Chapter 29

With a burst of enthusiasm, Sora stepped forward, but there was little she could do as an adventurer for less than ten days.

In the end, all she could do was wave her hand from Kalus's back and see him off.

Guiding the people who returned to the outer gate with tired faces, she waited for twenty minutes.

Finally, the loggers from the southern logging site began to appear one after another from the depths of the forest road.

All of them had stern expressions on their sweat-soaked faces.

One of the loggers, seeing the green plate hanging from Sora's neck, warned her with a heavy breath.

"Huff, huff... Get inside quickly, girls."

"Did something happen?"

"Big... Wild boar. Huff... I thought we were done for."

After a brief conversation, it turned out that their departure was delayed because they didn't believe the warning from the four adventurers who came to alert them.

In the end, the holes in the round shields and the signal fires from other areas were what convinced them to act.

Even after they hurriedly left the logging site, they were suddenly attacked by a large boar just as the outer wall came into view.

The four adventurers who were accompanying them as guards distracted the boar, allowing the loggers to barely escape with their lives.

"So, what happened?"

"I don't know. We passed by the guards, so they'll handle it."

"Really—"

"Don't blame us. That's your job. Can we go now?"

Sora, who had seen the loggers rush into the gate, turned around and peeked at the child sitting on the sled.

The child's purple eyes, which looked expressionless, gave no answer.

Feeling frustrated, the girl gently stroked Muu's golden curls.

"It's so frustrating to be unable to do anything."

"Muu isn't like that. I'm following Tō's instructions properly."

"Good job, Muu. Oh, you have a cowlick here."

When Sora rubbed the cowlick, Muu let out a strange groan.

"What's that?"

"Sorry, did it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt. It feels weird!"

"Hehehe. Maybe it feels good?"

When Sora rubbed the cowlick again with her fingertips, Muu opened her eyes wide and made a peculiar sound in her throat.

Finding it amusing, Sora couldn't help but giggle.

"Want me to do it more?"

"Sure, go ahead. Oh, you have a cowlick here too, Muu?"

"What?"

"We're pretty good friends, right?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"Then, can you let me in too?"

Sora, who was still excluded from Muu's <Sensory Sharing>, asked in a casual tone.

"If you can see through Muu's eyes, my <Reversal> will be even more effective."

The magic technique <Reversal> is activated by sight.

Sora's claim that its activation range increases with more visual perspectives is not entirely wrong.

However, the child, who had been in a good mood, suddenly fell silent at Sora's pleading.

A hint of unease appeared in her glass-like eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"......Will you still like me if we're together?"

"No, I won't! Why would I?"

"......Will you get angry if I feel bad?"

Just as Sora was about to answer, she heard a scream from the forest road and quickly looked up.

She saw several figures approaching and, behind them, the silhouette of a large beast.

The moment her eyes met the terrified gaze of the leading figure, Sora raised her staff.

The monster, which was chasing the men, was closing the distance quickly, raising dust with its six legs.

Sora swallowed hard at the ugly, black-lump-covered face that was drawing near.

But the girl, holding her staff, remained still.

Just as the boar was about to attack the last man, Sora cast <Reversal>.

The monster, which had been about to lunge with its head tilted, suddenly had its jaw twisted at an odd angle.

Its massive body swayed, and it couldn't maintain its balance, falling to the side.

The monster crashed into a tree and stopped.

Having bought time by flipping the boar over, Sora shouted to the loggers, who had stopped in surprise.

"Quick, hurry while you can!"

"O-Okay!"

"Thanks, girl!"

The impact of a direct frontal charge would only be halved.

But by making the boar's attack miss the centerline, Sora had unconsciously calculated the timing to cast her magic.

Seeing the monster struggle to get up, Sora quickly changed direction and ran towards the gate.

She was worried about those who hadn't returned yet, but she knew her limits.

As she followed the loggers, Sora's eyes widened again.

The gate, the only entrance to the safe town, was about to close.

"Hey, wait a bit longer!"

"Run, run! Just a little more!"

"Hurry! It's catching up!"

