knights and magic Lightnovel

ch8

The trees in the plains increased in number gradually, until its density matched that of a forest.
A road paved with stones extended to the east of this forest; it was the biggest road in the Fremmevira Kingdom that leads to the east ― 'East Fremmevira Highway'. From Känkänen to Jantunen was the 'West Fremmevira Highway' and from Jantunen to the Kingdom's border was the ‘East Fremmevira Highway’. These two highways are built with cobble stones, a historical route that was paved for the ease of transport when constructing the fortress at the frontlines. It now shoulders the duty of intra-kingdom transport; its active use matched its reputation as the leading traffic junction.
The road that is used frequently by caravans with Silhouette Knight escorts was desolated. It might be due to the Demon beasts stampede or the rumours spreading among merchants about the sightings of a gargantuan Demon beast.
There is a tense silence on this road, which was broken suddenly.
The sound of hooves from dozens of carriages reverberated in the air, as they ferried the Laihiala Pilot Academy students who are escaping. The high school Knight runners are risking their lives to cover the evacuation, so the carriages were running at full speed. But this was too taxing on the horses, so the pace was slower than normal. Even so, they were already halfway to Jantunen.
The exhausted students sat in the carriages. They weren't chased by any Demon beasts during this period. They had calmed down after some time, but the uneasiness in their chest lingers.
"What happened to Eru―?"
With this solemn atmosphere, Chid and Ady sat on the last carriage, looking behind them blankly. Eru jumped off the carriage and entered the forest when they were escaping from Cloquet's Forest. It happened so suddenly, that they lost track of him before they could even try to stop Eru.
"... Hey, could it be..."
Chid mumbled, as if he thought of something. Ady tilted her head questioningly.
"That guy, did he hijack a Silhouette Knight to join the fight?"
Impossible― Ady wanted to dismiss it, but fell into deep thought. The probable deduction morphs into a clear image in her mind. Common sense tells her that Eru, who did not attend pilot school can't control a Silhouette Knight. But he might make it work with what he learned through self study― She didn't know that Eru has actually succeeded. Ady easily imagined the face of Eru challenging the Land Emperor head on, it seemed so natural.
"Ah― Yeah, that makes sense. Eru will probably do that."
"No need to worry. He can run away with those legs of his if things goes awry."
The magic invented by Eru called 'Aero Thrust' is surprisingly fast. Who can catch up with Eru who was faster than wolves and rivals that of a bird? Even if the opponent was that mammoth Demon beast, Eru can run away if he puts his mind to it. The two of them imagined that scene and laughed.
As they predicted, Eru had hijacked Guyale and was charging towards the Behemoth. It was hard to tell if it was a blessing or a misfortune that the twins, on the shaking carriage had no idea about this.
The instructor on the carriage in front alerts the entire convoy. Clouds of dust can be seen in the direction they are heading, and they heard the sound of the horses’ hooves in the distance. Everyone understood what was causing all that racket. A group of Silhouette Knights― the standard model 'Karrdator' was advancing in a column. All citizens of Fremmevira Kingdom were familiar with these figures and understood why they were here.
"...The garrison Knights of Jantunen!"
The voice of the instructor on the leading carriage reached the carriages at the back. The students poked their head out of the carriages one by one, their face bright with excitement.
This group was a scale larger than two platoons, consisting of roughly ninety Silhouette Knights. They are followed by the maintenance and supplies corps. Most of Jantunen's military forces are here, the most they can muster one day after receiving the envoy from Balguerie.
Karrdators are the official mass produced standard model, with rugged exterior. After experiencing many battles, it has a unique charm to it. Their shoulder armour was decorated with the Fremmevira Kingdom flag and the Jantunen city crest, displaying the pride they had in protecting this land.
The Laihiala students are not uneasy anymore. No matter how mighty the Demon beast was, the band of Knights will defeat it. They had faith in the power and credibility of the Knights.
A sense of relief spreads among the Knights who had discovered the carriage at the same time. Although they had set off as soon as they could, they had already mentally prepared themselves for the possibility that the entire Laihiala student body being massacred. From the looks of things, most of them made it out safely, and had brought with them valuable information about the current location of the Behemoth.
"I see... the high school Knight runners..."
It included information on why the Laihiala students managed to evacuate safely. A lot of the Knights are graduates of Laihiala Pilot Academy, and are moved by the honorable actions of their juniors and steeled themselves.
"Please rest assured. In order to protect our kingdom, and not let their sacrifices be in vain, we will crush the enemy."
The Jantunen Knights engrave this determination within their hearts; their morale grew stronger than before. The band of Knights learned that the Laihiala students met the Behemoth less than half a day ago, so their meeting with the Behemoth is at hand. The tension of the Knights grew sky high with each step they take.