episode_0070

“No! Amina!”

In the midst of a brief rest after the skirmish with bandits, one of the sturdy Eastern adventurers was suddenly horrifically murdered by an enemy who sprang out unexpectedly.

“Another attack?! Who is that woman?”

“There was no sign…!”

For a moment, the adventurers and employees were stunned, but then urgently shouted and drew their weapons, rushing towards this direction.

Probably.

“Hilde! Be careful!”

There was no time to turn my head to check the movement of our allies.

“Ah!”

The woman who had just fatally stabbed Amina’s throat was now rushing towards me like an arrow shot.

“This!”

Reflexively, I twisted my waist and raised the longsword I had been holding in a diagonal line.

Clang!

A metallic sound reverberated in my ears. The spearhead, extending like lightning, clashed with the black iron longsword, spewing sparks as it shot up above my head.

“Ugh…!”

Just receiving the blow caused my waist to bend like a bow. The black iron sword trembled as if releasing its strength.

Instinctively reacting, if I hadn’t swung the sword, wouldn’t my head have been pierced through the helmet? It was an astonishingly fast speed.

“Blocked it?”

The assailant with red hair, wearing a plain coat over a tattered cloak, twisted her lips into a smile at her appearance.

Her roughly cut short red hair and sharp eyes. A fierce and ominous gaze. Smiling with bared fangs, she resembled a starving wolf.

Though she held a spear in her right arm, only one gauntlet adorned her arm, while her left arm was completely covered in metal armor.

From shoulder to fingertips, there was a continuous plate armor. Perhaps due to the armor, her left arm seemed somewhat longer and thicker compared to her right arm.

It felt like she had forcibly transplanted someone else’s arm?

At least, it was certain from the first glance that she was not just some bandit.

Could the woman who had fatally struck down Amina be just a mere bandit?

Even if it was an unexpected ambush, the result itself would not have changed significantly even if it wasn’t an ambush.

Originally, even if it wasn’t Amina’s body convulsing like a trampled frog, my instincts had already warned me.

There’s an enemy in front of me.

So concentrate.

To the extent that not even a single breath of the enemy is missed.

“…Goodness.”

Why do I keep meeting these kinds of jerks wherever I go? Did I really deserve this?

“As expected, quite skilled, huh?”

I didn’t have time to lament my misfortune.

As I swiftly corrected my posture, the spear-wielding woman—no, the warrior wielding the spear—thrust the spear downward like an axe.

Hoo-woong!

The sound of the spear cutting through the air was imposing.

It wasn’t a charge but a simple thrust, so it wasn’t as fast as before.

“Who are you!”

I dodged the spear by turning my body to the side and rushed towards her while shouting.

A sword swung diagonally at the same time as the shout.

The blade, drawing a curve, was about to cleave the woman’s upper body, but it was blocked by her left arm, which acted as a shield, emitting a metallic clang.

“Curious? Then find out with your strength.”

She chuckled as she thrust her spear with her right hand.

“Well, it might be a bit much.”

“You’re hesitating.”

Like her, I raised my left hand and deflected the spear.

“Don’t block, dodge!”

Amy’s desperate shout from behind made me reflexively roll my foot and leap backward, widening the distance.

– Boom!

Flames and explosions erupted a step too late. The fierce flames flickered for a moment, then went out like a candle in the wind.

It was the harmony caused by the tip of the woman’s spear that had been aimed at me.

“Lucky.”

The woman twirled the missed spear regretfully.

…Was that a bewitched spear? If I had blocked it with my left arm, it would have been a disaster.

Cold sweat trickled down my cheek.

A spear causing an explosion in empty space. If it weren’t for Amy’s warning, my left arm would have been completely destroyed.

This opponent is more troublesome than I thought… Where did this woman suddenly come from?

With her red hair and an exploding spear…! That woman, could it be…!

The chief executive officer of the upper ranks, Lugg, shouted urgently in a tone that could not hide his astonishment at whether he had discovered her true identity.

“No way, Bellita Ladrós!”

Who is that?

Bellita Ladrós. It was a name I had never heard before, possibly not a character from the original work.

“Bellita Ladrós?!”

Patroller Jane asked in surprise.

“That ‘head collector’ Bellita, you mean?!”

…Head collector Bellita? What kind of crazy nickname is that?

It was a ruthless nickname to the extent that it would make even a lowly slaughterer seem like a mere troublemaker in a small village.

Considering what he had done to Amina, it certainly suited him well, but…

“Caught red-handed. How embarrassing for a person.”

The apprehended girl chuckled and affirmed Lugg’s guess, then, with a swift movement, shot forward like an arrow, drenched in blood.

“Tsk…!”

I desperately jumped aside to avoid it and bit my lip.

Facing off against a spear that explodes upon contact, we could only be at an overwhelming disadvantage in close combat.

“Yes, I am indeed that Bellita Ladrós.”

