Marte Lauenstein buried her face in my back, her hands gripping me with force.
The horse, running at full speed to catch up to the carriage ahead, was shaking quite a bit, but Miss Marte simply clung to me. I probably should have said something, but I felt like I might bite my tongue off if I spoke carelessly.
Feeling Miss Marte’s grip tighten, I switched my spear to my right hand and her support from my left hand to the reins, urging the horse to run even faster.
“Don’t fall off! Even if you fall, I’ll help… Gggh!”
I bit my tongue after all. I’ll just pretend my message got across. As the carriage increased its speed, the sound grew louder, waking up the goblins as if it were an alarm clock.
However, they couldn’t keep up with the carriage’s speed. While they hadn’t surrounded us or gotten ahead yet, perhaps out of frustration or grogginess from just waking up, they hurled swords and spears, a few of which ended up embedded in the carriage.
I rode alongside the rearmost carriage, and their eyes, which had been filled with the anxiety of escaping by carriage, turned into cold, disdainful gazes as if they were looking at trash.
“Take this woman with you!”
It’s me, Shin the Hero. Don’t look at me like that… No one answered. It’s always like this, but does no one listen to me? Some of them were bleeding from their arms, but their eyes were the same.
“…No, no.”
It was a small, weak voice, but I heard it. Miss Marte, clinging to my back, shook her head slightly in refusal. So, she was dropped after all… Dropped in such an emergency, and precisely because it was an emergency. Was it one person or all of them? Will you all be able to live happily after this?
If they won’t take her, I’ll go on like this. I’m going to do it! Don’t underestimate the captain of the White Lily Corps! However, the area I could protect was narrow, and I could only defend the right side of the carriage. I knocked away countless swords and spears, but I couldn’t protect all the women on the carriage.
The arrows and swords continued to fly until we passed through Lauenstein. I ran, looking from the rear carriage to the front one, and saw that many were injured, some so severely they looked like they would die without immediate treatment.
“Yo, Hero. You managed to escape, huh?”
The auntie on the very front carriage, swinging a log she’d somehow acquired, spoke to me cheerfully.
When I told her our rendezvous point with Rufina and started to move my horse to the back, the auntie said,
“It’s not your fault, you know.”
Her words were a small comfort.
Rufina can use some healing magic. If we can make it that far, Sophia will be in the next town. While there are many injured, we’ll manage.
Just as I was feeling a bit better from the auntie’s words, it happened.
“Pursuers! Hurry!”
A variation of Area Mind’s Eye, Specific Area Mind’s Eye. Area Mind’s Eye can survey everything in 360 degrees, but not over very long distances. By concentrating on only a part of it, the range narrows but the distance extends. And since I’m not used to it, it feels weird.
I saw five of them. Hobgoblins riding Wardogs. Just like dogs, they are fast. They can easily catch up to a carriage full of people.
I continued to ride with Miss Marte clinging to me, leaving my place at the rear. Immediately, however, the pursuing Hobgoblins and Wardogs, who were trying to surround us, numbered over twenty. I met them with my unpracticed spear. Concentrating Godspeed only on my right hand holding the spear.
Ideally, I’d use Godspeed with my whole body, but it’s difficult while riding a horse. If I were to whip the horse with Godspeed, it would be cruel. Moreover, if I used Godspeed with my whole body, I might shake Miss Marte off.
The Hobgoblins were no match for my spear, which I could call partial Godspeed, but the problem was these little doggies. Even though I skillfully targeted and took down only the Hobgoblins, they kept barking “Gau gau!” and trying to scratch or bite the horse.
I like animals, you know. I’m a cat person, but I don’t dislike obedient dogs. From an animal welfare perspective, I’d rather not cut them, but it seems my feelings aren’t getting through.
“Home!”
Even if I tell them to go home, it won’t work. Military dogs are trained not to obey orders from anyone other than their owners. I had no choice but to hit the Wardogs on the nose to drive them away.
Just as I thought the pursuers were finished, a chill ran down my spine. It wasn’t that Miss Marte licked my back, but the presence of someone dangerous. And it wasn’t Priscilla.
I stopped the horse and looked back towards Lauenstein. I couldn’t see anything even with Specific Area Mind’s Eye, but I had a premonition that something dangerous was coming. I dismounted and handed the reins to Miss Marte.
“Miss Marte, from here on, please proceed alone. If you go straight down this road, you should rendezvous with the rest of the carriages.”
“M-Mikael, what will you do?”
You’re using “-sama” now. You’ve finally learned a little respect. That’s good. Next, let’s learn to smile. You’ll be even cuter if you smile.