Voices urging her to hurry echoed from inside the gate.

Sora, who was in a hurry, couldn't increase her speed much because the sled's magic stone had run out.

She tried her best to keep up with the men.

But the gate's opening was getting narrower, and the ground was shaking from the approaching monster.

A few more steps.

Just a few seconds.

With all her might, Sora kicked the ground.

Her body felt lighter as if freed from a heavy weight.

She slipped through the narrow gap just in time.

The gate closed behind her, and the sound of the bolt being dropped echoed.

Almost simultaneously, a loud impact shook the stone wall near the gate.

"Huff, huff, huff. Made it."

Breathing heavily, Sora smiled in relief.

Relaxing her shoulders, she turned to the sled to exchange a victory handshake with Muu.

But the sled was empty, with no one on it.

A little earlier.

The young adventurers were running through the forest.

"Over here!"

Rikkar, with his red hair, emerged from behind a tree and threw a stone while taunting the boar.

The large boar, growling fiercely, charged forward.

The sound of a violent collision echoed as a thin tree was uprooted.

But the boy was already gone from behind the tree.

The boar, frustrated at losing its target, snorted and was hit by several arrows.

The monster, turning its head, ran in the direction the arrows came from.

"Good, keep it up."

Sisan, hiding behind another tree, picked up a stone and whispered.

The method he had learned from Tō was effective against the armored boars, which had increased in number and speed.

However, this made them less agile.

Thus, using obstacles as shields, they could dodge the boar relatively easily.

Before their near-death experience, this would have been impossible for Sisan and the others.

But now, they calmly performed their roles.

After confirming that Hink's hiding tree was knocked down, Sisan stood up and threw a stone at the monster's rear.

The boy, making eye contact with the monster for a moment, ran to a new tree.

Of course, the damage they were inflicting was minimal, and they couldn't defeat the boar.

Their goal was to buy time for the loggers to escape.

And there was one more thing.

Suddenly, someone emerged from the underbrush.

Tall and lean, the figure was clad in red leather armor.

With soft golden hair and slightly drooping purple eyes, the person had a high nose and a rather handsome face.

The man, who had been carrying several long spears, planted them in the ground and placed his hands on his hips.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. Leave the rest to me."

Beside him, a girl was waving, breathing heavily.

It seemed that Alesia, who had gone for help, had arrived in time.

The appearance of the familiar gate guard, armed with throwing spears, brought a deep sigh of relief to the boys.

The guard, grabbing one of the spears, crouched slightly.

The thin, pointed tip of the spear seemed inadequate against the massive monster.

But a confident smile played on Kalus's lips.

Noticing this, the boar snorted fiercely, its body trembling with anger.

The three boys, hidden in the trees, held their breath as the battle began.

Kalus was the first to move.

Just as the boar started to charge, he stepped forward with his left foot, channeling the power from his broad back into his right hand.

The spear, launched with the speed of lightning, pierced the boar's front knee and pinned it to the ground.

Kalus, quickly drawing another spear, took a deep breath and threw it with force.

The boar, with both front legs pierced, bellowed, drooling from the corners of its mouth.

A third spear was mercilessly thrust into its mouth.

The boar, now severely injured, tried to lift its upper body with its remaining four legs.

Swinging its front legs, the monster closed the distance with Kalus in one swift motion.

But the guard, with the fourth spear in hand, was already prepared.

His heightened fighting spirit manifested as purple lightning, coiling around the spear and making the air vibrate.

A powerful throw was launched at the approaching boar's head.

The air bent for a moment before being pushed outward.

—<Lightning Flash>.

The spear, enveloped in intense electricity, pierced the boar's head and immediately released its power.

As the top of the boar's head exploded, thick currents of electricity coursed through its body.

The headless boar shuddered and slowly fell to the side, emitting a burnt smell and black smoke from various parts of its body.

The former high-ranking adventurer's display of dispatching the monster with just four strikes elicited cheers from the boys.

But Kalus, with a grimace, muttered to himself.

"The 'Great Outbreak' isn't a rumor. We'd better hurry back or we'll miss the festivities."