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159 [Altora] Each One’s Motive – Part 2

 

「[Sword Saint]—ACTIVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!」

Altora vanished.

It was a movement so fast that even Marge, wielder of [God’s Eye Drive], had once failed to track it. Not even the sharp senses of the monsters could follow that blinding acceleration.

In the next instant, a chimera’s neck burst open in a spray of crimson. A second. A third. Each one fell, spouting blood like a fountain.

「What the hell is that speed…?」

「Far beyond what we’d heard. That’s outside even the potential range of [Sword Saint].」

「It must come at a cost, but… if he can keep that up, then maybe—」

Slaughtering the fourth chimera, Altora returned to where Eria and Gordon were. His entire body was soaked in red—not just the monsters’ blood, but his own as well.

Seeing the chimeras die in the blink of an eye, and seeing Altora return alive, Gordon felt a surge of hope—only to realize how naïve he had been.

「Hahh… Hahh… Hahh…」

「Altora—! You’re bleeding—」

「Old wounds. Don’t worry about it.」

What covered Altora wasn’t just the monsters’ blood.

Years of adventuring, being hunted by Angelina, the battle with Marge, imprisonment, and interrogations—his entire body bore the marks of those scars. And now, intense exertion and rapid circulation had torn them open, mixing his own blood with the spray of his enemies to stain his crimson armor an even deeper red.

「You didn’t say it’d do that to you!」

「Didn’t happen when I fought Marge. But hey, a torn wineskin always leaks easier, no matter how much you patch it up.」

If he kept this up, Altora would die. That much was obvious to anyone.

And yet—there was no other option.

「[Sword Saint]—Activate! The Verdant Decay takes away the pain, so no problem!!」

Once more, Altora’s body vanished from view.

Gordon slapped himself hard across the face and turned to face the oncoming wave of monsters head-on.

「Eria… do you think if we used our skills the same way as Altora, we’d get that strong too?」

「Speculation: not recommended. Verdant Decay appears to trade precision for an overwhelming boost in output. It is ill-suited for precision-reliant skills like [Ancient Wisdom] or the hardening-focused [Obsidian].」

「Yeah… if I tried that with [Obsidian], I’d probably end up with arms that won’t even harden.」

「More importantly—」

Among the horde of monsters, silver flashes flickered from time to time. The reflection of moonlight off a blade—the only sign of where Altora was.

Watching that shine in silence, Eria continued flatly:

「Given Altora’s personality, the odds of him letting us use Verdant Decay are slim. He can’t stand not being the one who’s special. The main character.」

「That idiot… Then we’ll just do what we can. We make sure he can focus on the big ones. Got it?」

「Needless question. This time, I will offer full support. It is critical to prevent any monsters other than the chimeras from breaching the defensive line.」

「Seriously, our leader’s such a reckless mess…!」

Monsters other than chimeras began pouring in.

To keep them from getting in Altora’s way, Gordon and Eria began to move. Altora, noticing their support, let out a feral cackle.

「Now we’re talkin’—time for a delightful, delightful beast hunt! Once this is over, let’s raise a toast with their blood and meat!!」

◇

At the same time—

The Narshe military was beginning to panic.

The swarm of monsters should have long since reached Fathie, and yet there was no sign of any attack. The horde had definitely been released—enough to bring despair—and headed toward the town, yet it remained untouched.

Even the elderly human who had been with Remonde until yesterday couldn’t hide his confusion.

「…Something’s wrong. Marge is dead. The few warrior Elves are dead. So why hasn’t the town been overrun?」

Altora had brought in the poisoned liquor. Remonde had stormed in. Marge had fallen, lifeless on the floor.

That’s what the informant planted in the Vehl Family had reported.

With Marge—the invincible threat—out of the picture, only unarmed, impoverished Elves remained in the slums of Fathie. All it should have taken was the monsters. There should have been no way the plan failed.

And yet, someone had held the monsters at bay before they could reach the town.

「What the hell is going on…?」

As if to deepen the mystery, a messenger burst in.

「Report! Elves sighted escaping the town!」

「Direction and numbers?」

「Th-they’re fleeing in all directions—north, south, east, and west! We can’t get a count! It appears to be a coordinated operation!」

「Remonde’s doing, no doubt. A desperate ploy… but if the town survives, it’ll be a problem.」

They had prepared for the possibility of the monsters not assaulting the town. If that happened, the plan was simply to have the soldiers torch the slums where the Elves lived.

They had also prepared for the possibility that the Elves might escape the assault. In that case, the soldiers would give chase.

But monsters flooding in and the town staying untouched? That had never been on the table.

If Fathie had a force strong enough to repel that horde, sending in more troops would just lead to pointless casualties. And they wouldn’t have enough men left to pursue the Elves either.

Focusing all forces on pursuit would leave the town vulnerable.

「What’s the opinion of the War Council?」

「They’re split—whether to focus on chasing the Elves or on dealing with the town! When I left, the consensus was leaning toward dividing the troops half and half!」

「Fools.」

Clicking his tongue at their indecisive conclusion, the man saw straight through the cowardly logic behind it.

「They’re afraid of being blamed no matter what they choose. So they half-ass both and fail at both. A common failure in bloated organizations.」

「We never imagined something like this would happen… I hesitate to say it, but this unit…」

「Is just a collection of leftovers from the real army, off on expedition. It’s only natural that their weakness shows when the unexpected happens. Unless… someone planned for this. That would require more cunning than I’d expect from Elves…」

Still, one thing was clear: someone—or something—was protecting Fathie with overwhelming force.

Until the scouts confirmed who it was, they’d have to act.

The man issued an order to the messenger.

「You said the Elves have all escaped?」

「Almost certainly, yes.」

「Then this is simple. If they were here, this would never work. But with them gone, now’s our chance.」

「Sir? What do you mean to do?」

「A small team is enough. Gather soldiers and infiltrate Fathie. There is only one mission—」

He drew out a vial of blue liquid.

It was marked with the clear sign of poison.

「Poison the eastern well. I don’t care who is defending Fathie—no one can survive without water. They will drink. And they will die.」

◇

「…And that, I suspect, is what my master would do.」