He knew if he stays, he would only be a burden for Zel.

“We have no choice! Run!”

Laoch pushed Aonair's back to encourage him to run faster.

Aonair could only grit his teeth as he kept running.

Screams of people got caught by the soldiers, or someone dying by the monsters were giving Aonair and Laoch chills in their back.

Hearing those sounds, Aonair closed his ears with his hands and ran faster than before.

(This is bad, we're going to die at this rate! We have to run! Run!)

His mind was in confusion. His vision was darkened, and he couldn't see where he goes.

All he wants to do is to run away from this hellish place.

Before he run further, Laoch shouted from behind.

“Aonair, watch out!”

“Guaah!!”

Aonair was stopped suddenly by a man wearing armor. He grabbed Aonair tightly on his neck, and then, he opened his helmet.

“I didn't want us to meet like this, Aonair.”

“You...!”

Aonair looked at the soldier's face. It's the messenger from the capital and the only soldier that he befriends with.

“I had offered you that glass, but you didn't want it. If only you drink it obediently. It's a shame, really.”

Oscar's face couldn't be clearly seen, but it was certainly not happy smiling face. In opposite, he was making a sad face.

“Release Aonair at once!”

But of course, Laoch came and spiked Oscar's body, making him release Aonair from his grab.

Laoch punched his face twice before he got pushed back.

“Why did you do this? I thought you are the good guy?!”

“I am not, Aonair. I'm the villain here, for you and for the villager. We turned you into man-made monsters, creatures that can be exhausted without any worries.

We even poisoned your food, so you won't notice the taste or the smell. It takes a long time, but the dose finally reached its limit.”

Oscar revealed the capital' evil plan toward Aonair and his village. Aonair was shocked, but Laoch didn't accept it right away.

“Why are you telling this to us? There's no benefit for you to do that.”

“I've told you, Aonair. I have family to protect.”

Aonair remembered their conversation before they began the war expedition. Oscar's story was the one that makes him wants to protect his friends too.

“My family was taken as hostage. If I failed here, they will die. That's why I can't afford to fail here.”

Oscar spoke with shaken words, but he kept talking through.

“You're just like my son, but your destiny is so different. I hope to lessen your suffering by giving you the high concentrated poison, but you rejected it. I would rather fight you as a monster than like this.”

“So that's why...!”

Finally, assembling all the pieces of information he has, now he understands clearly why this charade called war expedition began.

“Yes, curse me! Blame me all you want! I'll accept it and I won't deny it. But now you didn't turn into monster, I need to kill all witnesses. Forgive me, but I need your life right now. Soldiers!”

As if waiting for Oscar's command, soldiers were coming from every angle and surrounding the two of them.

“Oscar...”

“I'm really sorry.”

Oscar commanded the soldier to kill them, but Aonair didn't want to give up yet.

“Laoch, what can we do now?”

“To be honest, I don't think we can knock one of them down and run away easily.”

“I thought so.”

The enemies were armed with weapons and armors while Aonair and Laoch were bare handed.

Their only option is to act fast, and now is the right time to do that.

“It's do or die, okay? Let's get them.”

“I'm scared, to be honest. But I don't want to die yet, so be it!”

After resolving themselves, Aonair began to shout.

“One! Two! Three!”

“"Go!”"

Laoch charged toward the nearest soldier and kick his hand. The sword fell off and taken by Laoch.

Then, he proceeds to stab the knocked soldier and fight the other soldiers.

Meanwhile, Aonair squat and grabbed some dirt. Feeling his hand full of dirt, he ran to the soldier and splashed the dirt on his face.

The soldier was surprised and fell down. Aonair took the chance and grabbed the spear from the soldiers hand.

“Don't get near to me!”

Aonair swung the spear skillfully and move back slowly until his back met with Laoch's.

“This surprise attack won't be effective anymore. Next time we attack, they will use their skill.”

“I know. When there's a chance, run to the forest over there.”

“Got it.”

Laoch told Aonair their plan, and both of them nodded after it got confirmed.

They were able to make a comeback in such a desperate situation was thanks to Zel and the village's chief.

Zel taught both of them how to survive. Basic planning, swordsmanship, spearmanship, and archery were taught by him.

Meanwhile, Laoch was taught by his father to do an advanced swordsmanship.

Aonair and Laoch may be just boys from a normal village, but they were trained for this kind of situation.

Of course, they have a lacking experience, but even so, Laoch's calm judgement and Aonair's quick decision led them to this.

One could say they have the aptitude to be warriors, but they were not prepared for combat yet.

Thus, both of them facing more than [level 3] ten soldiers at once is nothing but suicide.

Knowing that, Aonair began his move to make way for them.

He stabbed his spear fast to one of the soldiers feet and then, he quickly stabbed his shoulder and stomach.

Accurate precision was shown greatly by Aonair. But it was not fatal damage since they were covered with armor.

As a distraction though, it was more than enough. The other soldiers began to wary toward Aonair.

At first, they were underestimating him because of his young age, but now he fought back, they won't slack off no more.

(The more we spend our time here, the worst the situation will be. Let's move now.)

Aonair thought of his plan and went to execute it.

He kicked the wounded soldier toward the other and then, he aimed toward the head.

