Volume 4 Chapter 25 Surprise Attack
I never expected Dahlia to be here.
However, I felt no sense of discomfort at all knowing that Dahlia was here.
That's because I know this girl is the type to do something like this.
I had no obligation to help that reckless and ungrateful person, yet I found myself moving without realizing it.
That's probably...
"You have an unfamiliar face. Are you part of the adventurer party reported?"
The skeleton monster that I ambushed looked at me with sharp eyes.
At the same time, he tapped his temple with his bony fingers, as if in suspicion.
"There should be a large number of monsters from the Spirit King's Army searching the forest. How did you manage to slip past their encirclement and reach this base? Also, I don't see your other companions."
"..."
Of course, I wouldn't go out of my way to explain.
Indeed, I passed by a large number of monsters on my way here.
Monsters that are already sensitive to smell and sight are now working in groups for search operations.
It's not easy for an ordinary person to slip through that, but "I" can do it.
By using support magic, 'Hide' and 'Searching', I can erase my presence and safely find a path while detecting enemies ahead.
"Well, that's fine. For now, I will make you deeply regret stepping into this place without permission, you lowly human."
The moment the skeleton monster raised his curved staff, a tense atmosphere filled the area.
In response, I also readied my knife, adopting a stance ready for action at any moment.
In the silence, the monster and I locked eyes, sparks flying between us.
In that instant, a quiet sound, like a clap, echoed behind the skeleton monster.
"One after another, you're as annoying as winged insects."
That sound was the boy with black hair and red eyes behind the monster closing the book he was holding.
Inevitably, my tension increased further.
Clearly, he was a being that stood apart from other monsters.
Even from this distance, I could feel an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Since the moment I laid eyes on him, I had a vague suspicion, but I never thought it would be him...
As the boy stood up, having stopped reading, the skeleton monster immediately reacted.
"Sir Vamph, please leave this to me..."
"That's enough. You're playing around too much. From here on, I'll personally eliminate the intruder."
As the boy monster said this, the skeleton seemed to take a breath, as if realizing something.
His skin was pale to a disturbing degree.
He had bat-like red wings on his back.
With various monstrous features on display and the skeleton referring to him as 'Sir Vamph,' it's clear that boy must be the "Spirit King Vamph."
The skeleton monster must also belong to a considerable race, yet now he appeared diminished, lost for words.
This is one of the Demon Lords group.
I see, this is definitely an exceptional adversary.
"H-Haha...! Even if you showed up, nothing would change in the end..."
"..."
The moment Vamph showed his intent to engage, Dahlia's voice trembled with fear.
"There's no way you can win against such a monster...! With you being just a Trainer, you'll only end up getting killed by them..."
...That's true.
Even though I rushed here dramatically, it doesn't change the fact that I'm just a Trainer.
It's doubtful that I could even defeat a mere skeleton monster, let alone the spirit king Vamph.
So it's understandable that Dahlia is consumed by despair.
Surely, "I can't" win against them.
Yes, I can't.
"Sir Vamph!"
"──!"
Suddenly, the space next to where Vamph was standing distorted, shimmering like a heat haze.
From that distortion, a bright red blade emerged.
The blade, appearing so abruptly, approached Vamph's slender neck with terrifying precision and speed.
In an instant, Vamph tilted his head and narrowly evaded the blade.
But...
"Wah!"
From the distortion, a fist shot out in succession, piercing Vamph's left arm.
Crunch, splat!
From the dull sound that rang out, it was clear that his arm looked like it had been shattered.
Right after, the heat haze cleared, and a red-haired girl revealed herself.
She was Valkyrie Rose, who had been hiding her presence with support magic 'Hide.'
"Ms. Cosmos!"
Vamph, blown away by the impact, immediately tried to regain his stance, but that was not allowed.
Again, the nearby empty space wavered, and a flower-like staff could be briefly seen.
"[Meteor]! "
In that moment, a childish girl's voice echoed within the ruins, and an enormous rock was shot out from the distortion.
