Chapter: 17
“Lenia… I’m scared. What should I do?”
Terrified, Lakan grabbed the hem of her clothes and trembled.
I have to protect Lakan so he doesn’t get hurt.
Even Lenia was flustered because they were outnumbered, but she forced herself to stay calm and spoke gently.
“It’s okay, Lakan. Stay low and keep your body curled up. Arrows might come through the window. Understand?”
“Okay.”
As Lakan hid himself as instructed, Lenia pulled out a knife hidden under the seat.
“I’ll handle things outside. You protect the child. It looks like the coachman already ran away.”
“It’s impossible to deal with that many people alone. I’ll go too.”
“I can handle this much by myself. I finally have a chance to act like a proper father, so I’d like my wife to stay here.”
“Kallius!”
Before Lenia could stop him, he kicked the carriage door open and jumped out.
There are at least ten of them… what is he planning to do?
She tried to follow with her sword, but couldn’t.
Just as she feared, arrows flew in and shattered the window.
Holding the trembling Lakan tightly, Lenia watched outside with sharp eyes.
“…My god.”
She let out a quiet gasp when she saw Kallius cutting down the bandits at a speed her eyes could barely follow.
He blocked attacks instantly and countered just as fast, cutting down three or four enemies at once.
This was not the skill of an ordinary mercenary.
Unbelievable… he’s far stronger than I thought.
As she watched Kallius fight, a sense of unease slowly crept in.
Right now, they were working together because they shared the same goal—meeting the duke.
But in an emergency, she needed to be able to escape from Kallius.
If she were alone, she could rely on her experience and wit to find a way out.
But protecting Lakan while avoiding Kallius? That, she wasn’t confident in.
While she was lost in thought, the sounds of battle outside gradually faded.
Soon, the clashing of swords completely stopped.
In less than five minutes, Kallius had defeated the entire group of bandits by himself.
“Why did you come out already? There might still be stragglers. It’s safer inside the carriage.”
“……”
Lenia froze like stone as she looked at the bodies scattered on the ground.
There are fifteen of them… I understand the swordsmen, but how did he deal with the archers?
The archer, who must have been hiding in the trees, lay dead on the ground.
There was no sign of any thrown weapon on the horribly twisted corpse.
With just a single sword… he killed both the archers and the swordsmen.
What exactly is this man?
“I didn’t realize you were this strong. I’m actually surprised you never bragged about it.”
“When we first met, I told you I’m good at everything. Did you think I was lying?”
“…Ha.”
Right, you’re amazing.
She wanted to say something sarcastic, but seeing that he wasn’t even out of breath—not a single drop of sweat on his forehead—completely killed that urge.
Lenia let out a deep sigh, trying to calm herself.
At that moment, Kallius shook the blood off his sword and looked toward the forest.
“How long are you planning to hide like a rat? If you value your life, you should come out now.”
“…A leftover bandit?”
As Lenia placed her hand on her sword, a man slowly walked out from behind a tree, scratching his head.
“How did you notice me? I thought I hid perfectly. As expected of the captain.”
“…Valtan. I clearly warned you not to follow me. Did you already forget that I said I’d cut you down the moment I saw you?”
“How can a captain go anywhere without his deputy! I have to stay close to you to make some money—ah, no! I mean, it makes this job worthwhile!”
“I’ll kill you.”
“Ahhh! Spare me!”
The man called Valtan was clearly a coward.
Without any shame, he quickly hid behind Lenia and spoke while trembling.
“Milady, it’s our first meeting, but please save me! The captain really means it when he says he’ll kill someone!”
“…I’m sorry, but could you step away from me? I have a habit of pointing my sword at strangers who get too close.”
“Ah!”
As two swords were pointed at him at the same time, Valtan looked like he was about to cry.
He seemed shocked that even Lenia—who looked like a noble lady—would draw a sword on him.
“I was wrong! Please spare me!”
“If you understand, then get away from my wife. Before I really cut you down.”
“Yes, sir! Uh… wait. What did you say, captain?”
“I’ll kill you.”
“You already said that! Wait… did you get married while I wasn’t looking?”
Watching the two grown men jumping around in a battlefield full of corpses, Lenia let out a deep sigh.
God… why are you giving me this kind of trial?
“So this lady is your wife? You’re not just assigned to protect her or something?”
“That’s right.”
“Then… the boy over there…”
“He’s my son.”
“What?!”
Valtan scratched his gray hair in confusion.
Well, it made sense. A man who had been single suddenly appeared with a six- or seven-year-old child.
“Captain… you must have had quite an intense teenage life. How did you have such a big child at that age…?”
“There are reasons. Don’t ask. And don’t try to find out.”
“Come on, tell me! We’ve been together for years—don’t be so cold!”
“Do you really want to die?”
In the end, Valtan was beaten several times with the sheath of Kallius’s sword before he started begging for forgiveness.
“Ow, I’m dying… I’m dying…” he groaned dramatically, then wiped his tears and greeted politely.
“Hello, milady. I’m Valtan, the captain’s deputy. I look forward to working with you!”
“…From now on?”
“I have a fragile body that can’t live without the captain! Wherever you go, I plan to follow you for life!”
He proudly pounded his chest—only to get hit on the head again.
Kallius glared at him with an annoyed expression.
“I don’t remember allowing that. Go back to the border immediately. Stop following me around like a bug.”
“How could you say something so harsh! That’s no way to treat a loyal subordinate like me!”
A moment later, while the two men were bickering, Lakan, who had been watching from afar, ran over.
“Lenia, who is that man? Is he Dad’s friend?”
“No. Just a passing bug. You don’t need to worry about him.”
“Even you, milady?!”
As the conversation showed no sign of ending, Lenia suggested they move.
“If we stay here too long, someone might see us. Let’s go somewhere more secluded.”
“Agreed. It’ll be troublesome if there are witnesses.”
Even though they were the victims, nothing good would come from being seen at a scene filled with so many dead bodies.
After moving the carriage to a quiet clearing, Lenia spoke cautiously.
“Kallius. You’re not planning to take him with us, are you? Even if he’s your deputy, it’ll be difficult to travel together.”
“You’re right. I’ll send him away immediately.”
“Wait, wait! Please give me a chance! Aren’t you two being too cold? Just like a married couple!”
