Chapter 99 - My duty as an Esper to protect my Guide
Translator: Yonnee
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"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I didn't even get hit. Don't worry."
"Not that. Are you doing better now?"
When I asked again, Morgan scratched the back of his head and smiled shyly, understanding only then what I was asking. It was a harmless smile that, for some reason, reminded me of a big bear.
"I heard from my father that you saved my life."
"Something like that wouldn't have posed a danger to your life. You're an Esper after all."
"...You must know a lot about Espers, Irene."
I couldn't say anything to that for a moment. I had tried not to make it obvious, but considering how urgent things had been at that moment, it slipped my mind to lay low.
As I gave no answer, Morgan carefully stepped forward and asked.
"You're setting off, aren't you?"
"...Yes."
"It's dangerous to go alone. Let me come."
Right, it might be better if I had an Esper with me. And in this case, there might be many citizens of the fief that we'd need to save.
I still wasn't sure whether a monster wave had truly broken out, but nevertheless, having even just one Esper by my side would be better than none.
And besides, he was a physical Esper.
Having finished my brief contemplation, I jumped on the horse.
"Brother, is your horse also here?"
"Ah, give me a second."
He led a black horse outside the stable and climbed on. In the absence of a stablehand, we both hurried out of the mansion's grounds. We left without a hitch because there was no one guarding the gates. All of the guards must have been called to the frontlines.
As I urged my horse to run down the path ahead of us, I heard people screaming in the distance. And-thump, thump, THUMP!-the ground rumbled along with the deafening sounds.
Going off the main road, I pulled my horse's reins and directed it down the mountain path.
When taking in the whole situation, it would be best to do so from a higher place. I decided my next moves based on my past experiences, which I had a lot of.
Climbing until the middle of the mountain, I looked down and took in the estate's current condition. Fires had broken out everywhere, but the people were at least heading towards one place in perfect order.
This was the true value of education and preparation, and their results were showing now.
"As I thought, the Closch estate is truly different."
Following behind me, Morgan also took in the sight and said this.
And just as he mentioned, I also thought that this was possible because this was my family's land. I was quite certain that my mother was the one leading that procession.
At this, I felt a sense of pride. In a positive way, this monster wave was being handled in a hugely different manner compared to how it had been in my past life.
I once again urged my horse to gallop swiftly down the mountain. While keeping myself alert in case of something unexpected, I didn't miss the roars resounding from afar.
"Irene, up ahead."
Then, Morgan pointed straight ahead with one finger. I found Mom and the guards in the lead.
"Brother, please get rid of the monster in front of them."
The citizens were moving towards the usual shelter, and no monsters should reach that place.
Hearing what I said, Morgan turned his head and looked at me.
"What about you?"
"I'm going to my mother."
"Then I should go with you."
"No. You must go ahead to the shelter and check if there are any monsters there."
"But I can't send you off alone. Please let me join you-"
Morgan stopped mid-sentence and hurriedly looked somewhere else. Not far away, a small group of monsters were fast approaching.
"Irene, go and hide!"
He took out his sword and swung it, hitting a green-skinned monster that had a long snout.
It was a low-ranked monster that only preyed on corpses. Since it wasn't very strong, its kind could be easily defeated with even just arrows.
"AHHHHH!"
Then, I heard screams below. The people who were moving forward in perfect order left their positions. Something disturbing started to stick out of the ground, pulling at people's ankles.
Quickly looking ahead, I took out my bow and drew back the bowstring with an arrow.
In no time, arrows began to sail through the air at breathtaking speeds one after another. Each one of the arrows hit their respective marks exactly.
Guooooh!
The monsters hiding in the ground let out shrieks of pain. I was well aware that this was not the end.
"Don't stop! Keep moving!"
The citizens recognized me at once, thanking me briefly before moving again just as I said.
This was a group comprised of only women and children, so it was going to be difficult to protect them. Even so, giving up here was not an option.
I, too, was a member of House Closch, and I had every reason to protect my people.
Fortunately, I couldn't find any monsters around us that would serve as a real threat. I was able to take control of the situation with my own hands.
Morgan would take care of things up ahead, so I was relieved. And when we neared the shelter, Mom found me.
She was furious.
"Irene de Closch!"
Rarely ever did she call me by my full name, and just hearing it sent goosebumps down my spine. But even if Mom was worried about me, I couldn't just stay still and do nothing.
"Mom, I'm sorry, but I just couldn't stay at home. I'm worried about you, too."
Mom's expression became clouded as though she was about to cry after hearing this. But soon enough, her expression hardened once again.
"Even so, you should have listened to me. I can't believe you followed after me like this. What are we to do if something happens to you-"
Before Mom could even finish her sentence, the ground shook under our feet again. And at that moment, I felt a sinking feeling in my gut.
The monsters might have come this way.
