Chapter 392 : Experiencing Despair For The First Time
ーGRAAAAAAAAAAA!!
The big two-headed monster ran toward me while holding its axe over its heads.
I need to calm down, or I’ll be killed…
It has a big body, so it shouldn’t be able to move fast. If I can read its movements, I can dodge and counterattack it.
While remembering everything I had learned in the dojo, I held my sword forward and prepared myself to deal with the monster’s attack.
As expected, since it raised its axe, it would swing it down vertically.
「Hmph. You’re easy to reー !?」(Luard)
Aware of its axe, I was ready to dodge, but the monster suddenly stopped swinging its axe halfway.
I wasn’t expecting that. While I was confused, I heard Weikel’s voice.
「Luard-sama, watch out!」(Weikel)
He shoved me to the side, and right after, a huge leg of the monster hit him hard in the torso.
「Gaahh!!」(Weikel)
Weikel was blown a few meters away and hit a tree.
「A kick!?」(Luard)
I thought the monster would attack me with its axe, but it was just a feint.
This is bad… This monster is not stupid.
It’s like fighting a veteran warrior rather than a mindless monster.
I might have angered a much more dangerous enemy than I thought.
I’m saved thanks to Weikel, but he seems to be severely injured because of me. He was trying his best to stand up, but the monster didn’t wait for him.
I’m on my own now.
ーGRRRRRR!
The monster looked down at me with its two terrifying heads and held its axe to the side.
I thought it was going to be a feint again, but it wasn’t
It really swung its axe horizontally this time.
I jumped back, but I was a bit late because I hesitated. As a result, the blade hit my thigh.
「Aaaagghh!!」(Luard)
It didn’t cut my leg off, but the pain was so intense. My leg could no longer hold my weight, and I fell on my backside.
The monster didn’t stop. It raised its axe again.
I tried as best as I could to get up, but the pain in my leg didn’t let me. It hurt so much.
At that moment, I realised how stupid I was.
I was so blinded by power that I couldn’t even think clearly.
There was no way we could beat this powerful monster with only the two of us.
I was too cocky. I shouldn’t have provoked it and run away.
「Dammit!」(Luard)
Am I gonna die here…?
「Luard-sama, hold your breath!」(Weikel)
「ー!?」(Luard)
I was in despair, but again, I heard Weikel’s voice. He’s not giving up.
As I held my breath and covered my nose and mouth with my hand, he threw a glass bottle filled with a certain liquid at the monster.
It hit the monster’s head before the monster could swing its axe down at me. The bottle broke, and the liquid inside turned into an extremely stinky gas in an instant as it made contact with the air.
Adventurers simply call it a stinky bomb. It’s a bomb that will emit a super stinky gas when it breaks. It’s very effective against monsters that have a strong sense of smell, like kobolds.
Weikel must have bought it before we left the town. As expected from a professional adventurer. He’s well prepared.
ーGRAAAAAAAAAA!!
While the monster was suffering from the stinky gas, Weikel stood up and immediately ran toward me. He then carried me on his back and ran away as fast as he could.
「G-good job, Weikel!」(Luard)
「*Cough cough* Ugh!」(Weikel)
Weikel coughed as he ran.
I could see blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
「O, oi! Are you alright!?」(Luard)
「Don’t worry about me… Luard-sama… How’s your leg…?」(Weikel)
「It hurts like hell, but I can endure it.」(Luard)
「I… see…」(Weikel)
Judging from how hard he talked, I could tell that he was suffering from intense pain, but instead of worrying about himself, he worried about me.
That monster’s kick was brutal. It must have broken a few of his ribs. Even so, he didn’t complain and kept running while carrying me on his back.
When I first met him, I thought he was the type of adventurer who only cared about money. I had been harsh to him.
He could have abandoned me, a stubborn, cocky master, but this man… He put his own life on the line and saved me twice…
I felt pathetic… But what I found most pathetic was that, even though I was injured because of my own overconfidence, I felt a deep sense of relief that Weikel didn’t abandon me.
「Weikel…」(Luard)
However, that feeling of relief vanished in an instant.
Before I could even thank Weikel, the monster recovered from the stinky gas and chased after us.
