Chapter 40
Pahell stooped low and tapped the side of Kylios lightly with his heels. Kylios ran along the canyon with an aggressive breath.
“There has to be a bridge to help us cross over to the other side. Sir Phillion said so,” Pahell muttered.
The border of the Porcana Kingdom was connected by canyons and rivers, which made it nearly impossible to enter the kingdom without crossing a bridge. This made defense their specialty. Thanks to their location, Porcana was able to remain largely autonomous without too much of the Imperial influence despite being a part of the Empire.
“Look, there’s another broken bridge,” Urich opened his eyes wide and looked at the canyon. He could see the silhouette of a white-ish bridge, but it seemed like it was broken in the middle due to a long time of abandonment.
“It’s a bridge that isn’t maintained by the defense. There has to be a bridge that’s intact somewhere,” Pahell said as he gripped the reins.
The border of the Porcana Kingdom was dotted with illegally built bridges. Some were built by hunters and lumberjacks who had to cross the border frequently to make their living, as well as smugglers. Even when the border patrols took down those bridges, the people persistently rebuilt them and crossed the border.
‘I can’t believe that a royalty like me has to look for an illegal bridge.’
Pahell gritted his teeth from the humiliation. He wasn’t very fond of the situation that was making him sneak out of his own kingdom like a rat.
“Hey, Pahell, my thighs and ass are getting really sore. Are they supposed to be like that?” Urich was beginning to feel the soreness in his lower body.
“Quit talking and look for a bridge,” Pahell said in a sharp tone. The anxiety was building up.
Kylios, who had been galloping with all his strength, was growing tired. After all, he was a wild horse who hadn’t been trained to carry a person until just a couple of days ago. His stamina hit the floor sooner than expected because of an unfamiliar load. Urich, being the size he is, did not help the poor horse either.
Purr.
Kylios’ breath was rough.
“What, you’re tired already? You’re not as strong as you look, Kylios,” Urich said with crossed arms as he heartlessly glared at the struggling horse.
“That’s because you’re heavier than a pig! Dammit, do you think they’re coming after us?”
Pahell and Urich hadn’t been able to get as far as they had hoped. They had to walk until they were able to mount the horse, and when they finally got on his back, the horse became exhausted sooner than they had expected him to.
Buuuuup!
Pahell felt a chill run down his spine. It was the sound of a trumpet.
Clop, clop.
Well-trained warhorses emerged from the horizon as the cavalries drew their weapons.
“Shit, it’s the chase party. Kylios, run!”
The cavalries were in pursuit of Urich and Pahell. They blew their trumpet to alert their location to the rest of the scattered chase party who had been in a wide search formation. They started to fall in one by one.
‘There are seven of them right behind us already.’
The reinforcement could be showing up at any moment.
“Hah, we’re in trouble! I wonder if the other mercenaries are okay.”
“Worry about us, you idiot! Besides, if they catch us, I’m the only one they’ll keep alive. They’re definitely going to kill you!”
Pahell kicked Kylios’ sides harder, and the horse mushed on with wide-open eyes.
“He’s shaking even more than before. He’s tired.”
Urich murmured. Kylios was losing the stability that he had earlier.
“Shit, shit, if they catch us here, we’re done for. I am the rightful heir of Porcana, I will survive and take my throne!” Pahell was nearly in tears.
“Turn the horse around, Pahell. We’re going for them!” Urich said as he grabbed Pahell’s head.
“Urich, there are seven of them!”
“And we have two—you and me. We just have to take care of three, four of them each. This is easier than I thought!”
“What kind of bullshit is that? Have you finally lost your mind?”
Pahell poured out the curses. Even he knew that the first and foremost advantage in a battle was the numbers.
“Turn him around, Pahell, we have to give him some rest. Trust me, Pahell,” Urich said without a hint of unseriousness in his voice.
‘Urich is a trustworthy man.’
Phillion’s words echoed through Pahell’s mind.
“My faith is in Sir Phillion, not you! Kylios, ugh!”
Pahell turned Kylios around. The horse turned around to stare at the charging cavalries.
‘You are a brave horse, Kylios. You weren’t even trained to be a warhorse, and yet you’re still standing your ground.’
Pahell stared at the charging enemies as he gently stroked the cheek of the horse. His heart was beating out of his chest.
“Pahell, I’m going to show you why I am the leader of our mercenary squad,” Urich drew his battle axes.
“T-they’re coming,” Pahell’s hands, which were gripping hard on the reins, trembled in fear as the enemies became close enough for him to make out their faces.
“Hmph! That’s one.”
Urich, still sitting on the back of the horse, launched his axe using solely the strength of his upper body.
Crush!
The cavalry that was in the lead collapsed backward as the blade of the axe buried itself deep into his face.
“H-huh?”
The cavalry that was charging right behind him felt that something was off, but the momentum of his horse was already carrying him closer and closer to Urich.
“That’s two!”