Two heads were stabbed through at the same time and both letting out gushes of blood.

Aonair could felt his stomach churn, but he evaded to the side after hearing one of the soldier chanted a skill.

“Long range is unfair!”

Fireball, thunder strike, and many other skills were trying to blast their way to Aonair.

Nevertheless, none hit the boy. Aonair swiftly ran circling the soldiers.

The skill whom targeting Aonair ended up hitting the other soldiers.

Their casualty increased by their own skills.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Laoch was facing the half of the soldier that surrounding them.

He stood in the middle and calmly prepared his sword in front of his body.

“Fuu...”

After a long silence, a soldier started to attack him by slashing his sword vertically to Laoch.

Before the sword reached Laoch's head, both of his arms were severed.

“WAAAAAH!!!”

The soldiers scream loudly in pain, but Laoch slowly opened his eyes and said,

“Now I'm ready... Come at me.”

The soldiers were not moving. Some of them started to chanted skill, but Laoch took a step toward them, and before they noticed, their legs cutted of cleanly, and they fell with loud screams.

It's not like Laoch has a hidden skill or anything.

His father, the village chief, taught him the way of the sword. One of the criteria to be able to do the moves was to have a great reflexes.

Not only that, the user needs to be able to gauge their distance with enemies, resulting in a clean hit without any need to come near to the enemies.

This swordsmanship was founded by the village chief and called as “The Way of Light”.

Move like a light, fast and without any sound, but brings result like no other.

With that, both of the boys were able to hold their fort even after ganged up by those soldiers.

Oscar saw Aonair's and Laoch's performance and impressed. He was even surprised because he thought both of them were normal teens.

“But your retaliation only prolonged your and my suffering.”

He murmured under the screams of people, but he himself didn't do anything.

He won't take part of taking their lives, even though he was one of the captain. If he was to join the battle, maybe Aonair or Laoch wouldn't be able to hold any longer.

Oscar felt pain when he saw the boys hurts. He didn't want it to be like this.

Aonair, the boy he met no longer than a week ago, reminds him greatly about his own son.

He has taken a liking to Aonair and care for him, even though he didn't show it to others.

But now, he tries to kill him to protect his family's future.

“Will I be forgiven if I do this, Diana...?”

He murmured slowly. He was hesitating. If he didn't do anything, his men will be killed by the boys.

But he didn't want to be the one who take their lives.

Alas, the screams of the soldiers snap him out of delusion and anxiety. He realized the soldiers will be wiped out.

Thus, he grabbed the pendant on his neck tightly and commanded the soldiers.

“The specimen needs to be preserved, however, as the captain, I order you to slay them down!”

(I won't let them suffer by being a monster. Foolish me for wanting to make them become a puppet for those scumbags.)

Oscar silently thought and a resolved face shown on him.

(They won't forgive me because of this. I will be cursed, I will be a murderer of innocent. But I will bear this burden.)

Finally, resolved to his will, he issued his command once again.

“Kill them!”

“"”Yes, sire!”"”

The soldiers move toward the boys, but this time, they became more organized and hard to be beaten.

Aonair hit-and-run tactic no longer works because the soldiers' formation was too solid. He couldn't find any crack to struck them down.

Laoch got pushed back too, since his way of fighting was defensive, one on one style.

Nevertheless, many of the soldiers were cut down from their attacks before.

The lack of soldiers made a gap enough for the boys to run away.

Aonair noticed the gap and signaled Laoch to run. Laoch nodded and ran toward it.

The formation was incomplete, but it was still solid. Laoch has to knock some soldiers down, and he still got injured.

Finding Laoch in trouble, Aonair gave support and helped him fend off the attacks from the sides.

Unfortunately, Aonair forgot he has more enemies from behind.

He kept making way for Laoch resulting his back completely defenseless.

Right after Laoch managed to came out, he called out Aonair.

“Aonair! This way!”

“Wait-- Aaaghhh!!!”

Aonair followed Laoch from behind, but his left leg was stabbed deeply. Then, another stabs his shoulder and arm.

“Aaah!! It hurts, damn it!!!”

Laoch tried to make them back off, but he was too tired, and the enemies are starting to added up.

In the middle of it, a soldier came closer to land the finishing blow to Aonair.

But he was stopped by a shout from Oscar.

“Stop!!!”

The shout from the captain made everyone confused.

Oscar face was in pain. He was sweating and he looks exhausted. His hand was holding tight the pendant as if not wanting to let it go.

Laoch too was confused, but he decided to help Aonair first. He slashed the arm that holding the sword and pulled Aonair away.

Then, both of them running away together with Laoch carrying half of Aonair's weight.

“You okay?! We can't afford to stop right now, so do your best and hold the pain for now!”

“Easy for you to say! Agh, it freaking hurts!”

Aonair grunts as they kept running away.

He looked back and find the soldiers were getting further from his sight.

“Whew, we run quite fast, ain't us?”

“I don't know, maybe they were holding back, so they can trap us once more.”

Aonair sighed a relieved breath while Laoch still wary toward their surrounding.

Their situation was not safe yet. They were getting further from the battlefield, but that doesn't mean they're free from harm.