Chapter 744: Chapter 744: Guide (1)

Sven Parab, having come out of the wardrobe, headed toward the window. His head felt hot, perhaps from too much stress, and even his “thinking” was different than usual. It felt as if another personality buried in his chest was the one controlling him.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

From the moment he came out of the wardrobe, his heart had been pounding madly, but without any further hesitation, he jumped out the window.

And......

Whoooosh—!

First, he attacked the black mage who had been standing in the rear completely unguarded. It wasn’t a rational choice but something that came from his subconscious. Only after cutting the black mage’s throat did he begin to think.

Slick—

Having easily killed the black mage, who was the dangerous variable, the rest wouldn’t be all that difficult—or so he expected, and that expectation didn’t turn out to be wrong.

“...Who are you!”

“Kill him......!!”

Only after the black mage’s head was cleanly cut off did the Noark soldiers realize it was a surprise attack and charge in. Surprisingly, among them was someone who recognized him.

“Sven Parab......!”

It wasn’t that his name had become famous, really...

“He’s Yandel’s comrade......!”

It couldn’t be helped, since the person he worked with was so damn famous.

“You bitch! So you did have comrades nearby after all!”

His identity had been exposed in an instant, but he didn’t care. He focused only on swinging his sword.

Whoosh—!

Slick—!

Each time the sword swung, arms and legs flew off at the least, necks at the worst. It was a battle so one-sided it could hardly even be called a fight.

Slick—!

The seemingly long but actually short battle ended, and when he came to, there were no Noark soldiers left around him.

“......”

Sven Parab lowered his head and looked down. The great white sword he had newly obtained after leaving behind his status as a holy knight and parting ways with the Church of Reatlas was soaked in crimson blood.

Sllrrk.

As he shifted his gaze slightly to the side, he saw the corpses sprawled across the ground. Lifeless bodies, warmth fading from them.

“...Mr. Parab?”

Sven Parab suddenly became curious. He didn’t know how skilled the black mage he killed in a surprise attack had been, but the Noark soldiers had been clearly weak. That’s why even someone like him had been able to beat them.

And yet...

‘Why were these people...’

Why were they so desperate to torment people weaker than themselves?

“Mr. Parab......!”

Hearing Marone’s trembling voice filled with fear, he snapped back to his senses.

Thump, thump, thump, thump......

As his intensely agitated state of mind began to settle, the ‘intuition’ he had momentarily forgotten kicked in again.

Thump!

This place is dangerous. If I stay here, I might die. Sven Parab turned his head in a panic to look back at the window he had jumped from.

But......

“N-No good......”

Sven Parab instinctively understood. Even if he went back there and curled up in the wardrobe, it wouldn’t be safe anymore. The only place in this city he thought was “safe” had now vanished.

“Mr. Parab......?”

But there was no time to despair. These men had reported to command before locating Marone. Once they noticed the lack of contact, they would immediately dispatch additional troops.

Then, what must I do right now?

Without the intuition that had always helped him choose, the decision came even faster.

“...We need to move immediately.”

We have to get out of here. As soon as possible.

***

He was sprinting through a street filled with an eerie aura.

Tatadadat—!

On his back were three people: a mage, a mother, and a baby in her arms.

“...Where are we going? That way’s where the fire is.”

“That’s why we’re going that way.”

The reason he chose the eastern part of District 7, already half-consumed by flames, was simple. Fire was less frightening than people. If it was a place where fire was still spreading in real time, then troops would be fewer. It was clear at a glance that trying to put the fire out had become impossible.

Hiding somewhere near it was the best option, and if things went wrong, the backup plan was to dive straight into the flames and survive with magic and divine power.

Yeah, so......

Thump, thump—!

Ignoring the intuition warning that the place was dangerous too, he kept running.

Tatadadat—!

With every step, he felt a chilling sensation like walking on thin ice. Well, that was to be expected, since he was carrying three people. The mother was significantly larger than average too, so both his arms were effectively sealed, and if they were discovered by enemies like this, the situation would turn very bad.

“I’m sorry.”

As he kept running, an apology came from behind. It was the voice of Liris Marone.

“What for?”

“...For yelling at you, thinking you were that kind of person.”

Hearing those guilt-ridden words, Sven Parab felt a stab in his chest.

“...You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t say anything wrong.”

“No, I was wrong.”

“...?”

“Because in the end, you saved us. So that means what I said was already wrong.”

Hmm... well, does that make sense? It felt a bit forced, but he didn’t bother to refute it. In this situation, arguing didn’t serve any purpose, and besides, he felt like some of his regret had eased.

