Chapter 193: Hiding

Still holding Lily, I tumbled and rolled. Stones and branches on the ground struck my body and hurt, but this was no time to complain about such things.

Looking at where the Beast Bear had gone, it had sent several of the pursuers flying and reached the Fenrir. The Fenrir, as expected, did not seem to have been sent flying. It would have been nice if the Fenrir and the Beast Bear simply fought each other from there, but things did not seem to be progressing that conveniently.

I put Lily on my back and started running together with Stevie. Lily, being shaken, spoke in broken phrases:

"Ro-Robby-sama, um, wh-why can you carry me so lightly, so, so, so..."

"Lily, I know. I have a skill called Strength. That’s why I don’t feel the weight even when I’m carrying you."

"I didn’t know... When did you..."

"I don’t know either. Before I realized it."

Oh — even while carrying Lily I was running faster than Stevie. I would still lose to a Beast Bear, but I was running far faster than a normal person.

"Also, I have Healthy Legs and Quick Legs too."

Because I was running, I couldn’t speak properly.

From behind I could hear Stevie’s footsteps. Looking back — oh, we had pulled a little ahead.

"Stevie, let’s go into that forest over there. Anyway, let’s get somewhere the pursuers can’t see us."

"Y-yes!"

Stevie was running while gasping "ze ze ze!" Beyond her, an especially large man among the pursuers was fighting the Beast Bear. Around them the Fenrir were fighting the other pursuers. Sorry, but please just take each other out.

"That dog whistle... huff huff... wasn’t something that could freely control magical beasts?"

I asked even though I thought she wouldn’t know, of course while running.

"Probably... it only calls them."

Stevie answered.

"They only called them, and the user of that mental magic was supposed to control them, don’t you think? Ah!?"

This time Lily answered. She had recovered enough to speak quite a bit. I see — so that was why the magical beasts could no longer be controlled and had ended up fighting. They reaped what they sowed! Fufufu, when you do bad things it comes back to you!

We plunged into the forest and ran until we could no longer be seen from outside, then finally stopped.

"For now, let’s rest a little."

I had sweated a tremendous amount. I raised my hand, produced water, and put it in my mouth. Stevie was looking as if she wanted some too, so when I raised a finger and tried to produce water she bit down on it with a "paku." She was grinning. Having no choice I produced water from the tip of my finger, and her throat moved with gulping sounds. Somehow it was erotic—! Lily was also looking as if she wanted some, so when I brought my finger she likewise took it into her mouth. Uwah, Lily’s chest was completely soaked from my sweat and in a terrible state. The parts of her breasts that had been pressed against my back were wet in round patches — it was serious. Could I see the shape of her nipples, or could I not?

Ahem, this was no time to be thinking such things!

"Which way should we go from here to reach the Mainz Kingdom?"

"The road was heading west, so I think we should go in the direction the sun sets."

Unexpectedly, Stevie answered.

"Time-wise... I think it’s still before noon?"

Indeed, what Lily said was probably correct. We had departed first thing in the morning and made the horses run, and although we had gone through extremely dense events, not that much time should have passed. Right now it was around noon, so if we advanced to the right while facing the sun it should be fine. How far did this forest continue? It was hit-or-miss, but I thought we had no choice but to advance.

At that moment something flashed in my mind.

"Does anyone have a magnetic compass?"

"Magnetic compass?"

"What’s that?"

Lily and Stevie looked at each other. They didn’t know?

"It’s a tool where something like an arrow always points in the same direction. No matter where you are it shows north and south, you know?"

"Ahhh—!!"

"A compass!!"

"Ohh— that!"

"Is this it?"

What Stevie took out of her mana bag was not a compass but a magnetic compass. Still, I gave thanks to the past transmigrators.

With a face full of pride Stevie said,

"This was brought by someone who transferred long ago. Robby-sama, you knew about it well, didn’t you?"

She spoke. I could almost see the nose she held high. Because it was a rare occasion she was speaking from a superior position.

"Well, I read about it in a book."

"Robby-sama, you’ve been studying, haven’t you—?"

Even if Stevie was impressed... Anyway, the direction was decided. As long as it was not some place like the Aokigahara Sea of Trees we could proceed with a measure of relief.

Our stomachs were empty, but I felt we shouldn’t eat too much, so we began walking while eating the classic dried meat for times like this. Lily had recovered considerably and walking no longer posed a problem.

"Was the magic that woman magician fired at us earlier mental magic?"

I asked, thinking that perhaps one of the two might have it. Then,

"I think it probably was. I don’t know if it’s correct, but surely it was magic that stops movement? Binding? Restraint? Something of that sort, don’t you think? At that time it was strange — why were you able to move without any problem, Robby-sama?"

Lily asked. At this point it was fine to speak frankly to the two of them.

"Yeah, I have a skill — or ability? — called Mental Magic Resistance."

"Eh!? Since when? I don’t think you had it before."

Lily asked in surprise. It was hard to say I received it from the Queen.

"It attached itself before I realized it."

"Is that so!?"

Both of them were surprised.

"At that time Lily couldn’t move, so why could Stevie move?"

Stevie groaned "uuuun" and said,

"Because I’m an idiot, mental magic doesn’t work on me?"

Then Lily said,

"As expected, because I’m older, has my mental resistance weakened?"

"Maybe it was just chance? The direction of that woman’s hand might have been toward me and Lily."

"Yes. I don’t remember it well, so I don’t know."

The three of us walked along dejectedly.

"Can either of you two use mental magic?"

I asked half in expectation, and they answered,

"I cannot."

"I cannot. Robby-sama, do you perhaps possess the ability?"

As expected, the intention of the question got through.

"Yeah, somehow..."

"Eh, amazing!!"

"Since when?"

Here I would answer honestly.

"Just now, when I cut down the magician, for some reason."

"Is that true!?"

"Amazing, Robby-sama!"

"But I don’t know how to use it?"

"Wouldn’t it be fine if you pointed your hand at the opponent and chanted something, like that magician earlier? When Robby-sama produces water you also chant a spell of that sort, don’t you?"

Lily asked, but when I produced water I only said "water" in my head.

"What kind of spell would it be?"

While saying "uumm," Lily suggested,

"’Binding’ or ’Capture’ or ’Stop,’ perhaps?"

"That might be it. But we won’t know until we try."

Stevie, who had been listening silently until then, said enthusiastically,

"Then please try casting it on me! I’ll be the test subject!"

But I said,

"That’s impossible."

"Why?"

Stevie asked with a puzzled look.

"Because if I cast it on Stevie and it actually takes effect, I don’t know how to release it. What would we do if it never came off?"

"That’s true."

Stevie deflated.

We walked through the forest in silence. When would we ever get out of this forest?