Chapter 434: Konoka Secured!

While casting "Healing" on Lily, I noticed that my body was thoroughly soaked. I had been wet from the start, but while fighting I had been concentrating and forgotten. Now, coming back to myself, I was wet and noticed the cold.

"I’m already fine. Sorry for the trouble."

Lily took my hand and moved it away from her thigh.

"Try jumping up. Is squatting and stretching all right?"

"Yes, like this!"

As I said, she showed me by jumping and squatting and stretching. She might be forcing it, but it seemed all right for now.

"Then let’s go."

"Yes."

We jumped up onto the roof again. This time Lily followed as well.

Looking down from atop the castle wall, the light of torches could be seen below.

"Could that be around Konoka?"

"Surely so."

"Is it possible that Her Majesty the Queen’s people have found Konoka and are trying to protect her?"

"That might be, but if it were Her Majesty the Queen’s people, I don’t think they would line up torches so openly. Wouldn’t it be done more secretly?"

"Indeed. Then does that mean those are guys trying to abduct Konoka?"

"Surely so."

"Then let’s go help."

"I think it would be better to land a little distance away. If we are found and Konoka is taken as a hostage, it will be troublesome." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"That is also true."

We moved along the top of the castle wall and landed at a point a little away from where the torches were gathered. After landing and looking toward the torches, it looked as though they were excitedly making a racket. The cause was predictable. I thought it couldn’t be, but in this rain, Konoka wasn’t being gang-raped or something, right? Thinking that, impatience suddenly welled up.

"Let’s go!"

"Yes!"

We dashed to the torches. Good, it seemed Konoka had not yet been attacked. However, there were guys saying various things and touching her body. That one was kneading her chest! Anyway, these guys were all to be killed. Starting from the ones nearby, I beheaded them. Heads flew interestingly.

"Aan!?"

One noticed me. Drawn by that one’s voice, the others also turned toward me. In the meantime Lily went to Konoka. For the time being she was secured. With this she would not be taken as a hostage.

If so, it was best to dispose of all these guys. Since I disliked being illuminated as well, I cut off the hands holding the torches.

"Gyaaaa!"

Screams rose, but without caring I cut them down. And in no time I had brought them all down. There had been no particularly impressive ones more than I thought. There were some at their last gasp, but there was no need to finish each one off individually.

Then, even if I made Konoka run, it would not be particularly fast, so when I said I would carry her on my back, for some reason the hesitating Konoka was forcibly put on my back, and we began moving aiming for the meeting point with Her Majesty the Queen’s people that had been indicated by Her Majesty the Queen. It must have been bad that I had the insolent thought that rather than meeting up, it would have been better if Her Majesty the Queen’s people had protected Konoka from the start. An arrow that flew from the darkness struck my thigh. With the impact I tumbled forward. Naturally, with the momentum, I threw Konoka forward. I plunged my face into the muddy water.

"It hurts——"

When I looked at where the arrow had pierced, had the tip gone in 5 cm? It was firmly stuck. In the middle of the plain there was no place to hide the body, so from the mana bag I put out anything that could serve as a barrier in the direction the arrow had probably come from. Anyway I surrounded the surroundings so we could hide our bodies. Then I held my breath and searched for presence. Immediately gat! gat! sounds came. Hmm, it seemed they were shooting from the direction of the middle of the open field.

Around the Royal Capital, from the castle wall for about 200 m to 500 m there was nothing, and grassland spread out. No trees grew at all. This was probably so that when enemies attacked, there would be nothing to hide behind. Even the grass had no long ones, and I thought this was surely cut periodically. We had been told that a hideout was prepared in the forest, so we had been trying to enter the forest once. Those guys who had attacked Konoka, their hideout was probably also in the forest. Anyway I placed the voluminous things that had been in the mana bag around me. Konoka seemed to be rolling nearby as well, so it should be all right for the time being. Which of me and Konoka had that aimed at?

Lily came to my place before Konoka’s. And suddenly,

"I’ll pull the arrow out. I think it will hurt, but please endure!"

Saying that, she gripped the arrow and yanked it out! She pulled it out!!

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts hurts hurts!!"

I rolled from the excessive pain. Tears came out!

"What are you saying! You’re a boy, aren’t you!"

"Even a boy, pain is pain!"

"Yes yes, ’Healing’! Yes, how is it?"

"Uuu still stinging."

"Yes, just a little more endurance, so please endure——"

"Um——, sorry to interrupt your fun, but"

In the middle of the harmonious conversation between me and Lily, Konoka entered.

"What is it?"

I asked carelessly.

"..."

Naturally I was met with silence.

"Sorry. Konoka, are you injured?"

"Like an afterthought."

I was grumbled at in a small voice. After saving her, that was a bit much, I thought, but it must mean Konoka was also feeling relieved.

"I’m fine! My face hit and it hurts, but I hit my face earlier too, so I don’t care anymore. And I’m covered in mud and soaked, so no matter what I say it’s useless."

Oh, she’s quite talkative? I thought she had been made more depressed, but has she gained the energy to sulk? After nearly dying once, has her true self come out? Even if one thinks they want to die, once they nearly die, they no longer say they want to die—that kind of thing?

While thinking that, the sound of arrows hitting stopped.

"Nn?"

Konoka said something.

"What?"

"Be quiet... coming, get down!!"

Konoka grabbed my head and slammed it to the ground....