‘Woaaaah!’
Fresh blood splattered from the girl’s shoulder, and the gods raised their voices in alarm.
All except one.
“Fool! How could you fall for such a trap!!”
The brother shouted angrily. Salia looked at him with pity as she spoke in a calm voice.
“Please sit down, brother.”
“Shut up! What is this slow and despicable way of fighting! A lowly monster using waste to block a road! And poison!”
“But don’t you remember that saying? ‘Soldiers should resort to cunning tactics.’ The subordinate is weak, and the officer is inexperienced, but they’re doing quite well, aren’t they?”
The dragon god said with a bored voice as he looked down at the tablet in his hands. While irritated by this attitude, the brother had no choice but to sit back down.
“I don’t accept this! I don’t! This reeks of cowardice!”
“You may not like it, but this is how the weak must fight. And it is allowed.”
Beyond the water mirror, the kobold fixed his gaze on the wounded sorcerer.
“The bear will awaken soon. Stay on your guard.”
‘Okay. Will leave the skylark to you.’
“Yes, Ganari. You can focus on the hunt.”
‘Feel embarrassed, being called that.’
He mercilessly shot again. The sorcerer dodged it and stumbled backwards.
Behind Sheto, the knight let out a hopeless groan as the semi-transparent monster wrapped around him.
“It suits you. This is your hunt. Lead me and do your best.”
‘Fine. You are a good Nagayubi.’
The other gods whispered to each other with looks of suspicion at this. And some of them turned to the dragon.
“Ganari. It is a word used by the kobolds of that region. The one who leads the hunt. Sometimes, it can mean the chief. As for Nagayubi, it is the lowest one who helps with small tasks during the hunt.”
“So, Saliashe is following that kobold’s orders?”
Said one of the lesser gods. Her older brother narrowed his eyebrows. That alone was enough to silence the crowd. But Salia nodded with a smile.
“I do have some knowledge when it comes to military strategy. However, hunting is a different story. And so I was only doing what was natural.”
“You! How can you do such a thing! How can a god allow themselves to be dictated by the lowest ranking monster!”
In fact, there was no distinction of high and low. She had come up with the idea. But it was Sheto who transformed it into hunting terms, and set up the traps. Both were needed in order to do it.
“The problem is not method, but results. In the first place, you still have your strongest piece left on the board.”
Indeed, it was then that they saw the Hero, who had finished with the healing, run towards the others.
“Here he comes. The bear.”
‘Got it.’
While angry at them calling his Hero a bear, the brother looked into the mirror.
Salia also redirected her focus to the board.
Upon seeing the man in blue armor run towards him, Sheto felt his stomach tighten. His tail shook, and he suddenly felt like turning around and running away.
‘Calm down. Confirm the situation. What has happened to the knight?’
While keeping his eyes on the sorcerer, he tilted his head. The knight had fallen to the ground, and was half swallowed up as he desperately tried to escape. The sword was already inside, and benign digested, while the armor was half covered in rust.
A short distance away, the discarded shield remained intact, though it was also rusting.
“Weapon being destroyed. No more fighting, I think.”
‘And what about the sorcerer?’
She was glaring at him and trying to regain her balance. But the effects of the poison were strong, and it was clear she could not move properly.
“Eyes, glazed. Probably difficult to use magic.”
‘Then the battle is half finished. Stay calm.’
“Mmm.”
“Axle! Elka!”
The Hero looked pale when he saw what had happened.
“Wh-what the hell is going on!?”
“We messed up. I’m sorry that you had to see it.”
“More importantly, what is that slime thing?! Also…your shoulder…”
“Nevermind that! Use your power to annihilate those two!”
“But…I can’t with Axle…”
He quickly put away his bow and lowered his stance. The sorcerer was grinding her teeth as she shouted at the Hero.
“Your Frozen Moon Arrow! Hurry!”
“R-right! ‘ Pierce, Zephant’!”
Just before he gave the order to his bracelet, Sheto dashed straight towards the knight.
A light exploded above the Hero’s head, and then they shot towards the small monster.
“Get out of the waaaay!”
“Wh-what!?”
He rushed past the knight and jumped into the soft body of the rust eater.
‘Ugyuuuuu!’
The magic attacks slammed into the watery body, causing it to boil. But once the rust eater was completely erased, what remained there was Sheto, who was completely unharmed.
