Chapter 192: Fleeing From Pursuers, From Fenrir and From Beast Bears

"Run!"

I grabbed Lily’s hand and started running — but Lily couldn’t run! Lily could not move properly. Was the residual shock from the earlier magic still affecting her? Did that magic have selectivity? Or did age play a role? This was no time to be thinking such things!

"Lily! Get on my back!!"

"..."

She couldn’t speak? She was shaking her hands — was she saying it was impossible?

"Idiot! Hurry!!"

I forced my hips under Lily and lifted her up. Ohh! She was lighter than I expected!

"Stevie! Hold them off! We’re running!"

"Yes!!"

We started running. Of course it was not light-footed. But we were probably faster than ordinary people. The question was how long we could maintain this.

The pursuers came charging on horseback. Were we going to be chased by both the pursuers and the Fenrir? I thought that, but the Fenrir did not come toward us — they leapt at the pursuers instead! As expected, the Fenrir seemed even faster than the horses. And as prey, horses were apparently more attractive than humans.

"Uwah!"

"Why!?"

"Why aren’t they chasing them!?"

Screams rose from the pursuers.

Looking, the Fenrir were successively attacking the pursuers’ horses, so the horses ignored their riders’ commands and began running to escape. The riders were thrown off. The Fenrir should have eaten those people, but instead they chased after the horses. What a waste—!! Fenrir, why won’t you eat the people too! I understand the horses look tastier, but please eat both people and horses equally! There were some who had fallen under the horses and could not move, though.

While carrying Lily I ran.

"Stevie, into that forest!"

"Yes!"

"After them!"

"Don’t let them escape!!"

"Wait!!"

Shouts came from behind. There was no fool anywhere who would wait when told to wait.

While carrying Lily on my back a thought struck me. Had the mental magic that woman used earlier transferred to me? Having mental magic and resistance to mental magic felt like two sides of the same coin. Anyway, while running I checked.

『Lost Life Transmission Technique　Sword Technique 6　Spear Technique 1　Fighting Technique 4　Bow 4　Healthy Legs 4　Quick Legs 3　Fire 2　Light 1　Water 2　Stealth 6　Concealment 6　Appraisal 2　Detection 4　Purity 3　Deception 2　Sexual Technique 2　Mana Bag 4　Poison Vision 4　Berserker 2　Strength 2　Mental Magic Resistance 6　Calculation 3　Mental Magic 3』

See! Mental Magic 3 had been added. Huh? Bow was 4? When? Just now? From the woman? From the man I cut then? Did that mean it would be good if I had a bow? Setting that aside, what was mental magic? How was I supposed to use it? While thinking that, the Strength skill caught my eye. Was that why I could carry Lily on my back without feeling the weight and run so lightly? Even looking back, we were running faster than the pursuers.

Mental magic... if I used it strangely and misfired, I could picture Stevie going down as well. I felt I needed proper practice. Was this the kind of thing used when you mentally control a woman who won’t even look at you and force her (since you’re controlling her, is it mutual consent?)? If it was something like that I would seal it away.

While the pursuers were tangled with the Fenrir I thought we could pull away like this, flee into the forest, and escape into the Mainz Kingdom! But the world was not that sweet.

From the side came the sound of branches snapping — baki baki baki! Looking, a bear? A gray bear? appeared and was heading this way. Had these also been summoned by the dog whistle?

"A bear?"

At my voice Lily on my back whispered quietly,

"Beast Bear..."

So that was the species name. The fact that it had such a name probably meant it was more dangerous than an ordinary bear?

"Run!"

There was only one choice!

If I remembered correctly, bears could run at about 60 km/h, right? Ah, a little under 40 mph. No matter how one looked at it we would be caught! That meant the only option was a U-turn! About 50 meters behind us the pursuers were running. There were differences in leg speed, so the line of pursuers was stretched out. Far behind them the Fenrir were still eating the horses. Anyway, we ran toward the pursuers! Let the Beast Bear eat them. Or have them deal with the Beast Bear!

"Oh!"

"They came back!?"

"Get them!"

The faster ones gave a proper reaction. The Beast Bear was still not visible to them.

"Stevie, we’re doing this!"

"Yes!"

"Get down... protect yourself..."

Lily said something to the effect that she was all right, so I set her down and the three of us charged in. Lily was still slow. She was better than before, but her movements were awkward and slow. I could not make her fight the enemy. It would be enough if she just protected herself and bought time.

One person charged at Stevie while two charged at me. When I set Lily down my body became surprisingly light. I leapt at one of them. That one raised his sword high and tried to bring it down. Why do people raise their swords high when an enemy charges? In the time it takes to raise and bring it down they get stabbed and die. Why don’t they learn that? Do they only feel it in the moment before death? Since I was always in the position of exploiting that and cutting them down, I was grateful.

The other one was watching my charge in surprise. Even if he was surprised he could not cut me, but he was probably shocked that his comrade was being cut down so easily. I thrust my sword into the completely open side, cutting only flesh without touching bone. It sliced as if sliding. Before blood came out, the white flesh of the abdomen was visible.

I spun the body I had cut and swept my sword toward the other one. This one also had wide eyes and barely managed to raise his sword to receive mine. Sparks flew from the clashing swords. With a Japanese sword they apparently sometimes break when they clash, but in this world swords rarely break even if they bend. I, who had slammed the sword down, had more strength. Was Strength adding to it as well? When I pushed with momentum my sword approached his face. Looking sideways with wide eyes he said,

"H-help..."

but when the positions were reversed he would not help me, would he? If you look down on someone as a child, this is the kind of fate that awaits you. In trying too hard to avoid my sword he fell over. Seeing that, I crushed his wrist under my foot!

"Gyaa!"

He was distracted by the pain in his wrist, but that was the mistake. I traced the tip of my sword across his neck. That alone made blood spray from his neck.

I leapt back to avoid the blood. This one was finished! And Stevie?

Stevie’s opponent was not large, but his sword was simply fast! Stevie was completely on the defensive. This was bad! I had to do something!

I took one step forward! Stevie’s opponent’s attention turned toward me. In that opening Stevie’s sword cut in. But where the opponent blocked, I stepped in and cut straight down from the front. The opponent tried to receive it with a sword he pulled from midair (probably from a mana bag, I thought) with his free hand, but he was too late and received it only with the tip. He was not a dual-wielder to begin with, and the tip of a sword held in the non-dominant hand had no strength.

Just like that my sword cut the opponent’s face. It was probably not deep, but the blade advanced from brow to nose to mouth and blood sprayed. It was not a deep wound, but the damage was large? He staggered backward step by step. I would leave this one to Stevie.

When I turned around Lily was standing with her sword as a cane. Behind her a bear — no, a Beast Bear — was closing in. It was running with a bear’s gait. The pursuers? Perhaps because they had seen the Beast Bear, they had stopped walking. But from behind them the Fenrir were coming! When I looked at Lily again, a red point of light flashed for an instant on her forehead???? What was this? Some kind of mark?

No no no no, this was no time to be worrying about that.

"Lily!"

I ran to Lily, snatched her up, and began running toward the pursuers. I overtook Stevie. Stevie’s opponent was rolling on the ground. From behind came the heavy thud-thud footsteps of the Beast Bear. Beast Bear, eat those guys rolling on the ground! Aaaaaah, has the momentum of running built up so much you can’t stop!?

When it came right beside us I leapt sideways. Stevie also escaped by a hair’s breadth. The Beast Bear charged straight into the middle of the pursuers. What happens when that mass charges into a group of people without braking? They are sent flying. People went flying through the air. People can jump that high!?

Ahhh, how pitiful! But thank you, Beast Bear!