Chapter 9

**"Hssssssss!"**

Armia, bitten by the hydra, collapsed on the spot, and the hydra let out a victorious roar.

"Give me the medicine immediately! My all-purpose potion will take too long!"

"What do you mean, medicine? How could I possibly have something like that!"

"Hah!?"

Amidst this, Laila shouted, but no one had any medicine. Of course not, since Margulus had made no preparations at all. Laila, still unwilling to give up, searched Armia's body for the medicine, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Aa, aaa, aaaa…"

…And when she saw this scene, Margulus's fighting spirit had already vanished.

"R, retreat! Run! Get away from the hydra!"

"Hah!?"

In the next moment, Margulus managed to say only that and turned to run. His companions were shocked by his sudden words, but unfortunately, Margulus's mind was not processing anything. It wasn't that he was calculating that they couldn't win now that Armia, the party's damage dealer, was out of commission. Margulus's mind was dominated by sheer terror. Realizing the overwhelming power of the hydra, he was simply overwhelmed by fear and fled.

"!"

However, seeing the state of his companions, Margulus momentarily returned to his senses. Serberia, having been healed, was fine, but Laila was on the verge of anemia from overusing healing magic, and Armia was unconscious. For a moment, Margulus hesitated. Was it right for him to run away and leave them?

…But that hesitation lasted only a moment.

"I have armor and I'm exhausted! Take care of Armia!"

"Eh, wait, as a warrior, you have the skill to enhance your body… wait!"

In the next moment, concerned that carrying Armia would slow him down, Margulus ignored Laila's voice and ran off.

"!"

Laila was speechless at Margulus's behavior. Of course, a warrior with the body enhancement skill wouldn't find armor heavy. The skill was that good, and it was a rule among adventurers that warriors carried the injured. So when Margulus ran off alone, Laila was speechless.

"I'm tired too, so I'm going ahead! Take care of Armia!"

"…Huh?"

…And in that moment, Serberia also fled. Laila was speechless at the sight. Serberia, being a thief, had agility but not much strength.

…But even so, how could she leave it to the healer in the back and run away?

Laila was driven by the urge to yell at the two who had fled first.

"Aaaah! You idiots!"

But suppressing her anger, Laila started running with Armia in her arms. Even though she wasn't physically trained, Laila, being a backliner, was slowed down even more by the weight of another person.

"Haa, haa, haa,"

But still, Laila ran with all her might, carrying Armia. She might be killed by the hydra along with Armia, but she didn't intend to stop. Despite not having a long relationship, she couldn't abandon a comrade she had fought with, and she couldn't leave this female mage who had been so easily abandoned by her comrades.

"Haa, haa, haa, just a little more!"

So, despite the fear that the hydra might be opening its mouth behind her, Laila desperately made her way back to Margulus and the others.

And Laila managed to leave the scene without being killed by the hydra…

◇◆◇

"Hssssss…"

After watching the invaders flee, the hydra let out a sigh of relief and moved back to where it had been sleeping, closing its eyes. Margulus and the others were too busy fleeing to notice, but the hydra was in a very dire situation.

It was so exhausted that it couldn't even chase after the fleeing enemies.

The reason it didn't attack Armia, the toughest opponent from the start, was also related to this. Margulus was not an excellent swordsman. While he wasn't incompetent in terms of offensive power, he lacked the ability to hold back enemies. He lacked the ability to observe enemies, or rather, to observe the surroundings, including allies, and relied solely on brute force.

This was a fatal flaw for a frontliner in a top-tier party, but even shaking off such a Margulus was a significant burden for the hydra.

That's why, after somehow neutralizing Armia, the hydra visibly weakened. It might not have been obvious from a distance, but Margulus, who was nearby, would have noticed immediately.

…If he had been calm, that is.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Margulus had had the hydra's medicine and been a bit calmer, they could have defeated the hydra. But Margulus didn't realize this.

And Margulus would never have another chance to defeat the hydra…

◇◆◇

"Good, Laila! Are you safe?"

"We were really worried about you!"

When Laila finally reached Margulus and the others, she was greeted by Margulus's insincere welcome. Angered by their attitude, Laila almost shouted but restrained herself and started treating Armia. After all, Armia was in a critical condition.

"…There's no choice but to use the all-purpose potion."

Seeing Armia's condition, I understood that there was no time to waste and decided to use the all-purpose potion.

"Wait! Can't you heal her with healing magic? Using magic potions like the all-purpose potion can leave aftereffects! We don't have time for that if we're going to fight the hydra again tomorrow…"

But Margulus opened his mouth to say something about my actions. His completely off-the-mark words made me feel a surge of anger.

"Ah"

But suppressing my anger, I lifted Armia's head and poured the all-purpose potion into her mouth.

"Mm…"

After confirming that Armia's condition had improved, I glared at Margulus.

"Don't be ridiculous! Do you know how much mana is needed to purify the hydra's poison with healing magic! If you had wasted time like that, this girl would have died!"

"!"

Laila's fierce words made Margulus fall silent.

"But, Rauzto purified the hydra's poison with just a 'Heal'…"

However, Margulus tried to say something to Laila…

"There's no such healer! Just hurry and carry her! Don't run away like before, got it?"

"!"

…But Margulus had no energy left to argue with Laila's cold stare. Margulus and the others, with a heavier atmosphere than after yesterday's defeat, walked towards the teleportation array leading to the adventurer's guild.

"…We just had bad luck today"

In that heavy atmosphere, Margulus muttered those words so that no one could hear.

…But Margulus himself understood that those words were nothing but sour grapes.

(Note: The hydra is not in the dungeon but outside of it. I have added this explanation to the first chapter.)