The Praying Mantis (4)
After taking a moment to calm down, we gathered together and started searching for a way to resolve the situation.
“First of all… Albe Machu, right? Any way to catch that bastard?”
“Yes. Same. Not anymore. But anything he can do, I can do. Old tricks. No good.”
“Zeratul!”
Zeratul nodded as if to confirm that Albe Machu was right.
“Hmm… So you’re saying you’ll climb straight up the tree and subdue him?”
“No. The moment I appeared, he hid himself.”
“Zeratul! Zeratul!”
Zeratul kept gesturing and saying something, but I couldn’t understand a single word.
“As the Grand Warrior says, you and the Grand Warrior must lure him out.”
“Lure him… But wouldn’t he have just run back to his base by now?”
If that were the case and Madireve had already found the base, things would go smoothly.
“No. If he runs for the base now, I can chase him immediately.”
“Really…?”
“I cannot detect him when he hides. But if he flees, I will find him at once and pursue. He knows this too.”
“…I get it.”
“Then I leave it to you.”
With those words, Albe Machu climbed up into the trees.
“Hey! Where are you going!”
“I will hide too. When he reveals himself, I will strike from behind.”
Albe Machu vanished just like that.
“Hmm… But will he really come out?”
“Zeratul!”
“You’re saying there’s no chance he’ll show himself…?”
Well, he had probably overheard our entire strategy meeting, so there was no way he would appear.
“…Zeratul, do you have a sword on you by any chance?”
“Zeratul…?”
“Never mind… That’s it!”
I examined the fallen trees and picked up a branch of suitable length.
“Sharpen this to a point for me.”
“Ze…ratul?”
Zeratul didn’t seem to understand what I was planning, but he obediently took the branch and sharpened it to a keen edge with his forelegs.
“Hmm… This should pass for a sword, right? Momo?”
…It technically is, but it won’t have any power behind it at all.
“Even a little is fine. Trees are surprisingly fragile.”
…?
“Zeratul, one last thing—which direction did that arrow come from earlier?”
“Zeratul!”
I moved to the spot Zeratul indicated and took a stance.
“The strongest cut… Yeah, this should do it…”
You… you can’t be serious…
“Sword Arts Eighth Form—Draw and Strike: Horizontal!”
Sword Arts Eighth Form - Draw and Strike: Horizontal
I mimed drawing a blade from its sheath and swung the branch at the tree.
Crack—
The moment the slash connected, the branch shattered and the tree toppled.
“If he’s hiding, it has to be up in the trees, right?”
“Ze… Zeratul…!”
Zeratul looked utterly stunned by what I had just done.
He’s lost it… completely lost it…
I found another suitable branch and handed it to Zeratul.
“If I keep this up, he’ll have to come out eventually, won’t he?”
“Ze… Zeratul!”
“You’re saying it’s insane?”
“Zeratul!”
“Let’s do it right now?”
“Zeratul!!!!!”
In the end Zeratul proved he was a man after all and joined my crazy plan.
“Good! Let’s go!”
“Zeratul!!!”
After quite some time, a huge number of fallen trees lay piled around us.
“Hmm… He still won’t come out? What a stubborn bastard…”
“Zeratul! Zeratul!”
“Maybe he used the reflection angle to shoot that arrow? He must be over here…!”
“Zeratul… Zeratulias…”
Even after cutting down tree after tree with no sign of him, we began to feel uneasy.
“Zeratul!”
“All right… Just one more…”
I picked out a suitable tree and took my stance.
“Sword Arts Eighth Form—Draw and Strike: Horizontal!”
Sword Arts Eighth Form - Draw and Strike: Horizontal
The tree crashed down. We scanned the area.
Rustle—
“…Huh? Did something just move?”
“Zeratul?”
There was a faint sound of movement from the undergrowth.
“No way…”
“Zeratul…”
Zeratul and I cautiously approached the bushes and—
Whoosh—!
“Zeratul!”
Humm—
An arrow shot out from between the leaves.
“Grab him! Zeratul! Grab him!”
