TFSAWE - Chapter 250: Intuition (Patreon)

With a resounding crack, a single demon was cleaved neatly in half by Latvan's sword. In such a clean slice, the demon couldn't immediately accept its demise and instead stumbled upon its fallen other half, giving a bewildered look. It was the last sight the demon ever beheld in this world.

"Oh, my!"

Before Latvan could even wipe the blood from his face, a cry erupted from behind him. He turned around to find a demon, jaws wide open, attempting to devour a newborn baby. Without hesitation, Latvan hurled the sword he held in his hand. The thick leather tore, accompanied by the shattering sound of bones, as the demon's arm writhed on the ground along with the child.

The mother, who had lost consciousness just moments before, crawled towards her child as if possessed, cradling the baby in her arms. The demon, angrier at losing its prey than at having its hand severed, extended its remaining arm towards the mother and child. However, before that hand could draw near, it was intercepted by Latvan's swift kick and sailed through the empty air.

The mother, clutching her child and screaming, fled in a frenzy. Confirming that there were no more demons in her path, Latvan lifted the fallen sword from the ground and beheaded the demon.

"Captain!"

The voices of the knights searching for him reached Latvan even before the demon's head hit the ground.

"The square!"

"Their numbers are increasing!"

At those words, Latvan looked up at the sky. Heksa was still flapping its wings, menacingly observing the village from above.

"He's strategizing."

The demon realized that if he were to confront Latvan in his current state, he would likely suffer severe injuries or be defeated. True to his intuition, as soon as Latvan tightened his grip on his sword, Heksa emitted a rough roar and summoned more of the smaller demons.

Heksa planned to use these weaker demons to deplete the power of the Temple Knights before launching an attack.

Latvan asked the approaching knight, "Where is Iris?"

"She is at the village hall with Latvan!"

Latvan nodded in response. The place they were protecting at that moment was the village hall. Those who could escape had already left the village, but those who had lost their families or were injured could not easily leave. Moreover, if they stayed still, hungry eagles flying through the sky would surely snatch them away like an eagle snatches a mouse. Therefore, the knights directed such people into the village hall.

"Guard the surroundings. We'll strike Heksa before we are depleted."

"Yes, Captain!"

In the cool, penetrating gaze of Sir Latvan, the journalists responded resolutely. Even in the face of the towering Heksa, Latvan showed no sign of fear. Perhaps, had Aslan been present, he might have murmured to Heksa, "So I despise that accursed black cur."

Latvan tightened his grip on the sword. He had to capture Heksa before his stamina waned.

"In that case..."

He had to seize Heksa in one swift, flawless move. The blue essence within the sword he held began to radiate with formidable vigor.

"Is everything alright?"

Amidst the groans of the injured, Iris gazed anxiously outside. Beyond the shattered windowpane, she saw the specters, the knights engaged in combat with them.

When she had been in the mountains, they had merely seemed like large individuals who treated her kindly. But witnessing Iris hold a sword and confront the specters made her realize how extraordinary the people she had been with truly were.

"Well, they were extraordinary individuals, rarely seen in a lifetime."

She thought of the blacksmith's son who aspired to become a knight. Iris knew nothing about swords, but she understood that the blacksmith's son could never become a knight, not even in a thousand lifetimes. Iris absentmindedly gazed out the window. She could now understand why she had yearned to follow the knights, including Latvan.

"It's not frightening."

When she was with them, she felt no fear. Aslan had been the same. Initially, she had been scared, but as she slept beside him, she found herself gradually yearning for him to awaken.

Iris glanced at her own shadow.

Fear always trailed behind her. Ever since she had come to this distant land with her parents as a child, fear had clung to her like a shadow. Each time she roamed the mountains alone, each time the blacksmith's son looked at her, the fear that loomed larger with each passing day prevented Iris from falling into a deep sleep.

She looked at her own hands. Who was the last person to hold her hand? Ah, it was her parents. After her father departed from this world, her mother, plagued by illness, held Iris' hand until her last breath, weeping.

"Iris, to you... to you..."

Her mother never managed to complete her sentence. As Iris gazed at her hand, memories of sorrow surged within her, and then the doors of the assembly hall swung open.

"Make way, everyone! The knight is injured!"

Upon hearing those words, Iris was startled and rushed forward. She recognized the face. He was the young knight to whom she had expressed gratitude for accepting the fruit she handed him in the forest. On his chest, she saw a deep, jagged wound.

"Sir Knight!"

Startled, Iris approached him and placed her hand on his injury.

[Thud!]

A gust of wind accompanied the rapid influx of blue essence into Iris' hand. The light enveloped the knight's body. His wounds began to heal swiftly.

"The wounds are mending."

The voices of the people caused Iris' face to pale. The power she had struggled to control suddenly manifested itself without warning. Under the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Iris staggered backward, retreating towards the door.

[Thump!]

Suddenly, someone grasped Iris’ wrist from behind. Startled, she turned around to see a man dressed in resplendent attire, gazing at her with eyes filled with exuberance. It was only then that Iris noticed the garments he wore. An opulent, pure white tunic adorned with intricate golden silk thread.

Despite his visibly malformed leg, the man smiled and spoke to Iris.

"Ah, here you are, Lady of Light. I have come to escort you."