Fallen Apostle Chapter Fourteen: Beginning of a Mission

Leonidas stood before a sturdy black steed, patting its jawline. He had been with this particular horse for about three days now, ever since Lady Eve kept to her word and lent him one.

Luckily, his worries about his weight didn't come to fruition. These bred-for-war horses were about 1200 kilograms in weight and were able to hold 30% of this without suffering any decline in their performance. So, even though Leonidas' weight had progressed from 200 kilograms to around 220 kilograms now, he was still well within the limits of this war horse, something he had already tested personally.

After some reading, Leonidas came to understand that this made sense. These horses were even used in some heavy cavalry troops where their riders wore hundreds of kilograms worth of equipment. Taking on Leonidas wasn't a problem at all.

The deep black horse nudged Leonidas with its long snout, showing an unexpected amount of intimacy so soon.

Leonidas suddenly turned around, sensing someone approaching.

By now, the moon was high in the sky. It seemed that tonight was a Violet Full Moon.

For reasons unknown, Lady Eve wanted to begin this journey at this time. However, Leonidas didn't question it. She had her reasons and it wasn't his place to ask.

Unsurprisingly, the approaching party was the Lady and her nephew. They both rode upon a horse a head taller than Leonidas' own. It had a wild, fluttering mane and thick hair surrounding its hooves. Beneath the moonlight, it almost looked like a deity in Leonidas' eyes.

Manfroi manned the reins, his aunt sitting behind him with both legs swung off to the side. In her position, it seemed as though she could fall at any moment. Yet, she was as steady as a mountain, not even needing a hold to anchor herself.

Manfroi's steed galloped to a stop, its nostrils blustering with plumes of hot hair. Its eyes shone a faint crimson, locking onto Leonidas as though it wanted to take a bite out of his neck.

Leonidas didn't move from his position, but he could clearly feel his horse shiver. If it wasn't for the fact Leonidas' hand was still caressing its jaw, it might have fallen to the ground already.

Lady Eve leapt to the ground with slight steps. She gave a curious glance toward Leonidas, not seeing any particular change in him immediately, something that greatly surprised her. She had half expected to find Leonidas covered from head to toe in armor bought with the coins she had given him, but this wasn't the case at all.

Rather, Leonidas wore the very same loose grey pants and long tunic he had when he cleaned the stalls. It wasn't until Lady Eve gave him a second look that she seemed pleasantly surprised by what she saw.

Beneath Leonidas' tunic, she could see a slight, almost unnoticeable bulge. This was most definitely a low-profile flexible armor. Just from her experience, she could tell that Leonidas had used at least 80% of his budget on it.

The second thing she noticed was Leonidas' tail. Because it was hidden behind him, she almost hadn't spotted the plate armor that covered it. It almost made Leonidas look as though he had gained a scorpion's tail, but it was low-profile and lightweight enough that it didn't make any noise.

The third thing Lady Eve noticed was the twin pair of bags hanging from Leonidas' horse. Though much of what was within was hidden, Lady Eve just barely managed to spot a potion used to cleanse water of impurities. Not only this, but it doubled in its usage, allowing one to turn salt water into fresh water.

Just from these three things alone, Lady Eve knew that not only had Leonidas prepared, he had done so thoroughly. In all likelihood, he hadn't saved a single copper of what he gave her.

As Lady Eve was observing, Leonidas was doing the same. Everything from the tight black armor she wore to the singular sword strapped across her back gave Leonidas the pressure of a mountain he couldn't see the peak of.

"Lady Eve. Sir Manfroi." Leonidas greeted, handing over the reins of Lady Eve's mare to her.

Lady Eve smiled lightly, leaping to the back of her mare with a single bound and without much effort at all.

The mare seemed unperturbed by the presence of Manfroi's steed, raising up its front hooves high into the sky.

"Follow me." Lady Eve said with a rare solemn tone.

Leonidas rose to his horse's back far less gracefully, earning a look of contempt from Manfroi. But, at the moment, style points weren't at the forefront of Leonidas' mind. He only kicked his horse into a gallop following after the aunt-nephew pair.

The journey came to a close far quicker than Leonidas had anticipated. Or, rather, it could be said that it hadn't begun when Leonidas assumed it had.

The trio galloped through the small town, making it to the outskirts not long later. However, what they found wasn't a deserted entrance, but rather another group of individuals already primed and waiting.

There were many Leonidas didn't recognize, all of whom were riding horses. But, among them, there were three that he did.

Alfan, Kyzer and… Daisy.

Each and every one of them followed an individual whose strength was beyond Leonidas' understanding. It appeared that Alfan and Kyzer were following the same person.

As surprised as Leonidas was to see them, it could be said that the feeling was more than mutual. In fact, if they had to decide who they believed was the least likely to appear, it would most definitely be Leonidas. Yet, here he was, even riding a horse of his own.

Looking around at everyone, Lady Eve nodded. It became clear in an instant that she was indeed the head of this operation.

"This will be my nephew's maiden mission as my Paladin, so I have picked something not too difficult. However, I hope that you all will understand that there is no such thing as a voyage without danger. Keep your heads on straight and follow my orders well."

Without another word, Lady Eve shot into the distance.

