The assailant was a huge Tigerman wearing a cloak. Even though it covered most of his body, one could still see the distinctly shaped muscles.
If Gerald was a Player, he would have been able to tell that the Tigerman was in fact a Boss since it had a different name from other Tigermen!
Still, Gerald knew that his target was powerful and might not win even though he wasn’t a Player.
After all, while Marni’s armor was as good-looking as it was weird, Gerald knew enough that its sturdiness and combat ability was assured—the Hyena-men punched into mosaic pieces along the way were proof of that.
And yet, there was no indication of any resistance from the formidable Marni before he was instakilled. Even the armor itself was pulled apart, and while the human neck is known to be vulnerable, it was evident how strong the enemy was.
Even so, Gerald rushed forward without regard for his own safety.
He couldn’t tell what he was feeling and why he would stubbornly pit himself against such a powerful foe: it could have been regret over his failure to protect his charge, just as it might be his rage over witnessing Marni’s death, a person whom he began to see as a friend… or it could just be a hysterical reaction out of overwhelming fear.
But whether it was unyielding courage or recklessness in the heat of the moment, many Players changed their opinion towards Gerald thanks to his action. To them, he was no longer a neutral yellow-named unit mixed amongst the Players.
That being said, rage does not improve ability, and Gerald was at best throwing a helpless fit
—the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior easily caught his sword.
Back then, the Lancaster blacksmith who called themselves ‘porters of nature, not forgers of great blades’ had declared that his sword, which cost Gerald thirteen thousand Rions was ‘forged from top-grade tamahagane[1] and is made once every three hundred years’.
And now, it snapped in two with a swing of the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior’s back hand.
Then, as Gerald caught sight of the fierceness in the Tigerman’s face, Gerald immediately felt that he was going to die.
But when the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior was about to land his casserole-sized fist on Gerald, a huge tome bound in chains and a steel cover shot out of nowhere, agilely coiling around Gerald and pulled him to the rear, dodging the fearsome punch of the Tigerman.
Still, while Gerald thought that he had escaped death, the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior suddenly gaped his maw and fired a crimson ray breath.
It must be a type of spell, and it was certainly unnecessary to doubt its power. Shooting forward rapidly, it was about to blow Gerald into pieces in the turn of an eye.
And in that very moment, a figure descended from the skies.
Gerald recognized him as the youth named Edward, who was around his age, dressed as a mage and was one of the leaders of the Players just like Marni.
He stood in front of Marni, brandishing his Happy Flames and casted something like a shield spell, handily stopping the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior’s breath.
“T-thanks…”
Escaping with his life narrowly once more, Gerald only recovered then and panickily tried to free himself from the chains and thank his savior. That was when he realized that the one who wielded the meteor hammer so fearsomely was actually a quiet girl just above ten years old.
“No thanks necessary. Marni did tell us to take care of you if something happened to him (and couldn’t be revived in time).” Edward, the young mage said.
Gerald dropped to his knees and stared at him blankly in disbelief.
“He… he actually said that?”
Gerald was the one who was supposed to protect Marni. But in the end, not only did he fail in his duty as a guardsman and could only watch as the merchant was killed by a wildling, Marni also had to entrust his safety to his friends before he died.
Marni had so many other fellow believers and he did not protect or cared for any of them, only himself…
Moved, Gerald’s heart cascaded, but he was soon drowned with the guilt and regret that washed over him at the same time for not protecting Marni.
Once he recalled doubting Marni’s intentions and that the merchant was only using him as a meat shield to protect himself in the cruel battlefield, Gerald only felt guiltier.
Come to think of it, even if Marni did tell Gerald to protect him, Marni had rushed into the fray immediately by himself. Even though Gerald himself had beaten some of the Hyena-men, Marni would still help give the last blow, so that Gerald did not have to live with blood in his hands…
What sort of spirit was that!?
Since he was five, Gerald had never shed a single tear. He knew well from the hard training he went through every day that tears and crying wouldn’t work, aside from making his trainer stricter.
However, he understood that his parents chose such a strict trainer for his own good as he grew older, since their family mutually exists with the city of Lancaster from a certain point of view.
Worthless members of their clan were therefore meaningless. That was why he continued to work so hard.
Gerald never once thought that it could be wrong since he was a child, and only now did he realized that he was crying without himself knowing
Edward saw his tears, and suddenly had the feeling that the knight may have misunderstood himself—after all, everyone else were Players and death was no big deal.
Who hadn’t died two or three times anyway?
Only a non-believer like Gerald would die when he was killed, and the Clerics reviving spells wouldn’t work on him.
Moreover, it would be hard to explain things with Lancaster’s mayor if Gerald died here since the knight was of Lancaster nobility. It could well cause a diplomatic incident, which was why he was given such special treatment.
Still, Edward felt a little guilty that the knight misunderstood and dropped to his knees and sobbed in regret, as if he had lost his right to live.
But even as Edward was about to explain away the misunderstanding and console him, the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior whom they had stopped twice roared and charged towards them.
[1] type of steel made in Japanese tradition