Ch. 27 The Two Witches (7)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 27 – The Two Witches (7)
Even though it wasn’t a sacred being, the troll’s massive frame stood over two meters tall. Its mouth was smeared with green goblin blood, likely from its recent meal, and its exposed genitals swung carelessly between its legs. If Josie had seen this, she might have exclaimed, “Trolls have three legs!” which made me feel dizzy just thinking about it.
Trolls had the habit of breaking their prey’s bones to prevent escape before devouring them, so it didn’t seem like this one had any intention of slowing down to make me an easy meal.
I wasn’t kind enough to spare anyone who attacked me first, so I considered killing it outright. But if it died too quickly, all the effort I put into setting up this prank would be wasted.
Plus, the glowing mana crystal embedded in its forehead caught my attention. I had already seen the power of an orc with a mana crystal, so I was curious about how strong a troll with one would be. Since monsters with mana crystals were likely to become more common, it wouldn’t hurt to test whether Leo and Josie could handle them.
“You’re supposed to go that way, not this way.”
“Guoh?”
Careful not to break its neck, I channeled mana into my palm and slapped the charging troll at just the right moment, sending it flying in a clean arc toward where Leo was.
Did I hit it too hard? I should have just released the mana to blow it away.
I shook my hand in disgust, trying to rid myself of the lingering sensation of the troll’s skin.
Thud—
“Looks like this guy’s the boss of the dungeon~”
I wondered how long they planned to keep hugging. The troll’s arrival snapped them out of their daze.
The troll I had sent flying was still lying there, possibly concussed, showing no signs of getting up.
“We need to be careful. We don’t know when it might wake up.”
Like in other fantasy genres, trolls in Aria Chronicle had high regenerative abilities, so it was best to stay on guard or attack from a distance unless they were completely dead. Especially in a situation like this, where its stomach was still slightly moving, it was even more important. It was likely waiting for us to let our guard down so it could strike in one swift move.
Josie, who had thoroughly read Estelle’s Encyclopedia of Monsters, seemed to know about the troll’s cunning nature. She stopped Leo from going for the finishing blow and instead created distance.
“Wouldn’t it be better to finish it off while it’s unconscious?”
“No. Trolls often play dead when fighting humans to lure them into a false sense of security.”
If Leo had been alone, the troll would have grabbed him and thrown him far away.
Tree roots burst from the ground and wrapped around the troll’s body. If it wasn’t going to move, binding it completely would do the trick.
By the time the troll realized something was wrong and opened its eyes, its entire body except for its neck was tightly bound by the roots. No matter how much stronger the mana crystal made it, being completely immobilized rendered it useless.
“Guooooh!”
The more it struggled, the tighter Josie’s bindings became. The troll’s strength was no match for her magic.
“Leo, now!”
Leo charged forward with his sword.
Even with their high regeneration, trolls couldn’t recover from a severed head, so it wasn’t a bad plan.
Just as he leaped to strike the troll’s neck,
“Uwooooh!”
Another troll, this one female, emerged from the shadows and pounced on Leo.
“Kuh!”
Similar in size but with a bulging belly, most likely pregnant, the female troll quickly tried to free the bound male troll.
Even as the tree roots tried to restrain her, the female troll’s fierce resistance made it difficult.
Like the male, she had a mana crystal embedded in her forehead, but her eyes were bloodshot and glowed menacingly.
The situation had quickly turned into a 2v2.
Leo glanced at me, who was watching from a distance, hoping for help. But if I stepped in for something like this, he’d spend his whole life relying on others, and that wasn’t going to happen.
While I acknowledged that these trolls were stronger than usual, two trolls were a decent practice match for a future where mana crystal-enhanced monsters would become more common. Besides, there were no other strong monsters in this dungeon besides the trolls.
Instead of relying on me, Leo should have been thinking about how to handle the situation, like Josie was.
Solve it yourself.
