Published at 12th of September 2021 4:46 pm

Chapter 17: The Great Flower of Flame and the Mutant

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Having heard that Liliella-san had been left behind in the forest, we had rushed into the forest to rescue her.

But it was dark in the forest, and we were constantly attacked by the monsters in our surroundings, making the search progress slow.

“This many monsters attack you at night!?”

I asked Ivan-san what the forest was normally like, since it was my first time there at night.

“No, this is the first time I’ve been attacked by this many too. The cause is probably that mutant Blade Wolf.”

Ivan-san and his team also seemed bewildered by the situation, lending credit to their words of this being unnatural.

“Ugh!”

Cutting a Hexarm Monkey coming flying at me from straight ahead in half, I continued securing a path for Ivan-san and the others, who were following behind.

I had actually only planned to fight monsters that tried to impede us, but since an unexpected number of monsters attacked us, I ended up fighting almost all of them in the end.

If it was going to be like that, burning all the monsters in front of us with Flame Inferno while making a road as well would be faster.

I couldn’t feel any signs of humans ahead when using search magic, so I decided to put that thought into practice.

As I was thinking that, Ivan-san called out to me.

“Rex, you go ahead!”

“Eh? But”

Since the forest was dangerous at night, independent actions should be avoided.

“We’re just slowing you down! You just go on ahead. We’ll go that way. If you find her, launch some flashy magic into the sky. If we find her, we’ll have our magician do the same.”

I see, so he decided that with this many monsters, splitting up into two groups to expand the search area is better than securing our safety.

As expected of Ivan-san, he’s really good at making decisions!

“Understood! I’ll go on ahead! Flame Inferno!!”

I used Flame Inferno right up until the edges of the area my search magic could see making a road, and headed deeper into the forest at full speed.

◆ ◆

“Flame Inferno!!”

Making a straight road with magic, I proceeded onwards.

Monsters occasionally came flying onto the road, but I cut them apart in no time.

I continued heading onwards without even storing the defeated monsters’ carcasses.

I hadn’t come here to do monster extermination, and I didn’t have the time to do so either.

“Where the hell is she.”

Awoo…OOO

That was when my ears picked up the faint howls of wolves.

“Where!?”

I checked the signals of all monsters around me with search magic.

Usually, there were a lot of Blade Wolves in a pack.

So, Liliella-san was likely still outside the range of my search magic, but perhaps I could detect at least a part of the Blade Wolves’ pack.

“…They’re there!!”

There were only a few of them, but they were definitely cooperating and moving as if chasing something.

“Over there!”

I resumed making a road with magic, and as I got closer, I could feel a pack of monsters with my search magic.

And, in their middle, I found a human.

“There she is! It’s Liliella-san!”

Having ascertained Liliella-san’s position, I sped through the forest like an arrow, accelerating using body strengthening magic.

If I knew where she was, there was no need to search for her while making those roads.

Slipping past the monsters trying to get in my way, I headed towards Liliella-san as fast as I could go.

And then, a wolf with a blade growing out of it appeared in my field of vision.

A Blade Wolf!

The wolves had already noticed me, and had gotten ready to fight.

“I don’t have the time to fight you!”

As one of the Blade Wolves came at me trying to slice me to pieces, I crouched down and jumped.

I jumped over not only the Blade Wolves, but even the trees, continuing onwards.

The Blade Wolves that had tried to cut me to pieces became confused, having lost sight of me behind the cover of the trees I had jumped over.

Ignoring them, I landed and accelerated again.

Slipping past another set of Blade Wolves waiting for me, I finally caught sight of Liliella-san being attacked by Blade Wolves.

“Flower Burn!!”

Having found Liliella-san, I used some flashy magic to let Ivan-san and co. know as well as to attract the Blade Wolves’ attention.

Boooom!!

With that loud boom, huge flowers of flame bloomed in the sky.

And not just one.

Two, three, five, ten, the flowers of flame bloomed and bloomed.

“Gyaun!?”

The Blade Wolves became disoriented at the sudden blooming of flowers of flame in the sky.

“Chase Freezer Javelins!!”

I used ice magic in a way where Liliella-san wouldn’t get hit.

The bunch of spears of ice shot out from my hand attacked the Blade Wolves.

But, they were still B-Rank monsters, and they evaded my magic without difficulty.

However, that was careless of them.

The spears of ice they should have avoided circled round back towards them.

“Guou!?”

The Blade Wolves were surprised.

“It’s tracking magic!”

