-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: 그 악녀가 검을 든 이유 32화
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Ahhh!"
The child was trembling, hands covering their eyes, but the Werewolf Tribe had no reason to care about the child's state.
Erin immediately drew the dagger from her waist and threw it. The dagger she threw pierced straight through the Werewolf's hand.
"Gah!"
From now on, it was crucial to finish them quickly. Ferdin and Erin's eyes met.
She nodded and shot forward. Ferdin immediately followed Erin.
"Who goes there!"
"Intruders!"
The Werewolves, having spotted Erin and Ferdin, shouted.
Erin brought the flat of her sword down on the head of the first one to shout. With the immense, mana-infused force, one individual was instantly knocked unconscious.
Ferdin also succeeded in quickly taking down one with a surprise attack.
Neither of them had thought deeply about their actions. Saving the child suffering before them was simply paramount.
At that moment, one Werewolf lunged, rapidly thrusting long claws towards Erin's side.
Just as she raised her sword to block the attack,
Ferdin was seen slicing off the arm of the Werewolf charging at her.
In response, Erin kicked that Werewolf in the stomach.
Struck by her mana-infused leg, the Werewolf was sent flying and instantly incapacitated. It would likely be difficult for it to move for a while.
Ferdin's eyes gleamed with surprise at the sight. The same was true for Erin.
'At this rate... we might be able to get out without fully revealing my strength...'
The difficult task of rescuing the refugees remained, but it occurred to her that rescuing Amon and Lilia might be relatively easy.
After rescuing them, couldn't she just come back to the Werewolf Tribe's territory alone and save the refugees...?
If so, there would be no reason for her abilities to be doubted.
Erin thought this, filled with hope.
She wanted to enjoy her peaceful academy life for a little longer.
If the fact that she was a Sword Master became known, she wouldn't be able to continue this life.
In an instant, ten Werewolves were incapacitated.
Ferdin approached her, a surprised look on his face, and spoke.
"...Your skill is astonishing, Sir Erin."
Ferdin was in the Advanced Class, and Erin was in the Beginner Class.
But he could tell that Erin's skill was far superior to his own.
She didn't possess the skill level of a Beginner Class student. Even two skilled Advanced Knights wouldn't be able to subdue ten Werewolves this quickly.
They would probably have taken more time and ended up being chased by other Werewolves who came as reinforcements.
Ferdin recalled a conversation he had recently with Duke Ashili.
"Lately... I thought there were no talents worth watching, but I did see one useful fellow."
Ferdin had thought at the time that the person Duke Ashili praised was Amon. Amon was somewhat lazy, but he certainly possessed outstanding talent.
Still, he had been surprised that it was enough to earn Duke Ashili's praise.
That was because Duke Ashili was notoriously stingy with praise, even towards the members of the First Knight Order, who were known to be incredibly skilled.
So, the phrase "useful fellow" was, for him, an immense compliment.
But just now, it suddenly occurred to him that the "fellow" Duke Ashili mentioned might have been Erin.
And that... was certainly strange.
For Erin to be stronger than him and Amon, who had trained for over a decade.
"No, it's just that our coordination was better than expected..."
"Our coordination was indeed good."
A small question arose, but there was no time to ponder it deeply now.
He hurried to the fallen child and frowned at the injuries, which were more severe than he had anticipated.
Ferdin knelt down and met the child's eyes.
At that moment, the child's memories surfaced in his mind.
"What is this? How is this possible?"
"Isn't it a monster?"
"Get out, you monster!"
People murmuring upon seeing the child use magic. A child denounced as a monster and abandoned.
The boy wandered aimlessly, then blended in with refugees on their escape route, and was subsequently captured by the Werewolves.
After that, once it was discovered he was a Mage, unspeakably cruel things were done to the child...
Ferdin clutched his head. Reading someone else's memories was more strenuous than he had imagined.
Regardless of his will, his ability would engrave others' memories into his mind, regardless of time or place.
And the more terrible the memory, the more extreme Ferdin's fatigue became.
He gritted his teeth and carefully lifted the child.
The child, seemingly too weak to react to anyone, glanced at Ferdin and then hunched over.
They simply covered their face with thin arms, desperately trying to hide themselves.
It was an experience that would instill fear in even ordinary adults. Even without that, it was natural for a child in such a situation to fall into a state of panic.
Ferdin, his face grim, whispered to the child.
"We won't hurt you."
At his gentle words, the child cradled in his arms opened their eyes wide.
Ferdin patted the child's back to help them calm down, even just a little.
But there was no time. They had to escape from here quickly. As long as this child was a Mage, the Werewolves would never give up.
And if he were taken hostage along with the child, the Werewolves would demand more Mages.
The child buried their face in Ferdin's embrace, saying nothing.
They seemed to be in a state of shock too profound to speak.
"Sir Erin, I intend to rescue Amon and Lilia and return. Will that be alright?"
Lilia, being a Mage, needed to be rescued immediately as they didn't know what might happen to her, but they didn't have the capacity to save the refugees as well.
The thought that the Werewolves might do the same thing to Lilia made Ferdin's heart race.
"The problem is, we don't know where they are..."
"I know."
"..."
"I can sense Amon's mana."
How? Ferdin was about to open his mouth, perplexed.
He had heard that a Sword Master could locate comrades within a wide radius.
But that was literally the realm of a superhuman.
It wasn't something a typical Beginner Class aspiring knight could do.
However, Erin's handling of the Werewolves so far wasn't something generally possible either.
Just as Ferdin was about to ask Erin how she did it,
A shout rang out.
"Intruders!"
Erin grabbed Ferdin's arm and led him. She focused her mind, trying to locate Amon's mana.
His presence was felt not far away. He seemed to be imprisoned in a place similar to an underground dungeon.
'Around twenty individuals, presumed to be Werewolves, in the vicinity...'
Not bad.
With that thought, Erin gripped her sword and began to run forward.
Ferdin, holding the child in one arm, ran after her. Behind them, Werewolves pursued.
A few Werewolves appeared from the front, but Erin defeated them at a speed that astonished Ferdin.
They soon arrived in front of the underground dungeon. Thanks to Erin's astonishing detection ability, they had reached the underground dungeon at a very fast pace.
Seeing this, Ferdin thought that perhaps they could return to the academy with Amon and Lilia without suffering significant harm.
However, twenty Werewolves were guarding the entrance to the underground dungeon.
'It really was impossible after all.'
He thought this, glaring at them.
He had expected guards to be posted, but he hadn't anticipated such a large number on duty.
Indeed, they hadn't encountered an unusually large number of Werewolves on their way here. It seemed their luck had run out.
Ferdin thought this and looked at Erin.
He was about to tell Erin that she had suffered enough getting here, that going any further was impossible, and that she should escape with the child.
But Ferdin saw Erin's face, which seemed to have resolved something.
She spoke to him.
"Let's break through, Sir Ferdin."
"Sir Erin, it's impossible for just the two of us to face twenty Werewolves."
Erin shook her head and spoke.
"I... am actually much stronger than you imagine, Sir Ferdin. So please, trust me."
Erin was thinking that it wouldn't matter if Ferdin didn't believe her.
If she had said this to anyone else, they would have treated her like a madwoman.
For two academy students with little combat experience to defeat twenty Werewolves was unrealistic, even to her.
She was debating whether she'd have to reveal herself as a Sword Master by infusing her entire body with mana if he didn't believe her.
Her concerns were rendered moot when Ferdin, after watching Erin for a moment and contemplating something, finally nodded.
"I will trust you."
"Huh?"
"I trust you, Sir Erin."
At Ferdin's words, Erin froze.
