26
My Villains Chapter 26
7. Sewer (4)
Ellen examined the spotted egg and said, her face turning pale, "... Phoenix, we need to run away."
"Let's go."
I didn't waste time by asking why like an idiot. Her expression sufficiently explained the seriousness of the situation, and I had a guess as well.
We hurriedly retraced our steps. Since the water was splashing up to our ankles anyway, we ran as fast as we could, forgetting about stealth or anything else.
After running like that for about a minute...
Splash!
The sound of water from behind.
It wasn't too far away. The sense of volume and mass parting the water was conveyed through the heavy sound.
"Ellen, faster!"
"Huff, hah-"
Ellen was running while gasping for breath, but... She couldn't pick up speed easily due to exhaustion.
Kim Seung-soo, you stupid fool!
You thought about an escape route but didn't consider Ellen's stamina! You should have anticipated this situation!
I wanted to carry her stonebow for her, but I couldn't since I was already holding the round shield and lantern.
Splash! Splash!
The sound of water was approaching rapidly.
I couldn't be certain of its identity, but - there aren't many animals, no, monsters that lay eggs the size of a human fist and live in places with both water and soil.
Actually, I have a guess about what it might be. It's something that appears not in underground passages, but in earthen caves-
Grooooar!
As the monster's roar hit the back of my head, I hurriedly shone the lantern's light behind us.
A massive tail splashing water on both sides of the canal, a back covered in rough scales, and vertically slitted predator's eyes.
At a glance, it appeared to be a giant alligator, easily over 6 meters long.
While it might be called an animal on Earth, its size and dangerousness were more than enough to be called a monster.
Ellen couldn't pick up speed even after hearing its roar. The ankle-deep water endlessly clung to her feet.
"...Huff."
I carelessly tossed the lantern to the ground and drew my falchion.
When I stopped, Ellen took three or four more steps before stopping as well.
"Why are you stopping! Hurry up and go!"
She shouted back at me while gasping for breath.
"Hey! *gasp* Wh-what, *wheeze* are, you doing!"
"Go! I'll escape on my own!"
"Huff, no!"
Damn, that stubborn fool!
But there was no time to argue with her.
Splash!
Water with a foul smell sprayed on my face as if splashed from a bucket.
The alligator that had swum fiercely along the canal was now right in front of us, opening its jaws wide up and down as it lunged.
The open maw seemed large enough to bite off half my body in one go.
"Oh sh-"
Before I could even feel fear, I moved reflexively.
Gritting my teeth, I thrust the knife into its dark maw.
But just before the knife tip touched the roof of its mouth.
Whoosh.
Damn it, it's dodging this?
Even while lunging, it instantly twisted its body to avoid my knife. It was an agile reaction that didn't match its size.
Immediately after, its diagonally opened jaws closed with ferocious momentum.
Crunch!
"Urghk-"
Thanks to arching my back and thrusting out my shield at the last moment, I managed to avoid getting my body bitten.
The round shield was wedged inside its mouth, so the roof of its mouth stopped right in front of my neck.
For a moment, it felt like the world had stopped.
The terrible breath that countless lives must have smelled just before death, and teeth like the grim reaper's scythe hanging over my neck.
The reptilian eyes emitting an eerie light from beyond the darkness.
It was as if they were forming the shape of death, smiling at me.
"Grrrr,"
In the slowed-down world, I brought down the falchion on the side of its head.
The superhuman strength that arose from the crisis of death left a deep and large wound on it.
Crunch!
I hoped it would back off in surprise, but the giant alligator only glared with its fist-sized eyes burning with fierce anger.
The swirling rage twisted my arm. I gritted my teeth and endured for a moment, but-
"Ugh!"
In an instant, the world flipped upside down. I was thrown into the canal with only a short cry.
The alligator had begun its death roll, using its body weight of over a ton.
Whoosh, splash!
"Urk, gurk,"
The rotation continued. The alligator, still biting my shield, two turns, three turns... It twisted its body madly and threw me to the ground.
Thud!
Ugh, I don't even know what I hit. My shoulder burned hot.
If only the shield had broken under its biting force.
Or if the strap connecting the shield to my shoulder had been just a bit weaker and snapped.
I could have let go of the shield and pulled my body away.
"Gruk, heuk..."
But the shield was sturdier than expected, and my body, still attached, was constantly spun by the alligator's rotation.
Being thrown around randomly made my head ring, my shoulder ache, and the dirty water flowing into my nose and mouth choked me.
