Grace quickly takes Elsbeth towards the food stall and shouts, "Step aside!" to the men in front of them. Seeing her noble appearance, every man steps aside to let them through.
There he is—Henry. The food stall owner is grabbing him by the collar and punches him in the face. Grace interferes immediately.
Henry!! What are you doing causing all this ruckus?"
Henry crawls right to her feet with an innocent face. Oh, my savior! My Lady Grace! I was so hungry, so I got out to eat something. After I ate food from him, I realized that I forgot my coin pouch at the inn! But he doesn't believe me at all—this old man keeps beating me!
The food stall owner shouts, "Every single one of you comes up with the same excuse! Pay me up, or I'll beat you again!!"
Grace asks the stall owner, How much does he owe you?
"One silver," he replies.
Grace hands him a silver coin. She grabs Henry by his ear with one hand, keeps holding Elsbeth's hand with the other, and heads straight back toward the inn.
"Oww, oww! My lady, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to cause trouble, forgive me!" Henry cries out in pain. Walking just behind them, Elsbeth sees this ridiculous sight and chuckles slightly under her hood.
Back at the inn, Leonard falls down from the bed with a heavy thud. He groans as he wakes up, looking out the window. Man, I've been out cold, he mutters. He notices Henry's coin pouch laying right there on the table. Realizing the kid is out in the town without it, he sighs. "I hope he doesn't get in trouble..."
Just then, he hears footsteps marching towards the room and Henry screaming from the pain. Leonard steps out instantly and sees Grace holding Henry by the ear, dragging him down the hall.
Leonard puts his hand on his forehead. "What did you do now...?"
But just as he is about to scold Henry, his eyes drift over to Elsbeth. She is still holding Grace's hand, wearing a pretty new necklace, and she actually seems slightly happy.
Leonard smiles at the sight. He grabs Henry and pulls him inside the room, smacking his head lightly. You reckless brat, what did you do now?
Grace contains her fury, putting on a silly grin for Elsbeth's sake. Don't just don't ask about it.
"It was a mistake!" Henry protests, rubbing his head. "But after everything, I actually managed to get information about what's going on in this town."
Leonard's expression goes serious. "My lady, please sit here," he says, pointing at the bed. "You too, Grace." He sits down with Henry and asks him, "So, what did you find?"
Henry's playful tone vanishes. While i was eating at the food stall the people there were saying that a horde of goblins keeps attacking the town. They are abducting the women and killing them after..." He glances at the ladies in the room and stops himself out of respect. He clears his throat and looks at Leonard. "But Sir Leonard, aren't goblins supposed to be the weakest kind of monsters?
Grace agrees too, and Elsbeth seems to be completely focusing on the conversation as well.
"You never underestimate a monster, whether it's weak or strong," Leonard says firmly.
Goblins are indeed weak monsters on their own, but they hunt in packs and they're incredibly clever. That's what makes them such a massive nuisance for ordinary people.
Henry continues, "The vendor said they asked for help from other villages, but everyone refused because it takes days of travel just to reach this town from the outer regions. Aval is completely isolated."
"That's quite a problem," Leonard says, looking out the window. "This place doesn't seem like it's built for combat at all—it's just filled with merchants and commoners. We should head out before the night falls. That way, our group will be safe."
From the edge of the bed, Elsbeth speaks up. "If we leave... they'll die."
Leonard stares at her for a moment.
For the first time in days, the princess has spoken without being prompted.
A faint smile finds its way onto his face. "Indeed, we can't abandon them now. We will help them. But first, we need to scout the area."
Grace cuts in, looking at Leonard suspiciously. Are you sure you and Henry can take care of them?
I don't know about this reckless kid, but having him is better than fighting alone, Leonard chuckles.
Henry gleams with pride and squares his shoulders. I already scouted the area and I know where the colony is! We should get rid of those nasty monsters before they attack the town.
Leonard looks at Elsbeth and stretches. "We should get something to eat first."
They all head outside into the market square. Leonard looks down at the princess and says gently, "My lady, you should remove your hood. Don't fear anyone here. Keep your head high and look at your surroundings."
