When the head guard went to help his subordinates, one of his subordinates was already dead. The other two were also surrounded by seven enemies. Without waiting, he rushed forward and stabbed his sword into the neck of the first enemy he came across.
After cutting down another enemy, they were now five to three, but the remaining enemies had no chance. About a minute later, all of the enemies were dead.
Although his subordinates took a deep breath and relaxed, the head guard knew that the battle was not over yet. There was no time to waste here. He bowed respectfully to his dead subordinate and left without waiting.
…
Neil barely escaped from the enemy's hands. The fear of death had grown so much in his heart that he could not see anything. Risking everything, he managed to jump between the two people and escape. Otherwise, he would be killed like his other friends. But it was not that easy to escape between the two people.
One attacked his stomach, the other his back. Thanks to the bearskin he was wearing, he blocked both attacks, but the sword that hit his stomach slipped and opened a deep cut on his arm, rendering his arm useless.
Neil was running while holding the wound on his arm tightly. When he got out of the forest, he thought he was safe, but he was an open target for the archers waiting on the trees. The three archers took aim and shot the last arrows they had at Neil to kill him.
When Eren saw Neil running towards the carriages, he immediately ran to his aid. But before Eren could get to his aid with his horse, Neil had been shot in the leg and arm. Although the arrow that hit Neil's arm had pierced his arm, the arrow that hit his leg had lodged itself in his calf.
There was death everywhere. Neil never felt safe. Everyone here, those inside and outside the forest, was trying to kill him. What kind of trap had he fallen into? He didn't have time to think about this because the man with the sword was standing in front of him.
Neil didn't recognize Eren and tried to escape from him, but Eren caught him immediately. He spoke calmly and supported him. Neil was thankful that he wasn't killed by this man with the sword. The swordsman shielded him with his horse and took him to the servants' carriage.
When Eren opened the carriage door, all the servants trembled with fear. In fact, the weak maid fainted from fear.
- There is an arrow wound and a deep cut on his arm. Get rid of the arrow in his leg. Stop the bleeding and take good care of him.
(As he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly stopped and said something encouraging to the servants who were trembling with fear.) We are here, don't worry. Sit down and wait calmly. Do not go outside.
When Eren left, the head steward took Neil inside and sat him on the couch. She removed his clothes, exposed his wounds and sprinkled a powder to stop bleeding on his wounds. When the bleeding stopped a little later, she disinfected and bandaged his wounds and then took care of the arrow in his leg.
Neil's eyes, shaking with fear, still hadn't improved. The sudden shock he experienced caused him to hallucinate and he began to see everyone as enemy.
He calmly raised his head and looked at the people in the carriage. He was surrounded by enemies. When did this happen? How did he not notice? They had even gotten to the bottom of nose. He was surrounded by four enemies. The strongest of them was obviously the tall and well-built woman sitting across from him.
The head steward became uneasy when she felt Neil's eyes on her. She couldn't understand whether she was looking at it because her wound was being treated or if she had another purpose. Neil's murderous gaze was very frightening. Not knowing what to do, the head steward turned her head and began to tend to the servant who had just fainted.
It wasn't good for a tall enemy to try to help a fainted enemy. Maybe when the fainted enemy woke up, they would all attack together. Neil couldn't ignore such a possibility.
When the unconscious enemy showed signs of waking up, Neil suddenly rushed forward and grabbed the head steward by the neck. Then he punched her hard in the stomach. The fluids from the head steward's stomach gushed out and splashed onto Neil's face.
- Even in this state, you make fun of me. Let's see who's mocking who.
Neil pressed the head steward's legs with his knees and started to squeeze her neck with both hands. No matter how hard the head steward struggled, she couldn't get Neil off her. As Neil's desire to kill increased, he laid the head steward on the couch to apply more force and pressed her down hard.
The servants next to her shouted in panic, but no one heard their voices and came to their aid. Finally, the bridesmaid Neva jumped on the back of Neil and grabbed his neck with her arm and started to squeeze. Her muscles, which were contracting in fear, almost broke Neil's neck.
Thinking that he was going to die, Neil immediately let go of the head steward and tried to get rid of the bridesmaid Neva. The bridesmaid Neva, had her arms clasped together so tightly that he could not open them. He turned around a few times and tried to knock it off his back, but he couldn't.
The head steward, freed from Neil, turned to her side and started coughing. She tried to breathe deeply, deeply and hold on to life. She put her hand on her neck, but it was as if she had no neck. Then she saw the bridesmaid Neva, who was on Neil's back.
When Neil couldn't throw the bridesmaid Neva off his back, he quickly stood up and made her hit the ceiling. The bridesmaid Neva who hit the ceiling a few times, loosened grip. Realizing this immediately, Neil started to hit the bridesmaid Neva harder against the ceiling...
