Halflings are excellent as herbalists, but the same cannot be said for their fighting prowess due to their small physique. A woman who stands out in that area is even more rare.
Lelenore was that ârareâ. Born as a distant relative of House Duke Ebene in the Kruvan Holy Kingdom, she had a childhood unrelated to being a noble. There are many herbalists in her rural halfling village, and the children born there are also brought up as herbalists. It has been a long-standing tradition that about half of them stay in the village and the rest travel outside the village.
However, Lelenore was different. She had an extremely high level of magical ability. She could use ăFlower Magică and ăEarth Magică even without absorbing skill orbs.
Lelenore chose to be a mage rather than a herbalist. She caught the eye of Duke Ebene, and was called to the main house â and eventually started working as a knight of House Duke Ebene.
She was given the 3-star skill orbs, ăFlower Magicâ â â ă and ăEarth Magicâ â â ă, to polish her natural magical talents. And she trained to increase her physical prowess so that she wouldnât lose even if she were to fight with other races; to be able to fight even in places where skills cannot be used, such as the venue for âSprouts and New Moon Banquetâ.
(What was that just nowâŚ!?)
Lelenore was astonished.
At the start, she was wondering âWhy is a child escort in such a place?â. Speaking of House Earl Sillys, it is fully recognized as a central authority, and the head of the family is also called by an unsettling name, âCold-Blooded Lordâ. She also heard that the head of the family has many enemies, and that there was an assassination attempt recently.
That being the case, he chose a child to escort his daughter, Eva?, she thought.
It wouldâve made sense if he was from a race of short stature such as halfling, hobbit, or dwarf, but no matter how one looked at him, that escort was clearly human. And his face still looked innocent, like a child, so Lelenore guessed he must be in his early teens.
He didnât feel like a sword master, nor like a ruthless soldier. He looked like Evaâs friend.\n
(I see⌠To prevent Eva-sama from becoming anxious, the Earl prioritized psychological âprotectionâ.)
Lelenore concluded as such. In other words, Evaâs escort would be useless in an emergency.
The reason why she had to consider all this was because the Holy Prince attended the venue, and as though that wasnât enough tension, even the Holy King attended.
If the worst case scenario were to occur, this country will be shaken to its core. Even if protecting her Lord is the highest priority, Ethan might command her to protect His Majesty.
An escort has to prioritize in advance, assuming all possible situations.
And that âworst caseâ happened.
First, in the darkness, Lelenore grasped Ethanâs location and stood in between the assailantsâ path and Ethan.
ăLelenore.ă
ăKeep silent. Escaping in the dark will be dangerous. I will check for an escape route when the brightness returns.ă
Ethan suddenly offered the treasure sword he had. But Lelenore shook her head.
ăPlease use this to protect yourself, Ethan-sama.ă
The Holy Prince and Holy King, who were shining dimly in the darkness, would be a âgood targetâ for the attackers.\nHowever, the next moment, something which astonished Lelenore occurred.
5 flames suddenly appeared in the air.
The one who developed those flames was the boy that Lelenore judged to be âuselessâ. There was no doubt about it because the flames were floating around the boy.
(WhatâŚ!! He immediately activated 5 ăFire Magică in this place where skill canât be used!?)
Even if Lelenore was blessed with magical talents from an early age, her activation limit for ăFlower Magică and ăEarth Magică was only 3. Rather, she was selected as Ethanâs escort exactly because of her ability to activate three at a time, which was clearly superior to other knights.
(A ăFire Magică geniusâ)
These child geniuses are born mutationally, though very few in number. The boy looked untrained, but his genius is why the âCold-Blooded Lordâ attached him as an escort to his daughter â Lelenore was convinced this was the reason.
(If so, he should be an amateur at melee combat. Since the brightness is secured, itâs our job from here on out!)
Lelenore decided so, and turned her eyes to Arthur of Knights Order. He ascended to the position of knight captain with the backing of his parents, but that position is not something one can ascend to without real abilities, either. He had an idea of what to do in this emergency. And perhaps having the same judgment as Lelenore, he turned his eyes towards her.
The two nodded.
ăEthan-sama, please wait here.ă
ăBe careful.ă
Just when she was about to rush towards the attackersâ\n\nă!ă
One seemed to have noticed me approaching in the dim light, but it was too late. I was already in front of the attacker.
I drove a hook into the assailantâs side with the ăPunching Techniqueă I learned from the training of the Holy Knights.
All the air inside the assailantâs lungs was knocked out in an instant. That little time was more than enough. The next punch hit him square in the jaw. The chin is a weak point in boxing, and if you are hit there, you will fall unconscious.
Noticing the first one going down, the two other assailants switched targets onto me. They pulled out the short sword fastened at their waist. The black-painted blade which blended into the darkness was hard to see.
(Ouch⌠my hand hurtsâŚ)
It seems that they were wearing a chainmail under the black outfit. My fist was crying in pain. I healed my fist by activating ăHealing Magică with the mana which was available in my power saving mode.
Now, to take care of the remaining two.
One of them lunged with a thrust.
The speed would appear remarkably fast for the average person, but for me, who has observed the training of the Knights Order, it was incredibly slow.
However, something felt out of place with that thrust.
(EhâŚ? That thrust⌠is the exact same âtypeâ as the Knights Order?)