87. chase (1)

Pudeuk. Pudeudeuk.

That was definitely not a sound that would be heard in a situation where one hand was holding a person’s neck. Marion squeezed her eyes shut to correct her spinning vision in the rapidly changing situation. As the vision darkened, the sound became clearer.

“From now on, if anyone moves even one fingertip.”

The voice was a sharp wind blowing from the highest mountaintop in the coldest land. The sound of heavy objects falling to the ground was heard. At the vivid murderous intent that seemed to pierce their brains directly, the handymen couldn’t even think of running away, and their legs gave out and they sat down, or they let out animal-like cries as if their breath was choked.

“You don’t want to know what comes next, do you?”

It seemed as if the space was slowly being squeezed by an invisible pressure. In a space surrounded by hostility, only Marion and the escort knights were uninterrupted. Marion slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

‘Oh My God.’

The adventurers and handymen who surrounded them were all on their knees, trembling and putting their heads on the ground. In the grip of the hooded adventurer, the neck of the handyman who first started the fight was still gripped. As if the whole body’s blood flow was concentrated on the top of his neck, the jobber’s face was turning from red to dark blue.

“ruler… for a moment.”

It was Yvonne who broke the silence that the adventurer had scattered. Yvon restrained the adventurer with a voice mixed with half embarrassment about the immediate situation and half fear and awareness of the unknown person.

“Murder is not allowed here.”

Yvon said in a calm voice. It’s okay if it’s a moderate amount of shock, but if there’s even a murder, Marion and Yvon will be in trouble. And at that rate, it seemed that the life of the handyman who was hanging from that man’s hand like a sack would be in danger. The hooded man turned his gaze to Yvon, hidden in the shadows. Yvon jumped back and made a gesture as if to embrace Marion.

“… Right.”

The man who had been watching the situation closely muttered a little as if he had understood something, then loosened his grip.

thud!

There was a sound like a lump of luggage being thrown from the market bin. The handyman freed from the adventurer’s hands was wriggling like a slug just pulled out of the ground.

“Of course I didn’t mean to kill him.”

The coercion is gone. All that was left was the adventurer shivering and crouching, Yvon standing in a confrontational composition with the handyman and the adventurer, and Marion looking at Yvon and the adventurer alternately with worried eyes.

As if the adventurer’s answer and tone were surprising, Yvon looked at the adventurer with a bewildered eye unlike hers. It was a completely unbelievable atmosphere for the man who exuded the hostility and coercion of earlier.

“Ah yes… .”

What followed was an awkward silence. The adventurer was watching Yvon and Marion while guarding the street.

“Are you injured anywhere?”

“Yeah. I was just a little surprised.”

“… I’m glad you’re okay.”

Something pretending to be equanimous. Marion thought that there was something hidden behind the words the adventurer asked. Not letting go of her guard, Marion stepped forward. Marion turned her gaze to the adventurer, lightly pressing Yvon’s hand to restrain him.

“Thank you so much for your help. This answer… .”

Hood’s adventurer shook his head firmly. Then, with a glance, he nodded in the direction of Yvon. He seemed to know that he didn’t have to step out.

“I was swept away by a sense of resonance and did things that were overflowing with my subject. Don’t be too concerned. Even if it wasn’t for me, that driver would have protected her.”

“No, I should have acted sooner, but it’s my fault for leaving the lady behind and hesitating too much.”

be sympathetic Yvon narrowed his eyes.

That man’s behavior was far from that of an adventurer intoxicated with sympathy. The appearance of grabbing a person’s neck while wearing a visibly clear life jacket. Yvon turned her body closer to Marion’s. Yvon’s determination, which had been tense as he drew his sword inside, was put to shame, and the adventurer stepped back.

“Then, I will call the guards here.”

“… I’m sorry I’m not the type to promise anything in return.”

Marion bowed her head and called out to Yvonne.

“Wouldn’t it be okay if I gave you the amount of my budget for today?”

“Yeah. I think so too.”

Yvon nodded and pulled out a pouch containing several gold coins.

“It’s small, but it’s an example.”

“Thank you for giving me.”

