Chapter 44
“Leader, I thought you were good at talking, but you were also good at threatening. Anyone who heard it would be terrified.”
“Don’t mess around.”
“You gonna blow me up too?”
“Ah, come on!”
The more he clenched his fists, the more nasty laughter he heard. Cadel's temper flared, but he braced himself. He had to keep his mind as calm as possible so that he could properly face the ‘hostage Van’ and ‘kidnapper Lydon’.
‘That, that human was enchanted by Henge…… And now Lydon has him.’
‘Lydon? That bastard?’
‘You know Lydon?’
‘Don’t ask, shut up. So where is Lydon?’
‘I don't know exactly, but…… There's a place like a hideout that Lydon likes to go―’
‘Take me there, and if I catch you trying to do anything stupid on the way, I'll blow your brains out.’
Following the golden nugget of information they'd extracted by blackmailing Aiden, they were now on their way to Lydon's hideout, where Van was said to be tied up. Naturally, Aiden, who was still imprisoned in the [Wind Prison], was leading the way. 8 minutes had passed since they had been following the instructions of ‘right’, ‘left’, and ‘straight ahead’.
Cadel felt sweat pooling on the hand that was holding Lumen's hand.
‘My worst predictions came true, but there is still hope. If we can safely secure Van…….’
He was ready for anything, be it fight or persuasion. Cadel took a deep breath, forcing himself to put on a stoic face, and beside him, Lumen, who had been unobtrusively monitoring his condition, spoke quietly.
“Don't be so nervous, Leader.”
“……I'm not nervous.”
“I've never seen anyone move faster than me in my life, and being a fairy doesn't make any difference.”
“Are you bragging all of a sudden?”
“I'm just saying that no matter what happens, I'll get Van out of there, so you don't have to push yourself.”
Lumen's gaze was no longer on Cadel, but it didn't take much digging to realize that of all the things he'd said so far, this was the most genuinely comforting.
Maybe that was why Cadel felt strangely relieved. A vague sense of relief that even if all his plans were ruined, if he had Lumen, if Lumen said he could do it, anything would do.
Cadel thanked Lumen for his uncharacteristic comfort, and for his equally uncharacteristic gratitude.
“Of course it's up to you to save him. Because I have to deal with that annoying fairy. If you can't get him, just forget about being the family patriarch as well as being a swordsman.”
“Fine. If you can't do it, then I’ll become a great husband who is good at helping Leader.”
“Who said that I’d live with you?”
The tension that had been so intense that his body stiffened had mostly disappeared during the useless arguments. With such a relaxed body and mind…….
“It’s right ahead. I’ve guided you here so let me go now!”
They arrived at Lydon's hideout.
Of course, Cadel had no intention of letting Aiden go, and after warning the squirming Aiden to be quiet, he stealthily assumed a combat stance.
* * *
Pale golden hair that didn't lose its shine in the shadows of the forest. A high bridge of a nose that stretched in a smooth curve without a crook. Skin so clean and white that it was almost radiant.
The corners of the mouth, which rose cutely like a cat, were made up as if even the expressionless face had a fresh smile.
He was beautiful and dazzlingly handsome, to the point where the title of angel was not unwarranted. But the presence of his crimson eyes, tinged with an innate ease, greatly reduced the sacredness of his appearance, creating a strange eerie feeling.
Lydon of the Fairy Race.
He was no longer the scrawny fairy of a moment ago, but a stout human man who must have been at least 190cm.
“It's almost time.”
Lydon, who became a winged human being, sat on the floor, unassumingly, with colorful flowers and wild grass growing around him that did not match the gloomy atmosphere. Lydon plucked the beautiful flowers surrounding him one by one with an indifferent face. It seemed to be an unconscious habit.
“Is he usually this slow? Well, your commander is small. He may be a slow walker.”
Lydon, who had been plucking flower buds relentlessly, chuckled and turned to the side.
There was Van Herdos. Completely unconscious, he was tied to a tree, wrapped in rough vines.
“……Still, he was the most interesting human I've seen in a long time. Should I wait a little longer?”
Apparently unconcerned by the lack of a response, Lydon laughed leisurely and tossed the flower bud in his hand.
* * *
It wasn't that Cadel didn't have a surprise attack in mind, but he didn't have particularly high expectations.
The opponent could cast an illusion spell at any time. There was a high probability of getting caught in a trap while trying to ambush. So, the presence or absence of a surprise attack was not an important strategic choice for Cadel, but there was still a big difference between ‘not doing it’ and ‘not being able to do it’.
