Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 53 - 53 44 Blood Debt Must Be Paid in Blood

53: Chapter 44: Blood Debt Must Be Paid in Blood 53: Chapter 44: Blood Debt Must Be Paid in Blood “Leon!”

The girl weaved past the fleeing soldiers, quickly rushing into the alleyway.

As she spotted her companion leaning against the wall, his chest armor punctured and his body swaying, she hurriedly reached out to steady Leon’s shoulders.

Olivia’s eyes widened with concern as she inspected him, “Where are you hurt?

Are you okay?”

Leon shook his head at her, “Don’t worry, I’m not badly injured, just a bit weak.

How about you, is your shoulder injury serious?”

He looked at the exposed skin of Olivia’s left sleeve, which had been torn open.

The upper side of her originally smooth and delicate left arm was covered with a shocking expanse of abrasions, still seeping crimson blood.

Forcing back the vague pain from a heavy kick to her abdomen, the girl managed a strained smile, “It’s nothing, just a scrape.”

Leon had no choice but to reluctantly let go of his worry.

Lokhak came trotting back on horseback with another companion.

Looking up at the companion sprawled across the horse, Leon asked with concern, “How is Azeryan?”

Before Lokhak could respond, Azeryan weakly raised an arm from the other side, waving it, “…I’m okay, *cough cough*…

not dead yet…”

Leon breathed a sigh of relief that everything was fine.

After confirming the safety of all his companions, he glanced toward the alley from which Lokhak had come.

“Let’s go this way, while those guys aren’t paying attention to us.

We’ll also avoid that big one and head around to the village market to find the horses we hid earlier.”

“I’ll take the lead to protect you,” Lokhak volunteered, drawing his long sword and urging his horse to a slow pace, leading the way.

Leon, legs weakening, followed behind with Olivia’s careful support.

They made it without incident, even as they encountered Kantadar soldiers hastily fleeing; none had the mood to cause trouble, all desperately riding away from the village.

As they walked, hearing the griffin’s fierce cries from afar, Leon couldn’t help but wonder… if the enemies were fleeing the village, did they still need to run?

With a mind so sharp in that great creature, surely it wouldn’t have forgotten what the three of them looked like in just a few days?

But after carefully weighing the risks, Leon didn’t dare bet on the beast’s instincts.

Who knew if the griffin now attacking the Kantadar people might be blinded by rage?

When cornered, even the family dog one has raised from a pup might bite its master; so much more a wild beast they had only briefly crossed paths with.

Besides, except for Olivia, they were still wearing the Kantadar Cavalry armor.

“Leon, do you know what that creature is…

what kind of beast it is?”

Hearing the continuous screams at the village limits and the thunderous sounds of the massive creature taking flight, Olivia couldn’t help but ask.

“Do you remember the story I told you before?

I once saved a griffin in the forest.

If I didn’t see it wrong just now, the patterns and colors on its body should be that very same one,” Leon replied.

“Griffin…” The golden-haired girl felt her horizons were being broadened; growing up in Selva, she had never heard of or seen such a creature.

“So was it summoned by you to come to the rescue?” Olivia asked curiously.

Leon slowly shook his head, “If we had the ability to ask for its assistance, we wouldn’t have risked sneaking in; we would’ve already followed it straight in.”

Recalling all the habits of griffins in Seryan legends, Leon continued to speculate, “Rather than coming to save us, it’s more likely that it’s here specifically for those Kantadar people.”

Thinking back to when they had encountered the beast in a state close to death, Leon suspected that those who had attacked the griffin might be connected to the Kantadar army.

Griffins were known for their vindictiveness in legends.

Before long, they reached the yard where they had hidden their horses.

The two remaining horses, distressed, were snorting loudly and pacing back and forth under a tree pulling on their reins.

The roaring of their natural predator in the distance was making the horses very uneasy.

Seizing a long sword from the body of a fallen knight and securing it at his waist, Leon approached one of the horses.

He grabbed the saddle, took a deep breath, exerted himself to step up, and attempted to mount.

But he couldn’t get his footing in the stirrups after several attempts and was almost knocked down by the agitated warhorse.

Olivia quickly reached out to steady Leon, who was nearly falling.

Looking at the restless Kantadar warhorse, she thought for a moment and then decided to step forward.

She grabbed the saddle, swung up, and leaped onto the horse’s back.

She gently tugged the reins with both hands, managing to calm the horse slightly.

The girl shifted forward in her seat to make room in the back and then turned sideways, bending down to extend her left hand to Leon.

“Come on, I’ll take you.

You probably can’t ride a horse by yourself right now.”

Leon grimaced, patting his weakened legs.

Indeed, with his current strength, he could easily fall during a bump or tumble if no one assisted him; falling from a horse was not to be taken lightly.

