Running along the highway, the vegetation gets thinner the further away I went from Occa village.
It seems the village is located in a grassy basin surrounded by gently sloping hills.
I looked for Arina. I started by going over the first hill, anyway, the visibility between the series of hills is bad. The scenery changed every time I crossed over a hill.
That alone made me more uneasy about Arina’s safety.
“Arina~! Where are you~!~
Losing sight of her in another world not knowing what happens.
… Could Arina by any chance already….
That idea passed by. I ran, trying to wipe away the thought.
I don’t know how far I ran.
“Kyaaaaa!!”
There’s no mistaking it.
I touched the E:ID phone to take out the sword I just bought.
But I can’t stop running. I don’t have the time to stop!
I pressed a button on the side, and made sure I heard the ping of the phone’s alert sound, and shouted out.
I said out loud.
[Ready]
It was the alert voice from the time with the chocolate.
“Materialize! Take out! I want to Equip!”
I called out every term I could think of one by one, and then…
[Equip!]
A beam of light came out of my wristband.
Somehow it floated airily in front of my eyes.
I grasped it in my hand and felt its encouraging weight.
When I went over the hill I saw the worst situation unfold.
Nevertheless, they are too big. Probably the size of lions.
Their protruding fangs showed out of their mouths, their fur stood on end giving them a gruff impression.
Perhaps becoming hungry, they howled, their bloodshot eyes turned to the prey, Arina.
[WARNING!!]
BEEEEP, the smartphone sounded an alarm tone.
“I know that already….”
“Arina—!”
They received no damage being thrown the stone but their killing intent now turned to me.
I urged her to run using that gap, but…
Maybe she fell down, or maybe she just didn’t have enough courage, Arina did not move from her spot.
The fact that she’s called a ‘hero’, there must have been something wrong there, no?
—Now that it’s come to this I can only face them head on!
I raised the cheap sword overhead and jumped at the enemy.
The enemy’s fangs approached from the front.
It was a risky blow. Losing myself in the battle, I swung downward.
*Gya!*
Now!
I aimed at the enemy’s weak spot, thrusting my sword at its throat.
The wolf groaned, *guu*, and stopped moving.
A jewel-like mineral fell down where the enemy’s body ‘was’.
Another one was howling, jumping in to attack.
Arina’s flame struck at its flank.
The wolf whose body was engulfed in flames lost it strength, it fell down with a thud and vanished like the one earlier.
“B, bbbbbbbut, p, ppppp…., please forgive me!!”
No good, no matter how the magic she can use are, she’ll be useless as a fighting potential unless she’s mentally stabilized.
“Y, yes…. S, sorry.”
“A, all right!”
I faced the wolves alone earlier so I can afford to be reckless, but I’ve got Arina behind me now.
“Y, Yuu-kun.”
“Mother said she put a weapon in the E:ID…. C, can you use it?”
Taking Arina’s advice, I started up the smartphone.
“[Skil]…… ‘Salamander Cannon’!”
[Make it to equip!] «TN: sic»
The usual light came out from the smartphone.
The gun barrel itself looked like it could be used as a blunt weapon.
This looked like overkill to use in such a short range… but I’m not complaining.
[Ready]
Looks like preparation is OK.
The enemy acted immediately afterwards.
With its large body it jumped higher than my height, fangs and claws rushing at me.
“Hit ’em hard!”
[Action!!]
I fired the cannon at point-blank range.
I imagined there would be some reaction but there was almost no recoil. It felt somewhat anticlimactic.
Finally the sky shook with a thunderous boom. The bullet probably exploded.
The monster howled, then disappeared.
The cannon, having finished its duty, likewise vanished.
“I, …. it’s over.”
I put the sword away, then…
I shouted at Arina.
“…… ah, whatever.”
She’s always been like this.
…… and in the end she’d cry.
