19. Target Prey
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Above ground, Freiin and her team followed the trail where the apprentices were supposed to have passed and came across the remains of what seemed to be a struggle near the cliffs. 

"They were attacked?!" It was everyone's first reaction.

"Hurry and investigate." 

"No bodies found here." A knight said a few moments later. "There is a lot of blood on the ground but there is no trail that could point us somewhere."

"Is it an ambush perhaps?" It couldn't be a monster attack when there is no evidence of a fight around. The area was clean except for the spot where the supposed struggle took place. 

"It's possible that they took the bodies to erase any tracks." 

Freiin looked at the bloodied pieces of equipment and said nothing. 

"This is a problem, there are plenty of people of mixed origins who come to the forest during this season." Finding the suspects among them is going to be a tricky job. 

"It's strange however, I don't seem to see any kind of motive. If they took the bodies of the apprentice knights, shouldn't they take these things too? They left the equipment and valuables hanging out here in the open."

"Now that you mentioned it…"   

Again they re-examined the bloodied belongings on the ground and eventually came to a conclusion. The trick was too crude and so easy to see. 

"Let's go back," Freiin said, "I don't think we will find anything out here." 

The men collected the evidence and decided to regroup with Captain Legrand's team.

 

Aye, someone's definitely trying to kill her.

Alert now, Sterne rolled to the side and made a mad dash to the rock on her right just in time to avoid successive shots.

Arrows pelted the ground, missing her by an inch.

She moved agilely faster than lightning, thanks to all those years challenging the Hell Course from fighting low-level monsters, dodging painted arrows to avoiding several traps. Hard work sure has many benefits. But Sterne wished she did not have to put these benefits to use sooner.  

The bowman aiming at her had an incredulous expression after missing his target not just once. Although he may not be the best archer there is, he rarely misses his mark once he holds his weapon. But witnessing a child avoid the arrows smoothly made him feel uneasy. Is this what an ordinary child can do?!

"How could she-- b-boss, the girl seems to be problematic…" 

Firth, the leader of the team, gave him a sharp look, "It's just a fluke, you should expect a little for the daughter of that duke to be capable but don't make a mistake of overestimating her skills. She's only a child after all." How can a girl raised gently inside the manor outwit trained soldiers like them?

The bowman nodded reluctantly and aimed again.  

Below Sterne managed to hide away from the enemy sights within the fronds of plants and ferns. 

"Who are you?" She bit her lip, suddenly finding her question silly. As if he would be nice enough to answer. But still, she closed her eyes, sharpened her senses and swept the area within a fifty-meter radius with [Detection].

There are three… no, five of them with two barely hiding their presence above the trees. Fortunately, all of them are within her range. 

"Ah, my bad. It was my mistake." Firth exclaimed exaggeratedly. "We didn't mean to aim at you. I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to suddenly come out. We thought you were a monster living in this cavern."

"I, I'm not a monster…"

"Yes, yes, you're not. You can come out, it's safe and we promise not to hurt you." Firth called in a voice dripping with sincerity. 

Sterne looked beyond the foliage towards the unsuspecting man who had been coaxing her. They wore masks to hide their faces but they could not hide their individual mana. 

"Um, big brother…" she replied hesitantly, "I was scared, are you not going to hurt me?"

Firth clicked his tongue impatiently but when he spoke his tone was kind, "Of course not. What happened was an accident. Truly." 

"O-Oh, I thought someone wanted to kill me."

The men listening to her childish and frightened voice smiled gloatingly at each other. Firth signalled one of the bowmen to come down. 

Once again assured the girl, "It was an accident. We apologize for what we did. Come out so we can see if you're fine." 

She is still young after all, a girl nonetheless who is easily scared and confused when she is alone inside an unfamiliar place. 

Well, any child would surely get swayed. Unfortunately, she was not 'any child'. Sterne thought. Her expression fell when she sensed movement from above, she quickly changed place with [Shadow Steps] avoiding the masked man's sword swing. 

