Chapter 27

As usual, it was Riccar who moved first, taking pride in his role as the vanguard. He swiftly drew his two swords and circled around to the side of the monster.

The boar, emerging slowly from the trees, continued to advance without stopping. The red-haired boy, gathering his momentum, thrust his sword into the beast’s flank, a spot that was hard to dodge and difficult to counterattack. The iron blade sliced shallowly into the skin, and a bit of the brown fur turned red.

In the next instant, the boar’s middle leg kicked Riccar away carelessly. With a dull thud, the boy’s body slid across the ground and collided violently with the base of a tree, gasping out a breath mixed with a scream.

Groaning, the boy struggled to stand, using his sword for support. But he lacked the strength and, leaning against the trunk, he drew breaths like a bellows. Riccar’s body, even through his leather armor, was clearly sunken in the chest.

"…r-run…"

Spitting out a mix of blood and bubbles, Riccar managed to speak. At the sound of his voice, the others finally snapped back to their senses.

Sisan, who had instinctively raised his round shield, stepped forward to protect the group from the monster. After a few attacks, he could build up enough fighting spirit to use <Stone Body>. This would buy them some time, though it wouldn’t change their ultimate fate. Faced with the overwhelming size difference, Sisan’s thoughts came to a halt. The boy, crouching low as he had been trained, waited for the massive body to approach.

"Hey, hey! Answer me!"

Behind him, Alesia, with tears in her eyes, desperately called out to Riccar. She checked his pulse as she had learned in the temple and continuously cast healing magic on his shattered chest bone. However, her level 1 <Water Heal> was only slightly better than a blood-stopping ointment. Watching the purple-tinged lips and the light fading from the boy’s eyes, Alesia struggled to hold back her sobs.

Hink remained frozen, even as his companions moved. He hadn’t even nocked an arrow. As Riccar had said, they should run. Every time the party was on the verge of collapse, Hink had fought the urge to flee.

Now, in a situation where fleeing was the only way to avoid certain death, his body refused to move. His gaze darted around, and he spent his remaining time in a daze.

"Come on!"

Sisan, with a hoarse voice, called out to the monster. He intended to shout, but it was barely audible.

The boar, however, seemed to hear it. The distance between them closed in an instant. The massive body collided with the boy, who had no way to defend himself. Normally, he would have tilted the shield to deflect the attack, but there was no time for that.

The boar’s elongated tusks pierced the round shield like paper, reaching the boy’s shoulder. As a result, Sisan’s body, which should have been blown away, remained stuck on the tip of the tusk.

The boar, perhaps finding the boy a nuisance, sharply shook its head from side to side. Sisan, swung around like a doll, lost consciousness several times but was repeatedly jolted back by unimaginable pain.

The boy, hanging from the tusk, bleeding, and unable to muster the strength to cry out, continued to breathe heavily. Seeing the boar prepare to shake its head again, Sisan managed to utter a plea from the depths of his throat.

"…s-stop… h-help…"

Unmercifully, the second attempt failed to reach the boar. Sisan’s body, flung around violently, could not withstand the force, and his flesh tore. The boy, with a large chunk of his shoulder gouged out, flew through the air and crashed into a tree before falling to the ground with a thud.

The round shield remained embedded, but the boar snorted, seemingly satisfied. The beast’s eyes, devoid of emotion, scanned the area and settled on the girl who had been calling out to the dying boy. Only then did Alesia realize she could be targeted.

The monster’s massive body turned toward her. Alesia, who rarely faced the direct hostility of a monster, shrank back, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. She quickly pressed her hands to her mouth to stifle the sound.

Suddenly, a hand pressed against her arm. She turned in surprise to see Riccar trying to stand. With a half-dazed look, he weakly pushed Alesia aside, attempting to step forward. Determined to protect her, Alesia bit her lip and covered him.