「Shit, shit, shit! It’s chasing us!」(Luard)
「Khh…」(Weikel)
「Weikel, do you still have stinky bombs?」(Luard)
「They’re… in my waist bag…」(Weikel)
I don’t wanna keep being a burden. This is the least I can do right now.
I reached my hand into Weikel’s waist bag, took out some stinky bombs and threw them at the monster one by one.
「Eat this!」(Luard)
However, this special variant kobold was smart. He learned things in the battle.
Instead of blocking the bombs with its axe, which could break the bottles and spread the stinky gas, it dodged them one after another.
「This bastard dodged them! Shit!」(Luard)
「But thanks to that… it slows down a bit…」(Weikel)
As Weikel said, the gap between us and the monster widened a little.
However, it only bought us a little bit of time. That monster would eventually catch up at this rate.
We have to do something!
「Weikel, you have a plan?」(Luard)
「We go to… the spring…」(Weikel)
That’s right! The spring!
I heard that monsters don’t come near it for some reason. Local adventurers said that there was some kind of invisible barrier surrounding that place.
It’s not far from here. We might be able to escape if we can get there before that monster catches up.
While Weikel was running in the direction of the spring, I kept throwing the remaining stinky bombs and other throwable weapons Weikel had in his bags at the monster to maintain the gap between us.
「Hang in there, Weikel! We’re almost there! ーHm!?」(Luard)
As we were getting close to the spring, I saw a familiar figure. The figure of a ponytailed girl.
「Delica!? Why is she still here!?」(Luard)
Not just her, but her friends were still staying in that place.
I thought they had already returned to the town. Were they waiting for us?
「Luard!?」(Delica)
Delica ran toward us as soon as she noticed us.
「Delica-chan… Why are you… still here…? *Cough cough* Ugghh!」(Weikel)
Weikel slowed down when he noticed Delica. He stopped and coughed up blood. He must have reached his limit long ago.
「Weikel!」(Luard)
I didn’t want to burden him any longer, so I got off his back.
He kneeled on all fours and continued coughing blood.
「*Cough cough*!」(Weikel)
「Weikel-san, are you alright!?」(Delica)
「Not good… My ribs are broken…」(Weikel)
We wanted to rest so badly, but the monster didn’t let us.
ーBrr! Brr! Brr! Brr!
The earth was vibrating, meaning that the monster was getting closer.
I can’t run with this leg, and Weikel is running out of stamina. It’s not looking good at all.
There’s no way I would ask Delica to carry me. She should carry Weikel instead and run away.
As for me… I guess this is it for me…
If I’m going to die here, at least I want to look cool in front of the girl I love.
I drew my sword and faced the direction where the monster was, doing my best to stand as straight as possible with my injured leg.
「Delica, take Weikel and run!」(Luard)
「Luard, what are youー Y, your legー!」(Delica)
Delica looked at my leg, which was covered in my blood. She looked so worried.
Honestly, knowing that she was worrying about me makes me feel a bit happy.
「I can’t run with this leg. I don’t know what I can do, but I can at least buy you some time. Don’t mind me and run!」(Luard)
「Butー」(Delica)
「ーDelica, listen! You might think that I hate you, but… You’re wrong! Delica, I loー」(Luard)
ーGRRRAAAAAAA!!
The monster had finally come into sight.
Perhaps it was thinking of preventing us from running away, so it grabbed a big boulder on its way and threw it at us.
Dammit! It won’t even let me finish my love confession in my last moment!
I spontaneously put my remaining strength into my legs and pushed Delica and Weikel away while the big boulder was flying this way.
I was so desperate that I didn’t even care about the severe pain I felt in my leg at the moment.
I couldn’t tell Delica my feelings, but… at least I saved her life.
Ahh… Goodbye, my first love…
「ーEarth Wall!」(Mark)
ーBRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
「Wh… Wha…!?」(Luard)
When I thought I would be crushed by that boulder and die like a flat frog, a huge wall of earth suddenly erected in front of me.
It blocked the boulder and slowly crumbled after the impact.
I’m still alive thanks to it.
As I wondered what happened, I noticed a short blonde boy standing next to me before I knew it.
He looked at me and asked.
「Luard-san, are you alright?」(Mark)
「Huh…? Eh…?」(Luard)
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