Chapter 155 (1/2)

Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Why I’m Here

<hr>

My heartbeat quickened and rew slick with sweat as Sylvie’s emotions leaked onto me, but I had no ti serious injuries, the enementers and soldiers were quick to approach us

“We got soet cold feet on hthearted tone didn’t suit the screaround

“Cold feet? I’ve been taking the brunt of attacks fro to establish a pattern in their attacks,” I answered, drawing Dawn’s Ballad and burying its sharp blade in through the breastplate of an enemy soldier in one swift motion

“Is that how you were able to set off those explosions just now?” Vanesy asked as she parried a large warhaht up close without holding back Her fighting style, combined with her utilization of both earth and fire in a unique way to conjure glass, produced an array of glilass around her swords to extend her reach, cleaving down ene else” I pulled my sword out from a different enemy “Vanesy We should end this battle soon, or at least take it away from here”

“You say that as if we”—Vanesy ducked, narrowly avoiding the head of an axe—“were purposefully prolonging this battle”

I swung Dawn’s Ballad, sending a sharp crescent of wind at my former professor’s attacker With a sharp hiss, blood splurted out from the barrel-chested Alacryan’s unprotected neck He was only able to let out a soft gurgle before collapsing to the ground, his eyes wide and frantic while his hands pressed down on his fatal injury

My tone grew stern as I replied “I’ll admit my priorities may have been a bit different until now, but there’s no time now Take the battle elsewhere—anywhere away fro on?”

“There’s going to be soer—than ht in our crossfire”

Vanesy’s furrowed brow deepened “Our? You can’t ravely “This is why I’ like this happened Get everyone away fro—actually, I can’t fatho you actually are—but damn it, that doesn’t mean you can’t use any help!”

My eyes loosened as I gave my former professor a look of concern, but remained silent

“shi+t,”the battlefield She looked back at aze “Fine, but you better come back alive or I’ll pull you out of hell myself just to send you back”

I couldn’t help but let out a chortle from her ridiculous threat “I promise”

Vanesy took a step back and saluted me before Torch swooped down from the sky The captain jumped onto the flare hawk and bellowed out, “Dicathens! Retreat!”

<hr><hr>

Like that, the tide of battle shi+fted Vanesy flew overhead, rallying her ht not have heard, but already our soldiers had begun edging back while defending themselves from our ene back any enemies that tried to chase after them, but there were simply too many

It’s okay, I told myself The Alacryan soldiers weren’t the proble to have to e

I put away Dawn’s Ballad andup onto a tree, I conjured a cushi+on of wind underneathfro, the tame trees, evenly spaced and maintained by woodcutters froe trees strewn below, fallen in storms The harsh winter had stripped away much of the bark but by the thin layer of frost on the untouched ground, it seemed like the Alacryan Army hadn’t passed by here when they made their way up

The only sound aroundof leaves and the occasional snaps of branches from the wildlife

Sylvie Are you there? How close are you?

I was met with only silence fro contact with my bond She was either too far ahich shouldn’t be the case, or intentionally ignoring me

‘Aren’t you a cute boy Could it be that you’re lost?’</e inoff the branch I was perched on Whipping ht, I tried to locate the source of the sound

I wanted to ible fear A deep sense of dread creeped up like a rising tide, slowly but surely, as I surveyed the area

Even with aug, I couldn’t find her Yet, I knew she was there, her high, grating voice still scratching the insides offor little ol’ me?’ her shrill voice screeched inside nashedto keep cal me but my body couldn’t help but fall victim to her tactic

Her voice seemed to come frorew stiff as e

Without a second thought, I bit down on my lower lip As the pain andintent, I ireen and brown scenery washed down into shades of gray with only speckles of color radiating from the mana around me

<hr>

Unable to see any sources of an to doubt what I heard—no, I wanted to doubt what I heard Suddenly a flicker of light whizzed past the corner of reen shadow It was almost impossible to follow the shadow’s lireen shadow stopped From her location, it looked like she was inside the trunk of a tree about thirty feet away

‘Sharp eyes, little boy Sharp eyes’</e fro branches as if they were tunnels, leaving behind traces of sickly greento follow her hter that echoed in the thick forest