In terms of update frequency and time, it is a little early update.

 

This time, that monster finally appears.

 

__________________________________________

A few minutes of being chased by a horde of monsters.

Swarms of monsters are still targeting us, and their numbers seem to be increasing rather than decreasing.

Perhaps the demons of this area are gathering...... From the point of view of those of us who are being chased, it is nothing but a nuisance.

But it's not without a solution.

If you keep running like this, you should eventually reach the lake where the Mealak is located. If you go there, you can take a boat across the lake. As expected, the monster won't even enter the lake, so if it makes it to the lake, it's here.

 

"The number of trees is getting smaller! It's coming soon!! Usato-dono, are you okay!?"

"I don't have a problem at all!"

"No, isn't it strange that you're running with Bulllyn and the horse?"

 

Ignoring Nea's muttering on her shoulder, she checks on Amako on her back and on the safety of Bullin running next to her.

For the time being, I'm relieved that everyone doesn't seem to be hurt.

 

"Usato, something is going to jump out ...... in front of you!!"

"Is it a monster......

 

I was relieved for a short time, but Amako, who put her hand around my neck and told me in my ear, probably foreseeing the situation a few seconds later.

Nea must have heard as well, casting a spell on her shoulder and sending a restraint spell to her right hand. I immediately created a healing magic bullet in my right palm and threw it as if to release a healing restraint bullet at the same time as the strain in front of me swayed.

There's no time to stand still, and if you try to stop us, you're going to force it open.

 

"Ooooooo Woah!? Ooooooooo!?"

「...... Huh?"

 

As soon as it jumped out of the bushes about fifteen meters away, it was a humanoid monster that was hit directly by a healing restraint bullet.

He has a large body of 2.5 meters.

The ferocious-looking monster looks like a muscular human to the casual observer, but its reddish skin and the large club in its hand tell it is not a human but a monster.

As I became clearer of the stiff figure of the person who had been subjected to the healing restraint bullet, I felt a strange discomfort with the monster in front of me.

Muscular.

Savage weapons.

A terrifying face like a demon.

That?...... Wait a minute, this guy .......

 

"Ogre!? Why is this guy -- Usato!?"

"Was I identified with this......!?"

 

I was told that I looked like such a guy!

Isn't this more of a tough guy?

Until now, I had never known the appearance of a monster called an ogre, and I felt indescribably unreasonable, and I clenched my fists as tightly as possible.

 

"Woo, oooooooooo

"Usato! I'm out of restraint! He's an average opponent--"

"Oh my gosh! Amako!"

"It's okay as it is, the ogre can't react."

 

Hearing Amako's prediction, I stepped in with a split second separating Bulllin and the horse, and then plunged into the ogre's bosom at once, and thrust a powerful healing punch into the pigeon tail.

 

"Hey, are you going to just stick it in!?"

"I'm not so savage!! Eat it!!"

"Listen to me for a while!?"

 

The ogre let out a gasp as the fist was thrust into the air without a sound, and the whites of his eyes were peeled off.

When he slows down, I grab the ogre's right arm and throw him at the horde of monsters that are approaching at the same time as he turns around.

The ogre falls as if crushing the monster in the lead, which slows down the speed of the pack.

At that sight, I scooped up my bangs and smiled.

 

「...... That's totally rude. You can't treat me like a monster like that......

"yes...... I'm not an ogre anymore. It's more than an ogre."

"Oh, that? The Ogre was supposed to be as dangerous a monster as Bulllin...... Am I crazy?"

 

Ignoring the voices above and behind me, I start running again.

But...... Well, the ogre was pretty tough too, but not as strong as Rose. It's not intimidating at all, and above all, if it sinks with a single blow of the fist, it's scarier to be tough, yes.

They're tougher than me, a healing wizard.

However, there are some things that bother me.

 

"Nea, is an ogre something that comes out near where people live?"

"Oh, no, you should only be able to get to places with a lot of magic. I think it probably came out of its dwelling under the influence of that roar...... It's obviously out of the ordinary."

