The door to the shed remained wide open. Sunlight flooded the inside. Eilith looked at the door, the very gates of hell, sitting open, inviting her to leave. She could see the trees standing outside, unwavering. The nightmare was so close to ending.

Yet, she couldn’t move. The rope around her hands and feet was so tight every time she struggled, it felt as if they were cutting deeper into her flesh. Her only hope was that the young man's words from earlier were true; someone had come to rescue her.

“Someone...” She cried weakly.

Just then, a silhouette appeared in front of her, it cast its shadow over the entire room. A silhouette much smaller than any of the men she’d seen in the camp. It stood there in silence for a second, as a shadow, its features indiscernible.

Light eventually made its way into Eilith's eyes, and she could see who the figure standing before her was.

A young boy, staring back at her, just as perplexed and curious. In his shirt, she sees a crest, small, almost unnoticeable; a green sword surrounded by stars.

She exhales in relief.

“Are you okay?” The boy asked.

His voice was like a soothing melody to her ears, which had grown accustomed to the rash, vicious war cries of the men who had kidnapped her. His first response to seeing her there wasn’t even to question if she actually was the one he was there to rescue; he was only concerned about her well-being.

Eilith immediately forgot all the terrible things she had to witness those past few days; for at least that moment, she could be happy it was finally over.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

He hurried over, unsheathing a knife he kept hidden in his pocket, and cutting her free of her restraints. Her body almost didn’t know how to react; she had spent entire days there, without being able to move. She stood up slowly, with the help of the boy, barely able to take a step forward without falling over.

“Thank you...”

The boy helped her make her way outside, where Julian greeted her. He bowed slightly, putting his hand over his chest.

“Miss Eilith. It’s good to see you are safe.”

“Thank you, Julian.”

Julian took over the duty of helping Eilith walk over to the earth-dragons. He didn’t let it come through, but seeing her state angered him.

Wouldn’t dare lay a finger on her? What a joke. Both families would be enraged at the sight of her body.

Tusk still sat there, surrounded by bandits, enamored with the sight of gold.

What a bunch of bumbling idiots. Do they seriously think I’ll let them get away with this?

Julian watched the bandits with disgust. The bloodlust was palpable, yet, none of them noticed it.

I won’t kill them. I must take them back alive to Emeral; he’ll be certain of what to do next.

Zach followed them a few feet behind, though the distance between them slowly grew. Zach took in his surroundings carefully; he was certain he too would have to deal with groups of bandits one day, so he wanted to learn as much as possible with this chance he had gotten. He analyzed their behavior, how they addressed the other members, their sense of space, everything.

Such a habit was what made him the prodigious fighter he was. Gifted with an incredible memory, he devoured every bit of knowledge he could, believing it could all be useful to him in some way or another.

It was as if by fate. Had it not been this boy, Zacharyah, and his habit of watching everything so closely, it was unlikely it would have been noticed.

A person, laying hidden among the bushes and tall grass, motionless. It looked to almost certainly be a dead body, but even then, Zach rushed over. “Likely” and “unlikely” didn’t matter to him; as long as he hadn’t yet confirmed they were dead, as long as the chance that they were holding on to their life existed, there was no time to be wasted.

Julian stopped and looked back at him.

What is he doing?

Zach’s intuition was correct. A small girl clad in black robes laid there breathing heavily; she was still alive, though unconscious. He checks her heartbeat and places his hand over her forehead. She had a very strong fever. Had it not been for him, she would almost certainly have died.

He picks her up in a princess carry, hurrying over to Julian.

Julian understood almost immediately what was about to happen. Such an act was futile, he had to shut it down quickly. Still, he gave the boy a chance.

“Who’s that?”

“I don’t know, I found her laying there on the ground. She’s extremely ill-“

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Then leave her where you found her. It’s not for us to worry about.”

Zach immediately became extremely disgruntled. Julian hadn't even considered it. A life was within arm's reach, and he immediately refused to save it. It was as if he had no principle, all he cared about was serving the noble he worked under to the best of his ability, with zero regard for anything else.

“But she’s dying! We need to save-“

“‘We’ need only rescue Lady Eilith. That is our, no, your only mission.”

Zach gritted his teeth. He had no intention of backing down. Before he could say anything more, Julian sighed.

Such a foolish child. Bringing him along was a mistake; I should have expected as much.

“Suppose we take her back with us. Who’s going to take care of her? Are you personally going to convince Emeral to have good doctors attend to her?”

“I will.” Eilith interjects. “I will take responsibility for her, don’t worry.”

Julian is taken slightly aback.

“But, my lady, are you certain? There’s no need-“

“Julian. We’ll take her with us.”

Eilith understood from the moment she first saw Zach the type of person he was; it wasn't just that he was innocent, he had an iron resolve. He was a ray of hope shining in that dark, broken world, however faint his light was.

“I understand, my lady.” He readjusts his glasses. “However, your stay at the Saphir estate will be limited; what do you plan to do with her then?”

“I will take care of her.” Zach replies. “Eilith, I’m grateful if you can arrange doctors for her, but you don’t need to worry about her further than that. I will take care of her myself.”