“Ubelievable!”
“Like that…”
“This is ridiculous…”
While panting, Sheto felt for the hatched at his waist.
“…Good. Not rusted.”
‘It’s because the Hero’s magic was quick. And so it was not digested.’
He took out his bow and nocked an arrow again, airming it at the Hero, who looked at him in astonishment.
“Now, you have magic twice.”
“Bastard!”
“Do…don’t panic… Just do it again…”
With those final words, the sorcerer fell limply over her horse.
“Elka!”
“Don’t move.”
Sheto said quietly. The knight was unarmed now, and while Hero looked worried, he did not take his eyes off of Sheto.
“Used the same poison on her as well.”
“And do you have the antidote!”
“Normal poison. Probably, the sorcerer knows.”
The Hero looked relieved. However, Sheto would not loosen the trap of words.
“But, if the use of poison is delayed, she die.”
“Aye. Is that so! Then I’ll just kill you and heal her right after!”
“Then, I take the knight and sorcerer with me.”
The knight looked tense, realizing he was defenseless now.
At the same time, Sheto was looking at something else. Something on the ground, that would let him deal with what was to come.
“You, use low ranking gods to heal poison. But she is dying.”
“Tsk…”
“One more arrow, and death will be faster. If I shoot the knight, everyone but you will fall.”
The Hero looked pale when this decision was thrust towards him.
“Hero, you cannot cure poison. No?”
“That’s…”
“There’s no need to talk! His poison is indeed strong, but I should be able to bear it! So use your magic right now!”
“Besides, the sorcerer, in pain.”
She looked like she was about to fall off of the horse.
“Don’t you want to give her medicine?”
“You can use your magic still! The other monster is dead! Nothing can protect him now!”
“I, just a kobold. No one will mourn me when I die.”
The tip of his arrow glowed, and then it was directed at the sorcerer.
“And so, not afraid to die. Instead, will take your friends with me.”
“St-stop!”
“Hero! He is bluffing! Don’t listen to him!”
That’s right. There was no need to hesitate here.
And yet, he was.
Seeing his friends wounded so suddenly had made him think about death.
He had never even considered this possibility before, and the sudden decision made his mind stop.
His feet were still. If there was one person there who could move, it was…
“Hero!”
The giant, boulder-like body attacked.
The charge was like a boar, and the gap was closed in no time as the arms stretched out. He would not be able to dodge it in time.
“Now!”
Right before colliding, Sheto fell backwards.
While using his toes to push his body, and still holding his bow. Suddenly, it was like he could see the knight in slow motion as he covered him from above.
And then, Sheto’s hand calmly let go of the arrow.
“Ughaaaaa!”
The arrow went deep into the left eye, and the giant body writhed in pain.
“Gag!”
“Shit! Pierce!”
He knew. The way to deal with that magic was a ‘wall.’ When he was shot at before, at the fortress, the only reason he didn’t die was because he blocked it with his arm.
‘Frozen Moon Arrow is a spell that creates magical arrows which automatically track the ‘enemy.’ It does not hit allies and can pass through some obstacles, making it valuable during chaotic battles.’
He recalled Salia’s words.
The knight would not be a shield. He needed something big enough to protect him, that the Hero did not consider to be an ally.
“Zephant!”
The lights gathered and then exploded. A frightening dance of powerful magic. The knight’s shield was on the ground, but too far away to use.
Just then, Sheto’s eyes turned towards the back of the knight, who fell right past him.
“Die, you damned monster!”
The shooting stars rushed as if being pushed by the scream, and high-pitched metal rings sounded.
“…Huh?”
The kobold was pressed flat against the side of the cliff, while holding the ‘shield.’
It was the back part of the knight’s armor, which had been damaged the least from the rust eater.
“Wha…t! Ah…!”
“Buha!”
He tore off the back plate, which was burned by magic, and turned towards the Hero. All the while keeping an eye on the knight who writhed in pain.
“Wh-why-why won’t you die! This magic is…”
“Goes through normal armor and shields. I know.”
“Then why!”
“I have protection of the goddess. I used power to strengthen weapons. On the shield.”
The desperate use of two powers had helped the armor to maintain its shape and protect Sheto.
“Now, you have one shot.”
Bonus chapter courtesy of ShitaiNoKootoRyuu. Thank you so much! More to come soon!