Arisugawa was once again caught up in an accident.
I couldn’t rest at all because of the incident in the bathhouse, especially mentally. I didn’t want to remember what happened, but Karum, whom I thought was a boy, was a girl…
It was becoming a bit of a hassle to think about what to do next. No, I’ll think about it after a little sleep. Everyone must be tired from the journey so far. I sat down on what looked like a luxurious sofa and closed my eyes.
“…Hey, hey, wake up Arisugawa! Get your weapon, it’s a Dark Elf attack.”
Sharin shook my shoulder and shoved the dagger she had removed from her waist towards me. A Dark Elf attack, could this be a dream? It didn’t seem like an illusion my mind was showing me. Everyone was on guard, but there were no sounds or signs of anything.
“Um, where are the Dark Elves?”
“Karum just left. She said to wait here.”
Huh? That’s it? No, that must be a misunderstanding. She just had something to do, right? Sharin handed her chair to Philiana, leaving me unable to comprehend the situation. Could she be trying to escape in this opening? But wouldn’t that get her into trouble?
“Wait, just a moment, what kind of attack is this?”
“You wouldn’t wake up otherwise. I don’t want to be bothered by you dawdling, wake up.”
As expected of a female warrior who has confronted many enemies, she’s different from me, who’s living in peace. With a clang, the hole in the window I had just broken widened. I let Piyo out through it.
“There’s no other way, we’ll go on ahead. Karube, could you stay behind for us?”
I went outside ahead of Sharin. I’m sorry to leave her, but I have to go. However, thinking about that timid girl made my chest ache. She’ll probably get yelled at later.
The sun had already set outside, and the lights of distant buildings were noticeable. Piyo returned from scouting with a gentle flutter.
“How was it?”
“Yeah, it’s okay, but it’s strange, there doesn’t seem to be anyone around this house.”
So there are no sentries either. To have that girl guard alone, they seem to be taking her lightly despite calling her a hero. For now, we can go. It seems better to move all at once rather than scatter.
I told Piyo and Sharin to get everyone out through the window. The problem is the large-bodied Philiana and Lauren. I circled the mansion. Of course, the front door was locked. It was also chained from the inside. If there was something to cut, the door would open. Something to cut, something to cut… No, nothing comes to mind. I need large pliers, but I don’t have anything like that here, and they wouldn’t put it here.
“Sorry, I couldn’t find anything. What about Philiana and Lauren?”
“We have no choice, let’s leave them and go on our own. We don’t have time.”
I looked at Philiana and Lauren, who remained in the room.
“Please don’t worry about us. We’ll catch up later.”
I had no choice but to trust them this time. We left the mansion and proceeded towards the darkness. We should go to a place with as few people as possible. I heard something about Wyverns, and that they appear in the cemetery. They also said to go around to the east. I took out the compass and shone it in the moonlight. Fortunately, it seems we are heading east.
“Let’s keep going like this, we’ll leave the town and head for Shindo. Piyo and Veronica, please keep watch around us. Pauline, are you keeping up?”
I looked back and saw Pauline running desperately behind me. After a while, we came to a small path. A deserted road stretched far into the distance. Would we reach Shindo if we went this way? Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves echoed on the quiet night road. Had Philiana and the others come? It was faster than I thought.
“Oh, Philiana…”
But it wasn’t them in front of me. A knight, riding a black horse, slowly revealed himself. He was clad in strong armor from his toes to his head, with no gaps, and his jet-black armor dimly reflected the moonlight. This person didn’t seem like an ally. I felt he was different from the elves who had trapped us.
The jet-black knight dismounted with a clang.
“So you are the Hero’s party? Hah, what? It’s just a bunch of brats.”
His muffled laughter was unpleasantly invasive to my ears.