 

After all, this may also be related to the voice I mentioned earlier.

In the meantime, once you've entered the Myalark and secured your safety, tell the Queen of the Mialak about this. If there is an entity that has a strong influence on the demons roaming around the Myalak, it could have a bad effect not only on us, but also on the Mialak.

 

"Mealak is in sight!"

"Huh?"

 

At the sound of Aluk's voice, I turned back to myself and looked ahead.

The trees are gone, and you can see a white city in front of the open landscape. It's not as big as Samariar, but it's still a big city.

 

「...... Usato"

"Hmm? Amako, it's okay. I'm almost on the boat."

"No, it's not......

 

Amako puts her hand on me and leans forward to look into the distance, her eyes widening as if she sees something unbelievable.

Curious, I looked forward and looked in the direction she was looking, but all I could see was the miarak in the lake and the lake shining white reflecting the sun's rays.

 

"Wait a minute."

 

It is good to shine white.

But why isn't the surface of the lake moving?

The lake had frozen as if time had stopped, and I was stunned, so I accelerated at once to grasp the situation and moved to a place where I could see the entire lake.

As we approached the lake, the first thing we felt was chilly.

I felt the temperature drop all at once, as if the seasons had changed only in that place, and I looked around impatiently.

 

"What's going on......!"

"It's frozen!?"

 

What awaited us when we arrived in the floating city of Mialak was...

It was not a beautiful water city surrounded by lakes, but a silver world ruled by ice and transformed without the shadow of a floating city.

 

●

 

The lake is frozen.

And that's also in a pretty wide range.

I was completely accustomed to the world of fantasy, but I couldn't help but be stunned by this scene.

 

"There's no way there's a ship out there...... Mr. Alc!! After all, I'm the one who stops. Mr. Aluk, please go directly to Mialak with Amako and Burlin!!"

 

If he were running normally, Alc's horse would catch up with him.

I can't say that there isn't a possibility that there is an opponent among the monsters who will send something flying, so we have to stop here first.

 

"Huh...... I'm sure Usato-dono, ......!"

"I'll leave as soon as I stop, so it's okay!"

「...... I understand! Don't overdo it!"

 

Mr. Alc nodded with a bitter expression.

I nodded to him, lowered the amako on his back, and put it on the back of Bulllin, who was beside him.

 

"Bulllin, I asked for an amako."

"Grua"

「...... I'm not worried, but I'm sure you'll be back."

"Oh!"

 

I saw the horses of Bullyn and Alc gallop towards Mealak, and I turned to face them as I caught Nea, who had flapped her wings to follow them.

 

"Nea, you're stuck with me."

"Oh, I hate it! Who has to fight like that?! Monsters fight each other along!?"

 

The monsters ...... get along with each other.

He is a little irritated but keeps a smile on his face.

 

"It's okay, I'll protect you."

"If you want to protect me, let me go! That line just feels insane when I say it now!?"

"Well, it's only a minute or two of stopping, it's just a matter of beating and disrupting it."

"I'm not worried about that!?"

 

So much for useless talk.

Spread your legs half a step apart and hold your fists so that you can run at any time.

First, hit the leading ogre to gather hostility.

However, if you poke another monster, you will keep your distance and try to avoid it. If you can sink it with hit and away, let's sink it.

 

"Okay--"

 

At that moment, a terrific crushing sound sounded from behind him.

 

「!?」

"What are you doing this time!?"

 

Thinking of something, I turned around and saw two figures in the frozen lake about 30 meters away from me. One of them is a tall man shirtless, with long hair that makes it hard to believe that he is a man. The other is wearing cracked armor and his gender is unrecognizable.

The man holds a large double-edged axe in his hand that emits a silver-white glow, and he lowers his arms as if he is limp and weak, staring at the armored figure.

The man in armor on the other side--perhaps slammed into the surface of the frozen lake with some tremendous force, groaned in the center of the shattered ice and glared at the long-haired man.

Considering the situation, it can be seen that the people who were making the battle sound that Amako was talking about are these two.

