Leo grunted in pain as the man tightened his grip before slamming him into the ground causing Leo to cry out. The sound of bones cracking could be heard clearly
His cry finally awakened the girls who were in shock, as Rebecca, Lisa and Diana rushed towards the guard only for Leo to raise his hand to stop them as he slowly climbed to his feet
Greedily taking in air as he motioned for the girls to step back much to their reluctance before he looked at the guard in front of him, who looked down at him condescendingly
" I don't think the Baron ordered me to join or the mayor would have said so, which means it's my choice whether to join or not " said Leo calmly
" oh? You can still talk back " said the man as he kicked Leo in his face causing him to fly several feet, landing with a hard thud, his body sliding across the ground. Leo gritted his teeth in pain, only to spit out several teeth
" we are the most noble existences in this territory besides our lord. Personally, I don't understand what our lord was thinking including trash like you into our guards " said the man as he walked to Leo seemingly talking to himself before stomping Leo in his stomach
' I can see his attacks but I can't react to them ' thought Leo with a grim expression as he tried to push the foot off of him
" but it's not my place to question our lord, but here we are. You actually did the unthinkable, said the man as he picked Leo up off the ground with one arm, before punching him in the stomach
" you actually dare to refuse " said the man, clear disbelief in his tone which was followed by anger at the apparent disrespect
Leo didn't saying anything as he spit the blood out of his mouth unto the ground, before looking at the man calmly. Seeing his gaze, the man seemed to get further enraged, drawing the sword that he had on his waist
Seeing this. Rebecca finally couldn't help it and shot towards the back of the man holding Leo.
The guards tried to stop her only to be knocked down one by one before she rushed towards the mans back holding a sword she took away from the fallen guards
Slashing at his back with no hesitation, only for the man to turn and use Leo as a shield, seeing this Rebecca hurriedly changed the direction of the slash so she didn't injure him, which left herself open
Taking this opportunity, the man kicked her, launching her into the girls who tried to catch her, only for them to fall together
Seeing this the man looked at her mockingly only to cry out in pain as Leo took the chance to jam his fingers into his eyes causing the man to step back into pain and drop Leo, blood dripping through his fingers as he covered his face
Who, the moment his feet touched the ground, charged forward tackling the man before climbing on top of him with the sword he picked up and stabbed downwards with bloodshot eyes
" STOP!!! " shouted the mayor " or she dies "
Hearing his words, Leo managed to stop the sword right above the man's throat, the tip of the blade just piercing his skin
Glancing behind, Leo found that the mayor had held Anna hostage, holding a dagger to her throat
" let her go- " before Leo could finish his words, he froze as he spit out blood. Turning his head slowly, looked at the dagger in his chest, the man beneath him looking at him in hatred
Leo fell to the side, allowing the man to get off the ground amidst the girls surprised screams as they rushed towards him
Ignoring them, the man picked up his sword intending to finish Leo off, only for the mayor to stop him
" what are you doing, did you forget the words of our lord " said the Mayor in anger, especially when he thought of the consequences if Leo died. Before the man could reply, they were interrupted by a voice coming from the side
" let....her....go " said Leo between shallow as he struggled to his feet, pushing away the hands that tried to help her, as he struggled to take steps toward the mayor or and the man, his gaze never leaving Anna
Honestly, Leo didn't know where he got the willpower from, these girls, he barely knew them, he called them family but he doubted the sincerity of that term. He once thought that if any of them left or died, he wouldn't feel much
He tried to convince himself that she was just a way for him to get more UP points, yet his body still moved towards her
He tried to convince himself that she was replaceable, he could buy 20 like her at the drop of a hat, yet he still struggled forward
' what the fuck are you doing ' thought Leo
' lay down and heal yourself '
' you'll die if you keep walking '
' you've barely known her a weak, is it worth it? '
' you're not some hero, you're just using them, you can fool those girls, but you know who you are '
Countless thoughts, crossed his mind, none of them positive and yet, his gaze never left her face. Her tear stained face engraved itself into his psyche becoming the driving force behind his steps
" he doesn't look dead to me " said the man as he took the girl from the mayor and pushed her towards Leo under the Mayor's surprised gaze only for his expression to change as he watched him draw his sword as he followed behind the girls running figure
' watch her die before you, trash ' thought the man with a bloodthirsty smile
Leo opened his arms to catch the girl, the man behind her catching his attention. Leo didn't know where he got the strength from as he shot forward, grabbing the girl in his arms turning his back to meet the mans blade
" are you okay? " asked Leo, he patted Anna down, making sure she wasn't injured as he fixed her hair, wiping away her tears, giving her a warm smile
His actions caused the girl to start bawling as she rushed into his arms, only for Leo's figured to coming falling down, covering her. Amidst the cries of the other girls who once again rushed towards Leo
" I'll take responsibility if he dies. I might not have to, as I don't see him surviving the next 2 days " said the man cutting off the Mayor's words as he pulled his sword from Leo's back expressionlessly as he turned and walked towards his horse
" what do we do now sir " asked one of the guards as they surround the mayor, noticing the look Rebecca threw in the their direction
The Mayor's glanced at Leo on the ground, surrounded by the girls, his gaze turning complicated as he turned to leave
" pray to the God of War that he survives "
***
Leo gasped as he sat up, grabbing his chest where he was stabbed, his body drenched in sweat as she took shallow breaths
He looked around, finding himself laying in his bed, alone. None of the girls around, both wheelbarrows gone. Glancing through the window he found that the sun was stil up
' did they leave? ' thought Leo, his expression darkening before he shook his head with a mocking expression
' so much for family ' thought Leo as he got out of bed, looking at himself, finding that his injuries had healed once again marvelling at the versatility of the UP
Wiping the sweat off his body, he got dressed, intending to take his clothes and leave. Look for another house to live in or move to another village all together
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and the girls coming back, each of their faces filled with worry
Seeing them, Leo was shocked, before he could react, he was tackled by the girls, each of them bursting into ears as they held him
" where did you guys go " asked Leo, noticing the smell on their bodies realising that they went to deal with the fish traps
' I thought you guys had left '
" sister Rebecca told his not to worry, that you heal from injuries. So we brought you back and like she said, your injuries started healing but you didn't wake up and slept through the night " said Lisa as she wiped her tears
" they wouldn't stop worrying, so I took them to find something to do to distract them " said Rebecca calmly, her red puffy eyes betraying her true feelings
Hearing their words, Leo was silent before he started to smile, getting off the ground
" how much did he steal this time? " asked Leo as he glanced at Rebecca
" nothing " said Rebecca her expression becoming strange
" nothing? " asked Leo in confusion, he didn't think the man would suddenly have a change of heart
" he wasn't there " said Lisa " matter of fact, there's no one in the village. I think we're the only ones here "
" huh? " Hearing her words, Leo glanced at all the girls, seeing that they all nodded their heads before he rushed through the door
Finding that the village was as deserted as the girls had described. Every single house empty
Not believing this, ran throughout the village, trying to see if anyone had stayed, eventually making his way to Thomas's house
And knocked on the door, after a while of hearing no answer he turned to leave
" you're here kid " said Thomas as he came outside carrying a large broadsword
Leo glanced at the sword before he spoke " where is everyone? "
" you don't know? " asked Thomas in surprise as he glanced Leo up and down before glancing at the girls who made their way here
" they're gone. " said Thomas as he sat on a stool, wiping off the broadsword " tonight death comes "