Just as the boar was about to attack the sobbing girl, an arrow suddenly flew and embedded itself in the boar’s warty face. Another followed. The monster’s head turned, its black eyes locking onto the archer.

Hink, still rooted to the spot, had somehow drawn his bow and released the arrow the moment he saw Alesia trying to protect Riccar. The boar’s six legs moved in rapid succession, stomping the ground.

As the boy with the bow swallowed hard, the massive body charged. The fear of the approaching mass reached its peak, and Hink’s legs gave out. This small act of luck saved him.

By lowering his stance, the boar’s snout barely grazed him. However, the six legs that followed trampled him like a raging storm.

The massive body, continuing its charge, slammed into the trees, causing a thick trunk to crack and fall to the ground.

In the wake of the boar’s passage, a boy lay with his limbs twisted at odd angles. A slight rise in his chest indicated he was still breathing.

Alesia, lifting her head, let out a wordless cry at the scene before her. Just minutes ago, they had been bickering and spending a normal day together. Now, her three companions lay bleeding on the ground.

The realization of her own powerlessness and the unfairness of the situation made her bite her lip hard. Staring at the monster, Alesia slowly recited her final prayer for the boy next to her.

"O Lord of the Tree of Life, grant a drop of your grace to those who seek it—<Water Heal>."

Her remaining magic drained, and despair spread through her mind. Still, Alesia lifted her head, her eyes fixed straight ahead, tears streaming down her face. As she accepted her fate, a voice spoke.

"You did well. It’s safe now."

A hand gently landed on her shoulder. The sense of loss that had enveloped Alesia vanished. She turned to see Riccar, his deathly appearance completely gone.

"Take care of these kids, Sora. Moe, lend your strength to Tō-chan."

"Leave it to me! Tō-chan."

"Got it!"

Alesia blinked several times. The middle-aged adventurer who had suddenly appeared was already helping Hink, who had been unable to move due to his broken limbs, to stand. The boy, eyes wide, was still in shock.

The monster, recognizing the new intruder, slowly turned to face him. Alesia, seeing the mountain-like bulk, gasped.

But the man approached steadily. A few steps, within the reach of the six-legged beast.

Alesia couldn’t tell who moved first. When she realized, the boar was in front, and the man was beside it. Using the round shield, still impaled on the tusk, as cover, the man circled around to the boar’s side and slipped past.

His target was the shield-bearer, who was bleeding profusely at the base of a tree. The middle-aged adventurer lifted the boy, and Sisan, dazed, stood up smoothly. His shoulder armor was torn, but his body beneath was unharmed.

Before Alesia’s wide eyes, the boar, breathing heavily, stomped the ground with its six legs, frustrated. The man moved silently, putting distance between himself and Sisan.

Perhaps to avoid hindering the charge, the man hid among the trees. However, the boar, breaking one of the trees effortlessly, charged forward. Alesia, about to warn him, felt a light touch on her shoulder.

"Tō-chan will be fine."

Despite the reassuring voice, Alesia noticed the hand on her shoulder was tense. Distracted, she missed the crucial moment.

A loud noise made her turn, and she gasped at the scene. The man’s position had shifted slightly to the side. The problem was beside him. The boar, somehow, was lying sideways between two trees, thrashing and breathing heavily but unable to free itself.

Confused, Alesia exhaled deeply. The only thing on her mind was the relief that the danger had passed.

Tears flowed uncontrollably, streaming down her cheeks. Her throat filled with sobs, and her chest ached.

A young child, who had approached, patted her head, and Alesia’s breathing eased slightly. As her tears subsided, the red-haired boy, still unable to grasp the situation, continued to ask questions.

"What, what happened? What’s going on?"

"I don’t know."

"What? Hink, didn’t you see? Alesia, do you know?"

"Sniff... No, I don’t know..."

"What? What happened?"

The commotion caused them to miss a crucial detail: the tree that had been knocked over was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged adventurer, with the immobilized boar, began to ruthlessly stab the beast’s anus with his sword.