Chapter 83 : Battle Commences?!
T/N: Someone bought me kofi today so I’ve decided to post another chapter to thank the generous support I’ve received. Thank you for the kofi dear anonymous supporter! I really appreciate it! (/▽＼*)｡o○♡
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
“Ugh! You! What do you think you’re doing?! Suddenly slashing someone when they’re trying to be nice to you!”
Fer-san, who had closed the distance in a matter of seconds, swung his sword at the bandit but the bandit was quick to protect his stomach by parrying Fer-san’s attack with his sword. Because of that, the bandit only had a bleeding wound on his left arm. His face was flushed red as he grumbled at Fer-san.
But, Fer-san had a stronger hold on his sword. The sword the bandit was holding on fell from his hand. Without his weapon, it was safe to say this bandit possessed almost zero threat to us.
“Ugh… Haah… Why…”
“The hell are you guys talking about… We’re adventurers hired as a guard. Protecting the client is our job, isn’t it? If you’re not ready to get your ass kicked then don’t rob people!”
Even though he had a robust build, Sig-san was able to go behind the bandit’s back while hiding his presence. He put his hands on the bandit’s neck and then he spun the bandit around so now he was facing the group of bandits while keeping his hold onto one of the bandit’s neck. The strangled man tried to break free but Sig-san didn’t budge at all.
“If you want me to spare this guy’s life then drop your weapons!”
“Who the heck would do that?! You guys! Be careful of that big guy and that blonde bastard! Let’s quickly get our hands on that small lad and retreat!”
Sig-san said that while facing the group but the leader of the bandit, a big, burly man was quick to abandon his lackey. The big guy he was referring to must be Sig-san and the blonde one must be Fer-san. From the way they moved, it was clear to see that they were very strong.
And… The small lad… Must be me….
Though even if they took me, I doubt they could get anything good out of me.
“Ren-chan, after I put you down, you have to quickly get inside the carriage and create another [Barrier]. You can help us by giving us your buff magic from inside the carriage…. Hey you guys?~ You think you only need to be wary of those two?~ Don’t forget about me, okay?~ Prepare yourself!”
“Haaah… Then I will put this guy to sleep! There!”
While the bandits were getting busy with Fer-san and Sig-san, Chris-san stealthily came and helped me down from Oscar. He whispered to me and I gave him a small nod in return. He sounded so serious, unlike his usual sing-sang voice.
After he helped me down, he hid me behind his back and tried to divert the bandit’s attention to him. On the other side, Sig-san dropped the guy he was strangling to the ground like a ragdoll. As soon as he put the guy down, three bandits came rushing to him.
“【Roots】”
While Sig-san kept those three bandits busy, I slowly went to the carriage while being careful to not turn my back against the group of bandits. I cast [Roots] on the man Sig-san had thrown, in case the man woke up during the battle. Maybe we could also catch the man alive for the bounty.
“You guys! Let’s follow Sig-dono and the others! Tad! Timothy! I need you guys to guard the Madam’s and the other’s carriage!”
「「Yes!」」
After reaching the carriages, which were already protected by [Barrier], Mel-san and the others went to face the bandits.
“Ren-dono! Please cure the madam and the others from the paralysis!”
“Yes. I already put [Barrier] around the carriages so while I cure everyone from the paralysis, please get the coachmans and come back to me.”
Tad-san and Timothy-san stayed behind and asked me that. I already planned on doing that and since we didn’t have the luxury to talk leisurely, I only gave them a short reply. I also asked them to get the coachmen, who were thrown from the carriages not too far away from us after they were hit with [Paralyze].
The coachmen weren’t moving even after I cast [Purify] on them so I had to ask Tad-san and the others to help me fetch them. They probably didn’t realize I had already cast [Barrier] around the carriages. When I was putting up [Barrier], the coachmen were still paralyzed. They probably had been too confused to notice their surroundings. Either way, it wouldn’t be a good idea to mention I already had [Barrier] up out loud. So I asked Tad-san and the others to retrieve the coachmen stealthily.
