Hell Mode: Volume 9, page 28
Helmios helped Ena climb into the carriage, and he boarded last. Just as he was about to close the doors behind them, he heard the knights and villagers talking to one another, and he turned around. A villager was desperately clutching the captain’s cape. Meanwhile, the captain looked troubled.
“Captain, please,” the villager implored. “Can’t you bring my child with you?”
“As I said before, we cannot bring Tailors with us,” the captain replied.
“Please. My child is very intelligent.”
I guess some Talents aren’t allowed to head to the city, Helmios thought.
One of the knights managed to peel the villager away from the captain, and the poor man sank to his knees. The captain glanced at the villager before turning to the knights on horseback to give out orders. Then, the two carriages headed out.
Helmios stuck his head out the window beside the door and spotted the carriage in front of him clattering ahead. He saw the children stick their heads out the window and gaze at their village as it receded into the distance, just as he had done the day before. They were on the verge of tears. I probably looked exactly the same yesterday. As Helmios thought about his parents, his chest started to ache.
That day, they took several breaks during the carriage ride, and by nightfall, they had arrived in Ponce Village. Just like the night prior, the village chief offered his residence to the kids. However, the room they were given this time was not as spacious as the previous one, and the trio from Zozonoe Village were told to sleep in a separate room.
The next morning, the kids were given sacks filled with their breakfasts and lunches, and they left the village chief’s residence. There were now three carriages stationed at the village square. While they rattled down the road, Dorothy gazed out the window.
“We’re heading north,” she remarked.
“Which means we’re going to Gorasso Village,” Helmios concluded.
Thanks to his father, Lucas, Helmios knew where all the villages within Viscount Howlden’s fief were located. The eastern region was home to Cortana, Zozonoe, Ponce, and Gorasso Villages. Cortana, Helmios’s hometown, was at its easternmost point, and that was where their journey had begun. They had proceeded to the nearest neighboring village, Zozonoe, before heading for Ponce, located at the center of the fief. Howlden City was due west, but if they were heading north, only Gorasso Village was nearby.
“If there are other kids with Talents, maybe they thought it was better to round them all up, even if it means taking the long way around,” Helmios wondered.
“Huh. I don’t really care, but sitting all day is bad for my hips,” Gatsun grumbled.
“You sound like an old man,” Dorothy remarked.
“What did you say?!”
Ena finally giggled and smiled as she watched the two kids bicker.
They reached their destination late into the night again, and they were welcomed through the gates of Gorasso Village, just as Helmios had guessed. Once again, the kids were separated into rooms by village, and they all spent the night.
The next morning, at the crack of dawn, there was another carriage stationed in the village, making four in total. Helmios gazed out the window, the sky turning brighter as the hours passed, and saw that the carriage was trying to climb a mountain.
There were two routes leading from Gorasso Village to Howlden City. One headed back south, following the path they had come down, before heading west. The second extended west along the southern side of the mountains. The carriages were clearly taking the latter route, so Helmios assumed that it was shorter and faster. He did not know why, but it was clear that the knights did not want to make camp here. To that end, the carriages began climbing a path, and after traversing a flat road, the path became bumpy.
Clack, clack.
“It’s shaking a lot. Can’t they go a bit slower?” Gatsun wondered.
“It really is tough for us,” Dorothy said. “Ena, are you okay?”
“Yeah. Thank you,” Ena replied.
Helmios stared out the window. The carriages were traveling west on the south side of the mountains, and one could gaze down at the plains extending from their base. Helmios turned to his left and looked west, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cortana Village. He had no idea how far he had traveled over the past three days, but there was no trace of the village to be seen.
The vehicle clattered along the flat road and started its descent.
“Right!” the vice-captain ordered from the front of the group.
Helmios spotted a fork in the road, the left path delving deeper into the mountains. The carriages took the right path, heading north. Wait, what? They didn’t get lost or anything, did they? The boy started to grow suspicious, and one of the knights likely thought the same, shouting to the front of the group.
