The soldiers were surprised and in awe at the same time because of what Cygnus had done. They looked at him in a new light and realized that perhaps he was not as weak as they thought him to be. That's understandable because he even became an apprentice of the Magus Maximus. They must have thought of him as weak because of his pale and sickly complexion.
"What's the matter? Am I not allowed to help?" Cygnus looked at them with a smug look on his face. He especially took the time to give the heroes a lingering look.
"Of course not, younger master, we were just surprised. You can always help us." Marcus grinned as he sheathed his sword and went up to the young master.
They were lucky because the young master chose to join them. Now, if the heroes don't want to help them there would be the young master behind their back. He looked at the direction of the heroes and gave them a sneer.
"Thank you for the timely help. If not for your magnanimity, we would have died." Marcus bowed towards the master and so did the other soldiers. They were truly grateful because the young master was with them.
"I couldn't let you die. My brother would be at my throat if he hears that I let his soldiers die." Cygnus chuckled and shook his head. He was even waving his hand to let them stop bowing but they couldn't see his movements. "Stop bowing besides if you ever died, I would let our dear heroes take the blame. The reason why my brother formed a team is because this is supposed to be a mission that requires working together. I did not expect them to just abandon you guys just because you are late for a few minutes and they can't defeat the monster even with their magic and weapons. I guess those weapons are only a decoration."
The statement struck a nerve which made the men in white and pristine garbs angry. They stepped towards Cygnus but the soldiers stood on their way. They gave the young man a glare and spat on the ground.
"Don't think that because you killed a monster, we will acknowledge or take your words like they are nothing. Your time will come," the leader of the group angrily shouted.
He was beyond angry and so were the others with him because the man was clearly looking down at them. His smug look and his annoying grin were all indications that he meant to embarrass them with his words. They've been enduring since last night but the man was going too far.
"I suggest that you watch your words. Threatening the young master will not be in your favor and this will surely reach the general. Even though you belong to the Hero Association, you can't afford to offend the general or you will face both General Ulysses Ginehart and the Ginehart dukedom. You don't want them to become your enemy." Marcus stood straight and it made him seem taller than his actual height. His voice was firm and did not allow any disruption.
The hero gritted his teeth and clenched his teeth before giving the master one last look before he turned around stiffly. He was lucky that he was born in a noble family and what's more he was even blessed with magic which should have not happened especially within the family of the Gineharts. This must be the reason why the president of the Hero Association didn't believe that he was a Ginehart.
Cygnus smirked, 'So there are still people who do not believe my identity as a Ginehart.'
"We apologize for their rude behavior," Marcus turned around but only saw that the young master was smirking.
"You don't need to apologize besides they will not do anything for now because the expedition has yet to be finished. I still have time to play with them," he mumbled.
His gaze was still on the backs of the heroes that were walking away. Cygnus did not notice the look that the soldiers gave him after they heard his words. He wanted to appear weak in front of them but he forgot about it because of the thoughts running inside that hero's mind.
"What are we going to do now?" He returned to his act and sat down on the stone where he was sitting a while ago. In the blink of an eye, he was back at looking like an innocent young man and being vulnerable which greatly confused the soldiers.
"We will explore further because we found some traces of alive monsters in the area," Marcus answered. He inhaled and exhaled for him to calm down and when he was done, he returned to treating the young master like he had been treating him from the beginning.
"Then I should join. I don't want to be left here alone again and you might be gone for much longer this time," Cygnus stood up once again and was ready to follow them but Marcus stopped him.
"We need to rest first before we continue. We will eat first then explore further." Marcus looked at his comrades and they nodded.
They swiftly started a fire and started to cook food for them. They expended too much energy a while ago so they needed to replenish it. They looked in the direction where the heroes were resting and they were also cooking food.
"Will those guys explore much further too?" Cygnus asked after a while. He was looking at the fire and waiting for the food to be cooked. His butler was not with them so it was good that they wanted to eat first before moving again.
"I'm not sure. If they won't explore then they'll be staying here for a while and wait for us. We need to return as a group. The general wouldn't be happy if he saw that they returned without the other members of their group. They still need to give the general face." Marcus placed another pot on the fire and stirred it while speaking to the young master.
"They are really working lazily," Cygnus commented. After that he focused on his food and did not give them any more attention.
After packing up everything, they left the safe area and explored further. The soldiers followed the marks they left until they reached the end of it. They stopped for a while and stared at the trees beyond the last mark they left.
"Let's go," Marcus raised his hand and waved it forward.
Cygnus saw how they all automatically reached for the hilt of their swords and as their demeanor changed to that of alertness. The bickering he heard along the way disappeared as they moved in silence. Cygnus followed their lead as he watched their surroundings for any signs of an enemy.
They were only a few meters past the mark when they could already feel that ground shaking. The loud 'thuds' that were coming from the front made them stop on their tracks. They drew their swords out and waited in silence. The wind blew and the birds chirped as the ground shook stronger the nearer the thudding sound came.
A big rhinoceros demolished the trees in front of them and stopped with a loud roar. This was much bigger than the first one and there were more spikes on its back and on its tail. The horns on its head were four, two big ones and the other two on the side were a bit smaller.
Magic gathered on top of its horns and he threw it in their direction. The soldiers and Cygnus managed to dodge the attack but it did not stop there. The monster concentrated magic again on top of its horn then several more appeared above it. It released the magic and it hit several directions where the soldiers ran to.
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