episode_0034

***

It’s heavy.

Kiwight’s impression as he returned carrying the rescued blue element. It was an assessment made based on purely rational judgment.

“Bbub?”

When he first ran fast, the blue kin were surprised and buried their faces in his back, but soon they got used to it and looked around innocently. However, Kiwight did not let his guard down against his kin.

If you look closely, it’s full of suspicious things.

If you took a hostage, it would have been natural to cut their tendons so they couldn’t escape, but instead of the scars that should have been there, there were only bruises and cuts that must have been recent.

And the only thing that was supposed to restrain him was a rope tied around his neck.

It is hard to see them as being of the same race, as their skin color resembles that of a demon. They were released relatively cleanly as hostages. It seems like they can’t communicate even if you want to question them.

Despite all these factors and his intuition constantly warning him, Keewit chose to return with his people on his back.

There were enemies everywhere, so it was questionable whether they would be able to keep up with him since he looked so unsightly.

If they were really my own people who had been harmed by the Demon’s experiments, I would gladly help them, but if it was a plot, I would sacrifice myself to give the enemy a chance and prevent them from being taken advantage of.

The best thing to do is to resolve the situation without getting hurt and then pass on the case.

Although they were in a vulnerable state where their vital points could be attacked at any moment, Keewight thought that if they took the attack without letting them in and revealed their identity, they would be able to get away with it cheaply.

Even if it means using my life as a means.

You were suspicious. It was definitely sloppy.

“Bba-.”

As Kiwight’s anxiety grew, Kuhora continued to act and secretly gauged the situation.

When should I make a surprise attack? Or should I go into the city and devise another strategy?

If the surprise attack is successful, we can definitely take out one of the elemental fighters selected for the supply operation, but that’s it. We have to return to our unit immediately and stop the original target, the elemental supply.

As the top commander of the operation, it’s not that I don’t want to return to my unit, but even if I have my doubts, going into the city isn’t such a bad option.

If they could maneuver to allow the Chujara hordes to come in from the inside, they might be able to achieve even greater success without having to carry out a supply operation.

I wish I could have at least had proper contact with Critic.

Is it to stop the top-tier supply operation of the Continental Army’s elements that has been going on for over half a year? Or is it to infiltrate the elements city that was so difficult to penetrate?

It’s not for nothing that people say there’s a shortage of talent in times like these. I know it must be hard for you, Critique, but honestly, I’m annoyed that you took away even your most useful subordinates.

If the supply operation had been blocked by a reliable and trustworthy member of his own unit, he wouldn’t have been in such agony. Kehyo, who was very wise, got caught up in the teleportation scroll while chasing away the priestess, and it would be difficult to expect tactics from Makkku, another subordinate.

Priestess, Dark Harvester. Fucking bitch. When I first heard the rumors, I was a little grateful that she was taking care of those incompetent, empty-handed maggots, but damn.

Kuhora also benefited from the priestess’s actions and was promoted quickly, but that is a thing of the past. Now that he himself was defeated by the Dark Reaper, he could not be happy about it, but rather be disgusted.

“Bubya-.”

A sigh hidden in a babble. I thought I should go inside and wait for them to let their guard down.

“… !”

I see you noticed.

Kuwait is convinced that the prayer has changed after receiving a call from the spirit.

No matter how skillfully you try to hide it, it’s not easy to hide your nervousness when you’re being carried.

As Kiwight’s distrust of the hostage turned into confidence, he ran towards the barrier with even more speed, trying not to show it, which was actually proof to Kuhora.

But if they pass through the barrier without any trouble, then doubt will turn to confusion. If they pass through without any trouble, then I should positively consider infiltrating the city.

Kuhora buries his face in her back and measures her. Kuhora also can’t help but focus on the variables approaching from within the barrier.

The two in front and this one. The guy who carried me is quite annoying, but since I’m being carried, I can deal with them as long as I don’t make any mistakes. I haven’t figured out the skills of the elements coming out to meet me in the city, but it’s obvious that they’ll be at the level of recovering the injured hostage.

As Kuhora approached the barrier and confirmed that the strength of the elements that would soon join him was decent, he calmly raised his upper body and positioned himself so that he could snap their necks at any time.

The point where I met those two was through the barrier.

Using the power of the Demon Behemoth, you can easily kill it with brute force, but when I experimented with it before, using the power of the Demon Tribe inside the barrier caused a backlash, which made me feel uneasy.

However, it is not that Kuhora’s own strength is weak, so he waits for the right time like a wild beast stalking its prey, and his hand is caught.

“Stop right there!”

“Boo-woot?!”

I was thrown away just before entering the barrier.

I never thought I would be able to move without entering the barrier…!