Without saying a word, Elsbeth reaches up and removes her hood with one hand and clutching the book with the other. She looks straight ahead instead of just staring down at people's footsteps.
The town of Aval is in complete havoc, but looking past the crowds, there are beautiful mountains and rolling hills in the distance. She takes in the gorgeous scenery, watching the merchants selling their foods and goods.
Grace holds her hand and points down the lane. "We'll eat there."
It is a small, rustic shop. Thick aromas of roasting wild meats drift from the kitchen, and the counter is stocked with large wooden platters of dark rye bread and steaming bowls of salted root vegetable stew.
They all take a seat, Henry keeping a white-knuckled grip on his coin pouch tightly with both hands this time. After a little while, the hot food arrives at the table.
Everyone stops and looks at Elsbeth, waiting softly for her to start first out of respect. Seeing their gentle stares, she hesitates for a moment, then eats a little bit.
After chewing, she looks up at them and adds, "It... it's good."
The entire table breaks into warm smiles and they all dig into the food. The heavy tension completely disappears. Henry starts eating a massive amount of food, completely ignoring the fact that he just ate earlier, causing Grace to immediately start taunting him.
Meanwhile, high up on a nearby cliff in the distance, a mysterious figure stands perfectly still. Her body is entirely covered in frayed ropes and her face is hidden, staring down at the market.
She watches Leonard laugh at something Henry says, and her gaze narrows as she sees how soft and warm Leonard's expression gets when he looks at Elsbeth. Seeing that smile, the rope-covered woman violently clenches her fist, her knuckles turning white under the wraps as pure rage radiates from her body.
Down at the table, Leonard's instincts suddenly flare up. He instantly feels someone's dangerous presence and snaps his head toward the distant cliffside. But there is no one there. The ridge is completely empty, the figure already gone back into the shadows.
Henry stops mid-bite, noticing his sudden movement. "Is something wrong, Sir Leonard?"
Leonard brushes it off with a casual wave. "Oh... it's nothing. I was just imagining things."
After a while, they finish eating. Grace takes Elsbeth's hand, stands up, and says, "Her highness and I will be taking a look around the town."
Leonard nods. "Okay, Henry, you go with them."
Grace refuses immediately. "We will not go that far. Let Henry stay with you, he'll just cause a ruckus."
Henry sighs sadly and says, "My lady, you don't have to be that mean..." Grace ignores his whining, takes Elsbeth, and leaves.
Henry turns to Leonard, poking him with his shoulder. "Sir Leonard, you should learn to read women a little. They just need a little girly time together, I'll only be in the way."
Leonard smacks his head with a straight hand lightly and says, "Stop with the stupid stuff and take me to the colony. We will set the traps first. Fighting them head-on with just the two of us is going to be a pain."
Henry grins, his pride returning. "Sure, follow me, sir."
As they walk, Leonard suddenly senses the exact same strange presence from before. He tries to brush it off, but the feeling persists.
After walking a bit further, he abruptly grabs Henry and pulls him into a quiet, narrow alleyway.
"Ughhh, what are you doing, sir...?" Henry asks, startled.
"We're being tailed," Leonard says in a low, serious voice.
"Tailed? But I don't see anyone suspicious."
"Whoever it is, he's dangerously swift,"
Leonard whispers, keeping his grip tight. "I can sense him, and just when I pinpoint his location, he vanishes completely, removing his presence."
Henry swallows hard, looking nervously out toward the main street. "Man, that sounds dangerous. We already got a goblin problem, and now this creep is tailing us. Shouldn't we get back to the ladies?"
Leonard shakes his head. "No. Whoever it is, he seems to be after us. Staying with the ladies will only put them in danger. He's not planning to attack us as of now, he's just watching. So let's just take care of the goblins for now."
"Understood, sir," Henry says, nodding. He points toward the massive cliff rising up in the distance. "The colony is behind that cliff. And don't worry, we don't have to hike all the way up. Earlier, I tied a rope to a sturdy tree on top of the cliff, so we can just climb straight up. It'll save us a lot of time."
