Maseki Gurume – Vol 4 Chapter 4 Part 4

It’s Ko-Fi’s Supporters’ chapter (51/87), enjoy~

ED: Lonely-Matter

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Part 4

 

A reminder is a reminder.

After finishing firing all the bullets from the magic stone cannon, Ain joined Lloyd. It was a great victory without a single casualty, and everyone, without exception, had a radiant smile on their face.

“We did it! It’s the greatest victory of all!”

“Yes. Thanks to Lloyd-san and the others.”

“We were just following orders. Almost all of our planning was done according to Ain-sama’s suggestions.”

“…We had a lot of luck.”

If he were asked to do it all over again, he would never do it.

“Father. Shouldn’t we confirm that it is dead or alive, just in case?”

“That’s true, but… the place is too dangerous.”

“Certainly. That water looks really cold, doesn’t it?”

If they jumped into the water in such extreme cold, they would get frostbite in no time.

“But there was a lot of bombardment. Even if it is not dead, it should still be on the verge of death.”

The first thing they need to do is to prepare for the retreat. The royal knights are also tired, but they should not leave the magic stone cannon behind.

It’s not as bad as when they left the town because they didn’t have any ammunition.

Ain was overcome by fatigue and sat down on the ground.

“Come to think of it, Lloyd-san was really awesome.”

“Mm? Was I?”

“I didn’t think you could catch an attack with a sword and destroy its scales… I realized how amazing it is to be that strong with just one sword.”

“Hahahahaha! It’s an honor to be praised by you!”

What is regrettable is the durability of the sword. If Lloyd’s great sword was harder, it might have been able to take away one of the front legs.

“That’s thanks to the fact that His Majesty the First weakened it, I suppose. Now, I will send out instructions to the royal knights. Please rest a little longer with Dill, Ain-sama.”

“Hmm, thank you.”

Ain finally got some rest. He can’t wait to get back to town and tell Krone that he’s okay.

“I feel like I’ve already completed all of my plans, even before going to the former Demon Lord’s territory.”

“Me too. But about Ain-sama’s body and also the Red Fox. There is still a lot of work to be done…”

“It wouldn’t hurt to add a day off to the schedule, would it?”

“At least, I agree with that.”

“Well, I guess I’ll talk to Krone about it.”

For that reason, he wanted to go back as soon as possible.

It is also necessary to find out if the Upashikamui is alive or dead, but it is impossible to find out without a ship or something at least. So, after all, it was necessary to return to the town once.

Ain looked out over the lake for some reason.

“…Hmm?”

“Oya, is something wrong?”

“I don’t know; I just thought it was starting to freeze.”

The crushed ice is slowly forming a thin film on the surface of the water.

“The sun is almost gone, and the temperature is dropping.”

“Oh, I see. I wonder if that’s why.”

With a light-hearted reply, he looked up at the sky, which was slightly starry.

Then, there was a creaking sound coming from the lake.

“What was that sound?”

“It doesn’t sound like the Upashikamui has moved ── but…”

“Then what was that sound?”

Standing up, Ain narrowed his eyes.

He stared at the Upashikamui and then at the water around it. He could certainly hear the sound. No, it’s not just being heard; it’s being increased.

The ice layer thickens and expands.

“──Lloyd-san!”

The moment he was about to tell him that it was still alive.

“Aaa… Giguaaaaaaaa.”

The Upashikamui screamed out, radiating cold air from its body that froze its eyelashes. The water in the lake instantly froze, giving it a foothold.

The Upashikamui escaped the lake and quickly found Ain’s location.

“Ha… Guuah… aaaaaa──!”

It was even more furious than before and rushed towards Ain in a straight line.

There is no more ammunition left for the magic stone cannon. When the words “defeat” came to Ain’s mind, another plan flashed into his mind almost simultaneously.

No, it’s too early to give up.

“…I’ll defeat it.”

There’s only one weapon left.

Dill stretched out his arm to pull Ain next to him, and Lloyd ran up to him with such a strong concentration that his movement seemed to be in slow motion.

Ain’s gaze drifted away from the Upashikamui and toward the nearby hills.

Everyone, including the royal knights, was approaching to protect Ain.

“This way!”

Everyone chased after Ain, who started to run.

In order to keep the distance between him and the Upashikamui, who was approaching in the blink of an eye, Ain used his illusory hand to break the ice on the ground and ran.

Then the ice on the lake cracked one after another, and the Upashikamui’s back legs slipped and fell into the water.

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, everyone whipped their exhausted bodies.

“No, Ain-sama! That’s not the direction of the town!”

Lloyd said, and Ain replied in a relaxed voice.

“That’s fine!”

“W-what do you intend to do…?”

“I have a weapon to kill it. First, I need to run fast!”

When the group stepped into the forest, a roar immediately rang out from behind them.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

It was the cry of an enraged Upashikamui trying to kill Ain at all costs.

 

 

While running desperately through the forest, which is difficult to advance, Ain never forgot the presence of a person approaching from behind. Eventually, he came to a slope and was relieved to see that he was heading in the right direction.

The foliage over his head was gradually diminishing, and he could see the remains of the first king’s outstanding achievement.

“It’s the monster that the first king let escape! No one will complain if I use that skull!”

It’s an ogre’s skull, which is now considered an important asset as a trace of the first king’s great deeds.

