Chapter 5 – Let’s Go Together, Captain! (Part 3)

Although she had been upset at the time, it no longer bothered her.

Just as she was about to tell him she didn’t mind, he lowered his head to her shoulder. As his soft lips touched her slender neck, Lena shivered.

“You’re too young.”

“Huh? What?”

“I want to get married soon, but you’re too young to have children.”

“Oh.”

“I wasn’t thinking about sleeping with my subordinate.”

Some might consider it a sincere confession, but Lena felt it was somewhat contradictory. After all…….

‘I had a fiancé back then.’

Squeak-!

The rabbit, feeling suffocated in his arms, let out a cry from Lenal’s palm where it was curled up.

Momentarily furrowing her eyebrows in thought, Lena found the creature cute and stroked its chin.

“So cute…”

“Am I invisible to you?”

“Yes!”

“Sigh…”

Alhendore glared at Lena, who was gently petting the rabbit, with a sour expression.

That rabbit… 

He had a feeling it would continue to annoy him.

“This cute little thing is so pitiful.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

Lena slightly turned her head to look at the monster’s carcass. Even Alhendore, who was quite upset, couldn’t say anything.

It was still at an age where it should be growing up in its mother’s arms.

“Let’s go catch that creature.”

“Yes, we should.”

The predator that had taken the mother from the baby rabbit. It might have started with a rabbit, but it could end up devastating an entire village.

Lena and Alhendore took the baby rabbit to the campsite and gathered the subjugation squad.

The Beowulf was classified as a dangerous monster.

Although it couldn’t speak, it was highly intelligent and cunning. Additionally, it had the strength to back up that cunning, and its iron-clad exterior was impervious to most attacks.

Moreover, Beowulfs lived in packs. Even one was a challenge, but there were likely at least two or more.

“We will form a scouting party.”

With no information on the number of monsters, they decided to first assess the situation.

Thus, an eight-member elite scouting party set out into the forest once again.

“These creatures have a keen sense of smell. They probably already know we’re here.”

Preparing for a possible ambush, Alhendore looked around at the team.

“Change formation. Hyde and I will take the front, Aran and Lena will take the rear.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Even though the front and rear were just a small diamond formation, Lena moved to the back with Aran

‘Sir Mutra and Sir Debri on the left. Sir Hendel and Sir Nenvel on the right.’

They were all knights who had made quite a name for themselves in the order. Lena placed her hand on the longsword at her waist. Her throat felt parched from the tension.

Each Beowulf had considerable combat power, and since they moved in packs, they were a difficult opponent.

As Alhendore had mentioned earlier, they had an extremely keen sense of smell. They would soon surround and charge at the knights.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the monsters’ cries echoed.

Awoo-!

Woo-!

The low howls of the beasts resonated through the once quiet forest.

“Everyone, prepare for an ambush!”

Alhendore shouted, raising his sword high. The monsters charged at the knights in their respective positions.

Growl,

Growl-!

Roar-!!

‘Four of them.’

Despite the chaos, Lena quickly assessed the situation. Fortunately, the eight-member scout team could handle them.

‘As long as there’s no leader nearby.’

Each monster pack had a leader. Even under normal circumstances, monsters were tough opponents, but a Beowulf leader was even more formidable.

As the monsters completely surrounded them, the knights paired off to face them.

“Lena, to the right!”

“Yes, Sir Ladiero!”

Aran moved to the left of the approaching monster. Given the Beowulf’s strength, it was disadvantageous for Lena to face it head-on.

On the other hand, Aran was one of the knights specialized in strength. However, his weakness was agility, which was Lena’s specialty.

This was also why a rear-support archer was placed beside Alhendore, who acted as both a tank and a dealer.

A thorough formation considering each knight’s strengths and weaknesses.

Thud-!

Aran raised his massive greatsword. The monster’s front paw collided with the sword.

At the same time, Lena circled behind the monster and slashed it with her aura-infused sword. Her sword cut through the monster’s tough hide, leaving a deep wound that spilled bright red blood.

Slash-!

Roar-!

The creature roared in pain as its hind leg nerve was severed.

As the monster tried to retreat its massive body, Aran didn’t give it a chance to rest and swung his sword again.

Growl-!

Boom-!!

The swung sword clashed again with the monster’s claws, both of them grimacing from the impact. In that split second when they were both pushed back by each other’s strength, Lena swiftly increased her speed.

This time, she darted to Aran’s side and drove her sword into the monster’s exposed paw.

Roar-!!

“Sir Radiero!”

“Got it!”

The creature, using its two legs to support itself, raised its massive bear-like body.

At Lena’s signal, Aran quickly dodged, and the creature brought its massive weight down, stomping the ground where they had been.

As if there had been an earthquake, the ground shook momentarily. The monster, still in pain from the wound on its paw, shook its head violently and growled low.

Lena, whose stance had faltered from the vibration, pulled her sword close to her waist and waited for Aran’s signal. At that moment,

Whoosh-!

Something massive sliced through the air.

“Lena, behind you!”

Aran shouted at the top of his lungs, having heard it too. Lena quickly spun around.

A Beowulf, larger than the average one by a head, appeared before her.

‘The leader!’

Despite its large size, the Beowulf was incredibly agile.

Even a regular Beowulf was fast, and Lena doubted she could match the speed of the leader.

But what surprised Lena more was something else.

The typical behavior of a Beowulf leader was to hide while the others hunted, then ambush.

So, why?

‘Why me?’

The leader, specialized in ambushes, was more challenging to deal with than regular Beowulf leaders.

