Witch Hunter Rhapsody

Helena Marlowe believes that heroes exist, not just characters in stories, who possess superhuman strength and bravely fight monsters.

Helena once dreamed of such a scene: a hero proudly raising his head, surrounded by the corpses of monsters.

But the monster corpses that appeared before her were more numerous than in her dream, and the hero did not proudly raise her head.

Vitas Vitalius was surrounded by blood, and the lair of Guros had been destroyed; it looked like a battlefield.

Vitas sat amidst the corpses, his hand supporting his chin, seemingly deep in thought.

"Vitas, are you alright?"

Vitas slowly raised his head.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Vitas sounded quite tired; who wouldn't be tired after such a fierce battle?

Helena reached out her hand, and Vitas hesitated for a moment before taking it.

She tried her best to pull Vitas up, but even with her face flushed red, she couldn't manage it.

"Ha ha."

Vitas chuckled. Helena got angry and was about to let go, but the force from her hand made her stumble. After regaining her balance, Vitas was already standing in front of her.

He then pulled Helena into his arms.

Helena instinctively wanted to back away, but a strange throbbing stopped her.

Something called danger.

Vitas reached out and blocked the charge of the dying Guros, who was being brutally cleaved in two by the executioner and was charging forward with his last remaining upper body.

However, Vitas easily blocked the dying creature with one hand.

"Its vitality is truly remarkable; it deserves some praise."

Vitas shook off the remaining half of his body before releasing Helena.

"Have you resolved it on your end?"

"Okay, we've got it done!"

"What are the casualties?"

Vitas's frustration and sadness were evident even through his helmet when he heard that four people had died and twelve were injured.

Through the eye slit, Helena could see his eyes.

"That was a beautiful victory, Vitas, they will be proud of us."

Vitas's tone was heavy.

"Did you promise them a future?"

"What?"

"Did you promise them honor and freedom? Did you pledge to take responsibility for their lives?"

"I……"

Helena and the members of the Flying Eagle Knights were first and foremost friends, and only later were they superiors and subordinates; there weren't many oaths between them.

"So you can't understand this feeling, being responsible for other people's lives, and being responsible for your own words."

Helena looked at the somewhat dejected Vitas, something stuck in her chest. She took a deep breath and then spoke in a rather stern tone.

"Vitas, do you think my feelings for my comrades are less than yours? Do you think I'm some ignorant fellow who's inferior to you in every way? I'm from the countryside, I'm unsophisticated, and I admire your experiences, but in terms of feelings, in terms of our attitudes towards life and death, we are no different. I also grieve for the deaths of my comrades. You say I don't understand? Is this your mere humility as a knight?"

Vitas's gaze swept over Helena. Helena wasn't short, but she looked like a little girl next to Vitas.

Helena didn't want to see Vitas so dejected. Those who died in battle were all members of the Flying Eagle Knights. Even if they were grieving, it was not Vitas's place to grieve!

"You really have guts."

Vitas closed his eyes, then opened them again a moment later.

"I was just thinking of my former comrades. Let's not dwell on that. Now, let's head back. I promise you here, Helena, I will ensure that your men return without any casualties, as a reward for your advice. This is my promise."

The journey back was even more difficult than the journey there; even after being cut up, Guros's enormous body was completely unsuitable for transport.

The members of the Flying Eagle Knights carried large and small bags, traversing the forest step by step.

They also had to get back before the spoils spoiled, reducing their rest time once again, and facing even more attacks from wild beasts along the way.

However, Vitas's presence made the attacks of these beasts somewhat comical.

When he wielded his two-handed greatsword, he was always able to slay the attacking monsters. The members of the Flying Eagle Knights were also fortunate enough to witness Vitas's battle up close.

Vitas had only been in Ortham City for about six months, but he had already made a name for himself in that time. His strength was exceptional, and he often brought back prey that others could not.

Vitas, who always kept to himself, had no companions, and no one in the taverns spoke of his heroic deeds in battle, but that was all in the past.

In the near future, the members of the Flying Eagle Knights will recount their experiences of the past few days while drinking or boasting.

They would tell the people of the small town of Ortham how this warrior in his hideous heavy armor easily slaughtered the attacking bat-goats, spider-faced creatures, and demon monkeys, so much so that these warriors had to expend more effort and energy dealing with their newly acquired spoils.

When the Flying Eagle Knights returned with the bodies of the fallen and the goods, the soldiers guarding the city stared in disbelief.

Each of them carried large and small bags, some with the dead strapped to their backs, and the wounded leaning on their own swords. The people of Ortham had not seen such a fierce return in a long time, but this also proved that they had fought a great battle worthy of being sung as heroes.

The happiest person was, of course, the employer, Declan.

"Hahaha, as expected, I knew you guys were capable of completing this task!"

Helena sat on the sofa; Declan had already bought a villa in the wealthy neighborhood of Autheran.

His servants politely poured wine for the three of them.

Vitas was not wearing armor, but was dressed in civilian clothes, though his short sword was still tucked into his waistband.

"Alright, instead of expressing gratitude with these boring words, let's give each other some practical rewards."

Vitas said this.

"Let me calculate. You brought back eleven Guros. Although the materials are not entirely complete, I still need to cut them up... How about sixty gold coins for this weight? Subtract the thirty gold coins you borrowed before you set off, and you'll have thirty left."

Helena and Leon's eyes widened when they heard the number. The work they had done before had earned them at most a few dozen silver coins, barely enough to feed everyone.

This time, however, the mission directly yielded thirty gold coins, and the entire knight order's equipment was upgraded, which meant that everyone received about a quarter's worth of expenses.

Helena couldn't help but look at Vitas. Without Vitas's help, they would never have been able to obtain such a reward.

Vitas remained calm. He was at his poorest now, with only a few silver coins left in his pocket, but at his richest, hundreds or even thousands of gold coins were nothing to him.

"Alright, if you really want to express your gratitude, then you might as well buy all the things we killed along the way."

"That probably won't work. Your prey isn't worth much for research, and the wizards won't accept it."

"You only do business with wizards? What a strange businessman."

"How can anyone who deals with wizards not find it strange?"

Vitas shrugged.

"It doesn't matter, we'll just deal with the prey ourselves."

He got up and left, leaving Helena and Leon to continue the rest of the deal.

Although Declan was surprised by Vitas's departure, he knew Vitas was an oddball, so he didn't press the matter further.

He then extended an olive branch to Helena and Leon.

"My villa doesn't yet have any guards I can trust. You've proven your abilities; would you be interested in assigning some of your men to serve as my bodyguards?"

……

Vitas walked down the street, feeling something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He looked around, wondering if Maximus was using some strange magic to monitor him.

Unbeknownst to Vitas, an eye was floating in the air, staring at him.

Questions have arisen about who is behind it.

"Why did that guy suddenly slow down? It's like he's looking around. Did he run into someone he knows?"

After a careful inspection, Alistair confirmed that the man had not encountered any of the so-called acquaintances.

Has he realized he possesses the Eye of Truth?

Something weird.

Alistair revealed himself in the air; he'd better check the scene of Viya's death first.

Based on the results of his previous magical examination, Viya's research findings did not appear to have been discovered.

It would be terrible if those things escaped.