Episode 8. Valley of the Fallen (2)
To put it simply, we weren't far from the Valley of the Fallen, where all the outcasts gathered. We'd skipped camping for a few days and pushed the carriage hard because of a bad feeling in my gut.
And then.
BOOM! A long rumble echoed near the carriage.
"Kyaaah!! H-how much f-farther until we arrive…?!"
Eileen raised her jeweled staff and recast the barely remaining barrier spell as she cried out.
The pursuers had finally caught up. Not from behind, but from the front, forcing us to veer off the road into the forest.
"I don't know!! I don't have time to check…!! Asha, trees ahead!"
"Got it, just a moment…! Hup, the divine power is making my spells a bit slower…!"
The carriage jolted nonstop. It wasn't just jolting—the wheels were creaking like they might snap any second, tilting wildly in every direction.
Asha was using magic to clear trees and make a path as best she could, but plowing through a dense forest full of weeds and trunks was insanely dangerous. At least it was winter, so the bare branches left some visibility—small mercies.
Asha, sitting beside me, leaned forward and extended her hand. Gritting her teeth, her face slightly furrowed, she sprinkled gray ash toward the trees and the bumpy forest path.
Whoosh! The spreading ash erased the blocking trees one by one, and the treacherous, carriage-flipping terrain smoothed out a bit.
But there was a problem with pushing on like this.
"What kind of… barbaric escape is this…! Rookie, watch the rear too! We're paving the way, so those holy kingdom bastards' carriage is closing in fast!"
Just as Horn said, by clearing the path, even those weak-ass pursuers were speeding after us along the trail we'd made.
So I made a snap decision and switched roles.
"Ah, for real…! Asha, cover the back. I'll handle the front somehow!"
"Okay! I'll block the rear path again…!"
With that, Asha hopped onto the carriage roof, and I drew the sword from my belt.
Then I called out to Aberly, who was fidgeting and twisting his head in panic.
"Aberly, get up here and take the reins—throw explosive reagents ahead!"
"R-right away…!"
Aberly flung open the door, scrambled to the driver's seat, grabbed the reins, and hurled several reagent vials forward.
At the same time, boom! Trees hit by the reagents charred and cratered in spots.
He'd been so out of it before, barely keeping up despite everyone's instructions, but now he was reacting fast to a single word. Maybe the criminal brand and death threats from the pursuers had lit a fire under guys like him.
"Good job! Hold her steady—I'll be back, and don't crash or you're dead, for real!"
I said that, then kicked off the driver's step and charged ahead.
Nearly a month had passed, and all the mana in my gear was fully recharged.
"Hup…!"
Pushing too hard might make my body scream like last time, but with the situation this dire, I ignited my blue mana and swung at the trees.
BOOM! The moment my sword connected, the blocking trees exploded.
I blasted mana from my boots and thudded down on the uneven ground, flattening it somewhat.
And sure enough, the strain hit—after that sequence, pain crunched through me.
"Nngh…! Fucking hell…!"
One mana-charged kick, and my knee buckled weirdly. One sword swing to fell a tree, and my wrist nearly snapped.
No time to stop, though. My body was rebelling after pulling off feats beyond my level.
I ground my teeth and swung again. Stomped the ground hard with my foot.
I had to keep this up, running ahead of the carriage until the forest ended and the road appeared.
"A-Ain! Recovery potion!"
"Nngah… Give me some painkillers too, you bastard…!"
"Painkillers would… make you drowsy right away… Can't lose focus, haha…."
"Hup! You thoughtful little shit, thaaanks…!!"
Every time more white showed in my eyes, I chugged the recovery potions Aberly tossed, braced my broken wrist with my gauntlet, and swung again.
Like that.
Incoming holy spells were blocked by Eileen and Yaki and Tori's barriers.
Front obstacles were handled by me and Aberly somehow.
The path behind us was restored by Asha, widening our lead bit by bit.
Everyone was scrambling in their roles, but Horn had nothing specific to do.
"Horn, you damn old fart's not doing shit…! Nngh!"
"I've been swapping out the wheels this whole time, you little shit!"
