Chapter 121
The Second Prince’s Decision
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Leonhard wet the cloth with water from the canteen and proceeded to wipe the man’s face . The man’s feet shook as dirt and sweat were wiped away . His deep blue eyes soon opened, but it was obvious that they were unfocused… Is it the fever or is he still half-asleep? I got my answer not ten seconds after I asked myself .
The man blinked several times and raised himself upright, before suddenly jumping away once he saw Leonhard in front of him . But his body soon wobbled, and his knee hit the floor not long after . The man groaned in frustration of his body not moving the way he wanted it to .
“Who the hell are you lot?”
His voice was low and sounded clogged .
“Marx, I think you should refrain from moving too suddenly for now . ”
“How did you know my n…!!”
His questioning eyes latched onto me and flew open .
“No way, is that Master Johan?!”
“Yes, it’s been a while . ”
“Why-…”
‘Why are you here?’ He cut off mid-sentence, covering his mouth with his hand as he violently coughed . Leonhard supported his curled body and handed him a piece of cloth . He then stroked Marx’s back to relieve him from the pain .
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“That’s enough… Don’t come any closer, or you’ll get it too . ”
Marx gently refused Leonard’s helping hand as I took a sharp breath at his words .
Of course! Some diseases can infect through touch alone . I didn’t know what Marx had, but it’s hard to say that Leonhard, who had made the most contact with him, was still safe .
I was frustrated that I didn’t realise such a simple fact sooner .
“Don’t concern yourself with it . ”
Leonhard, however, didn’t pay it any mind .
Instead, a daring smile flashed upon his immaculate face .
“If that’s truly the case, then it’s already too late either way . Here, why not have some more water?”
“Yeah… Sorry . ”
Leonhard popped open the canister before feeding Marx the liquid inside . He kept his calm despite the danger that he could have contracted the disease himself . Was he confident he wouldn’t get it, or perhaps was he certain it could be treated later?
“I’m saved . ”
Marx exhaled a long sigh after he finished drinking . When it seemed he had calmed down enough, Nacht walked up to him .
Seeing Marx face to face, Nacht whispered:
“Are you one of the border knights?”
“!!… Impossible… You’re-”
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Marx was startled by the identity of the boy standing in front of him . At this rate, his contorting face would turn into something only a mother could love .
Marx quietly whimpered out a reply,
“Forgive my unsightly appearance . My name is Marx Gartner, vice-captain of the Western Border Knights Army . ”
His face dropped . His calm tone was like that of a criminal awaiting punishment .
“Marx, you said that the disease spreads easily, right? Does that mean the disease has already taken over the village here?”
“It is as you suspected . ”
Marx reluctantly answered Nacht, who was now blocking his any means of escape . It would have been an easy task to take a little peek at the village and confirm this with our own eyes, but his answer was plenty clear .
“The disease that ravished Grenze hasn’t disappeared anywhere . It’s still right here in this-“
“The vice-captain is gone!”
A loud shout drowned out Nacht’s words . They must have realised Marx was no longer at his post, causing many to begin gathering around the village entrance .
“Marx! Where are you?!”
The search party gradually approached .
What should we do?! Should we hide? But, even if we could find a place to hide, moving Marx without making a noise would still prove difficult…
As my anxiety kicked in, the distance between us and them continued to decrease .
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Leonhard thought about something before exchanging looks with Marx .
“Over here!”
When Leonhard stood up and called out, the knights were in disbelief .
“Who’re you?”
The one in the lead unsheathed his sword . Following his example, the two behind him did the same .
“Cut it out!”
When Marx revealed himself, their eyes became sharp . They must have thought he had been captured by the enemy .
“What the hell did you do to Marx?!”
“Nothing at all . Please calm down . ”
“Nothing my ass! How could you lie like that? Haven’t you seen the state our vice-captain is in?!”
It was a young man that chewed out Leonhard . He readied his sword and attacked .
Leonhard, however, showed no rush and calmly let out a soft breath . He continued to stand his ground without drawing his weapon .
The young man swung his sword down with a shout, only for Leonhard to avoid it with a slight bow of his head . Surprised, the young man unleashed a relentless assault, but Leonhard continued to evade his every attack with minimal movements . Leonhard then took hold of the young man’s wrist and twisted the sword out of his hand .
“Peter!!”
Another man charged at Leonhard to save his companion . Leonhard pushed the young man away before dodging the other man’s slash . Grabbing his arm that just came down, Leonhard forcibly pulled it forward, causing the man’s balance to collapse, before kicking his back to the ground .
The final knight then swung at Leonhard, who returned the gesture by pinning him to the ground before twisting his arm into a lock hold .
There was no choice but to be amazed by the events happening before my eyes . I knew he was strong, but to diffuse the situation in mere moments…
“…I thought I’d seen your face somewhere . ”
Marx entrusted his back onto a tree trunk and looked up at Leonhard with a face mixed of praise and fear .
“To think I’d get to meet the great ‘Black Lion’ himself all the way out here . ”
“Please, stop . ”
Leonhard’s face turned bitter when Marx laughed .
“The Black Lion you say?! Ain’t that Nebel’s champion…?”
The young man got up on his feet .
The other man forgot the situation he was in and simply stared in awe . Leonhard, however, looked uncomfortable being at the centre of attention .
It seemed Leonhard, a man well-known in the neighbouring countries and whom knights of young age all yearned to be, didn’t like standing out too much .
“Why… Why is someone like the Black Lion Commander in a place like this?”
“He’s our escort . ”
It was Nacht that spoke to the confused young knight .
‘Escort?’ The young knight repeated, confused and oblivious . The other two, however, recognised Nacht and immediately turned pale .