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Chapter 13: Thief Wolfen [After]
Encouraged by the wounds that Roy had given the monster, Ren’s heart was beginning to give him a little room to calm his breathing, if only slightly.
(Should I be happy that he’s wounded, or horrified at the fact that I was so easily overtaken, even though he’s wounded?)
But being wounded should definitely be better.
A ray of sweat trickled down my cheeks and I relaxed slightly.
(At any rate, this is not a situation that will let me escape!)
If I turn my back so easily, my life will be easily reaped.
Understanding this, Ren swung his wooden magic sword, and a tree root grew out from under the feet of the Thief Wolfen, who was trying to close the distance.
He then swung the sword at the surrounding trees, creating ivy and twisting it into a complex pattern.
“Gaaaahhh! 』\
The Thief Wolfen cries as Ren turns to attack.
Even though the distance between them remained the same, the tree roots and ivy that appeared unexpectedly seemed to be in the monster’s way, causing him to look irritated.
The Thief Wolfen jumped at an unbelievable speed while slightly protecting his paws.
He closed the distance while cutting off the ivy Ren created with wind magic.
“Gruuu!』\
He raises his arm, which has a sharp claw at its tip, and swings it down at Ren.
“Come on! Let me at least think of my next move!”
I uttered in an exasperated tone and just before the claw reached me, I produced a tree root and used it as a shield.
Ggghh —-
The tree roots made a dry sound and were easily shattered by the Thief Wolfen’s claws.
I had expected this to happen, but something cold passed through my neck.
(My only weapon is a wooden magic sword ……! How am I supposed to fight with this ……?)
Ren used tree roots and vines to gain distance as he had done before.
I can’t go on like this. At some point I’ll reach the limit of my magic power and pass out and I don’t have much time to stall him.
(—- That’s right!)
I remember the elves I fought in Legend of the Seven Heroes I.
That battle also took place in a forest. When I first started playing, I had a hard time against that environment and the interference of natural magic used by the elves.
If that was the case, then I should fight in the same way.
But in Ren’s case, it’s only natural magic (small,) so he can only use tree roots and ivy.
“That doesn’t mean I can …… give up!”
It only took a moment.
“Grrrrrh!?』\
Ren approached heroically against the Thief Wolfen, who had been momentarily deprived of his limbs by the tree roots and ivy. He raised his wooden magic sword at the only moment he had and swung it down with great force at the brain of the Thief wolfen.
“How hard is it!?”
Ren’s hand was numb.
The Thief Wolfen, who was hit in the brain by the wooden magic sword, screamed painfully, but a look into his six eyes showed that his fighting spirit had by no means subsided. Rather, he was trembling with rage.
But it looked as if he could hit him one more time.
When Ren tried to raise the wooden sword once more, the tip of the wooden sword shattered from the handle and fell to the ground.
“What…..!!!?”
The tree roots and ivy that should have been around disappeared almost simultaneously.
Even though it’s a magic sword, it‘s only made of wood and it seems to have been shattered by the impact of the previous shock.
(Calm down! It should be possible to summon it again!)
Since this is a sword summoned by skill, it must be so.
So when I made a conscious effort to summon it, it was easily re-summoned. However, a headache rushed into my head for a moment.
(Is it because I summoned a broken magic sword?)
The consumption of magic power is not comparable to the usual.
It’s a great learning experience, but at a time like this, it’s hard to rejoice.
Moreover, there was no time to catch one’s breath, because the Thief Wolfen was about to launch a counterattack while the wooden magic sword was broken. Ren didn’t have time to breathe.
“Grrrrrrrrrrghhhhh!』\
Fortunately, the aftermath of the blow to the brain seemed to remain.
The Thief Wolfen, who had been unbound by wind magic, opened his large mouth and approached Ren, but his movements had slowed slightly.
“Ku……”
Ren, who is struggling to avoid it, flies to the side.
As he rolls on the ground, the wet dirt feels uncomfortable in his mouth.
He spits wildly and stands up, holding his wooden magic sword as he breathes.
(If I repeat what I just did over and over again…..)
I’ll wait until the Thief Wolfen shows an opening, then I’ll aim there and strike him in the brain.
If the damage is too much for him to ignore, I thought, this is the only way to defeat him or even get away from him.
But there’s a concern.
(No. I’ll go down first.)
It is outrageous to use a wooden magic sword as a disposable tool when it consumes a lot of magic power to keep producing tree roots and ivy.
Even as I was thinking about it, the Thief Wolfen’s wind magic was closing in and I concluded that it was impossible.
“Grr… Graaaahhh!』\
“Damn….!”
“Gruu—- gaaaahhhh!』\
The rage-driven Thief Wolfen closed in.
Naturally, Ren fought back again and again with his wooden magic sword.
