Thanks to the saline solution you brought, Arisugawa’s life was saved.
“Ugh, cough, huh, what, it hurts…”
“Kalm, wake up! The monster is close!”
She seemed to have woken up after I splashed water on her. She was holding her head and looking around.
“W-what is that giant fox—”
“Here, stand up.”
As I grabbed her arm and pulled her, my vision suddenly darkened. I knew without looking, I sensed its presence. This is bad, I’m going to be torn to shreds! In a moment, I snatched Kalm’s sword and thrust it towards the approaching palm. It was probably no bigger than a toothpick to the giant creature, but the tip still pierced it.
“Gah! Grrr, GAAAH!!”
A hot breath licked my entire body. Sparks seemed to fly from its gaping mouth. Was it trying to use fire magic?! Damn it, the reception counter is too far, I won’t make it from here! Before I could say anything, I pulled Kalm’s clothes and hid her behind the waiting room’s long couch.
She looked at me with a questioning expression. The next moment, with a roar, the chair was engulfed in violet flames. Flames licked out from the gaps in the fallen chair. I dodged the direct hit, but the intense heat made it impossible to breathe. Kalm was covering her face beside me.
What should I do? There’s no guarantee Veronica will come. And Lauren, the Youko probably hid her intentionally. I don’t even know how long the saline solution will be effective.
The flames stopped, and I gently peeked out from behind the chair. The chair was completely burnt, reduced to its frame. Through the smoldering smoke, two dull eyes glared at me. I can’t think of a solution. I’m not that strong in the first place. It’s even more difficult to protect someone. And our swords are too unreliable against such a large enemy.
“Lucky bastards, still alive, huh?”
This time, five lights began to float in the air. Another attack, I can’t stay here. I pushed Kalm towards the opposite direction to run. Then I myself moved away. Just as I stood up, a blazing fireball descended from above.
The blast pushed me, my body swayed. Don’t fall! Take one step forward, if I fall here, I’ll die! I told myself and ran with all my might. After the roar behind me came a tremor that shook the building like an earthquake. Was this a technique like Elana’s, but the power was completely different. The ceiling creaked, and fragments of light bulbs rained down.
I managed to hide behind the reception counter. I wanted to breathe, but my throat was sticky with heat, and air couldn’t enter. Water, I need water. Damn it, I left most of my luggage in the mansion. The bottle I had only had a little left, half-drunk. For the time being, I forced it down. It wasn’t nearly enough.
When the sound stopped, I observed the enemy’s form again. It seemed to have lost sight of us who had fled. Huh? Something is stuck in its back. Isn’t that the dagger the wife thrust in? Then the Monster Fox reached for the dagger stuck in it.
“Grrr, this damnable cursed object! If it weren’t for this, and for that woman, I would surely have found and killed you!”
It tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge. It was as if it had grown from its back. Could it really have been that effective? Or can curses be cast so easily? No, think about it, she’s a nurse. She usually dedicates herself to saving lives. How much hesitation would she have felt to dirty her hands to kill someone? Even if the opponent was a monster.
A curse is essentially a person’s strong feelings. Formed from accumulated hatred and jealousy. Perhaps Ias’s strong emotions reacted to the cursed object. His patients were killed, his colleagues were killed, and even without wielding a sword, he wanted to fight. The Youko’s power is likely suppressed by that sword. Then there’s no reason not to use it.
