"Young Master Eitan, no matter how much I think about it, is it really necessary for me to come along?"
Eitan looked across the carriage at the nervously sweating Lind. "Of course, you're my servant. It's your duty to follow wherever I go."
Lind lowered his head in defeat, but was screaming internally. Ahhh, yeah, I'm just an ordinary servant! So why are you taking me to the Saorise Region? Where danger lingers at every turn?!
Eitan pretended not to know of Lind's obvious dilemma and surveyed the land outside the carriage window. His eyes narrowed as he saw the slight hue of orange in the sky. Tonight's the night.
"Third Young Master."
A man on a horse pulled up alongside the carriage. He wore silver armor with a blood-red insignia, the mark of the Reidar family. Black hair with white streaks was combed neatly back to reveal sharp hazel eyes. This was Aengus Tyrnol, the knight who was sent to accompany Eitan and would soon meet his end at an assassin's blade. "We'll have to camp outside tonight. Please rest in the carriage, dinner will be brought to you shortly."
"Alright," Eitan didn't make a fuss, unlike the knight's expectations. It was surprising for a noble young master to be so agreeable about spending a night outdoors. How could he know that Eitan had spent many nights in far harsher conditions as the mercenary Elron?
Soon after Aengus departed, the carriage came to a halt, and Eitan gestured to one of the soldiers outside. "Bring my slave to me."
"Yes, Young Master," the soldier didn't question his intentions and soon returned with Farrel.
As a mere slave, Farrel didn't have the right to ride in the carriage like Lind, who attended to Eitan's needs. He marched in the back of the soldiers that surrounded the supply carriage, as everyone else was on foot, and only Aengus rode a horse. Eitan sent Lind out under the guise of checking his food and brought Farrel into the carriage. He was currently wearing shabby clothes and carried a long bag that was conveniently the length of his sword. A cloth mask hung over the lower part of his face to hide his identity from those who may be familiar with him as the former Ormund knight captain. After checking that no one was too close, Eitan spoke in a low voice. "Assassins are going to attack the convoy tonight."
"I see." Farrel didn't show any doubt at his sudden proclamation. "Just give me your orders."
"I want you to scan the perimeter and once you sense something, take action. The first priority is to protect the soldiers, the second is to make sure not one of the rats escapes alive." Eitan instructed Farrel with a cold gleam in his eyes.
"As you wish," Farrel bowed his head as a knock was heard on the carriage door.
"Young Master Eitan, I've brought your food." Lind's voice was heard from below.
Eitan eyed Farrel, who nodded firmly before descending from the carriage. Lind then came up and handed Eitan a soup bowl with some bread. "Here you are."
After receiving the food, he ate dutifully with a calm demeanor. It was important to maintain as much strength as possible in preparation for the night to come.
Later, the soldiers had finally all settled for the night. Lind had also left the carriage to let Eitan sleep peacefully. Aengus remained on watch by the carriage while a lax patrol soldier checked the surroundings. Here it comes. This was another moment forever ingrained in Eitan's memory.
A loud thud could be heard from the woods nearby, an immediate difference from the silent onslaught of his previous life. So he's begun. Eitan smiled as he realized that must have been the sound of Farrel taking down the first assassin.
Shouts could suddenly be heard from all directions as the attack began.
"Protect the young master! It's assassins!"
The woken soldiers immediately formed up around the carriage while Aengus barked orders. Eitan pushed open the carriage door to properly survey the situation. Just under a dozen figures in black were currently besieging the carriage, while a few similarly clothed bodies lay strewn on the ground.
"Young Master! Please get back in the carriage!" Aengus backed up to where Eitan was, shouting at him sternly as he fended off an assailant.
"Just focus on the enemy in front of you." Eitan reached behind him and pulled out a shortsword from a compartment in the carriage. He stepped forward and swung it, deftly deflecting a dagger that had been aimed at Aengus' blind spot. Then, in one fluid motion, he leaned down and grabbed the fallen dagger, sending it straight back to its sender with a calculated throw. There was a gurgling noise as the sharp tip accurately pierced the owner's throat. He didn't intend to join the fray directly, but couldn't stand sitting in the carriage and doing nothing either.
Aengus didn't have the time to argue with him or process his shocking prowess as he was busy fighting off the enemy in front of him. Eitan looked around calmly, and he saw a white glow coming from behind one of the assassins. The foe soon crumpled to the ground to reveal Farrel, wielding his pure white aura to save another soldier.
Aengus' own aura, a distinct orange color, finally flared up, and he decapitated the man he had been tussling with. Now that the knight was free, he, along with Farrel, made short work of the rest of the enemy. They may have been elites, but that was only from an ordinary standard. They were no match in the face of two aura knights.
Aengus was only defeated in his past life because an assassin had slipped through the soldiers to directly attack Eitan, and he risked his life to jump in between them and allow Eitan to escape safely. The ordeal finally dealt with, Aengus glanced at Eitan briefly but turned to focus on the figure approaching them. It was Farrel, dragging a limp body behind. The black fabric the person wore was coated with blood, and it was difficult to tell whether they were dead or alive.
Aengus held out his bloody sword, still bristling with leftover hostility. "You. What is an aura user doing under the guise of a regular slave? Even if you assisted us, I can not allow such a suspicious person to remain by the young master. Remove that mask of yours and state your purpose clearly right this instant, or I will designate you as just another enemy."
Eitan interrupted this by reaching out and pushing down the hilt of Aengus' sword. "Stand down."
