Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: Souls, and Souls (8)
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-Screeeeech!!!!
The arrow landed right in front of the lead soldier's feet. I swear, that shot was not a miss. The soldier who watched it bury itself into the ground right before his nose would know that best.
Was it because they thought there was only one enemy to deal with and let their guard down? The soldiers charging forward with such momentum now looked flustered upon realizing there was a new foe. They glanced around wildly, trying to figure out where the arrow had come from, so I kindly fired another one. This time, I aimed precisely for the black plume on the helmet of the frontmost one.
-Screeeeech!!
-Thunk!!!
The arrow sliced through the air and pierced straight through the bundle of black feathers, sending loose strands fluttering everywhere. The helmet's owner flung up his visor and stared back in shock. Ha, look at that dumbfounded expression. Those wide eyes screaming he never saw it coming! This must be the thrill only archers can feel. I chuckled to myself, then dove off the treetop like a diver off a cliff.
-Thud!
Thanks to the spirit of the Sequoia Forest, perhaps? I landed lightly on the grass. Then, facing the soldiers who stared at me stupidly, I said,
"Well then...."
"......"
"Let me guess what you're about to say next."
"......!"
"Kill him!"
"......!"
"Right?"
I could see the face inside the helmet flushing red as if it might explode. He pointed his sword tip at Callisto and bellowed,
"Urgh, hey! Elf! Take out that bastard quick...!"
"......That bastard?"
I heard Callisto mutter under his breath. But the soldier swinging his sword and yelling his head off apparently didn't catch that icy soliloquy.
"We'll handle the knight, so you deal with 'that thing'!"
The moment the man issued his stern order and turned to charge at Lloyd again,
-Bam!!
Callisto leaped forward at a speed no ordinary eye could follow and smashed his knee right into the back of the man's head.
Without even putting up a fight, the man crumpled. Callisto planted his foot on the fallen man's back and spoke in a voice chilling to the bone.
"Know your place."
"......"
"That one is not someone a worm like you gets to speak of lightly."
......Ugh, how embarrassing. I'd crawl into a mouse hole if I could. But Callisto's face was more serious than ever. No way to stop him.
Whether because the man went down so anticlimactically or because of Callisto's baffling words, the soldiers started milling about in confusion, murmuring among themselves. 'What? What's going on? Wasn't he on our side?' Something like that, no doubt. I slowly approached them. On the opposite side, Lloyd was advancing toward them too. We had them surrounded now.
"Wh-what is this...."
"Don't panic! Even if that elf betrayed us, we still outnumber them!"
Oh, please. You think this is math class? And your math is wrong from the start. Even two hundred rabbits can't beat two wolves.
But I didn't have time to correct them one by one. I kept a safe distance, smiled thinly, and nocked an arrow aimed at them.
"Now, for you all who must be feeling quite confused in various ways, I'll give you two choices."
"......!"
"One. Surrender peacefully like this. No one gets hurt."
"......D-don't listen! Don't listen to him!"
"Two. Steel yourselves for death and fight us anyway. In that case, someone's bound to get hurt. I mean, you'd be committing to dying, so you understand."
Most of the soldiers were already sweating profusely and panting. Not because of me, probably. It was the pressure of facing an 'elf' weighing on their hearts. Of course, Callisto was still stepping on the man, oblivious to it all.
"U-ugh, uwaaaah!!!"
Then, someone screamed and bolted toward the forest. Hey, that's cheating. I snapped my fingers. With a crisp *snap!*, weeds and vines sprouted in the soldier's path, ensnaring his feet.
-Thud!!!
"Argh!!!"
The soldier tripped and face-planted into the dirt. [Plant Bind] is so handy in times like these. I had the vines wrap his body tight and pin him to the ground so he couldn't move, then addressed the others.
"Well, we have our first volunteer for surrender."
"......"
"......"
"......"
"Next?"
Signs of division were starting to show. Some clustered together, others glanced around as if ready to bolt. About half and half. Those who figured surrendering here was better than facing an elf, and those who thought they'd die by Dawood's hands anyway if they did.
"D-don't fall back!!!!"