And, unable to avoid the spears of ice, the Blade Wolves turned to ice one after the other.

Alright, with that, I’ve wiped out all the enemies in the surroundings!

Ignoring the rest of the Blade Wolves around us, I reached Liliella-san.

“I’m here to save you, Liliella-san!”

◆ ◆

How did it come to be like this?

I was surrounded by a pack of monsters I had never seen before and my life was in danger.

Two days ago, those monsters attacked us while we were protected by a barrier.

“Guaaaa!”

The first one to be attacked was the magician.

Probably because they found him slow.

Next, they went after the monk, so I made a decision.

That I would be a decoy.

“Over here!”

Swinging my sword and a torch around, I tried to attract the monsters’ attention.

“Run away!”

If not only the magician, who had a support-role, but also the monk, who had healing magic and could make barriers were attacked, even if the rest managed to run away, they might not make it back to the town.

“I’ll catch up with you! Go on ahead!”

“G-got it! We’ll go call for help right away!”

I smiled back at my companion’s words, but we all knew that would never happen.

It took a whole day to get to the town, after all.

Even if they hurried and called for help, it was a two-day round trip.

I likely wouldn’t be saved.

But I had to take the responsibility for having forcefully brought them all along.

My objectives had gotten them all involved in this.

“But, I can’t die yet! Not until I’ve found Zenso Grass!”

After that, it was all just desperation.

I ran and ran for my life, using everything I had to continue running.

Luckily, since there had been some streams or small cliffs while I was running away, I had been able to earn a bit more time.

But, that also only lasted so long.

Surrounded, I had no place to run away to.

They hit me in the leg, so I couldn’t run away.

And since I had used all my potions, I couldn’t heal it either.

“I’m sorry everyone, I’m sorry mum…”

I had come so far, I just needed a bit more.

“Uooooon!!”

It was the howl of the black monster the pack obeyed.

Perhaps I should end it myself.

“Then at least it’d be quick…”

But unfortunately, my weapon had already broken.

It had broken, unable to withstand the onslaught of the blades growing out of the monsters.

The monsters drew in, tightening the encirclement.

When that black monster howls again, it’ll be over.

“I just wanted to be a real adventurer…”

The black monster took a breath as if it was going to roar.

And that was when.

Boooom!!

The sky suddenly glowed red.

Boooom boooom boooooooooooom!!

The sky was continuously filled with the sounds of explosions.

“What’s going on!?”

Is this also the work of that black monster!?

But it was not.

“Chase Freezer Javelins!!”

When the explosions had died down, spears of ice attacked the monsters, accompanied by the voice of a boy.

“Eh!?”

The monsters became clumps of ice in the blink of an eye, immobile.

And then…

“I’m here to save you, Liliella-san!”

With a very kind voice, the boy was here to save me.

◆ ◆

Having arrived by Liliella-san, I first checked whether she was all right.

“Uwaa those are some nasty wounds!”

Liliella-san was completely beaten up, bleeding all over.

The injury on her leg was especially severe, since she probably couldn’t even walk with it.

“Excuse me!”

Grabbing Liliella-san’s hand, I cast recovery magic.

“Elder Heal!”

The high-grade recovery magic Elder Heal could even cure monsters’ poisons or illnesses.

Liliella-san had collapsed from fatigue and blood loss, but her breathing calmed down.

Phew, that’s good enough for now.

“Liliella-san, I’ll end this quick, so please wait in here! Highfield Wall!”

I protected Liliella-san using high-class barrier magic.

That magic should protect Liliella-san from even an S-Rank monster’s attacks.

“Eh!? Wait!? Why!? Why did you come to save me!?”

Liliella-san said something strange.

Perhaps it’s all the tension being released from having help arrive?

“Adventurers are all like friends! It’s natural that I’d help you!”

Fufu, I copied Ivan-san there.

“Come at me, Blade Wolves!”

As I turned around to face the Blade Wolves, they were cautiously checking their surroundings.

There was no way they would have left their territory of their own volition.

Their boss, the one giving them orders, was the real enemy here.

“There it is!”

It was a little further away, behind the encirclement of Blade Wolves.

Its body was pitch black, and its blades, larger than those of the other wolves, glowed silver as if hit by the light of the moon.

But its eyes, they glowed red like blood.

“So that’s the mutant…”

How horrible.

It didn’t seem like something that would be born naturally at all.

And neither in my previous life, nor in the one before that had such creatures existed.

Monsters were weaker, simple things were called amazing, and now these surprisingly horrifying mutants, just what the hell is going on with this era?

