CH 9

Goosebumps ran down my back, and only one purpose dominated my mind. 

I have to run away! 

Rin ran for a moment. 

I don’t know what kind of bad things I will face if I get caught, especially with a body like this. However, while going down the stairs and leaving the pub, the scenery of the room that I had briefly passed by entered my mind. 

There weren’t just two men in the room. 

There must have been one more. Further back in the room, on an old chair, sat a small boy. The skinny child, wrapped in his black hood, was stunned and quietly slammed in, as if he was dead. 

There’s no reason for a child to be in a place like that. Could it be that he was kidnapped? 

Should I save him? 

To save him. . .it’s too much considering the condition my body is in right now! 

But – you made a promise with the master. 

“Hey, kid. Originally, I don’t accept disciples. The reason I teach you is because you want to protect the children in the orphanage. Power only has meaning when used for the weak. If you swear that you will only use the swordsmanship you learned from me to protect the weak, then I will make you the best swordsman of this era.”

Yes. Rin swore to learn the sword to protect the weak. So cowardly she would be if she escaped alone. No matter how regretful the past is! 

Oh damn, why did you make such a useless oath! 

Let’s think about it calmly. 

Going back there is crazy. Hence, it’s better to first get out towards the crowds and ask for help. 

With that in mind, I ran without stopping, but –

Woo-wook. 

What? It’s been a while since I’ve had goosebumps. 

I turned my head towards the gloomy aura I felt behind my back. 

The man chasing her was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a grayish shade stretched along the wall of the building, wriggling like a bug, and quickly following Rin. 

Shadow magic. 

It is one of the sects of black magic that has been taboo for hundreds of years because of it’s tremendous, destructive power and utility. 

It’s the worst. Out of all the many, many villains, I had to be caught by a warlock. 

Black magicians are those who hide in the shadows and perform various bizarre magic experiments. 

Inadvertently, things got darker. It was clear that if caught by them, it would not just be considered to be a bad situation. 

“Heh, heh –!” 

Unfortunately, Yana’s weak legs were quickly losing strength. 

Caught like this, I had to count something. 

If only I could use aura. . .

Come on. 

It’s a state that can only be achieved when the body and mind achieve the highest harmony. 

If you can use aura, you can go beyond the limits of the human body. However, as always with great power, there were always only a few warriors who could reach this level. Therefore, Aura was also used to distinguish between a swordmaster who could cut down a castle with a single knife, and a sword expert, which was below one level of the auror. 

And Rin was a swordsman who could use Aura. 

Until she got trapped in Yana’s body. 

. . .Even though the body is different, the soul is the same, so wouldn’t it be possible to use an imperfect aura? 

Is it possible? 

Even if it’s possible, an incomplete aura is dangerous. It could crush your bones. 

But there is no other way to escape from here. . .

Ah, I don’t know. If I get caught here anyway, it’s over! 

Rin squeezed out her remaining strength and raised her aura. 

Whoops! 

To my surprise. . .hot blood began to run through my legs. At the same time, my body started to run at a different speed than before.

Wait. 

Can you really use it, Yana? 

Or is it because the soul is different? 

In addition, unlike general auras with various colors, the aura that Rin is using now is a ‘colorless aura’. Even at a glance, it felt like an incomplete aura. 

And at that moment, someone behind her called out to Rin. 

“Huck. Huck. Miss! Miss Yana!”

He was a knight of the Tuslena family. 

When did you come after me? I can’t get caught in a place like this. 

Rin proceeded to shout while covering her face with her hair, “You’ve got the wrong person!” 

“Lady Yana! I am – I was sent by Lord Roman to escort the lady. . .Huck. Huck. I’m an escort knight! Where are you going in such a hurry?” 

Wait, Yana has an escort knight? 

Rin slowed down moderately while paying attention. She soon got out of the back alley and shouted towards the crowded street corner, “Help! A bad guy is trying to kidnap my friend!” 

The effect was immediate. Merchants who were doing business in the alley near the back alley entrance ran out in a hurry. 

“What? A kidnapping?”

“What kind of rotten bastard would kidnap a child?” 

Thank God. I can get help from these people. 

Rin checked the alley again. The shape of the shadow wizard, which had been fluctuating, had disappeared. 

Did he go back to the pub? 

– For a moment. So, is it more dangerous? What if he takes the kid and disappears? 

Rin ran towards the man who claimed to be an escort knight and was hauled onto his back. The knight looked back at her, as frozen as she was. 

“Oh, miss? Suddenly, what. . .”

“Run.”

“Yes?”

“Run! You have to save the little boy before the kidnappers get away! The second floor of that old pub!” 

It was only for a moment that the knight remained still like a broken watch. 

“Hold tight!” 

Perhaps recognizing the situation was urgent, we immediately turned around and entered the back alley again. 

“It was this way.”

The knight, who had been moving swiftly according to my instructions, stopped in front of the Golden Bell Pub. 

“I’ll bring the kid out. It’s dangerous, so you wait outside.” 

He carefully set Rin down and went into the pub. 

Kwajik. 

Not long after the sound of the wooden door crashing, did the knight come out of the pub again. 

“My lady, are you sure you don’t have the wrong place?” 

“Did you not look around right?” 

“There’s no one here. It’s empty.” 

“. . .It’s empty?”

It can’t be. 

Rin went upstairs to the room on the second floor of the pub. The three men in the small room had disappeared, leaving behind only a slight trace.

That boy too. . .They all left. 

Did they all run away? 

Of course, considering that the opponent was a shadow mage, it wasn’t impossible. Among the Shadow Wizards, many of them voluntarily became chimeras to strengthen their bodies, so they could disappear like beasts. 

Thud. 

Suddenly, I heard the door open on the third floor. Soon after, a young man who was very sleepy came down. 

“Huaam – huh? What? I haven’t started business today yet. How did you come in here without permission?” 

He had a face full with signs of waking up from a deep and sound sleep, completely unaware of the incident on the second floor. 

Could this be the real owner of the pub? 

However, when Rin confirmed the man, her face hardened coldly. 

As if pondering for a moment, she closed her eyes for a long time before opening them. She called the escort knight standing next to her, “Mister.” 

The knight, with surprised eyes, raised his hand and pointed at himself, “Did you call for me, miss?”

She nodded and asked again, “You said you were my escort knight, right? I can’t remember you, so what is your name?” 

The escort driver seemed a little taken aback, as he hadn’t expected her to ask for his name. 

This man was definitely an escort knight sent by the second Lord. However, from Rin’s point of view, it was a self introduction. 

I haven’t seen this knight for the past few days. What kind of escort knight is this?