episode_0016

The word ‘pure love’ seemed to have become the keyword for awakening, as the elves suddenly began to unleash their hidden powers.

“Haah… Haah… From ‘special treatment’ to ‘compassion’ to ‘pure love’… They’re just demanding everything under the sun!”

“I’m not really into aggressive and clingy women.”

“It’s okay, you see, when you engage intimately, you naturally grow closer! That’s commonly known as ‘collaboration.’”

“While strong women do have their appeal, I prefer leading rather than being led. It’s just my preference.”

“Do the weak even have a say?”

Clang!

Under the frenzied attack of the elf, Karl’s body staggered back.

Seeing Karl’s trembling arm holding the greatsword, it was evident that he was reaching his limit.

For a moment, Karl glanced down at his greatsword, muttered in frustration, “If only we had some backup fire support, we might have stood a chance.”

“Maybe you should shut your trap. Besides, isn’t this a self-inflicted mess? If you hadn’t mentioned ‘pure love,’ things wouldn’t have escalated to this extent!”

“Even though they went crazy over intimacy, I didn’t expect them to go berserk over insults. Well, it does bother me a bit.”

Swish –

Adjusting his grip on the greatsword, Karl whispered a question to me.

“Don’t you have any contingency plans? I wish you had at least considered this within the realm of possibilities.”

“…Someone might mistake me for a brilliant strategist. But truth be told, I’m not that clever.”

“Sigh, meeting your ideal only to find out all they want is to become a hostage… It’s not going to end well.”

“Even if we miraculously escape in our dreams, there won’t be anyone waiting to welcome us.”

Growling fiercely, he reluctantly resumed dividing the elves and swords once again.

However, as mentioned earlier, his body had reached its limit. Without even exchanging a few blows, the sword was kicked out of Karl’s hand by the elf towards me.

“…Being kicked by a stunning beauty might be a reward, but the situation is far from good. My arm won’t move anymore.”

“This is a complete disaster. We’re running out of ammunition, and the artillery is on the verge of breaking down. Priest, how about you? Can you hold on a little longer?”

“No, I only have enough divine power left for one more protective spell.”

Is this what they mean by being in dire straits?

Watching the desperate state of the group, everything seemed bleak.

Was this just a futile attempt?

Even if attempted under optimal conditions, the chances of escape were slim. Attempting it with nearly half our resources depleted made it seem futile.

Yet, it was disappointing.

If only the fierce elf, Veldem, who had been relentlessly pursuing us for two days, had been in perfect condition.

If the orc gourmet, Kotas, had been with us, we might have escaped to a distant place where the elves couldn’t follow.

“If only Kotas would appear now, we might have a chance at escaping.”

Surrounded and on the brink of being captured, we were on the verge of escape.

Our current location: the outskirts of the Great Forest.

If someone with immense strength could throw us out towards freedom, we could succeed in escaping.

…But the lack of such a person was our biggest issue.

Vrrrrrrrrrk! Tick! Tick!

The sound of the empty gun chamber rotating brought me back to reality.

Now, even the timid ones had to engage in close combat.

I placed the dwarf-made shotgun on the ground, drew the medium-sized axe and meat hammer from my belt, and faced the creatures who seemed ready to charge at any moment.

What should I do now?

I’m really not confident in close combat.

Staring at the approaching fairies stealthily, did he brace himself while keeping his composure?

“What a fierce sight. Enough to lose one’s appetite.”

From an unexpected place, an ally, not even hoped for, appeared.

—–

Orc gourmet, Kotas.

In simple terms, he could be described as a fanatic of fine dining.

Living a normal life most of the time, but willing to do anything to eat delicious-looking food.

Even if that appetizing dish contains poison, he would still devour it.

Quiet when calm, but among four individuals, he is the craziest when provoked.

The source of his power is appetite and rage.

Growing stronger the hungrier or angrier he gets, his prowess varying greatly depending on the situation.

