67 33"Rescue"




Oz, I need you to keep an eye on the perimeter for me.

"Thank you!

 I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. It's a good idea to keep an eye out for them just in case.

"To, Mr. Toate. Where are the heroes from ......?

Oh, that's .......

 Just before answering Mize's question, I arrived at the place Oz had told me about.
 At the end of the straight passage, there was a large hole in the floor.

"...... down here. I see, you're hurt.

 It is more accurate to say that you are not in a position to move rather than in distress.
 From the looks of it, the students of the heroic department have fallen to the edge of the second layer. The hole in the floor appears to have been made recently. Perhaps they had fallen before they could use their "toughness".

 When I looked into the hole in the floor, I saw four boys from the Heroic Department. Two of them were holding their feet and crouching.
 I had a hunch that these were the same people who complained about us when we tried to get our adventurer's license before ....... Zeke was one of them.

 He takes a glance at Mize's profile.
 I'm sure Mize was more than a little uncomfortable at the time, but that didn't seem to change his ...... intention to help them.

You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web. ...... Mize, do you have any more herbs?

There's enough for all four of us.

"Good. I'll use my toughness to get down.

 After Mize nodded, he jumped into the hole in the floor using the toughness.
 At the same time as he landed, the four men who had been crouched down screamed in surprise.

"What?

"Oh, you guys--

We're here to help. If you're hurt, raise your hands and we'll give you some herbs.

 We'll tell them that we're on their side and what we're doing before they make a scene.
 The four of them were confused for a moment, but then they raised their hands grimly.

 Just then, the potion-making skills I had learned in Potions came in handy.
 He grabbed two pieces of stone that had been scattered about when the hole in the floor was made and used them as a mortar and pestle.

"Who else can make potions besides us?

 No one came forward to answer that question.
 Instead, Zeke explained the situation.

The heroes haven't had any potions training yet.

Well, ...... will take some time.

 The effect of the potion is to heal trauma and relieve pain. Broken bones and internal injuries do not heal instantly, so you need to get them to the city as soon as possible.

 Mize seems to have the knowledge to make level 2 potions, but unlike in class, she can only make level 1 potions now due to limited materials.

 While making the potion, I checked on the condition of the boys.

Zeke is not injured?

"Yeah, I'm just scratched. The other three can't move,......, and I thought about calling for help, but there's a large demon lurking nearby. It's not something I can beat on my own.

What kind of demons?

Orcs. Three of them.

 Orcs are pig-faced giants. They are a little taller than hobgoblins, but unlike the skinny hobgoblins, they are thick and heavy. Their movements are slow, but their physical strength is several times stronger than that of hobgoblins.

 Orcs are slow, and if we could fight them in a large area, we could escape, but this is a small labyrinth. This time, the Orcs themselves are numerous, and there are wounded on our side. A battle would be inevitable.

 I listened carefully and heard footsteps.
 Loud footsteps that probably belonged to Orcs were gradually approaching us.

"...... You're getting closer.

"What?

I'm not kidding. ......?

 This is a great way to make sure you are getting the most out of your investment.
 With the mise-en-scene, I gave them the finished potion, along with the piece of stone I used as a mortar.

 Then I stood up and waited for the Orcs.

"I'll deal with the demons.

 I'll deal with the demons." As I said this, the wounded men shouted in anger.

"You've got to be kidding me! You're no match for me!

That's right! d*mn ......, if only someone better would come ......!

 The complaining boys.
 But Zeke, surrounded by them, spoke differently.

"Can you ...... help me?

 I don't know what he meant by that question.
 But I shook my head.

I will.

"Well. ......, please. Please help us.

 Zeke bowed, much to the dismay of the men around him.



"Hey, Zeke. Don't be stupid.

If we let these people get away with this, we're all in danger.

"You guys shut up.

 Zeke says firmly.

You'll know it when you see it. ...... You're right, Twight.

Yeah.

 Zeke is right.
 To tell you the truth, I don't want to look bad. But this situation. It is ...... impossible to fight off three orcs without hiding your abilities from them.

 Three demons emerged from the entrance of the room.
 A pig-faced giant - an Orc. The vilely bloated physique is unpleasant to look at and can make you lose your will to fight.

Mize, stay where you are.

"...... Yes.

