Chapter 198

My body swayed. My feet were heavy. I hadn’t felt anything at first, but now the weight of both swords seemed to pull me down. How easy would it be to just fall down and rest here… That was how tired I was.

However, I didn’t know what would happen. What if that Loup-garou came back to life even after I had chopped it into three pieces? And so I couldn’t stop.

Suddenly, I noticed that something was strange, and I looked down at my feet.

“Woah…are you kidding me…”

I hadn’t noticed it at all up until now. Though, I did think it was a little chilly.

The wind dragon trousers were torn and shredded. It was probably because of Legs of the God Wolf…

“Huhhh…and they were such good materials…”

While they weren’t from a full-grown dragon, it was shocking that this could happen. This wind. Well, I had pushed it to its limits, so maybe I shouldn’t complain now. It was probably just seconds away from tearing off all my skin as well. Imagine if I was killed by the power of my master? Some protection it was.

However, there was no point in whining about it now. And so I walk in my new pair of shorts to the Loup-garou.

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“…Hmm. It does seem to be dead.”

The last time I had seen it, it had been cut into three pieces and frozen. The wounds were sealed and the blood was hard as a rock. It would probably shatter if I smashed against the ground. And while that may seem like a waste of materials, wearing any of it as equipment was a good way to get cursed. I wasn’t sure what would happen if someone else wore it, but it probably wouldn’t be good.

Well, that about wraps things up. I had used power that I was not accustomed to, and I felt very drained. In any case, I decided to just encase the corpse in ice for now. Thanks to the ice magic boosting attributes of my armor, I was at least able to do this in spite of being exhausted.

When the big mountain of ice was complete, my eyes caught those of the Loup-garou.

“Huh…”

I was tired. The sun was already starting to come down. I figured that I might as well rest a little on the top of the iceberg. It seemed like a place that would be safe from monsters.

And so I used the last of my strength to climb to the top with Legs of the God Wolf, and then I thrust my sword into it. After that, I just leaned against the sword and closed my other eye. It should not be too long until the hunting team arrived.

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“Uhhh…”

I awoke with a feeling of pain. When my eyes opened, the sky spread out before me. Was I dead?

“Ah, captain. Miss Daniela has awakened.”

“Hm? Oh.”

I heard a voice and I turned to see who it was. It was no one I knew. Just an ordinary guard. But I also knew that I was alive, which was a relief.

“I’m captain Saragi, of the southern gate. It seems like you can talk. And you were conscious earlier.”

“Aye… I feel pain all over, but my mouth can move.”

“That’s good. I can now tell you about the situation.”

What Saragi told me sounded very bad. I had memories of some of it. The Loup-garou that should have been dead had begun to exhale black energy, and so I unsheathed my sword. I did not know what was happening, but it was clearly dangerous, and yet I could do nothing but stare back at it.

And then, surprisingly, its once silver fur began to turn black. I had never seen anything like this happen before. I started to move back as I sensed the danger, but then a black wind flew towards me. And that was the last thing I remember.

Apparently, Asagi had brought the town guards shortly after that. They focused on treating me while Asagi went out alone to finish off the Loup-garou. He was probably doing it as revenge…that would be very like him.

We were now on our way back to Yukka. They would make a report and send out a hunting team.

“So…when can I go back?”

“Wait a minute. You can’t go out there with such wounds!”

“Just answer the question.”

“…Evening at the earliest. The Loup-garou has been quite dangerous of late, so a draft has already been prepared for a hunting team. We just need to call them and relay the plan. But it’ll be close to night time when they all arrive.”

“That is too late. He is fighting out there alone even now.”

I forced myself up. Pain racked my body.

“But that is as fast as it can be. Besides, they would have to be carrying you.”

“Do not bother yourselves about me. You must send the hunting party as soon as possible!”

“Not bother with you…? But the only reason he went out there was because of you!?”

He said this with an angry glare. There was no hate, but his look had a strong will. I could see that he too wished to return as soon as possible and join Asagi.

“…Do you have any potions?”

“I do, but…”

“Give me all of them. Do it now.”

A guard who was nearby hesitated and then offered me a bag. I took it and saw that it was full of little bottles. And so I opened one and drank its contents. The heat slowly spread throughout my body. But it was not enough. I had to heal my wounds in order for my energy to return. And so I tore off my ruined clothes and poured the potion over my skin.

“Hey-hey…wait a…”

Saragi averted his eyes awkwardly, but I had no time to think about his reaction. I did not care who saw me now as I went about healing my wounds.

“This one will not heal…”

It was the worst one. Unfortunately, there was a long slash that went down my chest. I had avoided such terrible wounds up until now…keeping myself clean. Would Asagi still find this body beautiful?

“Yes…of course, he would.”

Besides, it was I who held him. There was no point in worrying about what he thought.

Now, while I have scars, the wounds are all sealed. So I just have to recover my strength.

“Saragi. Do you have Asagi’s bag with you?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes. He only took his weapons and equipment while leaving the bag…”

“Give it to me.”

I stretched out my hand but Saragi just pointed. I looked to see that the bag was behind me. Ah, so there it was. Asagi’s little doll was hanging on it. Yes, it was the hollow bag.

I took out a clean cloth from it and wiped the excess potion off of my body. And then I took my armor and put it on. My sword and bow had been recovered and were inside as well.

And lastly, I put on the chained ore gauntlets.

“Is that chained ore? It’s very rare…you wouldn’t…”

“You have a terrible intuition. Why would I use it for such a thing?”

“Ahaha…sorry.”

I glared at Saragi as he raised his hands and chuckled. Then I pulled some food out of the bag and ate. Really. As if I would capture the weak and sell them as slaves? It was preposterous. If I were to use them, I would use them on Asagi for a little fun. …Yes, that was an amusing idea.

By the time there was a mountain of empty boxes and crumpled paper around me, we arrived at the south gate. When I looked up at the sky, I could see it was still midday. So much had happened that it was hard to keep track of time.

“You wait at the guardhouse, Daniela. We’ll gather everyone together as soon as possible. We should be able to leave within two hours.”

“Aye. Be quick.”

“I know. Be patient, alright? Haste makes waste, you know?”

“A Hero used to say that. I am not stupid.”

It was words often said by a Hero who had come to this world a long time ago. There were many others, and they became known as Hero Speech.

Saragi nodded as he got up onto his horse and into town. I found myself staring at the gate for some time, but then a guard finally assured me inside.

After that, I spent some time asking the wind spirits about what was happening in the forest.

‘The black wolf is running wild.’

‘The wind is scary…’

‘The black wolf and the man with black hair are fighting.’

‘The forest is too scary today.’

I thanked them and they left through the cracks in the window and flew off into the town.

“I see…”

Asagi was still well. He was fighting with the evolved Loup-garou. But the spirits’ information was vague, so I prayed for his safety.

As I gazed out the window, there was a knock on the door.

“Daniela, are you in there?”

“Saragi?”

“Yeah. The men are here. We can go and hunt the Loup-garou.”

And so I fixed my sword to my belt and left the room. Saragi and the guard who had given me the potions were waiting in the hallway.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course. Ah, that is right. Thank you for the potions. I shall pay for them later.”

“Oh, it is fine…”

The guard waved her hands in protest, but I believed it was only right. It was always good to repay a debt. It was a trick to living.

I patted her on the shoulder and smiled, assuring her that she need not be so modest. And then she nodded.

“Alright, let’s go then. The others are waiting.”