Ch.58One Hurdle Passed, Yet Another Awaits

“Haaaa….”

I exhale a long breath, as if releasing the heat filling my body.

Then I grit my teeth again and inhale.

It wasn’t time to give up yet. This was just the beginning.

My forehead hurts like it’s about to shatter.

I ignore it. It hasn’t broken yet.

I wipe away the blood flowing from my forehead as if shaking it off.

My shoulder feels like it’s about to fall off.

I ignore it. It still moves.

I pull out the wolf’s jaws embedded in me and toss them away.

One step. I take another step forward.

My muscles and bones ache as if they’re about to break.

This much is nothing.

I look down at the longsword in my hand. Beyond my blurry focus, the inscription on the blade burns into my mind like a brand.

One of the twelve swords that protect humanity.

The longsword in my grip trembles slightly, emitting a strange light as if both reproaching and encouraging me.

Right, if even the sword hasn’t broken yet, I can’t break first.

I grip the longsword and run.

Toward the knight who is driving a spear into the black wolf, as blood sprays from my limbs.

“Ivanoooov!”

Spitting blood, I charge forward howling like a beast.

—-

Boris’s eyes twitch narrowly.

Understandable.

After all, I killed everyone who came with him.

Whether the explosion in the special building was Asha’s doing or perhaps Perneisia’s, I’m not sure…

But judging by how quiet it’s become over there, they must all be dead.

The result is just three seriously wounded. Who can be treated later.

“Graaah!”

Boris roars and swings his greatsword toward me.

– Clang!

I deflect it with my longsword. My body tumbles after blocking.

Blood rises in my throat.

As expected, I’m losing strength.

Not enough power is going into the blade.

Nigel’s spear, aiming for the opening, is blocked by Boris’s claws.

Stand up.

I stand again and thrust my sword.

Boris, who was about to bite Nigel with his teeth, hurriedly blocks with his greatsword.

I can still fight.

Even if my strength is lacking, this sword is still sharp.

The longsword bites into the greatsword’s blade, sending metal fragments flying.

Following that, Nigel’s dagger plunges into Boris’s thigh.

“Grrrgh!”

Boris grinds his teeth.

His wounds are gradually increasing from our coordinated attacks from both sides.

His rage-filled movements become more violent.

Like a wounded beast, his lips contort and his eyes flash.

“You females dare-!”

As if trying to shake us off, Boris swings his arms wildly.

With enough force to tear apart everything within his reach.

The rough arcs slash through the air, as the greatsword and claws tear up everything around.

Dirt flies up from the ravaged ground.

I should retreat.

So I didn’t retreat.

One more step, forward.

I step forward, burning with rising passion.

Again, I swing my sword.

“Kyaaaah!”

A bursting sound echoes.

The slender longsword blocks the massive greatsword and drives in.

It’s hard to believe even seeing it with my own eyes.

Under the incoming pressure, blood sprays like a fountain from all my wounds.

The greatsword caught on my longsword stops with a jerk.

“Nigel—!”

I shout, spitting bloody foam.

She wouldn’t miss this golden opportunity.

Nigel responded.

She firmly grips her lance with both hands, putting strength into her severed muscles.

The blood-soaked lance shoots forward like an arrow.

“Haaaaaaah!”

A knight’s will, a body perfected through training, the karma accumulated while running through battlefields.

A master’s strike that draws upon and explosively releases all of these.

A navy blue gale rushes toward the black wolf.

“Ooooooooh!”

Boris, having dropped his greatsword, thrusts both arms toward Nigel.

His sharp claws bare their edges.

Despite reacting a moment late, his movements are even faster than hers.

If she charges in like this, those claws will tear her to shreds before she can thrust her spear.

Nigel’s eyes showed she was certain of this too.

However.

The essence of a knight is to never retreat.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Nigel thrust her lance.

Along with a spray of blood,

her torn left arm flew into the air.

A red flash pierced through Boris’s eye.

—-

“Nigel!”

I hurriedly caught Nigel as she collapsed, spewing blood.

Nigel was trembling and groaning with a pale face.

She had lost consciousness.

Blood was streaming from her severed arm.

The warmth in my hands was gradually cooling.

No. The blood. Too much, her arm.

My mind felt completely empty.

I couldn’t think of what to do or how to do it.

Left arm. Right, first stop the bleeding…!

I gripped the stump of her arm tightly.

“Nggghhhh..!”

Nigel groaned in pain.

The stream of blood gradually decreased.

Has the bleeding stopped?

Or.

Is there no more blood to flow out…

“No. Nigel, wake up! Nigel-!”

“Don’t shake her, stay still!”

Frider urgently grabbed my body.

Somehow she had retrieved it.

In her hand was the left arm, Nigel’s left arm.

“Frider…?”

She placed the left arm against Nigel’s wound and took out a glass bottle, removing the cap with her teeth.

The bottle was filled with a grayish-white liquid.

Frider turned the bottle upside down and poured its contents onto Nigel’s wound.

With a hissing sound, thick smoke rose up.

“Tear something and bind her arm!”

“Oh, ah..right..!”

I tore a piece of cloth and tied up Nigel’s arm.

