Chapter 16 : Escort Mission (5)

Ray, who had been about to draw the dagger from his arms, suddenly stopped moving.

The mid-tier monster, Kelleil, had clear characteristics.

It was highly mobile and powerful in attack but had no means of defense.

Moreover, when it attacked, it did so in packs.

Thus, except for a few individual cases, most Kelleil appeared in the area of the first attack.

“Did he take down fifteen of them… by himself?”

And the area where the Ritvel merchant guild was first attacked was the left flank, led by Kaela.

In other words, the reason Paul and Anna were the first to be attacked was because most of the Kelleil appeared in that area.

And that group of Kelleil had been annihilated.

By just one swordsman hero.

The new instructor, Edgar Mulick.

The moment the battle began, he charged in with unbelievable speed and in an instant incapacitated all of the Kelleil.

Their number was a staggering fifteen.

And it took less than a minute.

Watching that sight, Ray’s grip on his dagger naturally loosened.

“Edgar… what on earth is the real you?”

Edgar Mulick was an unusual person.

Born the second son of a great magic family, he had no talent for magic. His arrogant personality and disdainful attitude made many people dislike him.

When Ray first met him after Edgar had entered the Mulick family as a butler, he was nothing short of a scoundrel.

“I want to attend a different faculty instead of the Magic Department.”

But one day, while discussing the family head and the instructor exam, he claimed he had found a new fate as a swordsman and declared he would take the instructor exam for the Swordsmanship Department.

From that day on, Edgar Mulick changed.

He learned the Tristan Swordsmanship technique in less than an hour and passed the notoriously difficult Tristan Swordsmanship Department instructor exam with a perfect score.

Although it wasn’t yet publicly known, he became the first new instructor in nearly five years to be assigned a ‘mentor instructor.’

It was a stark contrast to his utter lack of talent in magic.

“So, if that’s what you’ve decided, I’ll accept it.”

“He’s a dear friend of mine.”

Even his personality had changed greatly.

Unlike before, he now called Ray by his name directly, and he often joked around enough to say they were truly ‘close.’

Especially in the most unexpected moments, he would say things that left Ray flustered.

Ray, who always maintained the same attitude and atmosphere at work, had lately found his emotions fluctuating more than usual… no doubt due to Edgar’s changed personality.

“At this point, it’s at least his third crossroads… maybe even his fourth.”

And now, in this real battle, Edgar had freely showcased his talent once again.

Through what could only be guessed as a ‘predestined’ ability, he displayed astonishing movements, steadily taking down the surrounding monsters.

Even though the mid-tier Kelleil had weak defenses, he killed fifteen of them alone in under a minute.

This was an outcome that could never be achieved by ordinary fate or choices.

Thanks to him, no one on the left flank, except for Paul and Anna, was injured, and the other areas with fewer Kelleil easily continued their battles.

“And moreover…”

One more thing.

Ray’s gaze shifted forward.

“Haaah…!!”

Kaela.

The daughter of the Ritvel merchant guild and the one who had hired Edgar and Ray for escort duty. She was also a prospective cadet, just awakened as a hero, and set to enter the military academy soon.

She was bravely confronting a Kelleil at the front.

Though her movements were rough, they were courageous.

She had no magic, but her strength and skill were formidable.

Since the battle had begun..