A gust of wind blew past, and a few raindrops strayed from their course, stinging the scar-faced man in the eyes and blurring his vision.
The next moment, his body shuddered violently. He staggered backward, crashing hard against a nearby tree trunk.
"HACK—!"
The scar-faced man clutched his throat, a mouthful of blood spraying out as he began to cough violently.
His throat felt as if it had been struck by something heavy.
Even breathing became difficult.
The scar-faced man looked down at the ground.
A fist-sized, bloodstained stone lay there. "...What a shot."
"Drew!" the short man cried out, looking at Scarface as he hastily drew the Longsword from his waist.
His soldiers also stood up warily, taking up combat stances.
"Someone's over there!"
One of them seemed to see something, pointing in a certain direction as he shouted. The next moment, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
But when the others looked in that direction, they saw nothing.
"Could it be a ghost?"
"It's a Dwarf Demon! We must have run into a Dwarf Demon! We're not getting back!" one of the soldiers shrieked.
"Bullshit! You believe that nonsense made up by Wizards? It's rocks! Someone's throwing rocks."
Drew staggered to his feet and smacked the soldier on the head.
"Ambush! Ambush! Where the hell is everyone!"
The next moment, however, the remaining soldiers were suddenly struck, clutching their stomachs as they collapsed and curled up on the ground.
The short man scanned his surroundings warily.
The forest was pitch-black, filled only with the sound of rain. Time ticked by.
This went on for several minutes. Just when the men thought it was all over...
The next moment, an immense force crashed down on the short man's head, pinning him to the ground.
Now everyone could see the attacker clearly. A man wearing a strange Helmet and Chain Armor had appeared before them, his foot planted firmly on the short man's head.
"Done playing hide-and-seek? You're courting death."
As he spoke, Drew pulled the sidearm from a nearby soldier's waist and charged at Eric.
Drew roared and charged, rainwater streaming down his face.
Gripping the blade with both hands, he brought it down hard toward Eric's shoulder.
Eric didn't dodge. He raised his Kuman Blade.
"CLANG!"
The sound of steel striking steel exploded through the forest.
The blades slid against each other.
Their weapons were briefly locked. Drew pressed down hard, trying to force Eric's weapon away.
Eric suddenly eased his pressure, letting the blade slide free. He took a step forward and slammed his shoulder hard into Drew's chest.
Drew staggered back half a step. Before he could regain his balance, a cold glint of steel pierced his torso.
Drew looked down. The Kuman Blade was buried in his body, just below the collarbone.
He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
Eric yanked the blade out, and blood sprayed into the rain.
Drew's body fell stiffly, landing with a heavy splash in the muddy water.
The entire exchange had lasted only two breaths.
The remaining soldiers were stunned. They hadn't even seen what had just happened.
All they saw was their fiercest companion charge forward, and then fall.
Eric flicked the blood from his blade, and the rain quickly washed it clean.
He looked at the remaining men, his voice calm.
"Who's next?"
The three remaining soldiers stared blankly at Drew's body, then looked at each other. None of them dared to step forward.
"Help! Someone, help!" the short man under Eric's foot yelled.
"Stop shouting. They're not coming. I've already dealt with the others."
Eric lifted his foot. The short man immediately scrambled to his feet. He was just about to flee when a heavy blow to the back of his neck sent him crashing back to the ground.
Then, Eric raised his Kuman Blade and faced the three men.
The three soldiers looked at each other, nodded, and charged at Eric together.
Rainwater dripped from the edge of his Helmet.
Eric didn't meet them head-on. He took a step back, and then another.
The muddy ground was slippery, and his boots scraped a shallow trail across it.
The three men closed in, trying to surround him.
Eric continued to retreat, pulling the three men into a single line.
The soldier in the lead attacked first, his Longsword slashing down fiercely.
Eric raised his blade. "CLANG!"
The sound of steel on steel was piercing in the rainy night as blade slid against blade, the two weapons briefly locking.
With a twist of his wrist, Eric deflected the man's Sword.
He didn't press the attack. Instead, he lunged forward a step and slammed his shoulder hard into the soldier's chest.
This was a move Eric had learned from Earl Fitz. He had to admit, the shoulder bash was a very useful technique.
The man was sent staggering backward. In that instant, Eric's blade had already shot out, the tip piercing him just below the collarbone.
The soldier's eyes went wide as blood flowed down the blade.
Eric yanked his blade free, and the corpse fell.
The second man was already on him, sweeping his Longsword horizontally.
Eric quickly retreated half a step as the sword's edge scraped past the Chain Armor on his chest.
He raised his blade to block, and their weapons collided again.
This time, his opponent pressed down hard, trying to force his blade away.
They were pressed so close together that their breath sprayed on each other's faces.
Eric suddenly eased his pressure, letting the blades slide apart.
His opponent faltered for a moment.
In that instant, Eric lunged forward, smashing the back of his blade hard against his opponent's wrist.
"CRACK!"