“Zeratul! Zeratul!”
The instant we dodged the arrow, we charged straight at him.
“Ugh!”
A black silhouette burst from the foliage and sprinted away. Zeratul and I gave chase.
“Damn it…! The black clothes make him hard to see!”
“Zeratul!”
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
Three arrows suddenly rained down from above—no, from the treetops—blocking his path.
“Now!!!”
“Zeratul!!!”
Zeratul and I leaped, tackling the figure to the ground.
“Got him! I caught him!”
“Zeratul! Zeratul!”
“Argh…! Let go!”
He suddenly writhed, shed his outer layer, and sprang forward.
“Huh? What the— He molted!”
“Ze… Zeratulias!!!”
Zeratul and I stood there stunned, staring blankly as the figure fled.
“Molted?! What the hell does that mean!”
The elf who had run quite a distance screamed in horror.
“Huh? But even if he sheds the black skin, it’s still black…”
“You idiot! His skin is black! And it’s not a molt—it’s just clothes!!!”
“Ah…”
Crap. I had accidentally turned into a racist.
The fugitive was now running with his black skin fully exposed. Up in the trees, Albe Machu—who had already caught up—leaped after him, her golden hair flashing between the leaves.
“Zeratul! Let’s go too!”
“Kishishishit… Zeratul!”
Zeratul pressed his forelegs to his face and made a bizarre noise.
“…Did you just laugh?”
“Zeratul?”
“Never mind, it’s not important…”
Even his laugh sounded like that…
We sprinted through the dense forest. The occasional whistle of arrows and the sound of feet hitting branches echoed around us.
“Oh! Over there…!”
“Zeratul!”
When we finally reached the spot, we found a collapsed black-skinned elf, Madireve, and Albe Machu examining what appeared to be the enemy’s base.
“Hmm… A pit formed from roots… Classic trench design…”
“Ah, you’re here? But why is this elf completely naked?”
Just as Madireve said, the dark-skinned elf lay unconscious wearing nothing but underwear.
“Madireve! What happened? Did you knock her out?”
“Yeah. I had just located the base and was looking around when this elf suddenly came running in.”
“So…”
“I punched her on reflex. She must have been exhausted—she went down in one hit.”
“Zeratul! Zeratul!”
Zeratul pointed at the black-skinned elf and chattered excitedly.
“What, Zera—”
Hmm… That figure… Hmm… Oh…
The body of the black-skinned elf was… truly… impressive…
Siwoo?
“Ah, no! I didn’t see anything!”
I hadn’t even asked if you saw anything yet, you moron…!
While I endured Momo’s mental scolding, Albe Machu produced a length of cloth from somewhere, covered the dark elf’s body, and bound her tightly.
“Hey, elf. Explain what is going on.”
“You are…?”
“Their companion.”
Madireve pointed at me and Zeratul, demanding an explanation from Albe Machu.
“This child… is a dark elf.”
“Dark elf… I thought so…”
“Knowing of dark elves… how very like a filthy demonkin.”
“I knew elves had keen senses, but to be discovered so quickly…”
“Your disguise was pathetic, demonkin.”
The mood was turning dangerous, so I quickly stepped in.
“Wait…! What exactly is a dark elf…?”
“Ah, someone from the East Continent wouldn’t know. Dark elves are traitors to our elven race.”
“Zeratul!”
Zeratul nodded in agreement.
“Zeratul… You’re from the South Continent too, right?”
“Zeratul!”
“Yes. The Grand Warrior apparently fought while suspecting this traitor’s true identity.”
“Zeratul said that?”
“Zeratul!”
Zeratul nodded again, and Albe Machu continued.
“Dark elves betrayed the Goddess and the World Tree… They no longer qualify as elves in any sense.”
“Are you two acquainted…?”
“No. First time seeing this face.”
Hmm… She really got unlucky, huh?
“Zeratul! Zeratul!”
“As the Grand Warrior says, anyone who lives in the jungle knows exactly what dark elves represent.”
“Represent…?”