With no time to dodge, Vamph was crushed against the wall of the ruins by the rock.
A huge hole was opened in the wall and ceiling of the ruins, letting sunlight shine into the dimly lit interior.
"Sir Vamph!"
The figure of the spirit king Vamph was already gone.
Buried under the rubble of the collapsed wall, the skeletal monster shouted out his voice, unaware of his own life or death.
Certainly, I would have had no chance against them.
But my companions, whom I raised, could even defeat that spirit king.
I didn't want Dahlia to die so that she could understand that.
The reason I went out of my way to help her was that.
I want her to watch carefully.
The cool appearance of my companions defeating the Demon Lords in place of the hero.
"The power to become invisible, huh. What a sneaky bunch..."
Just as I thought I heard such a voice from the scattered debris, Vamph stood up from within it.
Crushed by the large rock, his body was covered in dust, but there didn't seem to be any noticeable injuries.
It seems he came out unscathed from that [Meteor].
In that case, it appears that only the initial strike from Rose was actually delivered.
Because of the surprise attack from Rose and Cosmos, we could only break one of his arm.
Are we impressed by the two who dealt such wounds to the Spirit King Vamph, or by Vamph who endured their fierce assault?
At this point, it's something I, an ordinary person, can't even begin to understand.
It truly is a frenzy of monsters.
"The ambush didn't go as planned, did it?"
Quietly revealing herself from behind was Ms. Nemophila.
Listening to her words, I furrowed my brows and nodded slightly.
Ideally, I wanted to defeat the boy monster with just that one scene, but it was a lot stronger than I expected.
It was good that we managed to locate the Spirit King Vamph as planned.
Perhaps because Vamph's safety was confirmed, the skeleton monster hurriedly tried to dash over to him.
However, Vamph calmly restrained it.
"Skull, take care of those 3. The red-haired and black-haired ones are mine."
"Y-yes, understood...!"
The monster called Skull turned to face us, sending a sharp glance our way.
I deemed Vamph to be the greater threat, so I postponed dealing with the skeleton monster, but this one looks tough too.
"I won't let you interfere with Sir Vamph. You will come with me."
"Huh...?"
Coming?
Where to?
It seems that Ms. Nemophila and Dahlia are also puzzled, both tilting their heads.
Immediately afterward, Skull thumped his staff on the ground, unleashing a fierce anger.
"[Graveheim]!"
A black mist spreads from under the skull with a 'swoosh!'
In an instant, it enveloped our surroundings, dyeing our vision pitch black.
Thinking it might be some sort of attack, I tried to brush it away, but there was no substance, and I couldn't touch it.
As I let it happen, the black mist gradually cleared, and before my eyes...
"W-what is this place...?"
There was no sight of the crumbling ruins; instead, for some reason, there was an unfamiliar "graveyard."
Gravestones with inscriptions and crosses stand in disarray in the night cemetery.
Before we knew it, we were in such a place.
"We, we were just in the ruins, right...? Why are we in a place like this...?"
While Dahlia was confused, Skull stood in the middle of the graveyard, letting out his distinctive laugh, 'clack, clack!'
Nine times out of ten, this must be his doing.
Whether it's a space created by Skull or a location that actually exists somewhere in the world.
In any case, it seems that Dahlia, Ms. Nemophila, and I were forcefully teleported here.
An ability to bring specific people to a certain location.
Not as powerful as the Spirit King Vamph, but this monster is still quite formidable.
"It is my master's command. You will lose your lives here."
I don't think I need to worry about those 2, but the opponent is the Spirit King Vamph.
So I want to quickly get out of here and support Rose and Cosmos with my 'support magic' and Ms. Nemophila's 'barrier magic'...
"Go ahead! My lovely little ones!"
Suddenly, the ground of the graveyard begins to surge up with a rumbling sound.
In an instant, skeleton monsters started crawling out from the ground in droves, like a spring of water.
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