In the home of the village chief of a certain village.
“Haa, what a drag.”
“Boss, this is a report from the lookout. Dust clouds are coming this way.”
“Pursuers?”
“Most likely.”
Nine and the others, after that.
They repelled the second and third waves of pursuers.
Then, unbelievably.
Pursuers appeared from the direction they were fleeing, in what had become a battlefield.
And they were accompanied by Knights (Golems).
Realizing they were outmatched fighting them head-on, they focused on escaping.
Their escape, like a startled rabbit, was successful, and they managed shaking off their pursuers.
However, they couldn’t find a village for prey or supplies.
After going without food or water, they finally found a village during the daytime.
They were discovered by farmers who had gone out to harvest the wheat fields.
Hungry and thirsty, they couldn’t wait for it to get dark.
Everyone except Nine was injured and they took control of the village.
Currently, they were healing their wounds until the pursuers arrived.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Yes.”
” ” ” “……Ow, ow. Yes.”
The subordinates, using farming tools as makeshift staffs, spurred their aching bodies into motion.
They took the farmer’s wife, who had served as their lookout, hostage.
“You said this wasn’t part of the deal— *GURUGURUGURUGU*!”
“Shut up! If they chase us, I’ll consider your wife dead!”
Those approaching in a cloud of dust would probably attack them under the guise of wanting to prevent further atrocities.
But this farmer (husband) might buy them some time to escape.
“The rest of you too.”
“Understood, Boss.”
They made them flee in the direction of the pursuers.
To slow them down, even just a little.
“That’s right. Let’s go. Hyaa! You guys are free! Get out of here quickly!”
Nine released the villagers they had captured.
Those who didn’t go in the direction of the pursuers had their paths corrected by the plows and hoes thrown at their feet.
“Anyone going that way! Next time I’ll kill you!”
Nine and the others fled.
In the opposite direction from where the pursuers had appeared.
Somewhere in the forest.
*Rustle!*
As Nine and the others entered, birds took flight into the sky.
“Damn birds.”
“Don’t. Letting your killing intent leak will only make more birds fly away.”
“Boss is right, ow.”
“Boss. Is there anything around us?”
“An ambush… it doesn’t seem like it.”
“Monsters (medium-sized or larger)…”
*CRUNCH, CRUNCH!*
“GYYYOOOOOOOOOOH!!”
“Medium-sized! One! There might be others!”
” ” ” ” “Yes, Boss!” ”
A medium-sized monster appeared.
Its base was that of a cat.
But its size was larger than a bear.
Despite its size, it was fast.
“Guh!”
“You bastard!”
“Don’t pursue! Stay together!”
Using the trees, they attacked with claws and tails after moving into a higher position.
Their leather armor and iron plates were deeply slashed.
Red lines were carved onto their bodies.
“Are you alright!?”
“Yes, the wounds seem shallow.”
“That cat…”
“Boss, what do we do?”
“We’ll be toyed with and killed here!”
“H-here it comes!”
“GYYYOOOOOOOOOOH!!”
Nine considered their Possessed Magic Power.
Encountering such monsters in the shallow part of the forest.
If they repelled them with magic and returned the way they came, they would be quickly caught by the pursuers.
On the other hand, repelling them with magic and going deeper into the forest was also dangerous (for their subordinates).
“Can’t be helped.”
“B-Boss?”
“〈Wind Magic (Cut)〉”
Nine cast a spell.
The subordinates were in high spirits, believing they could win now.
The medium-sized monster’s amazed shrieks mingled with their cheers.
“GYUUOO, GYO…”
“Die.”
“GYYYYOOOOOOOOOOH!!!”
The death throes echoed throughout the forest.
It likely reached the ears of the medium-sized and larger monsters who had taken corporeal form.
“Climb the trees.”
” ” ” ” “Yes.” ”
Nine and the others hastily climbed nearby trees, intending to let the monsters pass.
They narrowly made it.
They managed to avoid being spotted by the medium-sized monsters, which were based on various animals.
The monsters, having dismembered the corpses of various animals into four pieces, fought over them.
The remaining one, despite being injured, did not attack.
It wasn’t just because climbing again after killing them would be troublesome.
“Hush.”
“Gya!”
Another monster was approaching.
Nine and the others hid themselves until the area below became quiet.
Fortunately, due to the strong scent of blood below, they were not detected by their own scent.
“…I’m going to scout.”
“Boss, it’s dangerous to go alone.”
“Please take one of us with you.”
He clearly stated that they would be a hindrance.
Nine headed deeper into the forest.
The subordinates regretted their own incompetence.
They decided to heal their wounds so they could move by the time Nine returned, and took turns resting while trying not to fall from the branches.
Nine proceeded, paying attention to the surrounding sounds.
When they heard a sound, they took refuge in a tree, waited for it to pass, and searched for a safe place (suitable for defense).
“Whoa?! A magic tree!”
“Gua-wa-wa.”
Nine, engrossed in the sounds, was easily restrained by a monster specializing in ambushes.
Hanging upside down.
“I’ll burn you, you bastard! Hnnngh!”
“GYAOooooooooooh!!”
As they were about to be thrown into the magic tree’s large mouth, their bodies were enhanced.
The magic tree suffered Nine’s counterattack directly.
Unable to escape the roof of its mouth, cracks ran through the magic tree’s trunk.
The magic tree, as if to say ‘how dare you’, extended its branches and roots towards Nine.
“You damn thing that won’t die!”
“Gwaaaaaaaaaaoh!! Aaaah…!”
Nine snapped the magic tree’s trunk in half.
The extended branches and roots lost their momentum and slowly fell to the ground.
“Just a weakling.”
Nine absorbed the magic from the magic tree (the remaining dispersed magic).
Since there was a stationary monster, the path ahead contained similar monsters.
Nine proceeded cautiously, observing the trees and the ground for anomalies.
They did not use detection magic.
Doing so would not only alert the monsters, but also the pursuing Knights (Golems).
They intended to use cloud cover, but wide-ranging detection spells were out of the question.
“There it is!”
*Thump!*
“Gwaaaaah!!”
Distinguishing it from an ordinary tree thanks to the difference from the magic tree.
The even spacing of the surrounding trees and the lack of fallen leaves on the ground.
It was a scout.
They possessed the skill to discern it more closely based on scent and bark.
In front of the latest area was a mysterious cave.
“It doesn’t seem like a Labyrinth.”
Alright, I’ll hide here.
It will take some time to get here, but searching for another place would take even longer.
They would have to be patient with the others.
Nine returned to the trees where their subordinates were, looking for the markers they had left on the way.
