Translator's Note
If you're here from Novel Updates skipping my chapter 271 and 272, you might want to read my notes at chapter 271.
Also, it seems some terms got wrong translation here because I didn't know what their original word are in the previous translations. It seems I need to read early chapters' raw. I f you notice that, please let me know.
Author's Note
—Holy Knight of Earth! (Rubbing)
— Clatter thud thud thud
The horse's hooves made a loud noise as they kicked up pebbles and dirt as they galloped along the unpaved animal trail. It was still early in the morning, and the sunlight had come out and shone down on us from the side on our horses, which was a bit annoying.
"How many?" (Hannes)
"About twenty-six, it seems." (Rena)
While answering Hannes' short questions, I synchronized my own Enemy Detection skill with the map and constantly deployed it at the edge of my vision. I followed the blue dots representing myself and Hannes and counted the number of enemies as I watched the red dots representing them move in a semi-encircling manner.
Judging from the enemy's movements, it appears that they are operating in platoon units, with two sets of two-man cells making up one team, doesn't it.
It could be seen that the pairs help each other out, and if one of them became injured and had to leave the battlefield, the other pair would cover for them.
The enemies were a group of about four people moving together, so at first glance it was an easy task to calculate. In addition to the six teams in the squad, there were two individuals trailing behind, which was a bit concerning. Could they be commanders?
"Up ahead lies the Forest of Fairy Tree. You can't get out unless you destroy the glowing mushrooms scattered around in a set order; it's a kind of lost forest gimmick." (Hannes)
"I see, so we're destroying them while splitting up." (Rena)
"That's a good thing. After we destroy the first mushroom, if we each complete our tasks as quickly as possible, we can take turns destroying them every five seconds." (Hannes)
After saying that, Hannes sent me a screenshot of the map of a field called Forest of Fairy Tree via private chat. Each one was numbered, presumably the order in which the mushrooms should be destroyed. As soon as Hannes destroys the first mushroom, I head to the second one and Hannes moves ahead to the third one, right? And if neither of us makes any mistakes and destroys them as quickly as possible, we will be able to destroy our assigned spots in ten seconds.
Hannes destroyed the first one, and five seconds later I destroyed the second one, and five seconds after that, Hannes moved ahead and destroyed the third one. And if I were to destroy number two and then immediately head to number four, it would take about ten seconds... If we keep doing this, it'll look like the mushrooms are being destroyed every five seconds from the outside, right?
It seemed that the route written on the map was well thought out, so we could overcome the gimmicks without signaling each other, stopping, or being caught by the pursuers. There was no need for us to communicate... we just had to focus on destroying them within ten seconds.
"Okay? Don't screw up. Don't stop under any circumstances." (Hannes)
"If we stop, we'll be surrounded, right?" (Rena)
While cautiously watching the enemy icons closing the distance, I tilted my head slightly. Aren't these people also targeting Hannes?
"Hannes, do you have a bounty on your head?" (Rena)
"Regarding those people on the other side... It's possible." (Hannes)
"I see" (Rena)
So, they intend to use this opportunity to kill Hannes as well, huh? ...They could easily claim that he got caught up in the battle with me, and there were plenty of excuses they could make now. So, is it possible for individuals in the underworld to place bounties on him?
Well, even so――
"—they really underestimated me, aren't they?" (Rena)
"Damn, not that." (Hannes)
It was not just that they underestimated me, but also that they thought it was okay to target him at the same time, as if it was just a side task. That was what I found unacceptable. When I muttered this thought, Hannes laughed and agreed.
"They've made their move, don't they?" (Rena)
When I glanced back, I saw that they, also mounted on horses like us, had closed the distance sufficiently and were now all preparing to throw their axes simultaneously.
As they threw their axes, I transformed my Jun-san into a gun and aimed only at the ones that were going to hit me. At the same time, a popping sound like a Japanese drum being beaten echoed nearby, and the high-pitched sound of an axe being struck reached my ears.
"...Come to think of it, they did mention you got your hands on something dangerous." (Hannes)
"I have high hopes for you too, Hannes" (Rena)
As I sensed the pursuers' agitation, I saw a forest appear in our path...It had been an open area until just a moment ago, but it suddenly seemed as if the forest had appeared out of nowhere. Is this a characteristic of the field known as the Forest of Illusions?
"When I create a distraction, we'll split up" (Hannes)
"Let's meet up for the boss fight!" (Rena)
Just after exchanging those brief words —— Hannes used magic to conjure a small sandstorm behind us. Taking that as a signal, we split into two groups and entered the forest, and I took the shortest route to the location of the second mushroom we needed to destroy.
"...Let's play a little prank!" (Rena)
While riding through the forest on horseback, I set up steel threads between the surrounding trees to obstruct the pursuers' path. In the dim forest, I prepared specially thin threads, hoping this would cause one or two of the pursuers to drop out, making things easier for me afterward. Well, things rarely go that conveniently, and considering the need to travel the shortest route to specific locations, I can't afford to shake them off completely. Because there are some points on the route where I have to turn back, it seems.
