Chapter 62

【Arrow Storm】

From the bow held by the small girl standing opposite, countless arrows were released all at once.

I kept the girl in my line of sight while looking up at the sky.

"──About there, I guess."

I opened my eyes wide to take in the countless arrows floating above my head, catching every arrow in my field of vision and reading their trajectories.

While observing the storm of arrows descending like rain, I moved my feet, deciding on my next actions.

──There it is.

I could see a slightly less dense area of arrows.

If I could get through there, only six arrows would pierce me.

"【Body Enhancement】"

Using the basic skill I had just learned, I strengthened my legs to the limit and ran, skimming the ground, heading straight into the storm of arrows.

No matter how much I dodged, the continuous barrage of arrows wouldn't stop.

I judged the gaps, ducked through them, closed the distance to my target in one go, and placed the wooden training dagger I held against her neck.

"──Got you."

I placed the training dagger against the neck of the girl who had fired the arrows, hearing the signal of her surrender for the tenth time today.

Lowering the dagger and taking a breath, the girl in front of me looked at me with a strange expression.

"Hey, does that... not hurt? They're really, really stuck in you."

"Yep, it hurts."

I answered while pulling out the two arrows in my back, three in my arms, and one in my leg.

"Why can you stay so calm...? It's definitely weird."

"......Is it?"

"Yes. I'm following the captain's orders to go all out, but if you hit a bad spot, you could die. You should have a bit more fear, don't you think?"

"It's fine... I'm paying attention and dodging properly.

Um──Shimo...?"

"Sirene. You should remember it by now.

And for the record, I'm much older than you, despite my small size. Show some respect."

"......Okay, I got it... Can I ask for one more round, Sirene-san?"

"......Really? You haven't taken a break yet.

You're really something... Just avoiding most of my arrows is already pretty crazy.

By the way, you should ask Marie for treatment first.

She's here specifically to treat you."

"Oh, right. Um... Marie...?"

"Her name is Maribelle. Remember it."

As Sirene and I looked at her, Maribelle, who had been called, shuddered.

"Um, it's fine if you just call me Marie...

Um... Roro, why are you so calm...? How can you move so normally with arrows stuck in your body...?"

Maribelle, who was looking at me as if I were a terrifying creature, slowly approached, dragging her feet on the ground. She seemed to be trying to treat me.

"......Maybe because I can endure...?"

"That's not normal at all...!!"

"......And I think it's because of Marie. I can feel safe getting injured."

"Ugh... I don't know what to do when someone relies on me like that...!!

Gilbert does the same thing every day, turning his insides and bones into a mess and walking towards me calmly...!! I wish he would stop...!!

...Why do human bodies have to be so messed up...?

Only Captain Sain can handle such things in our group...!?

Ugh... He looks so gentle but is so cruel...!!

Even though there's a shortage of personnel, making the medical staff of the [Combat Soldier Corps] and [Sword Soldier Corps] work such intense jobs and do this... I'm definitely going to die someday...!!"

Despite saying all this, as she placed her hands on my wounds, the several arrow wounds closed up in just a few seconds.

──Just a few seconds.

The pain completely disappeared──she really is amazing.

Maribelle, whom [Healing Saint] Sain called his "right arm." It's largely because of her that I can dive into the swarm of arrows without any worries.

I confirmed that there was nothing wrong with my body and turned back to Sirene.

"Can we do one more round, then?"

"......Really? We can take a break if you want.

But if we do it, Captain said to go all out... I won't be responsible if you die this time."

"Okay, I'm prepared... I won't be able to reach them if I don't."

"Um, when you say 'them,' do you mean [Talent Princess] Rineburg and the [Divine Shield] knight...? Roro, are you aiming for such heights...? I can't support you to that level...!!"

Maribelle, speaking quickly and backing away, looked anxious.

...She's quite skilled.

She knows that I'm going to Misra with Leen and Ines.

"That's right. I won't comment on your goals... But even if you're abnormally quick, isn't it a bit reckless to try to get close to them? They're like clouds above us, even to us, the deputy leaders of the [Six Corps]."

"......I know that.

But I don't want to be a burden, and I want to do what I can."

"You're not normal, in many ways."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"......So, can we do one more round...? I want to do something as long as I have time."

"......Ha, I really got stuck with a crazy one. ...Are all demons like this...?"