 For a moment, Mize looked like she wanted to join the fight, but I silently glared at her and asked her to suppress her feelings.

 Three Orcs came at me with screams.
 The unspeakable roar caused the students of the Heroic Department to scream.

 A moment later. I activated my Tough Body and fought my way to the Orcs.

 The first one. After sneaking into the Orc's bosom, it used its swollen belly as a foothold and ran up to the Orc's face. He stabbed the dagger he had created with Materialization into the Orc's eyeball and kicked its handle with the sole of his foot to push it in.

 He jumped backwards in reaction--the second one.
 He flips himself in the air and shoots out both eyes of the Orc approaching him with the Magic Bullet. The Orc opens its big mouth and screams. In its mouth, he throws the blade he created by Materialization again. The spearhead of the dagger he threw pierced deeply into the Orc's throat.

 --The third one.

 As I landed, I looked for the remaining one.
 The sting was faint. --It's not me, it's someone else.

"Whoa!

 The orcs were aiming at the students of the Heroic Department.
 The boys fell on their asses in fear.
 But as if to protect them, Mize stood in front of the orc.

 Mize's face turned pale in the face of the orc's vile smile. Her limbs trembled like a newborn fawn.
 Still pushing down her fear, she stared straight at the orc.

 There are times when you know you are no match for them, but your body moves of its own accord.

 I've seen it happen many times on the battlefield.
 The more righteous a man is, the more he moves out of reflex and the more he dies.

 I can't live like them.
 But I can take their place.

 That's how I've lived since I was a soldier.

 An orc lifts an arm as thick as a log and swings it down at Mize's brain.
 Just before his arm touched Mize's head, I ran to her side and hugged her.

----

 The Orc's fist swung down right next to the startled Mize.
 In the midst of the earth shaking, he raised two fingers and compressed magic power into the tips of them.

 --The "Instantaneous Blade".

 This magic has absolute killing power against stationary enemies.
 But in this case, the "stationary state" is my subjective perception.
 That is to say - an enemy who is slower than me can be treated as "stationary" in any number of ways by taking advantage of an opening.

 A slight pause immediately after a swing of the arm.
 Without missing a beat, the transparent blade split the orc's flesh in two.

 In the midst of a violent splash of blood, I slowly let go of the mise-en-scène in my arms.
 Behind me, the four men were wide-eyed and astonished.

"...... You're lying.

 One of the men muttered.
 One of the men muttered, " Bullshit." He seemed to be having a hard time comprehending the situation. I called out to Zeke, who was the only one who was calm.

"Zeke, how did you get to the labyrinth?

"A carriage I borrowed from the ...... guild.

I'll take you to the entrance of the labyrinth. After that, everything will be fine?

Yeah. Thanks for the .......

 I received a short thank you in silence.
 After that, we moved together to the entrance of the labyrinth. Fortunately, one of the injured had recovered to a condition where he could barely walk after using a potion, so Zeke and I carried the remaining two on our backs. We met up with Oz on the way, and she helped us secure the area around us.

 We returned to the entrance of the labyrinth and took the man we were carrying to the carriage of Zeke and the others.
 Just before that, the man muttered to himself.

You ...... are the Kuro Ghost?

 That's the name that was given to me when I took the entrance exam for the hero course.

It's just a name they gave me. Please don't spread the word.

 When I asked him to do so, he gave a small shake of his head.



...... I'm sorry.

 Finally, the man muttered quietly and climbed into the back of the carriage.
 The carriage carrying the four of us headed for the capital.
 After a little while, me, Mize and Oz also got on the carriage and headed home.

"Mr. Toate.

 We sat down on the back of the carriage for a while.
 Mize said in a quiet voice that did not reach Oz and the guard.

I'm going to ask you a straightforward question. Have you ever worked as an escort before?

Before I answer ......, may I ask what the question is about?

Can I ask what the question is about before I answer? I've dealt with people who do that kind of work in the past. Mr. Toate's move to defend me earlier was very similar to that of that person. ...... Mr. Toate. Is there something you're not telling me?

 I'm not sure what to make of it.
 As the second princess, Mize knew exactly how her bodyguards behaved. I could understand why.

I've never worked as an escort, and I have nothing to hide.

"...... I see.

 Mize nodded, looking unconvinced.
 He was so deep in thought that he did not open his mouth once until he reached the capital.