Chapter 50

Just as I thought my back was about to go bald, a large shadow fell behind me,

"Ugh...!"

The enemy suddenly groaned and fell to the ground.

Oh no! The enemy's saliva might have gotten on my stomach! That's gross!

While worrying about my stomach, I peered at the enemy's face. He seemed to have lost consciousness. When I turned around, I saw the leader standing there, his right hand still clenched into a fist, one eyebrow raised.

"---I wanted to say that if it gets dangerous, I'll step in."

It seems the leader had struck the enemy in the groin or stomach, causing him to lose consciousness. Perhaps it was typical of the leader to punch rather than use his sword, which was at his waist.

"Mil, thank you for protecting me. But---"

"It's dangerous. If you get hurt, everyone here will be sad."

The leader said, continuing what Tina had said.

"Sorry, I was worried..."

The moment I replied, Kugaru shouted again.

"Let go!"

The man who had been holding Kugaru in a headlock and trying to carry him away was one of the men who had been fighting the one-eyed knight until just a moment ago. He had taken advantage of the leader and Tina's distraction to grab Kugaru, who was the only one left with the leader.

"Did you realize he was a spirit?"

The leader muttered to himself, clicked his tongue, and chased after the enemy who had run off with Kugaru. The enemy was heading towards the horses, apparently intending to escape. I wanted to help Kugaru, but Tina stopped me.

Perhaps the enemy had been on the defensive, waiting for an opportunity to outmaneuver us. Was Kugaru their target from the beginning?

The one-eyed knight, noticing that Kugaru was about to be taken, punched the enemy in front of him with his non-dominant hand. The enemy, focused on the knight's sword, was caught off guard and hit squarely.

The one-eyed knight, as expected of the leader's student, showed that being a knight wasn't just about using a sword.

"Retreat!"

The enemy who had been fighting Kicks tried to retreat, dragging his unconscious comrade while still engaging Kicks. The enemy who had been fighting the deputy leader and the one who had been punched by the one-eyed knight also decided to retreat and stop attacking.

"Not a chance!"

But Kicks and the others weren't about to let them go so easily.

"Shouldn't you take the white one too!?"

"One is enough, any more would be difficult!"

"Hurry!"

The enemies, arguing among themselves, tried to escape. It seems I was also a target.

The one-eyed knight, ignoring the enemy in front of him and even overtaking the leader, leaped at the enemy who was trying to mount a horse with Kugaru. The moment the one-eyed knight and the enemy tumbled off the horse, Kugaru slipped out and landed safely on the ground.

"Ugh...!"

Oh, the one-eyed knight hit the enemy again. Maybe it was quicker than using a sword.

"Kugaru, are you hurt?"

When the one-eyed knight, who had defeated the enemy and stood up, asked, Kugaru nodded with a complicated expression. He might have been embarrassed about almost being taken, or perhaps he had a new respect for the one-eyed knight's strength.

"Damn!"

"Ugh..."

Kicks and the deputy leader also started to deal with the remaining three enemies. They seemed to intend to capture them in a state where they could talk and find out their purpose, rather than incapacitate them. With the one-eyed knight and the leader on our side, we had the upper hand, so I could watch with a bit more ease than before.

However, just as I thought victory was certain, unexpected help arrived for the enemy.

"Whoa!"

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and I braced myself on all fours to avoid being blown away. A second gust followed immediately, and this time I couldn't hold on and rolled over four times.

"Mil!"

Tina, who was nearby, chased after me and grabbed me.

"Whoa!"

Just as I was relieved, I heard Kugaru's voice from a distance. The wind that had attacked me had stopped, but now Kugaru was being blown away and rolled over, and the one-eyed knight was helping him.

(What...?)

I looked up at the sky, my fur disheveled. The wind that had targeted only me and Kugaru, ignoring everyone else, was coming from above.

"Bird?"

Tina also looked up, squinting. There was indeed a bird, about the size of a pigeon, flying there, glaring at Kugaru with an unpleasant look.

Its feathers were a light green, and the base of its legs was darker. The area around its eyes was yellow, like eyeshadow, and the tuft of feathers on its head and the tips of its wings were blue.

If this bird had used the wind to attack, it was probably not just a bird.

(Spirit...?)

I opened my eyes wide and looked up at the colorful bird.

"Whoa, again!"

The bird changed its target from Kugaru to me and attacked again. Tina, still crouched, hugged me, so I didn't roll over this time, but the strong wind made it impossible to open my eyes, and the sand and pebbles being whipped up hit me painfully.

Moreover, unlike the previous attack, the wind grew stronger with each flap of the bird's wings. I gritted my teeth and endured as the wind pressure pulled all my fluffy fur back. Tina's long ponytail was also flapping in the wind.

"Mil!"

The deputy leader and Kicks ran over and formed a wall in front of us, but they couldn't stop the intangible wind or catch the bird, which was out of reach in the sky.

At the edge of my vision, I saw Kugaru, the one-eyed knight, and the leader running towards us. However, the bird noticed and changed its target back to Kugaru.

(Why does it keep targeting me and Kugaru?)

My mother, father, and Hylg Papa had never been attacked. It was the first time I had faced a spirit other than my guardians, and I didn't know what to do about the one-sided attacks.

"Who are you!?"

"Mil...!"

In the midst of the strong wind, I broke free from Tina's arms and shouted. However, the bird didn't speak human language. It let out a high-pitched, screeching cry, glared at me, and dove at me like a hawk or an eagle.

I couldn't close my eyes and stood frozen, watching the enraged bird approach.

However, when I was forced to make eye contact at close range, I noticed for the first time that its eyes were not in their right mind. Anger? Sadness? Hatred? None of these emotions seemed to fit perfectly, but they all seemed to be mixed together in a chaotic way.

"Mil!"

The deputy leader, who had run up from behind, swung his sword, but the bird dodged it by riding the wind and returned to the sky. In my current state, it would probably be futile to try to speak to the bird. I needed to catch it and calm it down.

Just as I thought this, I heard a low growl. I quickly turned to Kugaru, who was crouched low, his tail tip moving in a wavy motion. He was in a hunting stance, just like when we had hunted wild rabbits together.

Seeing this, I had an idea and started barking loudly, "Kyankyan!" to get the bird's attention, then turned and ran.

"Mil!? Where are you going!"

As I ran past the deputy leader and Kicks, the bird followed me, not wanting to let me go.

I confirmed this, then passed by Tina, who was at the back, and made a wide turn on the road, like a track and field course. I couldn't afford to fall, so I put my full strength into my legs and dug my claws into the ground. I turned around Tina with a screeching sound, like tires on a car, and continued running without slowing down.

I managed to pull away from the bird, which couldn't turn well in the air, but as soon as I started running straight, it quickly caught up. I could hear the sound of its wings from just behind me, and I felt a cold sweat break out all over my body.

However, just as I was about to be caught by its sharp talons— a black mass flew over my head and attacked the bird head-on. Kugaru was waiting in my path.

The bird, focused on me, hadn't paid attention to its surroundings and let out a scream when Kugaru caught it. Hearing that thin cry, I thought the spirit might be female.

Now that it was caught, we could find out its identity and purpose. It's difficult to defeat a bird in the air, but on the ground, we had the advantage... or so I thought.

However, just as Kugaru, who had caught the bird in his mouth, landed on the ground with a satisfied look, the bird turned into several orbs of light and escaped.

"Ah, you little—!"

Kugaru jumped to catch one of the orbs of light, but his front claws only sliced through the air. The six or so orbs of light all flew away into the grass.

(Orbs of light... fairy?)