As he approached, Dill sensed Ain’s intentions.

“A-are you out of your mind?”

“It could not have been better!”

It’s really the only weapon available. It’s unfortunate that there are no other strong weapons available.

In order to absorb the magic stone, like when he defeated the sea dragon, he must first know where the magic stone is, and above all, the thick scales and sturdy bones will not allow him to do so.

“That’s dangerous.”

“It’s too late for that!”

At this point, Ain increased his running speed. The distance opened up with an extra force and acceleration that surprised the exhausted Lloyd and the others. His physical abilities already surpassed those of most royal knights. Dill knew in his heart that Ain would not stop no matter what he said and wondered if there was anything he could do.

In response to his thoughts, Ain continued to speak.

“So, I have one request for you, Dill.”

“Ha… ha!”

“It’s a very important job.”

Dill swallowed his saliva as he heard the words.

“I think I’ll be too tired to get up after I kill the Upashikamui. So at that time, I need you to carry me on your back!”

“K…kkuh… Yeah, leave it to me. I’ll carry you wherever you want to go!”

Ain was running ahead of him, and he stepped into the hills.

In the silver world all around, there is a strange and huge skull left behind. The mouth was still open, and the sharp upper and lower fangs were still intact.

The single horn extending from its forehead could deliver a fatal blow with a simple throw.

“Giaaaaaaaaaaa.”

A little later, the Upashikamui also left the forest. It appeared away from Dill, Lloyd, and the group of royal knights, kept Ain in sight and moved its feet toward Ain alone.

 

 

Running down the slope of the hill, Ain was within striking distance of the ogre’s skull.

“The Ogre… looks like such a powerful monster.”

Even so, it was still running away from the Upashikamui?

He wondered how strong the Upashikamui was when the first king had not taken one of its eyes and its wings were still intact. It might have been a more difficult enemy than the sea dragon, which makes Ain shudder just thinking about it.

“The first king was really too out of the ordinary.”

Thanks to him, the Upashikamui was wounded, and Ain was able to come this far.

──The last move is up to him.

“Gaaaaa… Fuu… Aaaaaaaa!”

He came within striking distance of Upashikamui’s rigid legs. The tip of its front leg swung down, and the pointed claw tried to tear Ain apart, but ── it lost sight of Ain. Instead, its vision was covered with white fog.

This again, the Upashikamui trembled with rage.

“Suu──!”

Ain inhaled as he ran. Then, he shouted loudly.

“…Come here!”

Even if the fog that clung to its face had not cleared, the Upashikamui could still hear Ain’s voice. In a fit of rage, it lost its composure and rushed in the direction of Ain’s voice.

As the strongest individual in the place, it was confident that it could take Ain’s life.

As the voice and presence approached, the Upashikamui stretched its front legs wide.

“I’ve won.”

Ain muttered, standing in front of the ogre’s skull… lower jaw.

There, the Upashikamui moved its arm to scrape the ground.

On the other hand, Ain used his illusory hand to climb up the skull and hit his illusory hand hard on the border between the upper and lower jaw. At the same time as the massive upper jaw slowly closes, the foreleg of the Upashikamui reaches the ogre’s mouth.

“───Gyaaaaaaa!?”

After an inaudible scream of pain, it let out a cry that resembled rage.

There is a dull sound that penetrates the scales and shatters the bones. The ogre’s sharp fangs pierced the Upashikamui’s front legs without restraint.

The Upashikamui was in so much pain that it stopped.

Ain, who was standing on top of the skull, used his illusory hand to put pressure on the ogre’s horn.

“Ku… Uu… Aaaaaaahhhh!”

He roars heroically and stomps down strongly.

The horn cracked loudly at the base and eventually was lifted up so that it could be raised. The weight was too heavy to ignore, even with the use of illusory hands, and Ain, who was close to his physical limits, smiled bitterly.

He didn’t have any room to spare now. He tortured his body for who knows how many more times and channeled his magic power into the illusory hand that held the horn.

“Down, down, down!”

He threw the horn at the Upashikamui’s neck with as much force as he could muster.

It stabbed the Upashikamui with a dull sound.

“…Aa… aa…”

This time, the Upashikamui was on the verge of death.

The ogre’s horn was shattered within seconds, perhaps because it was forcibly pulled out or because it had deteriorated over time. It shattered in less than a few seconds. In the depths of the wounds left behind, a glimmer like a jewel could be seen.

But the glimmer was faint, and upon closer inspection, he could see that there was a scratch.

“Is that a magic stone?”

The Upashikamui crawled along the ground as if to escape from Ain’s squinting eyes.

Its life force is really astonishing, but──.

“This is really, really the end.”

Ain jumped on the magic stone and thrust his illusory hand, and absorbed the magic stone as he did to the sea dragon. There were concerns about the phenomenon of monsterization, but he decided not to think about it for now and just absorbed the contents.

The amount of magic power that was left was minimal, but as he finished absorbing it, the Upashikamui also stopped breathing.

“…All right.”

Now, it will never get up again. Ain said as he let go of his consciousness due to extreme fatigue.

“Krone’s prediction… was wrong.”

It’s just that it was incredibly delicious. The taste of the Upashikamui’s magic stone is something that he will talk about as a remembrance when he returns to town.

Then, Ain slowly lowered his eyelids and basked in the afterglow of his victory until the moment when Dill caught his body.

 

 

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