Ch.200200. Response to the Attack (2)

“Judging by your expression, it seems you liked my welcome greeting more than I expected?”

My expression couldn’t help but sour.

What kind of greeting involves unleashing magia and swinging a sword at someone you’ve just met? Having experienced that spine-chilling sensation for the first time in a while, I wasn’t in the best mood.

I looked at the deep sword mark left in the dirt where I had been standing and said, “Are you uninjured?”

“…That’s what I should be asking.”

“In the end, you’re the one who rolled more violently across the ground, Lady Sione.”

“……”

Sione examined my body from head to toe.

She seemed to be checking if I was injured anywhere.

To show her that I was completely fine, and to prepare for the next attack from that damned figure ahead, I slowly rose to my feet and assumed a stance.

“Thank you.”

“I just… repaid you. For when you saved me when that orc attacked.”

When an orc attacked…

“Ah.”

Long ago. When we first started confronting orcs in the mountain range next to the Count’s territory.

Back when she was like a new sprout that had just begun to grow in the sunlight after leaving her room. I remember Sione freezing up at the sight of an orc. She just stood there watching as it charged at her, so I used magic to save her.

I’m surprised she remembered that all this time.

I chuckled as I drew another arrow from my quiver and said, “Then let’s consider one debt cleared.”

Though I’ve saved your life many more times than that. You’ve got a long way to go if you want to repay everything.

I was curious about what expression Sione was making now, but given the situation, I kept my gaze fixed on that hybrid ahead of us while mentally counting my remaining arrows.

‘Six in total.’

The cloud from earlier had scattered most of the arrows in my quiver. All I had left was the one in my hand and five more that I could quickly draw.

‘A bit tight.’

Normally, six arrows would be enough to easily send someone to the afterlife, but considering the previous strike and the fact that our opponent was dangerous enough to make Tania flare up with anger in front of me, six arrows might not be enough.

Just as I was thinking this…

“Oh? You dare draw your bow after nearly being cut in half? Well, I suppose you’ve killed more of our brothers and sisters than those long-eared fools—”

What was she so excited about?

I shot an arrow at the villain who was babbling away with that irritating grin.

The arrow naturally carried Orna and Tania’s magic, giving it greater speed and destructive power as it flew toward her heart.

“You’ve got guts. Imperial men are all worthless, but it seems those from the Kingdom are indeed different.”

Like Diolia’s Aura Blade.

A powerful energy began to gather on her sword. However, unlike the clear blue energy of Diolia’s blade, hers was filled with a murky, malevolent force.

A sinister sword.

Her sword was utterly malicious.

It deeply embodied the essence of a sword—to kill—and was heavily stained with the user’s madness.

Her sword was enough to cause discomfort in those who saw it, and could even induce nausea in those with weak constitutions.

“After giving such an entertaining greeting…”

How could she talk so much when an arrow was about to pierce her heart?

They say none of those intoxicated by magia are normal, but the figure before me, whose lips remained curled upward, was in a different league altogether.

BOOM—!

The half-human, half-demon’s sinister sword and my arrow collided.

The flames contained in the arrow burst forth, and the wind gathered at the arrowhead guided the rising flames to engulf that fanatic’s body.

Unfortunately, what I heard through the explosion wasn’t her agonized scream but a mocking laugh.

“Well… your greeting was a bit stronger than I expected. I’m surprised.”

Without a single wound, she stood firmly in place, sneering at Sione and me.

That’s when it happened.

“So it’s you? The half-breed bitch who nearly annihilated the first tracking party.”

A pair of green eyes gleamed menacingly from the darkness.

“Piel.”

“Got it!”

Taking advantage of the momentary blindness caused by the explosion, Friel quickly closed the distance.

She drew her sword with a concise motion. A large, easy-to-read movement, a sword path that cut upward to the right. Normally, such an obvious drawing technique wouldn’t have much power, but when combined with the magic of her wind spirit, Piel, it became not just an attack for quick response or surprise, but a technique worthy of being called a supreme skill, valuable in any combat situation.

“Descendant of a primitive race… how dare you not grovel on the ground! What do you think this place is!”

CRASH!

Their swords collided.

