Chapter 29

For a moment, the scene became somewhat chaotic.

As the saying goes, it's not the god-like opponent you should fear, but the pig-like teammate.

To Rod, the strength of these ambushers was not particularly formidable. Even if he had to face four of them, he was confident of victory. However, Ben and his guards clearly had no experience dealing with sudden attacks. When faced with the black-clad figures that leaped out from the bushes, they were even less composed than Rijie. The two guards shouted and swung their long swords, entangling with the black-clad figures, which made it difficult for Rod to intervene.

But this was not a problem for Rod.

"Swish!"

A white blade sliced through the night sky. Rod's figure turned, becoming a blur as he dodged an attack from a black-clad figure. Then, he flipped his long sword, slashing diagonally. A splash of blood bloomed at the black-clad figure's neck, and the figure staggered before collapsing to the ground, silent.

As the figure fell, Rod had already disengaged. He extended his left hand, and a greenish-blue card immediately floated into his palm. In the next moment, Rod gripped the card in his hand.

"———!!!"

As the card shattered in Rod's hand, a clear and bright bird call echoed again. A soul bird, shimmering with greenish-blue light and enveloped in wind elements, soared through the night sky. It transformed into a bright light and shot forward. The howling wind followed the soul bird, rushing towards the entangled figures.

Neither Ben nor the black-clad ambushers expected Rod to attack his own side without hesitation. When the greenish-blue line flew past them, almost everyone was momentarily stunned. Before they could react, a fierce storm followed the signal, enveloping everyone.

"Whoa!!"

"Ah!"

The four entangled figures screamed in various ways, stumbling and scattering to the sides. At this moment, Rod had already transformed into a shadow, taking advantage of the situation.

Although he could not compare to professional thieves, rangers, or spies in terms of stealth, dealing with this level of enemy was more than enough. The others had not even figured out what had happened. They only knew that a sudden gust of wind had blown past, and the three black-clad figures they were fighting had fallen to the ground, silent. Before the three could confirm the situation, Rod's figure appeared beside them.

"Don't waste time, go protect the carriage."

"Ah, yes!!"

Hearing Rod's reminder, Ben finally realized his task. He hastily raised his long sword and waved to his subordinates to turn and run towards the carriage. At this moment, Rod sensed the figure that had been lurking in front of him finally move.

This was the best opportunity for Orland.

After sending his subordinates to entangle the enemy, Orland had been prepared to launch a surprise attack at any time. However, he did not expect Rod to be so powerful that four level 10 swordsmen could not stop him. Fortunately, they had fulfilled their role, and now was the time for him to act!

As Rod killed the three black-clad figures, Orland had already leaped out of the bushes, rushing towards the carriage. In the previous battle, he had already gauged the enemy's strength. Apart from the young man's exceptional strength, the three guards were as incompetent as he had imagined. The spirit master, although seemingly strong, was irrelevant to combat and could be ignored. As long as he was fast enough, he could grab Miss Helen before the young man returned, and then use her as a shield to ensure his success.

"Who's there!"

As a thief on the verge of advancing, Orland's speed was unmatched. Among the present crowd, only Rijie reacted, instinctively casting a Guardian Shield on herself and retreating. However, Orland had no intention of attacking her. He brushed past Rijie and charged into the carriage.

"Help!!"

Soon, Helen's scream echoed from inside.

As the battle began, Helen had already woken up. She did not know what was happening, but Rijie had reminded her to lock the carriage door and hide carefully. So the young lady could only cower in a corner, listening to the sounds of clashing weapons, screams, and shouts, which made the noble lady tremble with fear. She had never experienced such a situation, making her almost lose her mind. At this moment, a figure suddenly rushed into the carriage, causing Helen to scream instinctively. Before she could react further, the figure covered her mouth and carried her out of the carriage from the other side.

However, at this moment, Rod and the others had already surrounded them.

"Don't come any closer!"

Orland held a dagger to Helen's neck with one hand and tightly gripped her waist with the other, eyeing Rod warily and growling. Helen was clearly stunned by the sudden turn of events, standing stiffly without any reaction.

"Let go of the young lady!!"

Seeing Helen being held hostage, Ben and his two subordinates were also alarmed. They knew they had made a grave mistake. If they had not rushed forward recklessly, the young lady would not have been taken hostage. Now, with the dagger at her neck, any movement could cost her life. What should they do?

"Hmph."

Seeing everyone stop, Orland's heart eased slightly. According to the plan, he just needed to hold Helen hostage and retreat into the forest, and he could easily escape. But...

Damn it, why is this fat woman so heavy? How much does she weigh? Weren't noble young ladies supposed to be slender and delicate? Like that spirit master girl, how can this woman be as heavy as a pig, impossible to drag? Is she really the young lady of the Keller family?

After a few attempts to drag her, Orland's heart, which had eased, tightened again. He did not expect this woman to be so heavy. When he heard that his target was the young lady of the Keller family, he had not given it much thought, assuming she would be like the frail noblewomen he usually saw. But now, he realized the situation was not as simple as he had thought. In fact, from the moment he had dragged Helen out of the carriage, Orland had felt something was off. What he was holding was not a person but a block of stone!

"Help, help!! Ben!! You bastard, what are you standing there for? Come and save me!"

At this moment, Helen seemed to regain her senses and began to scream for help. But before she could finish, the blade at her neck pressed down hard.

"Shut up, fat woman! Or I'll kill you!!"

The menacing warning made Helen close her mouth, her round face contorting into a half-crying, half-laughing expression, which looked quite amusing.

"R-r-respected sir!"

Seeing his master being held hostage, Ben was extremely anxious. He came to Rod's side and pleaded in a low voice.

"P-please, help me save my master from this villain. Miss Helen is the only heir of the Keller family. If she dies..."

Rod did not intend to listen to the rest of his plea.

Just as Ben was trying to think of ways to beg, he saw Rod's right hand suddenly wave forward.

Orland did not understand the meaning of Rod's gesture, but the next moment, a greenish-blue light flashed before him.

Oh no!

Orland only had time to think this before he felt Helen's body bend forward as if struck by an invisible fist.

"Aah—ya!!"

Under Rod's control, the soul bird hit Helen precisely. The blow was not too heavy but was certainly not light. Helen, a noble young lady, had never experienced such pain. The pain made her forget the dagger at her neck, and she instinctively bent forward.

Orland was also taken aback by her action. He had not intended to kill the young lady; the order was to capture her alive. But the young man's unexpected move shocked Orland. He did not expect the young man to be so ruthless, seemingly unconcerned about the possibility of him killing the woman. Faced with Helen's instinctive action that put her closer to the blade, Orland instinctively moved the dagger away, then gritted his teeth and swung the hilt of the dagger at Helen.

But he did not achieve his goal.

A faint, golden barrier appeared from the void, blocking Orland's attack.

A Guardian Shield!?

Orland looked up in surprise and saw a young girl standing nearby, her hands raised, her face serious, and sweat pouring down her forehead.

At this moment, Rod moved.

PS: Due to a power outage today, I'm updating now. There will be another update tonight.

PS2: Please give more recommendations. I don't like begging for votes, but sometimes it's necessary...