“Tch! We didn’t manage to take her out?!”
“Well, she does possess the jewel. Maybe its power helped her through the crisis. The damage calculation from our projectiles isn’t so weak that it can be easily negated….”
“Does that include disappearing in an instant too? She vanished into thin air along with the other two!”
“Maybe that’s also the jewel’s power. We haven’t yet discovered its true capabilities. That’s exactly why all the factions covet it.”
“…Tch. In that case, we have no choice but to continue. Let’s move! We’re going after them!”
‘No, cough… She’s actually strong. She didn’t even activate the jewel’s energy, cough… Also, I don’t think she—’
“Hmph, a loser like you has no need to spout nonsense here!”
‘You! cough… You’ll regret this…..’
…
…
“Everyone, be careful. Don’t let anything slip here, especially you, Tia.”
“Got it, got it. This is the ‘Beastman City’ [Fellterro]. The guards are much stricter here than in [Gaelly]. We really need to watch our actions… you’ve stressed this so many times on the way.”
“I just want you all to be a little more careful. I’m worried Tia might let it go in one ear and out the other.”
Heehee, Tia and Clyte are bickering again.
“I am not!”
“Alright, alright. Thanks to you two, we’ve become the center of attention in this crowd.”
“Meh, meh… Anyway, Erik, how are we going to find Miss Jurei?”
“‘Miss Jurei’ this, ‘Miss Jurei’ that. Looks like she’s really got you head over heels.”
“Tia, calm down… I’ve asked Iliir to leave traces along the way so we can follow. Wait a moment; we’ll find an inconspicuous spot first so I can cast the spell.”
“Understood.”
…
…..
Running with all his might, not caring what was behind him, just trying to escape with everything he had.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the scene of his kin being burned to ashes, an image seared into his mind like a brand. He couldn’t even scream anymore, just focused on running forward. If he could run just one more meter, he’d be one meter safer…..
With a thud, he fell to the ground. He tried to get up and continue, but found his legs trembling uncontrollably. The strain from the intense exertion finally caught up with him; his head felt like it was being crushed, a tremendous pain shooting through him…..
Did I escape?! After surviving, he asked himself this, and a wave of ecstatic joy washed over his heart—
“Ha… Ha… I made it! I actually escaped!! They’re dead, and I actually escaped!”
He lay on his back, covering his face with his hands, breathing heavily…. But before he could calm down, another voice rang out.
“Tie him up.”
“Yes sir!”
And then came a heavy, dull thud.
…
…
Seeing that the Elf’s complexion was gradually improving, I breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at him, I almost got the illusion that Elfe was right there in front of me… When I came back to reality, I realized I was still feeling lost. I rubbed my face, trying to pull myself together.
The assassins were probably still in the tavern. They were capable of concealing their presence; there might be more than one, maybe even a whole group.
For me, the situation wasn’t actually urgent if I could tolerate being hunted for the rest of my days. But of course, I didn’t want to become everyone’s target just because of this…
I looked up; the sky here was very clear, and because of the wide streets, sunlight easily shone over large areas—come to think of it, there weren’t many pedestrians on this road anymore. The lively crowds from earlier seemed to have vanished without a trace.
“So peaceful, but beneath this peace, undercurrents surge… With pressure from the Beastman Legion and internal conflicts, how much longer can this country hold on?”
Well, none of my business—
Clutching my chest, I leaned against the wall, trying to breathe as slowly as possible to force my body to calm down… but—
My body felt so hot. My blood seemed to be boiling inside me. No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, it was useless… As time passed, I felt extremely thirsty.
“Come to think of it, there was a potion in my bag… Since [Inspect] didn’t work on it, I didn’t dare drink it. But since I’m thirsty now, fatal or not, I’ll just drink it…”
Even so, I was still a bit hesitant. I slowly brought the bottle’s mouth to my lips… As my lips moistened, I drank the potion down, gulp by gulp… After finishing it, a refreshing coolness spread through my body, washing away the bitterness, and the heat inside me subsided.
“Ahh, so nice~”
(…You’ll regret this…)
I let out a genuine sigh. Since being reincarnated, this was the first time I’d felt so relaxed. It felt like coming home after a long day of work, utterly exhausted, and finally lying down on a soft, comfortable mattress, completely letting go.
