(the new deal: when we reach 444 power stones, i will publish 8 chapters in a single day!)
"You're not a [Swordsman]... Why can you still use [Magic]...?"
On the ground, Plague Mage Vega stared wide-eyed, twitching as he forced out the final question of his life.
Shane walked up to him and stopped.
"You're about to die. Why bother asking?"
The small figure convulsing in pain clearly had so lingering obsession. He clenched the bone staff in his hand so hard that it shattered, his face filled with anxiety.
"Why... Tell why..."
From his bloodshot, widened eyes alone, it was obvious how important this question was to him.
But the more anxious he beca, the less hurried Shane was.
In the end, the twitching little figure on the ground completely dissolved into magical particles and disappeared.
Only then did Shane speak at a leisurely pace.
"Sorry, I know a little bit of everything."
What a sha. The other party could no longer hear him.
But that was fine. Dying with regrets did not seem like such a big deal when it happened to a demon.
After dealing with the demon, Frieren grabbed Shane by the collar, flew into the sky, and began searching for the others.
The group reunited in an open space among the mountain woods.
"Is everyone all right?"
As soon as Shane landed, he asked about everyone's condition. Only after checking on them one by one did he finally relax.
The injured boy was lying on the ground, receiving Sein's treatnt.
His mangled left shoulder had already healed, but the arm he had lost could no longer be restored. The clean stump was covered in newly grown skin, making it look sowhat strange.
The boy's face was still pale, but his breathing had clearly beco much steadier.
"His condition is under control now, but he lost too much blood. It will probably take so ti before he wakes up." As Sein spoke, he turn off the magic in his hand.
Everyone else let out a sigh of relief.
Just then, Fern, who was wiping the blood from the boy's face, suddenly stopped.
The girl looked at the wounded boy lying on the ground, then looked at Stark in front of her, gradually revealing a puzzled expression.
"Don't you think this warrior looks a lot like Stark?"
As soon as Fern said that, everyone lowered their heads and looked over.
The mont Shane clearly saw the boy's face, his heart gave a sudden jolt.
In a flash, he suddenly rembered who the armored boy in front of him was.
He was the eldest son of Lord Orden, the one who should have died in battle. His na seed to be...
"Wirt!!"
A frantic burst of hoofbeats rang out, accompanied by an anxious shout.
A small cavalry unit quickly approached them.
At the front was a middle-aged man in a general's uniform. His face was stern and cold, and a black eyepatch covered his right eye. At that mont, he was urgently pulling on the reins.
Before the horse had even fully stopped, he flipped down from its back and rushed to the armored boy's side in just a few steps.
"Wirt!"
The middle-aged man placed his hands beside the boy. He looked as if he wanted to pick him up, yet did not dare to do so at all. His face was filled with anxiety.
When he saw the boy's bare left shoulder, the pain in his eyes seed to beco almost tangible. Trembling, he covered the newly grown skin with his own hand, and his entire body instantly hunched over.
The man trembled, shuddered, and stood there in helpless bewildernt...
The surroundings were very quiet.
But for so reason, from that hunched back, Shane seed to hear a sound filled with heart-rending pain.
Lord Orden.
He was the armored boy's father, the ruler of Fortress City Vorig, and one of the three great knights of the north.
"Gabel, imdiately split the people we brought into two teams. One team will search for survivors. The other will follow to pursue the fleeing demon remnants."
Just as Shane thought he might continue sinking into grief, Lord Orden suddenly picked up his son, then imdiately gave orders to the mbers of the cavalry unit behind him.
The old man called Gabel responded and began deploying the n.
At the sa ti, Lord Orden handed the son in his arms to Gabel, then mounted his horse again.
Only then did Lord Orden's gaze fall on Shane and the others.
It even paused on Shane's face for a second.
"They saved Wirt. The Orden family will not treat them poorly. Gabel, invite them to my manor."
After saying that, he squeezed his horse's sides and galloped away with the cavalry behind him.
Only the old man called Gabel was left behind, along with the unconscious boy in his arms.
The old man's attitude was very respectful. He lowered his head and made a gesture inviting them forward.
Shane was a little stunned.
This man's way of speaking and doing things was far too forceful.
The others were just as stunned as he was. Even Fern, who had always been very polite, could not help puffing out her cheeks.
"Rude."
Frieren, standing nearby, did not show much expression. Her tone was simply a little helpless.
"That guy's grandfather was just as overbearing. Let's go. As for the reward, we can forget about it this ti."
Stark nodded. He clearly did not want to deal with such a domineering general.
However, Fern, whose cheeks had just puffed up, hesitated.
"Lady Frieren, we have to go to Vorig to restock our supplies. Otherwise..."
Sein also frowned slightly.
"I don't think we even have bread for lunch today."
Hearing that, Frieren paused.
"All right. The reward we should collect still has to be collected."
Shane shook his head helplessly.
The group followed Gabel toward the Orden Manor.
On the way, Fern's cheeks were still puffed up.
Shane patted her head and gave her a small bit of comfort.
"Mr. Shane, aren't you angry?"
"There's nothing to be angry about. It's normal for a general to have a cold, hard personality."
"But..."
"Did you want him to politely invite us back to his manor, thank us in person, and then gently offer us our reward?"
Fern froze for a mont.
"I didn't exactly expect him to go that far..."
Just as she said that, the group happened to pass by a scorched patch of land.
Broken armor and snapped weapons lay scattered everywhere. Black smoke still rose from a few places, making it obvious that an intense battle had just taken place.
The cavalryn brought by Lord Orden were currently cleaning up the battlefield and searching for wounded soldiers. All of them were expressionless. Even when facing the corpses of their fallen comrades, their movents did not pause in the slightest.
They silently did what they had to do.
Shane looked at the scene, then lowered his head and patiently explained to Fern.
"Soldiers are cold by nature because they are used to seeing life and death. If they were too gentle, they wouldn't be able to endure the cruelty of the battlefield."
"Think about it. If Frieren and I were injured, would you be able to put aside your grief and imdiately chase after the enemy?"
Fern fell silent.
She listened carefully to Shane's words and lowered her head in quiet thought.
The little girl was very smart. She knew that Shane was teaching her.
She raised her head and looked at the battlefield that had been reduced to scorched earth. Then she looked at the unconscious boy, before her gaze passed over the mountain woods and turned in the direction where Lord Orden had gone to pursue the enemy.
"I understand, Mr. Shane."
Shane smiled.
A mont later, the girl silently added another sentence.
"But I'm still a little angry, so I'll ask for a bit more reward later."
"Of course. We have to ask for a lot."
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