The kin, including Olsen and Marcus, waited a moment for Dane's group to get farther away,
“This way!”
“Hurry!”
They kicked their horses' flanks and dashed to the side.
It was loud enough for the Royal Knights still in sight to hear. This way, they wouldn't give the impression that they were following Dane.
Dududu!
As the forest grew deeper, sunlight faded, and the stench of rotting leaves permeated the air.
Far ahead, Dane's movements were unhindered. The kin maintained a certain distance and continued to follow him.
At one point, a few of the knights guarding Dane began to fall behind due to the forest's terrain.
“Your Grace! This way!”
Coincidentally, a beater bribed by the kin lured Dane into a gorge.
Dane turned in that direction without any suspicion. It might have been because he had too much confidence in his own skills.
“……!”
Olsen felt a rush of ecstasy. It was highly amusing to see Dane walking into his own grave with his own two feet.
Ting.
The kin and their subordinate knights checked their bows and untied the strings of their scabbards.
The plan was to approach under the guise of rescuing him while Dane was exhausted from fighting assassins, and then sever his breath.
Dagudak!
As they reached the entrance of the gorge, the forest became dead silent. The chirping of birds and the rustling of the wind stopped.
‘A perfect day to build a coffin.’
Olsen swallowed a rising laugh and slowed his horse. He slightly detoured through the forest and headed to the place pre-arranged with the beater.
However,
“…?”
The closer they got, the quieter it was—there wasn't even the sharp clashing of steel.
“What? Why is nothing happening?”
“Didn't you say assassins were definitely ambushed here?”
The kin hid their flustered expressions and continued to drive their horses.
Then,
“…!”
They spotted Dane standing in the middle of the clearing in the gorge, mounted on his horse.
“You are late.”
A slanted smile brushed across Dane's face. It was clear he had known they would come.
He, his knights, and the nobles following him were in a state of perfect combat readiness. There were no signs that they had just been in a battle.
Olsen instinctively sensed that something had gone wrong.
‘Did something happen to the assassins?’
By now, there were almost no guilds in the kingdom that would accept an assassination request for Dane.
Out of sheer desperation, they had scraped together whatever ragtag bunch they could find without caring about their quality, and it seemed this mishap was the result.
Olsen did not know that Arikx and the Royal Knights were currently disposing of the assassins.
‘Originally, I planned to spread it while he was busy fighting the assassins.’
Olsen kept his mouth shut and hid his emotions.
Getting excited here would only ruin things. It was disappointing, but he had to move on to the next step.
Seuk.
Olsen silently raised only his hand.
Ping!
Olsen's subordinate, who had been ambushed behind a tree in the clearing, fired a crossbow. The crossbow bolt flew precisely aiming for Dane's left arm.
“Your Grace!”
A knight standing beside him swung his sword and deflected the bolt.
Kang!
The moment his sword and the bolt collided, Olsen's lips twisted.
Chaengrang!
A small glass vial attached to the bolt shattered. The liquid poured from it and splashed all over Dane and the surrounding knights.
“-!”
Dane's expression changed as he smelled the liquid.
“This is……”
“I helped with your hunt, Your Grace.”
Olsen said with a vile smile hanging on his lips.
“You won't have to go out of your way to find them; the prey will come to you, Your Grace.”
The assassins were merely released as a precaution; this was the true purpose of today.
Named Thirst for Blood, it was a special liquid that drove the beasts inhabiting the Black Oak Forest into a frenzy.
By concentrating the scent of a freshly slaughtered beast's innards dozens of times over, it made even beasts that weren't hungry excited and charge at them.
“Then I will see you later.”
Olsen nonchalantly turned his horse's head.
He knew that he had no chance of winning if he faced Dane directly anyway. So he intended to use the beasts' claws to dispose of him.
That would also make it easy to disguise it as an ‘unfortunate accident.’
“…….”
For a moment, he had the illusion that Dane had smiled.
Just as Olsen stiffened out of an inexplicable sense of foreboding,
Swaeaeng!
An arrow flew out of nowhere and sliced through the air.
“Keugh!”
Olsen's subordinate hiding behind a tree screamed. It was an arrow fired with precision after confirming his location from the crossbow shot earlier.
“?!”
The kin jumped in surprise and looked around.
Was there another ambush?
“You have quite the skill, Helena.”
Dane muttered in admiration.
Swaeok!
The arrow that flew once again pierced the neck of a knight under the kin this time.
“……!”
The knight couldn't even scream. Instead, blood rushing up his neck spurted from his mouth.
Kung.
The stiffened knight's body rolled and fell off his horse.
At the same time,
“Heeya!”
Dane and his group suddenly began to charge toward the kin.
“Ugh?!”
“Everyone, run!”
The kin came to their senses and hastily began to drive their horses. They intended to scatter first and gather at the designated location.
Peok!
Even during that, arrows flying from behind hit a few people. Those who fell off their horses rolled on the ground.
That alone sent chills down their spines, but
Dudududu!
Knights suddenly appearing from the side began to herd the kin in one direction.
“What?!”
“Damn it!”
Everyone panicked and tried to change direction, but it wasn't easy because Dane and his group were chasing them from behind.
Eventually, surrounded on both sides, they had no choice but to run where they were being herded.
‘No way!’
Olsen realized the identity of the knights who had suddenly appeared.
They were the knights who had been guarding Dane earlier. They had pretended to fall behind, detoured, and returned.
Dudududu!
