Episode 72 — Frost-burn
～ Part 1 ～
Read at
“It’s boring during daytime. I’m too sluggish to move my body.”
Inside a safe house the blood clan prepared, Sink, while yawning, muttered.
“That’s why we talk to the adventurers and have them move, didn’t we?”
Squinting the pair of red eyes shining in the dim darkness, Glen gently responded.
“It seems those guys always move during the day, they’re incompatible with us. As long as we know the place, we can start a night attack though.”
“That doesn’t matter. If possible, I want to capture several more just like this.”
The Bishop Glen and the Knight Sink didn’t move too much while the sun was out.
Them the blood clan were generally called vampires. The usual image of vampires is that they’re weak to the sun and move only at night, but that was of no importance to the tribe called the blood clan at all. Just that there the factor consumption during the day was intense, so there were many individuals who hated moving in daytime.
Glen and Sink were exemplary examples of that type, basically, in daytime, they just rolled up in bed, lazing around. The clothes they flung off scattered on the floor, they could only ascertain each other existence with the red afterglow flickering in the darkness, their breathes and the touch of each other’s skin.
“Ne~, those adventurers, I wonder if we can trust them?”
While lying on top of Glen, Sink asked in a sugary voice.
“They’re unpleasant, you know. That sort of race somehow seems like they’ll coolly betray us.” (Sink)
“We’re not expecting much from them from the start. Well, if we use imps and ghouls, we’ll have to rein them in when necessary, you know.”
“So in the end, we’ll have to go out huh. Troublesome.”
“Shall we move the Wight King as well?”
“Isn’t that the thing Akeno made? No way I’m relying on that.”
“Good gracious. You’re selfish as usual.”
In the darkness, while firmly feeling Sink’s weight and the scent of her silver hair tickling his nose, Glen bitterly smiled.
Sink hated the Akeno and Suou duo. Glen also didn’t like them though. Therefore, she wasn’t too positive about mobilizing to battlefield the replicas of the ‘Death King’ that Akeno had created by researching a king fragment.
But the Wight Kings could be mass-produced, they were unmistakably superb as war potential. According to the reports, many of their targets hadn’t even woken up to Phase 2, the Wight Kings would be too plenty enough to suppress those guys. Additionally, the king fragment research were progressing, the specs of the produced Wight King itself also seemed to be increasing in overall.
Making sure not to be noticed by Sink, Glen stealthily instructed the imps. Accompany the Wight King to search along the beach. The adventurers had continued their search in that area as well, so if they were to unfortunately encounter each other, they might got defeated by those guys, but well, it wouldn’t hurt even if 1 or 2 of those were lost.
It was quite backbreaking to make sure not to harm the mood of the bored, selfish princess.
After shouting once, it felt refreshing.
Glaring that the swarming imps and ghouls, Kyousuke set up the magic sword. If he was to cooperate with Yukinoshita, would they be able to dispatch this number? Was her freeze beam truly minus 1 trillion 20 millions degree? He missed the chance to ask that.
But he just couldn’t feel like joining force with her to clean up the enemies before him. With the power of «Characteristics Amplification» that Kyousuke had, he could strengthen Yukinoshita’s freeze beam, but he didn’t want to go with that plan at all.
To abandon the effective tactics just because he was a little sulky, how idiotic!
When he loaded magic power to the magic sword, energy dwelled in the blade. This godsend weapon he had obtained had been very helpful. Honestly, his sword handling was as good as an amateur, but he knew that it could show considerable power just by randomly swinging it around.
“(3 months have passed since we came to this world, thinking about it now, it has been choke full of battles…)”
In terms of hand-to-hand combat, he had become considerably used to it while absorbed in battle, still, maybe he should have received some proper guidance at least once. Well, that’s not something I should be thinking about right now.
Even if he left it alone, miracle wouldn’t happen. But it wasn’t in his nature to wait for miracle. While protecting Hakuba, Kyousuke would intercept the ghouls that were going to come in swarms after putting together a formation. ∗Throb∗, there was a pulsing sensation coming from the left arm that was recycled from the demon’s bones.
Despite the connection should have certainly succeeded, his left arm was recklessly stirring as if it was a different creature. The left arm he used to support the handle was clattering and it interfered with his stance.
“U, uuu…”
Exactly at that timing, he heard a groan from behind. Surprised, Kyousuke turned around.
“Hakuba, you woke up!?”
“U, Utsurogi…?”
The unicorn, Hakuba Kazusumi — despite staggering a little — rosed his big body and stood up on his 4 feet. Though giddy for sure, his gait was surprisingly firm. Even while they were doing this, the ghouls were gradually getting closer.
“The other … guys … Inugami…?”
“I only found you. Hakuba, can you move?”
“More or less.”
Hakuba who stood up, shook his head. The horn being swung around was dangerous, so Kyousuke dodged it a little.
Hakuba could move, which meant there was no need to forcibly fight here anymore.
The shivering on Kyousuke’s left arm settled. While holding the sword with his right arm, he touched Hakuba with his left. That moment, Hakuba’s body was wrapped up in a faint light, his wounds closing. Hakuba was circulating his life force with his life magic, by amplifying that with Kyousuke’s power, a faint but certain plus was born in the energy cycle.
“It’s more comfortable now. Thank you, Utsurogi.”
“All right, I got it. In this case, we can’t stay for long. Let’s escape.”
Despite roaring so valiantly just now, he was already escaping. It’s a matter of course. Even Kyousuke also valued his life.
Miracle would never happen. He didn’t have any intention of betting on such a thing either.
“…Hey, Hakuba.”
Kyousuke, while straddling on Hakuba’s saddle, suddenly asked.
“What is it?”
“Do you think snow can fall in the desert?”
A question because he recalled Yukinoshita’s expression sometime ago. He felt like he had previously read a novel like that somewhere. Can snow fall in the desert?
Hot-blooded mode Yukinoshita said it’s possible, which meant she thought that it was impossible. Miracles would never happen, so that’s not happening either. Those were indeed words typical of the pessimistic girl. And thinking back now, that was also heavy for Kyousuke.
“What idiotic are you talking about at time like this?”
Answered Hakuba just a little bewildered.
“Yo–you’re right. Sorry.”
“Snow does fall in the desert.”
“Eh?”
“Some years ago, the news said that snow fell in Egypt. Well, it seems to be the first time in several decades though.”
The miscellaneous Hakuba casually uttered stupefied Kyousuke.
Ah, it did fell. He even muttered that kind of stupid impression.
“Don’t be in a daze! You’ll bite your tongue!”
“UOO! I don’t have a tongueee!”
Hakuba hooves gallantly kicked up the sand. In a blink up an eye, he reached a speed that the dimwitted movement of the ghouls could never hope to catch up. Some especially fast individuals among the imps broke out from the formation and were hot on their heels, but Kyousuke cut down the first one while still sitting on Hakuba.
The remaining one dropped its speed and released attack magic. Staring that the small fireball, Kyousuke swung the magic sword again. The sword blade wrapped in energy knocked back the magic which impacted on the beach, scattering a small explosion.
Snow does fall in the desert? Kyousuke ruminated the words Hakuba said just now.
Then will miracle really happen?
At this moment, at this timing, Hakuba woke up. This was much too tiny a coincidence to called it a miracle, but thanks to that, Kyousuke could escape this dilemma without having to fight those lots.
Even if miracles would never happen, if tiny coincidences like this piled up, it would cause an effect no different from a miracle, is it not?
Snow does fall in the desert. Kyousuke firmly gripped the handle of his sword, changing it to conviction.
To be continued…
Comments
Post a Comment