Chapter 67 - Why is a kid this strong The Gray Night was planning on making the village panic with a preemptive strike by magic.
However, their magic was easily blocked by a defensive barrier.
So instead, it was the Gray Night who started panicking.
「What does this mean?! Don"t tell me, is it those Gyrdorea Adventurer School"s students made that barrier……?」
The axeman who is their leader was unable to decide whether they should retreat or advance because of the unexpected situation.
「Idiot! There are only brats in there. There"s no way they"d be able to make a barrier as strong as that. There must be some magician within the beast-kin……or maybe someone else is in there……」
The man who scouted said without confidence.
And, the one who was the most dismayed was the one who casted magic.
「Is this the time for chatting! Listen, even though I"m like this, I"m a B-Rank Magician. And MY magic was blocked. That means, there"s an Rank cla.s.s magician in there……not mentioning stealing Haku, we might get defeated instead」
Rankーーhearing those words, everyone became pale.
The rank determined by the adventurer guild is ranged from S to G.
Right now, only the Great Sage has the S-Rank, so Rank is substantially the highest rank.
And there is a huge gap between Rank and B-Rank.
B-Rank is famously called as veteran adventurers. It is the realm that can be reached through determination.
On the other hand, Rank Adventurers are those who can individually defeat dragons.
It is a realm that is already out of reach of normal humans, and it is a realm where only a few geniuses could reach.
The B-Rank within the Grey Night is this magician and their axe-wielding leader.
The other four has dropped out from C-Rank.
It is impossible to fight against an Rank Magician with this level of fighting strength.
It is for their own safety if they would retreat now.
「Let"s get out of here. This is too absurd」
「Hey, don"t give me that. We"re all sc.u.mbags here. We"d be trash if we hold dear to our lives」
「Even if you say that, I don"t wanna die in vain」
They are endlessly confident when their opponent is weaker than them, but the instant they found out that the one they are facing might be Rank, they started to have cold feet.
That"s why they were unable to walk on the right track and became thieves.
「Wait. Keep quiet. Someone came out of the barrier……」
The axeman silently said.
That barrier was st.u.r.dy, but it looks like it does not limit getting out of it.
Three girls appeared looking very vulnerable.
「It"s them. It"s those three brats that I saw」
「I see now. Just like you said, one of them is wearing the Adventurer School"s uniform……I"m the one who"d kill that」
「Rather than that, look. That smallest brat, she"s carrying Haku"s child」
The Grey Night got excited.
Although they do not know the reason, the Rank Magician could not be found anywhere.
It"s only those children who came out of the barrier.
There is no reason to let this chance go away.
They thought that the should attack right away and steal away Haku immediately.
「Let"s go!」
The axeman ordered.
The target is that girl embracing Haku.
And fortunately, she looks the weakest among them.
The girl wearing a uniform is carrying a huge sword, so even if it is just for show, there is a need to take caution.
The blonde girl"s expression is filled with confidence, and is releasing a presence that is impossible for a normal person.
However, that smallest girl in between them. Although she is carrying a sword with her, her face looks like she could not kill a bug.
Kill her with one attack and steal Haku. Kill the other two before they regain themselves due to the shock.
And escape immediately before the Rank magician appears.
What a perfect plan. There is no flawーー.
「Mumu? I found the bad guys!」
The instant the smallest girl whispered that, the Grey Night shot off flying in the air as if they were hit by an invisible hammer.
「W-What was that right now?!」
Everyone, they were somewhat able to break their fall, but they could feel dull pain from all over their body.
However, rather than the damage they took, the problem was the eeriness of not knowing what happened to them.
Was it that girl"s doing?
No, there"s no way.
A brat that isn"t even 10-years old. It is unheard of, for someone that young to blow off six adults without incantations.
「Tsk……! Did that Rank in the barrier did it? Our surprise attack has failed. Let"s go!」
「Did you think you can get away?」
The Grey Night turned around and tried to escape to the forest.
However, lightning spirits blocked their way. There were even ten of them.
「We"re blocked?!」
It looks like that magician hiding in the barrier was far cunning than they have expected.
To think that they"d use children as decoys. That is just exactly how a villain thinks.
However, there is a saying “the crafty schemer drowns in his own scheme”.
It was a failure that they brought Haku outside.
As long as Haku is taken hostage, the table will be turned instantly.
Their side should be unable to do anything anymore.
「You Gyrdorea student! I"ll be the one who"d tear you apart!」
The swordsman in the prime of his life charged towards the girl holding a huge sword.
「……I got it. I"ll be your opponent」
Their swords aggressively collided, lighting the darkness of the night with sparks.
Even though it is a fight between a child and an adult, the girl was not losing at all.
Not only that, she is able to skilfully block the swordsman"s slashes and even counterattacked.
