Ch. 27 Ten Steps Ahead

George had been working for the Wilson family ever since he entered the Academy. Though his talent was terrible and he never passed a single exam, Lord Wilson took him in as a servant. It was the fate of most commoners who lacked the talent and resources of their overlords.

So, when Young Master Charles ordered him to bring some girl from the edge of the city, in his eyes, he was doing her a favor. It was her chance to escape poverty, so why was she being stubborn? More important, why was some smelly pipsqueak getting in his face?

"If you know what's good for you, you'll take a step back." warned George.

"Not until you tell me what you want with Ana." answered Oliver before flushing his nose to the side.

His interpretation of a rowdy commoner made Ana want to cringe and Ethan want to clap. Not knowing what was going on, Arthur was appalled at his brother's actions and frowned deeply.

"We are servants of the Noble Wilson family, here on an important errand. Our business is solely with the girl, so for the last time, get out of our way."

"Uau… Really? You fellows must be more drunk than I am." answered Oliver while crossing his arms and slouching back. "The King's younger brother has business with a commoner? And, you ugly f***ers are supposed to be his servants? Ha, don't make me laugh…"

Oliver felt his ears ring as his entire body was thrown across the street. His cheek began to swell rapidly and the left side of his face turned red.

"You dare…!" growled Arthur while pulling out his sword.

"There's no need for that, brother." After regaining his sense of balance, Oliver slowly got up. "We have our own servants for this kind of work, no?"

An evil grin got plastered on Ethan's face as Arthur too came to an understanding. A commoner killing a noble's servant was a grave crime. But, a servant dealing with another for daring to strike his Lord? As soon as Oliver took one for the team, killing these bastards became an act of justice.

"Do you want to do this?" asked Ethan.

Ana shook her head. She was not in the right headspace right now to fight 10 opponents.

"You go have fun." she smiled weakly. "I'll be fine."

Ethan tried to nod as solemnly as he could, but when he turned to face the enemy his grin returned 10 fold. These f***ers were probably related to Ana's bully. Even if they weren't, the boy desperately needed to relieve some stress. After thanking Oliver, he cleared his throat and declared with gusto.

"You evil swine dare to strike my master!? Prepare to be punished!"

'Another clown stepped forward…' thought George with a frown.

However, before he could tell the kid to scram or die, an unnerving sound was heard behind his back. Two of his comrades lost their heads and a third was stabbed through the chest.

"Good swords." said Ethan from behind the group.

"AAAaaaa!" The Ethan that was near Ana charged towards George with a silly battle cry.

The remaining men pulled out their swords but didn't know what to do. How the hell were there 2 of them?

"Argh!"

Another one was cut down from the group's left. The Ethan army was now up to 3.

"Stop standing around like idiots and group up!" yelled George. He threw a fireball towards the charging enemy, but Ethan dodged and started taunting him from afar.

In the meantime, the remaining servants put their backs against each other forming a tight circle with George in the middle. They were wary of the 3 Ethans but realized only one of them was likely real.

"A bit late for that, don't cha think?" said the Ethan from the left.

"You've already lost 3 men. Two more and this won't even be a fight." said the one from behind.

"Besides…" said the original Ethan. "I've cut you already."

Suddenly, blood started spurting out of a vassal's neck.

"Wind barrage!"

Blades of air circled the group forcing the phantasms to retreat. Suddenly, a 4th Ethan appeared out of nowhere trying to escape the blades. His chest was cut by one of them and blood started dripping out.

"Found you!" yelled George with excitement. 'So, the others were illusions while the real one stayed invisible. What a freak.' "Attack!"

The group poured over a dozen spells on the poor youth. They mixed with each other, amplifying each one's effects until a large explosion of mana occurred.

For several seconds, dust and smoke obscured everyone's vision. When it finally settled, an unscathed Ethan was revealed showing them the finger.

"How?..." muttered George. Blood was rapidly draining from the man's cheeks.

"It's simple, really." shrugged the 4th Ethan. His initial wound had magically disappeared and even the cut on his chain mail was nowhere to be seen.

"Argh!"

The 2nd Ethan, the one that was originally behind them, swung his sword and a servant's head went flying.

"You're just too slow." said the original.

"I'm not talking about your limbs but about your brain." said the 3rd.

"Even as we speak, you're already falling behind… No matter what you do, I'm 10 steps ahead."