I silently mouthed the words, and Leo, resigned, focused on the troll.
Leo needed to trust his abilities more. It was true that he still had a long way to go as a warrior, swordsman, or knight.
But his body, enhanced by potions, the Holy Eye bestowed upon him, and Josie’s magic—all of it would become his strength.
Leo’s eyes glowed golden.
“Josie, cover me.”
“If you don’t aim for its vitals, it’ll recover quickly.”
Leo adjusted his grip on his sword and charged at the troll.
He moved much faster than during our last sparring session. Since Leo couldn’t use aura, slashing at the troll wouldn’t be enough to take it down, so he used the tree roots as a springboard to aim for its weak points.
His body soared through the air, targeting the female troll’s neck.
“Guooooh!”
“!!!!!”
Leo’s attack was fast, but his trajectory was predictable.
The male troll, leaping into action, intercepted Leo’s strike with its hand. Leo tried to pull his sword free, but the troll gripped it tightly, refusing to let go.
It seemed desperate, as if it knew that if it let go of the sword, the female troll would be in danger.
The male troll, having thrown itself to block Leo, was visibly exhausted, unable to fight or flee.
If the female troll wasn’t pregnant, the male troll wouldn’t have been so desperate to protect its mate.
A male troll defending its mate from intruders in their newlywed home…
…This is pure love, isn’t it?
As a swarm of butterflies distracted the trolls, Leo retrieved his sword and created distance. Josie tried to bind them again with tree roots, but the trolls broke free, glaring at her.
By now, they had figured out who was causing them trouble.
In gaming terms, their aggro had shifted.
“Josie, watch out!”
Leo tried to intercept the charging troll, but it was too much for him. The troll’s swinging arm sent him flying.
Despite the imminent collision, Josie remained calm. Her staff glowed blue as she prepared a spell. I was curious to see what kind of offensive magic she would use, as she hadn’t shown much of it before.
The distance closed in an instant.
Josie’s magic was about to activate, but she had to cancel it abruptly.
Someone burst into the dungeon from the upper entrance and deflected the troll’s charge with a massive greatsword.
“This place is dangerous! Are you hurt?”
The boy, about Josie’s size but with a voice that hadn’t yet deepened, stood ready, his greatsword raised.
His movements were too skilled for someone who had only fought trolls a few times. He must have been one of the top adventurers in Venetia.
Most dungeons required parties of five or more to take on quests, but high-ranking adventurers could operate solo. Even so, solo adventurers were rare. His actions just now explained why. Despite deflecting the troll’s charge, he showed no signs of strain, his breathing steady.
The scars covering his body told the story of his hardships.
“The dungeon was closed due to the recent increase in aggressive monsters. How did you get in?”
“Well, um…”
Josie hesitated, unable to say she had teleported in, while the boy kept talking.
“Do you realize you almost died just now? A troll’s charge can kill even a grown man if you’re not careful. Didn’t you know that?”
In theory, Josie was an expert.
“I know that.”
“Then why did you come into the dungeon alone?”
Since the boy couldn’t see me or Leo, he kept pressing Josie.
“Guooooh…”
“Anyway, let’s get out of here before the troll recovers.”
As the troll shook off the impact of hitting the wall and started to rise, the boy quickly grabbed Josie’s hand and urged her to move.
Oh no, this is bad.
Leo’s expression said it all… and Josie’s face was turning red.
“Hieeek!!!!”
“Huh?”
The boy, who had effortlessly deflected the troll’s charge, was knocked back by a tree root that burst from the ground, forcing him to let go of Josie’s hand.
In less than two seconds, he was wrapped up like a cocoon and knocked out. It looked like my training had paid off.
I needed to come up with a convincing explanation before he woke up.
Also, I couldn’t just leave an unconscious person behind to these trolls. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to show some mercy to the trolls that displayed pure love.
I’d have to save Josie’s magic demonstration for another time, but the situation wasn’t all bad.
Lucent
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