I Have a Task Log

The two of them held their breath.

Colin silently gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Raindrops pattered on the roof, stirring a strange sense of irritation.

’If Kase and the others were here,’ he thought, ’they might have a chance against that flying lizard. But now it was just him and Ale, and the White Dragon had an entire army of Cultists...’

A shout came from the direction of the wall, followed by the clatter of a few more roof tiles sliding from the eaves to the ground.

The sound of beating wings echoed from overhead once more, the rush of wind slowly fading into the distance.

’It must be gone.’ Seizing the opportunity, Colin grabbed Ale’s hand and resumed his dash toward the Church.

Ale said, "I understood the Draconic they were speaking. Those Cultists are looking for us."

"I suspected as much, but I don’t know if it’s because that White Dragon wants revenge, or because of the secret letter we stole from the Kobold cave," Colin said.

"Then what should we do?"

Hearing the hesitation in Ale’s voice, Colin frowned and sank into thought.

’So, do we just abandon this village and run for our lives?’

’If the White Dragon joins the fight at full force, that wall will collapse in no time. Then the dragon will turn to hunt them down, along with a horde of flying Cultists.’

’Though their Intelligence isn’t high, a White Dragon’s hunting instincts and memory are some of the strongest among Giant Dragons.’

’He had no desire to play hide-and-seek in the forest with a creature like that.’

’If they tried to flee, the most likely outcome was the two of them being caught in the woods surrounding the village and meeting a violent end.’

As Colin’s mind raced, they reached the entrance of the Church.

The White Dragon circling the wall unleashed another gout of its breath, a cloud of white frost startlingly stark against the dim sky.

The village had descended into chaos. Villagers closer to the wall had begun to flee, and the air was filled with wails and cries.

Colin led Ale onward, running.

His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and his legs felt strangely light.

’When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. So, who’s the tallest one here now?’

Images of the conscripted soldiers, the Half-Elf soldiers, and the old Priest he had just seen flashed through Colin’s mind.

’Were they the so-called "tall ones"?’

’Clearly not. In that case, who *is* the most capable person in this village right now?’

Colin didn’t answer his own question.

He kept running, pulling Ale along the mud-slicked path.

The rain chilled the back of his hand until it grew numb, leaving only a faint warmth in his palm.

The image of the destroyed village kept flashing before his eyes—the weeping people, the drifting ash, the endless suffering...

’If no one stood up, this village would surely meet the same fate. But its population was many times larger; the resulting tragedy would be that much worse.’

’And now, the dazed, innocent Half-Elf beside him was also in danger.’

Another blinding flash of white light.

BOOM! A deafening crash, the thunder arriving moments later.

’Do I let Ale die with me, or do I try to change all of this?’

Colin still didn’t have an answer for himself.

He dragged Ale into the Church, found the old Priest’s room, and SLAMMED the door shut.

Colin turned, pulled the secret letter from his pack, and stuffed it into Ale’s. Then he unhooked the [Climbing Rope] from the side of his own pack.

"You take this and go. I’ll hold off those Cultists, then find a chance to catch up..."

"No," Ale said hurriedly. "I have to stay with you. We either go together or we stay together. If things get desperate, I still have a way."

"But your method is too risky. It would probably draw in other, more powerful Evil Dragons or High Tier members of the Dragon Worship Cult, wouldn’t it? And the moment you used it, every Evil Dragon and Cultist in the area would immediately target you."

Ale nodded silently.

"That’s why you have to go first. I’ll hold them off while you try to escape," Colin said. "Otherwise, neither of us will make it out."

"But I don’t want you to..."

"Then do you have a better idea? One that lets both of us escape together?" Colin cut in.

Ale faltered.

"This is the only way that gives one of us the best chance to get away," Colin said, pushing the door open. "Give me three minutes. I’m going to the top of the bell tower. You leave after that."

He hesitated for a moment, then looked back. "If I don’t make it back, Kase knows what kind of headstone to make for me... I guess this is it. Goodbye, Alessandra Golden Flame Orellion."

With that, Colin sprinted down the hallway toward the Church’s bell tower.

As he ran, his steps felt inexplicably lighter.

’So, was that really the best plan?’

’Probably not,’ Colin thought. ’There might have been a smarter way, one I hadn’t thought of. But this was a choice I won’t regret.’

’Yes.’

’This choice wasn’t for anyone’s sake. It was so that in his final moments, he wouldn’t be haunted by regret.’

’Even if those "final moments" might come very soon.’

BAM!

Colin kicked open the wooden door, entering the room beneath the bell tower.

The Little Priest who usually rang the bell was gone. The rope tied to the bell’s clapper dangled forlornly to the floor.

Colin scrambled up the nearby ladder to the top of the bell tower, arriving beside the massive Bronze bell.

From here, he could see the entire village clearly.

People were still resisting at the wall, but their defense had clearly weakened considerably.

The White Dragon and the winged Cultists were no longer occupied with the wall. They had begun circling over the village, apparently searching for a target.

Seeing the White Dragon begin to turn in his direction, Colin quickly ducked behind a stone pillar. He tied the [Climbing Rope] to it and slowly climbed down onto the Church roof, hiding on the far side of the bell tower.

The rain hadn’t let up in the slightest, and the moss growing between the roof tiles was slippery underfoot.

「Three minutes later.」

Ale’s figure appeared on the path by the Church entrance. She tried to stick to the cover of the eaves as she moved away, just as they had before.

But the moment she broke into a run, shouts erupted from the Cultists nearby.

Colin peered out.

The nearby White Dragon immediately changed direction and flew toward her.

Colin quickly took out the licorice root slices he had just bought and began to chant a Spell.

A rainbow-hued Magic Radiance flowed over his skin like a liquid film. Energy erupting from the Magic Net slowly seeped into every inch of flesh it enveloped, reinforcing the Caster’s body.

As the [Haste] spell took effect, Colin suddenly saw every single dancing raindrop with perfect clarity.

The oval droplets descended slowly through the air, then, an instant later, blurred back into an indistinct curtain of rain.

Colin clenched his fist.

His fatigue was swept away, and every muscle fiber in his body surged with Power.

His heart pounded frantically in his chest, as if trying to leap out. It felt as if an unseen fist were hammering against his ribs from the inside.

Although he could no longer see the individual raindrops, he could feel that their descent had slowed.

Colin leaned back against the bell tower wall, pulling out a glass rod and a strip of Beast Hide.

’All right, let’s begin...’