Chapter 8
Chapter 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Reinhardt-2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ariasfil blocked the punch and said,
"Can you stand?"
"...What?"
"When can you stand up?!"
Startled by her shout, Leo flinched involuntarily and replied,
"Eight more seconds!"
His Aura was nearly gathered. Eight more seconds, and he could stand.
"Got it."
"Uwooooh!!"
But could she really do it?
With her skills, against a Balrog?
"Yes...?"
In those fleeting eight seconds, the Sage said that.
<...You're right.>
Ariasfil, the pinnacle she herself aspired to.
The pinnacle wouldn't break here.
'...I can't just sit still either.'
To reach her, the pinnacle.
He couldn't collapse.
"...Hah... hah...!"
But it was true that holding out was grueling. Even just breathing was overwhelming amid the heat pouring from the Balrog.
"Grroooaaarrr!!"
In the midst of the fierce exchange, another fist came flying.
'Compared to Leonardo...!'
She deflected the sword sideways to parry the fist. But that was only momentary defense.
Whoosh!
She couldn't block the follow-up tail strike.
'...Can't dodge this...!'
It hadn't been eight seconds yet.
It touches. It grazes. It hits.
Death.
Slash!!
"...Debt paid."
With that declaration, the boy severed the tail with his sword. Stunned by the slash, the Balrog leaped back a bit.
"...Leonardo...?"
"So, one favor."
Leonardo had already stood. In four seconds.
"Let's take down that monster together. Can't do it alone."
"...The Balrog...?"
Defeating a Balrog was never easy.
She'd beaten a wyvern only because it was a newly hatched infant, not even a hatchling.
'...Why?'
But once again, her heart raced.
"Too much? Then..."
The thrill overshadowed any fear of death.
"...No."
Ariasfil smiled and raised her sword.
"We can do it."
"...Thanks."
Leonardo was smiling too, for some reason.
"I'll explain the plan once, so listen up."
The Balrog charged. Ariasfil nodded quickly in response.
"I smashed its right wrist. Tail too. I'll draw its attention, so..."
"Cut off the left hand, right?"
Quick on the uptake, as expected of a genius.
"Then the rest is mine."
"...Got it."
The Balrog was already within 100 meters.
"Let's win."
"Yeah."
With those two words, the battle resumed. The two knights split in opposite directions, each fulfilling their role.
"Grroooaaarrr!!"
The Balrog roared to crush the two knights. It swung its remaining left fist in rage.
"Over here, half-charred orc."
His unusually aggressive charge drew the Balrog's focus to Leonardo.
"Come at me! You bird! I'll smash that dented mug flat!"
Man, no sense of the mood.
You gotta spew shit-talk to psych yourself up...
"Uwooooh!!"
Was it his imagination, or did it understand the taunt?
It understood. We're screwed.
Boom!! Crash!!
Consecutive strikes cratered the ground. One hit, and he'd be flattened like that.
But
'As usual. Guide the attack's trajectory.'
Leo was an expert in such fierce battles. He'd won fights against enemies even with a broken arm and ribs.
"Now!!"
The moment the left arm swung wide, Leo shouted.
Shing
With the unsheathing, her sword slashed. The left arm was severed from the shoulder.
"Uwooooh!!"
A roar of pain, flames surging from its maw.
'Too late...! Breath...!'
"Uwaaaah!!"
A roar like the Balrog's, but this was Leo's.
His throat wrapped in a charge, sword thrust forward, Leo pierced the Balrog's chest.
As the words said, such a thrust wouldn't kill the Balrog instantly.
If the breath came now, Leo would turn to ash.
<That's why before that..!>
Mana erupted from Leo's sword.
Not Aura.
A softer, more complex formation of true energy drawn in mana.
Leo hadn't awakened his magic talent yet.
In a week, he'd barely managed 1-circle spells, equivalent to splashing a cup of water on a fire.
But Leo had no intention of using ice magic. Instead, he deployed the opposite—fire-element magic.
'Balrogs have one weakness as infants.'
Heat poured from the gap in the blade.
The weakness of a young Balrog was...
'Young Balrogs lack flame resistance over their whole body. Their flames only come from the respiratory tract and throat at that age.'
Adult Balrogs could spew fire from every orifice, but this one couldn't.
Proof: It had only breathed from its mouth so far.
'So if I force fire into the flame sac in its chest...!'
The answer came immediately. Igniting the ignition sac in its lungs, flames burst across the Balrog's body.
'It becomes a special bomb...!!'
Blood and black smoke spewed from the Balrog's mouth.
"Urk!?"
"Burns like hell, right? It'll burn you up from inside."
The magic fully deployed.
The fireball engulfed the internal flame sac—like tossing a torch into a powder keg.
"Wha...?!"
BOOOOM!!
A grand explosion. Balrog flesh sprayed everywhere.
"Kaaaagh!!"
The blast shockwave hurled Leo back too.
The Balrog's body had absorbed the flames, so he wasn't burned, but his condition couldn't fully withstand the impact.
