Ch.113Night Raid

After easily defeating the mosquito and lizard alliance, we continued our journey toward the 5th Western City.

As we approached the Western City, the frequency of swamplands increased, and with it, the rate of attacks from monsters and wild animals became noticeably higher.

Paralyzer Lizards that attacked by extending their tongues coated with paralyzing venom.

Giant Toads that also extended their tongues but aimed to pull prey in and swallow them whole.

Mud Men, golem-type monsters formed from swamp mud taking human shape and charging at us.

And Swamp Mosquitoes that weren’t particularly threatening but consistently irritated our nerves.

Among these, only the Mud Men were classified as monsters, but the other three species were more troublesome to fight.

Dealing with slimy, squelchy amphibians that inflicted status ailments or giant mosquitoes buzzing around our faces caused more mental stress than physical threat.

Especially for Seti, who was suffering from the toxic swamp’s smell, the stress was unbearable, so we ultimately had to stop moving earlier than planned and set up camp.

“Phew, at least the smell is less intense here.”

“How are you doing, Seti? Can you manage?”

“Yeah. It’s tolerable since there’s no swamp nearby.”

The remaining distance to the 5th Western City was about 20 kilometers.

If we traveled smoothly, we could reach the city by tomorrow afternoon.

“Alright, everyone gather around. I’ll cast Clean Up and Antidote on you.”

“Antidote? That’s the detoxification magic you made before, right?”

“Yes. Even though the smell alone shouldn’t cause problems, poison is still poison. It’s better to thoroughly detoxify in case even trace amounts have penetrated.”

Jessica carefully cast magic on each person, resembling a mother taking her children to the bathroom after they’d been playing outside.

Jessica Maman bathing children lined up with her magic… not bad at all.

“What’s with you? Smirking like that.”

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

After cleaning our bodies and clothes, we sat around the campfire for dinner.

Normally, our meal would have been monotonous dry bread and jerky, but now we had smoked meat packed by Seti’s parents.

The exquisite taste of rock salt and Yamyo tribe’s arcane spices was a precious entertainment that blew away the stress of the swamplands.

After finishing our meal, we chatted briefly before splitting into two tents to sleep.

It was a bit earlier than usual, but there wasn’t much to do in the middle of the night anyway, and most importantly, today’s frequent battles and trudging through muddy terrain had accumulated quite a bit of fatigue.

As I lay quietly with my eyes closed, I could hear insects chirping in the distance.

If I ignored the fact that it was the sound of poisonous insects living in the swamp, it was wonderful white noise reminiscent of an autumn evening.

How many hours had passed since I fell asleep?

A crisis—the first since I began adventuring in Grantis with Jessica—woke me from my deep slumber.

‘Peeng-!’

As my eyes snapped open due to the Awakening spell, an unfamiliar warning sound rang in my head.

The area around the tent was still shrouded in darkness. There were still several hours left before the Repellation Field’s effect would end.

If that was the case, the forced awakening and warning sound could only mean one thing.

“An intruder.”

Jessica jumped up and grabbed her grimoire, while Seti was already heading outside with her spear in hand.

After putting on my shoes and stepping outside, I saw Mina and Phyllis also emerging from their tent.

“Phyllis, someone has infiltrated the Repellation Field. Can you look around?”

“Understood.”

Though it was completely dark except for our campfire, an elf’s night vision should easily spot any intruder hiding in the darkness.

That was our expectation, but Phyllis’s answer was unexpected.

“…There’s no one within my field of vision. Not a single person, not even an animal.”

“That can’t be right. Someone definitely infiltrated the detection range. This area is wide open, so there shouldn’t be any cover to hide behind.”

“…! Phyllis, on your right!!”

‘Clang!’

While Jessica was confused by the unexpected result, Seti perked up her ears, rushed to Phyllis’s side, and swung her spear.

With the sound of metal striking metal, sparks flew in the air, and the attacker hidden in the darkness began to reveal himself.

“This, this person!!”

A man of a different race with dark skin that seemed to blend into the night’s darkness, dark purple hair, and pointed ears.

Phyllis’s expression, filled with shock, revealed his identity.