…
The gang leader and his men started to come out of the forest together. Everyone was ready for war. Swords were drawn, bows were tense. While the archers were advancing with their tense bows as if they were going to shoot arrows at any moment, the gang leader reminded them.
- Hey! Don't shoot the pack horses. Otherwise, you would carry all the belongings on your back.
When they passed the trees and bushes and got to the side of the road, the guards had taken their places. There were nine people against three guards. He hadn't even thought about those in the trees. Still, the gang leader, who didn't want to lose any more men, made a suggestion.
- If you don't want to die, leave your property and women behind. I swear that we will not come after you... What do you say?
- (Eren) No bargaining. You can't touch them without taking our lives.
- You said your opinion, but your friends may not think like you. What do they say about this?
- …
After a short silence, when no one said anything, the archers who had their arrows ready by the gang leader's order, launched their arrows. While the guards tried to avoid the arrows, the others charged. When the two sides entered into an intense battle with each other, no one heard the shouts coming from the carriage right next to the battle.
…
While Han was checking the provisions carriage and Turgay Heriston's carriage, he saw the gang members coming out of the forest. He immediately returned to the provisions carriage and got new knives for himself and got out of the carriage.
As he silently approached the enemy from behind the carriages, the servants' carriage caught his attention. This carriage suddenly shook strangely. When the thought that there might be an enemy inside the carriage occurred to him, he stopped being silent and increased his speed and came to near the carriage.
…
Neil slammed the bridesmaid Neva against the ceiling a few more times, then took advantage of her arm's looseness and threw her off his back. When Neva fell between the two seats, he immediately jumped on her and started strangling her.
While the two servants continued to scream, the head steward came to. Like the bridesmaid Neva she wanted to jump on Neil's back, but Neil didn't let her. Immediately, he let go of the bridesmaid Neva's neck, grabbed the head steward who jumped on her, and threw her onto the servants.
When the head steward couldn't get up from where she fell, he went back to strangling the bridesmaid Neva.
...
When Han opened the carriage door, a man had laid the female maid on the ground and was on top of her. The woman's feet were towards the door and the man on top of her had his back to Han. When Han climbed onto the carriage step to better understand what was happening, he saw the man trying to strangle the bridesmaid Neva.
He didn't think for a moment. His body suddenly moved as a reflex and he stabbed the man in the back of the man's neck. Then he grabbed the man by the hair and pulled his head back.
…
Neil came to his senses with sudden pain. He immediately released the woman and prepared to face his new enemy who was pulling his hair. As he reached for the knife stuck in his neck, another knife entered his left kidney. When a deeper and sharper pain took hold of Neil, he no longer had the strength to resist his enemy.
...
When Han dragged the man out of the carriage, he saw his face. This man was one of the guards. He got really angry. How can a guard do this? He kicked the guard hard in the stomach and threw him to the side of the road.
While the guard rolled over a few times, Han turned back and looked inside the carriage again. The cries of the servants, who made eye contact with Han, decreased. Finally, someone heard their voices and came to their aid. There are good people too in this world.
The bridesmaid Neva who narrowly escaped drowning, turned on her side and started coughing profusely. The head steward immediately corrected herself and helped the bridesmaid Neva.
After Han took one last look at the women's situation, he calmly closed the carriage door and made a move to kill Neil. At that very moment, the head guard and his men ran out of the forest.
When the head guard saw Neil lying on the ground with a knife in his neck and Han walking towards him with a knife in his hand, he raised his sword towards Han.
- Stay there. (When Han stopped where he was, he gave the order to the people next to him.) You two go help the others. I'll take care of this place and come.
When the subordinates left, the head guard approached Neil and examined him more closely. He also had one eye on Han. Because Neil had rolled over, the knife stuck in his neck was bent. The place where his left kidney was was bleeding. In other words, it seemed like he had been stabbed in at least two places.
He knew that Neil was in the team that went to the forest. When he saw the bandages on his arm and leg, he understood that he had been treated. But how and when? The battle continues...
When the thought occurred to the head guard that a new enemy had appeared, the carriage door opened and the head steward stepped out. She expressed her anger as she walked towards the head guard.
- Your man tried to kill us. Do you know about the men you chose for your team? If Han hadn't come to our aid, we would all have died.
You walked away and don't even look at the state we are in. Your men are also miserable. They are traitors and ungrateful. We treated his wounds but he tried to kill us.
What crime did we commit, other than doing what they said? You said wait, we waited. You said food, we gave it. You are ungrateful.
Tell me who we can trust. You have let traitors into our family. Why didn't you protect us when your man attacked us? You didn't even look back. Fortunately, Han came and saved us… … …
The head guard had known the head steward for twenty years. His mentality and stance were not lies and he would never stoop to it. He was exaggerating a little and talking too much, but that didn't matter. The redness on his neck told it all.
While the head steward continued speaking, the head guard looked at Han, who was behind the head steward, and after saying, "This place is entrusted to you," he ran to help his subordinates...