CHAPTER 271: SIDE EFFECTS OF WAR

While normally the two knights would split up to look through a township and make sure that everything was okay, they decided to stick together as they went further into the buildings, since things were indeed not okay.

It was still only early evening, so they decided to take advantage of what was left of the sunlight. Rather than skirting around the edges, they decided to take on what was left of the living goblins. It was clear they had been cut down at least a bit, but whatever forces were there before weren’t quite enough.

Unfortunately, this reality was what the two had been training for for the past few years. Learning how to survive when it felt like the numbers of the other side far exceeded theirs was something they were accustomed to.

"Shall we stay on the horses?" Irene called to Felix as they moved closer.

"Best to get them away since they are without armor," Felix responded as he slipped off his horse.

Irene agreed, and they were able to close off in an alleyway that had a gate at the end. Luckily, the other side was full of crates that would block them from going the other way, so at least they would be protected on both sides and away from the goblins.

Back-to-back combat was something Irene and Felix both knew well after battle. Except, for once, they were back to back with each other, and not the knights who helped them rise and become the knights they presently were.

They edged themselves into the goblins that had been crowding around the town square. It seemed they had knocked over food storage because they were swarming a particular area where jars were evidently broken, and grains, unfortunately, littered the ground.

"The throats of the ones barely alive" was all Felix needed to say for Irene to know he meant they were to slit their throats if the goblins were already injured. Best not to waste energy on them, but necessary to kill them all the same.

When they moved closer to the center, Felix was forced to use his left hand to wield his sword—which wasn’t an issue because he remained ambidextrous—so Irene could use her right and they would both be effective fighters.

They slashed down the first few, which were easy because they were distracted by the food they were trying to steal. However, when the goblins took note of them and began to attack, the knights felt each other get much closer to one another until their backs were pressed against each other at times. Occasionally, they would even give each other a stray elbow on accident, but there was no harm done. They were doing their best.

Luckily, there couldn’t have been more than a dozen goblins left that were fully untouched by whoever fought them in the first place. With only thirty minutes of hard work, Irene and Felix had successfully taken down what was left in the township.

For a few moments, all that was heard was the two of them catching their breath as they stood there. By that point, they were leaning against each other’s backs as they carried the weight of each other to calm themselves from the thrill of the fight and the sudden battle they were hardly expecting to have.

"At least they were the old goblins, too stupid to figure out how to leave the town square," Felix muttered. "It made our lives a bit easier just now."

"But the sheer amount of them..." Irene responded thoughtfully, feeling worried for what was to come if this was what the Eastern edge of the duchy looked like. "There must be someone around here who can give us a bit of insight."

Felix stuck his arm backward, despite the inflexibility of the armor, and pushed Irene gently so they could both stand on their own. He removed his helmet and turned to her.

"We were headed to the inn in the first place," he reminded her. "There ought to be someone who knows something about what occurred before we got here."

"Right," she responded as she removed her helmet as well. "Hopefully, there is room in the inn’s stable. Most travelers should have found someplace to stay for the winter, and this isn’t exactly an ideal destination for most."

"We will burn these bodies later," Felix explained. "I would rather find people while it’s still light outside."

In each township, the people had a stronghold where they would all convene in case of an emergency such as that. It was almost always the inns because they were the oldest and most fortified buildings in the areas, since castles weren’t there unless a duke or king happened to live there.

With that, the two went to their horses and rescued them from the impermanent pen they had left them in to protect them.

As they walked up, the horses seemed excited, and Irene gently hugged Sorrel once he was out and they were able to mount and get to the inn, which was deeper in the township.

Felix and Irene’s eyes scanned their surroundings with each move forward, hoping that there weren’t any more goblins hiding in the nooks or crannies of any of the alleyways or buildings. Their movements were slow, and by the time they made it to the inn, the sun was setting, and it was difficult to see.

Both opted to carry their helmets, or they would both be entirely blind.

Luckily, there were still candles lit on the outside of the building in brass wall lanterns. A sign of life. It was a good thing.

It was just like when they were in Samson’s township, which was practically under siege by goblins and a necromanced ogre skeleton. When they dismounted their horses once more and went to the main entrance of the inn, Felix knocked and they waited a few moments.

Someone pulled open the caged viewing hole, and the knights were only looked into the person’s eyes.

"Who goes there?" he asked impolitely.

Felix and Irene could only be understanding.

"Sir Felix Magnusson and Dame Irene Litharion of the Knights of Tenetium," he announced.

Considering the suits of armor the two wore and the helmet that Irene raised, the man had no choice but to believe them. Impersonating knights was punishable by severe measures. Most wouldn’t have it in them to claim that and then openly tell someone.

If someone wanted to be an unregistered fighter of monsters, they would always go the route of a mercenary. No chivalry to bother with. No need to rely on anyone else.

Rather than responding verbally, the man who answered shut the viewing hole, and there were a few clicks as the massive door was opened for them.

"We’ll have someone deal with your horses. Inside quickly," the man, who turned out to be one of Earl Auden’s knights, insisted, gesturing for them to come inside.

The two knights retrieved their saddlebags and nothing more before doing as was requested of them.

"You don’t have to worry as of now," Felix explained. "We have taken care of the rest of the goblins in the town square."

The man responded with only a ’hmm’ at first before shutting the door. He then turned to the knights and sized them up.

"I would be appreciative if it weren’t for nearly this exact situation happening every other day at this rate. The goblins are coming from the surrounding forests."

Irene’s eyebrows lowered.

"You’ve been seeing them often?" she asked in disbelief. "On the trip in this direction, we were surprised to see that there wasn’t any monster activity to speak of."

"That’s because the monsters are now avoiding the plains surrounding the Duke’s Tower," the knight explained. "And with mage activity further east with all of their magical weapons, shields, and things of that sort, all of the monsters are forced to hide in our forests and attack the people here. The war is over for North, West, and Central Tenetium, but the knights here are overwhelmed by the repercussions of scaring all of the monsters away."

Irene and Felix were both shocked to hear this. They exchanged looks of disbelief, but, based on what they had taken care of in the town square, they had no choice but to listen and take heed to the words the man was saying.

"We need more knights," Felix explained to Irene. "We need our men to return from the south even in unfortunate weather circumstances."

"I have already summoned the rest of your knights," a voice said from the end of the hallway where they spoke to one another. "Whether or not they listen is up to them."

Irene turned, hearing a familiar voice, and she gasped when she saw Rosalind standing there, wearing a maid’s uniform and holding a tray of refreshments she had been passing out to the travelers there.

A familiar face in such a strange time was nice, but they couldn’t help feeling awful that she was once again caught up in the whims of monsters. Things weren’t as cleanly cut as they would have liked them to be.