“Yes! Understood!”
With Tad-san’s words trailing behind me, I went to open the carriage’s door a little. I opened just enough so I could slip inside and closed the door shut afterwards. Francesca-san and two of her maids were crouching on the floor. Seemed like they were still suffering from [Paralyze].
“I’m going to cure you now. But listen to me first. Even after I healed you, you need to stay inside. The outside is still too dangerous so please wait here until we’re done. 【Purify】”.
It’d be disastrous if they were to run out in panic. That was why I needed to tell them to be careful before I cured their paralysis.
“Aah… We’re saved…”
“Madam! Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes. What about Sigurd-sama?! He’s outside, right?! Is he alright?!”
One of the maids breathed out a sigh of relief while the other went to check on Francesca-san. Out of panic, Francesca-san reached her hand toward the door. I immediately grabbed her shoulder to stop her from going out.
“Please don’t go out!”
“Don’t touch me! I don’t need someone like you to tell me what to do!”
Francesca-san smacked my hands away from her shoulder with a resounding slap.
This stupid girl…! This is not the time to act like this!
“Just now, didn’t I already tell you it’s dangerous being outside?! Can’t you understand that?! You’re only going to bring them down if you were to go out now! If you don’t want to be a burden to Sig-san then stay here and be quiet! You don’t want someone to die in vain because of you, don’t you?!”
With a visible crease between my eyebrows, I reprimanded her to stay here but she didn’t say anything in return. In fact, she seemed to be sulking instead.
Ah.. This is bad… She definitely won’t listen to me…
“…. Just to be sure, I will cast [Lock] on the door. The door won’t open unless I die or someone that I authorized tried to come in. Francesca-san, are you listening to me?! Stay still! Please just wait here! …. I’m sorry but can you guys please watch over Francesca-san so she won’t do anything reckless?”
“Y-Yes…”
If someone were to go outside, it would only drag us down so I had to cast [Lock] just to be safe. Normally, I would never do something forceful like this but I had no other choice now. For a moment, I had a thought to also [Lock] the window but I decided I shouldn’t go that far. After all, I doubt Francesca-san would be able to fit through the window unless she went completely naked.
I also asked the maids to keep an eye on Francesca-san though… Everything should be fine since she wouldn’t be able to go out anyway. Maybe it’d be better if I didn’t lift the paralysis from Francesca-san until she calmed down but if worse came to worst, she wouldn’t be able to muster up a single resistance had she stayed paralyzed.
“I’m done here! 【Lock】！Francesca-san might ask you to open the door but please do not open it until everything calms down!”
“Understood!”
After I left the carriage, I was greeted with the sight of Tad-san who had already finished bringing the coachmen over here. I informed them about Francesca-san before I went toward the next carriage. I already authorized all members of Luce and the guard team so they could open the door in case I was heavily injured and unable to unlock the door.
Since I already authorized Tad-san and the others so they could unlock the door, I had to remind them to be careful since it’d be bad if they accidentally unlocked the door while Francesca-san was still panicking.
“I’ve wasted too much time here…”
As I began to run toward the next carriage, I slightly glanced at the sound of angry shouts and sword clashing against sword. I could see that some of the bandits were already knocked down. Seemed like no one from our side had been defeated yet.
I need to hurry up!
“I’m going to cure you guys now. Please don’t go outside and wait for us in the carriage. 【Purify】.”
I quickly jumped into the second carriage, used purify to clear the paralysis from them and told them to wait in the carriage. After making sure they were able to move, I went ahead and left the carriage.
“I’m already done over here too! I’m going to go to the other side now!”
“Ren-dono! Don’t go! If we don’t have your buff magic here…”
“Aah… Even though I told Francesca-san not to be impatient…”
I was the one that told Francesca-san to be cautious but I was about to jump into the fray myself between all these hustle and bustle.