“Vice-Captain! That’s the wrong way!”
“This is faster. Just stay quiet and follow my orders!” the vice-captain replied.
The knight captain heard this exchange and spurred his steed, stopping alongside Helmios’s carriage.
“As I thought, they’re on the move...” the captain murmured. “Stay quiet in the carriage. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Huh? O-Okay,” Helmios replied, confused.
WHOOSH! A loud sound whizzed through the air as an item struck the neck of one of the horses next to the carriage. The horse neighed loudly in alarm and stood up, forcing its rider off its back.
“Whoa! What’s going on?!” a knight cried.
Rough-looking figures appeared, their brandished swords and daggers glistening under the sunlight.
“Heh heh, it’s just like I heard!” one said. “There are a lot more here. Kill all the knights!”
“Don’t harm the kids in the carriages!” another man ordered.
They were lying in wait to ambush us. Helmios recalled what the captain had just said.
“Talent hunters!” the captain roared. “Protect the carriage!”
A man behind Helmios emitted a mighty roar.
“Hyaaah!”
“Get ’em!”
Even the knights could not hide their panic. Some of them lined up beside the mountain, next to the carriage.
“They’ve got us trapped!” a knight said anxiously. “Damn! There must be at least a hundred of them!”
“Captain! Your orders, please!” one of the squad leaders requested.
“All right, now!” the captain shouted. “Sound the alarm!”
The next moment, three shrill whistles rang through the air from around the carriages. FWEEEE! FWEEEE! FWEEEE!
“What’s going on?” several Talent hunters asked.
Helmios noticed the earth near the mountains rumbling and shaking the carriage. Just then, a booming battle cry echoed from above.
“Raaaaah! Save the children! Kill the Talent hunters!”
A host of knights raced down the mountain on their steeds.
“Shit! Knights were hiding behind the mountain?!” a Talent hunter shouted.
“What?! Were we tricked?!” another cried.
As the assailants began to panic, the horses galloped down the mountain before anyone could flee. The tables had turned in a flash.
“Damn it, Zeine, you bastard!” one of the Talent hunters roared. “You tricked us! Don’t think you can leave unscathed!”
“What?!” the vice-captain screamed. “No! I didn’t know about this either!”
He’s the one who suggested everyone take the right route earlier. But the vice-captain’s next words shocked Helmios.
“T-Take that carriage!” Zeine shouted. “The brat mentioned in the letter to the viscount is inside!”
Who is he talking about? All the while, the clangs of weapons drew nearer.
“We won’t have to work ever again if we do this!” a hunter said. “Get them!”
“Right!” the assailants replied.
Helmios whirled around to face Gatsun, Dorothy, and Ena. His friends turned pale, and he steeled his resolve as he heard screams coming from the coachman’s seat beyond the walls of the carriage. Suddenly, the vehicle spurred forward.
“Huh?! No! Stop that carriage!” the captain ordered from the back.
Helmios put two and two together—the Talent hunters had taken over their carriage. Without hesitation, he kicked the carriage doors open, then turned to Dorothy and Gatsun.
“Jump!” he shouted.
The vehicle had not picked up much speed yet, so he guessed that they would not sustain any major injuries if they jumped off now. But the two kids were too scared to move. They huddled themselves in the far corner, frozen with fear. Helmios then turned to Ena. When the two locked eyes, the trembling little girl slowly stood up and stepped toward him.
Thud! The right wheel of the carriage rolled over the stone, causing it to tilt violently to the left. Ena lost her balance and fell forward, inadvertently pushing Helmios off the carriage.
“Whoa!” the boy cried.
Realizing that he was now in the air, he instinctively put his hands out in front of him to grab at the carriage door. However, after a brief fall, his back hit the ground. He had quickly twisted his body while falling, though, and was mostly uninjured as he rolled onto the dirt. When he stood back up, the carriage with the other three children was quickly driving away, weaving between the battles between the knights and the Talent hunters.