While usually the weakest among the protagonist’s group, in specific circumstances, he displays a formidable strength almost akin to a savior.

And that individual is here now.

“I express deep regret, elves and fairies.”

He was in a stronger state than ever before.

Thud. Thud.

With each step, the ground trembled.

The overwhelming aura of aggression rendered the fairies incapacitated instantly, sending shivers down the spines of even the elves.

What could have happened with the elves to provoke such fury?

As fear crept in, answers to our questions began to flow from his lips.

“You promised to treat me to the finest cuisine.”

“…”

“So, I didn’t resist. A golden opportunity to experience the delicacies of the Great Forest, available for a mere seed from my pocket.”

Thud!

Taking another step forward, he exhaled a snort, intensifying the aggression.

“However, I never imagined being stabbed in the back like this.”

“The ‘cuisine’ you mentioned wasn’t about savoring with your mouth but indulging below… I was truly astounded. Moreover.”

Pointing at us, now incapacitated, he drew closer.

Then, snatching a sword from its sheath, he aimed it at the elves.

“Newcomers may have arrived, but treating my comrades like this is intolerable.”

As he expressed his anger with a snort, the elves, oppressed by aggression, mocked Kotas, channeling their mana and aura.

“If you can’t tolerate it, what will you do? Do you think you can take on all of us alone?”

“It’s not impossible. At least in my current state, humiliated by you, it seems quite feasible.”

“Hmph, then give it a try. I hope you can uphold your words.”

The elves charged forward.

Observing this scene, I quickly instructed the priestess.

“Strengthen the defensive barrier to its maximum capacity. Make it spherical, not domed!”

“Suddenly?”

“If you don’t want to be overwhelmed and killed, hurry! We need to get out of here!”

Except for the priestess, who had some strength left, everyone else was incapacitated for combat.

If we got entangled in Kotas and the elves’ senseless fight, there was a high chance we would die.

So, we needed to leave before getting caught up in it. Preferably heading towards an escape route from the Great Forest.

After urging her repeatedly, the priestess squeezed out every bit of her divine power to create a sturdy-looking spherical protective shield successfully.

Upon confirming that, I requested Kotas to throw the shield as far away as possible, proposing conditions that he found agreeable.

“I know a few special recipes.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, if you want to taste them, throw this shield far outside the Great Forest. If I return alive, I’ll treat you to a truly delicious meal.”

“Very well, new comrade. Let’s handle this quickly and head out fast.”

Kotas easily raised the concrete barrier and threw it forcefully outside the forest, observing the blank expressions of the elves flying energetically within the protective shield.

Is this what they call ‘barking up the wrong tree’?

Their expressions were truly priceless, almost worth capturing in a photo.

As I gazed at the elves with a smirk, the priestess stiffened her face and threw a question at me.

“Is that orc alright? Judging by the elves’ lack of power, it seems like they could easily overpower him…”

“He’ll be fine, I suppose. Probably will take them all down and come out. That state is what led the guy in the original to slay the dragon even when facing annihilation.”

But what if he’s even hungrier and angrier than he was back then?

Crash!!!

A loud noise echoed several times from the forest, cutting off my thoughts abruptly.

Simultaneously, the elves’ screams flowed out from beyond the forest.

“You hear that? No need to worry unnecessarily, right? We should be worrying about ourselves now, not someone else, right?”

“…I guess so.”

The soaring barrier high into the sky.

The one carrying our group soon lost momentum and began descending slowly towards the ground.

“Can we survive this?”

“Well, if we land in water, we might at least have a chance to survive, right?”

“No contingency plan? What about a levitation spell? You’re a witch! Do something!”

“Am I some kind of pocketed robotic cat? Solve everything rigidly according to the situation?!”

I’m not the all-powerful witch you imagine.

Just a mediocre witch who can use magic (physics).

In response to the priestess’s words, the concrete barrier began descending rapidly, and as I saw the ground getting closer, I let out a scream.

“Screaaaaaaaaam!!!”