Support magician’s main duty was to provide logistical support. It was not the kind of job where you had to go to the front line at all.
Calm down… Calm down… I need to regain my composure!
First, I needed to assess the situation. I climbed on the coachman’s seat. With the additional height, my field of vision was more or less 10 meters away.
“Four of them are already defeated. If I included the guy I binded with [Roots], that makes five of them. Based on the information I’ve received, that means they still have fifteen people on their flank…. Ah! One of the guard teams is hurt over there! …. He’s still alive! 【Heal】!”
I assessed the situation while mumbling in a small voice to myself. There, one of the guard teams was leaning against the rock. He was hurt! I was certain I didn’t see him leaning there when I was on my way to the second carriage. That meant in just the span of a several minutes he…
Talking with Francesca-san was truly a waste of time! Thankfully he was still in the range of [Heal]. He wasn’t even twitching when I found him but after I used [Heal], I could see him moving a little. While I could close the wound by using [Heal], I couldn’t replace the blood that had been flowing profusely from him so I hoped he’d take it easy and just stay there for now.
“Chris-san and the others seem safe… Mel-san and the others too… I think…? …. Huh? Where’s the guy that used [Paralyze] on us again?”
The members of Luce were covered in blood but it seemed those weren’t their blood. They looked practically unscathed and were still rampaging in the battlefield. While Mel-san and the others were fighting skillfully together in two against one or three against one.
But… I couldn’t see the guy with the staff who I assumed was the wizard with paralyzing magic. At first I thought he had already been defeated but it turned out he wasn’t yet.
What’s going on? Where did he go?!
I didn’t know for sure if he was a support magician or a wizard but it’d be troublesome later on if we didn’t defeat him soon…
Confused, I looked around restlessly, trying to find that man.
“【Flame】!! Just die already!! Even if you’re the only one there!”
Suddenly, a man shouted while he jumped out from a boulder right beside me. I turned my head at the sound and my vision was instantly filled with poisonous red flames coming at me.
Chapter 83 : Battle Commences?!
T/N: Someone bought me kofi today so I’ve decided to post another chapter to thank the generous support I’ve received. Thank you for the kofi dear anonymous supporter! I really appreciate it! (/▽＼*)｡o○♡
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
“Ugh! You! What do you think you’re doing?! Suddenly slashing someone when they’re trying to be nice to you!”
Fer-san, who had closed the distance in a matter of seconds, swung his sword at the bandit but the bandit was quick to protect his stomach by parrying Fer-san’s attack with his sword. Because of that, the bandit only had a bleeding wound on his left arm. His face was flushed red as he grumbled at Fer-san.
But, Fer-san had a stronger hold on his sword. The sword the bandit was holding on fell from his hand. Without his weapon, it was safe to say this bandit possessed almost zero threat to us.
“Ugh… Haah… Why…”
“The hell are you guys talking about… We’re adventurers hired as a guard. Protecting the client is our job, isn’t it? If you’re not ready to get your ass kicked then don’t rob people!”
Even though he had a robust build, Sig-san was able to go behind the bandit’s back while hiding his presence. He put his hands on the bandit’s neck and then he spun the bandit around so now he was facing the group of bandits while keeping his hold onto one of the bandit’s neck. The strangled man tried to break free but Sig-san didn’t budge at all.
“If you want me to spare this guy’s life then drop your weapons!”
“Who the heck would do that?! You guys! Be careful of that big guy and that blonde bastard! Let’s quickly get our hands on that small lad and retreat!”
Sig-san said that while facing the group but the leader of the bandit, a big, burly man was quick to abandon his lackey. The big guy he was referring to must be Sig-san and the blonde one must be Fer-san. From the way they moved, it was clear to see that they were very strong.
And… The small lad… Must be me….
Though even if they took me, I doubt they could get anything good out of me.
