5 Chapter 5 Assassins!

The three soldiers exchanged glance again and nodded, they helped Natasha to mount the horse and they rushed to the road. Natasha let Artuin move faster and surprised that the three soldiers aren't that far from Artuin tail. The three of them sure living to run, she smiled then stroked Artuin hair. "And thank you Artuin. To push yourself even when being poisoned." The latter snorted as he glanced at Natasha.

She blinked as if Artuin said "It's you who have pushed your body too far. I was stronger than you!" with his eyes. Artuin Snorted again before focused to the front. Natasha silently giggling. 'This horse really smart. No wonder Princess really liked him.'

Natasha understood from the three soldiers that their horse was poisoned and that is why their horse suddenly getting tired and leads them to this disaster. As they approach the place they kept the horses they found that all of them except Artuin is already dead with their mouth foaming.

Now Natasha felt safe on the back of Artuin, her eyes feel heavy and she falls to sleep.

***

The group of three runners and a horse doesn't need to run anymore as they found the other in the middle of the road with many caravans behind them. The flag of Royal Family and another familiar flag can be seen in the night sky. Mark, Ell, and Donu smiled at each other before they waved at the group. Artuin also snorted happily, as his body gradually turned rigid and almost collapsed.

Not long after, one of the soldiers in the caravan group spotted them and they hastily approach them. After they found that Commander Natasha is with them and alive, the mood of the group soared. Some of them even shamelessly staring at her body and get smacked by Paul. They grinned and leave merrily and Paul sighed seeing them before a smile appears on his face.

He let Artuin inside the caravan first and let him set down then put Natasha and Princess Karin between him and placed a piece of cloth to cover their body from the cold wind. Paul then patted Artuin head. "Good job. But please wait a moment, we will arrive soon."

Artuin snorted at him and Paul feels that this horse said "Don't mind me, go out! This girl is under my protection!" and raising his head with his eyes shining. Paul laughed and sit at the corner of the caravan backside and said. "I don't care, and you're wounded. I can take care of all of you alone!"

The horse snorted again, "I don't need a brainless man like you!"

Paul nodded, "Sure, but a horse who cannot move his legs is worse than a rabbit!"

The horse neighed then snorted, his face looked like mocking Paul, "Stupid, the different of handsome Horse like me and rabbit is too far! I was stronger!"

Paul shrugged, "Yeah? What I see is unmoved handsome Horse that I can easily push with my finger-no my little finger!"

The argument between a huge man and a horse continued along the journey and make the guarding soldiers laughed. "Our Knight, Mr. Paul sure know how to joke. To think he could speak with a horse?" They shake their head and relaxed while walking on the quiet road. After this over they would arrive at the Fort and they could rest! Sleep!

A few kilometers away from the Fort, as the tall wall can be seen from afar the guards of the front line relaxed their expression. Even as the back guards happily joking, the frontline guard must stay alert, now as they approach the perimeter they relaxed.

However, Paul sudden voice can be heard. "Everyone, Artuin said he sensed suspicious movement! Please be careful!"

Hearing it the guards outside laughed and shrugged. "We are in the perimeter of the Fort, the guard above the wall was watching us. Who would stupidly attacking our home?"

This word then received an agreement from the other guards as they laughed and ignores Paul warning. Paul's face paled as he turned towards Artuin, the latter nodded his head. Paul then turned toward his surviving unit behind his caravan and count them. His unit who joined the escape actually consists of 60 people and he knows all of their name, characteristic, hobby, etc. Now his people actually became 25 left. Half his soldiers were killed by the terrifying Dark Knight alone.

They totally believed their leader and after making eye contact with Paul, the soldiers unseated their swords silently afraid to startle the friend and foe alike. When Paul tried to concentrate and gathered his strength, he hears a guard smirked at him.

"Oh, Mister Paul. I think you're tired. Lord Berthold would really happy to let you rest. We fortunately already bought many foods for reserve, let me tell you this. There are many cheese and wine that we can enjoy for a year!" The soldier expected Paul face with drool thinking about his favorite food. Paul was known not only by his own soldiers but everyone knows how Paul liked cheese. But even with this keyword, Paul doesn't even flinch. What's going on?

Paul ignored the soldier as he concentrated to control his sore muscle. Even when the soldier rudely called Paul with a mister, as it's not proper to call the Knight like that. Paul ignored his rude behavior. As right now he could only take pity to soldiers of Berthold. Because Paul cannot know how many he can save with his strength. They are indeed quite far from the Capital City, but they didn't know the fearsome of enemy movement. He even lost half of his unit member, he cannot care to protect all of them, because his goal right now was to protect his Princess and the unconscious Natasha.

