Chapter 52
He wondered if he'd cracked a bone in his fall. Every breath was accompanied by a sharp pain as if someone had grabbed his lungs. Cadel dragged himself to his feet, clutching his ribs.
‘I need to put as much distance between me and Lydon as possible before his illusion spell is discovered. I must never be seen.’
The noise of the battlefield fading into the distance, the bitter chill still enveloping his skin. Cadel was fleeing alone, with the regularity of footsteps and the dampness of the wind.
This was his plan.
‘The plan is to show the enemy the same scene for 5 seconds, during which time I'll break away from Lydon and run to the other side……. So far, so good.’
He didn't feel any signs of pursuit. As much as it hurt his pride, the difference in physique between Lydon and himself was significant. He hadn't been injured in the rough air battle, just by being in his arms. So unless Lydon made a big show of it, it would be hard for them to notice that he was gone.
‘Even if they noticed that Lydon used the illusion magic, it would be hard to guess that I escaped. So, I need to make the most of that time.’
He told Lydon to find him on his own, after he had outrun all his pursuers. Cadel had to find a safe place where he wouldn't be seen by the other fairies.
‘The problem is how to find such a place. ……The best place is, of course, Lydon's hideout.’
That was where Lydon would most likely find him first. There was no way Aiden, wing clipped, would come back to the hideout without Lydon.
But even after narrowing down the destination, the problem remained.
‘Where was it?’
Aiden's lousy directions had gotten him there in the first place. After that, he found his way out through clothes tied in advance, and now he couldn't even pinpoint his current location due to Lydon's spectacular flight and relentless pursuit.
‘If I wander around looking for the hideout, I'll attract the attention of other fairies. In my current condition, I'll be no match for even a D-grade. ……I can't help it. I guess I have to give up on the hideout and try to find some hidden tunnels……. Um?’
A voice from far away. Sensing the presence, Cadel immediately stopped running. Moving cautiously, he hid behind a nearby wooden trunk.
“Ugh, where did they all go? Suddenly they're stealing the human I've been holding, getting all pissed off and leaving me alone……. Lydon and Aiden are so mean. Am I that easy?”
A sullen voice full of injustice. As Cadel slipped his head over the trunk, he saw a little fairy floating around with his shoulders drooping.
Cadel's eyes narrowed at the sight.
‘That’s…….’
He couldn't get a good look at his face, but from the way he mumbled the names ‘Lydon’ and ‘Aiden’ and his looming silhouette, it was most likely Henge.
B-grade knight Henge.
‘That, that human was enchanted by Henge…… and now Lydon has taken him.’
The one Aiden had told him about, the one who'd enchanted Van. It was safe to assume that Lydon had taken the human he had possessed. Convinced of the fairy's identity, Cadel cleared his throat briefly.
‘Anyone who hangs out with Lydon and Aiden must know the location of the hideout. If I use him well, I can easily get to the hideout.’
But Cadel had to be careful. Henge's grade was B. In terms of potential ability, it was equivalent to Van. He couldn't handle the fighting power of someone on the same level as Van with this physical condition. He risked being counterattacked if he approached hastily.
“They bully and tease me every day. I hate them all! I hate them! They think I don't have any friends except them? I don't, but they can still be nice to me, right? They don't have any friends except me, either.”
The grumbling voice was slowly receding. Cadel clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, controlling his impatient heart.
‘From the way he talks, he seems to be the easiest of the three to deal with. ……Come to think of it, Henge's illustrations have that same feel.’
In the illustrations, his delicate appearance had blush drawn on his cheeks, and the pose itself had a strong sense of shyness. He was popular among male users because he looked more like a girl than a boy ― of course, Cadel was not interested in him because he strictly looked at abilities only.
‘If he’s not different from what he seems, it's not a bad idea to try to convince him without a fight.’
If he succeeded, he would be able to reach the hideout safely. If he failed, he’d die or be captured, with no point in running away…….
Somehow, it didn't seem like he could fail. The fresh scent of herbivores wafted from the fairy before him. It stirred Cadel's sense of adventure. An animal instinct, if he would say.
Cadel's eyes flashed calmly as he looked at Henge's back.
* * *
Henge was depressed. He was definitely very excited when he found humans breaking into the forest after a long time.
Lydon, who came to see what had happened to his share of humans and stole the one he held captive, and Aiden, who watched the whole thing and threw a tantrum without a single restraint. It was depressing to feel the absence of his friends who had gone on a rampage and left.
‘They ignore me because I don't like to fight, but that's not a bad thing, is it? Fighting is scary. It's natural to hate scary things, right? Rather, Lydon, who enjoys fighting, is weirder.’
He knew that grumbling like this wouldn't change anything. The Fairy Tribe would still favor strong fairies, and Lydon, who was missing a few screws in his head, would become the Fairy King, not himself, a coward and pacifist.
Henge was about to let out a long sigh full of complex feelings, but before he could exhale his puffed-up chest, something suddenly tightened its grip on his entire body.
“Uah……!”
“I'll kill you if you make any noise. Answer with only a nod.”
The identity of the power that grabbed his body was none other than a human hand. Henge turned his pale face to find fingers clasped tightly around his torso.
Through his trembling eyes, a deeply shadowed, emotionless human face was seen.
He was a man with a gentle impression that didn't feel overbearing just by looking at his features, but his eyes were the problem.
A gaze that was so dry that it gave him goosebumps, as if he couldn't feel anything but murderous emotions. That gaze, set beneath the hair that was tousled with blood and dust, terrified Henge.
“Who, who, who are you……?”
“It's your last chance. Three, two, one, shut up.”
“Huh, pardon?”
“Three.”
“No, I didn't do anything…….”
“Two.”
“Wait!”
“One.”
He'd been told to shut up, so he did. His grip tightened as if his body would explode as soon as he said the word ‘one’. A scream threatened to escape him, but when he found eyes staring down at him, still emotionless, he let a stifled gasp escape his gaping mouth.
The man said to Henge.
“Take me to Lydon's hideout.”
“……?”
“What are you looking at? Answer with a nod.”
That man was a thug. Henge wanted to nod, to escape this horror, but even he had a handful of loyalty. And as if aware of his hesitation, an impatient voice spoke up.
“I have no intention of killing your friend, so guide me with peace of mind. If, by any chance, you took me to a strange place because of useless wandering……. Well, imagine that on your own.”
What did he mean, imagine it on his own? He meant to tell Henge that no matter what he imagined, there was an even more horrific ending waiting for him?
Hearing the cold reply, Henge's negative imagination grew bigger and bigger. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded his head with a creak.
“It's good to have a quick grasp of the situation. I don't have a hobby of hurting the weak, so let's go nicely.”
Kneading one of the arms that had barely been released, Henge, who was in tears, began guiding.
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