Urich exclaimed as he launched the other axe. The cavalry tried to fend off the attack by raising his arm, but the axe rose in the air like a boomerang to shred up his face.
“He’s out of axes, go for him!”
The rest of the cavalries charged toward Urich without hesitation.
Schring.
Urich stood tall on Kylios’ back and drew his sword. His sense of balance was more than enough to allow him to stand still on top of a horse.
“Wo..woahhhh!”
Urich roared as he leaped from the horse and collapsed onto the cavalry who was darting toward him.
Crush!
His steel sword impaled the chest of the cavalry, penetrating his chainmail to reach the heart. As his enemy’s blood spouted on his face, Urich’s eyes darted around to look for his next target.
‘He killed three of them in the blink of an eye.’
Pahell stared at the back of the barbarian with his jaw dropped. This was his first time witnessing Urich properly fighting.
‘There’s four of them left.’
Urich pounced into the side of one of the warhorses and dug in with his shoulder.
“Arghhhhh!”
He cried out as he gritted his teeth as the horse stumbled and flipped over. Its soldier plunged to the ground headfirst, snapping his neck in a freaky angle.
“Y-you crazy bastard!”
The three remaining cavalries darted toward Urich simultaneously, but Urich evaded their attacks by weaving in and out underneath the horses. It was an unbelievably bold move as one stomp of the horse would have inflicted a serious injury on him.
“Pahell, now!” Urich yelled out of nowhere, sending the attention of the cavalries to the prince for a split second.
“What? What?”
Pahell was the one who was caught more off guard by Urich’s unexpected call. He looked at the cavalries, knowing that there was nothing that he could do in that situation.
Schluck!
Using that window of distraction, Urich stabbed the face of one of the cavalries. The sensation of the tip of his sword cutting through the brain traveled down the blade into the tip of his fingers.
‘Two left.’
The two remaining calvaries glanced at each other as they stepped back from their enemy. They were frightened by a single warrior who was standing on the ground.
“Grab the prince!” One of the cavalries shouted as he looked at Pahell’s blue eyes. After confirming the prince, both of the cavalries darted past Urich and headed straight for Urich.
Twitch.
Urich wasn’t going to let the cavalries get to the prince. Firm veins rose prominently on his thick thighs as he jumped from the spot. He leaped as high as the horses without any countermovement to aid his jump and landed on the back of the horse behind the cavalry.
Crunch!
He grabbed the head of the soldier in front of him and twisted his neck. There was a crunching sound as his neck shattered.
“Hmph,” Urich let out a short breath. He bounced off the tipping horse onto the last cavalry.
Thud!
The two men fell to the ground as Urich wrapped his body around the soldier. In the chaos, Urich battered his enemy’s face over and over with his fists to the point where the soldier’s facial structure was no longer recognizable.
“Huff, huff.”
Urich’s entire body was shifting up and down. He had just pulled off several movements that were comparable to those of a beast. His lungs and heart were about to burst.
‘What did I just see?’
Pahell’s teeth teetered. Urich had just taken down seven cavalries, all by himself.
‘Is he really the same human as I am?’
Urich, covered in the blood of his enemies, collected his axes from the bodies. He then walked back to Pahell as he brushed the blood off the blades of his axes and sword.
“See? I told you it’d be easy with the two of us,” Urich said with a smile. Pahell grinned lifelessly.
“Whatever, hop on already. There’s probably more of them coming. They know where we are because of that damned trumpet,” Pahell rushed Urich.
Kylios flinched at the strong bloody scent of Urich as he jumped onto his back, but he accepted him out of fatigue.
“Look at the hill over there. They’re already here and watching us. They’re keeping their distance as they chase,” Urich said as he looked at the three cavalries with his squinted eyes. The cavalries on the hill were cautiously watching without closing their distance as they continued to blow their trumpet to alert the others.
“What the hell are you doing? Go after them and arrest them!” Margrave Orquell and his adjutants joined the cavalries. As soon as he saw the hesitating men, the margrave lost his head.
“M-my lord, there is something off about that man over there. He single-handedly slashed through seven cavalries in the blink of an eye; it was like he wasn’t even human,” the reporting cavalry pleaded in a shaking voice.
Margrave Orquell frowned.
‘The quality and spirit of our troops has declined in recent years. It’s probably because they haven’t had the chance to get any real battle experience. Dammit, it wasn’t like this ten years ago.’
Under the reign of the Empire, the citizens had enjoyed ten years of peace. The last battle that was on the national level was the Subjugation of the Remaining Barbarians which took place ten years ago. The rookie soldiers who had not fought in that war had barely any real battle experience.
“Damn you, you cowards. Just follow my lead,” Margrave Orquell said as he drew his sword. He and six other cavalries charged forward.
“T-they’re coming, Urich!” Pahell yelled in terror as he glanced behind him.
“Don’t get scared, Pahell. We’re nearly there. I see the bridge over there and it’s not broken this time!” Urich confirmed the condition of the bridge where the strong river currents were flowing beneath it.
