Chapter 151

I blocked the sword and rammed my shoulder into the first guard so that he fell into the wall. Perhaps I was being too soft to still hope to kill as little as possible in this situation, but they were guards. We still didn’t know everything that was happening here, and I was scared that the truth might be more than it seemed. They were helping the bandits, that was for sure, but would we be held responsible for killing them?

“Daniela? Who are they?!”

“Eve is the leader of the bandits! So they are…”

So they were bandits who were pretending to be guards?!

“No, they are official guards. My subordinates all gained their positions under me through the proper routes.”

“Under you!”

It was clearly illegal! So they were all bandits!

A sword swung down at me again, and I blocked it with the Glampanzer. The soldier sneered at me as he pressed forward. Bandits. Yes, I could see it in that face…!

“Kill them both!”

“Aye, boss!”

The bandits swarmed around us. I blocked an attack from the back with an ice sword and unleashed ice arrows at the bandits coming from my left and right. No matter how rotten, they lived as guards, and so they had armor supplied by their country. The ice arrows were not able to penetrate the armor, but it did make them stumble.

The use of multiple spells at once must have been surprising, because the pressure on the sword weakened for a second. I saw my chance and pushed the sword away and then slashed at his wrists. Taking them out of the fight was all we needed to win.

“Daniela!”

“Aye!”

Let’s get out of here. Daniela’s magic blasted the guards who blocked our way to the entrance.

…However, her wind was intercepted by Eve. When had she moved? And she had somehow stopped Daniela’s magic.

“I happen to be quite adept with wind magic as well.”

“Annihilation…!”

If they had the same attribute, you could annihilate a spell by using the same amount of energy against it. What impudence… In any case, it meant that she could at least match Daniela when it came to wind magic.

I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, but we couldn’t panic now.

Slowly, Daniela and I moved towards them with our swords held up in front of us.

“So, how did you become the captain of the guards?”

Daniela glared at Eve as she asked.

“Hmph. It was a simple matter. I merely captured the captain who had been chasing us. A little torture and brainwashing followed. He was my slave after that. And then I just claimed to be his wife and took command of the town. It took a long time, but eventually, the place became well corrupted.”

I see. It was possible because elves lived so long. But torture and brainwashing…horrible. But this at least told me that the town had once been a safe place. The country had attempted to cleanse it before, but it would have been difficult with such a captain in power. In other words, would the town return to normal if she went down…? No, it wouldn’t. It would also take an incredible amount of time. But if nothing was done now, the corruption would only spread.

“That’s hardly our job…”

“What? What did you say?”

“Nothing. The only thing we’ll be doing is escaping from here!”

Magic rises. It is dark blue. Ice Magic, a favorite of Asagi Kamiyashiro.

“What…”

Eve was quick to react, but not quick enough. My magic was already controlling the room. Well, the floor anyway.

“Frostheim.”

Everyone in the room except for Daniela and I were now sealed in ice.

“Damn it!”

Eve was struggling desperately, but unless she could deactivate my magic, she could not be freed.

And since I had solidified the actual moisture in the room, it would not melt quickly.

“Daniela, while we still can!”

“Aye! I will kill her!”

“Not…”

Daniela rushed forward at full speed and thrust the rapier of the tree of life and death into Eve’s chest.

“Ha…ah…”

“It looks like this is the end for you and your rotten men.”

“Damn…damn it…!”

My hand reached out towards Daniela, but I didn’t move. Had it truly been necessary to kill…?

“Damn it, damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn it!! Damn you!!!”

“!?”

However, in spite of being pierced through the chest, Eve was howling quite loudly. I didn’t understand. This wasn’t normal.

“Daniela, move back!!”

I could see that Eve was enveloping herself with magic. I had a horrible feeling about it. Just as Daniela used a burst of wind magic to throw herself back, Eve’s body erupted into flames.

“Tsk…so it was no use.”

“What’s happening?!”

“Eve can use both wind and fire magic. And long ago, she stole a magic substitute tool from me.”

Substitute? So not only was that last attack useless, but now my ice had melted, and we lost our only chance to escape?

“Damn it! You made me waste it… Daniela!!”

“Hmph. It belonged to me. It is no business of yours what I do to it now!”

“AHHHHHH!!! DIEE!!”

A whirl of fire shot out towards us. Daniela raised a wall of earth to block it. However, it was still hot. I felt like I was being burned alive even if it didn’t touch me directly.

“Daniela, what should we do?!”

“We will not be able to force our way passed them. Asagi, pull through somehow. I am going to blow this building away!”

“A tornado! Leave it to me!’

If she used that to clear the area, we would have a 360 degree escape route.

I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf and waited for my chance. I was waiting for the moment that the whirl of fire stopped. And in that moment, I would seal her movements.

“AHHHHH!!!”

Eve’s enraged cry sounded just as the fire disappeared. Now…!

“Hahh!”

“What?!”

I thrust my sheathed sword into her stomach as hard as I could. It would have killed her without a doubt, had it been a naked blade, but like this, it would at least hurt enough that she’d wish she were dead. In fact, she could not stand the pain and collapsed on the floor.

“Boss! How dare you!!”

The soldiers who were still fixed to the ground began to throw their swords, but I blocked them with an ice shield. I retreated then, but Daniela seemed to be taking extra long to use her magic.

“Daniela, how much longer?!”

“…!!”

But there was no answer. Instead, immense power filled the room.

Within seconds, my sanity felt like it was being chipped away. I was panicking. The bandits were glaring at me. Eve looked at us, and I could see that she was slowly standing up. This was bad!!

“Yoooouuu!!!”

Her eyes were bloodshot as she got up and raised her hands. Magic began to concentrate there. Shockingly, each hand was using a different spell. Her right hand had wind, her left hand had fire. I hadn’t expected her to be able to do that…!

I quickly prepared some magic of my own. This time, I was sure that she would create an even bigger storm of fire, and so I made several layers of ice shields. It was just as I had created the eighth, that Eve’s magic triggered.

“DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

The violent wind around her right hand caught the fire in her left. That caused it to burn so much hotter. The enhanced power of the combined spells tore through my first four shields in a second. It was incredible. Unpredictable…!

“Die, die!!”

“DIEE!!!”

“AHH…!!”

“…!! Alright! Now stand back!!”

Stand back! I can’t even move!

“It’s no use. Just do it!!”

“As if!! Get away somehow!!”

“If I move now, she’ll get you! Hurry!!”

If she waited any longer, her energy would go berserk out of a need for release. That would be pointless.

“It’s fine. I’m protected by the wind! Do it!”

“…Ahhhghhh!!”

Daniela groaned, but I could feel the magic coming towards me. I turned around and saw that her eyes were full of tears as she looked at me. Sorry… But I promise, I’ll make it out of here. Don’t worry.

I sent magic into the wind dragon armor I was wearing. It almost looked like it was glowing, but maybe that was just the fire.

“You damned bastards!!!”

Eve’s magic rushed towards us. There was only one shield of ice left. I had done well up until now. Good job Asagi. Good job.

Eve did her best as well. The last attack was more powerful than the others, and the shield began to crack.

Just then, a horrible wind attacked me from behind. It was Daniela’s magic.

Perhaps it was because of my clothes, but I didn’t feel it as much as I had expected.