"That's not very nice big brother…" Sterne said with a look as if she was about to cry. "I didn't do anything at all." 

"You, how did you dodge that?!"

Sterne stared at him innocently. 

"So you're a tricky one, eh. Like a tiny rodent." Firth growled and went after her with a sword. "Stay still and I can make this painless for you." 

Sterne effortlessly parried his strike creating sparks shooting everywhere.

"You..." He lunged a second time.

Again she easily deflected the blow. Once was luck, but the second time is definitely on purpose. Even Firth's eyes widened unbelievably. The girl was unfazed waving a long thin sword against him! How can this be? The girl was taught they were aware of it firsthand but he did not expect that she can she fight against an adult with such precision!  

At most, they were expecting her to be a green novice. 

Novice Sterne held the blade calmly, "Raising your sword against a child is against the Code of Chivalry but I guess you don't really care about that seeing how you are targeting me."

"Lady Nachtwald is a smart girl to know your situation exactly. Unfortunately being aware of it isn't going to help." 

"Big brother, I don't seem to recall any bad encounters with you. Is there a specific reason why you want me gone?" 

"There is no need to tell anything to a corpse." The rude voice remarked as another attacker came out from her rear. 

From behind she stopped another slash and returned it with plunging blows. The successive hits left hoarfrost forming at the masked man's arm and abdomen. 

"I-Impossible…" The bowman's sword fell. 

"Retreat first," Firth ordered in clenched teeth. 

The person did as told and disappeared somewhere to nurse his injury. The wound covered with ice gave a sharp chill straight to his bloodstream. Vapour came out every time he exhaled. 

"I was you who decided to gang up on me. I am but a mere child and it saddens me to think that elders like you would stoop so low." Quickly, her hand snagged a pebble and flicked it to the direction where she detected a presence earlier. 

"Argh!" The sound of someone falling followed.

The others who were still hiding were startled. Just now, their comrade above the tree fell and broke his neck. The loud snap of the bone made the hair on their arms stand. It happened so fast they did not know how to react.

Looks like there was an accident. Sterne stood still for a moment,  a little shaken. She only intended to render him immobile not murder him! But things don't always go as planned...

That was a person, a human. Her mind screamed.

What is she supposed to do when her own life is at risk?

Her chest began to pound until she could practically hear her heartbeat. Ah, this is not good. She has to calm down. A layer of cold sweat broke out of her skin and almost soaked her back. No, no, panicking will not do any good, this is what Sir Ahmose and her father always say to her. 

Sterne clutched her chest. The moment you picked the sword, you have long known you were going to take the lives of your enemies one day. 

Taking deep gulps of breath, she tried to forcibly subdue her rising anxiety.  

"Little girl, you just killed one of us. Don't ever think of escaping!" Firth roared menacingly. 

"I never had the intention to." She could only curse her bad luck. First, she almost got pummeled by a doe, then she fell into some hole and now she is being hunted like a rabbit. Sterne never knew her debut to Sleeping Forest would turn into a murder scene. 

She clamped her teeth hard and held her arm firmly to keep it from shaking. She must not lose her focus or else the consequences will be dire. Resolutely, she made a decision.

"You were the one who set that trap on the path." 

Firth snorted mockingly. "Who knew a useless doll like you has a bit of a brain. But so what? It's too late for regrets. You fell right into the pit and could only resign to your fate."    

"Iron Bulls," Sterne said, her voice clear enough for them to hear.

"All dead." The man said proudly. "We killed them!" 

"No, I wasn't asking whether you killed those apprentices or not," Her eyes move about the surroundings, her hand holding the shortsword firmly. "You are from Iron Bulls. All of you."

"Hahahaha, you're making wild guesses. Those five men were all gone."

Sterne smiled to herself. 

"I never said there were five of them." She replied then gazed into Firth's eyes. 

The man and the remaining three had a terrible premonition at this moment. 

"You think I'm easy to fool, don't you?" Sterne was unbelievable calm despite her situation. "Aside from you, no one else exudes such glaring killing intent. You couldn't wait for this chance to come, you could barely cover your emotions when you were out there."

