Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Yuna knew Johan well. Or at least, she believed she did.
The moment the barbarian appeared, Johan had naturally taken a step back.
Running away from danger.
That was simply a natural instinct for someone with the sensibilities of an ordinary citizen to the core.
Yuna had no intention of criticizing that.
If anything, people like Ariel and Lobelia, who move forward in the face of danger, are the abnormal ones. People call such individuals heroes.
It is an image of humanity that is far removed from Johan.
That is why when Ariel confronted the barbarian, even though Johan simply stood far away watching the fight, Yuna thought nothing of it.
"Oh!"
However, the moment Johan, who had been standing still, suddenly moved, even Yuna could not help but gasp in surprise.
"He is not the type to do that."
For a brief moment Yuna could not understand Johan’s actions, but soon she realized the reason behind them.
"Ah, was it called the Transcendence Illness?"
The disease Ariel suffered from.
Yuna had no knowledge of medicine, so it was only natural that she could not recognize the moment Ariel’s symptoms began to appear.
Johan, however, had been trying to treat Ariel’s illness, so he was able to notice the abnormal signs early.
Thinking back to Johan’s actions just now, Yuna smiled.
"That was cool."
Clap.
She brought her hands together in applause.
There had been no hesitation in Johan’s movement.
The same man who built walls around himself, trembling in fear of everything, had stepped forward without hesitation into a situation where he could die.
It was not like him at all.
Whether Johan had experienced a change of heart or whether he had always possessed a firm conviction of his own, Yuna did not know.
But she decided to cheer him on.
"You can do it!"
Yuna believed.
In the boy’s courage.
In the moment he tried to become a hero.
In the resolve he had finally made.
"You can do it!"
Time passed.
"You bitch."
"...Me?"
Having finally escaped the exhilaration of battle, Ariel muttered while looking up at me with unfocused eyes.
She probably could not see properly right now.
The symptoms were getting worse.
Seeing her like that made me uncomfortable, and for once I gave an explanation in a situation I normally would have ignored.
"I was not talking to you just now, Lady Ariel."
The one I had called a bitch was Yuna.
I do not know if she can even hear it.
She said she would save my life once, and when the moment actually comes she decides to test me?
I swear I will never take anything that lunatic says seriously again.
"Krahahahahaha!"
But now was not the time to curse Yuna.
All of my thoughts had to focus on how to deal with the primitive bastard chasing me from behind.
The barbarian smashed walls and buildings alike with a single massive club.
Every time I changed direction or jumped over obstacles, he simply destroyed everything in his path and moved almost in a straight line.
My movement speed was slower since I was carrying Ariel.
Running away was impossible.
He would catch up soon.
"Close your eyes."
"...What?"
"You might throw up from the dizziness, so just close them."
Whoosh.
I grabbed a streetlamp and used it to change direction again.
An inefficient escape path against someone charging in a straight line while smashing everything.
But walls do not exist solely to stop enemies.
"With legs that slow, can you even run away properly?"
Taking advantage of the moment I slowed down during the turn, the barbarian warrior caught up.
He immediately swung the club he held in both hands down with brutal force.
Boom!
The strike was powerful enough to crush my head and even shook the surrounding area.
"Hm?!"
But he failed to kill me.
The club that had been swung with full strength shattered the ground instead of my skull.
Illusion Magic Mirage.
The moment I changed direction earlier, I had already created a mirage.
As I have said before, illusion magic is my specialty.
And creating a mirage to confuse someone about my location requires almost no preparation compared to polymorph or camouflage.
Stab.
The moment he showed confusion, I drove the dagger forward.
"Hah! Not bad."
Was it a mistake to fight instead of continuing to run?
Holding Ariel with one arm, I used all my strength to thrust the dagger.
But.
The blade could not pierce through the barbarian’s tough skin and thick muscles.
It did not even sink in properly.
At best it was only a scratch.