How many minutes did it last?
Ren’s exhausted body sways.
His legs were caught in the debris of the tree roots and ivy he had summoned and his muscles refused to listen as he tried to stand his ground.
“Gruooooooooooooo!』\
The Thief wolfen, rushing forward like a gale, set its fangs into Ren’s unprotected flanks.
“Guaaaa… aaaaa…!!!!!!”
The sharp fangs, which cannot be defeated by leather armor, easily penetrate the armor and sink their fangs into the boy’s soft skin.
I was somehow able to avoid my side being bitten off by the fangs by turning my body with physical ability UP (small).
However, I was left with a wound that was by no means shallow.
Ren turned to the monster, who had rushed to the tree behind him with the same momentum it had just used and held his hand over his side as he thought.
(Use herbs —- no, no……!)
I was starting to break out in a greasy sweat from the pain, but I wasn’t sure if I had enough herbs to spare, so I prioritized Roy.
It’s not good if I don’t do anything. If only there was a deciding factor.
While he was thinking about this, his vision was fading due to the pain.
“Grrrrrraaaaaaahhh….!!』\
Still, Ren gritted his teeth and held on, thinking without taking his eyes off the Thief Wolfen, who was turning toward him.
In doing so, he looked at the bracelet and thought desperately about what it might be.
As he did so, his eyes fell on a string of words. —-
Wooden magic sword (Level 1: 97/100)
I checked this number as I returned to the mansion in the late afternoon.
Then, I was surprised when I saw the next string of letters.
Iron Magic Sword (Open condition: Magic Sword Summoning Technique level 2, Wooden Magic Sword level 2)
I’m almost ready to open this sword.
I just need to kill three more little boars and suck the power of their magic stones into the bracelet.
(If there were any little boars around here —- That’s right!)
I just defeated them a few minutes ago.
I remember now that as soon as I descended Tsurugi rock, I was attacked by a Little boar and its friends, who were unnerved by the fear of Thief Wolfen.
At that time, I had no time to absorb the magic stone, so I had no intention of carrying out this idea.
“I can’t believe I’m going back to Tsurugi rock from here—-“
“Gaaaaaaaah!』\
“This is no time to get lost—-!”
I have a deep wound and my magic power is not as abundant as usual.
So I cast away my hesitation and wield the wooden magic sword with all my remaining strength.
Numerous vines surround the Thief wolfen, who still has damage from the blow to the brain and I move my feet toward Tsurugi Rock.
The sweat on my forehead drips into my eyes.
I ran desperately, suppressing the pain in my aching, burning armpits.
I kept my eyes on the road leading to Tsurugi rock and never stopped, listening to the sound of the Thief wolfen moving behind me.
“Hah …… hah …… stop ……!”
On the way, I interfered with the Thief Wolfen in the same way many times.
Gradually, my body became sluggish. I don’t know if this is due to too much blood loss or too much magical power consumption, but either way it doesn’t look good.
But I could see it.
The lake came into view and I caught sight of the Tsurugi Rock sitting in the center of it.
“There they are……!”
And then I see three little boars lying on their sides.
“Gaaa…. Gruaaaahhh!』\
The number of ivy that Ren could produce was gradually decreasing, and his stranding was becoming crude.
Meanwhile, the monster, too, was becoming noticeably slower on his feet due to the wounds inflicted on him by Roy, as well as the attack on his brain by Ren.
But it was closing in.
The enraged Thief wolfen came at him from behind with great vigor.
“Ku……”
A strong wind caressed my cheek. The pain that rushed from my cheeks made my face contort.
Its already really close.
If I even turn my head, those sharp fangs will bite me and rip me apart in an instant.
“I can’t lose—-“
He exits the forest and stomps on the grassy ground.
Ren swung his wooden magic sword at the back without turning around, creating more vines from the ground.
He wielded more force and intercepted Thief Wolfen more strongly.
Then he reaches……
Ren reached the little boars before he was devoured.
He reached out with his hand which was equipped with the bracelet.
“Reach it!”
A roar.
One, then two. Finally, the third magic stone’s power was sucked into the bracelet and the crystal ball embedded in the bracelet glowed faintly.
Ren desperately turned his eyes and read the words that appeared there.
Iron Magic Sword (Level 1: 0/1000)
The sharpness increases as the level increases.
Ren prayed that the Iron Magic Sword would be sharper than a mere sword, though he wondered impatiently if it had any special power.
“Guooooo …….』\
It’s so close that if I turn around now, he could be right there.
Ren turned around and threw the wooden magic sword —-.
“Thief Wolfen!”
The sword was evaded just before it hit the Thief Wolfen’s forehead, and fell right behind the four tails.
