Wolves of Hader

Chapter 51

Duke Mart's carriage raced off into the distance.

He said he planned to abandon the carriage before reaching the northern gate, and enter the mountains.

After that, together with his younger brothers at the northern mountain stronghold, he would pass straight through the northern region to the east.

Given Duke Mart's skills, as long as we bought him a little time, he should have no trouble escaping.

Besides, there weren't any great houses in the north that could stop him.

When the carriage disappeared—

In front of me appeared dark figures on black horses. They were special forces agents who had been following the carriage.

A total of 29.

"Now, we head to the capital."

The operatives standing in the darkness showed no sign of agitation.

In fact, they probably thought it more strange to return to the fortress at this point.

"From now on, excluding Bellen and Lok, twenty strike squad members will split into two teams and enter the capital. Team One will ambush the Secret Council elders, and Team Two will strike the Syren family's forces."

The agents quietly listened to my words.

They already knew, anyway.

"The first bell at dawn is the signal. After the operation, immediately regroup at the hideout. If the situation isn't favorable, postpone it to next time. And this is my first and last request."

I looked at the agents and continued.

"Set aside reckless pride. Don't overestimate your abilities. And... no one gets hurt. That's all."

The twenty special forces members bowed their heads to me, then all mounted and galloped away.

Only Bellen and Lok remained, looking at me.

"What about us?"

Bellen asked.

Currently, the Elin siblings were attached to the strike squad, but in truth, they only tagged along and didn't really participate in any missions.

"Isn't this tough for you, or do you feel bothered by anything?"

At my words, bellen glanced at her younger brother Lok. Bellen, perhaps, had found things troubling until now.

Lok answered instead.

"I got used to it when we fought the Tak tribe in the south, but I'm not sure about Elder sister. She says she's fine, though."

"I'm fine, too."

From what I'd seen, lok seemed somewhat adapted to the sight of blood.

Bellen, on the other hand, still seemed to harbor many questions about the human world.

The two Elins hadn't been in the human world for long. It probably puzzled them—why did humans, being the same race, fight among themselves?

In truth, bringing such innocent kids to the battlefield was questionable.

Still, it was something they'd have to face eventually.

"Bellen, and Lok."

"Yes."

"You know why we're fighting, right?"

"Of course. Donnie oppa said so. Until recently, we were just kids, but now, we're going to become adults."

"That's right. It's still unfamiliar and confusing, but we'll keep getting stronger. That way, someday, we'll be able to save our home village by our own hands. Isn't that right, elder sister?"

"Yeah. Definitely."

My head nodded on its own.

The two Elin siblings understood both the reason for this fight and the goal of growing stronger.

It was thanks in no small part to Donnie, who was always like a friend to them.

Much harder trials could await in the future. All of them would be part of the siblings' growth.

Sometimes it would hurt, but that too was necessary, as they were now part of our lives.

"Alright, then. Donnie."

"Yes."

Donnie and my reliable Berserkers.

These eight now always moved with me.

"We'll follow this road up toward the capital and stop anyone chasing Duke Mart. Elder Brother Ross, support from the outskirts along with Elin and Lok."

"Alright."

Elder Brother Ross was a Defender, using a shield and spear.

Bellen was a novice mage who also acted as a Healer. Lok, a marksman with a spirit bow—their combination was solid.

"Let's go."

I started walking down the road first.

The Berserkers on black horses spread out, their hoofbeats echoing to the sides.

Ross and the Elin siblings disappeared to the right, while Donnie walked to the left.

Soon, I was walking the road alone.

If the Syren family had already dispatched their best, they would pass through this road in about an hour.

* * *

Knights in red shouldered cloaks rode hard on horseback.

Radiating an incredibly fierce aura, they were knights of the Syren family.

More accurately, they were the personal guard of the head of house.

There were 21 of them, all charging furiously. Every one of them possessed strong magical power.

Among them, the man in his thirties riding at the head was a swordsman who had nearly reached the level of the Sword of Light.

He shouted,

"How could no one have seen the carriage?! What were you doing at the capital gate?!"

The man who appeared to be the adjutant replied.

"It seems they switched to another carriage just before leaving the capital!"

"So, Mart came fully prepared and brought along his subordinates. From what I've heard, he isn't even supposed to be that clever. Are those thugs really Mart's men?"

"We're not certain yet! The second young master said they appeared to be Duke Mart's subordinates!"

"Are you saying Master Art was defeated by mere bandits from the north? Do you actually believe that?"

"It's baffling to me as well! The smallest-built subordinate is said to be nearly equal to Duke Mart in skill!"

"Is Mart a Sword of Light?"

"The Duke of Privy's house did produce several Swords of Light in the past, but Mart has yet to achieve that rank! However, it's very likely he's learned the family's secret sword technique!"

"What about the Duke of Privy's sword technique?"

"It's a unique blade art called [Song of Cloud and Wind], considered a 1st-rate sword technique!"

"What's its form?"

"As the name suggests, its basic style is as flexible as a cloud, with a swift strike hidden within! It's characterized by the use of a long, thin sword!"

The thirty-something man looked at the adjutant riding beside him, his scarred left eye flashing.

"A long, thin sword?"

"Yes, sir!"

"But all the subordinates used enormous swords?"

"That's what's puzzling! I doubt Duke Mart taught his subordinates personally!"

"How likely is it that mere bandits using oversized swords could kill a hundred of our elite knights?"

"It's impossible!"

"Didn't think so."

The man gritted his teeth and urged his horse without rest, his eyes darting about.