The soldier screamed in pain as his Longsword fell.
Eric didn't stop. He immediately reversed his blade and stabbed it into the side of the man's neck.
Blood sprayed out.
The second corpse fell.
The third man finally reached him.
He didn't rush to attack.
He just held his Sword ready, circling Eric slowly.
Rain spattered on the blade's edge as the two faced off.
The soldier suddenly let out a furious roar and lunged forward with a thrust.
The thrust was fast, but Eric's blade moved at the same instant.
With an upward flick of his blade, he deflected the sword's point.
The next moment, Eric was already close, his blade sliding up the man's arm.
Then, with a sudden twist, he drove the point of his blade into the man's armpit.
This was a classic Knight's technique for piercing armor. The soldier's body went rigid.
Eric pulled the blade out, and blood gushed forth.
The man knelt in the mud as the rain quickly washed the blood away.
The battle was over. Eric stood where he was.
His breathing was slightly ragged. He flicked the blood from his blade.
'A three-on-one while unarmored. A bit of a hassle, just as I thought.'
Then, a system prompt appeared before his eyes.
[Successfully killed three armored soldiers. Swordsmanship Experience +80, Agility Experience +90, Strength Experience +90, Exchange Points +80.]
He hadn't earned a thing on this trip; in fact, he was now 20 Exchange Points in the red.
Frustrated, Eric tapped on his Helmet.
He then walked over to Emma, who was tied to a tree.
Emma averted her gaze, refusing to look at Eric. Though she hadn't felt scared before, watching this man cut down several people in just a few short minutes—the gory scene, the smell of blood—had finally begun to inspire fear in her.
"Just kill me!"
Eric used his Kuman Blade to tilt her chin up, forcing her to look at him.
He then swung the Kuman Blade, bringing it down hard toward her. Emma squeezed her eyes shut and flinched.
However, the anticipated pain never came. Instead, she felt her bonds go slack.
Huh?
"I say, milady, what's with the fear now? You were so brave just a moment ago. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were Saint Genevieve herself, come back to life." (Saint Genevieve was a fifth-century saint of France, a devout Christian who was said to possess mystical powers. She united the Gauls and Franks against the Huns and was a predecessor to Joan of Arc.)
'Why does that voice sound so familiar?' Emma looked at Eric, who lifted the front plate of his Barrel Helmet, revealing his face.
"Eric? Why are you dressed like this?"
"To rescue you, of course, milady. When I realized you'd been captured, I was so worried. But I'm just a Priest. I have nothing but my Devotion to God. And yet, to deal with villains, one needs a sharp Sword."
"I was frantic with worry! The thought of the suffering you might be enduring brought tears to my eyes. At that very moment, a white light descended from the heavens, and a Knight in a Cross Cloak appeared before me..."
"Let me guess, was that Knight named Roland?"
"Ah! Milady is truly one blessed by the gospel of God. The devout shall always find salvation! Let us praise the Lord!"
"Oh, thank you so much. For making up a story just for me."
Emma's brow darkened with annoyance.
'Right, right. What's with that patronizing tone, like he's talking to a child?'
'That bastard was definitely here long before. He saw everything.'
"How could you say that? This is the classic opening to a knightly romance."
"I'm sick of that trope. Now, if you said the bandit leader who kidnaps people in the Forest to be slaves accidentally lost her Helmet during the fight and turned out to be a blonde Persian beauty, that might be a little more interesting."
"Why can't the story be about the blonde beauty tied to the tree being both wise and courageous, fighting bravely against the bandits?"
"I *did* take down several soldiers, you know."
Emma pointed at three soldiers lying on the ground with arrows sticking out of them.
"Alright, alright. Then let's have milady put the finishing touch on this story."
Eric nodded, handed the Kuman Blade to Emma, and gestured toward the short man lying unconscious on the ground.
Emma looked at the Kuman Blade in her hand, then at Eric, and finally at the short man on the ground.
After a long moment.
"Err... A Knight does not kill a disarmed opponent." Emma handed the Kuman Blade back to Eric.
"Is that so?"
Eric crouched down, looked at one of the soldiers Emma had killed with her Bow and Arrow, and lifted the man's hand.
"Then I guess he must have been a brave warrior who swore to never surrender. Or does it not count if they don't get a chance to surrender?"
"The weather is lovely today."
Emma put a hand to her forehead, pretending to admire the scenery.
Eric: "..."
With that, Emma tried to leave, but after just a few steps, a sharp pain in her leg made her lose her balance instantly.
Eric caught Emma, noticing an arrowhead still stuck in her right leg, its shaft broken off.
"I can..."
Emma tried to push Eric away, but the next moment, something was slipped over her head.
It was the Helmet.
"It's not safe here yet. Even if you can walk, I'm still carrying you. Otherwise, all my effort will have been for nothing. Raise your arms."
Then Eric slipped the Chain Armor over her.
Then, ignoring her protests, he hoisted her onto his back and ran quickly toward the edge of the Forest.