The Villain Wants to Quit

To the Palace (3)

"Break for an announcement," Carrie called to the group.

The knights stopped in a neat formation to await further instructions.

"I received word from his and her majesty that a nearby village is being terrorized by many strange monsters," Carrie said.

Everyone's gaze fell on Theo, and he rubbed his neck self-consciously.

He didn't remember bleeding in this area recently, but some of the monsters he summoned were quite migratory. He attempted to clean up after himself as much as possible, but the anonymity he required did limit his effectiveness.

"I can help, um, clean it up," Theo said in a small voice.

"You can make a shield in front of the village while Leanne and Victor make sure you don't sabotage us," Carrie said in a rather dry tone.

"Mortal Theo is kind!" Scourge gasped angrily, but Theo patted his head and pushed him back into his pocket with practiced ease.

"Okay," Theo agreed as he soothed the tiny dragon.

"Theo would never sabotage villagers!" Scourge poked his head out of Theo's pocket and continued defending his perception of Theo's honor.

Everyone else knew such a thing was a lost cause.

Theo winced as everyone started to discuss their role in the upcoming fight; the scars on his neck seemed to ache.

Once every knight understood their role in the coming fight, they resumed moving at a more urgent but still sustainable pace. Carrie wouldn't let them risk burning themselves out before they had the chance to fight.

However, one knight was capable of some support magic and charmed two others with speed magic. They could arrive at the village sooner to provide support until the other knights came.

The damage was worse than they expected.

It was evident as soon as the knights arrived at the village.

Many structures were falling apart, and the villagers had surrounded their outer fence with sharpened logs.

The scale of the damage made them impressed that the villagers hadn't been annihilated yet.

However, no matter how difficult of opponents the monsters were, it should be an easy fight for the knights.

They were some of the most skilled magic users in the country and, honestly, had more knights than necessary.

The king had dispatched far more Kings Guard knights than he would ordinarily send on a mission in order to bring Theo back.

"Healers, go to the town center and start helping injured villagers," Carrie ordered. Her ability to stay levelheaded in the face of such unexpected destruction showed her experience as a leader and knight. "Theo, I want you to shield the village. Are you able to make more than one shield?"

"I don't know," Theo said, eyeing the village fence.

He did tend to materialize large shields, but he hadn't attempted anything on this scale.

"Give it a try. See if you can shield the entire village."

"Asking you to shield an entire village is too much," Carrot complained. His voice was intentionally loud enough for the King's Guard to hear. "Don't let them pressure you with unreasonable expectations."

"I'll be fine," Theo said, patting Carrot's neck as he dismounted. "It's my responsibility to keep those monsters from doing any more damage, anyway."

Theo climbed on the remains of the village's outer wall to get a better view of the situation.