"—Oh, there it is" (Rena)
Just as Hannes had said, the mushroom, about the size of a man's arms, was emitting a faint light in the dim forest. I quickly shot through it and used the reins to change course at a right angle to the right. In an attempt to catch up with me as I suddenly changed direction, the pursuer, now reduced to just one person, chased after me at an angle.
"...Should I reduce the number a little more?" (Rena)
After using ‹Marking› to the horse, I stood crouching on its back, then entangled the line around a tree branch and leaps up, moving right in front of my pursuer. Through the mask, I could see his eyes and noticed that he was momentarily stunned with surprise. There was no advantage in waiting for them to recover from their state, so I immediately kicked the nearest one, sending him flying, and landed back on my horse's back.
"Kill—" (Pursuer)
"—— Shadow Transfer" (Rena)
Just before the commander — who had been calmly observing the situation from the very back without showing any signs of confusion — could give orders, Kageyama-san performed a short-range teleportation.
He leaped out from the shadow of the marked horse and jumped onto it, and at the same time, I shot and destroyed the fourth target nearby with Jun-san.
Just after I shot through the mushroom, I heard the sound of the explosives planted on the enemy's horse detonate before I teleported to escape. I glanced sideways to check the enemy's status.
"One, two, three... it seems there aren't many dropouts, huh." (Rena)
I tore through the moss-covered soil, leaped over tree roots, and ducked to avoid the branches grazing above my head. In the meantime, I could see the pursuers, who made no effort to hide their anger and murderous intent, throwing their hand axes while tearing through the smoke from the explosion. Unlike my Jun-san or poison needles, an axe with its weight concentrated at the tips flew in an arc, allowing it to avoid the trees and target me even in the forest. Another advantage was that it didn't require any large movements when throwing, making it easy to do while riding a horse.
To deal with the spinning axe that appeared to be emerging from behind the surrounding trees, I scattered gunpowder balls behind me as needed. The attack could be dodged by shifting the trajectory of the axe using the blast caused by a series of small explosions. At the same time, I threw a dagger at one of the axes, deflecting it and destroying the sixth mushroom.
"It seems he's doing the same thing over there, huh" (Rena)
Occasionally, the sounds of fighting could be heard coming from a short distance away, and I realized that Hannes was also completing his task while dealing with the pursuers.
"I can't lose either." (Rena)
I changed Jun-san into a Dagger and then I had Kageyama-san turn into a Great Sword, then I cut down some suitable trees and branches, turning them into logs, and then wrapped them with my threads. I held the Dagger—which had been deactivated from its Great Sword form—in my mouth, and with my both hands I spun the log connected to the string around and around, making a cutting sound —— and by throwing it at the right time, the string—with the log at its tip as its center of gravity—would fly in all directions, drawing an arc.
The line got caught on the surrounding trees and branches, and the log suddenly changed course and angle, hitting one man's head from behind, causing him to fall off his horse.
"Tch!" (Pursuer)
Ignoring the clicking of tongues audible even from here, I threw the thread behind me in an upward motion, causing it to wind around the branches of the trees behind. As a result, the logs spun around and came whistling down from above the pursuers' heads. If the thread got caught on the branch from above, the log would come flying from behind, but if it got caught from below, the heavy log would come from the front. I think it should create a certain sense of intimidation and tension, right?
"—eighth." (Rena)
I cut the thread from each finger, picked up Jun-san again, and shot the mushrooms. With my other hand holding the reins, I turned around and began charging straight into the midst of the pursuers.
Once again, I changed Jun-san into a dagger, had Kageyama-san turn into a Great Sword, and held it up high, gathering more shadows. Before they had time to be surprised by my sudden return towards them, their gazes were instantly drawn to the Great Sword I was holding, their eyes widening in shock behind their masks.
"If you don't want to die, step back." (Rena)
At the moment my declaration the enemy commander's order to disperse coincided――I swung my Great Sword.
"――"
Utilizing Kageyama-san's Shadow Concentration to make the blade denser and sharper, I unleashed it using the Great Sword skill ‹First Wind of Spring›, clearing a path that I then ran through without stopping. It seemed the pursuers were not just trailing behind but closing in from both sides. However, based on the icons, it appeared there had been more dropouts, which was a relief.
"Well, let's forcefully invite them into a boss fight as well." (Rena)
We should be close to clearing the path to the boss… assuming Hannes hasn't messed up, of course.
Author's Note
She's really messing around... This is what a real Horse Girl[1] is like! (Lame)
Translation Note
[1] I didn't know the reference, but I got this from Copilot:
Yes, there is a word play in "めっちゃ翻弄しまくってる……これが本当のウマ娘ってね." The phrase is playing on the concept of "ウマ娘" (Uma Musume), which literally translates to "horse girl." In the context of the sentence, it seems to imply that you're skillfully and playfully handling the situation, just like the characters in the "Uma Musume"[2] series.
In "Uma Musume: Pretty Derby," the characters are anthropomorphized racehorses who compete in races. By saying "これが本当のウマ娘ってね," you're humorously suggesting that your tactical maneuvers and ability to outwit your pursuers are what a "real" Uma Musume would do.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uma_Musume_Pretty_Derby