Thundershot!

"" "" Gwaaaaaaa! ""

A thunderbolt of lightning blew away the chasers.

Phew, it's over.

When the battle was over, Yukinojo, who was waiting behind him, approached in a mood.

"Excellent, Mina! It was a wonderful magic trick once again!

Even though he's on the escort side, Harumi-san struggles because he wants to go out to fight every time.

Well, unlike the nobles I know, the Yukinojo samurai seem to be somehow close to knights and soldiers, and that's why the lord takes the initiative to go to the battlefield.

I wonder if this is a cultural difference.

"I mean, you're hurt. It's okay!?"

It seems that Yukinojo is injured in the arm.

"Well, it's no big deal. The arrows just scratched."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't contain my pursuers, so I wounded myself young."

Haru-sensei bows her head to Yukinojo as if she were deeply sorry.

Behind him lay a few pursuers.

Looks like there was another squad.

"Even though I was a young escort, I didn't expect you to get hurt...."

"Good. Both Mina and Harumi did well. It's grand."

"Ha, thank you!

"... that's what Yukinojo says, but it's a problem that the number of enemies is growing."

A few days after we crossed the gate, we were heading to the town of Hatoba to rendezvous with Lex, but in the meantime we were attacked five times.

"This whole raid means they know we're on our way to the town of Hatoba."

"Indeed. I thought running into my uncle's mansion could dazzle the pursuers."

But in reality, this is it.

Besides, this place is in a forest that can't be said to be a beast road off the street without noticing it.

I'm heading to the town of Hatoba relying on the position of the sun, so I don't think they'll find me in pursuit...

"Was there a traitor among Yukinojo's uncle's men, or was the head of the family an excellent one...."

"No way!? There must be someone like that under my uncle...."

"No, considering the mastermind, it's highly likely. Nevertheless, it would be impossible for another clan detective to dive into Mitsu-sama's closest proximity to Shizukuishi, so I wonder if I could tell the outside that the young man escaped. And the chaser who learned about it predicted that young people would move to perform the main raid ceremony with the help of Mitsu-sama, and wondered if they were gathering friends from the vicinity."

After all, it seems right to rendezvous with Lex.

It's a little tough to deal with more enemies on my own.

"In that case, it seems better to hurry. Let's go to the town of Hatoba to join Lex as soon as possible."

"Lex... as I said before, what is your relationship with that person?

As she walks towards the town of Hatoba, Yukinojo strangely blues her face and asks.

"Hmm? Lex is like my magical master. It's bullshit resistant anyway."

"Really? Is that all you got?

"Yes, but... By the way, are you okay? My face is pale."

Looking at Yukinojo's strangely devouring face, I leaned my neck.

"No, no problem."

Are you feeling sick as the raid continues?

……

Anyway, that was when I tried to get back on the move again.

"... uu"

Suddenly the Yukinojo collapsed.

Huh?

"Young!?"

We rushed to Yukinojo in haste.

"Uhh...."

Yukinojo's face turned pure white, moaning as she sweats from her forehead.

"Is this... poison anymore!?"

"Poison!?"

Was it caused by the arrow wound!?

"This symptom is probably the poison of a snake."

"Yomitsu Snake?"

"Hmm, a poisonous snake. Those bitten by this snake begin to poison quickly, and soon their bodies become immobile. After that, he was attacked by a high fever, and his body began to convulse violently, eventually dying of difficulty breathing....."

"Hey, isn't that bad!?"

"The treatment of snakes is a battle against time. We need medical attention now! Hurry, I'll get you to safety!

"All right!

Looking for a safe place to treat Yukinojo, we were lucky to find a hunter's hut nearby.

There was nothing inside, it was really just a place over the storm wind, but for us being chased, just having a roof and a wall would have been great.

When a blanket is laid on the floor, Harushin puts Yukinojo to bed.

"... I don't think so, my symptoms are pretty bad. Stay here and fight for a moment!

That said, there are no pharmacists or pharmacists here.

I have some knowledge of medicinal herbs that Grandpa taught me, but I've never heard of snakes, so I have no idea which medicinal herbs are going to be treated.

I think it's a unique species in this country.....

At least if Lex were here, I'd be poisoning the snake with that horrible amount of knowledge, but I wonder what the medicine would cure me... ah!

"I can't help it. Dangerous though....."

"Yes! Let's use this!

I take out what I got the other day from my pocket.

"Nah, what is that?

Harumi, who was about to take something out, looks suspicious after seeing the medicine he took out.

