Chapter 490 - 489 - It’s you!?
The warmth that had filled the modest wooden hut only moments earlier vanished almost completely, replaced by a suffocating tension that seemed to settle into every corner of the room. The gentle crackling of the fireplace became the only sound daring enough to disturb the silence, while the flames cast restless shadows across the timber walls as though even the fire itself had sensed the sudden shift in atmosphere. Beyond the windows, the quiet town continued its peaceful evening without the slightest awareness that, inside one insignificant hut hidden among countless others, blades were about to decide whether this meeting would end in trust or bloodshed.
Luca remained motionless.
His twin sabers rested calmly before him, their polished edges reflecting the warm glow of the fire as his crimson eyes observed the two mercenaries without the slightest trace of impatience.
His question still lingered in the air.
"Friend... or foe?"
For a brief instant...
Neither man answered.
Then—
Their answer came.
Not through words.
But through steel.
The older mercenary moved first.
His longsword flashed forward with practiced precision, the blade travelling in a clean horizontal arc aimed not at Luca’s neck, but just below the shoulder—a strike calculated to disable rather than kill. Almost simultaneously, the second mercenary abandoned any pretence of remaining an observer. With a single smooth motion, he drew a pair of short axes from behind his belt, their compact heads gleaming beneath the firelight before he lunged from Luca’s blind side with remarkable coordination.
It was not two separate attacks.
It was one.
Perfectly synchronized.
One swordsman forced the opponent’s attention.
The other punished any attempt to evade.
Years of fighting together had refined their movements until they resembled two halves of the same warrior.
Luca’s eyes narrowed.
Excellent teamwork.
His grip tightened around the hilts of his sabers.
The world...
Slowed.
Not literally.
Not completely.
Rather...
Everything surrounding Luca seemed to sink into thick water while his own perception accelerated beyond ordinary comprehension. The flickering flames appeared to dance more slowly. The sword cutting toward his shoulder became a sequence of perfectly observable movements instead of a single blur. Even the rushing footsteps of the axe wielder unfolded with remarkable clarity.
Time itself had not stopped.
Luca’s understanding of it had simply expanded.
Within that stretched heartbeat...
He moved.
His left saber rose first.
Steel met steel.
A sharp metallic cry echoed through the hut as the older mercenary’s longsword was redirected away from its intended path instead of being blocked head-on. The force of the swing carried harmlessly past Luca’s shoulder, slicing nothing more than empty air.
Before the sound of that collision had even faded...
Luca had already shifted.
His right foot slid backward.
His body rotated just enough for the first axe to pass mere inches before his chest while the second swept beneath his arm without finding its mark.
The younger mercenary’s eyes widened.
His opponent...
Had vanished from where he expected him to be.
Luca’s left elbow drove sharply into the man’s ribs.
The impact forced the air violently from the mercenary’s lungs before he staggered several steps backward, barely maintaining his footing.
There was no time to recover.
The older mercenary had already reversed his blade.
His longsword descended from above with tremendous force, intending to overwhelm Luca before the younger fighter could be isolated.
Luca crossed both sabers.
The descending blade struck them with enough strength to send vibrations racing through his arms.
Strong.
The mercenary wasn’t merely skilled.
His physical strength surpassed that of most academy graduates.
Luca twisted both wrists.
Instead of resisting the force directly, he guided it aside, allowing the sword to slide harmlessly past him before stepping inside the older man’s reach.
His shoulder collided firmly against the mercenary’s chest.
The sudden impact shattered the man’s balance.
Before he could recover...
The pommel of Luca’s saber struck cleanly against his wrist.
The longsword slipped from numb fingers before clattering loudly across the wooden floor.
The younger mercenary charged once more.
Both axes swept inward simultaneously, attempting to trap Luca between converging blades.
This time...
Luca did not retreat.
His perception expanded once again.
The incoming axes slowed within his vision.
The shifting weight of the mercenary’s feet.
The tightening of his shoulders.
The subtle hesitation before committing fully to the strike.
Every tiny detail became unmistakably clear.
Luca stepped forward.
Not away.
Between.
His body slipped through the narrow opening separating both weapons with only the smallest margin to spare.
One saber hooked beneath the wooden shaft of the right axe.
The other struck the left axe flat against its side.
A single fluid motion redirected both weapons away from their owner before Luca rotated sharply behind him.
The younger mercenary suddenly found both arms pulled awkwardly across his own body.
His balance collapsed.
Luca’s foot swept cleanly beneath his legs.
The mercenary hit the wooden floor with a heavy thud, both axes skidding several metres away.
The older fighter had already recovered enough to throw a powerful punch toward Luca’s side.
Luca caught the wrist.
Twisted.
The man’s momentum carried him forward.
Another controlled movement.
Another loss of balance.
Within moments...
Both mercenaries had been forced to one knee.
Breathing heavily.
Disarmed.
Luca’s own breathing had grown noticeably deeper as well.
A thin sheen of perspiration rested upon his forehead.
Neither opponent had been easy.
Fighting two experienced protectors within the confined space of a small hut demanded considerably greater precision than an open battlefield.
But...
The outcome had never truly been in doubt.
The room fell silent.
Luca stepped forward.
The twin sabers moved almost simultaneously.
Each blade came to rest against a different neck.
Their razor-sharp edges pierced just deeply enough for thin crimson lines to appear upon the skin before stopping.