"Young Master, I cannot. Even if this man helped us on the surface, he cannot be trusted with just that!" Aengus protested firmly, keeping his gaze trained on Farrel.
"I said, stand down." A red glow suddenly emerged from Eitan's hand as he forcefully lowered Aengus' sword.
Aengus' eyes widened with shock as Farrel continued approaching them. He looked to be about to go back on guard before he was given another surprise of a lifetime as Farrel knelt in front of Eitan, dropping the body of the incapacitated assassin at his feet. "My liege. I have completed your orders."
"Huh?" Aengus blinked dazedly at the sudden influx of information. Not only could the weak third young master utilize aura, but this powerful man was his subordinate?
"Introduce yourself." Eitan gestured at the stunned knight beside him.
Farrel stood up and removed his mask, and Aengus automatically squinted as if he looked familiar. "My name is Farrel Falkur, a lowly knight in service to my liege. It is a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance, Sir Aengus."
Aengus let out a light gasp as he recalled Farrel's identity. "What is the former Ormund knight captain doing with the young master?" He questioned suspiciously, but did not raise his sword this time.
"I have long abandoned my past. I currently exist only for my liege, and my liege alone." Farrel responded coolly with a reverent glance at Eitan.
Aengus looked back and forth between them before sighing. "Alright. I have many questions for you, Young Master. But they can wait until morning." He turned back to Farrel. "And Sir Farrel— I apologize for the discourtesy I have shown you until now."
"Think nothing of it." Farrel waved his hand dismissively. "All is as the lord wills."
Does that mean he was willingly treated as a slave because that's what the third young master wanted? Aengus couldn't help but ponder as he eyed Eitan before giving him a slight bow. "Please get some sleep now. Rest assured that no harm shall come to you tonight."
"Naturally," Eitan smiled casually at Aengus before giving a cold look to the bloody figure on the ground. "Tie that bastard up somewhere. I'll interrogate him tomorrow," he tossed out one last order before climbing back into the carriage. Despite not getting any blood on it, he dutifully wiped down his sword before putting it away. Only after this did he finally lay himself to rest. Everyone is alive. This was the first great change he had made since coming back to the past. Rather than being worried, he felt good. With this, I'll consider my debt of life paid, Sir Aengus.
*****
"My deepest apologies, my liege. It is my oversight that allowed this to happen." Farrel lowered his head so much it looked like it would hit his knees. Aengus was beside him, only down on one knee but with an equally self-reproachful expression.
Eitan let out a low exhale and rubbed his forehead. "So, let me get this straight. You removed the poison from his mouth to prevent suicide. But," his eyes went past the two to where a cloaked body lay with a head haphazardly wrapped with blood-soaked bandages. "The assassin woke up much earlier than anticipated and, upon realizing he was the only one left alive, managed to smash his head into a rock?"
"Yes, I stopped him immediately, but the damage had already been done. Even with emergency aid, his body already wasn't in good condition, so he perished quickly." Farrel admitted with an ashamed expression. "Please punish me for my negligence."
"I also failed my duty. This man was necessary to find out who attacked the young master, yet I failed to take care of such a crucial thing." Aengus also spoke up penitently. "I am the one responsible for the young master's safety, but committed such a great lapse. I shall also accept any punishment you see fit."
Eitan's eyebrows twitched as he looked down at the two repentant knights. "Stop this and rise, both of you. The man's already dead, so what's the use in kicking up a fuss over it now?" His gaze swept over them. "Did you find anything on the body?"
At Eitan's words, Farrel obediently stood up, but his head remained deeply bowed. He reached into his pocket and presented a copper plaque to Eitan. "This was the only form of identification we managed to find."
Aengus hesitantly got to his feet and stared at Eitan with a mixed expression. He only snapped out of it when Eitan directed his gaze to him. "And?"
"Neither we nor any of the soldiers recognized it, but it's likely an identity plate for an assassin organization." Aengus hastily surmised.
"I see," Eitan clenched the plaque in his hand. So Kathryn didn't hire a well-known group, at least not one from around here. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them with a tranquil expression. "Clean up the corpse and then let's be on our way." He ordered calmly as he stowed the item in his clothes. Someday, I will find you. Today is simply not that day.
Aengus exchanged a glance with Farrel before giving Eitan a bow. "As you wish." He responded politely before he stepped away and began dishing out commands to the soldiers.
Eitan turned to still downcast Farrel and gave him a half smile. "The reason no one died last night is because of you. And just this plaque is already helpful enough, so chin up."
Farrel's mouth opened and closed before he bowed. "... Yes, my liege." Waves of emotion crashed within him as he watched Eitan return to the carriage. He let out a light exhale before a determined expression returned to his face, and he moved to stand guard.
But the next leg of the journey was destined for peace. The convoy continued with no further issues, aside from the initial awkwardness, of course. The soldiers who had been scared witless upon realizing they had been treating an aura knight as a slave eventually calmed down enough to chat regularly with Farrel. Eitan also kept up with his training, which the initially confused soldiers slowly grew used to, and some even came to join him on his endurance jogs. But despite the present tranquility, a sense of unease hung over the group as they grew closer to their designation.
The soldiers knew the assassins were only an unexpected hurdle, after all. The real challenge would begin when they arrived at the territory. But true to the spirit of the Reidars, no one spoke up in trepidation. The soldiers all marched steadily along to the thorny path ahead.