I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 180: A Moment of Solace

Chapter 180: A Moment of Solace

Leif and Felix found different paths that night as they culled the goblins down enough to get into the township and ensure others hiding in the darkness. Upon Sir Eitan’s instruction, Felix went along the outer edge and found plenty more goblins to deal with, while Leif followed Sir Sven and went far right and managed to do much of the same.

However, there were more goblins where Felix went, and he spent what seemed like ages slicing them down. Even the crying of ’necromancer’ wasn’t enough for him to stop with the important task handed to him.

Leif, on the other hand, found peace more quickly as he helped Sir Sven pour buckets of water over a storage house that was up in flames.

Their peace was fleeting. It evolved to horror as Leif saw the skull of the ogre reflect fire and moonlight. At that moment, he wished he were more of a bow wielder because then he could truly do something about the monster. Sir Sven was quick to his bow, and all Leif was instructed to do was try and light a path of grass on fire so the monster wouldn’t go into the township.

Leif dutifully took to his tasks. However, there was a moment he was frozen as he saw something unexpected from a rooftop, and merely stood there dumbfounded as he witnessed their smallest apprentice crouch for a moment before standing with a fire arrow and aiming it at the largest monster.

She had a way of impressing everyone. He wondered if everyone would be more impressed if they knew that a small girl was the one doing all of these brave things.

There wasn’t more time to contemplate that because the ogre began to change directions, so the pressure lessened, and the ogre disappeared as it crumbled to the ground.

Shortly after, Leif was allowed to go to the inn, where he was met with Felix. They were relieved to see the other in one piece. Others hadn’t been quite as lucky.

They were then taken to the dining hall, where they were given food. Neither one of the apprentices even realized that their stomachs were screaming for food until they were eating.

That was when they heard someone knock at the front door and Sir Gunnar announce his presence.

Despite how strangely Felix had been behaving about Iro and Agnes, he joined Leif in the relieved rush forward to embrace Irene. All felt right in the world that the three of them were reunited.

Irene nearly fell over if it weren’t for her friends holding her up. She smelled of smoke, and she looked exhausted.

"Things weren’t looking too good out there, and you took a long time," Leif reasoned.

Not quite helping the uneasiness she was feeling, her friends’ arms around her made Irene feel a lump form in her throat once more, but she managed to resist her eyes watering that time around. All she could do was stand there for a few minutes as she accepted the strange affection from Felix and Leif.

"Never do that again," Felix insisted.

When she was finally let go, she looked up at the oldest apprentice.

"Do what?" she wondered.

"Disappear out of nowhere," he insisted. "When we got here, you were there then... You weren’t."

"Sorry," Irene responded a bit guiltily. "Seems I made a mistake, but I was merely reacting and not thinking."

She didn’t want to elaborate that she saw Samson’s smithy up in flames and felt the need to save him, only to be unbelievably disappointed.

"Apprentices," Gunnar requested their attention. "Time to get rested. There are communal rooms ready for us. We’ll get back to it in the next few hours."

Finally able to walk around the corner now that the others weren’t blocking her, she saw that Eitan and Sven were already in the dining hall. They hadn’t quite relaxed, still having their armor on but only having removed their helmets, as they ate down what they were able to have for a meal amidst all the chaos.

"Eat something before you come to the room," Gunnar instructed Irene. "There is plenty from what I’ve been told."

"I’ll stay with Iro until he’s finished," Leif volunteered.

Gunnar felt momentarily protective, considering he knew Irene’s secret. However, he didn’t think that anyone else did, so he relented.

"Fine, but you need rest as well."

"I’ll eat quickly, sir," Irene insisted.

She was then able to sit at one of the tables and remove her gloves. A slightly frazzled barmaid delivered her a bowl of the stew that she had been smelling upon arrival.

Irene ate it down in the most unladylike of ways as she practically shoveled the food into her mouth.

"I didn’t realize how starving I was," she admitted after pouring the rest of the bowl into her mouth. "Easy to forget when you’re out there."

"I saw you shoot at the ogre," Leif told her. "Quite impressive, I must admit."

"I think everyone should use bows," Irene insisted. "They’re quite useful at the strangest of times."

"Perhaps you and Sir Sven can teach us," Leif suggested.

"That would be a wonderful way to pass time this summer," Irene realized. "I don’t think we have much else to do while we stick close to the Duke’s Tower."

"Good idea," Leif responded. "You have food on your face."

Irene felt a bit embarrassed and she quickly lifted her hand to her face.

"I was hungry, okay?" Irene defended herself.

It didn’t stop Leif’s laughter and shaking his head.

Despite all of the awfulness he had witnessed that night, she somehow made him laugh. As much as it stung that she wouldn’t trust him with her secret, he was still grateful for her friendship.

"Let’s rest before Gunnar gets angry," she insisted.

With that, they were both off to the higher areas of the inn, unsure of what was up ahead for them. However, there was a faint feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time facing monsters to this degree. It certainly wasn’t the first instance.

Even after she was permitted to lay down, Irene had to roll to her side and squeeze her eyes shut knowing that sleep wouldn’t come right away.

She never wanted to see the dead body of someone she knew ever again. The feeling never got lighter. It seemed to only be growing heavier and heavier.