"It's a low-grade, all-purpose antidote that I know of."

Yes, I took out the junior all-purpose antidote Lex made for me.

I just got this from Tatsuyoshi-san when I rescued Echigoya the other day.

Tatsuyoshi-san asked me to take anything I liked to thank you for your help, so I was worried about what to do, but now that I'm acting alone, I want medicine the most.

I didn't think it was my client's first use...

"Junior all-purpose antidote?

Harumi, who doesn't know the insanity of Lex's medicine, sees it with scepticism in my words.

"Yes, I've cured the poison of a highly poisonous spider, and it seems to deal with quite a variety of poisons. This might also help the poison of the snake."

Harushin puts his thoughts into my words.

I wonder if it is really okay for Yukinojo to drink this.

"... hmm, well, that's good. I don't think it's going to help the snake poison itself, but if you buy me some time to get to town, I'll make some money."

Good. I managed to get permission.

To be honest, I thought you might refuse to use the medicine you prepared, but it seems that worrying about Yukinojo was better than mistrusting me.

"Then I'll let you drink it. Here, Yukinojo, it's medicine."

I woke up the unconscious Yukinojo and managed to put her to sleep again.

As soon as I watched, the medicine began to work and Yukinojo's breathing stabilized.

Until just now, the look on her face that seemed painful has calmed down and her complexion has returned a little red.

"Nh... suu"

"Okay, looks like it worked. Breathing will calm you down."

"Stupid!?"

When I looked beside me, I saw the face of Harumi, who had just said he couldn't believe it.

When Haru-sen felt my gaze, he hurried to spin the excuse.

"Oh, no. I didn't think it would really work. Besides, I've never seen medicine that has such a dramatic effect. That's the poison of that snake too!?"

Ah, yeah. It's Lex's medicine.

"Ahahah, when we first learned about this, we felt the same way."

"Uh-huh. But your country's medical technology is amazing....."

"Well, not in my country, I know a lot of people."

"The more you become, the more mysterious the medicine is."

"Maybe..."

However, since the number of secrets is a lot of bullshit and you feel free to use pom pom pom, the feeling of thanksgiving will fade....

"But thank you. Snakes are pretty poisonous. Even a dedicated detoxification is so dangerous that there are side effects. I'm honestly surprised it still works."

"Heh, it was such a dangerous poison."

"Hmm, there are few side effects if you use plenty of high-end medicinal herbs, but instead, it's too laborious and it won't last long. So when travelers and civilians like us try to use it, it becomes a medicine with side effects instead of easy access."

Well, that's why you were in such a hurry.

Even if the medicine was in time, it didn't suit my busy eyes at a time when there were side effects.

"... Mr. Mina"

It was then.

Suddenly Harumi knelt before me.

"Huh? What?

"Thank you for saving my youth."

That said, Harumi lowered his head deeply.

"Eh!? Never mind. I just happen to have the disinfectant."

Yes, because I only used medicine, and I didn't do anything really amazing.

"I really can't wait. I almost lost the man I had to protect twice."

"Eh!?"

Qingchen murmured with a trembling voice.

Perhaps the other person he lost was Yukinojo's father.

"... I made her drink potions, so she should be able to move a little bit."

Again, I'm sorry.

"That's fine. This is my job, too."

If you force Harumi to stand with her head down, I'll tell you not to worry about it again.

"... don't you want to hear it?

And Haru-sensei murmurs, but I conjure up the intent of the word.

"What are you doing?

"This is why young people are persistently targeted. Do you know what I'm talking about? If he's just the son of a clan lord, he won't be relentlessly targeted."

Well, it's not normal to be attacked like this, is it?

Because the road we've been on is not a street, it's a no-go road.

Encounters must have placed a significant number of pursuers nearby.

But if you do, your enemies will be in quite a deficit.

Because hiring people is expensive.

That means the enemy has the money and power they deserve.

"... young is the son of a restless man. It's so much more directly related to the government of the country."

I bet. If you're targeting the lower aristocrats, you can't expect profits from attacking them with such hassle.

I can't be sure that there's a big reward for doing it.

"But having so much power in politics is also something that many people want to do for themselves."

I know that, too.

The same goes for the nobles of our country.

"And likewise, there will be more resentment."

"Was Yukinojo's father a hated nobleman?

However, Harumi shook his head sideways.

"General... my young father wasn't the best, but he wasn't the one to be hated. But hatred is not the only thing that lays the foundation for bad governance."