“Lydon! Over here! Save me! Save me!”
……The difference in mood was huge.
“Do you want to die?”
“These madmen cut off my wings! Avenge me! Kill them!”
Cadel stared at Aiden, who was confined in the [Wind Prison] and using up all kinds of evil, in dismay, and looked away as if he couldn't help it. Lydon's ‘hideout’ was not a very special place. He thought there would be torture tools or human corpses with white bones in the nature of the cruel fairy race.
After going through the entrance covered by bushes, what they saw was a small lake in the center and several old trees surrounding it. And a narrow field of flowers blooming under the shade, sitting on it with legs stretched out was…….
“Ahaha! Aiden, what is that?”
A handsome man with a beautiful appearance. That was all.
‘A human……? I'm pretty sure it's Lydon by the looks of it.’
For some reason, Lydon had changed into a humanoid form. He was a born S-grade knight, considered exceptional among the fairies for his gorgeous appearance. His beauty was as striking from afar as his reputation.
And next to him, the precious subordinate Cadel was looking for so desperately. Van Herdos was tied to a wooden pole, unconscious.
Cadel was the first to check Van's condition.
‘From the looks of it, he doesn't appear to be seriously injured. But he's stunned, so I can't discount the possibility that he's suffered internal injuries or is under some sort of strange spell. ……I'll get you out of here quickly, Van.’
Cadel glanced at Lumen standing next to him. It meant to rescue Van whenever the opportunity presented itself, and Lumen quietly nodded his head.
“Didn’t you only know how to use fire magic? That's great, human. 2-attribute magicians are even rare among fairies?”
Lydon still seemed to have plenty of room. Just like when he was playing and flirting with other people's feelings like a toy. Suddenly, the disgrace of the past came back to life and an unstoppable murderous intent rose up.
“You seem pretty excited, Lydon. You don't seem to mind that your friend is being held captive.”
“Did Aiden tell you my name?”
“It's not that rare a name.”
Lydon shrugged and looked at Aiden, who was trapped by magic. Aiden, who had been screaming for help, waved one of his precious wings and complained of injustice. Lydon's eyes narrowed at the sight.
“To hurt a fairy in the land of the fairy. That's also a wing……. I guess you really don't want to live.”
“I have every intention of surviving.”
“Well, if you're going to be my plaything, you're not going to make it out alive.”
“I'm trying to get out alive.”
Lydon slowly pushed himself to his feet. Despite his height, there was no slowness to his movements. Rather, it was smooth and graceful.
What a graceful move. Cadel didn't want to watch Lydon act gracefully for a second.
Kaboom!
Before he could even get to his feet, Cadel sent a fireball toward the flower garden, causing Lydon to dodge the attack lightly, eyes widening in surprise.
“Give me my subordinate, you scumbag.”
“I brought him here as a hostage of my own. Can you be so rough with me?”
“I have a hostage, too, albeit a damaged one.”
Despite his aggression, Cadel wasn't looking for a fight.
‘The amount of mana consumed when falling into hallucination magic is considerable. Even maintaining the Wind Prison consumes an insignificant amount of mana. The opponent seems to be eager to fight…… Here, Aiden and I will have to try to draw attention as much as possible.’
If a fierce battle began, Lumen would have no choice but to pay attention to his side.
No matter how good a knight Lumen was, he was still an unawakened A-grade, while Lydon was a born S-grade. The difference in class was not something that could be easily ignored, although it could be a factor if the lower grade character was wearing good equipment.
‘This is Lydon's territory, the Forest of Enchantment. If his abilities are amplified, they're amplified, not limited. Let's be cautious.’
Even the proud Lumen had no choice but to struggle against Lydon. To create good timing for him to get Van, it was best to keep it ambiguous, like they were not going to fight.
“Aiden's not really a hostage. If you kill him, there'll be a lot of angry kin. We can feel the death of our kind.”
“As long as I can see your suffering face, that's enough. Hey, he's your friend.”
“Haha, are you repeating what I said?”
“I don't play with illusions like you do.”
“I'm not playing with illusions this time. Wanna see?”
Lydon stretched out his hand toward Van. Without delay, the ice magic unfolded into dozens of sharp spikes that flew at Van.
Unsurprisingly, the attack did nothing to harm Van.
Lydon laughed softly as he watched the barrier of fire that blocked his attack. It was a smile of genuine amusement.