Helmios looked around and spotted the knight captain, but when they locked eyes, the boy could hardly believe his ears.
“The boy’s still here,” the captain said. “Strengthen our defenses. We’ll abandon that carriage!”
“Yes, sir!” the knights replied.
“What?! No! Why?!” Helmios cried. “Th-The carriage!”
As the knights began retreating toward him, the boy quickly determined that his friends had been left for dead. Unable to bear the thought of it, he chased after the carriage with all his might. He grabbed an abandoned sword along the way and ran past the shocked knights, who could only whirl around and watch. The boy was too small and nimble for the Talent hunters, and he slipped past them, leaving them in the dust. I have to chase after them!
“Wait!” the captain shouted from behind him. But Helmios paid no heed and continued running ahead.
Just then, a burly Talent hunter barred the boy’s path.
“What’s this brat doing?” he boomed.
“Move!” Helmios shouted, swinging his sword upward.
His swing managed to overpower the burly man, pushing him away. Helmios then charged in and headbutted the man’s stomach with all his might. The hunter fell onto his back, and Helmios trampled him as he ran ahead.
“Gah!” the hunter cried.
Helmios managed to catch up to the retreating Talent hunters and even run past them. Because he had hunted down numerous monsters while gathering herbs with his father, he had the strength to outpace even horses.
“What the hell is this brat doing?! Huh?!” the hunter gasped.
He could hardly believe his eyes. A boy had not only caught up to the horses but overtaken them. And when the hunter saw where the boy was headed, he gasped again. A thirty-meter gap had appeared in front of him as though the mountain had suddenly stopped. A bridge made out of logs and ropes hung over the gap, but it suddenly leaned to one side.
A Talent hunter on his steed noticed that the stolen carriage had already made it to the other side. His comrades were using an axe to hastily cut the ropes holding the bridge up. Of the two ropes, one had already been completely severed, and as the bridge began to swing about wildly, the Talent hunters crossing it cried out in desperation.
“Hey, we’re still on here! Stop! Ahhhhh!”
They all fell to the valley below, and the frightened hunter on horseback stopped his steed just before the gap. But a small shadow did not stop. A boy weaved between the horses and continued running, heading for the gap. I have to catch up to the carriage!
Steeling his resolve, Helmios snapped his eyes open, increased his speed, and stepped onto the bridge. It was practically sideways now, but he managed to run along its edge, which was about as wide as the palm of his hand. He showed no signs of slowing down as the hunters hacked away at the last rope. Their axe went halfway into it, but before they could swing down again, Helmios took a small leap forward. He then kicked off the bridge, jumping as far as he could.
The rope was cut, and the bridge went down, slamming against the side of the mountain. The Talent hunters and knights were trapped on the other side. However, a small figure had managed to jump midway, flying fifteen meters through the air to grab the ledge on the other side.
“Impossible!” the knight captain gasped, shocked by what he had just seen. He was wearing heavy armor, so he had no chance of doing the same. Instead, he glanced around, then roared, “Head back! We’ll use the other route at the fork in the road! Follow me!”
Helmios heard the captain’s voice as he pulled himself up on the other side. He did not look back as he started running again. The Talent hunters who had spurred the carriage onward and cut the rope whirled around as they noticed a small boy quickly approaching them.
“Where the hell did this boy come from?!” the one in the rear cried. Immediately after, Helmios jumped and kicked him off his horse. “Gah?!”
Helmios had wanted to get to the man before he could talk, but he had not made it in time. The other Talents hunters turned around when they heard their comrade cry out. Helmios leaped from horse to horse, knocking them down as he jumped ahead. A Talent hunter on a steed alongside the carriage turned to the man beside him.
“Derakel! Now’s the time to earn your pay!”