They possessed enough intelligence to utilize this advantage.

Naturally, targeting the enemy leader would be the usual tactic, but the current Beowulf was aiming at Lena instead of Alhendore.

Whoosh-!

“Ugh!”

As the leader swung its front paw, Lena evaded and deflected the attack with her sword. It was too late to completely avoid the attack, so she minimized the impact.

Even so, she couldn’t withstand the brute strength and staggered. Lena quickly used her sword to support herself.

Through her squinting eyes, she saw its jaws approaching. Bits of red meat were stuck between its teeth, as if it had just finished a meal.

Transparent saliva dripped from its gaping mouth. Crimson blood trickled down its jaw.

‘Too late.’

She had to avoid a fatal wound.

With a quick decision, Lena prepared to leap, ready to sacrifice an arm if necessary. At that moment,

Slash-.

Roar-!

The creature’s head was severed in an instant, rolling to the ground. Its massive body slowly tilted and collapsed with a heavy thud.

Only then did Lena see the figure obscured by the creature.

“Captain?”

“Lena.”

To cut through that tough fur so easily… He truly was a Sword Master.

Momentarily dazed, Lena blinked in astonishment. Alhendore nodded leisurely.

“Are you hurt?”

“…I’m fine.”

What is this? 

Her heart was pounding for no reason. The small, steady rhythm turned into a rapid beat, like raindrops on a quiet stream.

Why did holding his outstretched hand feel more thrilling than that night?

“You held up well.”

“Of course!”

Lena blushed and smiled sheepishly.

The others, having dealt with the situation, ran over. There had been five attacking monsters. Thanks to anticipating the threat, the damage was minimal.

Alhendore patted Lena’s head and looked at the knights.

“We’ll wrap up the scouting here. Everyone, retreat.”

The purpose of the scout was to gauge the size of the monster group, and discovering the Beowulf’s unusual pattern made it too risky to continue with a small team.

Fortunately, with the main force joining, the subjugation proceeded smoothly. Having lost their leader during the scout, the monsters were disorganized.

Lena continued to assist Aran.

She was enjoying herself.

Initially, she had joined the knights to earn a dowry.

The only thing she knew how to do was handle a sword, and the place that paid the most for sword skills was the royal knights.

The subjugation squad, which also provided hazard pay, served the crown prince. Lena mainly did administrative work and assisted Alhendore.

She had come to earn a dowry, not to fulfill a knight’s duty.

Growl-!

Roar-.

She raised her sword against the approaching Beowulf.

This time, she wielded a dagger she used to favor, not the longsword meant to support the main dealer.

She reversed the grip, so the blade faced outward.

Using the aura gathered at her toes, Lena charged head-on. She drew the sword close to her side, gathering aura.

As she advanced, she lifted the sword vertically, letting it slice into the monster’s mouth. The momentum of her charge, bolstered by the aura, carried the blade through its flesh.

The blade, cutting from the left corner of its mouth to its neck and side, left a trail of blue sparks and red blood.

The creature, dripping saliva mixed with blood, glared at her with piercing eyes.

“Does it hurt?”

The monster, growling lowly, crouched, readying to charge. Lena gripped her sword tightly.

It was exhilarating.

The handle of the sword she had been holding, and the burning excitement she had forgotten. Free from the pressure of earning a dowry, Lena realized.

She was enjoying this.

Her heart pounded with exhilaration and tension.

She drew another dagger from her waist, holding one with the blade facing out and the other with the blade facing in.

As the creature charged, Lena stepped forward with her right foot.

Dodging the attacking creature by pivoting on her right foot, she stabbed the sword into its side.

Letting the momentum carry the sword, she spun out towards its tail.

Planting her left foot on the ground, she lowered her stance and slashed upwards with her left-hand sword at the creature approaching from behind.

Roar–!!

The creature, its throat precisely slashed, let out a hoarse cry.

Lena, gripping her dagger, thought of her mentor who had taught her the art of the dagger. Akasha, her mother and the head of the Luban Mercenaries, had once ruled the Ferdando region.

Her mother’s dagger danced like a graceful ballet. Wielding two daggers freely, her mother resembled a dancer with a sword.

Elegant and precise movements, like a dance.

The day Lena first saw her mother’s sword, she begged for a sword as a birthday gift. Her mother gave her the best swordsmanship as a gift.

This was her mother’s swordsmanship.

Evading the creature’s attack with nimble footwork, she slashed at the opening. The blue aura trailing through the air bloomed like a blue rose.

The feel of the grip she first held. The firm hands of her mother guiding her.

Why had I forgotten this exhilarating feeling for so long?

Whoosh-!

The aura-infused sword pierced the creature’s nape, the blue light slicing through its neck.

The large creature, befitting its massive size, opened its mouth wide and writhed in pain before collapsing completely.

Thud!-.

With a resounding thud, Lena brought down a creature more than three times her size to its knees.

“Haa…!”

Her hot breath mixed with her heavy breathing.

‘I did it!’

She had overcome the disadvantage of facing her natural enemy, a creature made entirely of muscle, and claimed victory.

Lena smiled with satisfaction and ran to Alhendore’s side.

She no longer wanted to stay by his side for money but for the sword. She wanted to be the kind of companion, the kind of knight, he could fully rely on.

And…

For a brief moment, Lena blushed secretly. A momentary impulse that made her want a bit more. She blushed to her ears and shouted with all her might.

“Let’s go together, Captain!”

Alhendore turned to look at Lena and reached out his hand. The warmth from their clasped hands spread to her chest, pulsing hotly.