My Villains Episode 045
12. The Night of the Fireflies (3)
Although unexpected circumstances occurred, the night raid was quite successful. He wiped out nearly 30 thieves and suffered little damage.
But I couldn’t say it was a perfect night raid. It’s because I lost one guy in the melee.
The one who escaped was one of the firefighters guarding the campfire.
He escaped poisoning thanks to going to soothe the chaotic horses, and when the war situation became unfavorable, he rode a horse and ran away.
The other vigilantes also tried to run away together, but he fell off his horse before leaving the river bank, as if he was not good at horseback riding.
With a broken leg, he crawled across the floor and was caught by Arnal after the battle.
“Hey, this is a headache.”
I muttered that and wiped off the blood with the blanket covered by the bandits. As the blood was wiped away, the pale green glow that became more faint showed off its presence again.
Grania, who took off her round helmet and wiped off her blood and sweat, said with a dejected expression.
“Soon the bandits will come like dogs. You have to leave now.”
“…What about the request? If I step down now, there will be no chance again, right?”
“The important thing now is not the request. It will be dangerous if the enemies attack in groups
.”
Arnal, who was picking out those that could be used again among the recovered arrows, frowned.
“Is that true? What are Pharrell and Gilius going to do?”
“…it’s not about running away. I made some effort. The lord of the castle won’t harm you either.”
“well. Aren’t you looking at the aristocrats too easily?”
When Grania shut her mouth, everyone fell into silence as if lost in thought.
While I was wiping away the blood, immersed in my own worries, I suddenly felt a gaze from the side.
“…what? what’s the matter?”
“Are you really okay?”
“Oh, it’s okay.”
I smiled when I saw Ellen keeping her mouth shut and examining my complexion.
“Look, the light is getting weaker. In a little while, this will be over.”
“…Huh. That’s why you shouldn’t use magic items recklessly. I never imagined it would have such a bizarre side effect.”
In spite of my joke, he muttered an accusatory tone. Then he grabbed my hand, took off the glove, and looked at the back of my hand.
“Isn’t it itchy or stinging?”
“at all.”
“Are you feeling nauseous or dizzy?”
“You said it earlier. Are you okay?”
Oh hey, this guy is really tough too.
As a side effect of drinking the invisibility potion, my body emits a strange glow, so as soon as the battle was over, Ellen came running to me and continued to bombard me with the above questions.
No matter how good it was, they made a fuss about it, such as opening their mouths or pulling out their hair, to the point where even I became uneasy.
“Oh you! Do you think your eyes are red?”
“I usually do this when I fight…”
“No. The color is different from usual!”
“It’s an illusion, an illusion. Stop it”
“Mr. Lee, don’t turn your head! Open your eyes wide!”
“Oops.”
When the guy suddenly jumped at me and grabbed my face and opened my eyelids, I shook off his hand and put on my helmet.
“Hey, it’s okay! If something is wrong, I’ll tell you right away, so don’t worry and just stay still!”
“…Do I have to tell you right away if there’s anything that’s bothering you?”
“Okay, I’ll tell you. I am completely fine now.”
At my firm reply, Ellen sighed as she squatted down next to me.
“It was also really nonsense. What kind of ingredients do you put in that cause these stupid side effects? Could it be that it’s not a mutation…’?”
The guy who had muttered so much was crying with his eyes moistened.
The worry and guilt on his face was so cute that I pricked him on the cheek.
“What are you thinking about dying like that?
Are you that worried about me?”
“…Isn’t that what it is?”
“Then why are you like that, man? Stop crying and tell me.”
“Crying is someone crying.”
“huh? Were you crying? Crying is your specialty.”
Ellen glared at me for a moment, then pursed her lips for a moment as if trying to choose her words.
Then, at last, he shut his mouth and turned his head away.
“hey. hey. Are you crying?”
Ellen, who regained her energy after stabbing him in the side and kicking it to the fullest, jumped at me and pounded the helmet.
“Shut up and please stay still!”
“Billion stop! Head ringing!”
Seeing Ellen and I cuddling together, Mr. Luke smiled bitterly and said,
“I’m sorry in the middle of the fun, but I don’t think this is the time to play pranks. Won’t you be a little more careful?”
“Ah… *hehe* that’s right. sorry.”
When I apologized with a puzzled expression, Ellen, her palms flushed, also huffed and withdrew.
I looked immature. Has your mental age gotten younger as much as your body has gotten younger?
“So, Phoenix-kun, what do you think?”
To Mr. Luke’s question, I tried to answer with a serious expression.
“…Well, I think we should go to the reinforcements whether it be porridge or rice.”
At my words, Grania’s face distorted.
“It’s too dangerous. There’s no way I can run away from them…”
“If I fail here and go back, I’ll have no choice but to die in the city. After making contact with the reinforcements, return to the city or take it out of the country as it is. We only have two options.”
Talking as if the fate of the city depended on just five people. It may sound like a joke to some.
But what can I do? It’s true.
Of course, an unexpected event may occur and the scenario may flow in a positive direction.
However, it will not be possible to make up for the ‘failure of the hero’ with a few events.
Considering the tasks the hero must do to clear Chapter 2, it is a natural conclusion.
The rest of the party also seemed fully aware that our role was quite important.
In any case, we would be the first to break out of the siege.
In the midst of a moment of silence, Arnal suddenly opened his mouth and grumbled as if he was displeased.
“But why do you keep bringing up the option of dropping out? Are you flirting with us? Abandon your comrades and run away?”
“I don’t mean that. It’s just that I can’t lay down my life for Gilius or Pharrell. Wouldn’t this be wrong?”
Arnal met my eyes, licked his lower lip for a moment, then nodded.
“…well, I can’t even hope for that. I have a conscience too.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“Anyway, I hope you refrain from saying that. Grania and I are not cowards who abandon our comrades and run away. Just because you said you’d run away, we won’t chase after you.”
Those concluding words were directed at Grania, not at me.
It must be a consideration for the leader whose expression darkens whenever the story of escaping comes up.
“You know what? I don’t mean to jump right away anyway… I have the money I received, so I have to do my best as much as I can.”
After hearing my unreasonable words, Grania pressed her forehead with the back of her hand and said in frustration.
“Then I don’t have time to be like this. We have to move right now.”
I threw away the blood-soaked blanket and picked up another one lying around. Then, I wrapped it around my head and upper body.
Mmm, the brilliance is a bit covered, but there is still more light leaking out.
“I think it’s still not enough. Going into the woods with such a flash of light seems stupid…” As
I paused, Mr. Luke, who had been lost in thought, pointed toward the beautiful tree.
“Then how about riding a horse?”
“Say?”
“If you cross the river and pass through the forest, isn’t it a plain with reinforcements? The bandits will gather around the castle, so there won’t be much danger if you run quickly.”
At Mr. Luke’s words, Arnal cried.
“…I can’t ride a horse.”
“How about Miss Grania?”
“Well, I do the basics. To the extent of following the person in front of you…?”
“What about Phoenix-kun?”
“Me?”
Of course I can’t ride, swallowing the afterword, thinking for a while.
From Kim Seung-soo’s point of view, the only horses he had seen at the race park were the ones he saw.
He is an ordinary person who has never ridden a donkey or a pony, let alone a riding horse, or even touched a horse.
But isn’t Phoenix a seed? The class name is also blood ‘knight’. There’s no way I can’t speak.
“Phoenix-kun?”
“Wait a minute.”
I approached the horses tied to the tree with doubts.
There were 14 horses in total tied up, but he seemed a little surprised when some shiny big stride approached. The way he fights wildly and kicks the ground with his hind feet is a sign of full vigilance.
Unlike the surprised guys, I didn’t mind. If I had encountered the fighting horses on Earth, I would have run away in fear… It was a strange thing.
Unlike the long, bulky horses I saw at the race park, the guys tied up here weren’t very big. Is it a different breed? If you look closely, you can see that the legs are a little short and thick.
The large eyes that shone with light green light seemed to be terrified.
It was also very funny to see him back away every time I took a step closer.
Among them, the bravest one stepped forward and blocked me.
It was spotted with white fur that looked like black paint had been sprayed on it, but seeing as it was quite large, it seemed to be the chief among the horses tied up here.
I involuntarily reached out my hand to the rough-and-tumble guy.
“Shh- that’s nice.”
The spotter pulled the reins and shook his head wildly, but I persistently stroked his head. Every time he tried to turn, he pushed his hips and held his head.
“Not nice, not nice.”
How many times did he repeat it in a low, steady voice? Soon, the spot stopped resisting and quietly began to enjoy my touch.
Unfamiliar memories, familiar sensations.
The strange sense of incongruity experienced while fighting Grania revived.
My hand reached out naturally and released the reins from the tree. Then he led the spotter to the place where the saddles were stored.
I picked the largest of them, put it on the guy’s back, tied the chest strap, and hooked it to the reins. Then, with one foot in the stirrup, he jumped up.
“Ahhh-”
An exclamation burst out involuntarily at a strange sense of satisfaction. It feels like I regained my lost leg with a little exaggeration.
As I pulled on the reins and approached the party, Mr. Luke nodded his head knowingly.
“You are also very good at it. Thanks to that, the rest of them can ride comfortably.”
Following Mr. Luke’s gaze, the restless horses seemed to have calmed down.
The group’s vigilance seemed to be relieved at the sight of the leader, Spotted, submitting to me.
“Then Miss Arnal will ride with me. Choose a sheep of Grania.”
“Um, are you okay? I don’t have a keen eye for that.”
“Don’t worry too much. First of all, if you choose a mild-tempered one, I will check the rest.”
While saying that, Mr. Luke moved his steps and suddenly looked back at Ellen, who was standing still.
“Would you like to pick Miss Ellen?”
“Ummm, like that.”
Mr. Luke guessed the situation from Ellen’s expression and smiled wryly.
“You seem to have no confidence in horseback riding.”
“…if you have a side saddle (a saddle that sits sideways), you can ride it.”
“Side birds. I’ll look for it once.”
Mr. Luke looked at the saddle with a puzzled expression. Of course, it was a meaningless action because there was no way the magicians would have such an item.
“Okay, Mr. Luke. I will take care of this guy.”
Saying that, I went up to Ellen and grabbed her by the back and pulled her up with a swish.
“Ehehe.”
With the sound of the wind blowing, Ellen was pulled up and sat down in front of me.
There wasn’t enough space because Phoenix was so big, but since Ellen was small, she seemed to have no problem sitting down.
Ellen’s shoulders stiffened as if she was nervous about the sudden horseback riding. Well, it doesn’t matter because I’m the one holding the reins anyway…
“Hey, what are you afraid of?
“Ah… I wasn’t scared.”
I’m not afraid. Even the voice is trembling.
“Just hold onto the saddle handle.”
“Relieve your body. Lean a little towards me.” Ellen, who couldn’t win the fight, leaned her head against me. The golden hair that flowed down the breastplate smelled of lime.
It’s strange that you can still smell the soap after wandering through the sewers and crypts all day .
Any other tips?
I wanted to ask Ellen, but she seemed a bit restless, so I decided to leave her to calm down for a while. I’ll ask later.
