Chapter 161: Bitter, Better, Bitaaan! 2
*
“Shin-san went ‘Bitaaan!’ from the sky!”
What the heck is ‘Bitaaan!’ anyway?
I groaned while healing the various cracked bones in my body.
The reason my injuries were lighter than expected was probably thanks to the gust of wind that blew up just before impact.
When I pushed myself up and raised my face, my eyes met the exasperated expression of the person who had created that wind.
Incidentally, behind her, Elza and Master were pointing at me, bursting into laughter while dealing with the Majin that entered their line of sight.
“Kindly inform me before you act so recklessly.”
I shook my head as I stood up, responding to Erika’s words.
While I was at it, I blew the blood out of my nose using my hand.
“Because it looked like my wife was about to do something even more reckless before I did.”
Erika made a strange face at my words.
But still, is this what happens after flying through the sky for “just a bit”?
I thought as I looked around.
Master and Elza were eliminating the surrounding threats, focusing on Luu, while the Prince, with a look of perfect entitlement, was ordering the Knights of another country to guide the citizens to the currently safest place (here).
Even that old Guardsman who got sent flying was efficiently guiding the citizens.
Is he the type to risk his life protecting even commoners if ordered? Does the Royal Family really hold that much appeal?
Anyway, first things first, I need to reassure Erika.
“The Orphanage is safe for now.”
The smoke is— I pointed towards the black smoke rising from the Guild.
“It’s only rising from within the first Barrier.”
Erika let out a short sigh of relief at my words.
“Then we should evacuate to the second one, right?”
Shara asked from a short distance away while casting Healing Magic on the injured.
As expected of the woman kicked out of the Healer Faction.
The injured person was screaming in agony.
“Yeah, evacuate to the second one. More accurately, to the Orphanage. It’s tough luck for the others, but we’ll defend that place to the death. If anyone wants to stay with us, they’ll have to indulge the whims of the sightseeing tour’s host.”
“Quite the sightseeing tour. It’s very much like you two, which is nice.”
Saying that, Shara started working on the second injured person.
Just then, the Prince ran up to us.
“Shin! Are you alright!?”
Geez, don’t come closer.
“That coldness, truly Longdagger.”
You’re creeping me out.
“The Knights have already recovered most of the injured nearby who were immobilized by the initial attack. The one currently being made to scream by the Sister is the last of them. The Margrave’s Knights are guiding those who can move to evacuate.”
As expected of the Knights from the Demon Realm’s front lines. I felt like taking a few of them home with me.
The Prince sounded impressed, while saying something that seemed like picking a fight with the Margrave.
“Sorry, got another one—”
Just then, Luu arrived, carrying an injured parent and child.
What’s the most important protection target doing? I thought, but being the most important, Master’s Magicka was following her around.
“If we stay in one place too long, moving will become difficult. I’ve asked the most important-looking Knight to judge the number we can move while protecting them, so we’ll move on his signal.”
The Prince was taking charge, but I couldn’t find any flaws in his plan, so I had no complaints.
“About the Guild one street over, a Knight said that Baldo Barrel came out, so it should be fine to leave it to him.”
Luu said as she handed the parent and child over to Shara.
I see, so even the Knights call the Guild Master “Baldo Barrel”.
I’m learning strange details about the Guild Master I haven’t even met yet, I thought, glancing at Erika for confirmation.
Erika nodded back, and my resolve hardened.
I don’t know the aim of the person who sent these Majin—or rather, humans who turn into Majin—rampaging widely through the city, but just sitting still until we can’t move is a bad move.
Whatever their goal, the ultimate target is either Erika or Luu.
Oh, if it’s the Prince, his security is full of holes, they’d probably succeed.
Well, whatever. Time to act.
We’ll evacuate to the Orphanage while picking up every person we can help along the way.
Once that’s decided, I should get onto a roof to secure a line of sight.
It was the moment I increased the intensity of my Physical Enhancement.
“Huh?”
A sound escaped me involuntarily as the feeling beneath my feet suddenly vanished.
The ground is collapsing—
Erika instantly leaped backward. I sensed Shara grabbing the injured person and moving away, letting out a strange cry like “Wachaa!”
Luu is, as expected…
My gaze swept around, and I was impressed.
She probably has no actual combat experience, yet despite a slight delay in her reaction, she was trying to jump back from the crumbling footing.
A genius who can imitate another genius is on a different level.
I also placed my foot on the crumbling ground, preparing to retreat.
That’s why.
That’s why I thoroughly cursed myself for reacting instinctively to that voice.
“Shin!”
That voice was unmistakably a plea, and infuriatingly, it was a voice filled with “resolve.”
My gaze, drawn by the voice, fell upon Luu and the Prince.
That bastard. Really, that bastard.
In that instant, every curse imaginable flooded my mind.
The Prince pushed the back of Luu, who was just about to leap away.
Damn it, why does he look so satisfied?
She could have escaped perfectly well if you hadn’t done something unnecessary.
Why can you push a woman—one you seem to think has her head full of Flowers—towards me and look so satisfied?
Don’t look like you’ve accomplished something great, damn it.
Aah, damn it! Really, damn it!
I caught Luu, who had a surprised look on her face.
I bit down hard, crushing all the curses squirming in my brain.
I stomped on the ground that felt like it would completely give way at any moment.
“I leave her to you—Erika.”
While turning Luu’s body, I threw her towards Erika.
Why do I have to do something like this?
The curses berating my own stupidity no longer came out.
If I’ve bitten them back, then all that’s left is to do it. Because I’m a guy.
What’s this “I leave the rest to you, Longdagger” crap?
Clean up your own mess until the very end.
I leaped towards the Prince.
Erika’s voice caught up to my back.
“Very well?”
Flames brushed past my ears.
Okay, got the go-ahead from the wife.
Time for utter stupidity and recklessness.
I plunged into the collapsing pile of rubble.
Author’s Afterword
Incidentally, Erika-san was apparently debating whether or not to catch her husband falling from the sky,
and by the time she decided, it was too late, so she caught him with wind instead.
Thinking about how she used to be able to princess-carry Shin without batting an eye makes the author grin.