The remnants of the Lauenstein heavy cavalry. Through a break in the poison mist, a battered cavalryman was brought forth from the Troll’s grasp, pleading for help.
“Close the gate!”
Unspoken words I uttered, unheard by anyone else. Cruel words forsaking a comrade.
The Lauenstein heavy cavalry was annihilated. The sole survivors were four individuals seized by two Trolls and two dragged by an Orc. What had once numbered fifty heavy cavalrymen were reduced to unrecognizable husks.
Those on the castle walls understood any rescue was impossible. The Nebel Bridge was a procession of monsters, led by defeated knights.
Terror spread through everyone who witnessed the fall of the Lauenstein Knight Order and the horde on the bridge. As if to amplify their fear, the two held by the Trolls had their heads crushed by immense strength. Another knight, thrown like a ball by a Troll, slammed into the castle gate and turned into a mass of flesh.
“Hiii!”
An Adventurer cried out. That sound turned to terror, spreading to those around him. Then, as the Trolls grabbed the man being dragged by the Orc, they effortlessly tore off both his arms.
The man fell to the ground, bleeding from both stumps, and stumbled towards the castle gate.
“H-help me…”
With those last words, he was bisected from head to toe. The castle gate fell silent. No one could utter a sound. All eyes were fixed on the fate of the remaining knight.
The other was a woman. The Orcs roughly stripped her armor and tore her clothes, their filthy tongues trailing over her ample chest. The naked woman wept, able to do nothing but beg for help. Her cries echoed within the castle gate.
A Troll roughly snatched the restrained woman away. He gripped her hands with crushing force, gazed at her slowly, and licked her body with a large tongue. Then the woman realized. She was about to be eaten by a Troll.
“No, noooo!”
Held tight, unable to move, she could only resist with words against what was about to happen. Being torn apart, head or body, by the Troll.
“Die, you bastard!”
I leaped from the castle walls, reaching the Troll’s head, and grabbed a nearby spear, plunging it in. The spear, driven with Godspeed, shattered its head and neck, and the Troll, bleeding profusely, slowly collapsed to its knees.
Fueled by pure rage, I cut off the fingers of the falling Troll and rescued the female knight. The slick, raw scent of the Troll’s licking lingered like lotion.
“Stay still if you want to live.”
I’m such an idiot. Why did I do this? War means death, and sometimes assault is commonplace.
Saving one woman here changes nothing. Why put myself in danger? I scooped up the female knight and leaped over the horde of Orcs.
My target was the castle gate, a straight line. But she’s heavy. You’re heavy! She’s slippery with lotion too, and smells fishy. The only salvation is that her waist is narrow, making her easy to hold.
Godspeed! Mode Two, full throttle!
My speed had clearly dropped. Immeasurably slower than when I pulverized the Troll’s head. Where had that speed gone? When did the speed of that spear thrust disappear?
Is she really that heavy? It’s rude to call a woman heavy, but she’s so slippery and hard to grip that it’s difficult. If my hands wandered to forbidden places, it was an accident. Her firm hips were quite impressive, but that wasn’t on purpose.
Though my speed was disappointingly slow, I left the Orcs behind, the castle gate now within reach. I’ll jump and clear the gate in one go. The gate, appearing over ten meters high, loomed before me, and I leaped, holding the lotion-covered woman tighter than necessary.
Damn, something grabbed my left leg! Using the pulling force, I rotated and threw the lotion-covered woman towards the castle wall.
Unable to resist the pulling force and gravity, I was slammed onto the Nebel Bridge before the castle gate. My head spun, my vision blurred… My left eye was gone. My right eye could still see.
My hands were fine. I drew the Orietta Knife from my waist and sliced off whatever was gripping my left leg.
Vines?! Using vines like Rufina’s, is this Lich magic?! It’s time to seriously escape. If I’m alone, I should be able to fly. Ten meters to clear the gate.
Godspeed jump!
Putting all my strength into both legs, adding sheer grit, my leap was aborted as the sole of my right foot pointed towards me.
It would have been better not to have noticed. The pain arrived once I did. I instinctively clutched my leg and sat down. Falling from that height with a rotation and only injuring my right leg might have been lucky. Especially if a Troll, brandishing a hammer larger than my body, hadn’t appeared before me.
Block? How? Flee? My right foot’s sole was already locked onto its target.
“■■■■, Thousand Swords!”
The swords pierced the Troll, distorting its form. I know that technique. Mine was two thousand, though. It hurts quite a bit.
“Rufina!”
I couldn’t help but shout. She’s a dangerous woman when she gets going. Ruthless, and a dark Necromancer who wears a revealing swimsuit despite her petite figure.
“Fool! If you crush it like that, the blood won’t be collectible. If used well, you can keep drinking it forever!”
Please worry about me. And worry about yourself!
As Rufina stood defiantly on the castle wall, lecturing, a battering ram thrown by a Troll sent her flying towards the castle’s inner courtyard.
“No way…”
The Troll’s battering ram was a massive spear-like weapon used to break down gates. And it struck the delicate Rufina directly…
All my nerves focused on my left leg. Jump! Jump! Jump!
Godspeed! Mode Two!
Two arrows pierced me as I was flung towards the castle wall. After all this effort, is this it? Is Godspeed failing?! My outstretched hand wouldn’t reach the castle walls.
Just then, an Adventurer on the castle wall thrust a spear downwards and shouted, “Grab it!” It was within reach. I desperately grabbed the spear and was pulled up onto the castle wall by the Adventurer.
“Whoa! We did it!”
“Amazing, this guy!”
On the castle walls, the man who had single-handedly charged into enemy territory to rescue a woman on the verge of death was showered with immense praise.
“Shut up!” More importantly, Rufina! I crawled on all fours, not even looking at the castle walls, and headed for the inner courtyard in search of Rufina.
There she was! Rufina, who had been flung to the edge of the inner courtyard, was lying there, seemingly asleep, drained of strength. Rossa stood beside her, met my gaze, smiled sadly, and vanished.
What does it mean for Rossa to disappear?! To vanish at such a time, leaving her master behind…
“Rufina!”
Rufina didn’t respond to the voice from the castle wall, which sounded like a shout. Ignoring the embedded arrows and my broken leg, I leaped from the castle wall towards Rufina.
“Rufina…”
I shook Rufina’s shoulder, who appeared to be merely sleeping with her eyes closed. Rufina gave no response.
“Rufina…”
I picked Rufina up. Her arms hung limply, no longer embracing me back.
Despair and rage. Priscilla, everyone, I don’t think I can go back. I can’t suppress this anger. No matter how many enemies are on the Nebel Bridge, I won’t stop until I’ve killed them all!
Holding the now motionless Rufina again, I stood up…
Sudden blackout! Consciousness vanished. As everything collapsed, a single voice reached me.
“Still as sweet as ever.”