Leonidas didn't say a word as he followed. In fact, no one did. A silence hung over the entire group, the only noise coming from the steady galloping of hooves.

Taking this opportunity, he observed the remaining two warriors.

The one that Alfan and Kyzer followed behind was clearly a bowman. He had a bow strapped across his back and several quivers of arrows hanging from the sides of his war horse.

This man had a large nose and sharp eyes, his jaw pressed into a line that rippled with muscle and veins.

The one that Daisy followed, however, was quite a burly man. He had round, well-shaped armor to cover his large belly and a shining bald head.

Across his back, there were two single-bladed battle axes, each no more than a meter in length from end to end.

While sending a quick look over toward him, Leonidas happened to catch Daisy out of the corner of his eye. It seemed that she hadn't been able to stop staring at him since he arrived.

Leonidas turned his neck all the way to the side, meeting Daisy's eyes completely.

Though their eyes met, neither said a thing. But, that brief moment told Leonidas a lot.

That look, he was too used to seeing it. The uncomfortable way she sat in her saddle, the slight awkward cadence of her breath, the bit of moistness still clinging to her hair…

He had seen that very image every day for almost 19 years in his mother's brothel.

Leonidas looked away, uncaring. What Daisy chose to do or was forced to do had nothing to do with him. It definitely wasn't the first time she had to do such a thing, and if she survived, it probably wouldn't be the last.

What was truly on Leonidas' mind was something different. The words Lady Eve had spoken echoed again and again in his mind, growing louder and louder to the point it was practically blaring through his skull.

'… As my Paladin…'

There was only a single type of person who could say these words, a singular group of individuals who stood above the rest…

The Apostles.

The idea that Lady Eve was an Apostle hit Leonidas like a sledgehammer. That singular group of people that Leonidas felt was all too elusive had actually already appeared before him more than just a single time.

'Is she a Fighter? A Healer? A Mage?'

Leonidas felt a faint excitement bubbling up in his heart.

…

"We'll camp here for tonight."

Lady Eve spoke out.

By now, they had traveled for at least four hours. Though much of the terrain they traveled over, including dense forests, had them moving quite slowly, they had traveled quite some distance.

The location Lady Eve chose was quite excellent, perfect to the point that it seemed she had clearly planned this out in advance.

There was a small stream nearby, numerous exit routes in case of a beast attack, and plenty of space.

"Kyzer, you will take guard duties tonight." The bowman spoke.

"Yes!"

Kyzer didn't dare to hesitate in his response, immediately accepting this task. Only he knew what he had sacrificed to be here. Maybe in some way, quite ironically, women had it easier in this regard. Unless, of course, you had a face like Leonidas'. But even then, would you be willing?

This was all to say that he didn't dare to do anything to screw this opportunity up. He had stocked up on plenty of Fatigue Potions, so he wasn't worried about staying awake.

"Be careful with Thunder." Manfroi said to Leonidas with a commanding tone. "I want him in perfect condition for tomorrow."

Leonidas nodded, taking the reins from Manfroi. But, Thunder seemed intent on throwing a tantrum almost immediately.

Manfroi didn't step in. If Leonidas couldn't handle this much, then it only meant that he was a waste to bring.

However, what Manfroi hadn't expected was for Leonidas' deadpan gaze and strong grip to settle Thunder down almost instantly.

Without a word, Leonidas brought the horses in pairs down to the stream, allowing them to drink their fill. After portioning out their food, he tied them to a few trees, leaving Thunder and the mare one of their own.

By the time Leonidas was done with his duties, everyone but Kyzer was ready to rest. They had all tacitly agreed to save food for the morning, not wanting to attract any beasts in the night.

There were four tents erected already, likely one for the bowman, one for the axman, then the final two for the aunt-nephew pair.

Daisy was unsurprisingly nowhere to be seen. As for Alfan, he had pulled out a fur mat and spread it out on the grassed land, only to begin to meditate upon it.

Leonidas walked through the group and began to hang a hammock between two of the trees the steeds were anchored to. He was quite happy that he had managed to find a sturdy enough one to hold his weight.

After setting himself up, Leonidas shut his mind down and immediately went to sleep. Without Yves' Blessing, he would now need a full eight hours to feel completely refreshed as opposed to four.

However, if he paired four hours of sleep with diluted Fatigue Potion, the result would be far better than just having Fatigue Potion alone.

Leonidas wasn't a fool. If Fatigue Potion was enough to fix everything… Why would Yves bother to allow tents, hammocks, and sleep mats to be exchanged for?

Leonidas couldn't have been more correct. Much like every potion, Fatigue Potions had a level of toxicity to them as well as side effects. Taking too many or relying on them too heavily would only hinder your cognitive function when you believed them to be helping.

Of course, Fatigue Potions were still better than other potions in this regard, but that was only relative. In objective metrics, after a certain point, one would be chugging something no different from poison.

However, when used in small, diluted amounts to supplement rather than replace sleep, the results were far better.

Once again, Leonidas' preparations had netted him an edge. One that he would dearly need.

…

The next morning, they were all woken up just as the sun peeked over the horizon, barely four hours having passed.

"We will reach our destination today." Lady Eve spoke. "Be prepared."