Chapter 49

The fairy on top of Ailax's nose stretched out like a rice cake due to the wind pressure as we ran at an incredible speed.

However, the men in black who were chasing us from behind showed no signs of giving up.

Seeing this, the squad leader gave instructions to everyone.

"There's no point in this. Get ready for battle! The leader will take Mil and Kugaru!"

Are we going to fight? Is it okay?

I became scared and looked up at the one-eyed knight, but he was focused on confirming the squad leader's movements and the positions of the men behind us, so our eyes didn't meet.

When the squad leader gave the signal to stop the horse, the other four also slowed down and quickly dismounted.

The one-eyed knight handed me and Kugaru to the squad leader, then smoothly drew the sword from his waist and lined up at the front with Kicks.

Behind them, the squad leader and Tina also stood and drew their swords.

It would be dangerous to get too close, but it would also be dangerous to get too far away, as we wouldn't be protected in an emergency. So, the leader and I stayed about three meters behind with the horses, watching the situation unfold.

There were no other passersby on the road, and on the left side, a wide field spread out. On the right side was a desolate grassland, but a forest and a small mountain lay just beyond it.

The suspicious group quickly approached, and the two at the front, still riding their horses, charged at the one-eyed knight and Kicks with their momentum.

However, the one-eyed knight and Kicks skillfully dodged and avoided the attack.

There were indeed five men in black.

"Who are you?"

The squad leader questioned them harshly, but no one answered.

All of them dismounted in silence and approached us head-on.

It might be my imagination, but the five enemies seemed to be looking at me and Kugaru, which made me scared.

The leader put us on the one-eyed knight's horse, Leader. He stood in front of us, trying to hide us behind him, but I couldn't help but peek out of curiosity.

Kugaru also peeked out from the other side, a bit tense.

The two sides glared at each other in the middle of the road for a moment, but then Kicks took the initiative and attacked, which triggered the start of the 4-on-5 battle.

Since the leader was staying with us and not fighting, our side had fewer people.

The sharp sound of swords clashing echoed everywhere, and I shrank in fear. It was the first time I had seen the one-eyed knight and Kicks in a real battle.

The intensity and tension of a real, serious battle made my paws sweat uncontrollably.

The one-eyed knight was fighting two enemies alone, but his strong and powerful sword skills, like those of an iron man, seemed to give him the upper hand.

His strikes were heavy, so any enemy who tried to block them with their sword would be forced to take a step back.

On the other hand, Kicks, who was fighting next to him, moved like an acrobat, with quick and fast sword swings.

Though he made many unnecessary movements, he avoided enemy attacks like a cat, leaping back and striking from above while jumping, making unpredictable moves that confused the enemies and made it hard for them to predict his patterns.

The squad leader was particularly skilled at avoiding enemy attacks. Unlike Kicks, who distracted the enemy with large movements, the squad leader used minimal movements to dodge effectively.

He would then strike quietly when the enemy was out of breath.

Tina seemed to be modeling her fighting style after the squad leader. While not as refined, her basic movements were similar, focusing on dodging and inducing the enemy to self-destruct.

The brute force of the one-eyed knight and the agility of Kicks, however, were not very useful for Tina, who was a woman.

The one-eyed knight, the squad leader, and Kicks were all very strong, and Tina was certainly not weak. If the enemies were just thugs, they would have won with a few swings of their swords.

But the men in black who attacked this time were not small fry.

All five of them had ordinary or slim builds and were not as muscular as the one-eyed knight or the leader.

However, they were undoubtedly well-trained and skilled in combat, making them difficult to defeat.

"What are you thinking?"

The squad leader, wearing an ice mask, questioned the enemy in a cold voice.

"Do you not want to defeat us?"

For a moment, I didn't understand what he meant, but looking at the current situation between the squad leader and the enemy, I got a vague idea.

At first, the enemy had been actively engaging in battle, but now they were maintaining a moderate distance from the squad leader, showing no signs of attacking.

Even when the squad leader swung his sword, they would block it and slowly retreat.

Upon closer observation, the other four enemies had also slowed their attacks, mainly focusing on defense and watching our side's movements.

"Come on, if you're going to attack, do it!"

Kicks' sword, swung horizontally with force, was also avoided, and the distance was maintained again.

What was the enemy's purpose?

At least, they didn't seem to want to kill us all.

If they had seen me and Kugaru in the town of Gorda, were they targeting us?

(But we're not in our child forms now...)

Did they know that we, in the forms of a fox and a leopard, were the same children they had seen in the town?

An eerie silence enveloped the area.

Unable to stand still any longer, I started pacing on Leader's back, and the leader's thick hand plopped down on my head.

"Whatever the enemy's purpose, just stay calm and watch. Grail is my student. He won't lose. Cromwell has become much stronger than he used to be, and those two are making good moves. It'll be fine. If it gets dangerous—"

"Kyaa...!"

A small scream made me turn around, and I saw that Tina had been attacked and her sword had been knocked away.

Her slender sword fell to the ground, leaving her defenseless as the enemy approached.

The moment I sensed the danger, I ran out without thinking.

"Sorry, Leader!"

I ran up Leader's long neck, stepped on his head, and kicked his nose to jump.

Perhaps it was the strength of desperation, but despite not being able to jump over a small stream, I found myself clinging to the face of the enemy who was facing Tina.

"Mil!?"

"What the—!?"

The enemy, suddenly stuck with a furry object, desperately tried to pull me off.

Ouch, ouch, my back fur is being pulled out!

If I go bald, my charm will be halved, so stop it!