Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 54 - 54 45 Surviving the Calamity

54: Chapter 45: Surviving the Calamity 54: Chapter 45: Surviving the Calamity “What cheap trash, died just like that, ptui!” Lokhak steered his horse up to the body of the Kantadar noble and spat disdainfully.

The golden-haired girl’s strike was, as always, swift and decisive.

Lokhak could only regret not having made it in time to deliver a coup de grâce, as that execution-like thrust had ended the villain’s life outright.

As the expression of unwillingness on the corpse’s face gradually stiffened, Olivia looked down with solemn, sorrowful eyes, somewhat dazed and lost.

With the leader of the calamity that swept her homeland now ended, the girl felt as if she had just emerged from an illusory nightmare.

It was as if upon awakening, those friends who had died would greet her with smiles the next morning…

Leon placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, “It’s over.”

With the consolation of a friend, she shook her head, pulling herself out of bewilderment.

The girl softly replied, “…Yes.”

The whooshing sound of flapping wings overhead caused all their steeds to uneasily tug at their reins in panic.

Leon looked up into the sky, spotting the familiar giant beast flapping its wings, rapidly approaching their location.

“Looks like that big guy’s heading for us, should we duck out of the way?” Lokhak worked hard to steady his restless mount, hesitating.

Leon watched the oncoming beast and thought for a moment, then gestured to his companion to stand still, “It’s already seen us.

Better not to make any rash moves and give it the wrong idea, that’d be more trouble.

Besides, even if we tried to run, we couldn’t outfly a griffin in the sky, not even if it were just one rider on one horse.”

“Also, take off your helmets, if the griffin can recognize its enemies, it should be able to recognize friends as well.”

Saying this, Leon also removed his helmet and patted Olivia, “Help me down.”

The girl hurriedly hopped off her horse and extended her hand to support Leon back to the ground.

“You stand back a bit, in case our luck turns sour, you guys should just…

ah, never mind.” Seeing the girl’s unwavering gaze, Leon swallowed the rest of his attempt to persuade her.

Whatever accident might occur, it was clearly impossible for them to abandon him and flee.

Handing his long sword to Olivia for safekeeping, he walked forward a few steps without his weapon, raising his hands towards the griffin in the sky, and shouting from a distance.

“—Hey, big fellow!

Look here!…

Look here!…

Remember me—?”

Hearing the call from below, the giant creature in the sky fluttered its wings to slow its descent.

The griffin, with its keen eyesight capable of clearly distinguishing prey from tens of thousands of meters in the air, could easily make out the faces of the people below.

It lowered its head and let out a clear cry, but this sound that filled the sky lacked the ferocity it had when chasing after prey.

The gale kicked up by its massive wings caused the wild grass on the ground to sway incessantly, forcing Leon to cover his face against the wind and dust stirred up by the beast’s landing.

With a thunderous sound, the griffin’s enormous body landed firmly in front of the young man.

Not being attacked immediately, Leon’s heart, which had been suspended, also settled down.

The spread wings were retracted, and the large eyes on the eagle’s head showed a hint of joy.

The griffin cocked its head, as if puzzled that the person before it was dressed in the detestable garb of memory, but it could not mistake the other’s appearance, scent, and the aura of magic power emanating from his body.

Just as he dropped his arm shielding from the dust, Leon saw the great beak moving towards him.

The griffin made an affectionate noise, rubbing the person in front of it to show friendliness.

However, Leon, still weak, could hardly withstand the beast’s kind gesture and was toppled to the ground on his backside by that vast head.

“!” Olivia’s teal eyes tensed as she gripped the sword’s hilt tightly.

The griffin’s talons and beak were still smeared with patches of fresh red blood and what looked like fragments of innards.

From the side, the scene could hardly be described as heartwarming – it seemed more like a savage beast about to feed.

“It’s alright!

It’s fine!” Leon hastily waved to the girl at his side.

Turning back to face the big fellow lowering its head to him, Leon raised his arms as wide as he could and hugged its neck feathered with plumes.

“You big fat bird, you left so abruptly back then, I thought we’d never see each other again…”

Leon didn’t mind the bloodstains on its chest as he vigorously rubbed the giant creature’s head, “Really, it would be so nice if you could talk.

If you were my Death Claw, and I were your poop-scooping keeper pendant, wouldn’t that be great?”

“But now we’re even, I saved your life, and you’ve saved ours.” He felt gratified that good deeds are rewarded; had he not saved this giant creature during its ordeal in the Cursed Land and left it to die, his own fate today would likely have been grim.