Even in that state, I managed to swing the falchion. However, without being able to find my balance and only swinging my arm, I couldn't inflict any meaningful damage on the giant alligator.
Smack!
Ugh, for a moment my vision blurred.
Beyond my blurred sight, I caught a glimpse of Ellen trembling.
Just as I was thinking, ‘Why is that idiot still there when I told her to run away…’
Ellen shouted at the top of her lungs, "Phoenix, close your eyes!"
"Huh- what."
Before I could respond to the faintly heard shout, a familiar sound hit my ears.
Twang!
As soon as I instinctively closed my eyes, a 'clang!' noise rang out from somewhere behind my head.
Screech!
What, what is it?
The giant alligator twisted its body, throwing me to one side, and then thrashed wildly in the canal.
As I lay battered on the ground in a daze, Ellen shouted something that sounded like a scream.
"Get up! We need to kill it now!"
Along with that, a pungent scent brushed my nose.
It was the intense, almost painful smell of chili powder, or something similar.
Oh right, this is no time to be smelling things!
I quickly threw off the shield and got up, ignoring my aching body.
Then I focused-
Naturally, my body was scraped and broken, bleeding all over. The blood mixing with the dirty water responded to my call and gathered into the falchion, and I immediately kicked off the ground.
Screech.
The giant alligator was twisting its body, letting out a high-pitched cry that didn't match its size. Every time it writhed, dirty water sprayed up violently.
I threw myself towards it. Like a goalkeeper diving for a ball.
And so, aiming for the momentarily exposed gap, I thrust the falchion into its belly.
Squelch.
The beast's hide was incredibly thick and tough.
But the falchion, glowing with an ominous blood-red light, was swung with superhuman strength.
Rip.
It tore through that hide like a piece of cloth.
Stuck in the canal, I twisted my body with all my might and dragged the falchion down.
A long red line appeared on the white belly, and soon that red line burst open, spilling its contents outward.
Plop!
Leaving that eerie sound behind, I quickly threw myself out of the canal.
"Phoenix!"
"Oof- Ow, you idiot!"
Ellen suddenly rushed over and clung to my shoulder.
Ugh, I didn't feel much weight, but my whole body was aching so it was hard to bear.
But there was no time for reflection, the giant alligator was still splashing behind us.
"Urk, Ellen, we need to get away first..."
Having rolled in the dirty canal, I must smell terrible, but she didn't seem to want to let go.
I had no choice but to put my arm around Ellen's waist and carry her about twenty meters away from the alligator before setting her down.
Screech...
In the distance, the giant alligator that had been sitting on its own spilled guts took its last breath.
Only then did I slide down against the wall and sit. My bottom was wet, but... Ha, it didn't matter. That damn alligator had soaked my whole body in dirty water anyway.
"Huff, huff... Wow, I- I really almost died."
"Hey, what was that? Chili powder?"
I asked while catching my breath, but Ellen just stood there silently.
Ugh, I can't see anything because I left the lantern behind. But I could vaguely see her two fists trembling.
"Hey, you, idiot, ugh."
"...Huh? What?"
"You, you really-"
Ellen spoke angrily in a trembling voice that sounded like she was about to cry.
"Really, do you want to die that badly?"
"What's with you, suddenly-" Before I could finish, she kicked my shin hard enough to make a 'thwack!' sound.
"Aaah! Hey!"
Damn, she hit me with her toe, it really hurts!
As I was about to yell at her-
"You, I'm warning you,"
Ellen said something in a voice choked with tears. Her pronunciation was so slurred it was hard to understand.
"If you say, 'go ahead,' or 'run away,' or anything like that one more time..."
She sniffled loudly, then after a moment of silence, she took a deep breath and continued.
"I'll really kill you. Got it?"
"Come on. When did I-"
"You did it last time too, stupid!"
Thwack!
Damn, she hit the same spot again.
I should have bought shin guards!
A little later, at the landing leading up to the second basement floor.
I sat on the stone steps, pressing a bandage to the back of my head where blood was trickling. With the passive skill 'Flowing Blood' effect, it should stop bleeding if I just keep pressure on it.
At that moment, Ellen's hand, which was unfastening my dented shoulder plate, brushed against my swollen shoulder.
"Ouch- Hey, be careful! I think it's fractured!" At my words, Ellen frowned and scolded me.
"Stop whining over a little touch. You're built like a mountain but so delicate."
I wanted to retort but held back.
