Chapter 10
Mia heard a cracked voice near her ear, as if the speaker was deeply startled. She did not respond. In fact, it was closer to being unable to respond.
If she wasn’t mistaken, then…
The man’s voice seemed to carry a faint tremor, as if he was holding back tears.
“I, I thought… Your Excellency might have been harmed…”
“…”
“I was worried that I had been careless and that you… might have suffered some misfortune…”
The stammering voice sounded oddly anxious, prompting Mia to hesitantly draw him closer into her embrace. The shoulder that touched her forehead felt strangely warm.
Etienne seemed eager to confirm that she was safe, trembling hands exploring her face. He looked as if he hoped she would say something.
But Mia was not someone who deserved such concern. The one who had killed him, and now the one who had come back in time to protect him, did not have the right to stand before his earnest gaze.
Perhaps Etienne had even cried a little. Mia thought she might never have the chance to discover if that assumption was true.
***
That night, they went on another reconnaissance mission.
After the events of the day, it would have been nice to have a moment to calm down, but there was no luxury of time on the battlefield, and everyone knew that.
As the commander volunteered for the reconnaissance, the strategic officer followed him.
To put it bluntly, Mia only needed a moment to speak with Etienne alone. However, reconnaissance or investigation always served as an excellent excuse in such situations.
The sound of crunching soil underfoot felt foreign as they walked down the ruined dirt path.
After a while of listening to the sounds of insects, Mia finally spoke up.
“Sir.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“Were you worried about me?”
Etienne didn’t respond immediately. It was a question Mia hadn’t expected to be answered, so she wasn’t particularly bothered.
“It’s a waste of time.”
Mia continued without waiting for his reply. Etienne seemed to want to argue but eventually chose to remain silent and listen until she finished.
“It’s not that being kind to your subordinates is a bad thing. Surely you…”
Mia thought to herself that he must have always been someone who cared deeply, even if it was unknowingly. However, perhaps it was different in a past life. It felt quite awkward for someone who had not known Etienne for even a month to say such things. After swallowing the words she had nearly said, Mia took a long pause before speaking again.
“That’s certainly a wonderful quality for a leader. In places like the battlefield, where people can easily become exhausted, someone like you is absolutely necessary.”
Despite rumors of being a cold-blooded individual, Etienne Rochefort was a rather beloved commander. Even in his past life, he had quietly provided assistance to his subordinates who were struggling.
And that aspect of him terrified Mia. She didn’t want someone who was grinding himself down in hidden ways to lose his life early due to excessive kindness in this life as well.
Mia thought that perhaps Etienne had shown such weakness in order to draw her to his side.
It was an action that she couldn’t understand unless it was that way.
Thus, he didn’t need to be kind to her, at least.
“But you don’t need to treat me that way.”
“But Your Excellency…”
“Isn’t that right? I’ve already decided to stand by your side, so there’s no reason for you to go out of your way to win my favor.”
Mia gave a faint smile. Etienne found that smile oddly unsettling.
“Your Excellency…”
As he nervously rubbed his neck, Etienne stammered.
“Um, there seems to have been a misunderstanding. I didn’t want to buy your favor; I just…”
Unfortunately for Etienne, he didn’t have the chance to finish his sentence. He pulled Mia’s arm back and hid her behind him, drawing his sword in the blink of an eye and taking a combat stance.
“…?”
As Mia looked over Etienne’s shoulder, she finally noticed four figures concealed in the shadows.
Had it not been for Rochefort, she would have been completely caught off guard. To be in a position of needing protection again from someone she had vowed to protect was disheartening. Feeling weak like this made her question what great achievement she could ever hope to accomplish.
“Who are you?”
Etienne asked in a low voice.
The sword, imbued with divine power, glimmered faintly under the moonlight. It was a warning more effective than a hundred words.
Before Mia could even react, the sharp blade sliced through the air. As if the festival-goers had sensed the presence of the assassins, the surrounding area fell silent in an instant. Even the sound of flesh being cut by a blade was chillingly audible.
It was truly an overwhelming fight. Both the flustered assassins and Mia could only guess at Rochefort’s movements by following the trace of divine power that came in late.
Were the assassins particularly incompetent? Not at all. After all, who would hire a mediocre assassin to take out a war hero known across the neighboring empire?
While squabbling over power with the old men who held sway in the palace, Mia often received invitations from assassins as if they were tea party invitations. In fact, unlike the invitations that came one by one only when she almost forgot, these assassins returned stronger each time, so she was more familiar with the latter.
Even if Mia couldn’t match Rochefort’s level of “training,” she had enough power to subdue them even before going to war. It was nearly unavoidable for survival. After all, the assassins typically used by the nobility were mostly nothing to write home about.
However, the ones Rochefort was facing now were different.
Mia couldn’t find a single gap in their movements. Yet Rochefort was able to easily pinpoint and pierce through those gaps she couldn’t even see.
The series of actions—thrusting, slashing, and carving—was so beautiful that it almost resembled a dance. The blood splattering in all directions looked like dark flower petals.
It was a sight that could never be witnessed in a battlefield where she had to swing a poorly handled sword just to survive.
“Phew.”
With four fallen bodies laid out before him, Etienne exhaled and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His striking features were contorted into a serious expression.
If he had been able to fully display his original abilities, fighting four to one wouldn’t have been a problem. However, right now, there was someone behind him that he had to protect at all costs.
In the Holy Corps, where each individual could demonstrate more than one person’s worth of skill, there were not many instances where one fought while protecting others. Even in those rare cases, the responsibility of protection didn’t fall on Etienne.
The one who could wield divine power most explosively always had to lead the charge, and Etienne took great pride in being able to take on that role.
But now, having things turn out this way, he was bitterly regretting not having learned how to fight while protecting someone behind him.
From the start, it wasn’t a battle he could lose, but had he ever fought in coordination with someone, it would have been natural to win more easily than this.
Considering all the countless battles he would face on the battlefield in the future, he would undoubtedly have many people to protect, even if they weren’t Mia Blanchard.
Nevertheless, the fact that he was struggling more than expected was solely due to his arrogance, which focused only on training for a flashy combat style and psychological warfare.
A twitch. Out of the corner of Etienne’s eye, he noticed a body moving. It had only fallen, not died, so it was only natural.
‘Recovering sooner than expected.’
Etienne thought to himself as he walked over to the fallen figure.
“Etienne.”
“Yes?”
He responded without turning around, considering how to deal with the one he had just restrained by stepping on their neck.
“Just kill him.”
“Do you think interrogation won’t be necessary?”
“He was quite skilled.”
“…”
It was a silence that plainly signified disagreement, but Mia continued speaking without waiting for his reply.
“While he may not be on par with the generals you faced, from my experience, he was quite capable. He won’t easily give up information anyway.”
“That is true.”
“Moreover, they still don’t know we’ve crossed the border in Veridian. With this number, ambushing them would be advantageous in many ways. If we end up dragging them around and attract unnecessary suspicion…”
Etienne, with the blade of his sword poised against the assassin’s neck, focused on Mia’s words. Or at least, he tried to focus until her voice abruptly cut off.
“Mia!”
When he turned his head, what he saw was…
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
-> MAKE ACCOUNT AND GET [50] COINS FREE!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Comment