Someone gripped his sword tighter and yelled. At the same time, Callisto glanced at me. I met his eyes and mouthed,
'Don't kill them.'
Callisto nodded. With what looked like a faint smile. Then he shot forward like lightning, weaving through the soldiers. The fight had begun. Amid the chaos, more than a few tried to flee. Toward the forest, or back to the city. The soldiers scattered in all directions.
"Lloyd! Cover that side!"
I used [Plant Bind] to take down those fleeing into the forest and shouted at him. Thanks to our long time together, he subdued them without killing, no explanation needed. The clash of swords, men tumbling away with groans—it all mixed together. Even without ever coordinating before, Callisto and Lloyd flowed seamlessly, never getting in each other's way as they subdued the soldiers.
For those trying to flee into the woods, I tripped them with vines and bound them up each time they fell. No one could break free from the tough vines, improved by Puddle's modifications to be stronger than ordinary ropes. Once I'd bound all the runners, I headed to the other side to help Callisto and Lloyd.
'Quickly tie up the rest and head to the center....'
It hadn't taken long to subdue them, which was a relief. As I reached into my pouch to replenish vine seeds, my gaze naturally drifted downward....
'......Wait, vine roots?'
There they were, roots upheaved from the soil. As if someone had tried to yank them out by force. But that shouldn't be possible with ordinary strength. Who could have...? No one among the soldiers stood out. I turned to check again when—
"Hiiiiaaah!!!"
"Kaaack!!"
"Uwaaaah!!!"
Ah, come on. Grown men shrieking like that—what a pathetic sight. How tight did I bind them with vines? Grimacing, I turned toward the screams. And then....
"Gaaahhhh!!!!"
-Crack, crunch!
"Save me! Save me!! Save me!!! Save meeeee!!!!"
-Szzz... zzzt!
"No! Guuuuuh!!!!"
-Snap!!!!
Before I could even grasp the situation, my body jerked backward.
"Theodore!"
Callisto had grabbed and yanked me back. The speed made the brushing wind feel icy cold.
-Boom!!!!!
At the same time, a steel ball the size of a watermelon, studded with blades all over, crashed down where I'd been standing with a terrifying thud. The ground cratered around it—must weigh a ton.
'What the hell....'
I couldn't believe the scene before me.
'Orc warriors...!'
That's right.
Not just any orcs, but orc warriors, crushing the bound soldiers like ants. Heads stomped in, limbs torn off, spines ripped out—regardless of their screams. The gruesome sight chilled my blood.
'The orc subjugation was a success, huh? All lies, as expected.'
Just as I'd suspected, they had other plans. And they must have collaborated with the orcs for it.
'Maybe they never trusted Callisto from the start.'
Otherwise, the orcs couldn't have shown up right now.
'......I underestimated this Fabio guy.'
Damn it. I spat a curse under my breath and immediately drew my bow and an arrow. Thinking later. Right now, I had to save the soldiers being massacred.
I nocked a sleek silverwood arrow and aimed at the orc warriors.
-Screeeeech!!!!
-Thunk!!!
-Screeeeech!!!!
-Thunk!!!
The arrows hit their hearts dead-on, but they didn't go down easily. Ordinary orcs would have, but these were 'orc warriors.' The elite who'd crossed death's threshold and returned. Their hides, said to be tempered in boiling molten metal, couldn't be pierced by normal silverwood arrows. The orc warriors looked at me defiantly and yanked out the arrows from their hearts, snapping them.
"Tch......!"
"Leave them to me, Theodore."
Before I could reply, Callisto charged at the orcs. Lloyd freed the bound soldiers, then followed Callisto. Seizing the moment, I pulled out silverwood arrows tipped with moonstone arrowheads I'd made before.
'Moonstone should pierce their hides.'
I couldn't be sure it'd kill them outright, but if it penetrated, it'd deal lethal damage. I took out a hydra fang and coated the moonstone tips with venom, then drew the string.
'......Just pierce the hide.'
Even orc warriors couldn't withstand hydra poison. I pulled back with all my strength and aimed at the heart of an orc about to stomp on a soldier writhing on the ground.
-Screeeeech!!!