"N-Nononono!" Ransen, the young noble, looked at Carmilla and Julius with fear in his eyes. He fell down on his back as he kept repeating the same word. There's not a hint of arrogance in his presence enemy, it was instead replaced by fear.
Beside him were the corpses of his proud knights. All the powerful-looking knights were now lying on the pool of blood without any signs of life.
"Ah~ God! Please forgive these sinful people! The Supreme God loves all the creatures equally!" Julius said as he put his palm together and looked in the starry sky.
"Tsk! Don't mind that idiot!" Carmilla clicked her tongue while looking at Julius in annoyance. "Do you know that we wouldn't even bother insects like you if you didn't attack us? It's all your fault that your knights died and also your fault that you will die. Anyone who goes against the Supreme God will die. And going against us is equivalent to that, so it means that no matter what you say today I will not let you live."
"Nonononono, please forgive me! I will do anything that you want! Just don't kill me!" Ransen pressed his forehead on the ground as he begged Carmilla to spare him.
"Actually, I can see it in your eyes before that you have the intention to kill us. You can't hide those things to us, the representatives of the God's Will, as we are sensitive to any malicious things." Carmilla slowly walked towards Ransen. "If you didn't show that intent to kill maybe your knights were still alive right now."
"Please, I will not do it again!" Ransen begged for his life until the end. Tears and snots were flowing down on his face. There's not a hint of noble demeanor in his presence.
"Goodbye, and may God guide your poor soul," Carmilla said as she raised her hand and her nails grew sharper. She swung it down on Ransen's neck.
Putchi!
...
Souta's group was heading towards the dungeon in the eastern part of the inner woods.
While they were walking, Souta noticed that Yuko's ears kept twitching. He carefully glanced at his surroundings and noticed that someone was following them behind. That person was silently following them above the trees.
Souta looked at Bryan and Cluster before he said, "Bryan, Cluster. Someone is following us."
"Wh-" Bryan was about asked when Souta interrupted him.
"Don't shout or else that person will notice that we knew about its presence," Souta said as he narrowed his eyes at Bryan.
"O-Okay." Bryan nodded at him.
Swoosh!!
Suddenly, the person that was following him disappeared.
"Hmm...? It seems that he already left." Souta said while looking at the position of that person before he/she disappeared.
"Eh! That person is already gone?" Bryan look surprised.
"Yeah, maybe that individual noticed our strange behavior. No, it should be your strange behavior Bryan." Souta said.
"Eh! Why?"
"You shouldn't look at that person's location repeatedly as it will give that person our plan." Souta explained to Bryan.
"Okay, I get it now." Bryan nodded.
Souta then looked at Cluster and asked, "Do you know how to fight?"
Cluster shook her head in denial.
"I understand. Don't worry if something happens Bryan will protect you." Souta said as he assured her. Cluster was physically fitted. Her stats were quite high but the only problem was that she doesn't know how to defend herself, that's why she could only run when those people chased her before.
Cluster meekly nodded her head. It seems that she was ashamed that she couldn't even protect herself.
"Okay, let continue."
Souta's group continued to walk deeper through the Desolate Woods. Here in the inner parts of the Desolation Woods, battling was present everywhere.
Souta's group sometimes felt the ground shook and sometimes the could hear a loud explosion.
...
Souta's group arrived in the river. They walked towards it but Souta felt someone appeared behind them.
Souta glanced at Bryan and Cluster. It looks like these two didn't felt the presence of that person. He then looked at Yuko and saw that she was aware of that person.
"Let's go." Souta took a deep breath and grabbed the handle of his sword.
He quickly pulled out his sword before he turned around and threw it towards the location of that person.
At the same time, Souta saw the face of that person. It was a middle-aged man with short white hair and a white mustache. He was wearing the clothes of a butler.
Swoosh!!
The Vajra Sword quickly tore the air as it went flying straight to that middle-aged man.
"Wha-" The middle-aged man revealed a surprised expression. He quickly pulled out the sword that was hanging on his waist and parried the Vajra Sword.