 

「...... ...... the movement of the monster swarm has stopped?"

 

When he saw the monsters, his body trembled as if he were fighting, and he ran away from the spot.

As if I didn't want to be noticed by a terrifying presence, I lightly poked Nea on the shoulder with a bad feeling about the monster fleeing into the forest.

 

"Are you okay, Nea?"

"Hmmm, I don't know what it is, but let's go after the Alcs as soon as possible. With the speed of the horses and the Bulllin, we will be in Mealak in no time, and there is no reason for us to be here anymore......

 

Upset.

Nea who doesn't know what that discipline is?

Sure, Aluk's horse and Bulllyn would get to Mealak in no time, but I've never seen her so frightened.

 

"Ugh......

「―――」

 

A long-haired man slowly walks up to a person in armor who is slammed into the ice and unable to move. He lightly swung the axe in his hand and said--

 

"First of all!?"

"Usato!?"

 

Reflexively jump forward.

No matter how you look at it, that long-haired man doesn't look normal. I don't know if the person in that armor is on my side, but I'm not going to be so inhuman that I miss him being killed.

With a healing spell in my fist, I immediately closed the distance and at the same time slammed a gentle healing punch into the abdomen of the long-haired man who was swinging his axe, knocking him out wide.

At that moment, I felt a strange sensation in my fist.

 

「...... Huh?"

 

What's that, hard?

I didn't feel like I was being held back by my muscles, or that I was punching a zombie.

Confused by the feeling of having punched the hard scales of an evil dragon or a snake, I look back and call out to the person in the armor who looks up at me dumbfounded.

 

"Did you hit ......? ...... him lightly."

"Can you move!?"

"Oh, oh, oh...... Ouch."

 

A person in armor holding down his legs. ...... It's a higher voice than I imagined.

You can't see his expression, but there is no doubt that he is injured all over the place.

I need to heal my injuries with healing magic right away.

I thought so, and he (?) When he runs to him and tries to perform a healing spell, he grabs his hand.

 

"Hurry up and get away ......! No matter how successful the surprise is, he will get up immediately......!"

"What do you mean by getting up--"

"Usato! Behind!!"

 

I hear Nea's voice and hear something breaking behind me, and I can feel the wind cutting towards me. I immediately turned around and saw a long-haired man trying to slam his fist into me.

I thrust my right palm forward and caught the man's fist.

 

"--!"

"Oh, ......!"

 

The impact pierces through the fist.

Although he is surprised by the unexpected power, he puts his strength into his legs to withstand the impact and catches his fist on the contrary.

The long-haired man remains expressionless, his eyes widening.

 

「―――!?」

"Lies...... ...... take it?"

 

For some reason, the armored person behind me is also surprised, but for now, let's focus on what's in front of us.

His eyes seem to show no will, but he feels hostility. ―――It seems that there is no doubt that this is the enemy.

Then,

 

"I'll fix it, so blow it up a little more!!"

 

He pulls his clenched fist together and unleashes a roundhouse kick with his left foot that pulls back wide.

However, the long-haired man catches the kick with his arm holding the axe. - She tried to kick the whole defense, but the kick was completely stopped by the man's tremendous strength.

―――Wow, was it taken head-on!?

The long-haired man puts his arm on the fist that is being held by me. He also sticks his foot into the ice and tries to compete with him, but his opponent is also quite strong, and the strength is equal, and there is a big dent in the ice that is the foothold.

 

「...... Whew......!?"

 

What power......!

If you let your guard down even a little, you'll lose!

Same as me...... Maybe it's more than that.

 

"Are you competing with Usato's idiot power!?"

"Don't tell me I'm out of power, please support me!"

 

Nea activates her magic, pouring a restraining spell from her clenched fist to stop her movement for a moment.

 

「―――!?」

"Hmmm!"

 

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he slams a healing restraint fist into his chest in the form of a thrust from below, punching him even more than before and forcing himself to keep his distance.

It's good that I punched him, but from the feel of his fist, he didn't do much damage.

Shaking my left hand, I let out an impatient voice.

