The Amber Sword

Chapter 175 – Deep lure

Brendel thought he would be able to escape even with the two unconscious girls as long as Veronica delayed Andesha, but he soon discovered that he had predicted wrongly.

He moved around the maze-like valley for approximately thirty minutes, but there was a raucous projectile moving through the air out of a sudden.

The youth nervously glanced behind him and saw a green flash in the dark sky. The next moment, there was a thunderous smash, and a human figure appeared before him, shattering the hard ground and creating a field of smoke and dust.

It was Veronica.

Brendel frowned and walked towards her, dismissing the particles with a simple wave of his hand. The female commander was lying in the middle of the pit covered with blood. Her cloak was reduced to rags and there were many places on her uniform that revealed her inner armor. It seemed like she used a tremendous amount of energy to escape, as there was white smoke coming out from her outer garments.

Brendel thought that she had lost consciousness, but she groaned softly and opened her eyelids to reveal emerald irises.

“Hurry up and leave this place,” she coughed with half-closed eyes, though there was still spirit in them, “Andesha’s about to catch up.”

At that point, they had already moved off.

This ability made Veronica greatly surprised. She even wondered if Brendel had a map of this area and highlighted spots that would throw off pursuers. But no matter how many times she asked him, he merely kept his silence, and she gave up in the end.

This went on for several hours. Brendel brought his group into the ancient canyon that he mentioned without any issues. It was the final landmark to reach the ruins of Valhalla. They were deep within the Wall of Clouds, and the entire canyon was filled with mist, almost giving off the impression the Lernaia Hydra was nearby.

This complex area was quite famous in the game. Roads were long and windy, frequently crossing into each other. There was no vegetation, and the ground was formed with latite and obsidian rocks. The large boulders that were present formed many dead angles, and Brendel had an easier time to avoid Andesha than before. But what caused him a headache was how she always seemed to have a natural instinct to be next to them, nearly discovering their presence every time.

This cat-and-mouse game was not fun for the prey, especially when it concerned their lives. After advancing through the canyon for half a day, Brendel truly stopped for the first time and took a rest.

Scarlett had forgotten about their bag of food and water by accident, while Veronica did not even bother to bring it along since she had her subordinates carrying it for her. Brendel was certain that this female Sword Saint did not expect this situation.

Thus he could only endure the feeling of an empty stomach as he sat quietly against a large boulder. Still, he did not feel a strong hunger after absorbing the Blood of Gods, and dared not to make a fire even though he also felt a little cold.

Andesha might be nearby.

Morpheus put Veronica down and sat opposite of Brendel. The female Sword Saint was visibly exhausted as she had lost quite a lot of blood, but instead of resting, she looked at the youth with considerable praise in her eyes.

“Do you know, boy, because you’re a citizen from Aouine, I will not give you my thanks.”

“…… I don’t need that.” His lips curled downwards, using an indifferent tone.

“Do you want to learn my swordsmanship, boy?” Veronica closed her eyes, smiling in response to the youth’s rude mannerisms.

“Tsk, I said I don’t need—”

[Hah?]

Brendel said instinctively, but he suddenly snapped his head towards the Sword Saint so fast that his bones creaked, blinking rapidly, finally waking up from his resentment.

The youth looked at her in confusion, wondering if he heard her wrongly for a moment, even wanting to dig his ears to ensure it was not a trick.

“Unwilling, are you……”

“N-no……” Brendel muttered incoherently: “I-I mean, I can’t become a citizen of Kirrlutz, I said that before……”

[Are you for real? You’re really going to teach me your swordsmanship?]

Brendel felt like he had punched on the face a few times. Veronica shook her head lightly and sighed, her lips moving a few times as though she was saying something. The youth waited for a few seconds with great expectations before his eyes bulged, realizing that she had fallen asleep because of her exhaustion.

Her head was tilted to the sides, and her breathing was steady and long.

[NOOOOOO! Fuck me! Not like this! What have I done!!!]

Brendel screamed inside his mind.

TL PS: So, if you think that Brendel was going to be the next DoD and become evil because I hinted heavily on that, that’s not really possible. Just to remind everyone, he went up to pick a gemstone even though he was dying. Changing his ways? HAH.