Leonard brushes his hair back with his hand and gives a rare nod of approval. Good work.
"You're useful once in a while."
Henry's face contorts with mixed emotions of pride and sadness. "Hey! What do you mean *Once in a while*?"
"Let's just go. And be on your guard," Leonard chuckles, cutting him off.
They both head towards the mountain. After walking for a while, leaving the chaotic town and its half-built wooden walls behind, they reach the base of the steep cliff. The heavy rope hangs all the way down from the top, swaying slightly in the breeze.
Leonard checks the knot, tugging it tightly. "You go first. I'll catch you if you fall."
"I'm not falling, just follow behind me," Henry says confidently. He grabs the rope and starts to climb up, with Leonard following right under him.
Once they reach the top, they pull themselves over the rocky ledge. In the distance, the goblin colony sits nestled in a craggy ravine. They move along the cliffside cautiously, staying low to the ground to avoid alerting the monsters.
Once the colony is clearly visible below them, Henry completely freezes, his face turning pale. It is a horrific sight. There are dozens of local women down there. Some are locked in wooden cages, some are stripped naked, and the motionless corpses of others are scattered across the blood-stained dirt.
The goblins are forcing themselves on the helpless women.
Henry's grip tightens on his sword, his body trembling with pure rage. Leonard immediately puts a heavy, firm hand on his shoulder, whispering sharply, "Remain calm, or we'll be in trouble."
Suddenly, the flap of the largest tent tears open. The goblin leader steps out into the open air. He is massive, far larger than the others, wearing a grim necklace made of human skulls and carrying a giant, jagged battle axe in his hand. He lets out a gutteral, booming shout.
At his command, a few smaller goblins drag a naked woman out of one of the cage. The leader steps forward, grabs her roughly by the neck, and drags her straight inside his tent.
The cliff remains quiet for a few tense heartbeats. Then, after a short while, her corpse comes flying out of the tent entrance, completely torn into two pieces.
Henry breaks. Unable to take the cruelty for another second and then one of the captive women raises her head.
Their eyes meet.
The woman freezes.
Then, for the first time since arriving at the colony, she smiles.
A small, broken smile.
As if she believes help has finally arrived.
Henry draws his longsword with a sharp hiss of steel. Down below, one of the guard goblins catches the reflection of the blade, notices them on the ridge, and lets out a piercing screech, alerting the entire colony.
A volley of arrows immediately comes flying up towards them through the air, and dozens of smaller goblins begin scrambling up the rocky face of the cliff like spiders.
Leonard raises his sword—
"Henry, get dow—"
But Henry is already in motion. He steps forward, fury burning in his eyes as he stares down at the goblin colony below.
"Falling Leaf Style..."
His grip tightens.
The world seems to slow.
Henry takes a single step and swings. A silver arc erupts from his blade.
WHOOSH.
The incoming arrows shatter apart in midair.
Wood splinters. Iron heads spin harmlessly into the rocks. The entire volley is swept away before it can reach them.
For a brief moment, even the goblins below seem stunned.
Henry lowers his sword.
His chest rises and falls steadily.
Leonard stares.
The technique is flawless.
His footwork is clean.
His timing is exceptional.
Then Leonard notices it.
Henry's eyes never leave the colony. Not once does he check his surroundings.
Not once does he look for hidden threats and he doesn't even consider a retreat route.
His entire focus remains fixed on the enemy before him.
Leonard sighs inwardly.
There it is.
A swordsman obsessed with the enemy in front of him.
He finally understands why Azik sent the boy to him.
Not to improve his swordsmanship.
To teach him how to survive.
The cliff erupts into chaos. A shrill screech echoes across the ravine. Dozens of them begin scrambling up the cliff face like starving insects.
Leonard slowly raises his sword again.
Steel gleams beneath the fading sunlight.
He steps beside Henry.
"No mercy."
The first goblin reaches the ridge.
"Kill every last one of them."
His voice lowers.
"And don't die, Henry."