LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 98
Whew!
It wasn’t the sound of cold, biting wind hitting my skin.
It was the sound of my spirit magic activating, unleashing a gust of wind.
As the magic manifested, that damned cold wind swept over my entire body.
I swayed in the wind and, feeling the annoyance of my hat being a bother, I tossed it into my quiver and adjusted my sword.
For now, I decided to hang my bow over my shoulder. A sword seemed more useful than a bow at this moment.
“Kuwaaak!”
…Honestly, that voice could shatter eardrums.
I scowled at the boisterous sound that pierced my ears and stepped forward.
Woooosh! Thud!
I left footprints in the thick snow.
Just as my footprints were about to cross paths with an orc, I trusted my body, enhanced beyond measure with spirit magic, and moved.
“Whoosh!”
Just before the orc’s fist could touch me, I twisted my body to the side.
Boom! I heard the swoosh of the orc’s fist slicing through the air and, without hesitation, drew my sword horizontally.
Swoosh!
The orc, struck at the knee, lost its balance and fell.
I plunged my sword into the head of the tilting orc.
But that alone wouldn’t be enough.
Orc vitality is as tenacious as a cockroach.
I twisted the sword stuck in its head and pulled it out faster to sever its life.
“Whew.”
For now, I handled the most pressing orc.
I elegantly spun my sword to shake off the blood and scanned my surroundings.
A hellscape of chaos.
The demons of hell were monstrous green skinned creatures, and it was us, my group, being roasted and boiled by them.
I really needed to move faster.
I immediately called out to Shione.
“…I’ll move right away. Are you ready?”
Nod, nod.
Shione silently bobbed her head.
If she was ready, I started running without hesitation.
Starting from the most urgent situation over there.
Woooosh!!!
A whirlwind swirled at the tip of my arrow.
An arrow shot straight with Dead Release pierced the head of the orc attempting to make Flora into mincemeat.
“Ah…!”
Flora, seeing an orc’s head pierced mere steps away from her, widened her eyes with shock.
A moment’s eye contact.
‘Flora is safe.’
The fact that she was staring blankly was proof enough that she was fine.
I searched for the next person in peril.
The woman who stood closest to the orc with a shield for no reason at all.
She was cursing all the curses in the world as she struggled against the orc.
I desperately wanted to shoot another arrow to save her but—
‘…It’s going to be quite tough to hit an arrow like this.’
Obstacles around her and quite a number of orcs made it clear that finding a trajectory to hit the closest threat to her was not easy.
“I’ll run. Will you hold my hand?”
“Hold?”
“I might not be able to protect you if you fall in the middle.”
“…Then I’ll ask you.”
I grasped Shione’s empty left hand.
I couldn’t feel any warmth from her hand.
After all, we were both wearing leather gloves.
The moment I grabbed her hand, I dashed quickly across the snowy ground.
“Ugg!”
As Shione’s startled voice rang out behind me, I finally found an angle to shoot an arrow.
There was no hesitation.
With mana improved significantly through past quests, I still had some energy left.
I simply released another arrow with Dead Release.
The moment the arrow flew fiercely toward the back of the orc I aimed at, I saw it.
Swoosh!
The arrow flew right before my eyes.
‘This direction can only be Shione.’
Was she trying to kill me? I turned my head, wondering what was happening, to check Shione’s face.
Fortunately, she didn’t show disappointment that I wasn’t hit but was rather delighted to have successfully struck something other than me.
“Ray, be careful!”
At the same time as Shione’s warning, I felt deadly intent from my side.
“Ugh, dammit!”
I dodged as if throwing my body to avoid the killer intent that came directly at me.
Boom!
As I evaded the orc’s arm, I notched another arrow.
At close range, I aimed to send it in one shot. I pumped up the mana output. The gentle whirlwind began to shred the air into a fierce tornado.
With no hesitation, I released the string.
Crack!
The arrow embedded itself in the orc’s belly. But that wasn’t the end.
The spiraling tornado burst from its stomach.
The powerful blade of wind churned through its insides, a level of force not something an orc could withstand.
“Gahh…!”
The orc, either aghast or miffed, gazed wide-eyed at me, taking its last breath.
“Hah…”
The recent skill, after consuming more mana than expected, left me feeling a significant weariness.
Yet, even so, there was no time for a leisurely break.
“I’m really going crazy.”
I spotted the dark green monster charging towards my lord.
I continued to fight to protect my lord without pause.
Swinging my sword and shooting arrows, my mana began to show signs of exhaustion quickly. The rapid consumption of mana led to signs of fatigue, but I gritted my teeth and endured.
If I faltered in this chaotic mess, I’d surely get crushed under an orc’s foot. And even if I managed to hold on, there were still plenty of orcs remaining. If I collapsed now, who would protect Shione?
Then it happened. My vision blurred and my strength drained from my body all at once.
“Ray!”
Shione’s panicked shout crashed into my ears.
Of course. My slave and exclusive servant being turned into mush by an orc’s punch. What master could possibly watch on calmly?
Although my mana had significantly increased with past quests, it still wasn’t enough to fully utilize spirit magic. That lack of mana ultimately hindered me in the worst moment.
“Gahh!!”
The orc I had disabled by crippling its leg approached, as if sensing its opportunity, and came at me with reckless abandon.
As its arm finally reached me:
Boom!
An enormous green fist barreled toward my face.
“…Damn it.”
I leaned back, but in that moment of curse and misaligned timing—
Wooosh!!
Crack!!
From somewhere, a spear came flying and struck the orc’s arm. The punch was deflected from the force of the spear, and fortunately, the worst-case scenario of it hitting my pretty face was avoided.
…But we didn’t have a spear user in our group.
How on earth did such a thing happen? Regaining focus from my blurry vision, I looked to the source of that skill.
“…Aria Alenarr?”
The second daughter of the Alenarr Marquis Family, Aria Alenarr, whom I’d seen at the royal castle’s banquet and on Adelhaite’s coming-of-age day, came into my view.
I had heard she would soon arrive at the territory. Talk about timing.
Aria must have brought another spear besides the one she threw at me; she spun her other spear around and scanned the area with it.
Her obsidian eyes landed on Flora.
Switching her stance while still spinning the spear, the frigid energy shimmered as Aria readied her thrust.
Unlike Siabel, Aria was still at the level of sword user. But that seemed more than sufficient.
Without a shred of doubt in her body’s capabilities, she pulled the spear back, held her breath, and with a slight step, silently launched the spear.
Wooosh!!
Aria’s spear pierced through the blizzard.
The long spear shot straight and ultimately pierced the heart of the orc that had cornered Flora.
As I quietly watched her series of actions, Shione dashed over to me, embracing me as I sat half-collapsed.
“Ray, are you okay?”
Shione’s armor was soaked with blood.
Then my gaze fell on the sword she held in her hand.
She, who had been hesitant to get close to the orc, wielded her bow the entire time.
From the dark stains on her sword, it was clear she had somehow managed to take down an orc.
‘Wait a minute. Shione took down an orc with a sword?’
I glanced back at the fallen orc behind her. It was covered in wounds, as though it had been slashed all over.
I was dying to ask how she had managed to take down an orc by herself with just one sword, but for now, I could only safely nestle into her embrace and quietly watch Aria.
Behind Aria Alenarr, dozens of figures appeared.
Aria nonchalantly ordered the neatly arranged group.
“It seems the situation isn’t good… so hurry up and wipe them all out.”
Boom!
The moment the wizard joined the battle, the situation was resolved in an instant.