Published at 9th of September 2021 02:10:37 PM

400 A Certain Girl and the Royal Banquet 4 (side Miria)

Probably, the danger rank of the monsters disguised as soldiers is C+. Together with Meltisan and Kuro-chan, I have have managed to subjugate a monster of that class before.

But the monster we fought that time wasnt much faster than us, and didnt have ranged attacks. In other words, the match-up were good and we could compensate for the difference in ability through our advantage in numbers. On top of that, we aimed for the opponents weak spot, prepared a trap, and still just barely managed to come out on top.

I didnt think it would be this terrifying to fight an intelligent monster that has a balance of speed and strength. We also dont have Kuro-chan, who has been the cornerstone of our strength.

The worst part is that there about twenty of those monsters in this room alone. Throughout the entire castle, theres probably over ten times that number.

Hahaha

I notice that Ive become unable to stand and have sunk down. Coming here was the mistake. Theres nothing that can be done anymore.

If piercing attacks are no good, then how about this?

Mu?

A hooded man twirls through the air and places a gloved hand on the head of the soldier tormenting Meltisan. Behind his swaying purple hair, a tattoo of a wolf-like monster is drawn from his left eye to the corner of his mouth. Its Death Flame Garzan, the top-class close-range mage.

[Milli Bomb]!

Starting from his hand, purple flames expand explosively.

Oboh!

Inside the smoke, the head of the soldier bursts open. The headless body slams against the ground. The body twitches, then its shape break apart and it spreads out like a pool of liquid, soaking into the carpet.

Garzan-san dances through the air from the recoil and lightly lands on the floor.

I had to wait for the perfect timing to attack. As far as I can see, if I dont surprise them, Id lose to their speed. Shes still breathing, so I dont think its fatal.

Th-thank you very much!

Suppressing my trembling, I thank him as I run up to Meltisan and put a hand on her body.

[Rest]!

Her eyes open slightly.

U-ugu Miria, my sword

You cant fight like that! The most we can do is try to get away!

I shake my head.

We should leave it to the others In the first place, we were only summoned here because of Kuro-chans strength.

Were different from Volk-san, who can calmly take on three of them while surrounded, or Garzan-san, who can burst their heads with a single attack. The limit for the two of us without Kuro-chan would be fighting an upper D rank at the most. Were too far out of our depth.

As were doing this, Garzan-san is taking on his next opponent. Hes using a knife to ward off the soldiers attacks.

It seems surprise attacks are your limit. In terms of actual abilities, youre no match for us!

The strange-faced soldiers tentacle stretches out and slams into Garzan-sans stomach, causing his posture to crumble. As he collapses, the sword in the soldiers other hand swings down.

[Milli Bomb]!

Purple flames explode from Garzan-sans outstretched hand. He distances himself again by riding the blast, while at the same time, the soldiers arm is destroyed.

Impudent adventurer!

Drawn out battles arent my strong point, after all.

All of a sudden, Garzan-sans leg is pulled by a hidden tentacle, dragging him to the ground.

Wh!?

Certainly, that magic skill has good compatibility against us. It was quite the powerful blow, but Its still not enough to fight us. Didnt I say? It doesnt matter if you aim for our chest or head, we dont have any weaknesses. Our regenerative abilities are also high, so While I was pretending to be down, my injuries from you have already healed, see?

The soldier whose head had been burst by Garzan-san is standing up and in perfect condition. Theres no sign of any injuries at all.

Im going to pay you back for the damage. I dont know if a human will be able to withstand it, but lets start by messing up your face.

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The strange-faced soldier pulls Garzan-san closer, then extends his other arm to strike at his face. Blood scatters, while the soldiers other hand holds him in place, preventing him from being blown backwards. Hes then struck a second time.

Whats wrong!? Having your head blown off like that hurts enough to die, you know! If youre going to do that to someone else, you have to be ready to take it yourself, right!? Isnt that what it means to be human!?

His tentacle pulls back in an arc, stretching longer. Tension builds up in it.

St-stop

A pleading voice escapes from my mouth, but of course the monster doesnt listen. The tentacle tears through the air, releasing a dreadful sound as it shaves away flesh and blood in a spray of red.

I almost got too carried away and killed him. I need to make sure princess-sama can get the experience.

Garzan-san falls limply to the floor.

Miria, leave me. Please run now.

N-no! I cant do that! In the first place, you only came here for my sake!

At this rate, well just both die!

B-but!

I look around. Two of the strange-faced soldiers are guarding each door.

Were totally blocked in. They must aim to kill us all. If we were going to run, it would have had to have been before the battle began like Volk-san said, or the seconds right after it started.

I cant see any way to take Meltisan with me and somehow escape from this place. I desperately try to think, looking around. Fortunately, probably because they see me as having a low combat ability, none of the soldiers are coming to attack.

Unless I try and escape outside, they must have judged that they can leave me for later. I might be inconsequential to them, but Im grateful for the time to calmly think and heal Meltisans wounds.

In a corner of the hall, the monocled man, Minds Eye Bernard, is using magic to support the old swordsman, Romrodon, and his apprentice as they face off against three of the soldiers. But theyre clearly being pressed. Romrodon-san is just barely managing to protect them all. Each of them are covered in cuts, and it seems unlikely that theyll last much longer.

I finally understand. Those three They probably knew that Princess Chris was suspicious from the start, and purposefully got themselves invited here so they could conduct an investigation. That would explain why, when Volk-san first started to move, Bernard-san called out a warning to Romrodon-san. Their original plan was probably to expose the identity of the princess, or to assassinate her.

The robed blond woman with her face hidden is fighting one of the strange-faced soldiers, desperately fending off his attacks. Shes avoiding the rapidly expanding tentacle and the fierce attacks from his sword by paper-thin margins.

But Why is it? I get the feeling her expression is a little forced. Is she pretending to struggle on purpose? No, I cant imagine a reason shed have to do that She might be able to avoid attracting more attention to herself, but thats meaningless if the other adventurers go down.

The Dragon Hunter, Volk-san, is surrounded by ten of the strange-faced soldiers.

Dont get too close! Watch his arm movements! We should be able to see the start of that dangerous [Shockwave]!

My level is low! Dont ask the impossible! Im devoted to logistical support!

Cant we slow him down a bit more!?

We cant! Even now, [High Slow] and [Poison] are reducing his physical ability as much as possible! Defeat him now!

The reason why a minimal force is sent against the other adventurers is because Volk-san is taking the rest of them on by himself. Surrounded by enemies and covered in blood from his many wounds, he laughs fearlessly and confirms the locations of his prey.

But other than the old swordsman trio, the blond swordswoman, and the Dragon Hunter Volk, the rest of the adventurers have all fallen to the floor and lost consciousness. Some of them have had parts of their bodies dissolved, becoming ghastly spectacles. Theres no telling whether theyre dead or alive. The only reason Meltisan and I are safe is because were ignored due to our weakness.