who are you calling a child.”
Serena replied coldly and focused on moving Robin.
At the same time, Imelda charged at the farmer.
“I thought you were a rash young lady, but you’ve got backbone.”
The farmer raised his sickle.
Clang!
The collision of sword and sickle.
Imelda put her weight behind the downward strike of her sword, and the winner of the contest of strength was Imelda.
As she tried to cut down his shoulder just like that, the farmer gave a crooked smile.
“You think a little girl like you is enough?”
“What?”
Just before the sword touched the farmer’s body.
He disappeared just like that.
As if he had never been there to begin with, Imelda’s sword cut through empty air.
Chilled to the bone, she turned around, and the farmer was standing in front of Robin.
The farmer swung his sickle, but Serena wasn’t about to just watch.
The pouring rain wrapped around the farmer’s head in the shape of a fishbowl.
Apparently quite flustered, the farmer stepped back.
Even so, the water enveloping his head did not disappear.
Imelda immediately charged at the farmer.
Shaak.
As always, Imelda cut through empty air and quickly scanned her surroundings.
The farmer appeared beside Mirian.
Serena’s attack came to nothing.
“Puha, I almost drowned in a place I never expected. What kind of artifact does the little lady use?”
“Hoo. Hoo.”
Normally, Serena would have retorted, but she paused to catch her breath.
Imelda realized that Serena was overexerting herself.
Serena’s Ether was depleted.
The Ether she had recovered while watching the duel had all been spent just now handling the water spirit.
As she was about to pull Robin away, the farmer nudged Mirian with the tip of his foot.
Robin shouted with bloodshot eyes.
“Take that foot off!”
At the furious voice, Serena stopped.
The farmer halted his foot and smiled in satisfaction.
“That’s how it should be.”
The farmer slowly moved his steps.
They were leisurely steps, but Imelda couldn’t recklessly jump in.
That man was not an opponent she could restrain.
She didn’t know the principle, but he appeared wherever he wanted like magic.
The farmer crouched in front of Robin and pulled out the pocket watch, shaking it.
“I’d like you to tell me where you got this watch.”
“Put the sickle down and step back. Then I’ll tell you.”
“You don’t seem to understand what position you’re in.”
The farmer raised the sickle and stabbed it into Robin’s thigh.
Robin clamped his mouth shut, enduring the pain.
“It seems you don’t even know what kind of object this is. I’ll ask again. Where did you get it?”
“Get lost.”
The sickle dug into his thigh once more.
Robin did not open his mouth.
If he compromised even once, he would be dragged along by the bastard endlessly.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The flesh was gouged out to the point that white bone was exposed.
The color drained from the faces of Serena and Imelda as they watched.
Before they knew it, the surroundings had become a chaotic melee where both armies were tangled together in battle.
Even so, no one approached the farmer.
The killing intent he emitted served as a warning.
Interfere, and you die.
“Still not talking? Even now?”
“Ptoo.”
“Hm. I’m not usually this kind of person, but when you keep this up, it really makes me stubborn.”
He was slashed, stabbed, his skin carved away.
Imelda felt her insides boil over like a spreading wildfire.
Up until now, she had lived comfortably, leaning on Robin.
Ever since childhood, whenever something happened, Robin solved it.
Even when they became fugitives chased by the Empire, he never abandoned Imelda.
He even set aside his long-cherished dream of becoming a knight.
‘Pathetic…….’
In contrast, Imelda felt foolish herself.
She had come running after the earth-shaking battle ended, only to find Robin already covered in severe injuries.
When she saw that his leg was broken, it hurt as if her chest were being pierced by needles.
On top of that, a mercenary who was practically family lay dead.
At the moment when help was needed the most, she had been of no help at all.
‘All I’ve done is receive… what have I ever done for Robin……?’
Even at this very moment, he was being tortured by a masked man, yet Imelda could do nothing.
‘No, those are all excuses.’
If the situation were reversed, Robin would have found a way somehow.
Whether by seeking help from outside, using some extraordinary trick, or sacrificing himself, he would have broken through the situation.
When her thoughts reached that point, a self-mocking bitter laugh escaped her.
Even after her family was wiped out, she acted like a mistress while being called a young lady.
She knew this too was Robin’s consideration, yet she did not face reality.
The sorrow of losing her family, her house, her status was something hard to bear.
But they said time was the best medicine. Following Robin, even wounds that felt like they would last a lifetime slowly healed.
To be honest, it was enjoyable.
Experiences she could never have had as Baron’s daughter Imelda Tefir were fresh stimulation.
All of it had been possible because Robin was there.
Fwoooosh.
An intangible energy spread along the sword, and a greenish haze rose up.
The energy that had rippled like a calm river gradually grew more violent.
Before long, it was unmistakably visible, exuding a dangerous aura as if it were burning.
The farmer, who had been watching Robin the whole time, turned his head.
“Did I underestimate you because you’re a fallen noble.”
The farmer swung his sickle through the air.
Clang!
As if she had predicted it, Imelda precisely blocked the point of impact.
Perhaps intrigued, the farmer fully straightened up.
“There are those who grow in the midst of battle, but this is too sudden.”
“…….”
Each time she stepped on the muddy ground, Imelda’s sword shone brighter.
‘I’m too weak. Pathetically weak.’
With every step she took, the momentum enveloping her entire body grew stronger.
Imelda’s gaze turned toward Robin.
He had lost too much blood.
It felt as if someone were squeezing her heart.
Her chest felt like it was being torn apart.
Watching helplessly was painful.
Unbearably painful.
‘I have to become stronger.’
Ssssss.
Imelda’s sword slowly traced the air.
The farmer had already vanished.
Three seconds passed, and when the farmer revealed himself—
Clang!
The sword that had been sweeping the air flashed precisely toward where the farmer stood.
Though he wore a mask, the farmer flinched in surprise.
Whoosh.
The killing intent surrounding them withdrew and gathered into his sickle.
Swaaahhh.
Clang! Ch-clang!
The sound of rain and clashing weapons became distinct.
The farmer swung his sickle slowly, as if provoking Imelda.
As expected, his hand vanished in midair.
The sickle appeared at the back of Robin’s neck.
‘Get stronger. Right now.’
Imelda’s sword knocked the sickle away.
Robin and Serena had no choice but to be shocked.
It had been a distance that could not be reached unless one used teleportation.
Right beside Robin, Imelda pointed her sword at the farmer.
“Young lady……?”
“I’m not a young lady.”
Resolve filled Imelda’s eyes.
Strength overflowed through her body, and a sense of duty seized her mind.
“Imelda Tefir… no, just Imelda.”
“Humans really are fascinating. An insignificant noble. And from the Tefir family, which was far from martial, such talent emerges.”
“Swing that sickle again.”
Clang! Kagang!
Each time the farmer swung his sickle, Imelda blocked it precisely.
The once-relaxed farmer hesitated, then glanced at Mirian.
The veins in Robin’s eyes burst.
The farmer swung his sickle just like that, but contrary to his expectations, Imelda was faster.
Kaaang!
The sickle aimed at Mirian spun and shot up into the air.
Grief turned into regret.
Regret turned into self-reproach.
Self-reproach turned into longing.
Longing turned into a fierce will.
Imelda’s mind and body yearned for only one thing.
That yearning granted a miracle to the weak girl.
“Robin is mine to protect.”
Imelda’s sword pointed toward the farmer.