It’s not that I didn’t think about it at all, but I still thought I would do something after entering the barrier.

“Keewight?!”

“What the heck is this… .”

Even the elements within the barrier were shocked by the sudden action.

“… What is it?”

As Kuhora rolled without any resistance, the person who threw it also seemed to be hesitant.

It’s okay. I’m still skeptical.

“Oh my, braaang-!!”

When Kuhora saw this, he immediately cried.

“Braaaah!Braaaah-!”

It didn’t hurt that much, but it was sad that they were fooling me.

“What are you doing, Kiwit!”

“Are you just throwing away your own kind?!”

As expected, it reacts and steps forward.

“Do not come near! This is a message from Aor-nim through the spirit. Be careful, those people might actually be enemies!”

Kiwit stops his subordinates from going to investigate Kuhora.

“But you still didn’t cross the barrier?!”

“That’s right! Are you doubting Teranim’s barrier?”

As expected from a race that cares for its own kind, it rebels and questions its superiors.

“That’s….”

On the contrary, Kuhora couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of his subordinates persuading him, recalling the many times his subordinates rebelled instead of being loyal.

“Don’t be fooled! I’ll take responsibility! Just step back for now!”

However, with a diligent and alert attitude, he puts an arrow on his bow and aims at Kuhora.

“But we are the same race…!”

“Krrr-.”

He retreats slowly, as if he were in the same situation as them.

“Braaaah-.Braaaah-!”

I’m immersed in the crying scene, hoping to be fooled until the end.

“Ugh.”

It was clear that even Kiwi, who seemed like he would strike back resolutely, was hesitating, as the effect was not completely ineffective.

“If we were really of the same race. I will atone for my sins with death.”

Kiwight, who seemed to have made up his mind, let go of the bowstring, and Kuhora easily knocked the arrow away.

“Wow, that was too much.”

No matter how confident you are, an arrow aimed at your neck is fatal. Even if you don’t die right away, it’s a waste to risk your life on an adventure.

“Weren’t you also of the same species?”

“Get out of there!”

I was about to attack the guy who was muttering stupidly, but stopped when arrows kept flying at me.

“You can tell he’s not an ordinary guy, seeing as he tricked us!”

“”Yep!””

Two elements that quickly retreat at Kiwi’s shouting while standing there dumbfounded.

“Tsk-.”

When Kuhora failed to surprise him, he escaped from the barrier without hesitation. He could deal with two elemental soldiers with his bare hands, but the element called Kiwight was annoying.

“I don’t know how a member of the same race became a demon, but it must all be the sins of the Demon King’s army.”

“Ha-!”

Kuhora wanted to refute Kiwight, who was talking nonsense without even knowing, but he couldn’t let his guard down because the archer who was aiming at him seemed ready to shoot without hesitation this time.

“You guys!”

“”Yep!””

“You guys join in and buy some time! I’ll pass on the information in the meantime!”

As Kuhora used trees as cover to widen the distance, Kiwight put away his bow and used spirit magic. Even though the demons who resembled his own kind were stronger than him, he left it to his subordinates to keep them in check since they were unarmed.

That bastard, you acted so honest and then you went inside the barrier? And you’re trying to relay information? If I had someone like that under me…

With the help of the intermediate-level servant horse that Kuhora had secretly made follow him from afar, he changed his clothes. Kuhora swallowed the regret of not having killed Kiwight instead of going in vain and thought about his next plan.

“What do we do now?”

“… Don’t approach the enemy, just keep them at bay.”

Kiwight, who was concentrating on his spirit magic, was momentarily interrupted by his subordinate’s question, but he calmly endured it.

“Ugh, I’m getting annoyed.”

Rather, if they come near, I will lure them into close combat and capture them or take them hostage to gain the initiative.

Even the elements that looked a little clumsy were difficult to deal with if they held a bow from afar. The fighting power of the ordinary elements was said to be weaker than that of humans, but there were occasional rumors that the elements captured by slavers found a bow while running away after being released, and then wiped out the slavers and their group that had captured them.

It would have been possible, since he was a healthy element, without any procedures performed on the slave, since he had only been captured not long ago.

That much time and distance should not be given to the element holding the bow.

“Baru. Lania. Assist from behind.”

Furthermore, Kiwight joins the battle, having finished relaying information from the spirits to the allies. On the other hand, Kuhora judged that holding out would be of no use and prepared to return.

“We’re going to start subduing our own kind now. Have you prepared the rope?”

“I took care of it.”

Towering-

“… Subjugation?”

Kuhora, who was about to leave despite having no income, stopped after hearing Kiwit’s words.

“Haha, it’s annoying that that stupid one-eyed kid is rushing in without knowing the place, but all the weak kids, whether they’re allies or enemies, are just talking… !”