“Something dangerous is coming. I can’t escort you to the rendezvous point. I’ll face it here.”
“No. …I can’t go there. Please, take me with you.”
A troublesome baby. I’ll make you enjoy yourself later, I thought, until I saw the figure in gleaming black armor through Specific Area Mind’s Eye.
“I’ll catch up later!”
I hit the horse’s hindquarters with my spear, making it run a bit wildly. I switched from Specific Area Mind’s Eye to a foresight ability, which I decided to call “Momentary Mind’s Eye,” and readied my spear.
The knight in black armor, without a word, swung down from above. I could see it coming, and dodging was easy, but my evasion was clumsy.
The knight in black armor pursued me as I dodved, launching successive wide slashes and chops, but I was dodging within the range of a short sword. With a spear, I couldn’t follow up.
But I could dodge, and I could see. Mode Two wasn’t active. I figured I could manage with Godspeed and Momentary Mind’s Eye. Until then, I’d just have to endure and learn the spear’s range.
After evading dozens of slashes, I was gradually getting a feel for the spear’s range. By then, the knights in black armor had increased to twelve. Twelve against one, a desperate number, but I still had some leeway.
“Here I go!”
A combined technique of Momentary Mind’s Eye and Mode Two. Its activation time is short, but about twelve of them shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll finish them quickly and return to Rufina’s modest embrace.
Slipping through the swords of the knights in black armor, I thrust my spear with Godspeed, riddled their armor with holes. Black mist billowed from the holes. I’d seen this somewhere.
I swung my spear with all my might. I cut off hands, swept legs, and thrust into chests. All of them felt oddly insubstantial. I could feel my blade cutting the armor, but not like I was cutting flesh.
Black mist extended from the fallen knights in black armor, reaching out to their severed limbs and drawing them together. Is this what I saw when I attacked Rufina’s father’s house!?
I remember the limbs connecting and stretching with mist. How did it end? Did I defeat them? How? I don’t remember; it was a long time ago. For now, I’ll just tear them apart; that should give me the answer.
Don’t get distracted by everything. One by one, surely. Check and call clearly. I focused on the knight in black armor before me, as if ignoring those attacking from the sides.
Dodging the right-hand attack aimed at my head, and parrying the sword aimed at my abdomen, I advanced. Take this! Mode Two, Hundred Spear Thrusts.
By about fifty, the armor was in tatters, and the upper body shattered. A large amount of black mist erupted, and their movements stopped.
It seems they can’t revive if I slice them to pieces enough to lose their upper bodies. With eleven left, I stopped Mode Two and impaled them with normal Godspeed.
After tearing apart four of them, the strange feeling in my legs turned into pain. I could see the strain of killing the remaining seven. I could still probably use Mode Two. Should I throw away my spear and run? As I started to consider fleeing, a gentle, dark voice was directed at me.
“Good evening. The clouds have cleared, and it’s a beautiful moonlit night. I smelled something intriguing in this direction and came to investigate, only to find you’ve done this to these boys…”
Light purple skin, and clothes that revealed a surprising amount of skin for someone on a battlefield. More like a negligee than pajamas from just waking up? Two sheep-like horns growing from her head were her charming feature, a demon. This is my second time seeing a demon.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. And may you sleep forever!”
I unleash an attack with Mode Two and Momentary Mind’s Eye. The knights in black armor stand in my way, trying to obstruct me.
“Hahaha, you’ve got a lot of fight in you. Just as expected, to be able to defeat an Undead Knight. Good, I like you.”
Honestly, seven of them are too much to reach the demon. My leg hurts, and I’ve done my job. I think it’s okay to run now. I cautiously retreated, keeping my spear ready.
“Oh? Are you perhaps trying to escape? If you do that, I’ll crush the woman over there.”
What! I instinctively looked back. In the distance, on a high point, a woman in a yellow dress on a horse was watching me.
“Could that be her? She looks worried. But crushing her would be a waste. I’ll violate her in front of you before I crush her.”
Why didn’t you run? I had calculated that Marte would run. Are you having second thoughts now? You should have remained the haughty, unpleasant woman you were.
“Let’s hurry up and kill each other. Show me that speed you had earlier.”
Do you think you’ve won, you idiot! The absolute law of this world, “women with large breasts have large attitudes,” seems to apply to demons as well.
“Mercenary, White Lily Corps. Mikael Sin, I’m here!”
“Hahaha, you’ve decided to fight. I am Alma Rosenberg. Come at me!”
This time, I might not make it. But I won’t give up until the end. I regret coming dressed so lightly! I’ll subject you to a strip-tease execution!