"So you knew?" Firth frowned. 

She did not reply. 

The bowman up in the tree also heard her and swore under his breath. He knew there was something odd about this kid! 

He thought they concealed themselves enough, the plan is to escape later after injuring the young lady Nachtwald. The painstaking effort of leaving some of their belongings as evidence will clear the Iron Bulls of the suspicion. If they make it as though all five of them were killed inside, the Obsidian will not look deeper into it but turn their attention to a different issue instead.

The hour when they went 'missing' and the demise of this kid happened at entirely different times, it is true that there were other people who entered Sleeping Forest but those were adventurers who had no enmity towards them. In the end, the suspicion will fall on the Obsidian leaving them as prime suspects. This was a perfect opportunity to sow discord among them.

Unfortunately, they moved hastily.

Among the Iron bulls, they can only be considered as ones in the lowest rung that is why they accepted that person's offer when he presented them a deal. As aspiring knights of common birth, breaking into the upper ranks is going to be difficult but despite that, they still tried their luck. After all, joining an Order offers plenty of benefits than remaining a simple village folk. There is money, and it was much better than being buried in mediocrity. 

But when a much better deal came, they quickly seized it. They have long hated the corrupt Iron Bulls and made up their minds to resign to their positions. If they could complete this mission the payment and advantage they will earn is immeasurable. No longer having to bow their heads to those obnoxious superiors, the five already decided to leave and pursue a more comfortable life in another kingdom. 

The task was easy, sign up for an apprenticeship with the Obsidian and manage to get closer to the youngest Nachtwald child. Devise an accident and leave as soon as it is accomplished. 

They could clearly do more than that, he just did not understand why the person who hired them wanted to spare that useless Order of Iron Bulls. In his opinion, it is better to let them and the Obsidian butt heads.

This little girl will be their ticket to freedom. It's just that they made a miscalculation after severely underestimating their opponents.

Who are the Obsidian Order of Knights again? The most loyal battle seasoned soldiers who are not afraid to rain blood and terror the moment you poke into their sore spot. Right now, that sore spot is this seemingly innocent little girl they cannot wait to murder.

"There is no animosity between us, I don't remember meeting your Iron Bulls nor had incited any disagreement with das Vieh barony. Why go after me?"

The bowman was taken aback. How come this girl is still casually asking a question? When she spoke a while ago he thought it was all just bravado. He could even sense a faint tremor in her voice. Shouldn't she be trembling and crying while screaming for help by now?

"Whether your guess is real or not, why should we tell you? You're not going to live past today anyway." He aimed to injure her but now that it came to this, the plan needs to be revised.

She has to die. 

"I asked you a question," Sterne said, appearing in front of him. "It was rude not to answer." 

Shit!

The bowman's scream was caught in his throat. How could she easily spot him up here?! He could only fumble around in panic as she raised her sword and slashed.

CRACK.

His treasured longbow split in half, all but useless now. He jumped down from the tree bitterly feeling as though it was his own limb that had been severed instead. This… this child, this hateful child. That was the weapon he heartbreakingly spent two gold coins to buy and she broke it just like that.

The client said that she might be a bit tricky to deal with but according to their observation for the last couple of weeks, they learned that she cannot use magic and concentrated on swordsmanship. Though they have seen her skills and admit that is far above those children her age, still with the four of them they can overwhelm her. 

The bowman pulled out a dagger shouting, "Everyone, come together!" 

Yes, that's it. All those flashy moves were just for show… they can easily kill the hateful girl.

His hand shot out mercilessly intending to crush her bones but a split second before he could touch her, she turned sharply on the left, he followed, again she avoided his pursuit. It doesn't matter, he will eventually get a hold of her! But soon he found out he was very wrong.

Blinded by rage, veins popped on his forehead frighteningly.