Kuhora, who had been leaning against the tree, appeared.

‘Pee-pee!’

‘Pak-‘

“-!?”

Kiwit shot the arrow right away, but was slightly surprised by the light slap. Even though it was a bit far, he was proud of his archery skills, so he was even more so.

“You dare to subdue me? Ugh, how laughable.”

Kuhora summons new low-level servant horses and sends them flying. There are more than ten of them, and they all take cover for granted and fly around the barrier.

“Take aim at the servant horse first. I’ll take care of the compatriots.”

Kiwight gave orders to his subordinates while shooting arrows repeatedly.

“Kiwit! The servant horse doesn’t fit at all!”

“Don’t be nervous, shoot calmly! Those servants can’t enter the barrier!”

What Keewit said was true.

The only reason Kuhora was able to enter the barrier was because his possessed body was an element, even though he was half a demonic behemoth.

“Anyway, the only one who is unrivaledly strong is the priestess. The others are just elements in the end. But I don’t like that baseless confidence that they can do something to me.”

While the elements were paying more attention to the low-level servant horse wandering up close than to the far-off Kuhora, Kuhora muttered while taking some of the recovery and strengthening potions that had been entrusted to the mid-level servant horse.

“You guys, I can deal with them without using magic.”

Was it because I had accumulated a lot of dissatisfaction from being continuously treated like that?

As Kuhora, who would normally have left, finished his grumbling, he started to run in earnest.

“Oh no… !”

The quiver was emptying quickly. Kiwight was barely able to hit a low-level servant horse and save face, but before he knew it, Kuhora had already come close to the barrier.

“Everyone, back off!”

“But the demons can’t enter the barrier-.”

“That fellow countryman was able to come in! Didn’t you check it earlier?!”

Two factors that fall back without results due to Kiwi’s shouting.

“Leaf wind!”

Just before Kuhora enters the barrier, he uses spirit magic to summon wind and pours it down on Kuhora.

“It’s annoying.”

The wind that Kiwight used itself was not destructive. Instead, dust and leaves were blowing everywhere, and if you moved, you frowned at the feeling that foreign substances would enter your eyes. It was difficult to avoid or deflect the arrows by raising your arm and covering your eyes.

“Shoot now!”

As expected, the purpose of the interference was that the element soldiers’ skills were not up to the task.

“You think you can subdue me with just this much? You arrogant bastard!”

Kuhora finally enters the barrier.

“No?!”

It acted as if it was going to rush at him, but then dodged as if it had been waiting for Kiwight to use another technique with his spirit magic.

“Crrr, you idiot.”

Leaving aside the Kiwight, who is difficult to deal with even when pushed into close combat.

“Rania!”

Kuhora targeted one of the elemental subordinates.

“I’m okay! Even though I look like this, I’m confident that I can run away!”

“I was worried because we were in the same body, but it wasn’t that fast.”

Kuhora had explosive acceleration, but that was it.

When you chase one element, another element shoots arrows and interferes. When you catch it, the spirit magic intervenes, making it difficult to ignore.

If you change the target like this, the same situation will repeat itself.

“Tsk, this is annoying.”

Although he wanted to transform, he knew that if he did so within the barrier, the unique resistance would bind him and his condition would worsen. Kuhora recalled that it felt like he was swimming in water, but he was not used to the feeling of floating like the moon’s gravity, so it was more like he was floundering.

“If only I could use magic power… .”

If you catch them, they’re so annoying that they’re not even worth a bite. I thought I should stick to just one guy, but I was neither here nor there.

“Huh? My kind are running away!”

“Shoot! Hold on as long as you can!”

It is the same for Kuhora if you fail to achieve results. No matter how late it is, if you cannot get out because of sunk costs, that is a real mistake.

“Kreuk, this is a mess.”

I knew that I was exhausted and losing my strength, but I didn’t want to stay longer to vent my frustrations.

Even though I’ve already wasted a lot of time and am starting to feel impatient.

“Shoot carefully! Shoot carefully!”

Even if you say that, it’s hard to pull the bowstring. It wasn’t that hard to shoot a target that was running away while looking back, but the presence of the opponent made it impossible.

“The enemy ran away. They went away.”

The element that was barely holding back the urge to gasp finally came to an end.

“… You survived.”

“Haa-, that’s right.”

The three hunters were trying to corner a beast as if they were hunting it, but in reality, all they could do was delay the enemy leader, who had not even shown his true skills, with only speed.

“Are you okay, Key White?”

“… I’m fine, so you guys just get better.”

As the two elements, drenched in sweat, leaned against the tree to recover, Kiwight, who was no different from the two elements, relayed information again to the spirit, and after confirming again that Kuhora had completely left, collapsed weakly.