The Banished Black Swordsman Wants a Peaceful Life with the White Saint in the Frontier ~Huh? You Want Him to Come Back with the Saint? It’s Already Too Late~ - 55

Chapter 55: The Enemy’s True Identity

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

The highway stretching south began to narrow as it became sandwiched between forest and ravine. A sheer cliff pressed in from behind, while on the opposite side a dark sea of trees pushed right up to the edge of the road. From here on, if one were attacked even once, there would be very little room to escape. The colors of dusk were sinking, and an early moon was just beginning to rise at the edge of the sky.

As they reached the spot they were aiming for, the horse snorted briefly. In the middle of the road, a cargo wagon lay toppled over with one wheel broken. The axle had split, and the iron rim of the wheel had come halfway off. Blood had darkened and sunk into the ground, glinting dully in the moonlight. Hemp sacks were torn open and grain had spilled out, while wooden crates looked as though they had been gnawed apart and lay shattered and scattered. There was the remains of a campfire by the roadside, and beneath the ash, a faint red glow still smoldered.

The warmth that said people had been here just moments ago still lingered in the air. According to Cron’s report, the merchant caravan had apparently withdrawn to a nearby village. Right now, only Lloyd and Lusha were here. Lloyd jumped down from the driver’s seat and wrapped the reins around a dead tree. His hand naturally went to the sword at his waist. The cold feel of the hilt stiffened his fingers. His pulse beat a little fast in his ears.

“…No sign of anything, huh?”

Stepping over the wagon’s shadow and straddling the scattered cargo, he scanned the surroundings. The edge of the forest was right there. Perhaps the attackers had launched a surprise assault from that spot. Behind him, fabric rustled softly as Lusha lightly landed on the ground. She adjusted the edge of her hood with her fingertips and swept her gaze quietly around. Lloyd crouched down and traced marks carved into the mud with his finger. Claw marks. Deep ones. Sharp grooves gouged into the earth, as if cut by blades.

“What kind of tracks are these?”

The footprints were extremely distinctive. No. Rather than the footprints themselves, it was the way they were left that was distinctive. In other places, the tracks abruptly stopped, only to reappear a short distance away. It painted a picture of movement—sliding or leaping from shadow to shadow.

“This is… Are they moving as if melting into shadows? This isn’t the work of ordinary beasts.”

“Lloyd, please look.”

Lusha knelt near the remains of the campfire and pointed at the edge of the ash. A faint light spilled from her fingertip and wavered over the ashes. Something cold mixed into the air, grazing the back of his throat and leaving behind an unpleasant numbness.

“This is…”

“Miasma. There’s a faint residue of miasma mixed with poison.”

“Poisoned miasma, these broken tracks… Yeah, it might be Shadow Wolves. We’ve drawn the attention of a troublesome bunch.”

“Shadow Wolves? I’ve never heard of them.”

“They usually lurk deep in the forest. You almost never run into them.”

Lloyd nodded and briefly explained Shadow Wolves to Lusha. Shadow Wolves were beast-type monsters with black fur that blended into darkness. They were shrouded in miasma, and ordinary blades barely seemed to have any effect on them.

They moved in packs, and the leader was large-bodied, covered in thick muscle, and possessed of a powerful physique. They moved as if slipping through shadows, and their fangs carried cursed poison. If bitten, one would be paralyzed and unable to move. The pack leader coordinated the group with a roar, and to make matters worse, they were said to react to curse power similar to Lloyd’s 〈Malice Glyph〉, becoming even more ferocious.

..They really are troublesome.

As he explained, the gravity of the situation sank in. A single one wouldn’t be an issue, but judging from the tracks and claw marks, this wasn’t just one or two. At this number, it would be a tough fight. Of course, if he borrowed the power of the White Saint, it would all be manageable, but…

“What should we do? I think it would be best to go to the village and fight together with the caravan’s guards…”

Lusha pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow slightly.

“No. There’s no time. It would be worse if that village got attacked. We’ll act as bait and finish them tonight.”

As he stated it decisively, something hard settled deep in his chest. Why was it? The feeling that he didn’t want to rely on her power was unusually strong. The reason was obvious, though.