And so, we took our positions again.

The distance between me and her was about a thousand steps.

There was a mark at a distance where my voice could just reach.

She has beast blood, with two ears on her head, and can hear even small voices clearly.

"──Whenever you're ready."

"──I won't be responsible this time."

Sirene drew her bow, and a large number of arrows flew again.

"──There it is."

I calmly judged the trajectories, moved to an area with fewer hits, and deflected only the truly dangerous ones.

Of course, I can't dodge or deflect everything.

Several arrows pierced parts of my body.

But that's fine.

I can only do that much.

I pushed forward with all my might, dodging the rain of arrows recklessly and avoiding the arrows flying directly at me.

My job is to dodge.

I use [Body Enhancement] minimally, focusing only on increasing my speed.

I carefully listened to the sounds my body, bones, and muscles made with each step──trying to eliminate as much waste as possible and putting all my strength into running.

I learned that I could achieve surprising speed this way.

Karu, the [Hidden Saint], taught me this technique the other day.

My small body is advantageous for this.

I also learned how to endure pain from Dandarg, the [Shield Saint].

I thought I could endure a certain level of pain, but I found out that I could significantly reduce the pain with simple breathing techniques and mental preparation.

So now, the arrows piercing my body don't hurt much.

I suppressed my own voice as much as possible and concentrated on listening to the other person's inner voice──and the voice of the approaching objects. I judged the trajectories of the attacks, dodged them, and deflected what I could see with the dagger, trying to minimize the damage.

Sigu, the [Sword Saint], taught me to focus on this.

If I want to learn something in a short time, I shouldn't expect more than that.

──I can't swing a sword.

Or rather, I can't hurt others.

I hesitate to cause pain to others.

So, I don't need to think about cutting.

I focus on dodging and deflecting.

And so──I approached her in the shortest distance possible.

"Got you."

I placed the wooden dagger against her neck and said the signal word.

This dagger is only for signaling.

Even in a real fight, I can't cut anyone.

But Mianne suggested that I need to step forward, which is why she proposed this training.

"──Got you."

Sirene said the signal for the end, marking the eleventh time I reached my target today.

I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of how to move my body.

But it's still not enough.

If I stay like this, I'll be left behind by them.

If I continue like this, I'll only be a burden.

"Can we do one more round, then?"

When I asked to continue the training, Sirene shook her head in exasperation.

"Well, okay... But shouldn't you pull out the arrows first? Marie, treat her."

"Auuu...!! My mental state can't take this anymore...! Can I go home now...!? I don't want to see Roro get pierced by more arrows...!!"

"......I'm fine as I am."

"You're quite unreasonable... Do you know what you look like? At least pull out the arrows. It's quite a sight."

"......Is it?"

"No, it definitely is."

"Hiieee...!! It's gross...!!"

"......Sorry... I'll try to reduce the number next time."

"That's not the issue...!! And, can you pull them out quickly? I don't want to see you pull them out...!!"

While I was hesitating about whether to pull out the arrows, a familiar voice came from behind.

"I'm late. I had to take care of the kids for a bit."

It was Mianne.

After giving us training instructions, she left the training ground, saying she had something to do. Specifically, she has two children and had to make dinner.

"So, did you do your best to the point of risking your life?

Sirene, you didn't go easy on her, did you?"

Sirene straightened her back, perked up her ears and tail, and saluted Mianne. In response, Mianne, who also has beast blood, was swaying her tail leisurely.

"Y-Yes. I followed the orders and went all out──"

"But the number of arrows seems low to me."

"......Huh?"

"──Did you really go all out?"

Sirene's expression stiffened.

At the same time, Maribelle backed away quite a distance.

──Fast.

"I thought it wouldn't be strange if twice as many arrows hit.

You didn't hold back out of some misplaced sympathy, did you?"

"S-Such a thing...!!"

Mianne looked at Sirene's face as if trying to read something, and sniffed.

"......I can smell a slight hint of arousal. Is that what's going on?"

"......!!?"

While watching Sirene's ears and tail bristle, Mianne picked up a training bow.

"......Alright. Roro.

I'll take over from here.

When I do it, ...you should expect ten times as many arrows to hit you.

We'll start as soon as the treatment for those wounds is done."

"......Okay, I understand."

I pulled out all the arrows from my body, hearing Maribelle's scream behind me.