The adventurer nodded and received the bag of gold coins. As the adventurer obediently accepted the pouch, Yvon and Marion’s expressions changed to visibly relieved. Yvon turned to Marion and said. The adventurer was walking away to call the guard with the sound of his pockets jingling.

“Dear lady, today is not the day.”

“… Yes. It would be okay to go home a little early today.”

Marion answered in such a weak voice.

—

“I was wondering where you were running so suddenly, what were you doing again?”

Pierre scolded. Maxim still kept his gaze fixed on the alley where the guards ran in droves.

“Just wait, I had something to go.”

Pierre followed Maxim’s gaze into the alley. The people who saw the guards rushing together gathered together, forming a rather noisy scene. A few guards remained, sweating hard to stop people from crowding into the alley.

“Did you go there? It looks like you did something big, not like you.”

“It was no big deal. There are bastards that the guards need to be scolded for.”

It looks like he’s got a fertilization.

Pierre was not inclined to delve into the matter in more detail.

“… No, maybe it should be a special thing.”

Maxim changed his words and muttered: Beside him, Pierre snorted.

“What do you mean?”

“A while ago, I heard a strange feeling in the alley. I’m not quite sure, but it seemed like someone was watching. And usually these hunches come true.”

Maxim knew that it would be nearly impossible to specifically monitor him. Therefore, it was difficult to properly express the sense of incongruity I felt at the time. It was true that he had the unique gaze of a watcher, but that did not mean he was watching himself.

If so, what was the target the eyes were following?

“Since you’ve made a big deal out of it, of course the eyes will follow.”

“No, it was before I started working. I’m pretty good at things like this.”

Pierre furrowed his eyebrows and questioned Maxim.

“What, then, do you think the stare you felt was one of those guys we’re chasing right now?”

“It will be them.”

Maxim was now speaking almost conclusively. Pierre let out a blank laugh, thinking that Maxim was hiding something behind what he was saying.

“I have no particular intention of getting involved in your personal goals.”

Does this adventurer have feelings of anger? Maxim could only answer Pierre’s grinning words in a still serious voice.

“… It doesn’t matter if you think so. Of course, I’m going to track that gaze separately. And you decided to follow me today.”

Pierre’s face was wrinkled without knowing how many times.

“I got it, I got it, Sifal. Just do something useless. I’ll make you pay for blowing up this golden day.”

Without the courage to do so, Pierre growled for no reason. Maxim listened to Pierre’s reaction with one ear and let it out with the other, brooding over the source, identity, and purpose of his gaze.

‘The ones planted by Benning may have caught me by chance.’

To say that it appeared suddenly, the sense of incongruity naturally led to the next situation.

Marion.

Maxim felt his heart start beating with an uneasy beat, and hurriedly began to move to check the source of his gaze.

—

“fell.”

At the man’s words, the sound of grinding his teeth was heard. They watched over Marion, Irina, and Yvon, and when Marion and Yvon started to act separately from Irina, they rushed into the plan.

“I was wondering what kind of variable would happen all of a sudden, but I didn’t expect that guy to appear.”

“Couldn’t you have noticed?”

“If you notice, that is a real ghost and a monster. Anyway, he seemed pretty picky, but I’m glad he went. Even if the plan was attempted through the chaos, I couldn’t be sure it would have worked.”

The man who was gnashing his teeth suddenly started to tremble in fear and pressed the other man.

“hey. wake up he’s gone You seemed quite capable, but I don’t know if you’re such a great person that you’re trembling like a rat.”

“You ignorant bastards… I must have warned you.”

The shivering man murmured in a low voice.

“stand up. Are you still out of your mind?”

The man forcibly pulled him up.

“They said they would move the day before this procession departs. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“You stupid asshole. Then, even if a good opportunity like this came along, would you suck your fingers and wait for the execution date like an idiot?”

There was neither the burden of breaking into the mansion nor the risk of having to evade the surrounding escorts. The only thing I need to worry about is the female knight sticking close to me. I didn’t know when an opportunity like this would come again.

Three people who could move had to do it.

“Stop whining and grab a knife. There will be a carriage that the lady held back to go back to the mansion. I’m going to catch that wagon.”