“…Understood.”

Lusha’s pale-azure eyes wavered for just a moment, and the fingers holding the edge of her hood tightened slightly. Still, she nodded quietly. After that, Lloyd and Lusha began preparing for camp. Though calling it “camp” was misleading. It was bait, meant to lure them in. They chose the overturned wagon as a windbreak and rekindled the fire at the old firepit. He transferred flame to a twig lightly rubbed with oilcloth, then nurtured it into thicker branches.

The flames began to breathe, orange light dancing across the wagon’s wooden boards. The light was reassuring, but at the same time it served as a marker—clearly telling them that there was prey here. Their positioning put a cliff at their backs, the wagon to the left, a short slope to the right, and only the front open. At first glance it looked disadvantageous, but it was the minimum formation needed to avoid being surrounded.

As long as they weren’t surrounded, Lloyd alone could protect both Lusha and the horse. If he fought from the front alone, there would be no problem. During that time, the two of them spoke no words. Lusha sat in the fire’s shadow, fingers clasped as if in prayer. Her profile was calm, but Lloyd saw her eyelashes tremble once beneath the hood.

I’ll end this… With my own strength.

Lloyd told himself that. If he relied on Lusha’s light, the fight would surely end much more easily. With 〈Luxuria〉, Lloyd could fully unleash the power of 〈Malice Glyph〉. It would even thin out the Shadow Wolves’ miasma and weaken them. Even poison could be cured immediately with her healing magic. Being attacked wouldn’t be frightening at all. But… That was exactly why he was afraid of relying on her. If he grew used to leaning on her, he wouldn’t know how to carry himself once they were apart.

…It’s fine. It’s fine. This is how I’ve always lived.

The hand resting on the hilt felt strangely sweaty. Why was that? The moment he decided to fight alone, a peculiar tension seized him. That had never happened before. Deep in the forest, wind passed through and branches scraped together. There were no bird calls. The ravine made no sound, only swallowed it. 

After waiting for some time… When the campfire’s breathing settled into a steady rhythm—

“Lloyd!”

Lusha’s face snapped up. Her eyes beneath the hood caught the fire’s orange glow and gleamed sharply. Detection magic had been triggered.

“They’re here!”

“Yes. A large life reaction is heading this way at tremendous speed…!”

“How many?”

“One, two, three… Six of them.”

“Six, huh. That’s a lot.”

If he fought alone, it was a number that would definitely surround him. But it wasn’t impossible. The trajectories of his slashes, the quirks of the footing, escape routes. Using this terrain, he should be able to take them down. And if it came down to it, he still had 〈Malice Glyph〉. If he used that, Shadow Wolves would be no threat at all. But he wanted to avoid using it if possible. Using 〈Malice Glyph〉 meant relying on Lusha. However, the White Saint must have sensed what Lloyd was thinking. Looking at him anxiously, she spoke.

“Um, Lloyd? I have some training in offensive magic as well. It’s fine to leave a few of them to me.”

“…No, it’s fine. You protect the horse.”

As Lloyd answered, a presence stirred before him and grass rustled. He raised his gaze, and two red points of light floated in the darkness. About ten ken away. Low to the ground, at crawling height. One, two—red lights ignited deeper within the trees on both sides. Spreading in an arc, that made… Five.

Five? Didn’t she say six? Is one of them hiding somewhere?

Cold sweat ran down his spine. Above? Behind? Or perhaps… The shadows. They used shadows. One unseen beast was likely melted into darkness somewhere.

“Lusha, stay back.”

Lloyd barked the order, drew the magic sword Rukuud, and stepped forward. The jet-black blade caught the moonlight and glimmered faintly. His breathing deepened once. He spread his feet, braced his left heel against a stone, and shifted his weight to the right. The red lights ahead growled low, and the grass seemed to sink as if pressed down. The darkness quivered. Forest, ravine, even the campfire’s flames seemed to hold their breath for an instant.

“Come on, mutts. Your opponent is me.”

The shadows burst forth all at once… And the Shadow Wolves leapt toward Lloyd.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー