Chương 47: The Ambush

By the time I departed from the Knight's barracks, the moon had climbed high overhead. The Academy's curfew begins roughly two hours after the final church bell, meaning it was already quite late. However, based on my past experience, as long as I fabricated a few excuses regarding "noble business," most guards would turn a blind eye to avoid offending some high-ranking noble. With my Night Vision skill at its maximum level, I had no trouble navigating the unlit streets.

But as I neared the academy gates, a sudden, ominous premonition came over me. This was the solitary road leading from the main thoroughfare to the academy's entrance, flanked on both sides by dense foliage. From a distance, my eyes caught several suspicious movements among the trees lining the path. I immediately ducked behind a large nearby trunk, activating my Farsight and X-Ray Vision. About a dozen masked figures were lying in wait on both sides of the road.

It wasn't clear if they belonged to the Griffin clan or the Church. They remained perfectly still, apparently having not spotted me yet. The academy gates were still quite far; if a commotion broke out here, the gate guards wouldn't hear it in time to assist. Fortunately, I had anticipated such a scenario. Before leaving the barracks, I had carefully asked Rachel to "escort" me from the shadows. I reckoned she had spotted the group by now as well.

Sure enough, Halunar's Eye caught a dark silhouette moving with extreme speed, closing in on an assassin perched in a tree. Without a sound, the assassin's body slumped and fell limply across a neighboring branch. The shadow silently neutralized two more before the remaining hostiles realized something was amiss. They began to abandon their covers to hunt for the one who had taken down their comrades. At that moment, Rachel suddenly appeared behind me like a phantom, nearly giving me a heart attack.

"There are more of them and they're more skilled than I anticipated," she whispered.

"Professional mercenaries. I can't take them all out at once." I rubbed my chest to regain my composure.

"So, what should I do?"

"Run. Bolt straight for the gates. It's easier to deal with them when they have a moving target to focus on."

"... So you're saying I have to be the bait?"

"Suit yourself. You can hide somewhere until morning if you like. You can't go back to the barracks, though; they've stopped accepting visitors for the night." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Fine, then. Running it is. I lunged out from behind the tree and began to run toward the academy gates as if my life depended on it. Imperia houses many descendants of prominent families, so its security is a top priority.

After sunset, a barrier is activated to repel unauthorized intruders. Only those carrying a school crest and verified by the guards can pass through the main gates. Furthermore, the guards are all highly trained and capable of handling emergencies. I knew that as long as I could reach a position within their line of sight, I would be safe. Seeing me run, the assassins dropped all pretense and went into full pursuit. However, Rachel was still faster.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her efficiently neutralize three more on the left flank: one had their throat slit, while the other two were downed by throwing knives. Two more lunged at me from the right. Rachel flicked another dagger, piercing the leg of the lead attacker. He let out a grunt and tumbled face-first onto the pavement. I seized the opening, spinning around to plunge my self-defense dagger into the man lunging from behind before pulling it out in one fluid motion.

He clutched his abdomen, staggering back a few paces before collapsing. Eight down, I counted, using Halunar' Eye to perform a rapid sweep. There were still two left in the distance, but Rachel was already positioned to handle them at that range. However, focusing on the distance caused a lapse in my immediate attention. By the time I snapped my focus back, the assassin who had been stabbed in the leg was already mid-throw, hurlng something toward me.

I could see the glint of a thin, hiltless throwing dagger, but I wasn't fast enough to dodge. I raised my arm to shield my vitals, yet the expected pain never arrived. A wooden sword suddenly entered my field of vision, parrying the high-speed dagger with a dull clack. The wielder of that wooden sword was none other than Kale Derick. He deflected a few more incoming daggers before stepping forward to deliver a crushing blow to the head of the assassin sprawled on the ground.

Before I could decide whether to thank him or ask why on earth he was out here at this hour, Rachel lunged at him. Kale wasn't caught off guard. He used his wooden sword to precisely intercept the strike where Rachel's dagger was aimed, then pivoted smoothly to counter-attack. In a matter of seconds, the two of them had already exchanged several high-speed blows.

"Stop! He's with me!" I screamed just as Kale's wooden sword was about to make contact and Rachel was poised to throw her last concealed dagger. I hurriedly scrambled between them to explain:"Kale, this is my friend, Rachel. Rachel, you've seen him before. He's a Hero Candidate, too!" Rachel tucked her dagger back into her belt, her voice airy as if nothing had happened.

"Yeah, I know. I was just testing his reflexes."

"... Then don't use a real knife for a test!" Kale looked at me, then at the strange, masked girl, and furrowed his brows.

"Your friend... is incredibly weird." I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're the weird one. Curfew started ages ago; what are you still doing out here?"

"I was waiting for you."

"Waiting for me for what?"

"You fought Jullius today, didn't you? I figured he would seek revenge, so I waited for you here."

"You were afraid Jullius would send people after me, so you waited out here until this hour? Since when did you become so generous?"

"... The reason you fought with Jullius was because I provoked him in swordsmanship class, wasn't it? I felt I should take responsibility."