My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 179: Her Shield

Chapter 179: Her Shield

The ducal couple made it to flatter ground with rolling hills that made up the mountain pass from Letum to Montville. While they wouldn’t make it to Montville that day, they would make it to a halfway point which was a military outpost responsible for monitoring the status of Letum from within Montclair’s border.

Men were constantly switched out so they wouldn’t overstress themselves after having to see monsters regularly.

When Desmond told Leonor there was little threat going towards Letum when he retrieved the items from the battlefield, he wasn’t lying. A couple of dozen monsters weren’t an issue compared to the hundreds they would witness at a time in the north.

Even if it felt dire at that moment, it was only a small hurdle for their overall journey. The urgency was there because of Desmond’s precious cargo in the form of his wife.

Leonor didn’t know how much time passed before she gained the courage to peek out of Desmond’s embrace. Considering the only noise she heard was Solitaire’s hooves beating against the dirt ground, she thought they were in the clear.

Immediately her eyes landed on one of the frighteningly human-like gris jumping out of a tree as they passed

It was a straggler from the group. Despite the monster’s lack of intelligent nature, they at least knew there was power in numbers.

Desmond’s sword still remained unsheathed and ready to strike but in that split second moment, Leonor made the decision to pull out a shield. She couldn’t imagine having to see Desmond in pain once again.

Her left hand raised and, even though it wasn’t her dominant hand, those constraints didn’t matter to a mana user who relied on what was inside of them. A blue triangle grew and compounded into multiple as it became stronger and protected the two of them from the monster leaping out of the tree intent on getting them off of the horse.

It saw food and that was its only intelligence.

There was a dull thud as the monster met Leonor’s shield but it was the blue light of her shield that made Desmond aware of what was happening. He nearly let go of his reins in a panic but he knew right away she was blocking his blind side.

"Leonor!" he shouted, though there was no reason. It was almost his way of finding validation that she was in one piece and not hurt.

All he could do was glance over his shoulder with his good eye and see the monster discarded like garbage on the side of the path. There were more gris on the side of the road but he knew his men were more than capable of a handful more monsters.

"It’s fine," she managed to say. "We just have to keep going."

He re-sheathed his sword and instead put his arm around Leonor as he drove the horse with one hand holding both reins. He breathed her in by angling his nose towards her neck and hair since her hood had flown off. He calmed his heart with her soft, sweet scent but focused his eyes forward knowing his job wasn’t finished.

She wasn’t protected until they were behind the barricade.

Trees began filling in the space around them once again after they left the start of the forest where the last gris seemed to be. It was no longer only rocks but softer surroundings that gave hints of life.

As the sun set, they finally saw the lights of a barren township, but it was better than the nothingness of a forest possibly full of more monsters. It was where the families of the soldiers and guards lived.

Desmond could relax further once they finally made it through the spiked wooden gate.

The soldiers didn’t need to verify the man’s identity. After all, there were few bearing such scars. Considering Desmond’s hood had flown off sometime in the rush to escape, he was bearing scars for the world to see.

It was a usual sight for the men around him but Leonor was always surprised by how easily he showed himself considering how long it took for her to convince him that she wouldn’t be disgusted with him.

At that moment, it wasn’t at the forefront of her thoughts.

The moment they stopped moving, she wrapped her arms around her husband and gave him a proper hug. She was trembling after what she had just witnessed. It was likely only about 30 minutes worth of escaping the monsters but it seemed like an eternity.

Bringing out her shield in such a way made her on edge as well.

One of the higher-ranking officers walked up to the duke and gave a salute. Desmond returned it.

"There are gris at the top of the pass," he said. "The rest of the traveling party is taking care of them. Two officers and the rest lower ranks. A few maids as well. See to it that they all leave unscathed."

There was a certain edge to Desmond’s tone. It was the job of the men at the outpost to scour that area of the mountains for monsters. While it wasn’t possible to have men on every inch of the pass, most of the men seemed to be within the walls of the outpost. That was not where they were supposed to be.

"Yes, your grace," the man took heed to his warning tone and rushed to gather a few to help him with the situation on their hands.

With Leonor in his arms, Desmond slid off of his horse and there were two younger soldiers immediately there to put him in the stable and take care of him.

Leonor tried to escape Desmond’s bridal hold but didn’t relent so easily.

"I must stand," Leonor said.

"You’re trembling," Desmond argued.

"I won’t be a damsel," Leonor said. "That isn’t the type of duchess Montclair needs."

They needed one who could stand up straight and look soldiers in the eye even if she had to put up an unexpected shield moments before. Montclair was the gateway to Letum and most had to pass through the western duchy to get north.

Desmond saw her strength and he trusted her. He placed her on the ground but still held her hand. It was shaking in his but she still managed to politely greet those who were welcoming them to the heart of the fortress at the heart of the outpost.

"Please show us to my regular room," Desmond said, his voice growing quieter since he had thoroughly abused it that evening. "A bath and dinner as well."