A single careless movement...
Would be enough.
The older mercenary slowly raised his eyes.
The younger did the same.
Gone was the casual attitude with which they had greeted the young academy student.
Only seriousness remained.
Luca’s crimson eyes had become frighteningly calm.
There was no anger within them.
No excitement.
Only unwavering resolve.
When he finally spoke...
His voice carried a quiet authority that seemed entirely at odds with his age.
"I will ask..."
His gaze travelled slowly between the two men.
"...one final time."
The sabers remained perfectly steady.
"Are you..."
A brief silence settled naturally.
"...friend..."
His eyes hardened ever so slightly.
"...or foe?"
Before either mercenary could answer—
A deafening crash shattered the tense silence.
The front door exploded inward with tremendous force, slamming violently against the wooden wall as a powerful gust of night air swept through the hut, extinguishing half the candles and sending loose papers spiralling wildly across the room.
Every instinct inside the small house shifted toward the entrance.
Someone...
Had just arrived.
For a single heartbeat...
No one moved.
Luca remained exactly where he stood.
Both of his twin sabers still rested against the mercenaries’ necks, their sharpened edges close enough that neither man dared shift even slightly. Yet despite maintaining complete control over the situation, Luca’s attention had already left the two guards entirely.
His crimson eyes locked onto the figure now standing quietly within the doorway.
A traveller.
Or at least...
That was how the newcomer appeared.
A dark cloak concealed every distinguishable feature from head to toe, the deep hood casting a thick shadow over the figure’s face while the night itself seemed to cling naturally to the heavy fabric. No weapon was immediately visible, and yet the mere presence of the newcomer caused every instinct Luca possessed to scream in warning.
Without consciously realising it...
His stance changed.
The relaxed confidence he had displayed only moments earlier disappeared.
His footing became lower.
His weight shifted naturally onto the balls of his feet.
The angle of his sabers subtly adjusted, no longer aimed solely at the two mercenaries before him but positioned so they could instantly intercept an attack from the doorway if necessary.
His breathing remained steady.
His gaze never wavered.
Danger...
The thought surfaced almost instinctively.
This person...
Luca’s fingers tightened ever so slightly around the hilts of his weapons.
...is far more dangerous than everyone else in this room combined.
The cloaked figure quietly observed the scene before them.
The two subdued mercenaries.
The twin sabers pressed against their necks.
The concealed woman seated behind the partition.
And finally...
Luca.
For several long moments...
No one spoke.
Then...
A calm voice gently broke the silence.
It was neither angry nor loud.
Yet every word carried an authority that naturally filled the room.
"Who gave you the authority..."
The voice remained composed.
"...to attack him?"
The simple question caused both mercenaries to lower their heads almost instinctively.
Luca’s brows knitted together.
Him?
Before he could fully process the meaning behind those words—
The cloaked figure slowly raised a slender hand.
Gracefully...
The hood was lowered.
Silken strands of long lavender-silver hair cascaded gently over delicate shoulders, shimmering softly beneath the warm light of the fireplace like moonlight flowing upon calm water. A face of breathtaking beauty gradually emerged from beneath the shadows, carrying an elegance so pure that it almost seemed untouched by the imperfections of the mortal world. Gentle violet eyes reflected both kindness and quiet wisdom, while a faint smile naturally curved upon her lips with an almost comforting warmth.
For a brief moment...
Time itself seemed to stop.
Luca’s eyes widened.
His calm composure cracked for the very first time that evening.
His lips parted ever so slightly before words escaped almost involuntarily.
"It’s..."
Recognition flashed unmistakably across his face.
"The Saintess..."
The woman smiled gently upon seeing his expression.
There was neither pride nor arrogance within that smile.
Only quiet amusement.
"So..."
Her voice remained as gentle as flowing water.
"...we meet again, Luca."
The familiarity within her greeting only deepened his confusion.
Countless thoughts rushed through his mind all at once.
Why is the Saintess here?
Wasn’t the person inside supposed to be the one I was escorting?
Then...
Almost instinctively, Luca turned his head toward the cloth partition at the rear of the hut.
The silhouette...
Was disappearing.
No.
Not standing.
Not walking away.
Simply...
Fading.
The outline of the seated woman gradually dissolved into countless tiny motes of mana before dispersing silently into the surrounding air, leaving nothing behind except the gently swaying curtain that had concealed her from view moments earlier.
It...
Had never been a person.
Only an illusion.
Luca stared quietly at the now-empty space behind the partition before slowly returning his gaze toward the Saintess.
For perhaps the first time in quite a while...
His expression genuinely betrayed complete bewilderment.
His eyes moved briefly toward the mercenaries.
Then toward the doorway.
Then back to the Saintess once more.
After allowing a long sigh to escape his lips...
He lowered one of his sabers slightly while keeping the other ready out of pure habit.
Finally, he spoke.
His voice carried neither frustration nor accusation.
Only honest confusion.
"...Then who exactly was that?"
No one answered immediately.
The silence lingering inside the hut only made the mystery feel even heavier.
Luca rubbed his forehead with his free hand before looking back at the Saintess once again, his expression somewhere between exhausted disbelief and quiet resignation.
"Would someone..."
He exhaled softly.
"...please explain to me..."
His crimson eyes slowly swept across everyone gathered inside the small hut.
"...what exactly is happening here?"