I even stretched, tilted my head from side to side, cracked my knuckles, and cleared my throat. It was truly miraculous, like taking a bath and washing away all fatigue…
Well, I’m full of energy again now!
If only I could drink another bottle. But where would I find this kind of potion—huh?
Just as I was recalling where that potion came from, a sudden sound came from beside me. I blocked it instantly with [Green · Mercy], then followed up with [Yellow · Justice], blasting the attacker into the wall.
“Don’t you dare sneak attack someone when they’re reminiscing, you idiot!”
[Yellow · Justice], when used, gathers light particles around the wrist. It has two attack modes: one is a normal beam shot, and the other is a unidirectional, wide-angle wave impact. Its damage is average, but its significant advantage is that the beam can penetrate anything.
It’s pretty good for digging through mountains and walls, just a bit too bright.
“Urgh! Damn it…”
Right then, another figure flashed from the other side, a metallic glint flickering. I ducked down, dodging a precise, fatal slash, and in the same motion, spun and kicked, hitting the opponent’s side and sending them flying.
Too bad my legs aren’t long enough, or I could have knocked them down.
They braced themselves on the ground, clutching the spot where I’d kicked them, coughing up a mouthful of blood onto the ground. The one stuck in the wall behind me was also trying to break free… Light flashed beneath my feet. I looked down—a magic circle. I immediately dodged—several gray chains shot up from the ground, waving around like tentacles, as if searching for a target. Luckily, they failed.
Ha, you missed.
I wasn’t sure if I was hearing things, but I thought I heard someone click their tongue in annoyance. Well, the skill came, so I dodged. Isn’t that only natural? The skill missed, it’s not like I deliberately interfered. What’s the use of getting angry? Huh? Sigh… enough of this. Even if I was relaxed, I shouldn’t be this sloppy.
“Definitely not just two. I know it. You humans are even conspiring with monsters…”
No one answered me. No one showed any guilt either. They struggled to their feet, trying to rejoin the fight. Of course, I couldn’t give them that chance. I used the Force to make them lie back down obediently—
I stretched my body again. Honestly, those few moves hadn’t even gotten me warmed up. I glanced around and noticed quite a few glowing points in the darkness. I stretched once more and said casually.
“All of you can come and get yourselves killed if you want. Since you’re not human, I don’t need to hold back.”
But seriously, seeing all those bright or murky souls writhing in the darkness made me a little nervous… but only a little.
‘Cough… Hand over the jewel, cough… or else…’ I noticed that half-dead monster girl approaching the Elf and the big guy. Without hesitation, I rushed over, knocked her to the ground, and then grabbed her, holding her in the air.
“Not fighting fair, always using underhanded tactics… Well, you’re monsters, after all. A race oppressed for years, with no chance to develop. Your names haven’t even been mentioned in history.”
‘If only… we have the jewel…’
I tilted my head, took the gem from my chest, held it up to my eyes, and deliberately asked.
“This one? Too bad… you can’t have it. Because you’ve pissed me off.”
I waved it in front of the monster girl’s face, then tucked the gem back into my bag. After that, I used a throwing technique on her, tossing her over next to the others who had collapsed.
“Get lost now!”
I don’t know what they want this gem for, but if getting it means harming my interests, of course I can’t let them succeed. Even an idiot should understand that… Huh? Come to think of it, this gem is pretty useless to me. Giving it to them would save me future trouble.
I really am an idiot. I knocked on my forehead and smiled bitterly. I raised my hand to call out to the monsters, but saw that they were already gone. I looked at the assassins and the monster girl again… I don’t know how to describe it. They probably felt both terrified and furious. No matter what I said now, they probably wouldn’t listen.
“Um…”
“Next time we meet, we’ll definitely get it!”
With a puff of smoke, they vanished without a trace—Damn it!
I’m such an idiot! Such a simple solution, and it only just occurred to me now. Such an easy way out, and I had to choose the stupidest method!
I screamed at the sky and flopped down onto the ground, sitting dejectedly.
This is so cringe. I’m almost full just watching myself. Even low-budget movies wouldn’t dare have a plot this dumb.
I moved back next to the Elf and the big guy, and sat quietly, thinking…
…
(…Oh heavens…)
(…This is going to be a catastrophe…)
(…Before meeting him/her again…)
(…Looks like I’ll have to deal with this matter first…)
