Asuka stayed where he was, sensing the information his “birds” in the sky were sending him. The sky had turned deep blue, with only a faint glow left on the horizon. He recalled his birds, then used his power to control a dozen or so bats nearby and send them flying toward the bandits’ camp.
Bats might not have the best eyesight, especially at this dusky hour, but they could scout using echolocation. Asuka took a moment to get used to the images formed by the returning sound waves, then ordered the bats to fly toward the middle of the camp.
The camp was enormous. By a rough estimate, it held as many as 150 people.
“This is bad…”
Asuka’s brows knitted tightly.
There was no way their small team could defeat this many enemies. As he released his control over the bats, he suddenly noticed that two of the dozens he’d been controlling had died. Surprised, he sent the others flying toward that spot. Then he faintly heard the people below talking.
“Come here, kid. I’ll catch a couple of bats for you to try.”
“……”
They ate bats? He pictured what they looked like. They weren’t exactly nauseating, but the thought of eating one… Well, anyone who wanted to eat bats probably had something wrong with their head.
Once he was sure they hadn’t noticed his control, Asuka released the bats. But the instant he did, a priest-like figure in one of the tents at the very center of the camp suddenly opened his eyes.
“Someone’s discovered us!”
“What?”
The others in the tent turned pale with shock, then began preparing to gather their men.
“Don’t panic. Sit down. They probably don’t have enough people and are planning to retreat.”
After hearing the priest say that, the others sat back down, reassured.
“Wait, Priest. If they don’t have enough people, shouldn’t we send men to kill them all? That way, our information won’t get out.”
The priest remained seated, saying nothing. The man saw that he wasn’t getting a response, so he could only sit back down. Then the priest finally spoke.
“The people who came this time are no pushovers. Send a squad after them and make as much of a commotion as you can. Remember, drive them away from the main city.”
“Understood!”
The man by the entrance was about to leave and give the order when the priest stopped him.
“Wait. Don’t send too many people, but make a big show of it. Then we’ll leave this camp at once.”
“And the men who go after them?”
“Forget them.”
The man looked at the priest’s cold expression and shivered.
“Yes, sir.”
…………………………
“How long are we supposed to keep chasing them?”
As the sky grew completely dark, Itefeil’s patience ran out. This wasn’t even her mission, yet somehow she’d been forced to work overtime.
Pons quietly followed beside Itefeil. The forest at night put his mind at ease, and the delicate scent drifting from the woman beside him kept filling his nose, mingling with the forest’s warm, damp air and its fresh, leafy fragrance.
He was in a very good mood.
Of course, he’d be in an even better mood if there were no mission—and no squad behind them that kept snickering.
“Hey, what are you grinning about?”
Ah. It slipped out before I could stop it.
Pons reined in the slight smile at the corners of his mouth, then put on a serious face.
“Honestly, this mission has nothing to do with us! Why did we have to come all this way with you? We’re peacekeepers, not a combat unit!”
“Miss Itefeil, please keep your voice down. Shouting in a forest at night makes you seem rather unladylike.”
????
Screw your ladylike manners! If I didn’t think you were probably royalty, I’d kick you right off your horse!
Just as Itefeil was fuming, a commotion suddenly rose from the forest ahead.
“Hm? Why are they coming back?”
Pons heard the hoofbeats of several valuable mounts mixed in with the noise ahead. The sounds from farther back were a mess, and he couldn’t make out much else.
Before long, a member of the Woodpecker team appeared in the distance, then hurried toward them.
“What’s going on?”
Pons frowned at their panicked expressions.
“Asuka’s hurt! The enemy’s chasing us!”
Then they saw Asuka lying limp on the back of a ground dragon, barely clinging to life.
“What happened? How did he end up like this?”
Pons hurried over to check Asuka’s injuries. Thankfully, Asuka seemed to have only lost consciousness temporarily, and his body was still instinctively channeling power into the ground dragon. But blood was seeping from his ears, nose, and mouth.
“Was this a mental attack?”
Did the enemy have a Mage?
The situation suddenly looked incredibly bad. Only a Mage could fight another Mage. And with so many enemies, if their Mage was hidden among the crowd, they could pick them off one by one. Even if a fight broke out, Itefeil was only a Mage herself, and she’d still be at great risk of taking a serious hit.
“We have to go, Pons!”
“If we leave, what happens to them?”
He glanced at Itefeil and her group. They simply weren’t capable of a long-distance charge or a fast retreat right now.
“Protecting Your Highness is what matters most right now!”
Watching the two argue, Itefeil figured she was probably done for. Regret filled her heart—so much regret. If she’d just turned down this mission, the worst that could’ve happened was getting demoted to commoner status or reduced to an ordinary police officer. Now she was about to lose her life.
“Hey, stop arguing. You’re high-ranking nobles of the Empire, and you’re royalty, right?”
The members of Woodpecker all turned to look at Itefeil.
She spread her hands, her voice tinged with resignation.
“You should get going. Don’t worry about us. We’re just commoners of the Empire, but you’re different. You’re the Empire’s elite—even its future heirs, maybe. One of you dying would matter more than all of us dying five or six times over. So go. We’ll hold off the pursuers.”
Everyone there could hear the resignation in her voice, mixed with resolve and fear. But Itefeil’s team understood that this was the best choice. If they died here, their families would be honored for giving their lives to protect important figures of the Empire, and would be well taken care of. But if the Woodpecker team suffered heavy losses here—not even half their number, just one important person dying—they’d face enormous pressure.
“Dismount and form up!”
“Yes, sir!”
Itefeil quickly led her subordinates into a defensive formation, taking the center herself as they prepared to face the coming attack.