With a dull sound that echoed through the forest, they held their blades to each other’s necks, beginning a test of strength.

With their swords raised and pressed against each other, the areas where effective strikes could be delivered were limited.

The two continued their psychological battle, focusing on subtle distances and the direction of force.

Of course, that was the concern of those wielding swords.

“Tania.”

“Just nock an arrow and speak. You want me to prepare the strongest one, right?”

“Be mindful of my mana too.”

“Don’t worry. Do you think I wouldn’t consider that?”

As an archer, this was none of my concern.

I immediately nocked the next arrow and drew it. The essence of Tania’s flames was bestowed upon the arrowhead. Due to the need to conserve my mana, it was only a tiny flame, but this white fire was the essence of a spirit’s flame, so it could demonstrate power far beyond the amount of mana I had expended.

TWANG!

The moment I released my thumb and index finger from the bowstring, the arrow flew with ferocious momentum.

“…This is troublesome. That looks quite dangerous.”

“I’m right in front of you. Can you afford to be distracted?”

“Why not?”

The fanatic twisted her sword.

SCREECH!!

The friction of steel against steel. The balance of weight instantly distorted.

The one who gained the upper hand was not Friel but the half-human, half-demon cultist.

“Maybe it’s because you’re an elf who’s been stuck in the forest, but your skills are so pathetic.”

THUD!

“Ugh!”

Having lost her balance, Friel was kicked hard and rolled across the ground.

“Still… better than you…!”

The cultist swung her sword to block my arrow.

Whether it was due to the anti-demon power I gained as a reward for successfully defending the fortress, or thanks to Tania’s white flame, cracks began to form in the magia that heavily permeated her sword as soon as the white flame touched it.

The arrow burned through the magia as it advanced. It should have been a simple matter of deflecting the arrow, but she was concentrating more deeply now than when she had crossed swords with Friel.

CLANG!

Having finally succeeded in twisting the arrow’s path, she sighed.

“This is much more annoying…”

Just as she raised her sword again to assume a combat stance with a twisted smile, I heard footsteps.

Airine, the orange-haired elf, slowly walked in front of me.

Perhaps she possessed much more mana than other elves. All three of her spirits, each with different attributes, began to quickly surround that damned cultist, proudly displaying their high-rank status.

“…Tsk.”

Unusually, Airine reacted to the sound of the cultist clicking her tongue.

“You… judging by your hair color, you must be the one that fool met?”

“……”

“Thanks to you, I had a good laugh. You cut off one of his horns quite cleanly. It was hilarious watching him go crazy trying to reattach it.”

“……”

“The elves who were with you then made good sacrifices. Maybe it’s because they’re elves, but the efficiency was quite good.”

“…You.”

Just as Airine, her composure broken, was about to say something, the cultist suddenly pulled back.

Airine’s spirits tried to catch her, but they couldn’t easily approach due to the combination of magia and slashing attacks.

Having put some distance between us, she shouted:

“Take the dead elves and return! Move quickly!”

At her cry, the Demonkin who had been frantically charging at the elves began to retreat, carrying the fallen elves on their backs.

Despite the elves’ attempts to stop them, they escaped from the area as skillfully as if they knew the terrain by heart.

My eyes met those of that cursed half-human, half-demon. She raised a vile smile on her face and whispered:

—I’ll remember you.

I kept my mouth shut at her unpleasant words.

Half-human, half-demon. In this world, they should have diluted blood, neither human nor demon, with just some abilities, but the magia I briefly saw in her was not of a concentration that someone with diluted demon blood could handle.

“Tsk……”

She was of a different caliber than the half-human, half-demon I had killed in the past at the Count’s estate.

A bit too much for me to handle alone at my current level.

* * *

Deep silence and darkness descended upon the forest.

In the tranquil forest where only the sounds of insects and occasional howls of wild animals echoed from afar, we were finally able to take a rest.

Regardless of our casualties, I was quite exhausted and was about to take a short break, leaving the perimeter watch to the other elves, when I couldn’t help but frown.

“Sigh……”

[…@**, *※**# is interfering……]

“So what exactly is this?”

Something had begun to happen since we entered the great forest.

Slowly but surely.