Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330657219422179/episodes/16817330668871080471
It was a devastating shock.
Immediately after I thought I saw a blinding flash of light, a wave of force hit me hard with a tremendous earth tremor.
I involuntarily closed my eyes and covered my face with my hands, but I was hit by fine dust, tree branches, and pebbles.
The shockwaves that spread out around me never ceased, and I was forced to stay low to the ground and endure it.
I wondered how much time had passed amidst the torrent of power that would have blown me away if I had not been careful.
Actually, I think it was only a few dozen seconds. But when I thought of the girl near the center of the impact, I felt a rush of frustration that felt like an eternity.
Gradually, the storm that was pounding my body weakened. The flying rocks lose their momentum, and my eyes, which I had been forced to open, barely see anything at all.
–What I saw in my vision was a mountain that looked like a bald mountain, with the vegetation gone and a clear view to the top.
“Wha….”
I was speechless.
Andras, one of the powerful demon tribe serving the demon god, one of the demon generals – that troublesome leftover was truly a regrettably powerful force to be reckoned with.
The huge earth dragon that had been visible from this remote spot earlier was nowhere to be seen in sight.
A huge crater has appeared on the surface of the mountain, close to the summit. From here, too, I could see that the area around the top of the mountain had been hollowed out.
–And then…
And Anri, who should have been with me just a few minutes ago until I was pushed away, was nowhere to be seen.
“——”
The blood suddenly drained from my veins.
The power of the explosion that just hit this spot near the foot of the mountain is evident in the impact. The fact that the surface of the mountain was gouged out makes it clear that it was nothing out of the ordinary.
And what would happen as a result of being caught in such an explosion was more obvious than seeing fire.
The next thing I knew, I was running. I put aside the fatigue of the fierce battle, the pain of my wounds, and everything else, and ran with my strengthened body.
Somewhere in my field of vision, I saw that pale silver color. Where could I hear their mischievous voices?
Somewhere in the distance, I see the image of my precious friends.
I run up the mountain, breathing hard, and reach the hypocenter without finding any trace of Anri along the way.
The ground, gouged into a hemispherical shape, is vitrified from the high heat, and the transparent crystalline material rattles beneath my feet.
Trees, rocks, dragons, people. In the midst of this scene, where everything seemed to be leveled, I clenched my fists. A gurgling sound is heard, and a few drops of bright red blood drip from my clenched hand.
A small murmur escaped my lips as I clenched my teeth.
“–Why …… Anri ……!”
— just when I thought that I could finally be of use to everyone.
Anri’s abnormality was restored to normal, and we worked together to defeat a powerful enemy. The subsequent leave-behind was also going to be dealt with as one with the “Sword of Wheat”.
Unlike in the past, we had gained enough power to help everyone, and the four of us would be able to continue our adventures together again.
–I had not yet been able to make amends for the deep wounds I had inflicted on her heart.
I turned my head and almost slumped to the ground as my strength drained from my body,—-.
—
I hear a hard sound, like two hard objects hitting each other.
I looked up and quickly scanned my surroundings, looking for the source of the sound.
And then I found it.
A little distance away from me, at the edge of a huge crater. The ground was heaving with layers of earth and sand blown away by the impact, and the rattling, vitrified earth began to crumble.
Driven by the hope that swirls in my head, I immediately rush to the site. –And suddenly the ground in front of me shot up into the sky.
“—Aaa mouu! I thought I was going to die!”
My platinum hair fluttered in a flutter.
The woman who had appeared, carrying a huge axe and sweeping away the dirt from her body, blurted out
“The hole I dug collapsed, and it was quite hot even under the ground. …… Well, still–“
Seeing my eyes widen in surprise, Anri laughed mischievously.
“Right. I’m sure no one got hurt thanks to that, right?”
“-Anri ……!”
I thought it was over. I thought for a moment that Anri had given up her precious life for us and that we would never be able to speak to each other again.
With the relief of knowing that we would be able to speak to each other again, I involuntarily said out loud
“Why this reckless …… thing! I’m glad you’re safe, but if I had made a mistake–“
“—Because…”
Hearing my words, the situation completely changed from before. Anri looks at me with a serious face.
A look filled with sincere feelings pierces my eyes. Then, slowly, Anri opened her mouth.
