(“That said it should probably be easy with these guys around. They could probably do this without me but I suppose it isn't too laughable for me to be here.”)

He didn't learn nothing from his time training with Ezekiel, as much as he tried.

As the group continued walking he noticed the sound of something approaching from the distance.

He looked to someone beside him and they had already stopped. Before he could ask why they already pulled out their sword.

(“Huh, why'd he-”)

He looked ahead and noticed something dangerous approaching.

(“Red… already!?”)

He saw the world through various colours and for his eyes, red meant danger of some kind.

He scrambled to pull out his knife but by the sounds of the clopping approaching, their enemy was already before them.

“I knew it.” The man on the horse stated. He had blonde hair formed in the same manner as a lion's mane. He and eight others had stopped before the group.

Elizabeth kept her guard up. “Are you the dogs, the cultists that plague this parish?” She simply asked.

The man had no words for her and came off the horse.

“Who the hell are you fools? I'll give some warning in advance if you don't leave-”

Elizabeth pulled her sword out and he pulled out his own while placing a hand behind his back.

As she did so, a man in the blonde man's ranks rode off on the horse. He paid no attention to his allies or enemies.

“(Is he? Damn, we can't afford for them to know our ambush) Get him!” Elizabeth shouted.

Brother Leo tried to block the path of Lily but Elizabeth wasted no time getting him in check.

Everyone began running after the one who had ridden off but the men on the horses came to block their path.

Kevin slipped through the legs of a horse, Nigel pushed a horse aside as it blocked his path and the others all easily forced their way through, whether through magic or brute force. Within moments they had all disappeared.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Hmph, I suppose I was over-cautious staying here by myself. Based on what I saw just now, even Tina would be enough for the likes of everyone here.” She said before kicking away Brother Leo.

Instead of chasing the others, the men all kept their ground and began circling Elizabeth, aside from their leader.

“You were foolish not to follow your comrades.” Brother Leo stated. (“Tsk, I'd like to believe I made the right decision but there's something off about these people. I can also force a horse aside if needs be but it's not something the rank and file would be capable of. Well, this woman headed them and even commanded them to follow him so I assume she's the leader. She will serve as a litmus of sorts to determine how urgent a situation this is.”)

“Foolish? I can guarantee this won't take more than five minutes.” She remarked. She sheathed her sword.

“Hah, you say that yet you put away your weapon? You must be practising to become a court jester.”

“I don't know what backwater country you come from but court jesters are something even my oldest grandfather would have considered outdated. Besides…”

“Hmm?” The man had a thought. “(Blonde hair, green eyes…) Ah, are you perhaps that adventurer that got herself brutalised by Saito?”

“Saito?”

“You know, bald head, big stomach.”

Brother Leo heard some details regarding Saito’s demise but it wasn't anywhere near the full picture.

“I can't believe that idiot accidentally killed himself by overdosing on the powder, you kn-”

He couldn't breathe. He felt like he was suffocating when he looked into her eyes. Her face was not that of a human. She looked closer to Hannya, and the gritting of her teeth was audible.

“That fat prick was your friend!?” She snarled at him.

It took a moment for him to catch his breath. (“What an unpleasant woman.”)

He moved a hand behind him and made a signal towards one of his men. They wasted no time riding towards her at full speed. they jumped off at the last minute, so even if she managed to avoid being crushed by the horse, he'd immediately respond with an unseen blow. But his sword would never reach Elizabeth.

In a feat that would be burned into the retinas of all those watching, she sidestepped the horse, immediately grabbed its legs and then proceeded to spin it around. The man was only mid-swing before she slammed the horse into him. He and the horse cried out in pain on the forest floor before falling to the forest floor. As she approached him, Brother Leo attempted to capitalise but she dodged his sword strike and delivered a blow to his side.

He had no problem backing away and the next moment he looked he saw her with a sword in her hand standing over the injured man.

“I'm sorry but we don't care much for hostages.” He remarked while inching forward.

She rolled her eyes before making her intentions clear. She brought down the sword on the man's neck. He didn't die instantly and started gargling blood as he slowly faded away to the afterlife.

Brother Leo, held his hand up, signalling for the other riders to bide their time.

“You are curious why I sheathed my sword, yes?” She asked while she pointed the sword towards him. On closer inspection it wasn’t her own but the dead man's. “I've had to borrow a sword recently but I feel it would be a waste to dull and bloody it on the likes of you worms. So your own weapons shall do.”

The man raised his arm again and several of their riders rushed towards her.