"As far as I know, there's no family in the empire that uses gigantic swords! Bandits wielding 1st-rate techniques? Impossible! Do you know what this means?"

"I'm not sure, sir..."

"They're not Duke Mart's men! We've been deceived!"

"What do you mean?"

"The ones wielding massive swords are the knights of House Hader from the east! Not only have they returned, they've also created a brand new sword technique! Adjutant!"

"Yes, commander!"

"Immediately send someone back to the head of house with the news! Our real targets are the Hader brothers and their knights who have escaped east, not Duke Mart!"

"Deputy-commander! Already, twelve elite knights have gone east!"

"Young Master Art suffered a puncture wound and lost an arm! Do you believe those twelve can handle them?"

"Understood, Deputy-commander!"

The adjutant yelled to the rear,

"Someone, go to the capital gate and send a message! The enemy isn't Duke Mart's men, it's House Hader—"

"Wait!"

The deputy-commander leading at the front frowned and looked ahead. Only then did the adjutant look up as well.

In the distance, there was a light. Someone was approaching, carrying a lantern, with a massive sword slung on his back.

"Slow down!"

The galloping horses gradually eased their pace. After riding hard for two straight hours, both horses and men were drenched with sweat.

The 21 Syren family guards halted on the road, watching the lone figure approach.

A man carrying a huge sword on his back approached with a lit candle lantern.

No one else was around.

"Just one?"

"Yes. But there could be more hidden beyond the darkness."

"Is he really one of Duke Mart's men?"

The adjutant said nothing. According to the deputy-commander's reasoning, the one who should have been fleeing east was now up north.

"If he's coming alone, he means to lure us in. Instead, we'll lure them out by capturing him."

The 21 Syren family guards dismounted. Led by the deputy-commander, they advanced toward the lone figure.

They took a few steps and stopped.

Because the man approaching with the lantern grabbed the massive sword with one hand and set it down.

Everyone was quietly shocked by this.

"Is he really holding that giant sword with one hand?"

The adjutant spoke, but nobody responded.

Is it really possible for someone with such a slight build to wield a massive sword with one hand?

On top of that—

Krrrnnng—

He grabbed the huge sword in his right hand and dragged it along the ground as he walked.

The scraping sound of the blade on the ground was so ominous, it seemed to awaken the darkness.

The man dragging the sword came within about ten steps of the Syren family guards and stopped.

The deputy-commander and his guards were surprised again when they saw the solo traveler's face.

He wasn't some brutish giant, but a very young boy.

The deputy-commander asked,

"Are you one of Mart's men?"

The boy ignored the question, instead raising the lantern to illuminate the Syren family guards.

"Only twenty-one of you?"

The deputy-commander and his men let out a dry laugh at the absurd remark.

It was only natural—the Syren family guard was the greatest martial force in the empire.

The deputy-commander spoke.

"Where are the others?"

"You won't find Brother Mart. No matter how much you search the northern mountains, he's not there."

"Does that mean... all of you left the northern base and are hiding somewhere around here?"

"Ah, you weren't supposed to figure that out..."

The boy looked flustered, and the deputy-commander chuckled to himself. Had he overestimated these simple-minded bandits?

"Listen, kid. I have a proposal for you."

"What kind of proposal?"

"Tell me where your brother Duke Mart is, and I'll give you a hundred gold coins and a small fortress."

"Really?"

"What do you say?"

"And who are you?"

At the boy's question, stifled laughter rang out from among the guards.

"We are the Syren family guard, and I am the vice-guard deputy-commander, Osu. Tell me where Duke Mart is and not only will I spare your life, I'll also give you the reward I just promised."

"The vice-guard deputy-commander?"

The adjutant spoke up.

"He's the strongest in the Syren family after the head of house. There's no way you people will survive. But you alone will be spared if you tell us where Duke Mart is."

"If you're second only to the grand duke, then the vice-guard deputy-commander is a Sword of Light. After that it's Art Syren. But since you're not a Sword of Light, you must be fifth in the hierarchy?"

"What?"

"You're weaker than I expected."

A look of confusion flickered across Deputy-commander Osu's face, and as the adjutant and guards scowled—

Suddenly, something very fast flew toward Deputy-commander Osu's head. No one noticed, except Osu, who alone heard the sound.

Clang—

Osu drew his sword and deflected whatever had come flying at him like a beam of light. It was an eerie arrow, invisible to the eye.

But by the time Osu looked ahead again—

The boy standing on the road had disappeared. No, he was in front of Deputy-commander Osu, right at his nose, leaping through the air and swinging down the massive sword.

'Damn it—'

/ / /

Thwack-k-k-rk!

The one who was talking managed to dodge, but my sword was faster.

My greatsword cut diagonally through his upper body and slammed into the ground. As soon as the tip struck earth, I flicked the sword and spun, bringing it down again.

Crash—!

As my sword descended, a shockwave and a surge of flame burst forth.

The moment I flew overhead, the guard knights drew their swords, but that was all. They couldn't block or evade the explosion of flame.

With a fan-shaped blast spreading forward, several in the front were blown away, and those behind lost their balance and staggered back.

Without delay, I unleashed a whirlwind of flame.

Binding them in their defenseless state in the fierce wind and burning them—Whirlwind!

Slash-ka-kak!

Crash!

The blade pierced through armor, and the sounds of magic crashing against magic roared one after another.

Some of the guards attempted to counter, but it was already too late.

The flames unleashed by my sword were already engulfing them all.