Chapter 60

Sutherland Visit 7

Published: 17 November 2024

 

I put the boy and myself at a sufficient distance from the monsters.

 

The Basilisk was very fast. It would be disastrous if the boy were to accidentally become the target of attack, so they positioned themselves on the opposite side of the basilisk with Captain Cyril and the others in between.

 

…Well, this is a tactical move, you know? It may seem like we're using Captain Cyril and the others as shields, but it's a tactic.

 

I removed the boy's hand from my waist and held it tightly with my non-dominant hand. I made sure I was ready to join the battle at any time, to be able to move quickly and to draw my sword at a moment's notice. The boy I was holding was trembling, so I patted his hand with my other hand to calm him down.

 

As I did so, my gaze turned to Captain Cyril, Captain Curtis, and Fabian, who were facing the monsters at close range. I was worried about whether they were okay, but even from a distance, all three of them looked very calm.

 

...As expected of capable knights. Normally, having two B-rank monsters would require 30 knights, which was a complete shortage, but I think it's amazing that they're still able to handle it normally.

 

The three knights faced the Basilisk at a distance of about five meters. Captain Cyril stood on the left, clutching his shining silvery sword lightly, and gave instructions to the two without taking his eyes off the two monsters.

"Curtis, Fabian, please hold back the basilisk on the right." (Cyril)

Leaving the smaller basilisk in the care of Captain Curtis and Fabian, Captain Cyril turned his attention to the basilisk on the left.

 

Time passes quietly. However, it was a tense moment that made sweat dripped down my back.

 

Basilisks are extremely aggressive and will attack immediately if they see prey within their sight. And yet, it was unusual to imagine it sitting there motionless. If this was because it sensed Captain Cyril's strength and was unable to move, then I think this monster was truly impressive.

 

Because Captain Cyril looked as calm as a calm wind. There was no murderous intent or intimidation whatsoever, and at first glance you didn't sense its strength.

 

...Ah, but this not looking strong at all is its strongest form.

 

Since the basilisk spits deadly poison, I think it's best not to approach it carelessly. And because it was not possible to spit poison continuously, the most effective way to fight would be to close the distance after it had spit poison once.

 

An impatient moment passed, but it was the Basilisk that first lost patience.

 

In just two steps, it closed the distance of two meters and spat venom from its mouth. The liquid shot out in a straight line at incredible speed, aiming straight for Captain Cyril's eyes without deviation.

 

By the time the basilisk opened its mouth, it had already spat out the venom, so unless you predicted it in advance and dodged, it would be impossible to avoid. But for some reason, Captain Cyril was able to avoid the venom by gently tilting his head.

"Amazing……" (Fia)

The words just spilled out without me thinking.

 

As I watched in amazement, Captain Cyril closed the distance in one swift motion and plunged his sword straight into the open mouth. The sword sunk into its soft mouth. Captain Cyril quickly pulled the sword out of the basilisk's mouth and, as the basilisk stood up on its hind legs in intense pain, he stabbed the sword vertically into the left side of its chest. Even though the basilisk's body was covered in tough scales, the sword sunk deep into it.

 

Is the speed and angle good? The sword penetrated the basilisk to a depth that was beyond what could have been achieved with the force applied. Or rather, this depth was—

 

As Captain Cyril expressionlessly withdrew his sword, fresh blood splattered everywhere and the Basilisk fell to the ground.

 

Yes, that depth was a fatal blow.

 

Without bothering to wipe the blood off his sword, nor paying any further attention to the fallen basilisk, Captain Cyril turned to the other remaining monster. The second basilisk had remained in its original position thanks to Captain Curtis and Fabian facing it.

 

Captain Cyril muttered something under his breath, and the wind blade sliced ​​the Basilisk apart.

 

"Huh!?" (Fia)

Apparently I wasn't the only one surprised by this sudden turn of events, as the Basilisk took a step back. However, at the same time as the basilisk stepped back, Captain Cyril closed the distance, took a few more steps, and plunged his sword straight into one of the monster's eyes.

 

"Gyaaaaah!"

As the basilisk screamed and rose up on its hind legs in a threatening move, Captain Cyril thrust his sword vertically into the left chest of the basilisk, just like he had done with the first one, then pulled it out.