Ugh. If he'd hustled and built us a car earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess.
Thinking that, I kept hacking front trees.
Before long, my mouth tasted metallic.
Anyway, we burst out of the forest after what felt like forever.
I climbed back to the driver's seat and took the reins. Aberly handed me a couple more recovery potions and retreated inside.
"Ain, you okay?"
"…No, feels like I'm dying, cough…."
Asha hopped down from the roof and plopped beside me, asking that. Not as bad as fighting the paladin, but I was still wrecked.
"Let me cast a healing spell. Sorry I couldn't do it sooner."
"Nngh… Please…."
So Asha chanted some incomprehensible spell like always, scattering green light.
It cleared my choked breath with a pop. The agony—like someone tap-dancing madly on my bones—faded slowly.
Of course, without a priest's healing, full recovery was out, so dull pain lingered.
"Ah, gonna live… Thanks, Asha."
They say natural healing is best after this point, so it was enough.
I told her that, chugged the two potions from Aberly, and checked the map for our position.
No time to relax, though.
"Kyaaah!! Stop hitting!! I hate wasting my precious barrier spells like this…!!"
Holy beams from the pursuers still streaked straight at us, shaking the barrier with a BOOM!
Still.
"Close. We're almost there. Destination's right ahead."
Our reckless forest shortcut had paid off unintentionally.
The holy kingdom's carriage realized it too and chased furiously, but at this distance, we could reach the Valley before they caught us.
"Phew… Should I push hard and keep them back more, Ain?"
"No."
Asha glanced back and raised her hand at my words, so I stopped her quick.
She could definitely shake them if she overdid it.
But strictly speaking, the holy knights weren't the only issue.
"Save your strength. Like Horn said, no telling what'll happen in the valley."
"Ah."
Put simply, it was a den of criminals we were entering.
And.
"There it is."
Finally, between two massive cliffs, a drab stone wall and gate came into view.
They'd spotted our carriage and the pure-white holy one heading their way from afar. Mages and archers on the wall prepped attacks.
No guards at the gate, naturally. It was shut tight, a huge magic circle etched on the wall, blue mana rising from the archers.
They aimed to sweep everything—friend or foe—like we didn't matter.
Freaked out, I yelled desperately.
"No, fuck…! Don't shoot us—open the gate!!"
The reply boomed back immediately, amplified like a megaphone—probably a mage's spell.
"We don't open for just anyone."
"You can tell we're criminals with those holy kingdom lunatics chasing us!! Open up and let new criminals in!!"
"Hm, maybe. Beats me."
"Hey, you little shit!!"
That crazy mage bastard. I could see him smirking from here—he was enjoying this.
"Well, block what we fire, and we'll open the gate. We don't need weaklings who can't even handle this."
He finished, and they really looked ready to unleash hell. Guess this was their welcome for criminals.
I ground my teeth and called Asha.
"Asha."
"Yes."
"Wipe out that whole gate."
If their welcome to new family was this shitty, their housewarming gift would be too.
Our lead was solid now, so Asha's full power wouldn't wane.
"Got it. I'll erase it. Gonna push hard, so… you know, right, Ain?"
"Yeah… I know."
"Heehee, okay."
Of course, the cost of her overdoing it would be on my body, but I had to see that smug face twist.
Asha beamed, nodded, then slowly raised both hands and began chanting.
I couldn't make it out, naturally.
Gray ash spread gradually, cloudy mana flowing from the driver's seat to blanket the carriage, road, and forest.
One thing was certain.
"Wh-what the fu…! Hey, just open the gate quick!!"
"No, fuck!! It's gray!! How do we stop that…!! Call reinforcements now!!"
They couldn't block this.
"You crazy bastard, gate's open—get in!! Don't shoot! Stop firing!!!"
If they'd planned a polite welcome, big mistake.
So.
I mimicked his exact expression and words from earlier.
"Well, block what we fire, and we'll leave the gate. We don't need weaklings who can't handle this."
"Hey, you little shit!! Without the wall, what's the gate even for…!!"
"Hm, maybe. Beats me."
Should've just let us in nicely instead of making shit complicated.