Harumi said with an unspeakable expression.

"Something stuck in my teeth."

"Even a lord who lays down good governance can be hated. For example, if you punish an evil-ruling lord with anger, the opponent will resent you. And he who punishes the wrong-doers will be avenged. It's unreasonable to hold a grudge."

"... there's nothing I can do about it."

"But some people are equally irrational. For example, a child of a man who laid down bad governance. The person can also be judged to deserve it if their sexual roots are as rotten as their parents, but it is difficult to distinguish between good and evil if they are young children. Sometimes such children can be irrationally angry at the words of resentment around them. If a soldier gets hurt deeply and loses his job, he'll hate the boss who ordered him to do the job."

"But if you say that, you can't do anything.

I see. That's true. But some of those who target young people attack for reasons that cannot be avoided, no matter how careful they are. Don't let Mina be alarmed because the opponent seems kind. "

"... okay."

Was this something that Harumi experienced?

Regardless of the other person's situation, you want to show sympathy and not show a gap.

Is this the end of the conversation? Haru-sensen looks at Yukinojo next to him.

"Hmm, my youthful condition is getting better. This will allow us to move tomorrow morning. We're almost to the town of Hatoba. It would be good if Master Mina could rest in the meantime. I want to get to town by tomorrow in order to rest my youth in a safe place. Thanks for the medicine. I'll keep watch."

"Yeah, well then, sweeten your words...!?"

I was depleted of magic in the daytime battle, so I tried to rest honestly, and I sensed a powerful magic coming out.

"What's wrong, Mina....?

"Mana Wall!!"

Feeling free to answer my questions, I immediately put a magical defensive wall around me.

The next moment, the hunter's hut blew up with the sound of the explosion.

"Ha!?"

"Cumming!

I knew it! Someone attacked us with high magic!

I desperately maintain my defensive walls while feeling my magic shredded.

And by the time the magical currents that were finally about to break down the barrier disappeared, the surroundings had become wasteland.

"Hey, what's up!?"

As Haru-sensen covered herself to protect Yukinojo, she raised her voice of dismay at the tragic situation around her.

"Hmm, you survived. It's a lot of trash."

The Lord of Voices emerges from the forest.

"Kh, a hunter who imitates me so flashy...!?"

The moon's light and the flames that burn the destroyed forest trees illuminate the opponent who attacked us.

Brown skin, silver hair, and black wings growing from the back were what I knew as enemies.

"Magus!?"

Yes, it was the Magus who attacked us many times before.

"If you ask me about the embarrassing escort, it's just a little girl. Winning against this kind of opponent is incompetent to create with humans."

I can't believe Magus is involved in this....

"... Harumi-san, take Yukinojo with you."

"Lord Mina!?"

"It's impossible to deal with him while protecting them. Ask Lex in the town of Hatoba for help."

Honestly, I'm worried about myself.

Normally, with the front gyros around, I was able to attack from behind with peace of mind, but now I'm alone.

Not to mention the fact that a sorcerer against a Magus is in charge of both the vanguard and the rear.

But if we don't do it now, Yukinojo and the others will be killed.

Then we'll have to wait till they get somewhere safe.

"But now you!?"

"If I'm the only one..."

"Hahaha! I can't afford to talk to my enemies before they do!

Magus compresses and attacks magic without chanting.

"Ku! Flame Lancer!

"Oh, did you offset that? It's hard to do."

I don't like this power because it's not chanted at all.

I used a lot of magic to offset my current situation.

I knew without the knob, you'd lose your strength in defense.

"Run!

"Kh! Please!

Based on my cut feathers, I would have decided that if I stayed here any longer, my feet would be tight.

Haru-sensen immediately rushed to take charge of Yukinojo.

Now all we have to do is buy us some time to get out of here.

"Come on, I'm the one from here!

"I was so proud to fight alone!

However, the Magus ignored me and launched an attack on Yukinojo and the others.

"Ha!? Windchaser!

Speedy wind magic offsets Magus attacks in a hurry.

"Ha ha! You can't even stop that now! I don't think it's just your mouth!

"You! Don't go after Yukinojo all of a sudden!

"Hmm, I don't know if it's human convenience. It's worse to expose your weaknesses."

Magus concentrates his magic to attack the Yukinojo and the others even more.

And now I'm deploying a lot of magic so I can't offset it.

"If that's what you're going to do! Stonewall!"

I will create a thick rock wall between the Magus and Yukinojo to protect them from attack.