“Uoooon!!”

Since I didn’t move, the mutant roared.

“Whoops, this isn’t the place to be wondering about such things.”

Obeying their boss’ orders, the Blade Wolves began moving.

They split up, so they were likely going to try to attack Liliella-san and me simultaneously.

“So they think that if they go for Liliella-san, I’ll only be able to fight on the defensive to protect her.”

How naive.

What did they think that barrier magic was for?

“Guoooon!!”

The Blade Wolves all moved at the same time, following the mutant’s orders.

As expected of A-Rank monsters, their movements showed none of their agitation from earlier, completely coordinated.

Three of them came flying at me simultaneously from three different directions.

I instantly jumped aside, and three more immediately came flying at me again.

And this time, they were aiming for where I would land.

“But I have a weapon too!”

I stabbed the Blade Wolf on my right as I landed. I shot a Freezer Javelin from my left hand, freezing that wolf, and kicked the one behind me away with my left foot.

“Gugya!?”

The ones on either side of me died instantly, and the one that had received a body-strengthening-magic-strengthened kick from me flew backwards right into a Killer Plant with a scream, dying.

“Kyaa!”

Liliella-san screamed.

But she was fine.

If I had been looking over there, I would have seen Liliella-san curl up in a ball at the Blade Wolves flying at her, and then eventually look up, questioning why she wasn’t being attacked no matter how much time passed.

“Uwa!?”

What she saw was a wall of light standing between her and the Blade Wolves, repelling them.

“…What’s this!?”

“It’s high grade barrier magic, Highfield Wall. It can easily repel that lot.”

“Eh!? What the!? High grade barrier magic? Eh? What!?”

It seemed she still wasn’t able to stand up from the shock of being attacked by Blade Wolves.

“You’ll be fine! I’ll drive this lot away! Just please stay in there!”

“You, drive them away!? Kyaa!!”

Liliella-san was taken aback by a Blade Wolf flying at the barrier.

Don’t worry. See, they can’t get past the barrier, and the most they can do is just claw at it.

Liliella-san seemed to have understood that she would be safe inside, and calmed down a little.

Meanwhile, I had been thinning out the numbers of the Blade Wolves attacking me.

“Watch out for that black one! There’s no way it’s normal!”

“I know. I’ll be fine!”

Thank goodness, I thought she hated me, but it seemed like she was worried about me.

It was an unlucky misunderstanding, but she was a good person after all.

“It’s about time for it to come forward, since their numbers are dwindling fast.”

Fighting the Blade Wolves, I kept an eye on the mutant.

But, the mutant stubbornly refused to show any signs of movement, or when it did, only to give orders to it’s subordinates.

“Guo…”

But with the number of their companions dwindling fast, the Blade Wolves howled as if asking the mutant to do something.

“Gaao!!”

The mutant howled loudly in response to its minions’ weak howls.

“Gyauuun!!”

As if being purged by the mutant, the Blade Wolves headed towards me with a tragic preparedness.

They were being forced to do this by the mutant after all.

“Then, there’s no use in fighting them.”

Ignoring the Blade Wolves, I jumped at the mutant.

“Guaou!!”

The mutant caught my sword with the horrible blades growing out of its body.

“Guuou!!”

“Ugh, it’s strong!”

I was surprised by the mutant pushing back my attack with more power than it appeared to have.

Clink!

With that metallic sound, my broadsword broke.

“Oh no!”

“Gaaaou!!”

Sure of its victory, the mutant jumped at me to skewer me.

“Noooooo!!”

Liliella-san screamed as she saw that.

“This little!”

I held out both my hands towards the incoming mutant.

And then…

Crack!

Grabbing the blade, I tore it off from the base.

“…Gau?”

The mutant looked at me with a face that said ‘Eh, what?’.

Then, noticing its own blade in my hands, it looked at itself.

“…Gagauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!?”

“Eeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

Simultaneously with Liliella-san’s shout of surprise, the mutant let out a scream that almost certainly meant ‘W-whaaaaaaaat!?’.

“How dare you break that sword I made with the materials I happened to have on me at the time! This is payback!”

I flew at the surprised mutant, breaking off its blades one after the other.

“Gyaun! Gyaun!!”

The mutant tried to run away with a scream that probably meant ‘Stop! Just stop already!’.

“As if I’d let you run away!”

I jumped after the mutant with the last blade I had broken off it in my hands and cut its head off.

“Huh, this thing’s pretty sharp.”

I did get some good new materials though, so I guess I should make a sword out of this next?