The barbarian grinned as if he liked the fact that I had suddenly counterattacked while fleeing, but his eyes were filled with the murderous intent to crush my skull immediately.
"That was shallow, Sir Johan."
A weak whisper reached my ear.
Even though Ariel was facing the opposite direction, she noticed instantly.
For a moment I thought her senses were returning, but I shook my head while feeling her limp body in my arms.
Her senses had not returned.
They had simply extended beyond her body.
She was approaching transcendence.
"I know that without you reminding me. It felt like I stabbed a rock."
I deliberately replied with irritation.
At this rate she would not last long.
"Hoo..."
First I felt the throbbing pain in my wrist and regretted my decision.
Damn it.
I thought it would be enough since Ariel had softened him up with magic earlier, but apparently it was not sufficient.
I wanted to end this in one strike if possible.
"I feel dizzy."
"Bear with it. If it gets too bad just throw up."
Ariel rested her chin on my shoulder and breathed heavily.
Since I had forcibly dragged her into my illusion magic, dizziness was only natural.
Right now she was extremely sensitive to mana, so the influence of my magic must have felt vivid to her.
"Ghk!"
Whoosh.
A hand as large as my head swept through the space where I had just been standing.
The opponent was exhausted as well, so I managed to avoid it, but my legs trembled.
Damn it.
There is no time to think about anything else.
At this rate I will die before Ariel does.
Tap.
I slapped my thigh once to steady my shaking legs and widened the distance between us again.
It was not over yet.
"...You lost your only weapon."
"It was barely useful anyway. And please stop talking. It is distracting."
"Sir Johan. I will finish it. I am completely fine."
Damn Ariel.
I wish she would at least keep her mouth shut.
How can she say she is fine when she cannot even recognize the state her own body is in?
"I have come this far. I cannot hand it over now even out of sheer stubbornness."
If that was the plan, why would I be running through alleys like this while using my brain?
Losing the dagger was unfortunate, but it did not hold much value.
What I regretted was not maintaining it properly beforehand.
Sigh.
I should not have neglected it just because it was bothersome.
"But you do not have a weapon anymore. How will you fight?"
"I have another weapon."
My weapon is my brilliant mind, my warm heart, and my handsome face.
"And in my hands, a dagger or a rock is basically the same thing."
"Oh..."
Of course, I meant that in a bad way.
But Ariel in her current condition would not be able to grasp the difference.
Time passed.
The moment Johan’s decisive strike failed, Yuna sighed.
"That was too hasty."
It had been shallow.
The quality of the weapon was poor, but more importantly there had been hesitation.
But it was not hesitation about killing someone.
Even in that instant when he thrust the dagger, he had still been thinking about escape rather than battle.
Inexperienced.
Compared to other students of the Cradle, Johan had extremely little combat experience.
"What will he do now?"
The perfect opportunity had passed.
Now he had to pay the price.
Even though Johan still seemed to be thinking of another move, the means available to him were limited.
First of all, there was no effective method for dealing a decisive blow against a barbarian whose body itself was a weapon.
Johan’s specialty was deception.
He could lure an opponent into a trap, but he had no means to finish them off afterward.
Blunt weapons would not work.
Even if he picked up rocks or pieces of metal nearby, it would be difficult to defeat a barbarian with them.
He needed something sharp.
A blade or a dagger capable of piercing a single point.
But those were hard to find.
At best there might be shards of glass scattered around because of the barbarian’s destruction.
"Hm… is he planning to stall for time?"
From Yuna’s perspective, that was the best option.
Johan had no way to defeat the barbarian right now, but he had plenty of ways to deceive him.
Even with Ariel as a burden, he could probably keep escaping for a while.
And by that time, the Imperial Knights would appear and deal with the barbarian.
If he kept fleeing with that assumption in mind, the chase might be terrifying, but he would win in the end.
The problem was something else.
"He looks impatient… why?"
Johan behaved as if that option did not exist at all.
Watching his impatience, Yuna soon found the answer.
