Hansh's approach was risky but there was no point in thinking anymore. So he moved towards the extreme left of the road just beside the tall guy who was trying his best to grab the handle of the carriage, which was not easy still he was trying nonetheless.

Unsheathing his sword, the captain attacked the man to his right, expecting him to block or dodge & he did it with his years of experience and fast reflexes. He couldn't block it as he was bare handed but could dodge by lowering his whole body.

Making continuous attacks was impossible in this environment, as they were moving at a faster speed with bumpy roads. Still, a little fight broke out where Hansh just swinged his sword targeting the assailant and he kept dodging it which was his plan to begin with.

He wanted to distract the enemy by attacking him, which could further lead to slow him down & let the carriage go away. And it worked as the bearded guy couldn't fight & jump in the carriage at the same time. Still, he focused on unlocking the door, as it held the most priority for him. Once inside, this whole drama would end within moments.

And finally, one of many attacked connected with the assailant's shoulder, which was more than enough to get his full attention. He groaningly pulled his sword & started focusing on killing the captain.

Their sword clashed many times but never connected with each other & both of them started slowing down, letting the carriage go ahead, which was the exact thing Hansh wanted.

Noticing the carriage speeding away, the tall man stopped fighting & focused on getting away, but at the same time he felt something coming from his left which couldn't be dodged.

After letting the Lord go away, the next job of the captain was to stop this fiasco from escalating further, which could only be achieved by stopping that guy once & for all. So he did the only thing he knew he could do. He threw himself up on to the man after getting too close to his horse.

And the result was both of them fell on to the ground with the bearded man felling first & above him was the captain rolling several feet on the road. Because of the speed they were at, it was sure that they were having some broken hands & legs.

The bearded guy tried to get up to fight with the captain but upon noticing his right leg, which was twisted weirdly, his face became paler & then the pain hit him. His body was not in any visible condition to fight.

Hansh got up with a dangling left hand & twisted ankle. Still, he could fight, so he grabbed his sword, which was lying on the ground & pierced the man's both of legs, making him unable to walk.

The tall man screamed in unmeasurable pain, but there was nothing he could do to retaliate. His right hand was broken, both legs were not in any position to even lift & there was no sword nearby. His plan to kill the lord had utterly failed.

"Now, stay the fuckin down." said the captain with a face full of anger & rage. This small trip turned into a total nightmare which he never even dreamed of. He was standing, but his body was in pain, excruciating pain & fighting the other assailants was not something he could do now. Still, he had to secure the road to stop them from reaching near the carriage.

Leaving the man who was yelling at the top of his lungs, Hansh got to the middle of the road, dragging his unresponsive feet. He was in good condition compared to someone lying on the ground, but not in his best condition to defend this route.

His vision was getting impaired, whole body was shaking in pain. Gripping the sword tightly was also getting impossible for him. But he was a soldier who had sworn to protect the Espers & he was going to do exactly that.

Soon a large commotion was heard from the distance & dozens of men appeared in mercenary clothes, pointing their swords at him. They were on their horses quickly riding towards him. He had expected his soldiers to come out, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Did they all died? It was not impossible, but was not that easy. They were outnumbered to begin with, and these people were merciless. If his soldiers died, then it was on him. But they died protecting the lord to whom they had sworn their loyalty, so it was an honor, something to be proud of.

Honoring his fallen comrades, Hansh stood tall, mustering every ounce of strength his body had left for him to use. He was going to fight. Fight till the end. His family would be proud of him that he never ran away. He died fighting for the one who made him who he was.

Hansh was just an ordinary person roaming around the city of Elanor, searching for a job to support his family, and accidentally got enlisted in the army. After finishing his training, he was assigned as the bodyguard for the infamous man named Leon whom everyone hated, including him.

But after walking side by side with him for a couple of years, his view changed. Leonhart was not that bad as everyone thought him to be. He treated everyone with equal respect & always spoke the truth, which was never appreciated.

Yeah, he was a gambling addict & a drunken bastard, but it was all the side-effect of his bad company who always stayed in the dark. Still, Hansh genuinely thought that Leon could become a good ruler if he just tried.

And one day, Leon assigned him as the captain of his protection squad, who were composed of dozens of experienced soldiers. He was not capable of controlling them due to him being an additional guard & they were veterans who were there since the duke's son wasn't even born.

So he objected, but Leon just told him, shrugging his shoulders, that he could do it if he tried, which was the exact line he was telling him to become a good ruler. Eventually Hansh accepted the job & since then he was with Leon, seeing everything this world had to offer.

Leonhart made him who he was & as his knight and protector, he was going to finish this, no matter the cost.

As the group got closer and closer, shouting at the top of their lungs to kill him, a broken smile appeared on Hansh's face. He was going to die. He really was going to die. He won't be able to able to play with his daughter anymore, see his pregnant wife anymore.

This really was the end for Hansh Schulz.

So why not end this life with its full glory?

As the battle-cries got closer, Hansh's facial expression changed into a stoic one with lifeless eyes gripping his weapon tightly. He was alone, facing a dozen men with a body verge of giving up on him. Still, he was ready for it.

He had been outnumbered before & was outnumbered now. Still, he would fight & this war would be fought till the last man standing.

Seeing his death approaching before him, his heart started beating as fast as possible, pumping blood to each needed part. As the adrenalin rushed through his head to minimize the pain, he found endless courage & determination.

Raising his sword & accepting his death, Hansh roared like a lion going to battle.

But before they could collide, the ground started shaking more violently, like something huge was approaching & soon the area was filled with war cries of hundreds of soldiers who had intercepted both the carriage & the signal were now here to finish the game.

Seeing the seer size of the approaching enemy, the mercenaries tried to retreat, but it was too late. Now they were both outnumbered & outmatched. These people were not going to stop till they hunt last one of their kind. Taking this job had really been a mistake.

Hansh didn't even turn to face them, as he knew very well what was going to happen. This was the backup he needed & now it was here. Dozens of soldiers carrying long spears, riding their horses, passed from both of his side to end this wild nightmare.

Soon, screaming of many men was heard from the distance as the soldiers trusted their spears on to the bodies of the retreating assailants. They had got the little information from the driver that his team was outnumbered and, seeing the captain facing a dozen men alone, they were sure his team hadn't made it out alive.

Which was more than enough for them to get revenge for their fallen comrades. Despite getting orders to not to kill retreating enemies, they were doing it. They were now blinded by anger & rage. Some assailants even jumped from their horses & leaned before them to spare their lives but they were not seeing anything anymore.

They killed each & everyone, showing no discrimination. Some begged, some cried, but they all had crossed the line & this was the price they paid.

Was it a war crime? Yes, it was, but who followed orders when the man who was giving the orders was killing people, screaming like a maniac.

Some soldiers rushed towards the captain, who was now falling on to the ground, but they caught him. Hansh hadn't realized, but his head also took some impact & was slowly bleeding.

As they lay him down on the ground to provide immediate medical assistance, he slowly closed his eyelids, as those were getting too heavy to hold.

He had done it. The Lord was safe.