“And how do you plan to do that, exactly?”

“I’ll ask to receive payment like the other guards. Or I will ask Lou to make her an apprentice, just like I am. If nothing-“

Julian clenches his fist; hearing those naïve words made him furious.

“You seriously think the chief would agree to that? To make a little girl one of the guards? Chief Lou isn’t the kindhearted, generous man you think he-“

“A man like you doesn’t know anything about a man like the chief!”

Julian relaxed his hand. Zach couldn’t see his eyes—at that angle, his eyes were obscured by the light reflecting off his glasses.

Of course. How could I forget?

“Very well.” Julian lowered his tone significantly. “You, Lady Eilith, and the girl. You can go now. I will take care of the rest.”

The three of them get on the earth-dragon Zach came in. Usually, at most two people can ride in one earth-dragon, however the girl was small enough to fit between Eilith and Zach without much problem. Eilith held the girl tightly, close to her body.

He and Lou are the same. They're true warriors; warriors who have vowed to protect what they believe in, above all else. We live in completely separate worlds.

“Zach.” Julian addressed him one last time before they departed; “I will need to borrow your sword.”

I have no doubt...

Tusk approached Julian from behind as he took Zach's sword.

He'll really do whatever it takes.

"Hey. I have one last question. How can we be sure you won't pursue us further?"

Tusk had in his hand his longsword, shining radiantly in the sunlight, which he held with a firm grasp. He looked at Julian with a malicious smile; he had no intention of letting them go. Julian looked at him, his gaze sharper than any blade. Their goals were the same.

Eliminate the other.

"You can't."

Both earth-dragons took off, kicking up a cloud of dust. One, rode by Zach, was headed directly back to the Saphir estate. The other, merely hid in the vicinity, so as to minimize the odds that a bandit would try anything.

Julian unsheathed the sword with a fluid, seamless motion; in an instant, he was facing Tusk and his men.

Julian immediately charged toward Tusk, who prepared for a counter. The other bandits also raised their weapons, though they expected their leader to take care of the enemy. To them, it seemed obvious, Tusk was much larger and more imposing, while Julian looked sickly and like he barely had any muscles.

Tusk swung his blade, prepared for the swords to clash, but in an instant, Julian disappeared from his sight. He had moved faster than Tusk was able to perceive, and now stood behind him. Julian did not stand facing Tusk however, he had walked right past him and now targeted the bandit which stood there.

Before the man could react, Julian kicked him in the head, launching the man several feet away. The kick was powerful enough to knock him out instantly, but just gentle enough not to kill him.

Taking a few moments to process what had just happened, the other bandits stepped back, terrified. It was an intimidation tactic, to prevent them from trying to interfere with the real battle that was just about to begin.

Tusk turned to face Julian once again, gritting his teeth.

What the hell? Was that his Sol? ...No, that was just his actual speed. He's better than I expected.

"Now then," Julian readjusts his glasses, "let's get started."

They both launch towards each other once again. This time, Tusk, by focusing Mana to enhance his sense of sight, was able to properly perceive Julian's movements. He watched closely as the swords inched closer toward each other, in what felt like minutes, but in reality was just a split second.

His eyes widened, as he saw the swords almost begin to make contact.

I got him.

Instead of clashing, his blade begins to phase through Julian's sword. This outcome was completely unexpected by Julian, who reflexively reacted by stepping back, just barely avoiding the hit.

I only grazed him!?

Julian took a moment to understand what had transpired, but quickly regained his composure.

"I see. So that's your Sol. Quite an interesting ability."

"That's right, impressed? It usually ends the fight in one blow, I commend your agility."

He's dangerous, I can't take him back to Emeral. I'll have to kill him, right here.

"However, it's an ability that relies on catching your opponent off-guard." How fitting of a bandit. "It won't work anymore."

"Oh really? We'll have to see about that. I trust you can use yours, too? Seeing how skilled you are."

Julian extends his arm holding the sword, and then drops the blade on the ground.

"Indeed, we'll have to see about it."

Tusk raised his sword and dashed toward Julian.

"Don't get cocky!"

Julian, however, stood there nearly motionless. As Tusk went for the attack, just before it hit him, Julian, with a slight movement of his upper body, dodged the blade, which slid against the sleeve on his left arm. With his right, he put the palm of his hand against Tusk's chest.

Why such a talented fighter would lead a troupe of good-for-nothings is beyond me, though.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light emanated from Julian's hand. Tusk barely had time to react, before an explosion blew right through his torso.

It had no force of impact; Julian merely sidestepped him as Tusk came to a stop, and stood there, with a massive gaping hole in his chest.

Julian didn't even look to see the result of his attack. The fact the only sound that could be heard coming from behind him was that of liters of blood pouring out told him enough.

Julian looked to face the rest of the bandits and their despair filled eyes as they watched in terror the still standing body of their leader. What pieces of bone and organ tissue that remained fell ungraciously out of his chest.

Without hesitation, one threw his weapon at the ground and shouted,

"I-I surrender!" I can't fight against that monster, no way!

Julian readjusts his glasses, then glares at the man.

"Good. But it won't be enough."