The compliant griffin let Leon rub its neck for a good while before finally lifting its head.

It glanced at the Kantadar noble’s corpse, which had already lost its life force, a short distance away, then softly called out several times to the human in front of it as a farewell.

Seeing the griffin retreat and stretch out its wings again, Leon sighed in his heart.

“Going away again?”

He had no choice but to sit up and wave to the griffin, “Then I wish you a safe journey, Your Highness Death Claw.

Hopefully, we’ll meet again someday.”

The griffin let out a resonant cry in response, then raised its head and flapped its wings to stir up a gale.

Its massive body soared slightly before swiftly flying over everyone’s heads and into the sky.

Its revenge was not yet complete.

Those detestable people who had escaped, the griffin would not let a single one go…

With Olivia’s help, Leon stood up and patted the dirt off his back.

Looking at the big fellow covered in blood, he feared that no Kantadar people in the village had survived.

But now that the villain was slain, it should be safe both inside and outside the village.

“We’d better go check on your father,” said Leon to Olivia.

Back on horseback again, except that the two warhorses, frightened by the griffin, had wet themselves and their legs had gone soft, refusing to budge.

Lokhak and Olivia had no choice but to dismount and lead the horses on foot.

Luckily, the place where Lokhak had hidden the old blacksmith wasn’t far, and they soon entered the woods to find the old man lying in the grass.

After resting in the woods for a while, and once Olivia and Lokhak had repeatedly confirmed that there were no signs of enemy activity around, everyone at last returned to the village, which had suffered greatly.

On the dirt path between houses, they encountered numerous dismembered limbs of Kantadar Soldiers every few steps, bloodstains everywhere.

At the moment, apart from the more complete bodies of villagers slaughtered by the enemies during the raid, those torn apart by the griffin were nearly impossible to find in human form.

Some horses without owners were huddled anxiously in corners, seemingly terrorized by the violent beast, while others had already become fragments along with their riders.

Olivia’s mournful gaze swept over the bodies of the villagers.

She tried not to notice the familiar faces and could hardly bear to think about the pain the men who had left to serve in the army would suffer when they returned.

“…sniffles…Olivia.” A weak cry came from around the corner.

The group looked towards the sound and saw a young villager, naked and bruised, trembling in the alley.

“Aunt Milaya!” Olivia ran over with concern.

The villager known as Milaya was about to ask for help from the golden-haired girl before her but then saw Leon and the others dressed in Kantadar mercenary armor and screamed in terror, scrambling backward.

“Don’t be scared, Aunt Milaya.

They are not Kantadar people.

It’s all over…” Olivia’s voice choked up as she hurried to explain to the woman.

Catching sight of the villager’s violated appearance, Leon quickly signaled to Lokhak to avert his gaze.

They turned their heads and then clarified, “Don’t be afraid.

These outfits were taken from the Kantadar filth we killed.

We are friends of Olivia, not enemies.”

After Olivia’s patient comforting, Milaya slowly calmed down from her panic and began to sob.

Lokhak, Azeryan, and Leon turned their backs and listened to the crying, their hearts filled with sympathy.

They knew that the sight of Rolannar City in ruins, with dead bodies everywhere like a living hell, was far worse than the tragedy of this village.

“Lokhak, go find her some clothes,” said Leon, who could hardly move himself, so he instructed his companion.

When Lokhak found some garments from a nearby house and handed them to Olivia to help the villager get dressed, Milaya finally began to regain her composure, though her crying continued intermittently.

Olivia looked around and didn’t see Aunt Milaya’s two children.

Her expression darkened, the reason for the other’s utter despair unsaid but understood.

Her expression filled with sorrow, she stood up and turned back to her companions, “Leon, my house is the large one up ahead.

Take my father there to rest, and I’ll stay behind to help Aunt Milaya and look for other survivors in the village.”

Leon nodded.

Since he and Azeryan couldn’t help much at the moment, and considering Olivia’s martial arts prowess, there was no need for Lokhak’s protection for her.

The group urged the horses on and followed Olivia’s directions to her house.

They saw the gate broken open, the inside also ransacked by the Kantadar people: furniture and cabinets in disarray, an utter mess.

Lokhak secured the horses and cleared a path inside.

Thankfully, he still had the strength to move Azeryan and the old blacksmith.

The sturdy young man grunted as he carried the two wounded men into the house and then helped Leon take off their armor.

…Finally, they could rest.

Watching Lokhak, who volunteered to stand guard at the door, Leon leaned against the wall without his armor and closed his eyes in relief.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.