Chapter 9

Zun zun zun zun zun!!

*Gishaaaaa!!*

The air vibrated, and Guen and his companions froze in their tracks.

And then,

it seemed that even Manac and the others, who had been dawdling in front despite trying to run away, had sensed it...

"Wh-What?! No way?!"

"N-No way! You brought them here...!"

"J-Just kidding! No way!!"

Manac, Ambus, Regina.

These three, the new 'Three Idiots'...

"Wh-What are you doing...? W-What are you doing, you guys?!"

Riz finally realized.

Guen knew.

Of course, Sheila knew too...

"What... What! What are you doing sorting the luggage for?!?!"

That's right.

Manac and the others hadn't even prepared for the counterattack.

They didn't know how they had managed to send Riz off, but they thought they had bought valuable time according to their standards.

However, they had used that time to reorganize the luggage that Guen had abandoned.

Moreover, they had been arguing over who would carry the heavy luggage, bickering back and forth...

What was clear was that the scattered luggage and the fact that Manac and the others had made no preparations.

So, naturally,

"Y-You idiots! Why did you bring them?! We finally bought some time!!"

"Shit!! I-I'm running, I'm running!!"

Manac, who was cursing.

Ambus, who looked ridiculous, abandoning the luggage and trying to run away.

"I told you! Let's run quickly!!"

And Nyaou Kanso wouldn't have missed such a sweet opportunity.

*Gishaaaaa!!*

"–D-Damn it... There's no way we can run now. If we keep this up, everyone will die."

Regina, who was calmly observing the scene, spat out these words.

"What?! N-No way! What do we do?!"

"Damn, Guen!! Doing unnecessary things!!"

What? Unnecessary things?!

Helping your comrades is an unnecessary thing...?!

"–Fucking bastards!!"

Guen and his companions finally caught up.

They stopped for a moment to catch their breath, but then approached Manac and the others with a momentum as if they were about to pounce...

But,

"Oh well... Why does it always end up like this?"

Regina, seeing Guen approach with a look of fury, shook her head.

She looked up at the sky and muttered,

"There's no other way... Let's do this, shall we?"

Then, she returned her gaze and showed a chillingly cold look.

"–If it comes to this, someone has to be the sacrifice. ...That way, we can buy time again."

Regina, who boldly declared this...

"What?! You, if it was the first time, maybe... –Geh!"

Huh?

"H-Hey. If that's the case, there's a rule for it, right?"

Manac's fist, which had been thrust into Guen's stomach.

He was suddenly attacked, and an merciless blow struck Guen.

His internal organs were compressed, and blood involuntarily spurted from his mouth...

"G-Guen...?"

"Buh..."

Blood splattered on the ground, and he fell to his knees.

Then, the hand that had been holding Sheila let go, and she landed on the ground – her gaze darting back and forth between Manac and Guen in confusion.

"Y-You... Gah..."

"Y-You're tough... –Ambus!! Do it!"

"Here I go!!" and another blow followed.

...Ambus, with a smirk, had stabbed Guen's leg with his sword.

"Guhaaa!!"

"H-Haha. Y-You have to make sure the prey can't move, h-haha..."

Ambus's voice was unexpectedly tense.

Perhaps he had some resistance to directly stabbing his comrades.

But Ambus, trying to hide his trembling voice, put on a brave front.

And finally...

"Ugh–"

...Thud.

"G-Guen? Guen?!"

Sheila, who was shocked, was pulled away by Manac, who grabbed her shoulder.

And Riz, who had been watching the series of tragic events in a daze, finally shouted.

"W-Wh-What...?"

Her eyes wide with disbelief... and then,

"What are you doing, you guys──────!!"