บท 63: Overnight on the Plains
"I didn't expect such a courageous girl in Ira Village. Not bad, hahaha!"
To the soldiers' surprise, Captain Laidell didn't get angry. He even found a way to save face with an awkward laughter.
However, Laidell was not without anger; he just suppressed it.
-(What's the point of bullying a young girl in front of my subordinates?)
-(Since you have such a personality, let's see how long you can remain stubborn.)
As Laidell looked at Avril's innocent and lovely face, he had a plan in mind.
"Rhode, where are you two headed?"
Laidell turned his head to ask Rhode.
Avril quickly gestured to stop Rhode, but he answered without hesitation.
"We're going to Sandrift Gorge, Captain Laidell."
At that moment, Avril wished she had a needle and thread to sew Rhode's mouth shut.
"Why are you going to Sandrift Gorge? Don't you know there are monsters there?"
Laidell immediately brought up the topic of monsters. Fortunately, Rhode's emotional intelligence wasn't negative, and he didn't mention the incompetence of the Gudetown Cavalry. He simply stated that they were going to find sandrift flowers to cure Granny Kana.
"Sandrift flowers... It's indeed not easy to get your hands on them..."
Laidell stroked his small beard, pondered for a moment, and then pointed to the rearmost carriage of the cavalry.
"You two young people are quite filial... How about this? You can ride on our logistics carriage and we'll give you a lift."
-(Avril, don't agree. I have a feeling this guy has ulterior motives.)
With the same thoughts as Elle, Avril also desires not to act together with the Gudetown Cavalry, however...
"Th-thank you, Captain Laidell!"
Overjoyed, Rhode has already accepted the invitation, so Avril can only put on a grateful expression for now and take it step by step.
In the carriage, aside from military supplies, there are only Rhode and Avril.
Rhode sits at the back of the carriage, looking outside, while Avril sits quietly inside.
Avril has already made up her mind that she will find an excuse to leave the cavalry unit once they reach Sandrift Gorge. As for Rhode, if he chooses to continue acting together with the cavalry unit, she will let him be.
After all, they are all men, and these soldiers of the cavalry unit should not cause any trouble for him.
Moreover, no matter what, Ira Village is still an important supply point for the cavalry unit, so they wouldn't dare to do anything too excessive.
-(Avril, if these soldiers dare to cause trouble, I'll turn them into coats made of human skin. Hehe, what do you think of this idea?)
Avril has already grown accustomed to Elle's extreme tastes, and she no longer cares about what these soldiers' bodies might be turned into. Her only concern is whether Elle is overly confident.
No matter how formidable Elle may be, Avril doesn't think she can surpass these fifteen soldiers.
"Elle, I will follow your lead in whatever you decide to do, but please don't act unless absolutely necessary," Avril whispers in a hushed voice.
-(Don't worry, Avril. I know my limits.)
Avril can't help but feel uneasy about Elle's definition of "limits."
During the night, the cavalry unit finds an open grassland and sets up camp.
The soldiers all have their own simple tents, while Avril is arranged to sleep inside the carriage.
Rhode volunteers to stand guard for Avril, but she suggests taking turns—Rhode will guard for the first half of the night, and she will guard for the second half.
With Elle present, Avril manages to fall into a light sleep. When it's Avril's turn to guard in the second half of the night, Elle becomes fully active.
-(It's been a while since I've been active during the night. The darkness is my domain, hehe!)
If Avril knew that her sister not only had a combat occupation but also was a "Murderous Phantom," she would surely find it fitting.
The black night on the grassland is incredibly silent, with only the uninterrupted sounds of insects and occasional animal calls in the distance.
Avril sits at the back of the carriage and overhears the low conversations among the soldiers on guard nearby.
"Yeah... this time... won't be long... Sandrift Gorge..."
"I really don't understand... why... Captain... always..."
"You don't understand... hunting demons... supplies... profits... really envious ..."
"So that's why..."
The voices are indistinct, but Avril can roughly grasp the meaning. It seems that Captain Laidell is using the excuse of hunting demons to gain profits, which explains why they have returned empty-handed from three consecutive hunts this year.
Avril now suspects that Rhode's speculation might be correct—that there are no more demons in Sandrift Gorge.
·
The night passes slowly, and as Avril sits, she gradually begins to doze off. At this moment, Elle notices some unusual movements around them.
-(If you're tired, go ahead and sleep. Leave the rest to me.)
Without waking Avril, Elle directly takes control of the body.
First, she glances at the nearby sentries and finds that those two fellows have actually fallen asleep. She silently criticizes the lack of discipline in the Gudetown Cavalry.
Then, Elle separates her familiar giant scissors into two, holding these two special daggers and quietly blending into the darkness, waiting for the attackers to reveal themselves from the perspective of a lurker.
When it comes to ambushing, Elle is a professional. She becomes one with the night, concealing all traces of her presence.
Half an hour later, two masked individuals emerge from the bushes, crouching and swiftly making their way towards the carriage.
-(So, they're here to steal something.)
Elle clearly sees that both of them are carrying machetes. However, she remains calm and quickly devises a plan.
Taking advantage of the thieves' approach to the carriage, Elle stealthily moves to the other side of the carriage, staying within their blind spot.
As one of the thieves climbs onto the carriage, Elle sweeps her blade from beneath the carriage, severing the tendon of the other thief attempting to open the carriage. Then, she uses the injured thief's cry of pain as cover to flip onto the roof of the carriage. When the remaining thief inside the carriage peeks out to assess the situation, Elle, wielding the giant scissors formed by combining the two daggers, cleanly cuts through the gap between the thief's neck and collarbone.
One is dead, and the other is incapacitated. Elle elegantly somersaults down from the carriage and approaches the incapacitated thief with the severed tendon.
Without any mercy, Elle swiftly delivers two strikes: one to the neck and one to the heart, ending the thief's life.
-(Ah~ That was satisfying~)
-(It's been so long since I've felt this sensation~!)
Elle can sense a warmth flowing into her body. They call it "experience points," which can raise her occupational level.
However, now is not the time to savor these feelings. Elle notices movement from the soldiers' side, so she immediately picks up the bandit's machete, stained with blood, and discreetly hands it to Rhode, who has been awakened by the commotion.
"Listen, Rhode. These two bandits came to steal something, but they ended up quarreling and killing each other."
"When the soldiers ask what happened, you'll say that you killed these two bandits. Understand?"
Looking at the seemingly different Avril in front of him, Rhode is completely bewildered.
Bandits? "Killed"? Could it be that someone is... dead?
However, after seeing Avril hide inside the carriage, Rhode gathers his courage, gripping the machete tightly.
"D-Don't worry, leave it to m-me...!"
Rhode nods stiffly at Avril and then steps out of the carriage.
A few seconds later, Elle hears Rhode's startled cry from outside the carriage.
-(Sigh...)
Elle sighs, disappointed with Rhode's inability to meet expectations.
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