“C’mon, Kylios, we’re nearly there!” Pahell screamed as he encouraged his horse.
The suspended bridge was composed of only planks and ropes, and it would collapse if the rope was cut. If they were able to cut the ropes before the chase party could catch up to them, they would be safe.
Purr, purr.
Kylios galloped with his tongue flying about. His legs were shaking as if they were moments away from collapsing by the knee.
“They’re getting close,” Urich muttered as he prepared himself for the possibility of another battle.
“You think I’m going to let you catch me here? You traitors, I’m going to send you all to the gallows!” Pahell clenched his teeth as his blue eyes shone intensely. He lowered his body closer to Kylios, almost hugging his horse by its neck.
‘Run, Kylios, please.’
Kylios ran through absolute exhaustion, pushing himself beyond his limits. It was an extraordinary effort by the animal. Once he successfully brought his master to the bridge, he fell to his knees.
Purr.
Kylios lowered his head and breathed heavily. His large eyes gazed at Pahell, blinking as if knew that his work was finished.
“Thank you, Kylios,” Pahell ran onto the bridge with a bitter grin. The cavalries were up to their noses.
“You’re leaving him behind? All that talk about bonding and whatnot, and you still throw him away once you’re done using him,” Urich said to Pahell as he ran alongside the prince.
“Shut up. Do you think I’m leaving him behind because I want to? He can’t even move right now.”
“Hmm.”
Urich suddenly stopped. He eyed the distance between him and the cavalries.
“God dammit, what do you think you’re doing? Run, we have to cross!” Pahell jumped around anxiously. Urich took his sword off his shoulder and handed it to him.
“I like Kylios, so I have to bring him with us.”
Urich strode toward Kylios and stood in front of the horse on its knees.
“Hmph,” he took a big breath in. His muscles enlarged as if they had been inflated like a balloon as he grabbed the horse by its hooves and carried it on his shoulders.
Purr.
Kylios breathed out a hot steam. Urich lifted the horse as he straightened his knees.
“Keughhhh.”
Urich’s face turned bright red. He felt like his veins were exploding, and he could almost hear the fibers of his muscles tearing.
“Wo, woahhhhh!”
Urich released a monstrous cry as he took a step forward. He walked toward the bridge with an entire horse over his shoulders.
Tremble.
His arms and legs were shaking violently. Urich opened his eyes widely and looked at Pahell who was already on his way to the other side of the canyon.
“Kyli...os...! You are a per...sistent... thing,” Urich said to the horse with quivering lips.
“You’ve shown me... your persistence..., so it’s only right... if I show you mine...”
His steps became quicker as his entire body screamed in pain. Urich was pushing his strengths to the limit, and this was something that even his ridiculous strength couldn’t handle.
“He’s crazy,” Pahell muttered with a mix of tears in his voice.
Thump! Thump!
Urich ran with the horse, violently shaking the wooden bridge violently with every step.
“Ugh, oh, ah.”
The sound coming out of Urich’s mouth could only be described as freaky screams. His face no longer resembled a human as every fiber of muscle in his face contorted and twitched to express both madness and pain.
“What the hell are we watching?”
Even the galloping horsemen gaped at the unbelievable sight.
Urich somehow managed to carry the horse across the bridge. Pahell, who had been waiting on the other side, raised the sword and cut the ropes that were holding the bridge in place.
“Kuk, kaak, ugh.”
Urich fell to the ground and screamed the moment he put the horse down. Sticky blood oozed from his mouth, and his eyes were past the point of being bloodshot and were crying tears of blood.
“Ugh, yuck.”
He hissed and gagged as he felt the extremely intense pain emerging from within his body. It felt like he was being battered repeatedly with a hammer.
“Look for a different path, there has to be more nearby!”
Margrave Orquell yelled from the other side of the canyon as he took out the crossbow that he had slung next to his horse.
‘That is surely Prince Varca. You don’t see eyes that deeply blue very often. Boys do grow fast.’
The margrave took aim, alternating between Urich and Pahell. Pahell was a difficult target because he was taking cover behind a tree, but Urich was well out in the open. The margrave couldn’t get rid of the image of Urich running with a horse slung around his shoulders. It was a ridiculous yet marvelous sight.
‘It would be a waste for a man like him to die in a place like this.’
After hesitating, Orquell lowered his crossbow. He had witnessed an incredible sight today, and it became obvious why his men were terrified.
“Today, I must pay my respect to that man’s strength. That alone is enough to fill my heart for the day.”
Margrave Orquell turned his horse around and covered his grin with his fist. Memories of his youth came flooding back from the time he used to battle the fierce barbarians. Back then, each day was filled with the fulfillment of being alive.
Thump.
His heart was beating, and his blood that had lost its warmth was regaining its fieriness. The livelier the prey was, the more worthy of a capture it was. He wanted to face his prey himself and take its head. It made him feel younger just thinking about it.
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