「Mu!!」
The swordsman could not help but jump back.
Seeing that, the girl with a huge sword stabs towards him without a pause.
She was as quick as lightning and as heavy as a boulder.
The swordsman was barely able to block, but his sword was chipped.
Even after that, the girl continued to attack making the swordsman only block and defend.
「I cannot let Annsan take all the limelight. Come now, Lightning Spirits, take care of them!」
Obeying the blonde girl"s words, the Lightning Spirits attacked the Grey Night at once.
However, their side also has a magician.
B-Rank, on top of that. He should be enough against the Lightning Spirits.
「Nnnnn!!」
The B-Rank magician placed his hands on the ground and released his magic powers.
Suddenly, the ground stood up and stopped the Lightning Spirits" advance.
「Ara, ara, you"re quite good. However, lightning does not definitely move straight」
From the back of the earth wall, a flash raised to the sky.
That flash bunched up together then fall towards the Grey Night.
In short, it was a lightning bolt.
It was only the axeman"s instinct that enabled him to evade that.
His experienced that made him reach B-Rank sensed the danger and made his body move.
He rolled on the group and took distance from his comrades.
Even so, he was still a little numb, but it was far away from a direct hit.
When he raised his head, he saw his four comrades shocked on the ground.
The only ones remaining is himself and the swordsman.
However, just right now, that swordsman was defeated by the girl with a huge sword.
Unable to take the strike, his sword flew out from his hand, and an instant later, he received a strong kick to his stomach and crouched to the ground.
He collapsed while spitting gastric juice and looked exactly like that of an ogre(Oni).
「Why……I should"ve been stronger than the school"s graduate……why must I lose to a student……!」
「……honestly, you"re weak. It"s an easy win even without using strengthening magic」
After the girl with a huge sword muttered that, she kicked the swordsman again and made him faint.
Because of that, only the axeman remained.
「If it comes to this, I can only gamble!」
It was a complete miscalculation that not only the Rank hiding inside the barrier, but even these two girls were strong.
However, that girl embracing Haku should be weak. Please be weak.
With that prayer in mind, he swung his axed towards the little girl.
After killing this girl and stealing away Haku, there is still a chance to get away if Haku is used as a hostage.
So what if my comrades were not saved.
In this case, it"s enough if I get away.
Rather, I don"t need to split the money from selling Haku.
That"s right, nothing has ended yet.
Everything will be solved if this girl dies.
DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIEーー.
「It"s so slow that I would even feel yawning」
It was not, solved.
Because, this little girl in front of me, he stopped my axe with one hand.
She doesn"t even look like she"s using her strength.
As if she had caught a towel thrown to her, she stopped my attack with all of my strength with two fingers.
「However, I"ve never used an axe. Please lend it to me」
The little girl took away my axe with just the strength of her finger.
I was even holding it with both hands, but she stole it so easily.
「U〜n……the balance of its weight is very different with a sword. It"s looks very hard to use……eii!」
And, the girl swung the axe with one hand.
It was not like she hit something.
But, for some reason, an explosive sound was made. A gale of wind rose up to the air.
The axeman who no longer holds an axe was blown away by that single swing of the girl, and fell to his bottom.
「It"s hard to use as I"ve thought. It would be on the way so I should keep it away」
The axe disappeared from the girl"s hand.
It was not like it became invisible in the darkness, nor she melted it using Flame Magic.
As if it had never existed in the first place, it simply disappeared.
「……M-Monster!!!!」
「How rude! I"m a human you know! I"m a normal girl! Right, Haku〜」
「Pii〜」
Haku, carried by the girl with one hand, stared at me. Then it suddenly opened its mouth and breathed fire.
「UOOOO?!!」
Although its body is small, its firepower was strong.
The axeman was covered in flames, rolled around to take off the fire, stood up and ran away.
Without properly checking the direction, he desperately ran to the forest.
What were those girls?
Especially that girl carrying Haku, she"s a complete monster.
Just knowing that something like that exists in this world is frightening.
I cannot imagine a monster greater than that.
Anyways, I should run away.
After that, I should quit stealing.
I don"t know what I"m going to do in the rest of my life, but I should just behave.
As long as I"m able to escape from that girl, I can start again.
「……this place is, a cave? The place where the parent Haku is, huh. However, I can"t feel its aura at all」
That scout guy even said that he felt Haku"s presence from the cave.
Did it die while we were fighting?
If so, I should take back a part of parent Haku"s corpse.
Just taking a few scales should make me live for quite a while.
「Hehe……it look"s like I still have the devil"s luck」
The axeman carefully searched the dark cave.
Although it"s inconvenient without a light, since it would decrease the possibility for the girls to find me, I can say it"s fortunate.