Chapter 77

Enzia's cart races through the forest.

"Ugh, oh!"

On the cart that bounces due to the narrow path, Bushi is desperately holding onto the edge to prevent himself from flying off.

As for me, Garai, and Iksa, we are already used to it, so we remain calm.

Eventually, we emerge from between the trees and land on unpaved ground.

Right before our eyes, we can see the outer wall that surrounds the city.

Enzia charges straight towards the wall.

Then, a wide river and a bridge spanning it come into view.

"...There they are."

Bushi mutters with a hateful tone.

Several adventurers are on the bridge, blocking the way.

At the forefront stands a familiar dual-sword warrior.

A-rank adventurer, Cyrus Yellowstone.

Cyrus, upon seeing us, shows an expression that seems to say, "You finally showed up."

At the same time, he realizes that the approaching group is not a horde of beastmen and his eyes widen.

"Garai, the gate—"

"Yeah, it's closed."

As Garai says, there are more than just gatekeepers in front of the gate now.

It was said that the entrance to the city is guarded by the lord's private knights.

Perhaps they were called by Cyrus and his group.

Probably, they said something like, "We have subdued the beastmen in the village, but they begged for their lives, promising not to attack the city or humans again. However, there's a possibility they might come back for revenge, so we are guarding the gate ourselves."

Just in case, they called the knights to guard the gate—so if the beastmen come for revenge, they can be thoroughly defeated right in front of them, to show off their prowess to as many spectators as possible.

It's ridiculous.

(...I won't let you... such a twisted "hero of justice"...)

"What, you guys!?"

In front of our charge, Cyrus and his fellow adventurers form a wall to block the bridge.

They clearly have no intention of letting us through.

*What do you think, sis, should we just run them over?*

"No, Enzia, keep going straight..."

Enzia continues to run.

As the distance between us and the bridge closes—

"Jump!"

I shout.

At the same moment, Enzia leaps.

She jumps over the adventurers who had formed a wall.

"What!?"

"Don't let them through!"

The adventurers aim their weapons at Enzia and the cart as it jumps.

—In the midst of this, I alone jump off the cart and land in front of them.

"Hah—"

First, one of them.

I swing the "pipe" I had synthesized in my hand and strike the face of the adventurer holding a hand axe.

"Gah!"

The adventurer, hit in the nose, spins in the air and falls into the river below the bridge.

"What, this woman!"

"We're B-rank adventurers—"

I have no intention of letting them speak or listening to them.

In an instant, I summon a "beast fence" in front of the adventurers who are charging with spears.

The tips of two spears are thrust into the fence, which I push forward like a shield.

However, the fence, reinforced with my magic, is not pierced, and instead, the spears are knocked out of their hands by the recoil.

"What!?"

"Ha!"

Confused, I swing the fence horizontally with all my might.

The two adventurers, hit in the side, are also thrown into the air and splash into the river.

"Hey! What are you doing, letting a single woman do this to you!"

"Don't get cocky!"

The swarm of adventurers continues to attack.

The remaining ones are close-combat fighters with swords.

Easy.

I start with the closest one, using a "pipe" about three meters long to knock them away like swatting flies.

The adventurers, screaming, are thrown into the river and carried away.

In a moment, only the A-rank adventurer—Cyrus—remains.

"...Tch... I don't get it, who are you? Why are you siding with those beastmen?"

Cyrus draws his dual swords and holds one in each hand.

He must have seen Bushi's figure as we flew over their heads.

He has concluded that we are siding with the "Berserkers" and attacking them.

"Did you feel sorry for the ones who were in bad shape in the village? They are beastmen, and worse, they are dirty beastmen who form gangs to attack humans. They deserve to die or suffer."

"You will suffer a miserable fate, and it will be your own fault."

I dispel the "pipe" I had summoned and approach Cyrus in an unguarded stance.

"The truth isn't clear yet. If, after everything is revealed, the beastmen we defended turn out to be in the wrong, I'll apologize. At that time, I'll take responsibility, whether it means being torn apart or whatever."

"..."

"But now, the reason to beat you up is simple and clear."

I step into the range of Cyrus's dual swords.

"I won't let you be called a hero."

"...I don't get it!"

Cyrus attacks.

Two swords come at me from both sides, trying to slice me.

Indeed, the advantage of dual swords is to leave no escape route.

With both sides blocked, it's too late to retreat.

Then—

I synthesize a "rebar" in my hand.

This metal rod, about ten millimeters thick and nearly five meters long, with strong flexibility, lifts my body into the air like a pole vaulter.

"What!?"

To Cyrus, it must have looked like I suddenly disappeared.

But in an instant, he realizes I am above him.

By then, I have already synthesized a one-meter "pipe" and swung it at Cyrus's head.

"Tch!"

However, the strike is narrowly avoided.

