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𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 (𝟏𝟎)
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“Alert!!”
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Before Johan could make a decision, one of his fallen subordinates, seeing Johan, urgently shouted. Unlike the disoriented elf knights, they seemed relatively at ease.
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Johan, realizing he was discovered, inwardly clicked his tongue.
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Now that it’s come to this, leaving them be would only complicate matters unless all the personnel here were killed.
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‘𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵.’
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The three elf knights were arrogant and greedy, but not cowards. They didn’t think of running away in the face of the enemy.
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If only they had run away, it would have been easier for both parties!
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Johan, on his horse, aimed his spear at the troll. Its large size made it an easy target. The troll, still preoccupied with the elf knight, didn’t notice Johan.
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𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤━
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The spear, infused with Johan’s strength, trembled. It seemed fragile, as if it might break.
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Johan, having aimed, swiftly threw the spear.
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𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐡!
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The sound of it cutting through the air startled the troll, who turned its head in surprise. But it was too late to react. The spear, like shot from a ballista, pierced the troll’s belly with a heavy force.
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“―――――――――!”
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The troll bellowed in an incomprehensible language, writhing in pain. Unlike bolts that would only pierce its skin, this spear went through the muscle, causing immense pain even to the regenerative troll.
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𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐝!
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The troll, attempting to pull out the spear stuck in its belly, ended up breaking it. However, as if it didn’t matter, it grabbed its club and began charging towards Johan.
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𝐇𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠!
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The warhorse began to frantically buck. The malice of the monster was too much for even a well-trained horse. It was only Johan’s strong thigh muscles that kept it under control.
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‘𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸. . .’
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Even if the troll was fast, it couldn’t be faster than a horse. But Johan underestimated them.
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. . .Not the troll, but the knights.
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“Your opponent is me, monster!”
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The brave elf knight, Leon Dioré, didn’t think of retreating but instead charged forward. The shining sword swung, splattering blood from the troll’s thigh.
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The faces of the elf knights, who had never been able to strike first due to the troll’s frenzy, lit up with color. Of course, curses naturally escaped Johan’s mouth.
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‘𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧*𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴. . .!’
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They think that Johan had come to catch it together. But Johan had only intended to attract its attention and then escape. . .!
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𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢𝐤━
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The troll’s superficial wounds quickly healed. Unlike the piercing spear wound, such slashing injuries were not much damage to the troll.
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The troll, already enraged, and further irritated by the elf knights’ pestering, unleashed a furious blow with its club. Leon Dioré, bold as ever, didn’t roll to evade but raised his longsword to deflect the attack.
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Unbeknownst to Johan, this was one of the secret techniques of the Dioré family, <𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐫é>. It was a powerful counterattack move that could block and return any overhead strike.
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However, the troll was unexpectedly cunning. Seeing the knight raise his sword for some action, it immediately stopped its attack and countered with a front kick. The elf knight was struck squarely in the chest, spewing blood as he tumbled.
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“Damn it!”
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Johan, cursing, leaped off his horse and plunged into the battlefield. Given the chaos, the troll prioritized finishing off the elf knights over pursuing him.
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One of the three had fallen, and it was only a matter of time for the other two.
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“Karamaf. No need to hold back the troll! Just make sure Fern doesn’t escape!”
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━𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤!
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Even if Karamaf asked, it would be something the troll could easily ignore. Instead, it was better to watch the horse to prevent it from running away, ready to mount in a hurry if necessary.
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As Johan dismounted and approached, the troll immediately went on the defensive, instinctively sensing him as the most threatening presence there.
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Thanks to this, the elf knights could save their lives.
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“Withdraw to the side with Sir Leon!”
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“But, it’s too much for you alone!”
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Ignoring the response, Johan charged at the troll. Springing off the ground with agility, he seemed to grow larger in the troll’s eyes.
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Normally, the troll would have counterattacked immediately, but it still remembered the afterimage of the previous spear attack. Unconsciously, it raised its arm to protect its vulnerable head.
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That exposed the appetizing target of the troll’s torso under its raised arm.
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It was the same situation as before with Karamaf!
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Johan took a deep breath and swung his longsword with all his might, realizing too late that a thrust would have been more lethal against the troll.
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𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐝!
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A crude sound of flesh being struck echoed as the hilt of the longsword shattered and the blade stuck firmly in the troll’s torso. But the situation was different from Karamaf.
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While Karamaf’s thin plate armor concealed a frail body, once the troll’s outer skin was torn, thick, hard muscles and fat formed a protective layer underneath.
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The tough, coarse mass firmly gripped the blade. The longsword, reaching the ribs, could move no further.
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“―――――――――!”