“Ren-chan, after I put you down, you have to quickly get inside the carriage and create another [Barrier]. You can help us by giving us your buff magic from inside the carriage…. Hey you guys?~ You think you only need to be wary of those two?~ Don’t forget about me, okay?~ Prepare yourself!”
“Haaah… Then I will put this guy to sleep! There!”
While the bandits were getting busy with Fer-san and Sig-san, Chris-san stealthily came and helped me down from Oscar. He whispered to me and I gave him a small nod in return. He sounded so serious, unlike his usual sing-sang voice.
After he helped me down, he hid me behind his back and tried to divert the bandit’s attention to him. On the other side, Sig-san dropped the guy he was strangling to the ground like a ragdoll. As soon as he put the guy down, three bandits came rushing to him.
“【Roots】”
While Sig-san kept those three bandits busy, I slowly went to the carriage while being careful to not turn my back against the group of bandits. I cast [Roots] on the man Sig-san had thrown, in case the man woke up during the battle. Maybe we could also catch the man alive for the bounty.
“You guys! Let’s follow Sig-dono and the others! Tad! Timothy! I need you guys to guard the Madam’s and the other’s carriage!”
「「Yes!」」
After reaching the carriages, which were already protected by [Barrier], Mel-san and the others went to face the bandits.
“Ren-dono! Please cure the madam and the others from the paralysis!”
“Yes. I already put [Barrier] around the carriages so while I cure everyone from the paralysis, please get the coachmans and come back to me.”
Tad-san and Timothy-san stayed behind and asked me that. I already planned on doing that and since we didn’t have the luxury to talk leisurely, I only gave them a short reply. I also asked them to get the coachmen, who were thrown from the carriages not too far away from us after they were hit with [Paralyze].
The coachmen weren’t moving even after I cast [Purify] on them so I had to ask Tad-san and the others to help me fetch them. They probably didn’t realize I had already cast [Barrier] around the carriages. When I was putting up [Barrier], the coachmen were still paralyzed. They probably had been too confused to notice their surroundings. Either way, it wouldn’t be a good idea to mention I already had [Barrier] up out loud. So I asked Tad-san and the others to retrieve the coachmen stealthily.
“Yes! Understood!”
With Tad-san’s words trailing behind me, I went to open the carriage’s door a little. I opened just enough so I could slip inside and closed the door shut afterwards. Francesca-san and two of her maids were crouching on the floor. Seemed like they were still suffering from [Paralyze].
“I’m going to cure you now. But listen to me first. Even after I healed you, you need to stay inside. The outside is still too dangerous so please wait here until we’re done. 【Purify】”.
It’d be disastrous if they were to run out in panic. That was why I needed to tell them to be careful before I cured their paralysis.
“Aah… We’re saved…”
“Madam! Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes. What about Sigurd-sama?! He’s outside, right?! Is he alright?!”
One of the maids breathed out a sigh of relief while the other went to check on Francesca-san. Out of panic, Francesca-san reached her hand toward the door. I immediately grabbed her shoulder to stop her from going out.
“Please don’t go out!”
“Don’t touch me! I don’t need someone like you to tell me what to do!”
Francesca-san smacked my hands away from her shoulder with a resounding slap.
This stupid girl…! This is not the time to act like this!
“Just now, didn’t I already tell you it’s dangerous being outside?! Can’t you understand that?! You’re only going to bring them down if you were to go out now! If you don’t want to be a burden to Sig-san then stay here and be quiet! You don’t want someone to die in vain because of you, don’t you?!”
With a visible crease between my eyebrows, I reprimanded her to stay here but she didn’t say anything in return. In fact, she seemed to be sulking instead.
Ah.. This is bad… She definitely won’t listen to me…
“…. Just to be sure, I will cast [Lock] on the door. The door won’t open unless I die or someone that I authorized tried to come in. Francesca-san, are you listening to me?! Stay still! Please just wait here! …. I’m sorry but can you guys please watch over Francesca-san so she won’t do anything reckless?”
