Chapter 56 – Karahan (2)

The woman’s steps were agonizingly slow. At this rate, she’d be dead in less than a minute.

I took a deep breath and leapt down from the rock, ignoring the tingling pain that shot through my legs.

“N-Noah?!” Rubia cried out.

“Rubia, there’s an injured person approaching, 100 meters ahead. Behind her, 78 beasts are in pursuit.”

Rubia quickly composed herself, scanning the surroundings before speaking. “With 70 beasts… We should use the rock for cover. Hephaestus, take down the tent. And…”

She turned back to me. I nodded silently and unsheathed my greatsword.

“I’ll support you as much as I can, Noah.”

“Don’t worry about me. Focus on Hephaestus and the injured person.”

I expanded my senses, becoming aware of hundreds of beasts in the area and dozens of adventurers setting up camp. But the pain had lessened. I wasn’t bleeding out. Since my fight with Carpeng…?

“Haa…” I pushed aside my stray thoughts. Focus only on the battle for now.

I concentrated my senses, spotting the woman as she approached, hope filling her face as she saw us.

“Fifty meters ahead.”

Rubia’s divine power stirred. I could even sense Hephaestus’s racing pulse.

“Thirty meters.”

“Be careful, Noah.” Rubia’s trembling voice confirmed she too had spotted the beasts.

“I trust you, Rubia.”

I checked the potion tucked inside my coat and stepped forward slowly.

The woman collapsed as she reached me. “Huff… Ah, mon…”

There’s no time. I grabbed her arm and flung her behind me.

“Ugh-!” She didn’t even have the strength to scream, only managing a faint gasp.

Trusting Rubia would take care of her, I readied my greatsword.

Forty-two goblins. Thirty-three Horned Wolves. And… three Minotaurs.

Beasts that shouldn’t coexist were running together, focused on a single target. Something felt wrong.

I gripped the handle tighter. If we get into battle, it’s inevitable I’ll be injured. That means I’ll meet the condition to use the shard. But… the risk that follows can’t be ignored. I still don’t fully understand how the penalty will apply.

One thing’s for sure: I shouldn’t trigger it unless we’re in a safe situation.

I prepared myself to face at least 120 of them, deflecting arrows as they flew towards me. I can’t allow myself to get surrounded. I must hold my ground.

Finally, the lead Horned Wolf reached me. I stomped and swung my greatsword, spilling its innards onto the ground. I followed through with another strike, spinning my body to crush a dozen goblin skulls.

Behind me, Rubia’s divine power gathered.

“Noah!”

I threw myself to the side as a spear of divine energy grazed my hair, embedding itself in the path of the beasts before exploding. Chunks of flesh flew everywhere as Rubia’s divine arrows continued to finish off the remaining monsters.

Wiping meat from my cheek, I broke into a cold sweat. Both her speed and power… were much stronger than before.

Rubia proudly gave me a thumbs-up, even as she continued treating the woman.

“That’s… unfair… sneaky mage…” I grumbled, but Rubia just tilted her head, not hearing me.

I raised my greatsword toward the remaining Minotaurs, ready to vent my frustration. One was already blown to pieces, another had lost an arm, and the last was unharmed. Thankfully… there was still work to be done.

I charged forward, parrying a massive axe and swinging at the one-armed Minotaur’s neck. The heavy resistance slowed the blade, but I pressed harder, ripping through muscle.

-GRAAAAAAAA-! The beast cried out in agony.

At that moment, the third Minotaur’s fist swung from behind. I lifted myself using the greatsword, causing the punch to slam into the dying Minotaur instead.

As I landed, an axe filled my vision. Clang- Rubia’s divine power blocked it. …I could have deflected that myself.

Filled with fury, I swung my greatsword with all my might. To my surprise, it sliced through both of the Minotaur’s legs, sending its massive body crashing down. Yet, it still swung at me.

I reversed my grip and twisted. Crunch- Bones broke, and a damp feeling spread across the back of my head. The Minotaur’s heartbeat stopped.

