Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 35: Checkpoint

Chapter 35 - Checkpoint

Riding without stirrups was taxing on the butt and legs. I squeezed hard to maintain my balance on the horse as it zoomed through the woods.

As I respected the woman in front, I kept my body balanced without touching her. On the other hand, Lia hugged me tight. She even buried her face in my neck, and I felt her warm breath.

Damn, woman. Zits would surely grow on the back of my neck. Did she realize how long it takes for neck pimples to clear up?!

Fortunately, the torture session didn’t last long. By noon, we arrived at a checkpoint between the Invidia and Constantia borders. I let out a long sigh of relief as I admired the roadside scenery.

At first, the trees and grasses seemed refreshing, soothing my heart. But as I observed more closely, I saw soldiers in yellow clothes instead of the black banners of Constantia troops or the leather armor of the Invidia Army.

This place must have fallen to the Avaritia Army, the same event that happened in the game.

I tapped Lenitia’s shoulder and Lia’s hand, alerting them.

"Detour around the checkpoint. We’ll cross the river using our horse’s abilities."

"Why?" Lenitia asked.

"Enemies. Zoli’s men."

"O-oh."

Lenitia finally understood. She tightened her grip, and her back straightened.

At the end of the road, there was a checkpoint and a bridge, the Racsit Bridge.

Racsit Bridge. Not RACIST Bridge. You read it wrong.

And no, this bridge didn’t make game characters racist. Only players were.

The checkpoint was a crude palisade wall and gate, blockading the main road. The sides, however, were dense forest with tall grasses and bushes. People could have taken a detour around the checkpoint easily.

However, behind those tall grasses and bushes was a 200-meter-wide river, separating Invidia and Constantia. The only proper way to cross was through the checkpoint and the stone bridge behind the walls.

I remembered this place well. It was the entrance to the second scenario story of Lenitia. Lia’s battlefield in her second scenario was also nearby, but on the other side of the river.

My eyes scanned along the wall. As expected, I saw vases and crates I could destroy. The scene here was genuinely like a stage for a battle. Consequently, items for permanent upgrades ought to be included here as well.

Well, in our case, this was a 3-versus-1,000 scenario. In the game, I wouldn’t have thought much about it. However, here, it was a different story.

We had only one life, and injuries were real. In the game, no matter how players were injured, they never lost a limb. I couldn’t say the same in reality.

Most importantly, there were other factors.

I looked up and spotted a suspiciously out-of-place knight, wearing shiny gold armor instead of yellow clothing. He held a long staff like a mage despite being a knight.

Cash Fraus, the eldest son of Choi Fraus. He was really here.

"A level 2 musou knight," Lia muttered and warned me. "He might have detected you, Crow."

"And you two as well."

"Yeah."

"Bring the horse away from here first. How about slipping into the woods?"

"...Sure."

Lia took the reins from Lenitia. Gale turned left and walked straight into the tall grass.

After trotting a hundred meters, we arrived at a slightly open area, where Gale could start running and pick up speed.

Lia rested her chin on my shoulder and breathed into my ear again.

"So, what’s next?"

"We dash straight toward the river and cross it."

Lenitia turned around, staring at me with wide eyes.

"T-That river is deep, Raven!"

"We’ll be fine. Trust."

"..."

Lenitia looked me dead in the eyes while Lia pinched my cheeks. I knew these women had never seen qingfeng dragon horses in action, but they should have had at least a little faith in me.

Lia’s arms wrapped around my waist, but her hands were somewhat touchy. Her voice softened, but her tone was weird.

"Do you enjoy getting women wet?"

"Didn’t mind a little splash. It will be fun."

"Are you that good?" Lia asked again.

I broke a sweat and frowned at Lia’s perverted nuance.

"...No pun intended. Also, no horni."

"Oh..."

Lia suddenly nibbled my ear. I mean, what was wrong with this woman?

Was that the infamous woman’s signal?

Was she into me? Couldn’t tell.

Whatever. I had no time for this.

Learning from Lenitia and Lia previously, I gestured to the horse with my legs. It raised its head to look at me for a moment before looking straight ahead. Then, it kicked the ground.

Gale snorted and sprinted like a wild horse-racing girl using a speed buff skill, zooming toward the water. In seconds, it leapt into the air.

However, its jumping distance fell short. We were 150 meters away from solid ground on the other side.

As I expected wetness from the clear river beneath us, the horse’s hooves stepped onto the river surface as if it were wild grasses. The water splashed on our legs. It kicked up and started his combo dash, leaping into the sky again.

The second leap brought us to the center of the river, but it didn’t end there. Gale galloped on the water surface two more times, and we reached the other side.

I knew qingfeng dragon horses were busted, but damn, I wished I had a character-bound mount like this.

I looked back at Lia, wondering if water had splashed on her. As my head turned, my nose touched hers. She had been clinging close to me for the entire time.

Also, why were you leaning so close to my head, woman?

Lia’s wide eyes locked with mine, and as she leaned closer, I felt her breath on my face. She was slightly red, too red and too warm. Did she got a fever?

Aside from those, she needed to brush her teeth. I could smell the roasted ham we had that morning.

"STOP!"

I turned away from Lia and looked to my right. Five yellow-cloth soldiers carrying iron spears rushed toward us. They were 100 meters away.

The man in front of his teammates wore a yellow bandana over his bald head in addition to his uniform and scarf. He ogled Lenitia and Lia, licking his lips.

"Hey, you kid in the middle, you could get lost and leave the two women here. Leave the horse too!"