 

The basilisk's blood splattered everywhere, and before the blood could hit the ground, the basilisk itself collapsed to the ground. Captain Cyril swung his sword to brush the blood away, then silently returned it to its sheath.

 

...Huh, oh, is it over?

 

I was so shocked by the strength of Captain Cyril that I just stared at the Captain in amazement.

 

Umm...

 

C-Captain Cyril? Normally, you wouldn't get close to a basilisk like that, right? Since the Basilisk will definitely aim for the eyes, and is a good sniper, it would be difficult to get close without the help of a mage, right? And those hard scales donn't let a sword through, right? Although there was no chance for him to show his strength at all, the basilisk's strength and biting power are incredible, so an average knight would be blown away or have parts of their body torn off, right?

 

...So, normally, the basilisk was a very strong monster, and not one that could be defeated by one person. However, Captain Cyril was such a skilled warrior that he defeated the basilisk in the shortest possible time, making defeating the basilisk seem incredibly easy at first glance.

 

Wow, the downsides of being a master, right? I said that because he's so strong and defeats his opponents so neatly, the monsters' strength didn't really come across.

 

However, since the children were with me today, I think that disadvantage was actually useful. Yes, yes, there's no need to expose a child to more fear than necessary at such a young age.

 

Or rather, Captain Cyril could use wind magic. I didn't know that—

 

Still holding the boy's hand, I walked towards the hollow tree where the rest of the children were hiding. When I said to Fabian, who had confirmed that the basilisk had died along the way, "Good job," he replied, "I didn't even have time to get tired." Ah, yes, that's right. That's the downside of teaming up with Captain Cyril, right?

 

The children, who had likely been watching the whole thing through the gap in the hole, timidly came out when they heard the voice call out to them. They then looked timidly at the fallen monster.

"It's okay. It won't have to get up again." (Fia)

When Captain Cyril spoke to them in a reassuring manner, the children silently nodded slightly.

 

The children still seemed tense and stiff, but when we looked more closely we could see that they were clutching small yellow flowers in their hands.

"...Frifri grass? Frifri grass is a medicinal herb that has fever-reducing properties. Is someone sick?" (Fia)

When I asked curiously, the children looked up in surprise.

"Nobody's sick!"

The children all denied it, then hid the hands that were holding the frilled grass behind their backs and looked down. It's a childish, obvious lie.

 

"It's like Fia," Captain Cyril muttered, but I pretended not to hear.

...I'm sorry to say this, but I'm an honest person at heart. So, I don't lie. However, when I had to read the situation and say something that is not true, I said it in a way that made it seemed true. It's upsetting to be equated with children lies like this.

 

Muttering to myself like that, I carefully looked over each child, but none of them seemed to be injured. Furthermore, none of the children were weak or trembling, and all of them seemed to be able to walk on their own. "Children are so energetic," I said, holding different children's hands with my right and left hands. Then, a third little girl grabbed my clothes around my stomach. I didn't have a third hand, so I looked up at Captain Cyril, wondering what to do. The Captain timidly bent down and spoke to the girl.

"Are you tired? If you don't mind, I'll hold you." (Cyril)

 

The girl glanced at the Captain and made a frightened noise.

"I'm tired and can't walk any more. But the knight is so scary I can't go near him."

"I'm not scared. I don't shout or get angry." (Cyril)

"...You wouldn't get mad if I fell in a puddle?"

"If I'm holding you, we'll jump over the puddles and won't fall in. So no one will get mad at me, and I won't get mad at you either."

The girl hesitated for a moment, but then she made a bold move, took her hand off my clothes, and reached out towards Captain Cyril. When I saw the smile that floated across the screen of Captain Cyril at that moment, I felt glad.

 

Captain Cyril was a brave and kind knight who cared for the residents. See, once the residents get to know the Captain like this, they will no longer reject him.

 

When Captain Cyril picked her up, placing her in one arm, the girl looked up and let out a cry of joy. Then, perhaps because she was naturally talkative, she began to tell Captain about everything she saw.

"Those yellow berries are very tasty, but you have to pick them while they're still green, because the birds eat them... And as for that big tree..."

 

Wow, this feels better than I expected. I watched with a smile, thinking that Captain Cyril's polite manners must have an effect even on small children, and soon we arrived at the entrance to the forest.


*The spelling of the characters and places may be different from the official or any other translation website. Click here to see the list.