I expanded my senses. No more beasts were paying attention to us.

As the tension dissipated, I felt… underwhelmed. I hadn’t expected it to end so… easily. Even though my equipment had been upgraded and my senses sharpened… I didn’t feel like I performed to my full potential. Honestly… I could have handled it alone.

“Sigh…” I finished off the few remaining beasts on my way back.

“Noah. You did well.” Rubia smiled, reaching out her hand.

“… You’re stronger than I thought.”

“Right?” Her smile turned triumphant.

Ignoring her smug expression, I took her hand lightly.

“Oh, and I’ve mostly finished treating her. But… she wasn’t wounded by the beasts.” Rubia’s voice grew heavier.

I had a feeling, but… None of the people I sensed earlier seemed suspicious. So where did she run away from?

“She’s unconscious for now, but I think she’ll wake up soon. We’ll have to talk to her once she does.”

Nodding absentmindedly, I followed Rubia.

“Sis! Are you hurt?” Hephaestus called out.

“Mmm… thanks to the greatsword. Thanks, Hephaestus…”

“Alright, now hand over the greatsword,” Hephaestus said.

“And… why?”

“I need to clean it. If you leave it covered in blood like this, it’ll get damaged quickly. So, hand it over.”

“Eek…”

“Noah. Listen to Hephaestus. Come on,” Rubia insisted.

Reluctantly, I handed over the greatsword. Rubia then wrapped her arm around my waist.

“You need to wash up. But we can’t leave her here alone, so… once she wakes up, we’ll all go together.”

“Th-there’s a place to wash up…?”

“Yes. There’s a valley nearby. It’ll be a bit cold, but we don’t have a choice.”

“I don’t like cold water…”

Rubia laughed softly, then guided me to sit. “You’re not hurt, right?” Her hand stroked my cheek.

“I-it’s not like I’d get hurt that easily… And you pretty much killed most of them yourself.” I pouted.

I had gotten stronger too. I could tell how much stronger I had become when I cut down that Minotaur’s legs with a single strike! With every swing, I could feel myself improving! And I’m a gold-ranked adventurer now!!!

“Does it really bother you that much?” Her hand moved to pat my head.

“I-it’s not like it really bothers me… It’s just that…” I used to be the one protecting her… but now things have changed so suddenly… And I’ve clearly gotten stronger too. But Rubia’s on a whole other level now…

“Uh… Rubia.”

“Yes?”

“How did you get… so strong?”

“Ah… um, how should I explain this…” Rubia hesitated. “Where should I start… Maybe from Ca-“

“All done!” Hephaestus suddenly interrupted.

Ca… Ca what!!!

“Ugh, He… Hephaestus…!”

“Hm…?”

“Haha… What perfect timing, Hephaestus?” Rubia chuckled.

“Oh… Did I do something wrong…?”

“No… It’s not that… Ugh…”

“We’ll have to save the explanation for later. Let’s finish setting up camp first.”

“Okay…”

“Here, Noah. Your greatsword… And whatever I did, I’m sorry…” Hephaestus handed me back the greatsword.

I gripped the handle and activated my senses, becoming aware of Hephaestus and Rubia’s expressions, as well as the unconscious woman. But now that I was looking more closely…

“Uh… Rubia…?”

“Yes?”

“There’s something strange… inside that woman’s stomach.”

Rubia tilted her head in confusion.

“There’s a weird… stone in her. It’s about the size of a fingernail, with a jagged shape… It looks like… a star? No, maybe overlapping stars?”

Rubia quickly knelt down to examine the woman’s abdomen more closely.

“Noah, are you sure about this?”

“I’m certain.”

“Haah…” Rubia sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead with one hand as she pulled a knife out of her bag.

“R-Rubia…?”

“It’s a tracking device used by a specific crime organization. If we don’t take it out and destroy it immediately…” She lowered her voice and whispered, “They’ll come for her.”