Even though the sun had not yet set, the men did not stand out as if they had assimilated into the shadows. When the voices of complaints and discussions died away, Beninga’s vassals revealed their true colors. A fishy glare appeared in his eyes, and he hid a short knife in his bosom.

And, the three men melted into darkness.

—

The outing was brief. Marion was walking along the boulevard to catch the carriage back to the mansion with Yvon. The face of Countess Irina, who had heard all about it, hardened as never before.

‘I’ll have to let them receive the most terrible punishment possible.’

Seeing his wife more angry than ever before, even the captain of the guard who had accompanied her and Yvon, the escort knight who always stood by her side, felt chills and froze.

‘I want to go back to the mansion first. I could give you more money, but I think it would be easier for me to break up early today.’

It was an irresistible force. Even if it wasn’t, the car was about to return to the mansion early, but the wife asked the guard to add an additional escort to the place where the carriage was held. He was happy with his wife’s kindness, but he felt sorry for the guards who came with him.

“I’ve been waiting since afternoon, so if I go back now, I’ll probably be waiting in the carriage.”

Yvon said, breaking the silence.

“My lady, are you okay?”

At the question, which he had already asked more than five times, Marion burst into a small laugh. It seemed that all the worries I would receive for the rest of my life were accepted today.

“Yeah. It’s already the fifth answer.”

Marion added in a playful tone. Yvon’s face turned slightly red and cleared his throat. Out of consideration for Yvon, Marion decided to change the subject.

“Anyway, who was that person?”

“If that person… , Are you referring to the person who helped us today?”

Marion nodded.

“I’ve seen it once… .”

“Have you seen it?”

“Yeah. Although it was a bit far… ”

Marion explained the situation at the time. An outing with the baroness, a bridge, a gust of wind. A black-eyed adventurer who accidentally met his eyes.

“ah… , Were you one of the adventurers who came along to escort the merchants?”

“Yeah. It seemed like that.”

Marion said that and thought for a moment. black eye. But the impression that I saw it somewhere. The voice and gaze continued to hover in Marion’s head. So, Marion couldn’t help but be puzzled. Because its appearance was very similar to that of Maxim.

It must be an illusion.

Marion sighed and narrowed her eyes. He thought more deeply about Maxim than he knew. Marion shook her head and shook her head of thoughts about Maxim. Once she starts thinking about him, thoughts will fill Marion’s head one after another.

“miss.”

Just then, the guard’s voice woke Marion. They had already reached the front of the wagon. The driver’s seat was empty as if he had gone out for a while. In addition to the carriages they had been riding in, several carriages lined up behind them, waiting to see if a guest might pass by. Yvon slowly approached them.

“Did you not see the coachman sitting here?”

The coachman who answered was unusually wearing an eyepatch over one eye.

“He said he was going to the bathroom for a while. Do you have any plans to change carriages, my lady?”

“No, let’s just wait a minute.”

At the request of the coachman, who smiled and asked, Yvon smiled and refused.

“Thanks for your efforts.”

“Please enter carefully.”

The guard answered and went back down the path he had climbed up. Yvon opened the carriage door first and called Marion.

“My lady, how about waiting in the carriage first?”

“Yeah. then… .”

Marion approaches the wagon. At that moment, for some reason, Yvon’s time slowed down as if the watch had been forced on.

“ah… .”

Miss.

Before she could finish her words, her vision darkened.

—

“… .”

wheel traces.

Maxim was looking down at the escort knight who had passed out. In the distance, Maxim heard the sound of a carriage pulling away.

“Hey, this… .”

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Pierre’s expression hardened as well, and he shivered.

The atmosphere of the silent adventurer was overly calm.

Like a very deep sea, like a forest at night facing something, or like a clean beach before a storm.

A chilling wind brushed the floor. Maxim’s head was constantly turning along something. And, at some point, that gaze stopped.

“Pierre.”

“Uh, huh?”

To Maxim’s voice, Pierre responded in bewilderment.

“Ask for this article.”

Maxim’s new model disappeared in front of Pierre’s eyes.