“By the way, is Leonard okay? The wound on his back looks serious…….”
“……I’m fine.”
In truth, they couldn’t properly see the wound since it was covered by his clothes, but considering the fabric was soaked with blood, it was obvious the injury was deep.
Yellian looked at Leonard with a worried expression. Leonard, feeling that gaze, responded indifferently.
Finally, the three of them emerged from the cave. Elton was carrying the dragon’s head. Outside the cave, a woman who was nearly unconscious lay there, and upon sensing their presence, she looked at the three of them.
“Huff, ugh, d-did you catch the dragon?”
“What else do you think this is?”
“N-no way……. Even the subjugation team couldn’t catch this dragon……. You’re truly amazing!”
Despite the woman’s emotional exclamation, Leonard showed no reaction and simply walked toward the horse that was securely tied to a rock.
He gestured with a nod for Yellian to come over. Yellian hesitated but approached him.
“Leonard, you’re injured on your back. Is it okay if I ride behind you? Maybe it’s better if I ride behind Elton…….”
“Elton has to carry that woman.”
“Ah, I see…….”
At Leonard’s firm words, Yellian nodded. Judging by the woman’s condition, she didn’t seem capable of moving on her own, so in the end, someone would have to ride behind another person.
Even if Yellian rode behind Elton, if the woman rode behind Leonard, the result of Leonard suffering pain wouldn’t change.
In the end, Yellian stopped arguing and quietly climbed onto the horse…… or rather, struggled to do so.
“Hah……. How can your legs be so short?”
“They’re not short!”
Yellian snapped back at Leonard’s muttered comment, but he pretended not to hear and lifted Yellian onto the saddle. As Leonard mounted the horse, Yellian held onto the edge of his clothes as lightly as possible to avoid touching his wound, keeping some distance.
Meanwhile, Elton tied the dragon’s head to the horse’s body with a long rope. It was obvious that when the horse ran, the dragon’s head would drag along the ground. After that, Elton helped the woman onto the horse and mounted it himself.
“Let’s head out then.”
“Yep.”
Yellian quickly responded to his words. In truth, there was nothing for them to do, but they thought they should at least answer diligently.
With that, the horse carrying the four of them began to gallop. But a problem arose. Despite Yellian’s resolve not to touch Leonard’s back, the terrifying speed of the horse kept causing them to involuntarily press against Leonard.
“Uwaah, s-slow down! Slow down, Leonard!”
Yellian shouted urgently, but Leonard drove the horse fiercely, as if he couldn’t hear a single word Yellian said.
In truth, Yellian had no issue other than being scared of the horse’s speed. But Leonard was different. The wound on his back must be painful as it was being pressed directly, so why he insisted on riding so fast, causing Yellian to keep clinging to him, was beyond comprehension.
After galloping for a while, the horse descended the mountain and headed into the forest. The forest was just as unfamiliar, but fortunately, the murmur of people could be heard from a distance. Thinking they could ask for help, Yellian’s tense face brightened.
“Over here, there are people here! Could you help us, please?”
Leonard stopped the horse. Yellian wondered if he, too, was waiting for help, but something about his demeanor seemed off.
His sturdy frame suddenly swayed. Yellian, who had been watching him closely, quickly embraced Leonard with all their strength. Thanks to that, they prevented Leonard from falling off the horse.
“Elton, help!”
“Understood! Hold on just a moment!”
Elton swiftly dismounted and helped Leonard down from the horse. Fortunately, Leonard was conscious, but his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
“What’s wrong? Is it because of the pain? I told you to go slower…….”
“It seems there was poison in the dragon’s tail.”
“Poison?!”
Yellian exclaimed in shock, their face paling. They hadn’t considered the possibility of poison. Not knowing what to do and panicking, Elton looked at Yellian with a stern expression.
“There should be medics from the hunting competition nearby. I’ll go bring them.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Please take care of my lord.”
“Yes……!”
Yellian answered loudly to his words. Not that they had any confidence, though.
In truth, they were scared to death. They feared that Leonard’s condition might worsen while Elton was gone to fetch help. But they pretended to be fine, worried that showing weakness might affect Leonard.
Elton helped the woman down from the horse and quickly rode off. It seemed there was a limit to how fast he could ride while carrying her.
In an instant, Yellian found themselves in the position of looking after two injured people. The only silver lining was that both Leonard and the woman were conscious.
Of course, the problem was that both of them looked like they could pass out at any moment.
At that moment, a rustling sound came from behind. Unable to tell if it was a person or an animal approaching, Yellian stared at the bushes with a tense expression. Encountering a predator in this situation would be a disaster.
Yellian drew the sword from Leonard’s scabbard. As Leonard opened his mouth with a look that seemed to ask what they were doing, Yellian spoke first.
“Just borrowing it for a moment. You never know, right?”
The sword was heavier than expected. Yellian couldn’t help but wonder how Leonard wielded such a heavy weapon so effortlessly.
But there was no way they could whine about the sword being too heavy now, so Yellian gripped it tightly, putting all their strength into their forearm.
“What’s this now?”
Seeing the people emerging from the bushes, Yellian’s face turned pale.
Yellian recognized them immediately. They were the same people they had seen on the way to the hunting competition-those who had been plotting to attack Leonard. Yellian didn’t know who had sent them, but they knew these people intended to harm Leonard.
Because of that, Yellian gripped the heavy sword so tightly their hands turned white, ready to swing it if necessary.
“The great Duke Abrams lying there as if saying ‘come get me’? This is way too easy.”
One of the men sneered. Hearing his words, Yellian realized they hadn’t mistaken the person-these were indeed the ones targeting Leonard. Yellian glared at them sharply.
“Who’s saying ‘come get me’?”
“Leonard! If you move, the poison…….”
Yellian trailed off before shouting ‘the poison will spread further!’ They thought it wouldn’t be wise to reveal Leonard’s poisoned state in front of those targeting him.
Leonard not only stood up but also took the sword Yellian was holding.
“Small fry like you wouldn’t dare target me directly. Who sent you?”
“That’s not for my lord to know.”
“……I see. I’ll just have to capture and torture you for answers.”
Leonard finished speaking and charged at the enemies with his sword.
There were two opponents. Yellian didn’t know what to do and could only stomp their feet in frustration.
If this continued, Leonard would be in danger. Even if he somehow managed to defeat the two, the poison spreading further would be just as dangerous.
Leonard swung his sword back and forth, taking on both men at once. Despite having lost so much blood and being poisoned, he moved with unbelievable agility. Not only did he block both of their swords simultaneously, but he also launched attacks.
“Tch, damn it!”
One of the men took a long slash to his thigh. He collapsed, blood dripping heavily.
Leonard didn’t miss the opportunity and stabbed the other thigh as well. The man let out a scream of agony. With both legs injured, he was no longer able to fight.
Just as Yellian was about to sigh in relief at having taken down at least one of them, Leonard’s body swayed. As if waiting for this moment, the other man aimed an arrow at him.
Watching this with anxious eyes, Yellian’s body moved on instinct. They squeezed their eyes shut and jumped in front of Leonard.
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