Brawl
The group of monsters had headed somewhere, though it wasn’t clear where. Perhaps it was quite a distance away. The distance between us, moving slowly, quickly widened, and soon the roars of the monsters became inaudible.
“Sensei? Don’t rush.”
“Y-yeah.”
Maybe there were humans ahead. Thinking that way tempted me to speed up, but Kimishima calmly restrained me.
After a while, there was a loud noise from up ahead. What was happening? Since we were moving through the forest, we couldn’t see far ahead. I felt anxious, and there was no certainty that other monsters weren’t around. We cautiously advanced.
As we proceeded, we gradually heard voices as if there was a conflict in the distance. It sounded like groups were fighting—quite an intense battle. Occasionally, a reddish light rose along with a loud noise. Was that magic? As we got closer, it became clear that one side was definitely composed of humans. Shouts reached my ears that I could understand.
“Focal! The buff has worn off!”
“All right!”
“You guys, don’t bother trying to hit them with your weapons! Don’t stop!”
“Carton! You, use us as shields! Guuah!”
At this point…
Finally, we reached the scene where the battle was taking place. Looking around, it seemed that the humans had gained the upper hand, and the previously numerous forces of monsters had significantly dwindled. Two figures stood out among them. One was a huge man who, despite facing several monsters, swung a massive sword, dominating the battle. The other was a magician wrapped in a hood. With a wave of his staff, giant fireballs incinerated the monsters.
The other warriors fought desperately, but no one seemed capable of defeating the monsters as easily as these two. Perhaps they lacked sufficient magical power; despite their desperate attacks, they couldn’t inflict fatal wounds. The mage in the rear was also casting spells with all his might, but his attacks seemed equally ineffective. Therefore, the warriors focused on defense, enduring the battle until the two men could finish off the monsters.
But still, that man’s appearance was dangerous. He might belong to a certain race, but he didn’t look like a good person. Was he Carton? When I first saw him, he was shouting at a warrior and then silently swung his sword down.
On the ground lay numerous monsters and human warriors. However, the warriors clad in matching but shabby armor were the ones scattered on the ground, while those who survived wore mismatched armor similar to Carton’s.
Even the man who shouted, “Use us as shields!” and was subsequently slashed, wore identical armor.
Glancing at Kimishima, she looked back at me with a somewhat troubled expression. Perhaps she couldn’t determine if these people were good or bad.
“These guys seem dangerous… don’t they?”
“Yeah…”
Eventually, the last monster fell from Carton’s strike. Dealing with such a large number of monsters was truly impressive. We watched the scene intently.
At that moment, the magician turned our way.
“How long are you going to hide there? I’ll burn you!”
Wha… Were we noticed??? What should we do in this sudden situation? We stood still, unsure of how to react.
“Hey, we’re not very patient, you know? Come out in three seconds. Three!”
As the man shouted, a large fireball appeared in his palm.
“Two!…”
This is bad… He’s serious…
“Wait up!”
I signaled to Kimishima to stay where she was as I cautiously revealed myself.
“What about the other one?”
Crap, did he notice? Just as I was struggling to reply, there was a rustling sound, and Kimishima came up next to me.
“Hugh. You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you? Why are you here?”
“W-well… we got lost…”
“Lost? Come on. You didn’t get lost and end up here. Are you with the state army?”
“State army? No…”
“Hmm…”
The magician observed us with a nervous expression.
“Hey, Focal. Don’t tease her too much.”
Carton, the big man, joined in. Damn… He looked intimidating up close, towering over two meters.
“Carton. Is she… a woman?”
“Hahaha. Come on. Don’t say things that could be misunderstood.”
“These guys were just watching us fight. You get it? Despite so many people dying.”
“Oh, that’s bad. Normally, if humans and monsters are fighting, you’d lend a hand, right?”
“Yeah, that’s normal. These guys were just hiding and watching.”
Ugh… unable to say anything when told that. Unpleasant sweat formed under the pressure of these two.
“But she’s beautiful. My type, you know? Understand, Focal? In a place like this, I’ve only seen men’s faces for days.”
“Hahh… I get it, but these guys were around here? Don’t let your guard down.”
“We even let the Firebird go. At least, don’t let this cute girl escape.”
Damn it… I shifted my body and stood in front of Kimishima.
“Oh, it’s the Knight-sama. Hahaha.”
“Not a knight. You’re a couple with matching bracelets and rings, right?”
Huh? … Bracelets and rings… Is that a custom?
However, the magician, without any negligence or openings, even noticed that the designs of the ring and bracelet were the same. I didn’t know what to do, so I could only listen to their conversation. The big man, on the other hand, directed a crude and indecent gaze towards Kimishima.
“Anyway… where did you guys come from?”
“Well… from Galal Blue…”
“Huh? Why again?”
“From the Sky Temple… got mistakenly sent here…”
“Oh… Sky Temple, huh. Transferee, I see.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re quite far from Galal Blue. How did you get here? You just transferred, and haven’t climbed the Ladder, right?”
“… We hid.”
“Hahaha. I see. Well, I guess I would have missed you too if I didn’t use magic to search. Impressive. You guys have managed to escape this far. Kukukuk…”
“Hey, Focal. Is it time yet?”
“Yeah, it’s fine, Carton. This girl hasn’t climbed the Ladder either. It seems safe even if she bites. But don’t break her.”
“St-stop it!”
Damn it. They’re progressing the conversation on their own.
I gripped the sword with my left hand. Do I have no choice but to fight? They’re human, after all…
Pin…
The moment they saw my movement, the atmosphere changed. Even the magician, who had been laughing, showed a hint of killing intent.
“Hey… are you going to do it?”
“Y-you guys… right?”
“Sigh… well, you just transferred. I get it, it can’t be helped. What rank are you?”
Despite the tone, Focal asked without easing the tension.
“What… rank doesn’t matter, right?”
“Best case scenario, tens of thousands, worst case, millions… something like that, right?”
It might be a wild guess. But when he hit close to home, my face naturally twitched. The magician, looking at my face, confidently smiled, convinced that he was right.
“I’m somewhat known in the city too, you know? They call me Blaze Serpent.”
“Blaze Serpent…”
“Rank 328, a mage on the 8th floor.”
“In the 300s…”
“Kukukuk… not enough? Feeling despair?”
“W-what?”
“This big guy here is 87th.”
“Wha…”
At that moment, I must have had a face filled with despair. Again, the two burst into laughter with faces that seemed unbearable, and the three behind them, who had been listening, also rolled on the ground with laughter.
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