38. Kill That Man! -1
After hiding in the rocky area for a few hours, they felt tired as they hadn't had rest for a long time. And with their nerves on edge, they couldn't relax even for a second in this dangerous situation.
Nova could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were extremely exhausted; there was a faint crease between their eyebrows, which showed how tired they were.
Although Alicia had gotten a lot of life force from Thrasher earlier, she had used quite a bit of it to heal Nova and Hilda as well as herself. So the accumulated fatigue was now starting to make her feel drowsy.
It was evident that all of them needed to have a good rest, or else it would make them incapable of handling the journey to the town.
"How about we all take a short break? I'm really tired." Alicia suggested, letting out a yawn soon after as she stretched her body to loosen up the sore muscles.
Hilda didn't object to that idea, as she too was feeling very weary. "Yes, I think so too. We will get exhausted at this rate and won't be able to make any moves if something unexpected occurs."
They both turned to look at Nova, wanting to know his opinion on this matter. It was because they needed someone to stay alert while the other two rested so they would be safe from any harm or attack while they slept.
Nova nodded to them without hesitation. He said with a smile, "You two should rest; I'm not that tired yet, so there's no need to worry about it."
However, before Hilda or Alicia could rest, they felt the wind blowing, carrying with it the smell of blood and death. Their eyes widened in alarm and dread as they turned around in the direction where the smell was coming from.
At once, they noticed a strange swirl of energy appearing out of thin air, forming a silhouette of a person as it materialized in front of them.
Alicia stared at the figure appearing in front of her with a shocked expression on her face, while Hilda's breath was caught in her throat as she trembled in panic and fear.
Her skin prickled with goosebumps from the sudden sense of foreboding.
The figure became clearer when it stopped emerging from the swirl and took on the appearance of a man wearing full plate armor along with a cape covering his back.
When he stood there motionlessly, Nova and the other two realized who the figure was.
Captain Vaan!
The very same person who was in charge of the guards protecting the caravan during its journey.
Nova looked at him and found his whole body covered in blood. Even his face, which was revealed by the open helmet, was drenched in crimson liquid that flowed down his skin like streams of tears.
Furthermore, he saw the captain holding a bloody sword in one hand while the other had a severed head, still dripping fresh red liquid down its neck, which was what they were smelling.
"NO... How could you... Aaaargh!" Hilda screamed in a desperate voice, unable to accept her reality, which was something she had never even imagined could happen.
But the sight of Captain Vaan holding the decapitated head of the village chief made her feel despair.
Captain Vaan threw the head aside and shook off the blood from his sword with one quick motion.
Then he turned around to look at the three of them in front of him as he spoke in a sinister voice, "So, you must be the last survivors."
Alicia and Hilda paled even more at his words, trembling as they backed away from him in fear, wishing that they could run away from this place and escape from this nightmare.
"How... How could you kill the chief? And why?!" Hilda cried out in agony, glaring at the captain, hatred burning in her eyes as tears of frustration, fear, and sorrow streamed down her face.
However, Captain Vaan didn't care about Hilda's words and stared at Nova, ignoring the angry question of hers. "I see that you have found something that belongs to me. Hand it over, and I promise to let you die without any pain."
With that, he pointed his sword towards Nova. His eyes showed bloodlust and a desire to kill as he licked his lips in excitement while grinning from ear to ear.
He thought he would easily win and obtain what he came for without having to deal with much resistance. But when he saw Nova not being shaken or intimidated even a little by his threatening action and threatening aura, Captain Vaan's smile disappeared as he became cautious.
Although Captain Vaan couldn't tell anything about Nova's strength based on his appearance alone, he had a feeling of unease deep inside his heart for some reason.
Even though Nova was not someone powerful, Captain Vaan didn't want to take risks against someone with an unpredictable ability. It was because he knew very well from previous experience that underestimating someone in this world could cost his life if he were not careful enough.
Therefore, Captain Vaan didn't act rashly and stared intently at Nova without lowering his guard for a single second while waiting for his response.
Alicia and Hilda were also tense. They couldn't comprehend how everything turned out like this.
They were supposed to have made sure to leave no traces behind after hiding from the attackers in fear of being targeted again. But the next thing they knew, the most trusted protector of the caravan—the captain of the guards—was standing before them after killing the village chief.
Even though it was shocking to discover the real identity of the enemy, Alicia didn't know what to do or how to get out of this situation alive.
All she knew was that her son and she were in grave danger. She had never experienced this much fear and anxiety, even when she was threatened by Thrasher and the other man before.