Bellita, who stopped as if sliding along the ground while piercing the air, turned to look at me and flashed a provocative smile.

“Why, did it suddenly become more frightening to hear?”

“Who is that?!”

Frightening my foot. It’s a name I’ve never heard before, so what’s supposed to be scary about it? I shouted loudly, demanding a more detailed explanation.

“He’s a wanted criminal in Burgunt! A criminal who has killed over fifty adventurers and subsequently murdered eight pursuing knights! No way, he crossed over to Herbor!”

Lugg shouted in a voice filled with horror.

A wanted criminal who has killed eight knights. In other words, it meant a skilled individual who, at the very least, when caught, might be considered a top-tier threat, perhaps even more.

“It’s not eight, but ten. Were two excluded because their heads were left intact?”

Bellita let out a hollow laugh between his words and, like lightning, turned his body and thrust his spear towards the rear.

Kwaaang!

“Kyaaah…!”

With a resounding boom, Freide, who had been about to swing his greatsword, was thrown backward and tumbled across the ground.

Thanks to quickly defending with a sword, it seemed like she hadn’t been injured, but her messy hair was covered in dirt, making her look like a beggar.

“This little one is quite… no, not quite. More than quite?”

Bellita grinned as she looked at the struggling Freida who was trying to get up. The next moment, the corners of her mouth shot up menacingly like a ghost.

“Indeed, it seems I hit the jackpot. Isn’t that right?”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying!”

As she spoke, she unsheathed her longsword. The spear-like thrust extended towards Bellita’s side.

“I mean the heart, the heart.”

Followed by a scraping sound, Bellita leaned back and swung her dark iron longsword to the side.

The heavy metal clashed fiercely, emitting bright sparks.

“You have it, don’t you? Our master desires that heart. So, would you kindly hand it over?”

As she spoke, Bellita unleashed a storm of thrusts.

I wielded my sword, parrying and pushing aside her longsword.

After checking three times, it seemed that the explosive ability of that spear was limited to the blade alone.

If I pushed away the longsword itself instead of directly facing it, even if the blade exploded, I could dodge the flames just before they reached me. Probably.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

I suddenly swung my sword more forcefully, diverting the trajectory of the longspear and shouted.

Was it a mistake to try to understand the criminal’s words? I couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was saying.

“What heart? Speak clearly!”

What heart? Why would we be looking for that here? If you need a heart, you should go find the wizard of Oz!

“No use getting worked up, you know?”

My outstretched right leg swept the ground and blocked Bellita’s boot sole. Leveraging my leg strength, Bellita leaped backward.

Immediately after, three arrows and ice spears swiftly passed through the space where she had just been standing.

“Tch.”

I chased after Belita, grinding my teeth as I pounded the ground. It felt like I had become a traitor, saving the enemy by deflecting the long-range ultimate skill of my allies.

Thud.

Belita landed on the ground gracefully and, with a flick of her left arm, deflected another arrow before running towards me and Freide, chuckling.

“Heh, stay away from Miss Hilde!”

Freide rushed forward carrying a greatsword, its middle charred black from blocking an explosion.

After quickly scanning me and Freide with her eyes, Belita slightly nodded her head and spoke again.

“If you want to disguise yourself, do it properly. Placing such skilled individuals in a small-scale operation like this… That’s why you end up confessing that this is the right place, isn’t it?”

No, really. I can’t understand what she’s saying.

“Have you ever talked to anyone else?”

She’s just talking to herself, driving me crazy with her irritating manner.

Her speech scratched at my nerves enough to suppress my tension. I decided to abandon any thoughts of conversing with the madwoman in front of me and focus solely on the battle.

“Really? I bet you’ve talked to more people than I have.”

With a response akin to that of a recluse claiming to have internet friends, Belita swung her spear into the air, wrapping the blade in flames that burst like fireworks.

As if giving some kind of signal.

“Oh…! New enemies! Ten? No, twenty…? Everyone, be careful!”

Jane pointed urgently towards the bushes. Something was rapidly approaching, parting the foliage.

“Ugh… Protect the carriage! All of you too!”

Rug barked, his tone demanding that whether hired hands or adventurers, they should protect their cargo properly for the money they were paid.

“How about it, not many?”

Freide parried the greatsword with her spear and, using the recoil, evaded my longsword.

It was truly annoying to see her smirking as she gestured towards the group of attackers coming our way.

“You must be happy with so many friends. Is it because you’re a woman with a spear?”

I grimaced and spat out my response.

“Heh, Miss Hilde…?”

I couldn’t even imagine that kind of disdain coming from my mouth, and Preed, who was about to swing the greatsword again, looked at me with a surprised expression.

“You’re not a friend, you’re a subordinate.”

Meanwhile, Valita, as if she didn’t care about such disdain, casually revealed it with a nonchalant face and smiled.