Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 142 - Tower of Answers

Medrauta's blade fell rapidly from the sides of her mount, its black-stained steel gradually clearing a path through the sea of black-red beasts.

Despite their lack of retaliation, the swarming witchspawn were proving more of an impediment to Medrauta and Viviane's progress than they'd originally anticipated. Viviane's arms were wrapped around her knight's waist, clutching tightly as their mount thundered through droves of incessantly moving monsters.

It would have been far more logical for the two of them to simply give up and wait for nightfall at the border wall, but Medrauta was determined to carve her way through the undulating mass of monsters. Fueled by more than just a desire to see a swift end for these beasts, the silver-haired knight fought against the tide desperately, hoping to head south once they destroyed the supply tower here.

"Whatever's going on down south must be intense..." Medrauta murmured as she continued forcing her way through the flood of witchspawn. Had the creatures been rushing toward them from the opposite direction, she could have just maneuvered her mount in a way that avoided the oncoming monsters, but the beasts' mad rush from the side stemmed any attempts at a quick journey.

Viviane nodded. "Yeah... Dame Leticia and Lady Rosaline will be fine... Won't they?"

"If a few witchspawn are enough to make Leticia croak, then I'll drag her soul back and kill her myself," Medrauta said. As one of the few knights who could match her blade, Leticia remained one of Medrauta's most respected peers. There was no doubt in her mind that Leticia could handle herself despite the swarms of witchspawn headed their way, but it didn't stop her from worrying.

After all, her rudimentary knowledge of the beasts told her even low-level witchspawn like these were capable of following multiple orders so long as they were simple. The fact that the witchspawn were completely ignoring Medrauta and Viviane's presence despite being in the center of the beasts' formation meant whatever was happening in the Avimorne duchy took the utmost precedence.

As minutes passed by, Medrauta and Viviane continued to make slow but steady progress through the increasingly thick swarm of monsters rushing past them. Though the delay in their advance was certainly frustrating for the silver-haired knight, the larger concentration of witchspawn told Medrauta that she was at least closing in on her objective at the very least.

"Medrauta! The supply tower!" Viviane said, pointing to the structure in the distance. Though the army of witchspawn still obscured the tower's base, its midsection and top could be seen clearly, including the pulsating orb of black-red energy that hovered at the structure's very top.

Medrauta nodded in response, a fierce smile spreading across her lips. She hadn't been keeping track of how long they'd spent struggling against the unending flow of witchspawn, but a quick glance to the sky told her that it had only barely reached noon. In the end, her persistence had won out against the incessant tide.

"Alright, Vivi! Get on and hold tight!" Medrauta announced as she sheathed her blade and stood in her stirrups. Her plan was simple yet stupid, and she never would have attempted it if not for the relatively docile nature that the witchspawn were now exhibiting.

"H-Huh!? What are you doing, Medrauta!?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm giving you a piggyback ride!" Medrauta grinned. Although hesitant, Viviane clambered up onto her knight's back, wrapping her arms around Medrauta tightly. Although Viviane had no idea what Medrauta was about to do, she guessed it was probably something ridiculous.

Unfortunately for Viviane, she was about to find out just how ridiculous Medrauta's idea really was. After confirming that Viviane was securely mounted onto her back, the silver-haired knight inhaled deeply before leaping clear of her steed in a single bound, kicking the stirrups back as she did so in an effort to signal the horse's retreat. It wouldn't do to leave the animal stranded in this massive pack of monsters, after all.