 

"What the hell is that person not ...... human power?"

"Hey, are you serious about that? Do you understand that those words will come back to you?"

 

......。

 

"Even I was barely able to compete with ......! Whew...... I wish I had trained more ...... this!"

"Damn it, no, realize that something is wrong when you're in a fight."

 

I can't hear Nea's words because I have an expression on my face that looks like I'm chewing a bitter worm.

If you can't hear it, you can't hear it.

...... He'll probably get up soon, so there's no time to heal the armored person.

Wary of the long-haired man's attack, I put my hands on the armored man's back and knees and lifted him up.

 

"Hey, what'...... you do?"

"I'm going to leave here."

"You're the only one who can leave!" I put on armor...... He's not sweet enough to carry himself and run away!"

 

Does this person know who that long-haired man is?

Then I'll have to ask you about it later.

 

"Don't worry, I'm used to it."

"What are you used to...... Ugh!?"

 

Holding the person in the armor, he leaves the place at full speed.

Traveling with people is my main job as a lifesaver. It doesn't change even if he wears armor, in fact, all the knights wore armor during the battle of the Demon King's army, so there is no reason to lift this person and run.

Besides, there is no way I, a healing wizard, would run away leaving the injured ......!

 

"Pain, but...... Isn't this healing magic?"

"It's a healing spell, the injury is not a big deal, so it heals quickly!"

"Hey, are you a healing wizard!? And yet you were dealing with him!?"

"Yes...... Whew!"

 

You hear a loud bang behind you, and you hear something approaching you as you break the ice.

I don't know if they've been chasing me or what they're like, but don't think they'll catch up with me with their legs...... As I quicken my pace, the signs get farther and farther away.

The person in the armor he was holding seemed to be able to see behind him, which took his breath away.

 

"Who are you, ......?"

"I'm Usato, an emissary from the Lingle Kingdom, a "normal" healing wizard. I came to give Mearlak an important letter, ....... Well, what about you?"

 

Nea on his shoulder mutters in a low voice, "It's not normal, ......," but he ignores it and asks the armored man who squirms.

Then, his helmet trembles as if he were staggering.

 

"I'm Leo--hmm! Go away!"

 

At the panicked voice of the armored man, he reflexively jumps away.

The next moment, a large icicle from the sky pierced the place where I had been earlier. The icicles scatter a tremendous amount of cold air and burst like shotguns.

My eyes widened in surprise as I took a wide distance, and when I shifted my eyes to the direction from which the icicles would have flew, I saw a long-haired man approaching me with a double-edged axe, followed by many icicles falling from the sky.

 

"Annea, it's a resistance spell!!"

"I'm already doing it!?"

 

If I get hit by icicles with such shotguns, I'm in danger of Nea and the people in the armor!

Perhaps my tolerance for ice gravel has been developed, and I am enveloped in magic, so I concentrate on dodging the icicles that rain down.

 

「...... What the hell is that? It's beyond magic!!"

"I feel a lot of power from that axe...... It's not an ordinary power, is it!?"

 

Supporting the armored person with only one hand, he knocks off the shotgun with the other.

By the time all the icicles had finished falling, the long-haired man who had pulled them away was quite close.

 

"I'm sorry, I ...... got you involved in our fight."

 

The person in the armor he was holding said weakly.

On the other hand, the long-haired man thrusts his axe vigorously into the icy ground, takes a deep breath, and lets out a loud cry that cannot be imagined from his expressionless voice, like an angry voice.

 

"Ooo

「...... Oh my gosh."

 

After all, was this the person who was causing the monster to run ......?

And is that what caused the ice to freeze this lake?

Be ready to move at any time.

 

"His name is Charon."

 

The person in the armor I was holding was trembling and muttering softly in a voice that only I could hear, as if he was seeing something painful.

 

"Originally a human ...... He was supposed to be a hero."

 

"Originally" we were human.

He was supposed to be a hero.

I couldn't help but realize that this situation was infinitely worse.

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A formidable enemy has appeared.