A man dismounted his horse and barred Helmios’s path. His long hair flowed behind him, and he wore a bandanna, leather armor, and a pair of threatening brass knuckles. He swung a fist down at Helmios, but the boy maintained his speed and charged right in.
“Hah!” the man shouted.
“Gah?!” Helmios gasped.
CLANG! Helmios managed to use his sword to parry the man’s attack, but he was blown back, unable to brace himself against the mighty swing.
“Oho! Not bad, defending against my punch!” Derakel said.
Helmios fell on his bottom, but he quickly rolled onto his feet, wary of any follow-up strikes. The adult man grinned proudly as he stood in place. This is my strongest foe yet...
“What is that power?” Helmios muttered, the words tumbling out of his mouth unconsciously. He gripped his sword, which was now dented from that previous attack.
“Come back here, boss!” the man boomed. “The one you’re looking for is right here!”
Helmios did not understand what the man was talking about. He racked his brain to find a way to attack. As he was doing so, the carriage clattered back, along with the band of Talent hunters. Helmios gazed at the adults suspiciously. At the same time, a man stopped his horse beside the one with brass knuckles.
“Ah, this boy must be the one with unusual abilities who was mentioned in that letter,” the man on horseback who had been called “boss” said. “And he chased us all the way here. I should be grateful to him for sparing us the trouble. I don’t mind if we have to break a leg or two. Let’s silence him.”
Before Helmios could figure out what was going on, the man with the brass knuckles replied, “Now, now. You left me to clean up this mess. I’ll handle it.”
“You’re right. Don’t kill him, though.”
When the response left his lips, Helmios pounced. His opponent had brass knuckles that could dent a sword, so he thought it unwise to clash several times. His goal was to end the fight in one swift blow. But as he drew near and made to pierce the man’s heart, he hesitated. He was not about to kill a monster, but a human. And the man was not about to miss that opening.
“Hmph! Blast Punch!” Derakel roared. He launched a hook and pounded the sword, shattering it.
“Gah!” Helmios cried.
Only the hilt remained in his hands, which were painfully numb from the impact, and when he flinched, the man planted a kick into his chest, knocking him onto his back. Both took considerable damage, and he coughed up blood. The man then shoved the toes of his leather shoes into the boy on the ground, rolling him over like a log.
“M-My sword... Gah...” Helmios coughed as he was pummeled by kicks. He spat out more blood as he used his elbows to prop up his body.
“It seems like you were blessed with a decent Talent, kid. But you’re outta luck,” the man said. “I’m a Fist Master. Unlike you, I don’t need a weapon. I can fight with my bare fists.”
Just then, the doors of the carriage burst open and Gatsun jumped out.
“Helmios!” he shouted as he ran toward his friend.
“Hey, Gatsun!” Dorothy yelled, following the boy.
“I-I’m here too!” Ena cried.
But the Talent hunters emerged from either side of the carriage and restrained the three children immediately.
“Hey! Let go!” Gatsun roared.
“Don’t touch me!” Dorothy shouted, tears in her eyes as she glared at the Talent hunters.
“Ugh, what a pain,” the boss said. “Kill those kids. This brat alone will earn us all enough to retire.”
“Yeah? If you say so,” one of the Talent hunters said, unsheathing their sword and pointing it at Ena.
“Nooo!” Ena screamed as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Helmios writhed in pain, but her shrieks reached his ears.
“Hey, stay still,” the Talent hunter said. “This won’t hurt for long.”
They placed the point of their sword on Ena’s back. Through her clothes, the girl could feel the cold, sharp steel as she visibly shrank with fear. Gatsun and Dorothy were watching from the side, fear filling their faces, as the Talent hunter prepared to strike using a backhanded grip.
That was when Helmios jumped up to spring to action. However, he almost fell forward from the excruciating pain that coursed through his stomach. I have to save Ena! His face twisted with pain, but he managed to get on his feet and head to the girl. The man with brass knuckles, who was silently watching the scene, sounded exasperated.