“A Dark Elf?”

“Yes, without a doubt. That skin and hair… it’s the very image of the demon who attacked the Willow Sanctuary five years ago.”

“Well, we have an unexpected visitor. Phyllis, can you fight?”

“Of course. If I don’t fight now, what were these five years for?”

The attacker being a Dark Elf was unexpected, but what we needed to do remained unchanged.

We would fight with all our might, and if we were lucky enough to capture him alive, we might even get information about Phyllis’s sister.

“Yaaah!”

‘Clang!’

As Seti charged in, I tried to provide covering fire, but the Dark Elf moved skillfully, positioning Seti in my line of fire.

Moreover, he deflected Seti’s powerful thrust with just one arm holding his sword.

Not only was he physically capable, but he also knew how to fight against multiple opponents with guns.

“Diamond Dust!”

“!!”

Jessica’s freezing spell, which instantly freezes any target in sight, caught the Dark Elf’s legs.

No matter how agile an opponent might be, they can’t defend or evade freely when their legs are immobilized.

To make the most of this golden opportunity, Seti took action by retreating significantly.

‘Ta-ta-tang!’

‘Tang!’

‘Taang!’

Rather than greedily pursuing an attack, Seti made the strategic decision to clear the line of fire so her companions could concentrate their shots.

Magic bullets fired from my, Phyllis’s, and Mina’s guns riddled the Dark Elf’s body.

The Dark Elf hunched over, barely protecting his head and chest from fatal wounds, but couldn’t avoid being hit in his sword arm, side, and thigh.

To finish him off, Seti, who had retreated earlier, approached again and swung her spear widely.

“Remove Disturb!”

‘Crack!’

However, the Dark Elf had no intention of falling so easily. He dispelled the freezing spell with magic, then leaned his body far back to avoid Seti’s spear.

He performed a back handspring to escape the concentrated attack zone.

To be able to do a back handspring using only one arm—truly remarkable athleticism.

‘Tang! Tang!’

‘Clang! Clang!’

I thought I had fired before he could regain his composure, but the Dark Elf easily deflected the magic bullets with his injured arm.

Immediately after, he sprang forward like a cannonball and charged at me with a confident smile on his face.

‘This guy jumped in right after I fired my fifth shot.’

Most magic bullet guns circulating in Grantis are 5-shot revolvers.

If he knew that and was targeting the moment when the cylinder was empty, it meant this Dark Elf had extensive knowledge about the settlers’ weapons.

Unfortunately for him, my gun had one crucial difference from those commonly used by settlers.

‘Tang!’

“!?!?”

A sixth magic bullet fired from the revolver’s barrel.

Surprised by the unexpected additional attack, the Dark Elf desperately twisted his body and raised his sword to defend.

‘Clang!’

“Kuhek!!”

Though the Dark Elf managed to defend at the last moment, the deflected bullet flew toward the right side of his face.

Blood splattered from his face as he was violently thrown to the ground, losing his grip on his sword.

Even then, his tenacity was admirable—he flung himself sideways, sprang up like a coiled spring, and created distance.

“That’s far enough, Mr. Dark Elf. You know you can’t win if this continues, right?”

“…Frustrating as it is, you’re correct. I’ll withdraw for tonight.”

“Do you think you can escape? If you aimed for someone’s life, you should have been prepared to lose your own.”

“It’s not just a thought. I can certainly escape.”

As he spoke, the Dark Elf’s figure wavered like a heat haze.

A startled Seti rushed forward and swung her spear at the Dark Elf, but it merely cut through empty air without inflicting a single wound.

“It passed through!”

“Impossible! A living creature becoming ethereal…”

“The next time we meet will be the last day of your journey. You’d better be prepared.”

With those words, the Dark Elf disappeared as if dissolving into the darkness.

In the campsite where the attacker had vanished, only the campfire gently burned, illuminating everyone’s faces.

“Not only did he hide and ambush us, but his escape skills are also remarkable.”

“But he was strong.”

“Yes, the strongest we’ve fought so far.”

Even excluding his invisible ambush, the Dark Elf’s strength was exceptional.