“Kyaunkyaun!!”

I looked around and saw the Blade Wolves running away as fast as they could, freed by their boss having been killed.

“I’ll leave them be.”

Now that the mutant was dead, they should return to their natural habitat.

“Liliella-san, you can come out from there now.”

Having confirmed that there weren’t any monsters around with search magic, I called out to Liliella-san.

“…”

But for some reason, Liliella-san was just staring at me blankly.

“Liliella-san? It’s all right now?”

I called out to her again, and she finally returned to herself.

“Eh!? Ah!? T-the monsters!?”

“I defeated the boss, so they all ran away.”

I pointed at the decapitated mutant’s head.

“Now then, it’s quite late, so let’s go back.”

I held out my hand to Liliella-san.

But Liliella-san just stared at me as if lost in thought.

This is kinda embarrassing.

“Why?”

“Eh?”

“Why did you save me!?”

“Umm, like I said earlier, because adventurers help each other out.”

“That’s not it! Why did you do something so dangerous!? Entering the forest alone at night!”

“No, I’m not alone…”

“And! I said some horrible things to you! That you’re a fake! I insulted you!”

…A, ah, that.

Liliella-san seemed to have regretted her remarks for a while now.

Even if it was a misunderstanding, she had spoken ill of me and then regretted it.

So, she couldn’t believe that the person she had insulted would come to save her.

“Liliella-san, it’s nothing that complicated.”

I gently hugged her and spoke to her as if comforting one of the children back in the village.

“I came to save you because I heard you were in danger. That is all it was.”

“But…”

Liliella-san still didn’t seem convinced by that.

Stroking her hair, I slowly and gently spoke to her.

Like playing a lullaby to a crying child.

“Because adventurers don’t just abandon people in trouble. And didn’t the Great Swordsman Raigard also say that real men helped out crying girls?”

“But that’s just a story.”

“Yes, and I want to become an adventurer like in those stories! So, I came to rescue you! Because you were in trouble, I saved you!”

That’s right, adventurers don’t abandon people in trouble.

Because adventurers are the heroes we aspire to be.

“Idiot, you’re an idiot… To take such stories seriously and save people… that’s exactly the adventurer I aspired to beeeeeeeeeee!!”

“Eh!? Hey!? Eeeeeehhhhh!?”

Liliella-san suddenly started crying.

How did she start crying from that conversation!?

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-whatshouldIdo? Umm, t-to comfort a crying girl, you need to…”

I had no idea what to do at the unexpected situation.

“Ah, the rookie made a girl cry! We caaaan’t have thiiiis!”

“““We caaaan’t have thiiiis, we caaaan’t have thiiiis! Heeee made a girl cryyyy!”””

“Huh!?”

I turned around in surprise at the weird chant that suddenly came from behind me.

And standing there were…

“Heyo, lover boy. It seems you saved the young lady unharmed.”

“No, does that look unharmed to you?”

“Ivan-san!?”

Indeed, the ones there were Ivan-san and his team.

But not just them, other adventurers were also gathering.

“Umm, why are you all?”

“Well, you sent that magic up earlier, didn’t you? Everyone got the message that you’re here, thanks to that.”

“Well, to be honest, we already knew your general location due to that road-making magic of yours. You were blasting through burning the forest down like crazy. It really stood out, since it’s night and everything.”

“Umm, then, you all…”

“Yep! We’ve been watching for a while now!”

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

That’s really embarrassiiiiiiiiiiing!!

“Anyway, is she alright?”

“Eh?”

“Uwaaaaaaaaaan!!”

Oh right, Liliella-san was bawling her eyes out.

“Umm, everyone, could someone please teach me some way to stop her crying with your grown-ups’ knowledge?”

“All right then, we’ve found her. Let’s withdraw.”

“Oh man, I’m beat. Let’s camp in the clearing by the road tonight and return to the town tomorrow once the Sun has risen.”

Ignoring us, the adventurers began heading back.

“H-hey, anyone, someone, please?”

“Aight then, we’ll leave calming her down to you.”

“How can you be so irresponsible?”

“But, like, you were the one who went to save her. So, you should see it all through to the end and take her back.”

“Hey, you’re really going back!?”

“You’ll be fine inside that amazing barrier, right? Just enjoy the night together or something. We’ll be leaving so we don’t get in your way.”

“P-please waiiiiiiiiiiit!!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

In the end, Liliella-san continued crying until dawn when she fell asleep from all the crying, leaving the mentally exhausted me to carry her back to Hexi on my back.

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