Sterne looked at the man in front losing his temper and she sighed inwardly. Obviously, she is not his opponent when it comes to size but she has other advantages as well. She sped towards the rotted fallen tree startling another person hiding beside it, she plucked a handful of leaves on the way and began writing a rune as she run around like a headless chicken further infuriating them.

"You come back here you brat! I'll make you pay for my bow. The moment I catch you I will break your legs and hands then return you to your father!" He spat out. 

"Then I urge you to run faster." Sterne taunted straight-faced. 

"Wait until I catch your sorry self!" He gritted out. "I will make you cry and beg!"

The other two who were in position were at loss as well. The girl ran to the place where one of their companions hid. Did she do it on purpose? The other bowman who returned to position tried to lock his sights on the moving target.

Sterne, who is running furiously, is unaware of another arrow aimed at her.

"What are you waiting for you imbecile, shoot her!" Firth below roared.

"B-But captain…"

"Damn it. Do as I say or else I'll come and shoot you instead!"

He wanted to say that he cannot fire the arrow for fear of hitting the wrong target. The child was jumping from here and there confusing his vision and added by the pain when he fell his aim was unsteady.

The mage not far from him gave a signal.  "Go. I will support you!"

No matter what, they will take this kid down today! 

Sterne's eyes rolled to the far left sensing the rise of bloodthirst. Her eyes crinkled mischievously. Alright, you want him to shoot? Fine. She skidded to a stop and in a moment faster than a blink she appeared behind Firth who was chasing after her. With a hard kick to his side, she switched their places in an instant delivering him to the exact spot where she stood seconds ago.

The silver arrow flew and struck true between the man's crotch.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!" Firth's scream tore through the roof of the cavern. 

"Boss!" 

"D-Damn you little bitch! I'm going to murder you." He folded to his knee as tearing pain assaulted his lower body slowly draining his strength. 

Despair rushed to him like a monstrous tide. 

What… what just happened.

His crotch felt numb then followed by a burning pain that was hard to describe… 

N-No. it can't be! He could not even begin to imagine the kind of damage his family jewel took. Warm garishly red liquid dripped down his legs pooling under his feet. The pain grew more and more prominent there was no longer denying it. Below is now in this miserable state.

Firth's howl that was more terrifying than a wounded beast bounced off the wall of that enclosed space. 

"Boss!!!" 

The other bowman's hand shook terribly, he just shot the captain on his private part! He thought the cursed chill eating at his body was already painful enough. The mage looked even more astounded; he couldn't even let out a single word. 

Sterne quickly turned away, not because she felt terrified but because another wave of bloodlust pricked her senses. Behind, the bowman who was also after her finally caught up madly charging towards her with a sword at the ready.

"Oh, we really underestimated you." He bit out the words sharply, his eyes red, brimming with murder. "Who would've thought that little lady can be so malicious and full of dirty tricks?"

Sterne stepped back putting a safe distance between them.

"So he was right, such a child brings nothing but misfortune. Evil blood will always remain tainted no matter how long time passes. It is better to cut off the bud before it blossoms."

Her shapely eyebrows knotted. She could vaguely understand a word the bowman said. Cut off what…?

"Who are you?" She asked warily. This man's expression was different from the rest. He exuded more killing breath than the one they call the boss and the other two. The air around him was murky, uncomfortable to even look at. 

"It doesn't matter." The bowman sneered and raised his blade. 

Sterne gave up asking, she doubted that at his state he would graciously offer an answer. "You were out to kill me. There's no need to make excuses." She snapped her fingers to activate the trap set earlier. 

"It is not an excuse. It is a justifiable reason! The only truth! You spawn of evil, people may have forgotten bu--"

[White Flash]

He did not get to finish his rambling when the ground began to light up as electrostatic discharge formed, snaking towards his feet rapidly and finally latching on electrocuting the person. Five palm-sized leaves danced in the air serving as a source trapping him in the middle. 

"M-Magic?!" The men were taken aback. 

Firth held on to the bloodied arrow stuck on him and looked in horror as the blinding flash thoroughly fried his companion. "M-Monster." 