Speed comparable to Seti’s, strength rivaling a dwarf’s, freely wielding both sword and magic, and skillfully handling combat against multiple opponents.

If Seti hadn’t detected the initial ambush, Phyllis would certainly have lost her life.

Perhaps that’s why.

We thought we had safely overcome this attack and would be safe until we met again.

But when exactly was this “next time” the Dark Elf mentioned?

Surely no one could have imagined it would be “a dozen seconds later.”

‘Whoosh’

It could only be described as sheer luck.

When everyone had relaxed their guard and started looking around, I happened to be passing by Phyllis’s side, about to pat her shoulder.

I was concerned she might be overwhelmed by fear, having had her trauma triggered by the Dark Elf’s attempt on her life.

Without that minor coincidence, I wouldn’t have noticed the Dark Elf emerging from the darkness behind Phyllis.

“Phyllis!”

I reflexively activated my skill, and my heightened sensory nerves perceived the surrounding time as moving slowly.

In the Dark Elf’s hand, appearing behind Phyllis, was a small, thin dagger.

Compared to the curved sword he had wielded earlier, this dagger was insignificantly small and thin, but the black-painted blade emitted ominous black magical energy.

My instincts warned me that it was dangerous, that I couldn’t let such a thing touch Phyllis’s body.

Fortunately, I had the means to prevent it.

If I used that power again, I would collapse from magical depletion and cause trouble for everyone, but—

‘…SHIT!’

As I tried to point the gun I was holding in my right hand at the Dark Elf, I remembered there were no magic bullets left in the cylinder.

Pulling the trigger now would result in nothing. Even with my ability to defy the flow of time, I couldn’t guarantee it would shorten the time needed to open the cylinder and infuse magical power into the bullet engravings.

That left me with only one option.

‘Thunk’

“Ugh!?”

“Will!?”

I intercepted the dagger aimed at the center of Phyllis’s back by inserting my right arm into its trajectory.

The unpleasant sensation of the sharp, pointed blade penetrating my arm, and Phyllis’s shocked face as she realized what had happened.

I grabbed the Dark Elf’s wrist with my left hand and shouted with all my might.

“Seti—!”

“Yaaaah!”

‘Thwack!!’

No matter how agile one might be, it’s impossible to avoid an attack when one’s arm is restrained.

The Dark Elf, impaled through the center of his chest by Seti’s spear, died instantly without even uttering a scream as he collapsed to the ground.

“Will! Are you okay?”

“Uuugh… it hurts like hell.”

Jessica, who had belatedly grasped the situation, rushed over to use Heal Touch, but the Dark Elf’s dagger was still embedded in my arm.

Since the wound couldn’t be treated in this state, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and pull it out.

‘Squelch’

“Kuuuaaargh~!!”

“Just bear with it a little. Heal Touch!”

As I endured the excruciating pain that nearly blacked out my vision and pulled out the Dark Elf’s dagger, Jessica hurriedly cast her healing magic.

The warm sensation in my arm began to soothe the pain of the wound, and my distorted vision started to return to normal… or not?

“Huh…?”

“What’s wrong? Does something else hurt?”

What’s going on? Why is it so dark?

Even though it’s the middle of the night, everything is pitch black as if I’m wearing sunglasses.

I can’t see Jessica’s worried expression looking at my face, nor Seti’s attractive brown skin that should be standing beside her.

“Wha…”

My vision goes dark. The sky and ground flip.

I can’t feel Jessica’s hand touching my right arm, let alone the sensation of the ground beneath me.

‘Thud’

The heavy sound of something hitting the ground.

Only after feeling a slight pain in one side of my head did I realize that I was the one who had fallen.

‘Ah, magical depletion… this one’s severe.’

It was natural for magical depletion to occur after activating my skill to save Phyllis.

But when I fought Crow, I remained conscious even after firing six shots, yet this time, I feel all bodily sensations fading away despite not having fired a single shot.

‘I can’t… gauge… the efficiency… at all…’

I had already explained the skill’s side effects before, so I could leave the rest to everyone.

Hoping that my condition would recover at least a little after a good rest, I finally let go of the last thread of consciousness I was holding onto.