Though the walls were shattered by a large number of attacks, it took much less magic and less concentration than trying to prevent one shot at a time.

"You can't target them with this, can you?

"Ah, you thought about it a little bit... but you stupid bastard!

But the Magus flies up into the sky with his wings flapping his back like he laughs at me.

"Hahaha! You didn't notice the feathers on my back, little girl!

And the Magus made the feathers fly to attack Haru-sensen, who carried Yukinojo.

I'm going to attack you from close range so you can't offset it with my magic. But....

"You must have noticed, idiot."

I activate magic at the moment the Magus tries to pass through the sky at the right time against the Magus who flew up to the sky.

"Rock Tower!

The same stone walls will be created around me as before.

However, this time the walls are even higher, and they grow beyond the Magus who flies in the sky.

And the magician who was just about to jump over me bumped into the wall that stretched from behind me.

"Bguh!?, the walls are empty!?"

Against the magician confused by the sudden appearance of the wall, I unleashed the magic of staying in my hair.

"Eat! Flame Inferno!!"

"Ha!?"

To escape the flames of hell that were thrown from below, the Magus rushed back and hit the raised wall behind him.

And even if you send a gaze to the left and right sky, you can't escape covered in rock walls.

The Magus, surrounded by walls, was like a sinner trapped in a tower of chisels.

And when the Magus realized that it might be in time if he ran up, it was already too late, and the columns of Hellfire that were pushing from below swallowed up the Magus.

"Gwaaaaaaaaa!!"

I can hear the screams of the Magus in the flames of the prison.

"Fufu, you're off guard. You have to be careful of obstacles even in the sky."

Fufufu, it's refreshing to fit so beautifully.

The stone walls created to protect the Yukinojo and the others from the Magus are used to fly the Magus into the sky.

The Probably Magus jumped up complacently without realizing that I could fly.

And the moment the Wizard who was convinced of the victory tried to jump over me, I activated the Rock Tower, the top wall magic, to create a wall so that I couldn't escape.

The Rock Tower was a wall to keep the Magus from heading toward the Yukinojo princes, and was a stone to ensure that his greatest magic could be used against opponents who were free to fly around the sky and evade action.

"Even though I didn't burn the woods to make sure I hit them, three higher-level magic rounds are hard on the boulders....."

The children of Lex's village used this freely, but I wonder how much magic they had left....

I can't shoot you like a mortal....

"Well, what if I hurry up and catch up? If we don't hurry, we'll lose Yukinojo and the others...."

It was then that I tried to change my mind and chase after Yukinojo and the others.

I was blown away by a strong impact from the sky.

"Kyaaaaaaaa!?"

Your body rolls like a pebble in an unexpected attack.

"Kaha!?"

And I finally stopped because I hit the surrounding trees, but I couldn't breathe well because of the double impact.

"Ku, kuku, I didn't expect the daughter of the tribe to manipulate so much magic. Without the Lost Items Talisman, we'd be in danger."

"That voice....."

I barely moved my body and looked at the sky, and there was a magical figure that was supposed to have disappeared earlier.

"I can't believe I'm safe..."

I can't believe the Magus was hiding valuable high-ranking magic items....

As if to show the fact, the Magus, who had been subjected to the magic of prison flames, was not seriously injured.

"But the sin of hurting me is heavy, little girl! I'll make you look like you deserve to die!

You didn't like what little girls like me did to you, or the Magus who revealed his anger shouted at you.

"Fu, fufufu..."

"What's wrong, little girl?"

The Magus wonders at my laughter, which is supposed to be disadvantageous.

"'Cause... your line is like the one you beat before."

"What?

Yes, the day we first met the Magus.

The words of the wizard who was eaten by the gyro.

That's why I'm sending the same line to the Magus.

"If you say such a shovel line... you'll be desperate to be targeted by someone you think is better off dead."

Well, it's just a bluff, because he's not supposed to be in the woods like this.

"Hmm, I don't know why!?"

When I was trying to distract the Magus until I managed to move my body, all of a sudden the Magus appeared to blow up.

What?

"If you think there's a fantastic magical battle going on, I can't believe there's a Magus in here."

I can't help but cry at the voice I heard in the pinch of my life.

There is nothing wrong with hearing that voice in the dark night sky.

"... shh"

"And it was my people who were attacked."

The voice contained unusual anger for him.

"Come, who are you...!?"

The Magus asks the sudden intruder his name.

"My name is Lex. Just an adventurer."

Lex!

The most powerful helper... has come!