“To put it simply, because they betrayed the Goddess, they cannot commune with nature like us, nor receive the World Tree’s blessing. They survive only with their bows, arrows, and their own power.”
“So that’s…”
“It may be hard for you to understand, but just think of it as our own culture.”
Yeah, hardly anyone knows about the jungle anyway. Let’s move on. That’s not what’s important right now.
At that moment Madireve tossed something forward.
“Look at this. It’s a black mage’s robe.”
“Black mage…!”
“Zeratul!”
“A black sorcerer… He has fallen further than I thought…”
The robe Madireve threw down was black and bore the emblem of the black mages we had seen before.
“Ugh…!”
The dark elf was beginning to regain consciousness.
“Madireve! Couldn’t you have kept her out longer!”
“It’s not that easy…!”
The dark elf seemed to have grasped the entire situation and now wore an expression of resignation.
“Ugh…! Just kill me!”
“No! You can’t say that line!”
That line is supposed to be the heroine’s!
“Kill me instead! Don’t drag me into that filthy jungle!”
The dark elf thrashed wildly, screaming as if she held some deep grudge against the jungle.
“…Why is she acting like that?”
“Zeratul Zeratul, Zeratul!”
“The Grand Warrior is correct. I don’t know what grudge she holds, but I cannot kill you.”
Yet Albe Machu showed no intention of killing the dark elf.
“Well… I’ll leave that matter to you. It seems like an elf-race issue anyway…”
“Zeratul!”
“I agree as well.”
Both Madireve and Zeratul supported my suggestion, and it looked like the situation was finally wrapping up.
A black mage's mark appeared on the ground and the dark elf's forehead, glowing with ominous red light.
“Above!”
At Albe Machu’s shout, we all scrambled out of the pit.
“Wh-what is that…?”
“Zeratul? Zeratul?”
“Get back! It’s probably black magic!”
“Zeratul!”
“Madireve! Catch me!”
Everyone except me, apparently.
“You really are high-maintenance…”
“You people who can leap straight out of a hole like this are the weird ones…”
With Madireve’s help I finally managed to climb out.
The black mage’s mark inside the pit grew brighter and clearer. The dark elf began to scream.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!!! You… you betrayed me!!!”
A pillar of red light erupted from the pit, erasing everything within it.
“Wh-what the hell was that…?”
“Black magic… I don’t know the exact spell, but it was definitely black magic…”
“Zeratul…”
“…We need to leave. Fast. An outburst that big would have been visible from the city.”
Just as we sensed the danger and prepared to flee, a figure in a black mage’s robe appeared.
“My, my. That simply won’t do, you adorable little things.”
The black mage appeared to be female. Her face and figure were concealed, but slender hands radiated dark energy.
“Elf lady? Don’t even think of running into the trees. You don’t seriously believe I’m alone, do you?”
“…”
All our escape routes had been cut off.
“What now, Madireve?”
“…I cannot read the opponent’s level. There is… no way out.”
“Zeratul…”
“They have likely formed an encirclement. Individual escape is impossible.”
Damn it… and I don’t even have a sword.
“Whew~ Sexy, isn’t she? Black mage lady?”
A sleazy middle-aged voice suddenly came from behind the black mage.
“What? Where did you learn those outdated pickup lines?”
“Huh? They used to work pretty well back in the day… Not anymore?”
The man approaching with a rusty iron sword resting on his shoulder was the brown-robed uncle we had seen sneaking into the city.
“Haa… Uncle? That stuff doesn’t work anymore!”
The moment the black mage finished speaking, she hurled a mass of dark energy at him. The uncle casually swung his sword and sliced it apart.
“Haha, quite the prickly lady. Are women like you popular these days?”
“You are… who exactly…?”
Both we and the black mage tensed, waiting for the uncle’s answer.
“By imperial decree, I am placing you all under arrest…!”
“Fuck!”
The instant the uncle finished introducing himself, the black mage cursed and launched another wave of dark energy.
“Hmm… What about us?”
In the middle of all this, we had somehow become background characters.