"Ah. So that is it."
Johan must have taken the Ex Machina incident into account.
By now countless technicians would have gathered to analyze the machine, making the streets chaotic.
And chaos inevitably brings danger.
The mechanical device created by Ex Machina was a treasure, and there were also talented individuals capable of analyzing it.
Both would attract people with greedy intentions.
Naturally many knights would have been dispatched to that location.
"Hm. Then what method will he use?"
Thinking that things were starting to get interesting, Yuna continued to watch Johan’s escape.
She followed him lightly across the rooftops.
Then at one moment.
"Ghk!"
The light rhythm of Yuna’s movements suddenly broke.
"What?"
Yuna flinched in shock and touched her cheek.
Just a moment ago, someone’s hand had brushed her cheek without her even noticing.
The sensation of soft fingers.
A warmth so cold it felt chilling.
For the first time since she began making a name for herself as the Safe Clown, someone had taken her from behind.
"Hmm?"
Yuna quickly widened the distance and looked back at the spot where she had been standing.
Of course, the one who had touched her was nowhere to be seen.
So how would the opponent act in this situation?
Yuna calculated quickly and prepared a response.
But.
"Ghk!"
The opponent was faster.
Only then did Yuna realize who had taken her from behind.
Brilliant silver hair peeked out from a pure white hood.
Within the gently curved eyes shone fresh green pupils.
Curious eyes without even a hint of malice.
The moment their gazes met, Yuna understood.
She is different from me.
Naturally, Yuna had assumed the opponent was an assassin like herself.
After all, they had approached her without leaving the slightest trace.
But she was wrong.
The method used to appear behind her was not some advanced stealth technique.
"Are you… a student?"
The opponent tilted her head.
A monster who had simply ignored Yuna’s stealth through overwhelming ability.
"For now, it would be best to capture you."
Saint Tilis extended her hand toward the frozen Yuna.
Time passed.
It happened completely without warning.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, a figure in pure white robes landed between me and the barbarian.
There had been no sign and no possibility of prediction.
Yet she spoke calmly.
"Hello."
At that appearance, someone brightened while someone else clicked their tongue.
As for me, I probably turned pale.
She was alien.
Alien in her beauty.
Standing in that rough alley, it felt as though the surroundings would transform into a place filled with lush greenery just because she was there.
A companion of nature.
An elf.
And among them, one treated almost like royalty.
A High Elf.
"Sir Johan… that person is definitely… does that mean we are saved?"
"...Well, for now."
I answered Ariel’s quiet question in a subdued voice.
All of my attention was focused on the person who had just appeared.
The Saint.
Tilis.
The person I least wanted to face directly.
The storm had arrived.
As always, I intended to stay quiet and wait for the storm to pass.
"Tch."
At that moment a clicking sound came from the barbarian.
The same barbarian who had been roaring while chasing us just moments ago.
Barbarians possess sharp senses.
As beastmen and natural warriors, they can feel far more than what appears on the surface.
The barbarian raised the club in his hand and pointed it toward Ariel in my arms.
"You there, girl. You rely too much on tricks, but you still showed potential."
"..."
Ariel narrowed her eyes in confusion at the unexpected words.
The barbarian adjusted the tip of his club slightly and pointed it at me.
"You are weak, but not bad. Instead of relying on tricks, you kept them as a single method and waited for the right moment to hunt. The way you crouched like that… it was exactly like a predator."
His evaluation of me was not as bad as I expected.
I am not sure whether to be happy about that, considering he compared me to a beast.
Then the barbarian grinned and pointed the club toward Tilis.
"You, however, are completely unacceptable. Monster. A monster like you should not exist. It is only unfortunate that I lack the strength to destroy you."
That was the end of his words.
Boom.
The barbarian exploded on the spot.
Like a bursting balloon, his sturdy body ruptured apart.
Blood and flesh splattered across the buildings.
It was… an utterly unreal sight.