Frider kept taking out new bottles, pouring them on Nigel’s wound and letting some flow into her mouth.

A potion, perhaps?

The color is different from what I know.

After doing this for a while, Nigel’s complexion had somewhat returned.

“Phew…with this, we’ve put out the urgent fire.”

Frider sighed and wiped her forehead.

I was still holding Nigel’s body and looked up at her.

“What did you spray, recovery potion…?”

“Painkiller, stabilizer, holy water, and recovery potion all mixed together. It’s just first aid, but. You should drink one too.”

Frider handed me a glass bottle.

“But recovery potions don’t work on my body…?”

“…Do you have mana resistance? Still, the other components should work, so drink it.”

I opened the bottle cap and gulped it down.

A terrible taste lingered on my tongue.

My head spun.

The pain I had been ignoring due to urgency decreased somewhat.

My consciousness felt strangely relaxed.

“What is this……”

“Stay alert. It’s because of the narcotic component. We need to get to the main building for proper treatment. If Lacy were here, it would have been easier, but of all times…”

Right. The main building.

I needed to stop them from sending out the regular students.

My mind snapped to attention. This was no time for this.

How much time had passed?

“We need to go to the main building and tell them! If they send out regular students when the enemies are werebeasts…!”

“Yes, so hurry up and get on a horse!”

Frider staggered to her feet and ran toward the stable.

She too was half-exhausted from her injuries.

Though she was holding up with the medicine, her vigor had clearly diminished compared to before.

There was no time to hesitate.

I picked up Nigel’s body, ran to the stable, and mounted a horse.

Riding with such a severely injured person was madness, but there was no other choice.

There were no healing priests in the special building now.

I was worried about Asha’s condition, but…I couldn’t help it. With only one body, I had to deal with the most urgent matters first.

“Nigel…hang on a little longer. I’ll get you to the priests soon.”

There was no answer.

It didn’t matter.

At least, I could still hear her breathing and heartbeat.

My senses were half-gone too, but that much was clear.

Pulling the reins, I looked at the garden.

The garden had been torn up and destroyed into a mess, with three corpses rolling around.

……Three?

My eyes widened to the point of tearing.

One was missing.

What? Where did it go.

Where is Boris’s corpse?!

“Grrrrrr….”

From a distance, the sound of a beast’s cry was heard.

I hurriedly turned my gaze.

The black wolf was walking, staggering.

Blood streaming from one eye, clutching his face. Toward the wall.

“Frider! Over there!”

“Tch..! He’s still alive after that! Barbarian, you go to the main building first! I’ll handle this!”

Frider bit her lip and urgently rode her horse toward Boris.

Once he crosses the wall, we can’t chase him.

The horse can’t jump over that wall, and without a horse, it’s difficult to track with an exhausted body.

“B-boost chaaaarge—!”

At that moment, the entrance of the special building shattered and a silver flash leaped out.

Along with a vivid stream of light, crossing the garden like a meteor.

Asha’s spear pierced Boris’s back.

“Kha, aagh…!”

The wolf, with its spine shattered to pieces, let out a short scream and slumped against the wall, impaled.

Frider cut off his head.

“Asha…?”

“Haschal!”

Asha, releasing her hand from the lance, flew toward me.

“Are you okay? I’m late, aren’t I! I had to silver-plate the lance!”

She had some soot on her, but there didn’t seem to be any noticeable injuries.

Asha was shocked to see the state of me and Nigel.

“My goodness, such wounds…!”

“I’m still okay, Nigel is worse than me…! We need to get to the main building quickly!”

“Understood! Give her to me, I’ll be better than a horse’s back!”

I carefully handed Nigel to her.

Asha, taking Nigel, turned a lever near her shoulder.

The jetpack’s flame weakened a bit.

“Ready! Let’s go!”

Frider took the lead and rode her horse.

Leaving the half-destroyed special building behind, I head to the main building with them.

The institute was still burning as I looked back.

—-

The main building was in chaos.

Hundreds of blankets were spread on the drill ground, with injured civilians lying on them, groaning in pain.

Healing priests were rushing around, tending to the wounded.

Shouts, screams, and urgent voices echoed in disorder.

It looked like a field hospital in the middle of a battlefield.

Is this why they didn’t notice the state of the special building?

I ran to the nearest healing priest.

Hearing the approaching hoofbeats, the priest turned toward us.

It was a priestess of Saulite.

The priestess recognized us and was shocked.

“The special admission students..? My goodness, what happened…! Come this way!”

The priestess urgently pointed to an empty blanket.

As Asha put Nigel down, the priestess cast a healing blessing on her.

Orange holy light enveloped Nigel.

Thinking one person wasn’t enough, the priestess called for other priests.

Three or four priests gathered around.

“You need to lie down too! How did you get such injuries…!”

I blocked the priest trying to make me lie down.

Now was not the time to rest. In this wide drill ground, I couldn’t see anyone except priests and the injured.

A terrible premonition ran down my spine.

“Where are the professors, the other students?”

No way. No way, have they already sent all the students out?

Just 10 minutes after the palace was attacked?

That quickly?

“Of course they went to suppress the rioters! Since the knights have gone to the palace!”

The answer that came back was filled with despair.