He had no choice but to go beyond his pride and grab the girl’s hand.

With her surprisingly strong pull, he managed to climb onto the horse’s back.

But it was really cramped.

Leon pressed against the girl’s back, unsure where to place his hands.

This saddle seat was never large, and now with two people sharing it, if it weren’t for Olivia’s petite build, anyone else might not have found space to sit.

The girl seemed to sense the embarrassment of the person behind her, and she turned around to offer a straightforward reminder, “It’s okay, please hold onto me tightly, it would be troublesome if you were to be thrown off.”

“Then I shall be so bold,” said Leon, nodding apologetically as he wrapped his arm around the waist of the girl in front of him.

To avoid further embarrassment, he decided to let go with one hand, and with his freed right hand, he grabbed the cavalry spear that was leaning nearby.

Fortunately, now clad in armor and wearing iron gloves, even if he truly wanted to take advantage of the girl’s vulnerability, he wouldn’t be able to through the thick armor lining and chain armor.

Tsk…

pity….

Oh no, I mean, fortunately, fortunately…

With one arm hugging Olivia from behind, Leon sighed to himself silently.

Once they had run out of the yard, Leon leaned to the side from behind the girl and called out to Lokhak in front, “Where have you hidden Uncle Bryan?

Lead us there first.”

“It’s in the woods nearby.”

Lokhak flicked the reins, speeding up while carrying Azeryan, who lay on the horse’s back.

Along the way, they could no longer see the figures of the Kantadar Cavalry, perhaps they had fled, or maybe they had gone into hiding.

They followed Lokhak as he led them out of the village.

As they charged along the dirt road, before they could reach the forest outside the village, Leon heard fierce shouts of horse calling from behind.

Not far down the gentle slope to the right, a familiar, bare-chested figure was also galloping out of the village on horseback.

“Leon!

It’s that guy.”

Almost at the same time, Olivia, who was riding the horse, turned and noticed the fleeing Kantadar noble.

But from this distance, his bare upper body was no longer a solid red.

Gone was his previous arrogance, replaced by desperate, pathetic flight.

Leon didn’t know how he had managed to escape the Griffin’s pursuit in the chaos, but seeing the other’s weakened state, he didn’t need to think twice before making up his mind.

The enemy was right on his path—how could he let him escape?

“Olivia, do you still have the strength to fight?” Leon asked the girl in front.

“Yes!

I can still fight…

but you…” the girl hesitated as she looked back.

“Don’t worry, I’m not so badly off,” Leon reassured her.

Then he called out to the companion in front, “Lokhak!

Take the path with me to intercept that shirtless guy on the right!”

Upon hearing this, Lokhak glanced quickly to the right rear, spotted the target mentioned by his partner, and immediately turned his horse around, “Azeryan, hold on tight!”

Two riders quickly circled around the slope and charged down the incline, closing in from both sides for the interception.

The approaching thunder of hooves immediately drew the attention of Dawson.

Recognizing the white dress on the horse’s back, his pupils dilated.

It was no longer possible to avoid the two riders blocking the path on the narrow trail at the bottom of the slope.

His newly born hope of survival plummeted.

There was no magic power left in the gem now, and with his severe injuries, he could no longer even hold his sword…

Behind Olivia, Leon silently leveled the spear in his right hand, which he was holding, aiming it at the enemy ahead.

It was a bit of a stretch, and the spear wavered unsteadily.

He was just about to clamp the spear under his arm when the shaft in front of him suddenly stabilized.

It was Olivia, who had reached up to steady the spear, “Let me do it.”

Leon nodded silently, releasing his right hand.

“Evildoer…” the girl leaned forward, her voice nearly breaking as she vehemently denounced the rapidly approaching enemy, “For your crimes, repay your blood debt!”

Hoofbeats trampled, and the dust raised was left far behind.

Within her eyes, burning with flames, there was nothing else but the sinner who had bloodied her home.

Dawson clenched his teeth, releasing the reins and transferring his sword to his left hand, enduring the pain as he raised it.

Clang—

Sword and spear clashed, and Dawson’s awkward parry with his left hand twisting his body paled in comparison to that precise thrust.

On the rural lane under the blazing sun.

There was no glory, no judgment, and certainly no contest of skills.

The spear in the girl’s hand simply and unremarkably penetrated the chest of her nemesis.

The body on horseback was lifted high by the impact of the riding spear.

And like a dead dog, it fell heavily to the ground with the spear pulling it back down.

Thud, thud, thud—rolling on the stones, the sound of broken bones was so crisp.

Olivia reined in the neighing warhorse, her golden hair falling onto her shoulders with the wind, holding the blood-stained spear as she turned back.

The sinner’s fresh blood had already dyed the filthy mud red, and as the evil man’s face contorted in a sneer, only the last, unuttered curse of resentment remained.

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