“Y-Yes…”
If someone were to go outside, it would only drag us down so I had to cast [Lock] just to be safe. Normally, I would never do something forceful like this but I had no other choice now. For a moment, I had a thought to also [Lock] the window but I decided I shouldn’t go that far. After all, I doubt Francesca-san would be able to fit through the window unless she went completely naked.
I also asked the maids to keep an eye on Francesca-san though… Everything should be fine since she wouldn’t be able to go out anyway. Maybe it’d be better if I didn’t lift the paralysis from Francesca-san until she calmed down but if worse came to worst, she wouldn’t be able to muster up a single resistance had she stayed paralyzed.
“I’m done here! 【Lock】！Francesca-san might ask you to open the door but please do not open it until everything calms down!”
“Understood!”
After I left the carriage, I was greeted with the sight of Tad-san who had already finished bringing the coachmen over here. I informed them about Francesca-san before I went toward the next carriage. I already authorized all members of Luce and the guard team so they could open the door in case I was heavily injured and unable to unlock the door.
Since I already authorized Tad-san and the others so they could unlock the door, I had to remind them to be careful since it’d be bad if they accidentally unlocked the door while Francesca-san was still panicking.
“I’ve wasted too much time here…”
As I began to run toward the next carriage, I slightly glanced at the sound of angry shouts and sword clashing against sword. I could see that some of the bandits were already knocked down. Seemed like no one from our side had been defeated yet.
I need to hurry up!
“I’m going to cure you guys now. Please don’t go outside and wait for us in the carriage. 【Purify】.”
I quickly jumped into the second carriage, used purify to clear the paralysis from them and told them to wait in the carriage. After making sure they were able to move, I went ahead and left the carriage.
“I’m already done over here too! I’m going to go to the other side now!”
“Ren-dono! Don’t go! If we don’t have your buff magic here…”
“Aah… Even though I told Francesca-san not to be impatient…”
I was the one that told Francesca-san to be cautious but I was about to jump into the fray myself between all these hustle and bustle.
Support magician’s main duty was to provide logistical support. It was not the kind of job where you had to go to the front line at all.
Calm down… Calm down… I need to regain my composure!
First, I needed to assess the situation. I climbed on the coachman’s seat. With the additional height, my field of vision was more or less 10 meters away.
“Four of them are already defeated. If I included the guy I binded with [Roots], that makes five of them. Based on the information I’ve received, that means they still have fifteen people on their flank…. Ah! One of the guard teams is hurt over there! …. He’s still alive! 【Heal】!”
I assessed the situation while mumbling in a small voice to myself. There, one of the guard teams was leaning against the rock. He was hurt! I was certain I didn’t see him leaning there when I was on my way to the second carriage. That meant in just the span of a several minutes he…
Talking with Francesca-san was truly a waste of time! Thankfully he was still in the range of [Heal]. He wasn’t even twitching when I found him but after I used [Heal], I could see him moving a little. While I could close the wound by using [Heal], I couldn’t replace the blood that had been flowing profusely from him so I hoped he’d take it easy and just stay there for now.
“Chris-san and the others seem safe… Mel-san and the others too… I think…? …. Huh? Where’s the guy that used [Paralyze] on us again?”
The members of Luce were covered in blood but it seemed those weren’t their blood. They looked practically unscathed and were still rampaging in the battlefield. While Mel-san and the others were fighting skillfully together in two against one or three against one.
But… I couldn’t see the guy with the staff who I assumed was the wizard with paralyzing magic. At first I thought he had already been defeated but it turned out he wasn’t yet.
What’s going on? Where did he go?!
I didn’t know for sure if he was a support magician or a wizard but it’d be troublesome later on if we didn’t defeat him soon…
Confused, I looked around restlessly, trying to find that man.
“【Flame】!! Just die already!! Even if you’re the only one there!”
Suddenly, a man shouted while he jumped out from a boulder right beside me. I turned my head at the sound and my vision was instantly filled with poisonous red flames coming at me.
