They hurried, or rather limped, their way through the dark tunnels using Shirley's mental map. However, her Mock Perception was not perfect. There were many details she missed. For example, the rock hanging from the ceiling that she hit face-first or the large step that Benedict tripped over. Their injuries accumulated again, making for a truly pitiful sight, yet they pushed through. Benedict felt responsible as a Royal Guard to try and protect everyone he could. That was his conviction, his duty for being strong. Shirley, on the other hand, did not really care about the Royal Guards, but what she did care about was saving people where she could. There was too much injustice in the world, too much pain and misery. This was her small contribution in making the world a better place.
Despite their motivations, their combat abilities were currently at rock bottom. Benedict estimated he had enough Martial Energy for maybe one martial technique. Shirley was about the same. So, they had to make it count. Finding the way to the battle proved easier than they thought. The tunnels were not random, since they were created by the insects. There was an overall structure, like a tree branching outwards. The battle took place in one of the main branches. Five minutes later, they rounded the corner and saw it.
There was a Grand Knight holding the line against four insects, an Arcane Knight casting spells for light, and a third person on the ground. The Grand Knight charged in and slashed through one of the wounded insects. Since Elizabeth and her friends did most of the fighting, these knights preserved their strength, and because they had been observing the insects closely, they knew exactly where to aim. Blood spewed and the insect died, adding to the other corpses nearby. It was an impressive sight, one that showed the Grand Knights were formidable warriors, standing near the peak of humanity. It almost seemed like they could handle everything by themselves. Almost.
"Behind you, Lady Mel!" Benedict shouted.
Upon hearing his voice, the female Grand Knight immediately dodged, just as a silk arrow pierced her shadow. Several insects were waiting in ambush in a spot that she could not see. He saved her life. The cadence of battle changed once five more insects appeared. The woman retreated to the Arcane Knight, who was waiting. He switched to an earth spell and targeted the ceiling. Large boulders slammed down with fearsome force, crushing any insects caught underneath. The rest quickly scurried away. Lady Mel confirmed their disappearance with her Martial Perception before sheathing her longsword. She finally turned to Benedict and Shirley.
"Sir Benedict, Lady Shirley, I'm glad to see you're alright."
"Just barely," Benedict replied. He turned to the Arcane Knight. "And your name is…"
"Sir Welkis of the Cisvernia Family."
"What's the situation?"
"There's nothing much to explain, except we found this person trapped in a cocoon. The other cocoons… had nobody else in them."
Benedict frowned at the implication. "I see. For now, we should…" He nearly collapsed from overexerting himself, prompting Shirley to catch him.
The two knights rushed over with the light spell, and when they saw Benedict's injuries up close, they sucked in cold breaths. He was severely understating how 'barely' alright he was. What remained of his once pristine plate armor was mere scraps. Cuts, bruises, and burns, big and small, marred his body, along with blood. His neat golden hair was a frazzled mess, and he exuded a strong feeling of weakness. At this point, even a child could beat this Royal Guard. And Shirley's condition was not far off. After all, they did have to trek through the Mordrigan Peaks at night, fend off multiple beast packs, engage in a desperate battle against a Rank 2 Beast Lord, and flee from a horde of insects with almost no energy or weapons. It was honestly a miracle they survived this long. At the very least, Lady Mel and Sir Welkis did not think they could.
"Do you have any food or water?" Shirley asked after she gently placed Benedict on the ground.
"This is all I have." Sir Welkis was embarrassed to offer a half-empty water skin and some dry meat.
What he did not realize was that small amount of supplies made Shirley and Benedict salivate. Because they used Martial Energy to fight, their bodies required more energy than usual. They could eat anything! After they divided up the supplies, they unceremoniously devoured it. It might have been a mouthful of water and a few bites of hard meat, but it was more precious than gold in this moment. They crossed their legs and concentrated on absorbing the energy. The effect was immediate, as their aura strengthened noticeably.
Lady Mel and Sir Welkis were stunned. Although Martial Energy was revealed to the human world, the exact details were not publicized. They could not understand how Benedict and Shirley recovered with a little food and water. That said, the truth was not that exaggerated. Much like throwing kindling on a dying fire, it was a momentary spark. Their auras quickly dropped to pitiful levels again. Shirley decided to use her new Martial Energy in her recovery technique, Inner Breath. As the energy circulated in her body, her condition improved ever so slightly. After one full circulation, that newly obtained Martial Energy was used up, yet she regained some of her combat ability. It was a worthwhile exchange.
Benedict's recovery technique was inappropriate here, so he did not bother. Instead, he asked, "Do either of you have a spare sword?"
"I'm using my longsword," Lady Mel said.
Sir Welkis hesitated. "I can give you my sword, but… can you fight?" It was a valid concern, because an Arcane Knight's combat style revolved around mixing martial arts with magic. If Benedict took his sword, then he would be losing more than one of his weapons. His combat ability would decline heavily. Unless Benedict could fight properly, it was a stupid move. This left Benedict embarrassed and speechless.
The Grand Knight coughed. "What should we do next? I know that we should prioritize Her Highness, but…" She smiled wryly. As a Grand Knight, it was wrong for her to say this, especially in front of Elizabeth's Protectors, so she stopped; however, her meaning was clear. It was too dangerous to press onward. They needed to retreat and reassess their next move.
Shirley was upset, but Lady Mel was right. She could not do anything in her condition. If she selfishly dragged everyone to find Elizabeth and Freon, she risked killing everyone. That was not something she was ready to accept. So, as painful as it was, she agreed. Meanwhile, Benedict bit his lip, as a sense of shame overtook him. Aside from the unconscious man on the ground, he was the weakest person here. He never thought that would happen again. What was the point of his journey then?
Having decided to find a way out and not search for Elizabeth, they were about to leave when Lady Mel, Benedict, and Shirley flinched. Lady Mel took Sir Welkis and dove to the ground. Benedict and Shirley followed. The next instant, a large volley of silk projectiles streaked through the air. Everyone's heart pounded wildly. The difference between life and death was a hair's breadth. Fortunately, they had exceptional battle awareness. And one of the key characteristics of that was being able to chain multiple actions together into a cohesive strategy. Without waiting or thinking, they rolled to their feet. Lady Mel grabbed the person they saved from the cocoon and Sir Welkis increased the brightness of his light spell. Then, the four of them ran.
That was the obvious choice. Benedict and Shirley were burdens, Sir Welkis had limited Magic Energy, and Lady Mel could not contend against a large number of enemies. And judging from the volume of silk projectiles thrown at them, there were easily more than thirty bugs headed their way! They had no chance in a direct collision, so retreating was a matter of course. The only problem was Lady Mel and Sir Welkis severely underestimated Benedict and Shirley's injuries… They were moving far too slow! The unmistakable sound of insects clattering approached from behind. There was a split-second decision to be made. Since Benedict had more Martial Energy, he lifted Shirley and used his movement technique, Moon Flash. The incredible strain on his leg muscles made them rupture as blood shot out. He winced from the pain and tears flowed, but he forcefully continued. Moonlight gathered and launched him forward in a burst of speed. Whoosh!