The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 37: Breaking the Siege 

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

All of them were focused on running for their lives as only the rustle on the grass and the rapid breathing of their companions could be heard. Even for the well-trained mercenaries, it wasn’t easy to sprint through a forest. Gradually, some of the mercenaries started lagging behind, and they couldn’t even see their companions at the front. However, all of them understood that they could only rely on themselves at such a crucial moment. 

Mr. Hunter and some other mercenaries who were responsible for erasing their footsteps had reached their companions and even surpassed Fern, who stayed at the back of the group to protect Niss. At this moment, Niss’s lack of physical strength showed, for she had never ran at full speed in a forest before. It was already hard for her to dodge all the low-lying twigs, not to mention the fact that she had to follow her companions closely. The density of the trees didn’t allow her to use flying magic. Even if she could, it would require more of her spiritual energy than running, so she had no choice but to keep trotting forward. 

Feeling a burning sensation in her throat, she opened her mouth wide to breathe. Her heart was pounding against her chest rapidly to the point that she could even hear her heartbeat in her mind. No longer able to see her surroundings clearly, she mechanically followed her companions as every step she took was extremely heavy. 

Despite knowing that it would expend more of his energy to talk, Fern still kept encouraging Niss, for it was crucial to help her follow the mercenaries closely.

Niss didn’t want to run any longer, for she had used up all her energy. However, with Fern’s encouragement, she still dragged herself forward. Slowly, Fern’s voice faded as her head started buzzing. Unable to move anymore, she fell on her knees and panted heavily.

***

Fern immediately stopped in his tracks and crouched down beside her. “Hang in there, Niss. We’ll soon leave the forest.”

“No, Fern. I can’t move anymore. Please just leave me here and go ahead—” Niss said as she cried, for she really didn’t want to get up again.

“What on earth are you talking about? Come on. I’ll carry you on my back.” Fern interrupted her as he gripped her right hand and placed it on his right shoulder.

Niss struggled out of his grip and shook her head repeatedly. “No, Fern. It’ll only slow you down if you carry me on your back. I don’t want to hold you up. Run now!”

“Niss! Look at me!” Fern clenched her shoulders and looked into her eyes until she stared back at him. “Trust me, Niss! I’ll help you!”

Her tears streaming down her face, Niss stopped struggling and let Fern carry her on his back. After telling Niss to drape her arms around his neck, he supported her legs with his arms and started dashing forward at a speed that was quicker than when he was following her just now. 

“I’m so useless… I…” Lying on Fern’s back, Niss felt his breathing and sobbed.

Hearing what she said, Fern cocked his head a little and consoled her. “Stop talking and take a rest. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. You’ve already run longer than I expected.”

“What happened? Just now, we turned around and realized that you were missing.” Rae and Stan trotted back.

“Nothing. Let’s keep running.” Without giving an explanation, Fern urged his companions to keep going.

As they were scampering forward, Rae took a look at the road behind them and saw the Doylans in the distance. “I’ll try to stop them. Don’t look back.”

“Just buy us some time and come back to us immediately.” Fern replied as he panted.

“Alright.” Rae stopped in her tracks and whirled around. Wielding the magic cane in her hand, she rapidly chanted a spell, whereupon the swirl in the gemstone started moving. A glint of ruthlessness flashed across the magician’s eyes as two black wings magically appeared from her back.

***

Just then, two scouts reached Rae. When they saw the wings on her back, they widened their eyes in fright and started shooting arrows at her. However, their arrows were engulfed in dark mist mid-air and vanished completely. Glaring at them, Rae raised her right hand and spread her fingers. Terrified, the scouts turned around and tried to flee. Right then, more scouts arrived at the scene, which boosted the confidence of the first two scouts. Following that, they surrounded the magician and inched closer to her.

Unperturbed, Rae waited for them to get closer to her. When they were a few yards away from her, she suddenly twisted her magic cane, whereupon a dark wave radiated from her and swept across all the scouts at the scene. In an instant, they collapsed to the ground and tore apart their clothes in pain.

Rae’s expression turned calm as the wings behind her slowly disappeared. After letting out a breath, she shot a look at the people lying on the ground. “This should hold them up for a while.” She then turned and raced after Fern. 

When she almost used up all her energy, she finally reached them. At the moment, it was Stan who was carrying Niss on his back. Fern and Stan took turns to carry Niss so that one of them could take a breather. Fern cocked his head a little and nodded at Rae gratefully. After giving him a dispassionate look, Rae looked ahead.

***

In comparison to Niss, Rae’s stamina was so much better. Her stamina even surpassed most magicians out there. Fern didn’t find it unusual, for he knew that Rae must have grown up in the North. The people there were generally tougher. Moreover, she had explained why her hair and eyes were dark, so Fern was certain that his speculation about her background was right. Niss and Stan didn’t know about this, and Rae had demanded him not to expose it.

As they supported each other along the way, they soon saw the mercenaries of the Black Crows in front of them. Just then, the mercenaries at the forefront informed the rest that they would soon reach the end of the forest, which was uplifting news for everyone. After taking Niss from Stan’s back, Fern said, “Don’t give up. We’ll leave the forest soon.”

More sunlight had been allowed to shine into the forest as the trees grew less dense and the road became easier to trot on. Fern and his companions hastened their pace and darted out of the forest. 

***

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