“Wow! How is that possible? You're a human. With the help of the forest, we don't need a chant for our magic, but you……. You're amazing!”
There was no way he was happy to be praised by someone who didn't like the obvious. Cadel shifted his standing position as casually as he could and said dryly.
“Is it really that great that I don’t need a chant?”
“Yes, it is. Honestly, it's a scam.”
“The human world seems to think more highly of multi-attribute magicians than that.”
“Ahaha! Are you bragging? Of course, it's amazing that you can use both Fire and Wind. You're such an amazing and interesting human being, I want to play with you more―”
“Who said 2 attributes?”
“……Huh?”
Cadel clenched and unclenched his fist, staring at the puzzled Lydon.
‘In order to surely attract Lydon's interest, that method would be the most effective.’
The attribute points that he was able to leave unused thanks to Aiden's quick surrender. Normally, he would have invested them in either Fire or Wind for more efficient growth.
“Who said I only use 2 attributes, you idiot.”
Was life important or efficiency important?
‘If I save my points, I might decide that the new attribute magic isn't worth it. Even the slightest risk factors are excluded.’
Without hesitation, Cadel invested ‘10’ attribute points in ‘Lightning’. He could think about it later.
“No way…….”
It was a new flow of mana. With a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, Cadel fired a thunderbolt into Lydon's face. The lightning that flew like light literally grazed in front of Lydon's nose and crashed into the ground.
A murderous roar echoed through the air. Through the smoke rising before him, the corners of Lydon's eyes twitched briefly. The stiff corners of his mouth lifted gingerly, revealing a subtle smile that bordered on glee.
He covered half of his face with his large hands and began to laugh out loud as if he couldn't take it anymore. He even laughed so hard that his body was bent at his waist.
And Cadel wasn’t someone who would miss that loophole.
He drew a blue current over his hand and winked at Lumen. He deliberately shifted his position so that Lydon was facing him and Lumen was at his back. If he continued to laugh as he was now, chances were high that Lumen's recapture would succeed.
Picking up on Cadel's signal, Lumen's form disappeared in the blink of an eye. The speed was astonishing to behold.
However, the moment Cadel tried to use magic to attract Lydon's attention again.
“It's so much fun! I want to fight no matter what!”
Lydon jerked his head up and flipped his palm toward the back of his head, which had been turned away the entire time.
‘He noticed!’
Cadel thought he'd lost interest in his surroundings a long time ago with all this attention. He was not an S-grade for nothing.
Lydon's magic swooped in, targeting Van once more. The sharp ice picks spread out in a fan, expanding their range in an instant.
No matter how Cadel's magic was instant cast, as long as he was in the Forest of Enchantment, it was the same for Lydon, a fairy. It was difficult to completely block an unexpected attack.
‘No……!’
Instinctively realizing that his barrier was a beat too late, Cadel froze, and just before the icy blades of ice touched Van's body.
“Ooh, this one is fun too. He's fast”
As if someone had frozen time, the ice picks' momentum halted, followed by a slender flash of light etched into the air. Along with the afterimage, the off-kilter ice picks lost their momentum and fell in a torrential downpour.
Cadel took one look at the shards of ice at Van's feet, and in front of him was Lumen, whom he didn't know where he came from. The breath he'd been holding came out in a rush, causing a brief wave of dizziness. Lumen clicked his tongue in annoyance and drew his half-sheathed longsword fully. His sword drawing technique was always faster than Cadel’s eyes, so it was rare for him to see his sword fully unsheathed, but Lumen seemed to realize it.
“I think it would be fun to play with the two of you!”
That the fairy in front of him had more tricky powers than any opponents he had ever met. The tip of the blade, which radiated cool energy, pointed at Lydon, who grinned.
“I'm afraid you're too much for me to handle, and you'll get yourself in trouble if you let your size get in the way.”
“Is it okay if I just have fun with a few people?”
“You're making a dangerous statement. You should take care of yourself.”
Even if Lydon seemed to be distracted at first glance, he was aware of everything around him.
‘His vision and attention span are no joke, and when he has the ability to be constantly on the lookout for things like this, it's hard to take Van back, no matter how many Lumens I have. ……It sucks.’
There was never a time when he was relieved that it would be easy from the start, and he was never caught off guard. Cadel stamped down the violent urges that kept trying to break free, and let out a small sigh. And then he admitted it.
If he was going to deal with that damn fairy, he would have to let go a little bit himself.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m