The soldier who talked to him feels something wrong with Paul and going to ask, but he suddenly feels that the world was spinning around him. In the corner of his vision, he can see his body and his expression froze as he stares at the person wearing black robes. "Enemy…" He tries to shout but he can't call out any sound before his vision darkened.

Paul who was the closest of the unlucky soldier doesn't look too surprised and jumped out while brandishing his sword and split the assassin. "Enemy attack!!" He yelled.

The guards who startled try to draw their weapon, only to notice the air around them twisted and person with dark robe already attacked with their long dagger. The surprise attack is too sudden and half of the guards has been disposed of and they charged toward the middle caravan. Clearly, their target is Princess Karin.

Before they arrive at their target caravan, a dark shadow approaching their path and almost all of them manage to stop their rush. Paul standing with his long sword. But for the person who failed to stop in time was sliced by him. He stands tall in front of the assassin group and showed a ridicule while provoked them with a throat-slitting gesture. This, however, was worked they rushed at Paul in angry. "How dare he use slit throat to us-the assassin! We will show you how the slit throat feels!"

As the arrived in front of Paul, Paul showed a smile. Even though the assassin saw his expression are strange, they cannot stop and was pierced by the hidden soldiers from both sides, killing all assassin in front of them in the process.

However not letting them take a breathing, the air around them started to twist again and another group of assassin surrounded them. When Paul noticed all the guards from Berthold's unit already lay dead in the ground. It's just him along with 25 people.

Paul observed the assassin and found that between their black robes, a line of purple can be seen coiled around their waist and neck area. Did their ranks different from the first attack? Paul thought before answered by the group themselves.

"How dare, a weakling like you stand in front of us and killed all our underling! Do you have a death wish!?" The man swings his left hand and retrieved a curved dagger. Between that movement, Paul noticed a tattoo of a snake coiling a dagger on the man arm and opened his eyes wide. "Black Cobra Assassin?"

The man startled for a second before laughing. "I don't expect that a weakling like you known our group." Paul glared at him. "Do you remember Zecko village?" The laugh of the man stopped, and 10 of them started to tighten the encirclement. Paul sweating on his back as he knows how strong the Black Cobra assassin was. It's because…

"Ah, I remember. On one of our mission are to annihilate a village full of people with ogre's strength. I see so you are-" "I was a survivor of that village." Paul's eyes turned fierce. If he was the old him, he would rush and get beaten by their coordination attack the same as the people of his village. But now that Paul needed to protect someone, he cannot act on impulse.

"How coincidence! Everyone looks like we found a lone survivor of the 'ogre' village!" The man laughed and glanced at the people around him and they laughed together. Paul showed angry expression but deep inside he was worried. He was waiting for the reinforcement of the Ironheart Fort to appear, however even when they are in the perimeter of their watch, it's still needed time to prepare troops and open the gate. All Paul can do right now are to endure and wait.

However, against the humiliation from the assassin group, Paul subordinates are the one who pissed and angry. Then when the assassin man said something rude, 5 people, are actually cannot resist their impulse and charged.

"No, Wait! Come back here now!" Paul shouted as he paled, they took the bait of the Black Cobra Assassin to provoke and rushed forward. Their tongue is so poisonous that they could bait almost everyone to attack and only getting killed. That's why the people of the Paul clan was annihilated.

The five brave soldiers cannot past 5 step before their body split into the piece. It's so horrifying that the rest of the soldiers was frozen. How cruel! Paul gritted his teeth and found that the assassins gathered around the killing place, Paul's eyes scanned. 1, 2, 5, 8, 9…9?

Paul noticed the number was odd and abruptly turned backward. He saw a glimpse of the assassin smile with a finger in front of his mouth as if to tell him to stay silent. Seeing it as if he was bound, Paul large body was like a stone as he cannot control his body. This is the man who killed his family!

Even with Paul willpower, he cannot escape this cobra tail and bounded to the ground. He can only helplessly see the assassin creeps to the caravan with a dagger drawn. Just as the assassin going inside, his body suddenly launched out of the caravan and with a splat, his body lays far from them.

This sudden turn of event shocked Paul and the assassin group. "Are Artuin was the one did that? What an amazing kick." Paul imagination started to run wild. Before long a pair of the beautiful leg can be seen sticking out the Caravan as she jumped down and pushed away her long hair created a beautiful shining effect. Paul blinked in surprise.

Natasha was standing there with her previous long greaves was pulled down. Revealing her beautiful leg, coupled with her short skirt which is covered by the waist guard, her inner clothes were sticking at her skin because her sweat dried, make her looks sexy.

Paul blinked at her. "It's not Artuin but Commander who did that!? How powerful her kick is?"