Light suddenly flashed in front of his eyes.
“Woah!?”
Before he knew it, he was surrounded by darkness. Well, he had noticed it was growing darker.
Still, he had not taken his eyes off of the kobold in front of him.
The way it was looking at him. He could not tell what it was thinking. The humanoid body and dog-like head. The small monster definitely looked strange and not very strong.
However, when it held its bow and stared at him, Koji could not help but feel a chill.
Up until now, he had thought that those scenes in manga and novels, where two enemies stare at each other…they were just for creative purposes. But…
Pashi!
“Shit!? What the hell!”
A flash as the kobold’s air hit against his barrier. Each time it flashed, the forest lit up and burned itself into his eyes.
That kobold was acting as if with conviction. And the reality was that it had defeated his party members and broken through the magic.
If he was not careful, Koji might be the next to fall. That had to be avoided. A dilemma he had never faced before.
In other words, a standoff was something that inevitably arose. The desire of each person to surpass the opponent through their actions.
Pashi!
“Wh-what are you trying to do!”
Lights flashed. And the world became dark again. He could not see his surroundings. His eyes would not get accustomed to the darkness.
“It will be the same no matter how many times you do that! You can hit this barrier with a chain of great magic, and it will still not break!”
Instead of an answer, there was a third arrow. The light burned into his eyes and then he was surrounded by darkness. Still, his eyesight had actually improved when coming to this world.
“Ah…!”
His eyes. The arrows were being used to obstruct the functions of human eyes. The barrier and the power of the goddess clashed. Causing something similar to the flash of a camera.
The goddess.
Yes. This was not just a kobold. It had the power of a god.
“Y-you!”
He swung his sword wildly, but did not hit anything. A few tree branches broke and covered the ground.
Pashi!
“Woah!”
His eyes. The darkness had a physical pressure now. It was like they were deliberately trying to cover his eyes.
“Y-you coward! This is…!!?”
His body was suddenly sucked towards the ground. He felt a sickly feeling rush through his body. The barrier activated, illuminating the spot where he was.
“A, a pitfall!?”
It was about as deep as his waist. The bottom was filled with spears made of sharpened branches. But the barrier blocked them.
“Too bad. Without the barrier, you skewered.”
The voice was chillingly close. Right behind him.
“Ah, aahhhhh!”
He desperately swung his sword, but it bounced off the barrier.
“Oh! Dangerous!”
And then the kobold vanished into the shadows. Koji frantically put his hands on the rim and pulled himself out of the hole.
“Yo-you coward! Come out and face me!”
Pan!
A flash of light blinded him. His legs shook, but he managed to maintain his balance. During the brief moment of light, he had seen the small figure running.
“There.”
Reflexively, he started to run, but his leg got caught on something.
“What!?”
Right before slamming down to the ground, his barrier activated, stopping the fall completely. However, the sudden movement sent a shock through his body.
“Wh-what is this!”
During the brief flash, he had seen something like a rope.
“You left your feet behind, Hero.”
“…! You bastard!”
Pitfalls and vine traps. It was like a child’s prank. He was not injured, but his anger was reaching a new peak.
“What are you playing at! Are you taking this seriously!?”
“You say that, but you can’t avoid traps.”
Another flash, and then darkness.
“Like this, you can’t move. Fall in holes, trip over vines. Next, knock over a cliff?”
“Ugh…”
“But I, see you clearly. Can smell. Can tell you are weak.”
The kobold was clearly making fun of him. However, it was also true that he did not know where his opponent was.
Now that he thought about it, he had hardly ever gone on adventures during the night. Even if he did, he would rely on Elka’s magic lights, torches or lanterns. And it would never be this dark in the towns.
Right now, he was surrounded in darkness, where there was not a single visible light. He had to rely on feeling, hitting the ground around him to make sure there were no holes or vines. And like this, he soon reached the roots of a large tree.
“I’ll be able to see him when it is morning. Once I can use magic, he will not be able to come close to me.”
Once it was morning, the tables would turn. He believed it.
While holding his sword, he sat down. It was surprisingly warm in the forest. He was glad that it was not winter.
But just as he sighed with relief, he heard his stomach growl.
“Shit. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch.”
Well, he was unlikely to find something to eat now. Tomorrow, he would kill that monster, and then he would reunite with the others, and make up for the meals that he missed.
“Remember this. Hatred over food is something to fear.”
Everything was quiet now. The Hero listened to his surroundings carefully while cursing and feeling the hunger.
Sheto took out the thin strips of bark from his pouch and threw them into his mouth. He chewed on the sweet bark while looking down at the Hero, who was right below him.
He was looking intently into the darkness, even though Sheto was no longer there. Sheto could clearly see that pale neck.
The kobold took out a small bag and then inserted a stick inside of it. And then he tipped it over the Hero’s neck.
From the tip, a single drop fell out.
“That’s cold!”
He frantically touched his neck. He sniffed it to confirm that it was just water, and then sat back down.
Sheto waited for a moment, and then let another drop fall.
“Ahhh!”
This time, the Hero looked upwards. However, he quickly gave up trying to see the sky, and returned to the roots.
After that, Sheto added the chewed tree bark into the bag, and then slowly let the water drip down.
“Mm…”
While the Hero hated the cold, it was clear that he did not care as much now. Sheto continued to chew the bark and add it to the bag. And then he poured the liquid at uneven intervals.
The head, shoulders, neck. Slowly, so that he would not notice.
The water grew sweeter and thicker. But the Hero was less interested.
After a while, it seemed like he could not bear the tension of keeping watch, and he began to shake his head.
“Get up, hero.”
He said as he poured more water.
“Aghh!”
The terrible feeling forced him up with a grumble. He then continued to try and stay alert, but then after a while, he began to drift off again.
The sweet water soaked.
Into his body and clothes.
Once the bag was empty, Sheto slowly got up, and moved away. Even when jumping over to a different tree trunk, the Hero did not react to the noise.
‘Well done. He has not noticed it at all.’
“He not used to the night watch. That is good.”
‘He must have left it to the other party members.’
Salia was laughing. Sheto also smiled.
“Now the traps are finished. Just wait for tomorrow.”
‘Indeed. You did well. You can leave the watch to me now.’
He nodded and jumped to another tree. While thinking of the Hero he left behind, the small form faded into the night.