"Leonardo...!!"
Ariasfil, witnessing the explosion up close, rushed to the fallen Leo.
"You okay?! You're not dead!?"
The dead can't reply.
That was an unchanging fact.
"..."
Her racing heart settled.
The boy lying silent made her chest tremble. No boredom, no thrill.
Just anxiety.
"Please...! Don't die!! Wake up!!"
The girl slapped the boy's face to rouse him.
Smack!!
"Aaaagh!!"
But Leo wasn't dead. So he screamed.
"You okay!?"
"You... slap someone in the face... and ask if they're okay!?"
"Good... You're fine..."
"No, I'm not! I've been alive this whole time! Not even passed out!"
He'd just been slow to respond from exhaustion.
"Shut up!! You two have no mercy for the dying!"
"...S...sorry. I'll shut up."
Chastised, guilt-stricken Ariasfil bowed her head, eyes downcast.
"N...no... that's not what I meant..."
<Shut it. You who learned women from books.>
He couldn't even speak via Aura anymore. Mana was depleted from the flame magic and defending against the explosion.
"...Sorry. And thanks."
Still, he had to say that before collapsing.
"...Huh?"
"...We won because of you. No need to apologize."
"Thanks... too."
Warm and fuzzy was nice, but his chest felt like it was scorching.
"...If you're thankful, call a doctor. Barely holding on—three ribs are out."
"Ah, got it!"
She looked around for a doctor.
Then,
'...What? This mana...'
Deep, dense mana permeated the air into his lungs. He'd felt this aura before.
"No way..."
Did that woman come? Here?
'But if she came, she'd normally help.'
No, on second thought, that person might not. She lacked any sense of normalcy.
"...Auntie?"
Ah, why do ominous hunches always...
"...I told you not to call me auntie. Seems your grasp of titles is lacking."
Never misses.
Before him walked a woman cloaked in black so dark it could be mistaken for shadow, beyond even mourning garb.
Without Aura, he mouthed quietly.
"Ariasfil's aunt. And... ah, never mind. Better hear it from her."
His fingers were nearly fractured; spouting that would make them curl the wrong way and snap completely.
"Fine battle, boy. As a fellow warrior, I salute you."
Why specify 'boy' when 'kid' would do? Only one woman used titles like that.
"..."
"My introduction is late. I am Chris Reinhardt, knight upholding House Reinhardt from the shadows. Alias: 'Black Rock'."
Already nauseous from blood loss, now his mind reeled too.
The Sage's expression looked like it'd been clubbed from behind, utterly dumbfounded.
"What is your name, boy? If you have an alias, I'd hear it as a fellow warrior."
Ah, he had to answer, but really didn't want to. Physically or mentally.
...Dunno. Just get slapped and pass out.
Leo flopped to the floor.
Hopefully, mental confusion causing a hallucination.
The voice of a childless old widower echoed in his ears. Today it was so plaintive he felt bad ignoring it.
"...What's up..."
The Sage pointed at Chris with a finger.
<What exactly for three hours?>
He had a vague idea but clung to faint hope.
Odd coming from an otherworlder himself, but Chris somehow fit.
<What'd she ask?>
"Ha..."
Waking to nonsense like a bad dream. A heavy sigh escaped.
"Awake, boy?"
Chris eyed Leo, unnecessarily swirling her cumbersome black cloak indoors.
"...Yes, I'm up."
Least he wanted to be.
"Sturdy body. Facing a beast of calamity, mortal wounds, yet up same day."
Just say Balrog. Please.
"...Trained hard."
"Hm, faithful to basics. Monuments rise on solid foundations."
True words, yet no desire to agree.
"...You healed me? Thanks."
She did help family blood, so thanks were due.
"Natural for House kin. More so, salute to fine warrior."
Er... no house, but suddenly homesick.
Scanning the sickroom, Ariasfil was there besides Chris, asleep by the bed with a damp cloth in hand.
"Ariasfil nursed you till now. Doctors and priests offered, but she insisted."
Honestly touching. That guilty over collapsing post-Balrog?
"...Mm...? Leonardo...?"
Her closed eyes slowly opened.
"Sleep well? How's the body?"
"Leonardo!"
Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him.
"Good..."
"Lucky. Good it was just a baby."
Midst sharing relief, the door burst open.
"Miss!! So sorry I'm late!!"
It was Jehard. No desire to ponder where he'd been, but Leo guessed. He said nothing.
"Jehard."
"...Sn...sniff! Black Rock!"
Somehow utters that title.
His own tongue cramped trying.
"Very late. Isn't it, 'Escort Knight'?"
"S...sorry! Evacuating civilians...!"
Thwack!!
A right hook to Jehard's face sent him flying.
The fist from House Reinhardt's shadow knight.
"Shut it. You're no knight of Reinhardt. Your caliber sank too low to utter our name."
"Tha... that...! What...!"
Too complex? Simplified:
"You're fired."
Thus Leo's over five years as squire.
Take it or leave it.