Her eyelids were swollen like caterpillars, which made me feel sorry for her.
"Sigh."
As I was sighing like that, she hesitated for a moment, clutching the collar of my leather tunic, then suddenly got irritated.
"Ugh- This, this, un-unbutton it for me."
"Ah, you do it. Can't you see I don't have hands free?"
"...Ugh, so annoying..."
She grumbled quietly but carefully unbuttoned and opened the front of my tunic, then poured water to clean the wounds.
"Ugh, it's cold."
As I lifted my arm following Ellen's hands as she bandaged me, I suddenly asked a question.
"Hey, about that glass bottle you shot earlier."
"...Huh, what?"
Ellen, who had been bandaging me, seemed lost in thought and stuttered in surprise when I spoke.
"What is it, why?"
"Huh? No, it's nothing."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine- ugh, don't turn your head. The- bandage will get tangled."
Though she said it was nothing, I could feel intense trembling in her hands as they brushed my collarbone.
Glancing sideways, I saw her neck was flushed red as if she had a fever.
Is she very tired? Or maybe she's sick?
Well, we've been down in the sewers for over ten hours now, how could she not be tired? And rolling around in such a dirty environment, even the healthiest person would get sick.
We need to wrap this up and get out of here quickly.
"So, about what you shot earlier."
What Ellen shot with her stonebow was a kind of... Tear gas, should I say? Something like that in a glass bottle.
"You said it was a kind of tear gas, right? What did you make it with?"
"...Phew, ahem. I picked some ground cherry behind the inn. I ground that up and mixed it with tarajin I bought from a street vendor. I also mixed in some fine sand because there wasn't enough."
Ah, I know 'tarajin' too. It's a kind of spice, if I compare it to something on Earth, it's like black peperoncino.
"Wow, when did you make something like that?"
"...I was bored while you were rolling around with that old maid, so I made this and that. Why?"
"Ah, ouch! That hurts. Be gentler-"
"I need to tie it properly, don't I? Stay still."
But, wait. What did she just say? I was rolling around with an old maid? ...I don't remember having such luck with Phoenix's body.
"Wait. Are you talking about Grania?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
The way she nonchalantly criticizes others is so... Typical of her.
Ha, Grania is at most in her mid-twenties, and she calls her an old maid? Then what am I, a thirty-year-old single man? That's annoying for no reason.
That aside, I spoke to Ellen with a slightly surprised feeling.
"Huh, you were wandering around here and there saying you were meditating, but you actually made such admirable preparations?"
Suddenly, the falchion leaning against the stone railing caught my eye.
Wait, could it be...
"Hey, then maybe... Did you buy that to shoot tear gas?"
To my question, Ellen answered with a frown as if it was obvious.
"Of course. I'm a mage. You think I'd spend six silver coins just to shoot stone fragments?"
I'm not sure what magic has to do with tear gas, but.
"...Really? You thought of this in advance?"
"Yeah. I even matched the weight of the bottle to iron bolts to get used to the feel."
Oh, this kid. I'm seeing her in a different light?
I thought she was just a magic-less loser, but she was preparing quite thoroughly in her own way?
"But why didn't you tell me?"
"...Because I didn't know if it would be useful or not. It's pointless to shoot something like this at zombies or bugs, isn't it?"
"Ah. Still, you should have told me about things like this. It's extremely useful."
At my rebuke, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
"...It's useful?"
"Of course, why are you even asking? If it wasn't for that, I'd be dead by now."
She pressed her lips tightly, but an unmistakable smile spread across her face.
Oh, you cute little thing.
"If you have anything else like this, tell me in advance. I need to know to coordinate with you. Do you have anything else you made?"
"Ahem. I did make a few poison bottles and fire bottles."
"...What?"
It might be my imagination, but her nose seemed to be getting higher and higher. The way her shoulders were lifted high was quite funny, but I couldn't contain my curiosity and asked.
"How did you make those?"
"It's not a difficult method. For the poison bottle, I dried and ground up fly agaric and albizzia, then added lily of the valley extract. It's a simple but effective paralytic poison. For the fire bottle, Sister Olga said she was going to the old man's general store, so I asked her to buy some flame flower oil. But oil alone lacks viscosity, so to act as a thickener..."
As I watched Ellen chattering away with her explanation, a chuckle escaped me. She seemed to have forgotten her fatigue, and the trembling in her hands had subsided.
That proud look of hers is quite amusing, but- yes. This is much better to see than her sniveling and crying.