“Doesn’t matter anymore. Anyway, we shouldn’t stay lost here or it’ll all be over. Don’t go running off on your own anymore.”
After having made sure Arina assented to what I told her, I examined something that was on my mind. It was the stones the monsters dropped.
I picked it up. It had a hexagonal crystalline structure, its marble-like shape had a surface that shined with various colors mixing together, iridescence, I think it’s called.
I asked Arina what she thought but she only tilted her head, doesn’t look like she has answers.
It looks like I’ve got to study the difference between ‘animals’ and ‘monsters’.
Several entries labeled ‘Demon Core’ was added to the [Items] area.
“Anyway, let’s go. We have to get to the royal castle by today, right?”
“Seems we’re going to just barely make it. Can we make it, though… we should hurry.”
*clop*… *clop*… I heard a rhythmic sound.
When I looked towards it, I saw four top-breed white horses pulling a luxurious white coach adorned with jewels and gilded rims pulling up from the hill in the direction of Occa village.
This is a medieval fantasy world, so there’s probably a noble or something of that kind inside.
“T, that’s an expensive-looking coach. I wonder if there’s a princess inside.”
We exchanged vague opinions and started walking once again.
I muttered, letting out my idle complaints.
“……. Yuu-kun, you wanted to ride a coach?”
Of course, that was a joke, only half of it was my earnest wish.
“Hm? … what is it?”
“Hey you. You’re not seriously thinking of asking them to let us ride…”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Uwaa, that was an amazing sense of déjà vu.
“Are there two of you?”
I started to run, moving speedily to the scene.
Guard-looking knights jumped out from the coach, preparing their swords and starting to confront the obstacle.
There were four giants, drawing near as if to stop the coach’s way.
When I looked closely all four were bleeding here and there, one of them was oozing large amounts of blood from between his legs.
They looked just like the zombies from the movies.
Against the drowsily walking enemy, the knights stepped back in apprehension.
A knight raised an angry voice, and gallantly jumped at the enemy.
But the zombie paid no mind, twisting its body, snatching the sword away. Then the expensive sword that can’t compare to mine was broken with both hands.
The now-unarmed knight screamed and started to run.
It’s not unreasonable.
“Y, Yuu-kun! We’ve got to help!”
“But, we’ve used up the special move just now.”
The Salamander Cannon requires 60% for energy.
“You think we can win against that without the special move!?”
Arina curled her hand into a fist on her chest, then…
She wants to do rear support.
That’s right.
Then her party member should do his best as well.
I fumbled with my smartphone and choose something usable out of [Items].
Is there any tool that could do that…?
Arina found the liquor that the old man gave me earlier and scolded me.
I took the ‘Cheap Booze’ out of the smartphone.
“Y, Yes. I can.”
I also took out a ‘Towel’ and ‘Lighter’.
I jammed the towel in the bottle’s mouth.
“W, w… what are you doing?”
“A molotov cocktail. We’ll stop the enemy with this.”
What, you don’t know…?
I made sure Arina nodded and lit up the Molotov cocktail.
“Let’s go!”
Raising it overhead, we rushed towards the coach.
“Who are you!” “S, step back!”
The bottle exploded on the ground, the alcohol inside set ablaze, painting an arc of fire.
But the zombies didn’t stop moving.
I failed, huh……!
“‘Lightning Magic’!”
This was Arina’s cover.
Furthermore, the others’ situation changed.
The fire probably burned off their ankles.
But even with rotted legs, the enemy kept moving, creeping towards us with their hands.
“Get on the coach! Hurry!”
Arina ordered the knights.
Firstly, one of the knights went back to the coach.
The ‘princess’ from earlier.
Then the coachman and the knights started pushing the coach upright.
I gave them assistance and the coach finally stood upright.
Arina chanted, extinguishing the fire, giving us a way out.
Not that it was anyone’s decision, but we all went with the flow and got on the coach.
The horses neighed and took off at full speed.
Chapter end
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