“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!』\
The raging Thief Wolfen bared its fangs and aimed at Ren’s neck, which was held low.
The claws on the tips of his raised arms were illuminated by the starlight.
From the wooden sword that fell behind the monster, several vines appeared and bound his upper body.
Still, Ren kept —- his eyes on the fangs full of murderous intent that forcefully approaches him.
“This is my —-“
Ren’s eyes was filled with fighting spirit.
Then the wooden magic sword disappeared and the empty space beside Ren cracked. What appeared from there was a magic sword that was all black iron from the handle to the tip of the sword.
“That is….』\
Soon the ivy disappears, and the Thief wolfen, who had been tied up, is bewildered by the freedom that has unexpectedly come his way.
Ren took advantage of the opportunity and readied his iron sword in the lower position, pointed the tip upward, and then struck out with the sword.
“My last power —-Hohhhhhhhhh!”
Without fear, he thrust the blade into the tip of the fangs.
The tip of the blade pierced through the solid skull of the Thief Wolfen, dripping fresh blood and bathed in the night wind.
“Ga……a……!”
The white wolf cries weakly.
The monster lost the light from its six eyes and lay quietly with its eyelids closed.
At the same time, Ren felt the power of the magic stone being absorbed into his bracelet.
“I did it……”
Then I also naturally lie down.
My vision was blurred. Everything I could see was turning black in the night.
“I have to …… give my father some …… herbs.”
The iron sword disappeared and so did the bracelet.
Ren’s eyelids closed silently as he collapsed on his face.
Ren mutters one last time.
—-I’m sorry, Father, Mother.
******************************
Within minutes, the sound of hoof beats began to echo around Tsurugi rock.
“The roar I heard earlier came from here: —- Ca, Captain!”
“What’s going on?”
“By the lake over there! The figure of the monster that seems to be the target and …… a boy ……?”
The knights of Baron Clausel’s family appeared.
They rushed to the side of the fallen Ren and the fallen Thiefwolfen beside him and dismounted all at once.
The man called the captain knelt on the ground, held up Ren’s body and let out a cry of surprise.
“Don’t tell me …… you’re the one who…… defeated the Thief wolfen?”
“What the hell…..”
“This is not what a child so young could do! But by the looks of this……”
Admiration, astonishment, exultation.
As a number of similar words came to mind, the captain gasped. He noticed the fresh blood flowing from Ren’s fallen abdomen and knew there was not a moment to lose.
“…… don’t you die.”
He took a small bottle of liquid from his pocket, poured it over Ren’s side, lifted him up and mounted his horse.
Then a herb spilled out of Ren’s pocket as he carried him.
“Hm? Is this rondo grass?”
“Captain… it is.”
“Oh, yes. The boy is probably the only son of the Ashton family. If so, something may have happened to his father. He may have gone into the forest alone in search of rondo grass.”
“In that case, it’s worth it to have arrived early.”
“I suppose so. —- someone bring me the corpse of Thief Wolfen! We will now rush with him to the Ashton’s mansion!”
The sound of hoof beats rings out again.
The sound of the hoofs in the normally quiet village gradually and progressively draws closer and closer to the Ashton family’s mansion. The bridge leads through the forest, past a field road and the mansion comes into view.
“We’re almost there, my boy.”
Soon, the horse carrying Ren stopped in front of the mansion.
“We are from Clausel!”
The captain dismounted and, carefully lowering Ren’s body into his arms, exclaimed.
Mireille heard his voice and came out of the mansion with an air of ghastliness about her.
“Sirs —-Re, Ren!?”
“There’s no time to waste, so forgive me for not greeting! Show us to his room!”
“Yes… This way!”
Ren is taken to his room, where the knights immediately begin to heal him.
The knights learnt the art of healing wounds due to battle. Mireille was kicked out of the room for interfering with the treatment and stood dumbfounded in the hallway.
Then the captain steps out.
“When …… did Ren leave …… the mansion?”
“I don’t mean to be indelicate, but did something happen to Lord Ashton?”
“…… Yes. My husband’s condition suddenly changed…..”
The captain thought, “I knew it”.
The captain reached into his pocket and pulled out a rondo weed.
“Your son risked his life to obtain this herb.”
“How, did you get the rondo herb?”
“We arrived earlier than planned and found your son lying in the forest. The first time I saw him, he was holding the rondo grass with great care. …… beside him lay the Thief Wolfen, dead.”
Mireille realized everything and broke down crying.
She felt as if she were about to be drained from the waist, but the captain’s words stopped her in her tracks.
“Mistress. Don’t let your son’s thoughts go to waste.”
Mireille bit her lip as she thought of Ren who was being treated behind the door. She turned her back to the door.
“I’ll be right back, son.”
With these words, she went to Roy, who needed the rondo grass.