Chapter 69: The Noble Squad (VII)

Seeing that the noble squad no longer underestimated me, I let out a breath and extinguished the small fireball in my hand.
A caster’s attack power far surpasses a warrior’s.
Even a basic fireball spell, cast by a low-level caster with enough skill, could turn them into a walking cannon.
Of course, showing off like that might’ve been a bit much—nobles like them wouldn’t easily break their word.

Honestly, playing the part of a weak pharmacist to gain the noble squad’s protection would’ve been smart.
It’d hide my identity and save my energy.
But… I wasn’t about to act feeble.
It’s my last bit of stubborn pride.
I don’t want to be looked down on.
Maybe it’s just my little streak of defiance, but I refuse to be treated like some delicate vase.

I thought to myself, my arms aching from supporting Chriss.
I handed the task of carrying the heavy infantry captain over to Nosen.
“Huh? Seems like we’re missing someone…”

Looking at the other city guards gathering around, I noticed there were only four of them now—Nosen’s original five-man squad was down one.
I glanced toward the pile of blood zombie corpses and spotted a headless, heavily armored soldier lying quietly in a corner.
A heavy silence fell over me.

After being bitten by a blood zombie, the best release is… decapitation.
Seeing the solemn expressions on Nosen and the other guards, I didn’t say anything.
As for the noble squad, they were casually discussing their next moves and the situation, clearly unbothered by the fact that the city guard team who’d come to help had lost a member.

Not that I could blame them—they weren’t close with the guards.
During the fight, all their focus was on the radiant golden blood clan swordsman, so they hadn’t paid much attention to the guards’ situation.

“Phew… Let’s get out of here quick. Who knows if that blood clan swordsman you drove off will come back with reinforcements.”

After Nosen and the others helped Chriss adjust, and the noble squad discussed their plans, I spoke up to remind both groups—it was time to move.
“…Yeah, we need to keep going. We don’t have much time.”

Carter nodded, then made a gesture.
“Nico, Daniel, you two take point and scout. Katherine and I will follow close behind. Emil, you cover the rear.”

“No problem.”

Carter assigned the tasks, and the other four noble squad members responded promptly.
Nico and the male warrior with a shield and longsword, presumably Daniel, dashed to the front to scout.
The cold man with the greatsword, Emil, fell back behind the city guards to watch the rear.
That left Katherine, the woman wielding a greatsword, alongside Carter.

The noble squad seemed to be in their early twenties.
Nico and Daniel appeared younger and more energetic, while the others felt more mature.
…Or maybe they just developed early.

I glanced at Carter and Katherine standing beside him, thinking to myself.
“Don’t worry, we’ll escort you safely.”

Katherine looked at us, giving a gentle smile as she spoke—a stunning woman with radiant blonde hair and emerald-green eyes, tall and striking, exuding reliability.
“…Thank you.”

Chriss, supported by Nosen’s four guards, lifted her pale face to look at the noble squad, nodding solemnly in thanks.
With that, our group wasted no more words and headed straight for the south gate.
The journey had been bumpy, but at least I was safer now—my efforts hadn’t been in vain.