Clang!
Souta bent down his knees and charged straight while using [Agility Boost] and [Dash] at the same time. He then jumped in the air when he was close to his sword and grabbed it.
[Stab]!
[Stab]!
[Stab]!
In the mid-air, Souta threw the skill [Stab] towards the middle-aged man. He wouldn't let this middle-aged man escaped.
The middle-aged man was shocked as he couldn't even move because Souta was blocking all his escape routes.
Tugh!
Souta landed in front of the middle-aged man and pierced his palm on the tree using the Vajra Sword.
"Argh!" The middle-aged man groaned and his weapon fell on the ground. "I got careless." He said while looking at Souta's face.
"Fred!" A girl appeared behind them. She raised her sword and pointed it at Souta. "Release Fred and I will forget about this!"
Souta turned his head and looked at her. If this middle-aged man was a butler then this girl was a maid. The maid has long blonde hair that was tied in a bun.
"Souta!"
Bryan, Cluster, and Yuko approached Souta. They were surprised when they saw him suddenly attack someone.
"What happened?" Bryan asked while looking at Souta and the middle-aged man back and forth.
"This man was the one following us," Souta said as he looked at the middle-aged man in the eyes. He gripped his sword tightly and twisted it.
"Argh!" The middle-aged man screamed when Souta twisted the sword that pierced his palm.
"You! Release him!" The girl shouted at Souta.
"Release? Don't make me laugh. You don't have the right in your current situation." Souta sneered at her. "You should understand your current situation first. If you continue to show that kind of attitude in front of me then I will kill this man."
"I-" The girl didn't know what to say.
"In the end, your just all talk," Souta said as he twisted his sword.
"What happened here, Fred? Jusmin?" A feminine voice sounded behind them.
"You!!" Bryan exclaimed when he saw the person who just arrived here.
Souta grew curious so he turned his head and saw that person.
That person was a petite girl with shoulder-length blue hair and blue color pupils. She has thick long blue tails sticking out in her back.
She's Souta's classmate, Lumilia Von Asvares, also the class representative of Mage Class 1-B.
"What are you doing here, class rep?" Bryan asked Lumilia with a curious expression. He didn't even hesitate when he asked her.
"Souta? Bryan? Why are the two of you here?" Lumilia asked the same question.
"We're adventurers so we both doing a quest here. What about you?" Bryan replied.
Souta didn't say anything and he just observed them. He could guess why Lumilia was here. It seems the rumor about the Mystical Light Cherry reached the Ladros City. She was a noble so it was natural that she would receive such information.
Bryan and Lumilia talked about why they were here. Then, their conversation shifted to Cluster. Bryan explained to her how they met Cluster and saved her from those strange people.
Lumilia observed Cluster's appearance when she heard that Souta and Bryan saved her.
"Um... Young miss." Fred said with slight hesitation.
"What is it, Fred?" Lumilia turned to look at him.
"Do you know them?" Fred asked.
"Yes, they are my classmates." Lumilia nodded her head.
"Um... Then, can you please tell them to let go of me?" Fred smiled wryly. After all, Souta's sword was still embedded in his palm.
Souta heard him, so he looked at Lumilia and nodded. He pulled out his sword causing blood to spurt out of Fred's palm.
"What really happened here?" Lumilia asked Souta.
"Hmm... There's someone following us but that person suddenly disappeared. Then, I sensed that someone was behind us so I quickly attack that person." Souta said as he shrugged his shoulder. He's telling them that he couldn't help it.
He sat down and sheathed his sword. He supported his head with his palm and said, "Okay, in return to what I did to him. I will heal him."
Lumilia looked at Souta and asked, "Do you know healing spell?"
"Yeah, just a simple [Light Heal] spell." Souta nodded at her. "Okay, let me see your palm."
Fred looked at Lumilia asking for confirmation.
Lumilia nodded her head.
"Thanks." Fred smiled wryly as he stretched out his palm in front of Souta.
"It's okay." Souta shook his head and used [Light Heal] on his palm.