"Gwaargh…nghh... ahhhhhh!"

Sterne winced. Her ears had been in too much abuse lately. "You started this."  

"You wretch… d-demon!" The bowman's body convulsed violently as waves and waves of current ran through him relentlessly. His shouts punctuated the sudden scream of Firth making a horrifying chorus.

The other bowman and the mage shivered seeing three of their companions go down. One was dead, three are in critical conditions hovering between life and death. Boss Firth was shot by an arrow, the second one was injured by an ice attack and the third was struck by lightning magic. 

The mage patted the goosebumps that broke out of his skin. Should he be thankful to remain unscathed?

"It shouldn't be like this…" the bowman said, dropping his weapon. 

The mage read his mind and did not speak as he was also planning to abandon the mission while he still could. Looking at the devastation below made their scalp prickle. All of this was done by a girl several years their junior. She was not only proficient in sword but magic as well, the information they had was wrong! 

The mage fell into despair, what she used was high tier lightning magic that even his superiors weren't able to perform. He didn't see her write or chant a spell but she conjured lightning naturally. A person who can cast this kind of spell is very rare and normally no one should have thought of touching a strand of her hair! But regrets always come out late. 

The remaining two faced each other with complicated expressions. If they had known it would turn out this way, they could've just quietly left the Order and rushed to another kingdom to become farmers. They were not mercenaries, to begin with! Whoever pushed this idea of harming that dreadful girl must be stupid, and they are even more stupid for accepting.

They are being treated as fodders. All of that came clear now.

"Wise decision." A voice spoke from the cover of leaves a few feet from them.

A lad with bright orange hair came out juggling a pair of curved daggers as though they were bean bags.  

"Dorn!" The two sucked in cold breaths seeing him approach step by step. The bowman fumbled for his weapon but the mage shook his head at him.

"H-How long have you been there?" The mage asked while making movements of activating a spell but Dorn noticed him and struck his hand pinning it on the tree trunk with the knife. 

"I detest tricky movements above all." He said sharply blasting the mage with raw killing intent. 

The mage rapidly lost his colouring, enduring not only the pain on his hand but the pressure exuded by him as well. 

Then as if the outrage did not happen, he returned to his usual smile. "Goodness, you were at least soldiers but you act like bandits. Did you think coming after the duke's child is that easy?"

"You've been watching..."

"Aye, but it looks like none of you noticed. We assumed you didn't want anyone seeing your pathetic performance so we hid and let you finish."

"Bastard!"

"Are you mad? There are five of you and there is only milady down here yet you still failed. Pitifully so. Did you know how hard it was to endure my laughter for so long?" 

Sweat trickled down their faces after hearing the boy ridicule them in such a carefree manner. 

"Your lady-- how can she use magic? Didn't the church once say she cannot--"

Dorn cut in, "Shut up, fiend. You are in no position to ask. For a mage like you, it's unfortunate to carry the title when your detection skill was only so-so."

The two looked away. They had seen him in training, the more this kid smiled the louder his opponents screamed. 

Dorn looked to the bowman next. "You were quite good with a bow and arrow. It was a nice shot, by the way. Not only did you splendidly save milady but also cut off future descendants of that repulsive man." 

The bowman tensed.

"Aiy, relax man. I was complimenting you." He laughed tapping him in the back. 

If he had been there for a long time, why didn't he save the little girl instead? What's with this person?

"This ended so soon." He sighed. "I guess that's it for giving Lady Sterne first-hand experience. I'm sure His Grace is content with this-- alright, we are done here." 

It was then that they realized that it wasn't only Dorn who came, the others appeared as soon as they were called. One by one, the men in black uniforms made their presence known as if peeling off camouflage magic. Some were even high up the trees so near from where they stood before. 

It finally dawned on him.

They never had the chance from the very beginning.   

"Now, would you be so kind and return with us to the surface?" Dorn's amiable smile turned deeper, throwing their mental state into disarray. "I have a few questions to ask."

 

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