The fight is now at a stalemate. My guards are growing tired and even though there are also casualties on the other side, ours are heavier. Kuro can't unleash his full potential because he's focused on making me safe rather than attacking. And against six people, his energy fell on defense.
This is not good.
The leader frowned and suddenly swept forward together with five other people, and the ones on the opposite side began attacking as well when my guards moved. Kuro growled and a barrier wrapped around us to block them. It didn't pierce the barrier and their attacks got ferocious. The leader had even started blasting spells as well which is much stronger than his minions.
Sooner or later, the barrier would break and that would be the end of it.
Shit! We haven't gone far from the Ethalion estate but the distance is still wide so we can't expect to have any help arriving. Seems like we are destined to be defeated here.
Just thinking about it already makes me depressed.
And as if some God heard me, a few people appeared out of the woods again and they were all wearing dark clothes. Thinking that they are accomplices made my heart sink and I was about to lose hope. But then, something unthinkable happened. They all attacked the cloaked figures much to our astonishment.
Who…?
I don't know who they are but if they are here to help then thank the heavens!
The cloaked figures were caught off guard because they all came so suddenly that they didn't react just in time, except for some of them like their leader. He must have noticed their presence and got vigilant.
Eight people came to my rescue and charged towards the six cloaked figures who retreated to avoid them. One of them especially caught my eye because he was so familiar to me, I just can't point quickly where and when I saw him.
He has ashy-colored long hair that is braided behind him and sways with his every move. A long sword is on his right hand and a dagger on the left which he would alternately use. His moves are quick and efficient, driving one of the minions and even injuring him. He's like a dancer, so graceful and deadly.
A clamor was also happening behind me and when I peered, a new wave of dark-clothed individuals was helping my men fight and they were gaining the upper hand. Finally.
Kuro helped to fend them off too but still kept the barrier going in case someone would launch a sneak attack. And now, the tables have turned. We now have the leverage from the fight thanks to the dozens of people who appeared.
"Tsk! Let's fall back," the leader glared at us in displeasure and issued a command.
And before they escaped, he condensed a huge amount of magic in his hand and blasted it in my direction. The dark-clothed men didn't see that coming and had tried to avoid it but must have remembered something and squeezed together in front of me instead.
'Are they blocking it for me?'
I was having a silly thought and was even shocked to see their actions. Even the ash-haired guy was on it as well.
'But why?'
All of that happened in seconds and before we got blown away, Kuro used all his strength and made the barrier bigger and stronger. The impact was so powerful that it churned the air around us, created a shockwave, and destroyed the surrounding trees. It jolted us too as the ground shook beneath our feet and knocked a few of us down. I couldn't even stay on my feet and fell to the earth.
Everyone shielded their eyes because of the blinding light and when it faded, all I could see for a moment were blurry figures and that there was a loud ringing in my ears.
When I came to, I was shaking like a leaf on the cold hard ground, numb as hell. After knowing that we are finally safe, all my strength just left my body as I was overcome with relief.
Holy shit. T-that was-- Oh, gosh…
Have I ever been in such an intense situation before? Why does it feel like I have but I can't remember?
I was about to immerse myself in my thoughts when a hand extended in front of me. I looked up and saw the ashy-haired man standing firmly, offering his hand. Without question, I grasped his outstretched arm and let him pull me to stand on my shaking legs. He didn't release his hold on me right away until I got steady.
"T-thank you," I muttered through the rush of adrenaline.
"My lady!" Uno called out and rushed towards me. He then supported my frame and checked if I was unharmed.
When he was satisfied that he didn't see any major injuries aside from a few nicks and scratches on my face and body that I'm not even sure where they were all from, he turned his attention to our saviors.
"Dear heroes, thank you for your help. If not for all of you, the lady would have been in peril." Uno bowed half of his body in a perfect 90-degree posture, showing his sincerity and conveying his gratitude.
The ash-haired man nodded at him and to our surprise, they all immediately left and had even hidden their presence completely. They were like ghosts who came and disappeared in a flash. If not for the fact that we had been saved and that I could still feel the heat from that ash-haired man's skin, I would think they were a hallucination just now.
I didn't even get to have their names…
Uno seemed surprised too but had recovered faster than me and issued a command.
"Go to the Ethalion estate and seek help. We need to borrow a new carriage," he then turned to the others, "Go and check the surroundings. We must ensure that those people won't attack again."
I wasn't listening to them, I was in the process of calming myself down by heaving deep breaths. Kuro had exhausted his powers and couldn't assume his real size now had reduced his size again, lying beside me. I was sitting on the makeshift chair that the guards had put together from what remained of our carriage. The cushion was still intact, albeit ruined, but it served its purpose.
It came to me like a slap on the face that I was on the verge of death just now. I don't know what those people's purpose is and why they were targeting us. Me, rather.
Also, the fact that they all can use magic…
How? Were there a lot of mages here in Rosenthal? That's impossible, right?
I mean… There are only two blessed lineages at present in the empire. And currently, only three people have a magic affinity, and that includes me and excluding the arcane tower.
But those men… How many were they? Twelve? Fifteen?
Fifteen mages…
How could that be? Where did they come from? Why did they target me?
So many thoughts… So many questions…
I was distracted the whole time and had not noticed that help had already arrived.
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