Instead, he launches a slash with a sword enveloped in a dark aura.

Probably, it's Cyrus's magic—a cursed sword strike.

I cross the "pipe" and "rebar" and summon a "steel plate" in the air to block the strike.

Riding the impact, I create some distance.

"Don't get cocky, you—"

The cocky attitude from before is gone, and a killing intent seeps from Cyrus's body.

He's finally getting serious.

Indeed, he is recognized for his strength.

"...Then, I'll get serious too."

"Huh?"

I summon "something" in my hand.

By the way, I haven't summoned this metal product since coming to this world.

I think it's quite popular among hardware store items.

But the reason I haven't summoned it is clear.

Because I can't move it even if I create it.

"What? That's—"

Cyrus frowns at what I have generated.

It's a circular metal disc.

However, the outer edge is sharply pointed, forming a blade.

This is a "rotating blade" used in circular saws.

"...*Alchemize Lv.3*"

I focus on infusing more magic into the blade I have synthesized.

The description of the upgraded *Alchemize* skill.

"Convert magic into power."

If my interpretation is correct...

Instantly, the "rotating blade" on my palm floats into the air—

And begins to spin with a high-pitched sound.

The ear-splitting high-speed rotation.

Now, in front of me, the strongest blade that can cut through anything is born.

"What is that...?"

Cyrus, facing the spinning blade, swallows his breath, perhaps feeling a primal fear.

"I'm going."

At my signal, the "rotating blade" flies straight at Cyrus.

"!"

Cyrus hurriedly overlaps his dual swords to block it.

"Ugh!"

The impact and the rotational power are immense.

The blades clash, sparks flying, but gradually, his dual swords are pushed back.

"What, what is that blade? It's moving on its own!? What speed! And what power—"

At that moment, a "snap" is heard.

"..."

It's a simple matter.

Cyrus's dual swords, both broken in half, fall to the bridge.

"!"

An unbelievable sight.

But the moment he blocked the blade, the cutting was on my side.

"My swords—"

To the flustered Cyrus—

"Ha!"

I instantly approach and strike his head with a "pipe."

"Gah..."

Cyrus falls to the bridge.

Since he wasn't protecting his head with a helmet or anything, I held back my blow.

"Let's consider this payback... for now."

I leave him with, "Stay quiet until it's over," and walk towards the gate.

"Wait, you—"

However, Cyrus, wobbling, stands up.

He grips a hidden knife in his chest and wraps it in a curse.

"Die, yaah!"

He leaps to stab my back from behind.

"...I told you to stay quiet."

Instantly, I control the "rotating blade" I had left hovering in the air.

It quickly cuts through the bridge planks around him.

"..."

"If you can't, go far away."

The floor planks where Cyrus was standing fall out like a pit, and he is dropped into the river below.

"Gah! Wait! Help, I can't swim, gah—"

He was shouting something, but Cyrus was carried away by the river current.

"Phew, well then."

I dispel the "rotating blade" and temporarily cover the hole in the bridge with a "steel plate."

After confirming it, I run towards the gate.

Enzia's cart is already parked in front of the gate, surrounded by knights.

"What, you guys! Don't make suspicious moves!"

The knights, weapons drawn, shout at the cart.

This means they don't know what to do with our sudden appearance and rapid changes in the situation.

"Garai!"

I shout to Garai, who is standing in front of the cart.

"I'm done here!"

"...Understood."

Garai starts moving.

He runs towards the knights guarding the gate.

"What—"

The knights, intimidated by Garai's sudden charge, step back.

In that moment, he infuses his right arm with magic—

And punches the gate with the strength of several times his normal power.

With a loud explosion, the gate, which was locked with a bolt, is forced open.

"What are you doing, you—"

Such shouts can be heard from the knights.

Well, if this happens, you'd want to shout too.

"Alright, everyone."

Iksa, standing on the cart, calls out to the knights.

The knights, initially taken aback by Iksa's appearance, then recognize his familiar face.

"Prince Iksa!?"

"Here, let's do this for my sake."

Iksa is now a well-known figure among those related to the royal family.

He has defeated two of the royal heirs and is currently the third in line for the throne.

He is the founder of the Magic Research Institute and now holds the land owned by Antimishka and the dark society connections owned by Nero, making him one of the leading candidates for the throne.

"I didn't want to waste time arguing about whether to open the gate, so I broke it first. We'll talk about the details later."

Pushing aside the stunned knights, Enzia's cart passes through the broken gate.

"Alright, let's head to the Adventurer's Guild first."

"During that time, we'll go ahead and call the doctors in the city."

"Ah, yeah."

Iksa says to Bushi, who was as stunned as the knights.

We start our swift actions towards our goal.

"...You."

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks."

Enzia's cart races through the city.

During this time, Bushi said to me.

"For taking them down."

"No, no, half of it was just me taking out my frustration."