These two questions crossed my mind when I first woke up as I tried to move my body but to no avail.
I remember being abducted by a non-human creature but I don’t know why. I can see many feet on the ground but I can’t tell how many people these feet belong to.
The place where they hit me when I resisted was still throbbing in pain.
I know that I’m currently outside the village and I’m being carried on the shoulder by someone. But the second I tried to think about what was going on, it was like a mist covering my thoughts.
Dad and Mom were seriously injured. I wonder if they are fine.
Even since a person wearing a hood touched me I can barely gather my thoughts. Just what has happened to me?
After running through the bushes for a while, they stopped in a place quite far from the village and threw me to the ground. Ouch.
“Around here…”
“The time…”
They are saying something… Are they talking to each other? I don’t know.
“…The hero’s….”
“Yes, I’m sure she’s…”
Ouch. I think my hair was pulled to lift my head.
“Make her drink…”
“Using her body…”
My mouth is forced open and a stone-like something is slowly getting close to me. What’s that…
“….and that’s the end of this girl”
“…resurrection of…”
Huh? End? Am I going to die?
No! Mom… Dad… I won’t be able… to see them again…
“Big…brother….”
Immediately after I muttered that, I heard a thud and I fell forward.
***
Welner’s POV
As I ran, I noticed something. The direction Mazell’s mother was pointing at is in the opposite direction of Finnoi.
That means their destination isn’t Finnoi… but then where? Think! In the game, what’s in that direction…
“….The Counting Star Tower!”
Currently, the Counting Star Tower is still the demon’s den. There is also no human settlement in its surroundings. That means if she’s brought there, only the hero party is strong enough to rescue her.
For better or worse, they were running through the bushes so they left a lot of trails like broken branches and trampled grasses so following their track isn’t difficult. However, if I just kept chasing them, I don’t know if I could even catch up to them.
If their destination is really Counting Star Tower, they will need to go around the village. Rather than continue chasing them like this, it will be better for me to take a shortcut. I ignored the scratch on my cheek caused by a branch and kept running.
She must have gotten kidnapped right around the time I arrived in the village. The enemies probably don’t think that they are being chased so they will hopefully lower their guard. As long as I don’t give up, I will make it in time.
After running for a while, I found freshly stomped grass. I saved a few minutes using the shortcut! I’m lucky that the moon is shining brightly tonight so the road isn’t pitch dark.
Then I finally spotted them. A robbed figure is lifting a girl by her hair. Maybe she’s unconscious, that’s why she isn’t resisting. The girl and the robbed figure are surrounded by 3 other figures. Two of them look like they are swordsmen. I don’t know about the last one since he’s wearing a hood.
The other hand of the robbed figure is approaching the girl’s face. He must be planning to do something bad to the girl. Without stopping my track, I raised my spear…
“REACH HIM!!!”
[Spearmanship] skill exists in this world but [Javelin] skill doesn’t exist. That means [Spearmanship] skill must also include the ability to throw a spear. The design of a throwing spear or javelin is different from the normal spear. I’m taking a bit of a gamble by throwing a normal spear but it seems like it went well.
The tip of my spear precisely pierced the robbed figure’s face and he fell backward. The girl caught by his hand also ended up falling with him though, so I need to apologize to her later.
I drew my sword, rushed to the confused hooded figure, and slashed at him. Swordsmanship isn’t my forte but since my sword is of high quality, it easily slashed through the hooded figure. Blood or rather bodily fluid splattered on the ground.
It seems like I failed to kill him with that strike, but if I try to attack him again, I will leave a huge opening on myself.
Thinking so, I just kicked him far away from the girl. I heard a groan similar to a frog being stomped but I ignored it.
The remaining two figures also drew their sword and attacked me but I dodged them reflexively. This must be the result of my training. For now, it’s good as long as they didn’t try to attack the girl.
I felt that the movements of these two were strange but I don’t have time to think about it. I closed the distance and punched one of my enemies in his face with my hand that was still gripping the hilt of my sword. Then, I swung my sword to the side. Fighting with my fist reminds me of my school days.
Sparks fly as my sword hits the sword of my last opponent. I used the momentum of the blow to move to a position where I can protect the girl behind me. The guy that I punched earlier stayed silent. It’s best if he was unconscious. I’m not that good at using swords so I want to reduce their fighting force as much as possible.
I smell a rotten smell coming from the hand that just punched my opponent. Wait, the rotten smell?? The face of the creature I just punched was finally revealed as the moonlight shone on him.
“W…Why are they here!?”
Dead Swordsman. They shouldn’t appear here. No, wait. They did appear as rare monsters in the Counting Star Tower in the dungeon unlocked after the hero defeated Beliulace. Does that mean these guys aren’t Beliulace’s subordinates?
But the demons that attacked the village are reptile-type demons that appeared in the Great Temple dungeon so they should be Beliulace’s subordinates. Something is going on here.
Though puzzled, I kept swinging my sword. When one received my sword, the other attacked me. Damn it. They are undead so hitting their face is useless. What’s done is done though.
I’m using a sword, not a spear. I also didn’t bring a shield, and am now facing 2 opponents at the same time. This is tough.
The battle continues with me attacking my opponent and dodging their strikes. Sparks flew and crisp sounds resounded as my opponents’ swords hit my armor.
Argh.. damn it! Fighting two rare monsters with my bad swordsmanship with this tired body, are you kidding me!?
5 strikes, 10 strikes, 15 strikes, sparks flew as our swords kept clashing. My hands are going numb but I kept attacking without faltering. I parried any thrust, and when a sword was swinging down at me, I twisted my wrist so that I could break my opponent’s stance. I must say that considering that I’m fighting two-on-one, I’m putting up a great fight.
When I focus my attention on one opponent, the other will immediately rush to me so I must pay attention to both of them. It’s mentally taxing. Gradually, I’m being pushed back and my sturdy armor is the sole reason I haven’t gotten any injuries yet.
But stamina-wise I’m definitely at a disadvantage. Maybe I should bait them by showing an opening on purpose. I might get injured, but at least, I can also cause them to suffer damage… As this thought crossed my mind, I heard a faint voice, like a roar.
I quickly swung my sword, turned around, and then let go of my sword. I grabbed the girl who was still lying on the ground with my left hand, grabbed it with my right hand, and moved away from the place.
Immediately after, a thunderous roar struck my ear followed by shock waves and heat hitting my back.
With the girl still in my arms, I rolled on the ground while distancing myself. Ouch. I saw the guy I kicked earlier standing up and pointing his palm toward me. So, he’s a Lizard Magician. The earlier attack was probably fire magic.
He’s a reptile demon so is he Beliulace’s subordinate? Well, that doesn’t matter though.
Right after I stopped rolling on the ground, the Dead Swordsman rushed at me. I can understand their reasoning, but they played a bad move. While enduring the pain in my back, I found a place where I can stabilize my foothold and aim properly.
The reason why my body moved right after I saw the Dead Swordsman rushing over here must be either the result of my training or the effect of my Skill.
Slash
My spear pierced the armor and torso of the Dead Swordsman coming from my right side and went through its back
“Yup, this is more of my style.”
My back hurts but I can handle it. I grinned as I readjusted my grip on the spear.