A dangerous horseback unfolded among the trees. The kin and their subordinate knights, as well as Dane and his group, charged fiercely as if racing.
Eureureung!
Kaengkaeng!
From some point on, the cries of beasts that had gathered after smelling the liquid began to be heard.
“…Keuk.”
Olsen clenched his teeth.
He thought he had prepared thoroughly, but nothing was going according to plan.
By now, he should have been dealing with Dane, who would have been bitten by the beasts, but instead, he was running as if being chased by Dane, which was deplorable.
Dududu!
Despair rose in the eyes of the kin as they ran panting. A cliff had come into view far ahead.
“Stop! I said stop!”
People hurriedly stopped their horses.
Olsen finally realized Dane's goal. He was herding the kin to this cliff with no escape.
‘You crazy…!’
To trap the enemy, and even himself, in a place like this while the beasts were rushing in.
He clicked his tongue without realizing it at Dane's audacity and meticulousness. As expected, a madman was a madman.
‘As expected, it's come to this.’
He thought it wouldn't be easy, and he was right.
But ironically, this might actually be the perfect opportunity. A chance to personally sever Dane's throat.
Dagudak.
Dane and his knights slowly drove their horses and surrounded the kin.
Tuduk, tuk!
Dane and the knights took off their shoulder guards and threw them at the kin. It was an attempt to get the liquid from the shoulder guards on them.
“Since it's come to this, I suppose we'll have to hunt together.”
“…It would be an honor, Your Grace.”
Olsen didn't back down and fired back. Dane bit down on a cold smile.
Keureureureung!
Shadow wolves with black fur appeared. They were a species that hunted in packs much more fiercely and intelligently than normal wolves.
“Keuk……”
“Of all things, it had to be those bastards.”
People gripped their sword handles tightly. It was their first time facing a beast of that size.
Keureureung…….
The wolves' distinct golden eyes were fixed on Dane, who was strongly reeking of the liquid.
Even so, Dane didn't seem to have any fear.
He simply dismounted, threw off his armor stained with the liquid, and radiated nothing but a cold killing intent.
‘As expected.’
Olsen wore a smile of confidence as he saw that. The reason Dane wasn't fighting on horseback as usual was obvious.
Keureung!
When the leader of the wolf pack let out a low growl, three wolves leapt simultaneously.
People began to clash and fight with the wolves.
Kkaegang!
Dane redirected the charging wolves' momentum to send them tumbling over the cliff, or
Puk!
thrust precisely between their eyes to halt them in their tracks.
With flawless footwork and restrained arm movements, masterful swordsmanship capable of subjugating monsters was displayed from the tip of the arming sword in his right hand.
“Don't back down!”
The knights and subordinate nobles thoroughly surrounded and protected him. The formation they created was nothing short of an iron fortress.
Keureureung…….
As a result, the wolves naturally began to target the easier side to break through.
“Keugh!”
For the wolves, the garments of the kin, reeking of the liquid, were an incredibly appetizing bait.
“Uaaak!”
One wolf finally clamped down on the thigh of one of the kin.
Ududeuk!
With a chilling sound, the pants were torn away.
“Keuak!”
“Ak!”
The kin and their subordinate knights gradually began to suffer injuries and fall.
It was because Dane and the knights were cleverly driving them toward the cliff while pretending to fight the wolves.
“S-Save me…!”
Just as one of the kin was pushed to the edge of the cliff while fighting the wolves,
Peok!
Dane's body collided with him at an impeccable timing.
“Aaaak…….”
He flailed his arms clumsily before disappearing over the cliff.
‘What a monstrous bastard…’
Even while fighting off wolves, Olsen kept his eyes on Dane. Dane's leather hunting jacket was torn here and there, but he had no fatal wounds.
But he looked significantly more exhausted than before. It was because fighting with only his right hand was straining his stamina.
‘Slowly.’
Olsen exchanged glances with Marcus.
As they fended off the wolves, the two of them slowly closed the distance to Dane. They infiltrated the wall of knights, which had grown loose in the chaos of the melee.
“Heup!”
The moment Dane shoved away a wolf that had charged at him with immense force,
“Iiyaap!”
Marcus bravely charged at Dane.
“Oh.”
Dane let out a short laugh as if he had been waiting for it.
“It would have been a shame if you hadn't come.”
Kang!
Marcus and Dane's swords clashed.
While Marcus pinned down Dane's right arm,
“Dane Schmaichel!”
Olsen leapt to Dane's left and swung his sword.
“Your Grace!”
The nearby knights hastily tried to fend off the wolves and intervene, but they were already too late.
Hwaek!
As Dane instinctively threw up his left arm to block,
Kang!
Olsen's sword clashed against Dane's arm with a heavy metallic ring.
“?!”
Olsen's face stiffened at the sudden turn of events.
Exploiting that brief opening, Dane's body moved.
Ppuck!
He kicked Marcus away and, using the recoil, twisted his body to swing his right arm.
Seogeog!
Bringing his sword down in a diagonal slash, he severed Olsen's left arm.
“Keu-euik!”
Olsen stumbled backward.
His severed arm flew into the air,
Cheolpeok.
and landed right beside the reeling Marcus.
“Eu-heok?!”
Seeing the severed forearm, Marcus let out a scream.
Peok!
The surrounding knights immediately pinned him down.
“How, did……”
Olsen stood upright, using his sword to prop himself against the ground. He glared at Dane's left arm in disbelief.
“Did your uncle-nim tell you?”
Dane asked in a nonchalant voice.