About the decision to come out of the wardrobe—

“Um... are we really heading toward the eastern part of the city, where the fire is?”

This time it was the mother. Maybe because the earlier situation had been so abnormal? Her tone was calm and carried a sense of refinement. At the same time, there was a sense of quiet strength.

“We didn’t even get to properly introduce ourselves earlier. Thank you so much for saving me and my child......”

That made Sven Parab even more uncomfortable.

“...I didn’t do this for thanks.”

To be honest, just moments ago he had been wondering—

If it came down to the worst-case scenario, would he abandon the mother and child?

It had been a realistic concern, and even now, he hadn’t reached a definite conclusion. But even while struggling with the thought, he knew. If that moment came, abandoning those two and saving only Liris Marone would be the unquestionably right thing to do—

“Still, thanks are thanks.”

“......”

“Anyway... what I meant to say is, if we’re going to the eastern part of the city, what about heading for the eastern Reatlas Church branch?”

It was an unexpected name.

“The Church of Reatlas...?”

“Yes. My husband’s an explorer, and with how dangerous the world’s gotten lately, he used to talk about where we should evacuate depending on the situation.”

“...But judging by the fire, the eastern branch is likely already engulfed in flames.”

“No, that’s exactly why we should go. My husband said that the eastern branch in District 7 is the only one with some kind of divine resistance to fire—apparently, there’s a holy enchantment covering the entire building.”

For a moment, he wondered if she had misunderstood something. Even as a former holy knight of Reatlas, he’d never heard of that before. But......

“Do you know what rank your husband is as an explorer?”

“...He’s rank 3.”

That raised his trust level significantly. He wasn’t some random fool—if he was a rank 3 explorer, he wouldn’t give his wife false information about where to evacuate.

Besides...

While administrative bishops might know the state of every branch, holy knights didn’t. An explorer worried about his wife might have collected better info.

‘A fireproof building, huh......’

If it was true, it’d be the ideal shelter in this situation.

“The problem is whether we can reach the building safely... Is that even possible? I heard that Mr. Yandel could just stand there unfazed in the fire thanks to something.”

Ah, she must mean the Fire Orb...... Well, that thing was pretty famous.

“If Miss Marone and I work together, we can get the three of you... no, four including the baby, there safely.”

As long as we don’t encounter more enemies along the way. He left that part unsaid.

“Oh... that’s such a relief. We’re really lucky. To have met people like you in a time like this......”

“Yes... But may I ask why you were hiding there in the first place? I thought evacuation for District 7 already ended long ago... You didn’t leave back then?”

It was a sudden question, but he was curious. And her story was truly tragic.

“No, we did leave. But... the other districts were so overcrowded that people like us had no choice but to settle on the outskirts. It was so close to the front line that we could hear the fighting and the killing every day.”

“......”

“And then... I guess the royal army must’ve taken a big hit, because the Noark side suddenly surged in.”

The Noark army swept in like a tide, and swept back out just as fast—taking civilians with them indiscriminately. Other refugees who had been captured said it was to use them as human shields, but ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) she didn’t know for sure.

Before she could be thrown onto the front line as a human shield, she managed to escape.

“A huge fireball fell from the sky.”

A retaliatory strike from the royal army after taking heavy losses. That attack didn’t care about the fate of the captured civilians. She had simply been lucky to survive and flee in the confusion.

“There are probably a lot of people like me still hiding in District 7. Just the ones who were taken that day must’ve numbered in the thousands......”

“...I see.”

The saying that war breeds tragedy felt more real than ever.

As he listened to her story, Sven Parab found himself thinking—what had happened to that woman’s husband?

After a moment’s hesitation, he left the question unanswered. Right now, focusing on running was more important than satisfying curiosity, and there are things in this world one doesn’t need to ask to understand.

In the middle of a battlefield where anyone could die, what kind of rank-3 explorer would leave his wife with a child all alone?

So Sven Parab didn’t ask. But military mage Liris Marone was different.

“Um... what happened to your husband?”

A cautious question. But contrary to expectations, the mother’s voice showed no particular emotion.

“I don’t know. When all this happened, he had been conscripted due to the mobilization order. I just... I really hope he’s safe......”

Marone offered her words of comfort.

“I’m sure your husband is safe. He’s probably running around like mad right now, desperately searching for you.”

It was a warm sentiment, but the mother’s response was lukewarm.

“Well... I kind of hope he doesn’t do anything reckless and just stays somewhere safe......”

“...Sorry?”

Marone tilted her head at the unexpected reply, and the mother perked up her furry black ears in embarrassment.

“It’s just... my husband’s terrible with directions...... I’m worried he’ll end up going somewhere dangerous trying to look for me......”