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TRANSLATOR: HARU HONEYSHIKI PROOFREADER: ROYALS QUALITY CHECKER: HARU HONEYSHIKI
At that instant, it really hit me that this person is truly the protagonist. Zahid managed to appear at my most desperate and dramatic moments. He always looks resplendent but here and now it was if he had a halo illuminating behind his back.
The bunch of supporting characters, Kayle and his cronies, responded a beat later,
“What? Who're you?”
Kayle puffed out his chest as he approached Zahid in an attempt to intimidate the latter however there wasn't any meaning to all his swagger and bluster after he'd frozen at the sight of him. I was no longer afraid of Kayle. Instead, I worried about how I should conduct myself in front of the protagonist whose gaze was currently locked on me, as if I'm the sole object in the line of his sight.
He was waiting for my cue. I know he excelled in making light work of killing people. The moment I consented with a nod, he will begin a killing spree promptly. However, I won't tolerate my siblings being witnesses to a massacre.
“Don't let them die, just…”
I deliberated for a second and chose the most fitting solution for the situation at hand,
“Just get them out of my sight.”
“Shall I?”
Zahid replied softly.
Kayle exploded in anger, apropos of an extra character who didn't receive his share of the limelight.
“You dare to ignore me now…!”
Here, Zahid lived up to his expectations as the protagonist. He did not deploy magic nor did he move from his spot.
He merely smiled, and his leather gloves tautened across his hands as he reached out to grasp Kayle's forearm in a languid, elegant move that brought about an appalling result. Kayle's arm crunched loudly as it twisted, and he dropped to the ground writhing and rolling around in sheer agony, a scream tearing loose.
“Aahhhh!”
That marked the beginning of his sufferings.
I gazed at Zahid in a daze, watching the scene play out in front of me. Every time he moved, Kayle screamed. Like a puppeteer manipulating the strings of a marionette with practiced ease, his fluid movements resulted in Kayle and his cronies dropping to the ground over and over again.
Zahid's enchanting appearance amplified the fluidity of his motions, and the single-minded, one-sided slaughter seemed artistic, like a macabre piece of art. After dealing a final blow to the back of the man who was now hobbling away, Zahid dusted his hands. Frowning at the sight of the droplets of blood smattered across his gloves, he cast them off.
I tore my gaze away from him, leaving him alone and rushed to Ethan's side.
“Ethan…”
Charles limped over to him as well. Ethan, spattered in blood, fumbled for my hand.
“Si-sister… are you alright?”
“I'm alright, you fools, why did you do that…?”
“I wanted to protect you…”
Ethan's sniveling words made my heart clench. He's such a shy and timid child—it was out of character for him—and in spite of his fear, he had lunged at Kayle. I requested Zahid to look him over carefully,
“Please check his wounds for me.”
I gestured to Ethan. Zahid opened Ethan's mouth carefully, and peered closely.
“You didn't damage your teeth fortunately.”
He then examined Ethan briefly for possible bone fractures and external wounds.
“There's a possibility of internal injury. I'll send him to the ducal mansion and call for a doctor so he can be treated there.”
Zahid glanced up in a certain direction and signaled. Out emerged a group of knights who stayed hidden in the shadows all the while. They came forward, and one of them hoisted Ethan up in his arms and placed him inside the carriage they'd brought along.
It wasn't until I saw Ethan lay safe and sound in the carriage with my own two eyes that I surveyed my surroundings. All of Kayle's goons were lying on the ground in terrible shape, knocked out senseless, blood pooling around them.
The bloody scene sent shivers crawling down my spine. It's such an eye opening experience, knowing what Zahid is capable of a protagonist. He is my sword now, both my weapon and shield. But the instant I betray him, the razor sharp tip of the sword will turn towards me.
It was Charles' voice that snapped me out of my reverie.
“Sister…”
She held to the hem of my sleeve tightly, her eyes wary. I never imagined that the Duke of Carnor and my siblings would have their first meeting under the current circumstances. It's quite mortifying but they'd have to get acquainted with each other sooner or later. I took Charles by her shoulder and said to Zahid.
“Please let her have a checkup with your doctor too.”
She protested sharply at that.
“Sister, I'll stay here!”
I whispered urgently to her so she'd leave me alone,
“You have to protect your brother, Charles.[1]“
After promising to catch up to her in no time, I forced her into the carriage, next to Ethan, and saw them off. I was now left alone with Zahid. He eyed with interest, no doubt curious about my next course of action. Under his watchful study, I turned to him and asked on a sigh,