Bloodshed Rescue

I landed with a soft thud behind one of the slave traders. This man had a slim build. While his muscles were visible, he didn't appear to be particularly strong and was only armed with a knife.

He turned around, startled by the soft thud, probably expecting to see a curious weasel or rat.

When he saw me, an eight-year-old child, his face twisted into a mixture of surprise and amusement. But before he could say anything, I lunged up towards his neck.

I instilled mana into my hand, reinforcing it and sharpening it. I believe it would be more accurate to refer to it as a wind cutter or something, basically because for now I can only manipulate wind mana or wind magic.

He flinched back reflexively, his hands reaching for his face to protect himself from me attacking him.

It was already too late.

I take a quick swipe at the man, severing his vocal cord and carotid artery. As I landed behind him, a stream of blood sprayed out of his neck as I supported his lifeless body and gently placed him down to avoid making a noise. The stench of blood jolted the pantherdogs that had just been calmed down by the man awake, causing them to howl and bark.

"Ey Jhonny!can't even calm the damn dogs.. What the eff?!"

I had already picked up...his knife and was waiting for him in the carriage's back corner.

While the other slave trader was looking at Jhonny's corpse, which was being eaten by pantherdogs, I jumped out from behind and stabbed the side of his neck with the knife.

While devouring the two corpses, the beasts became low key.

I heard the rustle of the tent as the two remaining slave traders emerged.

I kept my cool and hid behind a tree near the carriage to infuse mana into Jhonny's knife.

Sensing something was wrong, the two remaining slave traders carefully stepped around to the opposite side of the carriage, where they saw their two former companions being devoured by the pantherdogs.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, I savaged the nearest one as his gaze returned to me, his long sword swinging at my face.

I dropped low and dashed toward him, trying to get my knife in range of the slash. I swung, forcing more mana into the knife, and pierced his right leg's heel cleanly.

"AHHHH!!" he yelled in agony as he dove desperately out of my way before I could do any more damage.

"Be careful, Larry!

"I believe this brat is a mage!" The fighter whose tendon I had just severed wept.

I focused on Larry as he drew his sword from its sheath and lowered into a defensive stance.

"Ahh! Let's rumble, brat!" He let out a maniacal chuckle.

These cretins didn't care that I had just killed their party members.

As he reinforced his body with mana, his body glowed faintly.

His lips curled into a confident grin on his flat face as he approached me.

With that crippled leg, he was out of the fight, but this man was going to be a problem.

He jumped above me, his right arm ready to throw a punch.

I could only assume that the only reason he didn't use his sword was to protect his "goods."

While I would normally be offended, my overconfidence made it much easier for me in this case, so I didn't complain.

As I threw my knife at him, I jumped back to avoid a blow powerful enough to leave a small dent in the ground.

With his sword, he grabbed my knife with his free hand.

Shit.

He wasn't particularly tall, but his reach was significantly greater than mine. He also had a sword, which he now felt compelled to use, which extended his range even further.

Larry dashed toward me, throwing back the knife I had just launched at him.

I easily avoided his next move, but not before he swiped my ankle with his sheathe.

When I stumbled to regain my balance, he grabbed my ankle and flipped me upside down.

I punched the hand that was holding onto me as I concentrated mana, and his confident face crumpled. With my mana concentrated on my fist, and aimed for the weak joint of his wrist.

A loud crack, followed by a howl of profanities, indicated the attack was enough.

His broken wrist freed my ankle, and I landed on my rear. I jumped to my feet, picked up the knife, and took advantage of the opportunity to charge towards the injured man. While still preoccupied with the pain in his wrist, he yelled angrily, "You're DEAD meat, you piece of shit!"

Ah, I have to be quick, or I know father would come looking for me....and It will be like I'm disobeying his words. And this slave trader guy is really irritating me.

I quickly pivot to the right while keeping my left foot in place.

I entered my knife's range to his right side, open due to his last desperate swing, avoiding the swing by a hair's breadth.

With his useless leg, the poor fighter couldn't really contest or flee, and as I swung my knife, it sliced his belly, leaving his livers squashed out, and he died with a look of disbelief.

Like his two comrades, he was fed to his own beasts.

The elf girl's eerie silence suggested that she was aware of the fighting.

I climbed to the back of the carriage, where she was locked, and saw her shivering in the corner, dirty rags barely covering her privates.

She looked at me with surprise and doubt, as if to say, "He can't have been the one who saved me, right?"

I don't really care.

As she remained silent, I untied her, her swollen Azure green eyes never leaving my face.

I helped her up and simply said, "You should go back home now,"

"Hic…hic…"

She probably didn't know whether I was an enemy or a friend until now, but the word 'home' elicited a sigh of relief.

"You saved me"

Ah..

"Yeah!"

"Are you going to sell me? Too?"

"No!"

"Are you going to kill me?"

"NO!"

"Are going to.."

"Stop! I won't du anythng! Go Home aldedy!"

Just as I was persuading the elf girl,

"Woosh!"

I skidded as soon as I felt something coming at me. It was a Lance that struck the carriage.

"Take a step back, kid!" A man said as he stood behind me.

...With the mana reinforced in his lance, and his ability to conceal himself as if he doesn't have any mana like a non-mag, I think I know how can this be.

He is an Assassin.

***CHAPTER 6***