“Hiya!”
Zain urged his running horse.
The warhorse increased its speed, breathing heavily.
Behind him, two well-trained soldiers were following.
They were cavalry with excellent horseback riding skills.
They were chasing the carriage ahead.
The carriage that had departed at dawn had finally reached near the Akinzurou Gorge.
“It seems to be heading for the treacherous path above the gorge!”
However, the carriage didn’t go down into the gorge.
Of course, if it had headed down into the gorge, it would have been quickly caught by Zain and his soldiers.
“They’re mad. Do they want to die?”
But the treacherous path along the edge of the gorge was equally dangerous.
Zain frowned.
‘Oliver, that guy.’
It was clearly that hunter’s idea.
It’s impossible to shake off pursuit with just a carriage.
You can tell by how we’ve almost caught up to them despite their much earlier start.
Oliver seems to want to settle this.
That’s when it happened.
Zain doubted his eyes.
Someone stuck their head out of the carriage window.
He couldn’t fail to recognize her.
The girl who had an unnecessary curiosity about monsters.
The vivacious little girl who wanted to become a hero or hunter, unbefitting a noble young lady.
Rania was sticking her head out, looking at the pursuing Zain.
Their eyes met.
Zain gritted his teeth.
At that moment, the cavalryman riding beside him aimed a crossbow.
Zain barely managed to hit the cavalryman’s shoulder.
Ting!
The bolt that flew past grazed right by Rania’s face.
Someone pulled Rania back into the carriage.
Zain was furious.
“What the hell are you doing, you bastard!”
“Ah, no…”
The cavalryman looked rather flustered.
“The knights said to kill if it’s not convenient…”
“…”
Zain was about to snap at him, asking if the situation wasn’t convenient enough, but he held back.
“I’ll decide whether to kill or capture.”
Zain glared at the carriage.
“Stop the carriage before the road narrows. I’ll take the left, you take the right.”
They accelerated their horses once more.
White foam dripped from the horses’ mouths. Riding this intensely is dangerous for both horse and rider.
But now was the time to take risks.
Finally, Zain and the cavalrymen caught up with the carriage.
“Whoa!”
The coachman hurriedly swerved the carriage to the right.
One soldier trying to avoid it ended up falling off his horse.
But the other soldier managed to leap onto the driver’s seat.
While he wrestled with the coachman, Zain also jumped onto the carriage.
As he barely hung on and tried to open the carriage door, someone inside kicked the door open instead.
Zain almost rolled off the moving carriage.
He survived by grabbing onto the door.
Then, a sword suddenly thrust out through the gap in the carriage window.
He turned his head to avoid it.
But he couldn’t avoid his cheek being slashed.
“Kuk…!”
Zain is also a trained knight.
He climbed onto the top of the carriage with remarkably quick movements.
The one who had thrust out the sword also climbed onto the carriage top with lightning speed.
As expected, it was Oliver.
“Sir Knight, have you come to find your grave? If you fall into the Akinzurou Gorge, wild dogs will tear you apart and your corpse won’t even be found.”
“Hand over Lady Rania, hunter.”
Oliver and Zain had looked after Rania together before.
But now they were pointing swords at each other.
Zain’s eyes flashed.
Even if a hunter is an expert at hunting monsters, he surely can’t match a knight.
But Oliver looked confident.
“I won’t tell you to get lost. You wouldn’t listen anyway.”
Oliver smiled.
Zain somehow felt he couldn’t underestimate the hunter before him.
That’s why he imbued his sword with aura from the start.
In the end, it was the right choice.
The moment Oliver took his hand out of his pocket.
Five daggers were thrown explosively.
Titing!
He deflected three with his sword.
Two were blocked by his armor.
The force behind the daggers was heavy.
Oliver, who had scattered the daggers, drew a slightly larger short sword from his waist.
Kakagagang!
The long sword and short sword tangled in midair.
But Oliver didn’t give way at all.
His short sword was imbued with a brilliant light.
That was clearly aura as well.
Zain’s eyes widened.
“Why is someone of your skill… working as a hunter in the frontier?”
It was just one exchange, but he could tell Oliver’s skill.
“Skilled? Sir Knight, you’re overestimating me. Or maybe you’re overestimating yourself.”
“You…”
Zain’s face reddened.
Just as he was about to say something, Oliver stretched his foot forward.
It was a surprise attack.
A blade suddenly sprung out from the tip of his shoe, and Zain was in danger of having his throat pierced.
Clunk!
At that moment, the carriage shook violently.
It’s unknown if it hit a rock or not.
Thanks to that, Zain saved his life.
He swung his sword again.
Clang! Chang!
Blade clashed against blade.
Even on this shaking carriage top, Zain and Oliver continued their fight.
Clunk- Kuung!
But the carriage shook so violently that they could no longer fight.
Zain was shocked.
The soldier who had been wrestling with the coachman had rolled off far behind.
“Damn it!”
But it was Oliver who cursed.
He left Zain and quickly went back inside the carriage.
“Miss, cling to me!”
Zain turned his head to look at the driver’s seat.
The coachman was limp and motionless.
He was dead with his eyes open.
A sword was stuck in his side, with bright red blood flowing out.
The horses, unaware that their coachman was dead, were running wild.
And this place was a treacherous path on a cliff overlooking the gorge.
The horse misstepped and.
In a moment, it slid off the cliff.
Clunk!
The carriage floated up for a moment.
And then, impact.
The carriage was dragged down as it was.
All Zain could do was grab onto the carriage’s ornament and hang on.
The carriage, two horses, and three people fell.
Down into that Akinzurou Gorge.