“Because, Tale. If the two of us had fought the earth dragon like that, you would have defended me at some point anyway.”
“——”
“I still don’t have the strength to take on such a strong monster with ease. My body was pretty worn out. Anyway, Tale protecting me and getting hurt again like before. –I don’t like that. That’s why I did this.”
When Anri said that, her mouth turned into a smile, as if to say that it would be no different. And I certainly could not deny her words.
I don’t think it’s that big of a difference, but I think I’m better at fighting earth dragons than Anri is at the moment. If that is the case, then it is my role to help Anri when she is in trouble.
But Anri didn’t want to do that, so she took my place.
I was about to object to her actions, but the way she was staring at me made me shut my mouth. Her eyes looked at me as if she knew what I was going to say and said, “Right,” as if she was sulking.
–I told her that I didn’t want her to do such a thing, but there was no way she would agree, since I myself had done the same thing in the past.
I was saying that if I wanted Anri to change her behavior, then of course I would have to change mine as well.
When I was thinking of a counter-argument, Anri fired back with a follow-up.
“It’s useless to say that Tale is stronger than me,”
Anri shows me a thinly glowing sigil on the back of her hand.
“I have the blessing of a warrior, imposed on me by the goddess. The role of a warrior in a party is to be on the front line of the enemy’s attack. The blessing increases my arm strength and speed, of course, but it’s actually my defensive abilities that are the greatest. –Because when it comes to defense, I’m probably better than Tale.”
I growl at Anri, who smirks at me.
The one whose life is less in danger just put her body on the line. I can’t think of a justifiable counterargument to Anri’s assertion that would make her nod in agreement.
Theoretically, we were both thinking of each other, and each of us was in the right place at the right time to take the brunt of the blow.
Anri nodded her head in satisfaction at my inability to retort, and then she turned to me with a look of pride on her face.
“You know. If you learn from this, Tale should learn to rely on us a little bit.”
Then, after a pause, Anri looked at me again and said
“—We’re a party, you know”
I see straight emotions on Anri’s face. Concern for me, affection, and care. I don’t know all of them.
Even so, I can painfully sense that she is sincere in her feelings. Regardless of whether I respond or not, I can also see the strong determination in her clear eyes.
“…I understand. I’ll do my best to make that happen.”
That’s what I said.
I had a hard time nodding my head to Anri’s words. I don’t think a person like me is worthy to be on par with Anri and others. If someone has to be sacrificed, it should surely be me, and I still feel the same way.
Still. I felt that after receiving Anri’s sincere thoughts, I should not push them back.
One day, when I really can’t do anything about it, that will be different – but still, at least until that time comes. Until then, I would do my best to struggle together with Anri and the others.
I don’t know whether she understood my decision or not, but she nodded in agreement.
Still, Anri nodded at my answer and walked toward me with a satisfied smile on her face. Standing in front of me, she takes my hands in her warm ones and asks me to turn around.
Then, as I turned, I saw–
“Tale, Anri!”
“You two are safe!”
–I looked at Ur and Rietta, running this way, their arms wrapped around each other.
I could tell that they were deeply worried about us and were relieved that we were safe. The two run to us, begging us to hurry up.
Watching our precious friends, Anri stood next to me and said softly
“Come on. –Let’s go,”
Anri said softly as she stood next to me watching her precious friends.
I nodded my head and, with Anri pulling me along, waved to Ur and Rietta as they approached.
And so this war that began so abruptly finally came to an end after a dense day.
The damage to the town was great, and many adventurers and guardians were injured. It is impossible to say that the war ended without incident.
Still, there was no damage to the city and no loss of residents who were powerless to fight. The city’s surroundings were ravaged, but it did not matter as long as the people who lived in the city were safe.
It was almost a miracle that the damage was kept to this level despite the appearance of higher-ranking demons.
Bren, known as the adventurer’s town, will soon regain its former vigor and become a bustling starting point for many adventurers again–and it will be a busy place for many adventurers.
Not long ago, I had decided to leave the party and even faced the threat of death, but for the time being, I would continue adventuring as a member of “The Sword of Wheat,” using Bren as my base of operations.
–I am sure that I will continue my adventures as a member of “The Sword of Wheat” in Bren for a while longer.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !